Page 25 of Miss Manage

Chapter Fourteen

GABRIEL

Istayed in my chair for a few seconds after Charlotte left, the silence settling heavier than it should have. Maybe I’d made a mistake in trying to save John. Logic said to cut him loose because who needed his negativity? But loyalty ran deep regarding the people I’d managed at Juniper.

Maybe I was seeing too much of myself in him. He was going through a nasty divorce, and as someone who’d himself let personal shit bleed into his work, I could extend him another chance. I only hoped it didn’t burn me in the end.

A hangover had been lingering all morning, the kind that throbbed enough to remind me I wasn’t twenty-one anymore. At least my brother Leo was doing better, no doubt thanks to the obscene amounts of tequila the three of us brothers had drowned in over the weekend.

A Band-Aid solution, sure, but it had gotten him to talk, to laugh a little, and eventually concede he’d consider counseling for his PTSD. For Leo, it was progress.

For Dominic and me, it was a reminder of how we needed to make a point to do more together. We were close as brothers went but not always present for each other. One more regret about taking a year in London. If Leo’s silent struggles had taught us anything, it was how fast things could unravel when you stopped paying attention.

I shoved back from my desk, straightened my tie, and was gearing up for my next meeting when the sound of Charlotte shouting spurred me to my feet. A tight, bright surge of adrenaline shot through me in the seconds it took me to dash outside of my door.

The scene hit me all at once: the copier, the toppled boxes of paper, George sprawled on the floor. And Charlotte kneeling beside him, already pressing rhythmic compressions onto his chest.

“Olivia, call 911,” she commanded.

Her head snapped toward me. “Gabriel, there’s an AED device at the reception desk. I need it.”

Before I could fully grasp the situation, I was in motion, sprinting down the hall. With her orders in my head, the understanding settled in that this was a life-or-death situation.

While passing Rhys, I quickly enlisted his help. “There’s a medical emergency. Go to the ground floor of the building and meet the paramedics. Bring them straight up to outside of my office.”

I bolted down the hall, flew down two flights of stairs, and skidded to a stop at the reception desk. “We’ve got an emergency on twenty-seven, and I need the defibrillator now.”

The receptionist’s eyes went wide. Her hands fumbled at first but then she scrambled, ducking behind the desk. “Um, yeah, God, it’s right here.”

She shoved the bright red case across the counter, her fingers trembling.

I grabbed it, the weight solid and heavy in my hands, my body humming with urgency. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recalled a summer CPR class I’d taken in college when I’d thought lifeguarding was a good idea. A lifetime ago. The details were fuzzy, at best. Hopefully, this machine had instructions plastered across it because, right now, George’s life depended on it.

“Call Sheila in HR,” I called out to the stunned receptionist, already pivoting toward the stairs again. “Tell her to contact George—” Fuck, I couldn’t recall his last name. “George, the facilities guy’s family. They’ll need to meet him at Sharp Memorial Hospital.”

I didn’t wait for her answer. My grip tightening on the handle, my adrenaline spiked as I charged back up the steps, praying I wouldn’t be too late.

Charlotte looked up mid-compression, her hands steady on George’s sternum while Olivia relayed information over speakerphone. “CPR is in progress, and the defibrillator just arrived.”

Chaos churned in my mind while blood pounded in my ears. Sheer panic gripped me at watching a man’s life slip away right here on the office floor. But Charlotte… Charlotte wasn’t panicked at all. She was calm, precise, moving like a professional who’d been trained for this situation.

“Can you let Sheila in HR⁠—?”

“Already done. What happened?” My voice came out sharper than I intended.

She didn’t falter, her rhythm strong and confident. “I don’t know. I was walking by, and he appeared off. Then he grabbed his chest and collapsed. I tried to catch him.”

Impossible. George had a hundred pounds on her.

I dropped to my knees across from her. A crowd was starting to form. Bobby, the CIO, and a few others spilled into the hallway. I locked my gaze with Bobby, needing him to take the lead. “Take everyone into the conference room and keep the hall clear for the paramedics. We don’t need a show.”

They scattered, and I opened the defibrillator case. “Do you know how to use this?”

“Yes.” She leveled her gaze on me. “Do you know how to do compressions?”

“Yes, but…it’s been years.” I forced myself to study her hands and timing.

Her voice stayed steady, the sweat beading on her brow the only sign of strain. “Heel of your hand right here, between the nipples, other hand on top. Push hard and fast about two inches deep, about this speed. Don’t lean on him, let the chest recoil.”