Page 27 of From the Embers

He nods in response, heading over to the elevator panel as I head to the car doors.

“How you doing in there?” I call out through the doors.

“Oh my! It’s really small in here,” the woman calls out. “I’m freaking out.”

“It’s gonna be okay. I’m Denver, and my buddies Dylan and JC here are gonna help you get out in a second, alright?”

“Uh, o-okay, but please hurry. It isn’t gonna plummet to the ground, is it?”

“Nope, nothing like that, I’ll have you out in a jiffy. What’s your name?”

“Julia,” she stammers.

“And your baby?”

“Lachlan. He’s still sleeping, thank goodness.”

“Just try to stay calm, we’re gonna wedge the doors open and then level the car with the floor so we can pull you out, okay?”

“O-okay.”

We also have Jake Lawson, our paramedic, on standby which is normal procedure.

I hear the manual release click and Dylan gives us the go ahead to wedge the doors open.

JC and I do just that, and I peer in.

“I see you!” Julia says. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Hey.” I smile. “Just hang tight, alright?”

To say she looks relieved to see me is an understatement. “Okay. But if you think it’ll plummet to the basement, please take my son.”

I smile reassuringly. “It’s not going to, and that won’t be necessary. We’re just kicking in manual mode, and then we’ll be able to pull you free. Just another minute.”

“I don’t like heights,” she says.

In situations like these, it’s best not to think about it because you’ll only send yourself crazy, but I can’t tell her that. “Unfortunately, elevators are a necessary evil, especially on the sixteenth floor.”

“Taking the stairs with a stroller isn’t a great idea,” she says. “But now I’m rethinking that option. It could be good cardio.”

I chuckle. “It could be, but I don’t know if the little guy will agree with you.”

Right on cue, he starts to cry.

The manual release clicks again and JC and Dylan crack the wheel. The elevator begins to rise until it’s just enough to level with the floor. I shove the door even farther apart until it stays, then reach my hand in. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”

She’s cradling her baby in her arms as she tries to soothe him, then reaches a hand to me. I help her out, then go back in for the stroller. With a hand placed on her heart, she takes a few breaths to steady herself.

“Julia, are you okay? Talk to me.”

She fans herself, rocking the baby as he stops crying. “I’m just, I’m just hot, and tired, and stressed.”

“Can I call someone for you?”

“It’s okay, I can do it.” She drops her phone twice, then her purse falls off her arm.

“Here,” I say. “Let me take him for a second, if you’re okay with that?”