Piper Day's Ultimate Guide To Avoiding George Clooney

by Vanessa Fewings

  “What’s wrong?” Jamie said, reading my expression.

  “That’s the emergency line.” I stared at the phone, hoping to see the red button go out. A sign the caller had realized they’d dialed the wrong number and quickly hung up.

  “You don’t have to respond, right?” Jamie said. “You’re off duty now.”

  “Natalie’s stuck in an elevator,” my words came out sounding seemingly distant, as though I’d slipped inside a long, dark tunnel.

  “Isn’t there another nurse who can respond?” Jamie said, bringing me back into the room.

  Adam appeared, his face full of confusion. “A water pipe’s burst in the Baybrigde building.”

  Jamie looked fraught. “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “It’s flooding the basement,” Adam’s tone went higher.

  “Which floor is Natalie’s elevator stuck on?” asked Jamie.

  Adam’s eyes widened with terror. “The basement.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Resident Hero

  Stage: Dark

  I bolted toward the front of the department.

  “What are you doing?” Jamie asked, following behind.

  I grabbed the golf cart keys off the wall hook.

  “Let me help you out of that dress,” Adam said, sounding panicked. “I’ll get your scrubs.”

  “I’m not sure we have time,” Jamie said. “Our limo’s here.”

  Heart racing, only half listening to the conversation between Adam and Jamie, I reached for the spare medical kit and threw it over my shoulder. “I’ll be careful,” I told Adam, then flew out the front door.

  I heard steps behind me and turned to see Jamie following.

  Once inside the cart, I rammed the keys into the ignition. Jamie climbed in beside me.

  “Hold on,” I said.

  We jolted off, heading west, my foot pressed on the accelerator.

  The wind caught my hair and pulled it back. Feeling disheveled but not caring, I slowed only to take the turn safely onto Garbo Lane.

  As we got closer, I could see a crowd had gathered outside the Baybridge building. Evacuees were striding out of the front door, quickly joining the others. Another small gathering watched from under the awning of the Valentio Theatre.

  The golf cart squealed to a stop. I leaped out, grabbed the kit, and bolted toward the Baybridge building’s glass door.

  A security guard was there directing people to safety. I’d seen him on the lot but had never spoken with him and didn’t know his name. He looked confused when he saw me.

  I tried to nudge past him. “I’m going to assist Natalie.”

  “Piper?” he said, blocking my way. “Firemen will be here any moment.”

  Discreetly catching his name on his ID badge, I said, “Michael, I have to get in there to help.”

  “Can’t let you in,” he told me. “There’s a flood in the basement.”

  “And Natalie’s stuck in the elevator,” I said. “Isn’t she?”

  “Exactly,” Michael said. “There’s water, there’s electricity, it’s very dangerous.”

  Jamie’s ironclad grip squeezed my right arm. “Piper, let them do their job.”

  “Who’s in there helping Natalie?” I eased off Jamie’s hand.

  “An electrician’s taking care of the elevator,” Michael said matter-of-factly.

  “Alone?”

  “Listen to him, Piper.” Jamie gave my arm another squeeze. “It’s under control.”

  Michael’s gaze slid up and down my dress.

  He opened the door to let a young man out and gave him a nod of approval and then shut it again.

  Jamie beamed a smile. “Look, I’m Jamie Hale.” He stepped toward him and lowered his voice. “We promise not to go in any farther than the foyer.” He glanced over at me for reassurance. “Just doing our bit.”

  With a merely a shrug, Michael stood his ground.

  A group of people burst through the doors and besieged Michael, sharing their annoyance with him and wanting to know the reason for their evacuation. Michael tried to put some space between them and him. His back hit the wall. He patiently answered their questions only to be bombarded with more.

  With Michael distracted, I pulled open the door and grabbed Jamie’s arm, slipping inside quickly.

  The foyer was dimly lit and the chill in the air revealed the air-conditioning was still on, which meant so was the electricity.

  “Piper, let’s wait here for Natalie,” Jamie said. “She’ll appreciate the fact you were worried about her.”

  I scanned the foyer for the elevators. Near them would be the stairwell.

  “Remember what I promised the guard?” he said.

  I repositioned the kit over my shoulder. “If anything happens to Natalie....”

  “You’re not expected to do this kind of thing.”

  “This is not only my job.” I headed toward the door left of the elevator. “It’s my calling. And my friend’s in trouble.” I turned the knob and shoved open the door.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” Jamie followed behind.

  An older couple were heading up the stairs. The man had his arm around the woman and he was assisting her. She seemed to be having difficulty walking.

  Jamie climbed the few short steps it took to reach them and moved around the other side of the woman. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Steadily, they all continued upwards.

  “My wheelchair’s down there,” she told us.

  “We’ll get you a new one. How about that,” Jamie said.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Jamie Hale,” the lady said, her face lighting up, distracted from the crisis.

  “I get that a lot,” he said, throwing me a smile, and then his face changed when I passed him. “Piper.”

  I descended swiftly. “I’ll be careful,” I called back to him.

  I was always amazed at how light the kit felt when carrying it to a medical emergency. It contradicted the times I’d move it around the medical department or lift it to restock it. On those times it always weighed a ton.

  This time was no different. Adrenaline flowed through my veins, helping me to fly around each curve of the stairwell.

  When I reached the basement, I was met by a one-foot flood lapping at the third stair.

  I eased the medical kit off my shoulder and placed it on the step. I grabbed the fanny pack from inside it, the smaller more portable kit, and rested it at my feet, ready to go. I took off my shoes, finding the step was cold.

  Fiddling with the side of my dress, I struggled to unzip it. It wouldn’t give. I tried again, my fingers slipping off the zip, leaving red blemishes on my fingertips. I scrunched up the tulle skirt, trying to ease it up, trying to wriggle out of it. It was too snug. I’d never get it over my chest.

  A scream.

  I grabbed the fanny pack, hoisted my skirt, and leaped into the water, sucking in my breath at the shock of the coldness. The haunting words of Michael rang in my ears: “electricity and water, a deadly combination.”

  I waded on, passing floating debris: papers, a waste basket bobbing upside-down, and a line of a cups, followed by sachets of coffee. My gown threatened to dip into the water. I hoisted it up farther around my waist.

  Yes, I’m wearing Spanx, came that self-conscious voice inside my head, but hopefully if I save someone’s life they’ll forget such damning details.

  The fire door was ajar, allowing me enough room to squeeze through. I continued down the dark corridor, pushing onward in the direction of where I’d heard the scream.

  Lights flickered along the ceiling, threatening to plunge me into darkness. They blinked on and off again. A ceiling light buzzed. The hallway felt like it was closing in, though it was merely a trick of the light, or lack of it, the murkiness making the walls look thinner. Through the dimness I was able to make out movement ahead. There, at the end of the corridor, were two men trying to prize open an elevator door. Despite the
water’s resistance slowing me down, I trudged toward them. The man on the left was dressed in blue overalls and I hoped he was the electrician.

  To his right, stood Grayson.

  “Piper?” Grayson frowned his confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  “Is Natalie in there?” I asked, catching up with them.

  “I’m afraid so,” Grayson said. “This is Ted.”

  Ted went back to work with his crowbar, trying to pry open the elevator doors, using his weight for leverage.

  Following their lead, and managing to keep my skirt safely above the water with my left hand, I slipped my right into the gap of the elevator doorway. “Is the electricity off now?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Jason’s still working on it,” Ted said.

  Not exactly reassuring.

  “She’s the other studio nurse,” Grayson told him.

  Ted barely glanced my way.

  Grayson leaned toward me and whispered into my ear, “We’re not telling them about the electricity.”

  “Firefighters are on their way,” I said. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  Ted’s brow dripped with perspiration. “I’ve been begging management to change these pipes for years.”

  “Well now they will,” Grayson said.

  Ted gave the elevator door another yank with the crowbar, easing it open a few inches. “We have to move fast.”

  There was a rumble from behind us.

  “Oh shit.” Ted looked over at Grayson, his expression pale.

  “What?” I said.

  “We have to get them out,” Grayson shouted.

  The rumble was louder. Closer. The tremor beneath our feet made the floor shudder.

  “What is that?” I said, my voice higher pitched than usual during an emergency.

  Focus, came that quiet inner voice that could always be relied upon.

  The elevator door gave a few more inches. Not a lot, but enough for us to all get our hands in farther and gain better leverage.

  “We’re going to get you out,” I said, catching a glimpse of Natalie. “Hold on.”

  The doors gave a little more. Natalie stared past us with a terrified gaze. I turned to see what she was frowning at. A two-foot wave rolled toward us at full speed, whooshing like a short wall of water.

  “The main water pipe’s gone,” Ted shouted. “Hold onto something—”

  From beneath the water, Ted’s words sounded muffled. Having been knocked off my feet, I was now tumbling underwater, immersed in blackness. Coldness rushed into my ears and up my nose, and despite pursing my lips I tasted a nasty staleness. My tulle skirt ballooned, flipping me onto my front and pushing me downward. Tumbling, I couldn’t make out which way was up. The water kept coming, thrusting me against the wall and sucking me under.

  A strong hand wrapped around my waist and lifted me. With my head free I gasped for air, while my arms flailed. My legs scrambled to stand. Air never felt so good.

  “I’ve got you,” Grayson said, his voice calmer than it should have been.

  I found my footing again and I leaned against the wall to steady myself. Another wave hit us and pinned Grayson’s body against mine.

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” he said in a Jimmy Stewart accent.

  Breathless, I marveled at his composure.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  With my nod, he eased off and clawed his way back to the elevator door. I side- stepped to rejoin him, reaching out and wedging my fingers in-between the gap again. Giving another forceful yank, Ted, Grayson, and I had the elevator doors opened fully.

  Natalie threw us a wave, but her face reflected she knew we weren’t out of danger yet. Grayson used his right hand to steady himself on the edge of the door, then he reached out his left and grabbed hold of Natalie’s hand, pulling her up and out to our level. Both he and Ted then assisted the other two men. Their suits were soaked wet, their faces full of terror.

  “Anyone hurt?” I asked them.

  With a quick response from everyone that no one was injured, we began our wade down the corridor. The water level was now at our waists. This reminded me of a scene from the movie Titanic, and I suddenly had an understanding of what those passengers must have gone through. Only we weren’t on a sinking ship, thank goodness, but the fear of electrocution wasn’t over yet. If the wiring was as old as the pipes, we were still in harm’s way.

  I sped up my pace, leading everyone back toward the stairwell. One at a time we slid through the door. Painfully slow, we each used the metal railing to hoist ourselves up the stairs, our drenched clothes weighing us down.

  Eventually we made it to a dry spot where the water hadn’t reached. Once all safely there, we took a moment to catch our breaths. Grayson lifted the medical kit that I’d left there earlier and flung it over his shoulder. Together, we ascended the stairwell, heading fast for the foyer, the climb seemingly longer than coming down had felt. Our collective out-of-breath panting echoed back to us.

  Outside, the cool air hit me hard, making me shiver. Exhilaration surged through my veins. We’d survived, and a sense of relief washed over me because no one was hurt. Someone placed a dry blanket over my shoulders, though I couldn’t say who.

  Lifting the hem of the dress, I tried not to trip as I squelched my way along. Blinking, I took in the red flashing light of a fire truck parked ten feet away. Firemen and paramedics, dressed in their turnouts, trotted past us and headed on into the Baybridge.

  Standing beneath the Valentino Theatre’s awning was Jamie. I threw him a wave to let him know I was out safe. My Spanx stuck to my flesh like a cold wetsuit. A puddle formed at my feet.

  Jamie looked aghast. My gaze lowered to take in what he’d locked onto.

  My wet rag of a gown.

  “Seriously, Piper.” Grayson nudged up against me, one eyebrow arched. “Why are you wearing that?” He cringed. “You weren’t going anywhere special, I hope.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Resident Hero

  Stage: Dark

  The white noise of the hairdryer reached us in the coffee room.

  I felt sick to my stomach, not only because I wasn’t going to the Oscars anymore but also because I’d ruined Adam’s dress. All the hard work he put into it, wasted. The lump in my throat was guilt. The old fashioned Catholic kind that promised to stay around for a lifetime. That hairdryer was Adam in a treatment room desperately trying to blow-dry the dress. A futile measure, but one that nevertheless reflected his Italian ‘never give up,’ attitude.

  A few minutes ago I’d been standing back under the shower, struck by both the running water as well as the feeling of déjà vu. Adding insult to injury, I’d had no choice but to redress into my scrubs.

  Natalie, Jamie, and I sat around the coffee table with long periods of silence between us, all too aware of Jamie’s limo parked outside. The luxury vehicle would be leaving shortly, sans moi.

  “Seriously,” I told Jamie. “You should get going.” I waved a confident hand in the air and forced a smile. “I could always go next year.”

  “I feel terrible,” Natalie said, placing her head in her hands.

  “I take full responsibility,” I told her. “I tried to unzip the dress and take it off but it wouldn’t give.”

  Jamie leaned back and folded his arms against his chest. “Piper, you should have changed back into your scrubs first.”

  “There wasn’t time.” I leaned my elbows on the desk and rested my head in my hands. “Everyone’s safe and that’s all that counts.” And I meant it too.

  Silence lingered and my thoughts drifted.

  Grayson had lifted me out of the water, saving my life. His arm had wrapped around my waist and pulled me to safety. Yet I’d failed to thank him. I’d been so caught up in the drama of my soaking wet dress, still in denial I’d sabotaged the evening.

  The phone rang and the hairdryer went quiet. Adam answered it, chatting away to whoever was on the other end. He hung up and
seconds later loomed in the coffee room doorway.

  “Adam, I’m so sorry,” I said again, trying to read his face and see if he’d forgiven me.

  He waved off my apology, seeming unperturbed. “I’m so proud of you. You’d have done the same for me and that’s pretty awesome.”

  I rose and ran over to him, flinging my arms around his neck. “I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

  He looked over at Natalie. “You already have.”

  “Who was that on the phone?” Natalie asked.

  “They need a studio nurse over at the Gemstone Building.” Adam’s gaze settled on me.

  Natalie rose from her chair.

  “They asked for Piper,” said Adam.

  “She’s off duty,” Natalie said.

  “They were very specific.” Adam read the post-it note he was holding. “Executive suite.”

  “Is it an emergency?” Natalie asked. “We can both go.”

  “Apparently not,” Adam said.

  “Do you think I’m in trouble?” I looked from Adam to Natalie, trying to read their faces and see if they might have any insight. “I responded to a medical emergency in an evening gown.”

  Natalie looked nervous. “You weren’t on duty.”

  “Sounds like a VIP courtesy visit,” said Adam.

  “I’ll go with you,” Jamie said, standing up. “I’ll explain to whoever it is.”

  “You need to get going,” I said. “I’ve already held you up long enough.”

  I wanted to get whatever this was over as quickly as possible.

  “Jamie,” I said, pausing for a moment, “thank you for inviting me. It means the world. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

  He gave a nod of appreciation and then broke my gaze, perhaps revealing his guilt he was about to head off without me.

  Kit in hand, I trudged out of the department and over to the golf cart, resting the emergency response bag on the spare seat. It felt nice to get some fresh air, and as I drove over to the center of the lot I began to feel a little better.

  A soft sofa, large bowl of chocolate-chip ice-cream with extra chips, and a night of watching the Oscars alongside my best friend Ellie was in my future.