He straightened and looked at his companion. Even in the dim light, he recognized the alarm in her big brown eyes. "Did he say widespread power outage?"
She nodded as she drew in an unsteady breath. "I think so. Sounds like it has triggered a bunch of accidents."
"Yeah, it would." A weight settled in Damon’s stomach. He fished his cell phone from his pocket and frowned at the lack of bars. “Do you have service? Maybe we can get a call out to...someoneto help hurry this along."
"No, I never have service in these elevators. I think the hospital blocks it, so it doesn't interfere with the medical equipment."
He let out a resigned sigh before dropping to the floor, where he leaned his back against the wall, and stretched out his legs.
"What are you doing?" The woman's voice rose an octave.
"You heard the guy. He said, 'Hang tight.' It could be a while before help comes, so we may as well get comfortable. Well, as comfortable as possible under the circumstances."
"Do you have any idea how many germs are on that floor?" She sucked in another deep breath as she rocked from one foot to the other.
Damon looked more closely at the woman's attire, noting that her dark red clothing was scrubs, not athletic wear like he'd first thought.
He snorted. "If you knew of even half the places I've holed up, you'd understand why I'm not concerned about the germs that may be on this floor." He patted the linoleum beside him.
"I can't tell if you're trying to brag or what." She wrinkled her nose. "But you're gross and kind of crazy."
Damon let out a bark of laughter. "You think this is gross? You should have seen me after I spent a week in the swamps of Florida."
"Swamps?" There was that wrinkle in her nose again.
It was kind of cute.
"Army Ranger School."
"Oh, you're military." She bent down and looked closely at him, then she chuckled. "I guess that explains a lot."
Damon wondered if he should be offended. "So, are you a nurse?"
"No, I'm a radiology technician." She huffed as she set the basket on the floor then shook her arms and rocked from one foot to the other again. "And today was my last day, hence the going away gift."
She wasn't taking the basket to a loved one, she was the recipient. Damon didn't know why, but that knowledge pleased him.
The dim lights overhead flickered then went out.
The woman gasped, and he heard her grapple for the support bar.
He turned on his phone’s flashlight. "Did the guy say something about the elevator's battery back-up failing?"
"Maybe. It was hard to understand him with the way he kept cutting out. But that would explain why the elevator doesn't work and communication with him was so spotty."
"Let's hope they don't take too long to find us; my battery is at forty-two percent. With the flashlight on, it will drain it fast."
She fumbled in her purse and pulled out her phone. "Mine's at fifty-seven, but it never lasts very long either. It's time for a new phone."
He looked up at her again. "I hope you're not afraid of the dark."
She finally dropped down beside him and hugged her knees to her chest. "Not as much as I am of tight spaces."
"You're claustrophobic?"
"A little." She sucked in a deep breath. "Add in the lack of light and no ventilation, and I'm more than a little freaked out."
"Hey, it's going to be okay. We got this." He set his phone on the floor between them, light illuminating upward. "By the way, my name is Damon."
