It has been thirty minutes since Henry and Ein got stranded inside the elevator. The power was still out, and the sound of Ein whimpering in the corner combined with the gentle swaying of the lift made Henry feel a little uneasy. He would check up on Ein every now and then, but the man would only respond with a soft sob, Henry also observed that Ein would tremble whenever his arm or legs graze against his body.

He understood the fact that Ein was clearly terrified of what was happening around him and Henry opted to maintain his distance while watching over Ein.

Henry had used his smartphone's flashlight to brighten up the surroundings, but he still found the darkness and the silence inside the lift unnerving. Henry had rung the emergency alarm several times already, and there were no signs of rescue yet.

'Damn this… Why is it taking so long? Ein is still hyperventilating.' Henry stood up and went towards the switchboard to press the alarm button. He waited for a bit to get a response, but only silence greeted him.

Henry groans and gets back to his corner which was just across Ein.

'I'll try again after a minute or two." He then sits and loosens up his tie. He realises that his surroundings had become quiet and that Ein's sobbing had died down.

"...Ein?"

Henry inched close to the curled up man to check on him, he tapped his hand on Ein's shoe to check for a response, however, he didn't tremble or budge. Henry found it strange, Ein would usually let out a whimper or tremble with such a slight touch.

Henry realises that Ein had stopped responding, his golden irises dilated in shock. He swiftly pulls off the jacket covering Ein and aims the flashlight towards him.

"Hey, Ein!"

Ein had passed out, his breathing pattern was erratic, and his complexion had become pale. Henry was alarmed when he noticed that Ein's lips were turning pale. Panic crept on Henry's mind.

"Can you hear me, Ein?"

He gently tapped on Ein's cheeks to wake him up, but he was unresponsive.

Henry had to act fast as he recognised the mild symptoms of respiratory arrest. He swiftly removes Ein's shoes, his tie and then places his index and middle finger on Ein's neck, along the artery to count his pulse. Henry then bowed his head to listen to Ein's breathing while watching his abdomen bob up and down to gauge his condition. After thirty seconds, Henry realises that Ein's pulse was slowing down and his breath had become faint.

"Shit! Ein, stay with me please!"

He heaves Ein into a supine position, and removes Ein's jacket and loosens all of his articles of clothing. Henry grabs the jackets and rolls it up together, and places it under Ein's legs to elevate it.

Henry then checks on his vitals again to see if there was any improvement. A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth as he saw Ein's breathing return to normal after three minutes.

"Damn… That was nerve-wracking… We really need to get out of here soon."

Henry groans out of frustration, he then stands up and goes to press the elevator's alarm button. To his surprise, someone finally answers from the other side a few seconds after.

{Is anyone inside the elevator?} An elderly man's voice resounded through the speakers.

"Yes! We're stuck here for more than 30 minutes now. Please send help ASAP. Someone needs medical attention!" Henry's voice was still shaky.

{Alright, we'll manually restart the elevator, kindly wait for a technician and a responder, they should be there in five to fifteen minutes. Also, may I take your name?}

"Henry Rivers, I'm a new employee here."

{Oh, the new kitchen guy! I've heard your name from good ol' Emery! Alrighty then… Henry, do you recall the floor where you are currently in?}

"We were on our way down to the lobby… I believe it was somewhere between the 17th to 21st floor."

{I'll relay that to the crew, by the way, you mentioned someone needed medical attention?}

"Yes, my companion had an anxiety attack… I already gave him first aid, but he's unconscious at the moment." Henry glances at Ein who was lying flat on the floor.

{May I take his name too for reference?}

"It's Ein Schmidt."

{Thanks! I-}

The speaker suddenly went silent. Henry was taken aback and his thoughts started to fill with panic. They couldn't afford to stay any longer inside the elevator as Ein needed medical assistance. Henry then presses the alarm button repetitively.

"Hello? Anyone? Please send help!"

{Henry! This is Seori, sorry for scaring you a bit there.}

"...Ms Avery? How?" A sigh of relief escaped from Henry. He thought that the communication line broke off again.

{I'm here in the Securities Offices when the power outage happened… By the way, is Ein alright?} Seori's voice suddenly became bleak.

"He is stable for now… But he's still unconscious."

{Thank goodness! Thank you for looking after him… Henry.} Seori's voice was filled with relief. {I'll ask some of the responders to bring him to the health centre once we pull you guys out of there. Hang tight alright?}

"Sure! We'll see you soon then, thank you, Ms Avery."

***

The sound of clattering heels resonated through the corridors leading to Hotel Citron's infirmary. Office workers and hotel staff members were shocked to see a red-haired woman, donning a black suit and a pair of red stilettos running towards the end of the hallway. It was Monique, she eventually stops just outside of the infirmary's door and collects herself. After catching her breath, she knocks on the door, opens it and rushes inside.

"Is Ein okay?!"

"He's resting at the moment, Ms Salva, please calm yourself." The on-site physician scratched his head and gazed at Monique's feet.

"I think you'll need this in a few minutes too." He then hands over a small box of bandaids to Monique. "Running in heels will give you horrible blisters, you know."

"Thank you, Arnaut... where's Ein by the way?" Monique took out two pieces of bandaids from the box and returned the box to Arnaut.

"He's at room HC3, near the drinking fountain at that corner. Henry is with him at the moment." Arnaut points to the area where Ein's room was and gives Monique two bottles of chamomile tea that were pulled from the pockets of his coat. "One is for you and a spare one… just in case someone needs to calm down. Haha!" A condescending smile appears on Arnaut's face.

Monique sneers at Arnaut. "I wonder what Seori sees in you." Monique took the bottles of tea with her and snorted at Arnaut.

"Terrible humour for a doctor… seriously not boyfriend material." Monique clicks her tongue at him and scurries to Ein's room.

Henry was seated on a stool, beside Ein's bed. He was staring at the wall clock in the room, the time was displaying 11:14 AM, and twenty minutes had passed since their rescue from the elevator. Ein was still unconscious and he felt guilty leaving him alone, he opted to stay and wait for Ein to wake up.

A gentle knock on the door grabbed his attention, it was Monique, she quietly opened the door and gently closed it as she entered the room.

"Ah, Ms Salva…" Henry stood up and gestured to Monique to sit. "Here, please sit."

"Don't mind if I do! Thank you." Monique sits down and gives one of the bottled chamomile tea to Henry. "You must be thirsty, please drink this."

"Thank you for this, Ms Salva." Henry takes the bottle and opens it, he quickly took a sip and set it aside.

"I heard you got stranded with Ein inside the elevator… It must have been a shock for you." Monique was gazing at Ein with a forlorn face.

"It was alright Ms Salva, it's just that I didn't expect that my first aid skills would be put to the test on the day we met." A bashful smile appeared on Henry's face. "I am a bit shaken though. I didn't expect that Ein had that type of trauma."

Monique reached out her hand on Ein's forehead and gently caressed it. "This little brother of mine has been through a lot… what you did earlier inside the elevator helped him a lot... and for that, I sincerely thank you." Monique sighed.

'Wait, little brother? I thought Ms Salva was an only child? Did Emery give me the wrong info? And what about the Benefactor thing Ein said earlier?' Henry's brows furrowed, his thoughts were in confusion.

"Although there's one thing I do require from my employees to strictly adhere to..." Monique's gentle tone had suddenly become stern. She then stood up and turned her attention to Henry.

"And that is to ensure that they must be comfortable to work with Ein." Monique then grabbed Henry's tie and pulled it, tightening the knot.

"I saw your lewd handshake with Ein earlier." Monique's sharp blue eyes pierced through Henry. "If you're looking at Ein like a free piece of meat, then I suggest you work elsewhere." Monique releases her grip on Henry's tie.

Henry's ears flushed red in embarrassment. "Ah… about that, I truly apologize! It never crossed my mind that gesture wouldn't sit well with Brits." Henry scratched his head in frustration. "Truly, I'm sorry if it offended you."

"Apologise to Ein, not me though." Monique crossed her arms and sneered at Henry. "Usually, Ein can tolerate dark and cramped up spaces, but his panic attack today…" Monique grunts.

"Did you do something to trigger the attack? Monique glares at Henry with suspicion.

"I-I did nothing! I swear! I only talked to him to help him relax, I gave him my jacket and kept my distance since he hated it when I got near." Henry pauses and recalls the events earlier in his head and groans.

"However, I do recall Ein… trembling and telling me to stay away from him. I think he was terrified of being touched in the dark. Does that mean anything Ms Salva?"

Monique was taken aback. Her face was etched with a bitter scowl as she recollected Ein's condition after getting assaulted back in college.

"It does…" Monique massaged her temples as bitter memories flooded her head.

"Then… shouldn't Ein get psych-"

"He already did! And he's still being treated, that's why we have this Health Centre here to help him and other employees with their baggage!" Monique interjects Henry, her eyes twitched in irritation and her voice had become a tone higher. She then realises that it was improper for her to be swayed by emotions.

"I'm sorry, Henry… Ah… I didn't mean to blow a fuse on you." Monique sat back on the stool and covered her face with her hands in shame.

"It's alright, Ms Salva… I do understand where you're coming from after all." A gentle smile appears on his face, he then pats Monique's shoulder to comfort her.

"Can you please tell me the gist of what happened to Ein? I would like to know so I can pace myself accordingly… That is if you don't mind telling."

"Then… Henry, can you bear the burden and keep quiet about it?" Monique mumbled.

"I am a very private person and I keep secrets well... Emery can vouch for me if you don't trust my words." Henry retained his gentle smile.

"I'm rather good at carrying burdens too! You can see it on my arms." Henry then flexed his right arm and smiled sheepishly at Monique.

Monique giggled softly as he saw Henry cracking up an unexpected joke. She knew that he was trying to lighten up the mood since Monique had dampened the issue with her mini outburst.

"Then listen well! I will only tell you this once if I see you acting like a thirsty bastard around Ein after this… I'll turn you into a eunuch!" Monique snickered as she recalled her college memories.

~~~~~

To be Continued.

~~~~~