In January of 2007, Dan dreams about a firehose he’d seen in one of the Overlook hallways. The nozzle hisses like a snake as Tony screams for him to wake up. A coworker buzzes him through the intercom to tell him that Mr. Hayes has died. They suspected that he would die because the housecat, Azzie, only goes into the rooms of people who will die soon. He’d been paying more attention to Mr. Hayes.

Dan has an antagonistic relationship with a coworker named Fred Carling, who calls Dan Doctor Sleep. As Dan helps Mr. Hayes pass, he sees bruises on his forearm. Dan blames Carling. Mr. Hayes is scared, but Dan takes his hand and sees Mr. Hayes’s best memories. After taking his last breath, a red mist emerges from his nose and mouth. Dan feels another presence and asks if it is Abra.

When Carling is insensitive about Mr. Hayes’s death, Dan pushes and threatens him. He says if he sees fingerprints on another patient, he’ll turn him in and beat him up and Carling backs down. Later that day, Dan’s rage disturbs him. It reminds him of his father’s temper. Then he feels Abra’s presence again and feels an invisible hand in his palm.