“It must be a sign, Sir.” His eyes were apologetic as soon as he opened the wide entry doors.
Sobs instantly descended on my ears.
“Oh, shit, you weren’t kidding,” I said, as I stepped into the lobby. Not a soul to be found except the receptionist, ear muffs covering her ears–uncharacteristic for a warm summer evening–and a frown on her face.
Her eyes cast across the lobby, and my gaze followed.
And that’s when I saw them.
The bank of elevators, middle doors open wide, and one pair of lipstick-red heels peeking out from a space no taller than twelve inches.
“Holy shit.”
“She’s been crying for twenty minutes straight, Sir,” the receptionist mumbled.
“Is she hurt?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” the woman groaned.
“You got another pair of those I could borrow?” I nodded to the fuzzy muffs stifling the noise forming from the elevator.
She shook her head, face dead serious.
“Wonderful, okay then.” I marched to the elevator, pausing at the opening and clearing my throat. The sobbing stopped instantly. With my eyes trained on the shiny red heels, I began to speak.
“Hello, Miss, I’m a first responder, are you hurt in there?”
“No.” Came the small squeak.
“Perfect. I’ve got a tool that might get us back in business here, but I have to get to that control panel on the side. Do you see it?”
A long pause, a soft hiccough, and then a soft ahem.
“Do you think if I give you the tool you can open it and take a look yourself? I can tell you what to look for.”
Silence.
“Ma’am?” A soft sob and then small tremors shook her heels. “Ma’am, are you hurt?”
“No, it’s just…I can’t get it open.” Fear and anxiety rattled her voice, I could feel it to the depths of my stomach. This woman was terrified.
“That’s okay, the elevator repair company is on the way, but I think I can just get through this crack. If I can, I might be able to get to that control panel and get you out of here sooner.”
“Yes, yes, please, hurry.” More tears flooded her words.
“Okay, just slide back in the corner, I don’t want to get nailed in the throat with one of those heels.” I tried to lighten the mood, but her silence was the only response. I cleared my throat as she folded her legs underneath her, tucking herself into the back corner of the elevator.
For the first time, I could catch a glimpse of the fitted black pencil skirt that formed to her calves.
I swallowed, gripping the edges of the elevator floor and hoisting myself, head first, into the box. Turned away from her, I pressed my chest through the metal, using my biceps to heave the rest of my body through the narrow space.
“There,” I huffed, wiping the dirt on my palms onto my thighs before digging into my supply bag. “Is there anything I can get you?” I didn’t have the room to turn fully: her legs curled out of my way were fine enough, but she also had a big-ass bag taking up the entire corner. I was forced to wedge into the corner with the control box, my calves grazing her thighs as I worked.
“I-I’m fine.” Her voice was soft, trembling, but more measured than before. She was trying to compose herself. I was glad for that. Fixing the control panel on an ancient art-deco elevator was one thing, doing it with a woman sobbing in the corner sounds like something out of a nightmare.
“Good, you sound a helluva lot better than when I arrived, that’s for damn sure.” My tone was light as I popped open the box on the control panel.
“I’m not good with tight spaces.”
“You don’t say.” I chuckled as I twisted the flat head of a screwdriver into the emergency reset button.
“Well, your bedside manner is a gem.” Her voice lowered a register and hit me square in the stomach, something familiar wrapped around my thoughts. I sucked in a breath of air, eyes slamming closed for a beat as I thought back to the last time I’d heard that flirty, sassy tone of voice.
“Sorry, Kitten, the call didn’t say there was a tip for an impeccable bedside manner.”
I heard her huff once, before she quietly replied: “Why did you just call me Kitten?”
I cracked a smile, only one thought running through my head. “Because you sounded like a scared little kitten stuck in a tree when I got here.” I leaned back on my thighs, tossing over my shoulder, “If the shoe fits, ya know?”
She huffed again, and it caused me to laugh harder.
“What would you say if I told you I love that little noise you make so much I may never stop teasing you?”
Another adorable huff came from over my shoulder, longer this time. “I’d say it looks like you’re gonna need a bigger tool to get us out of here.”