7
Zach
Zach had his laptop open in a room next to the hotel’s large kitchen. His little brother was on the screen, pink paper hat on his head, and a glass of bubbly in his hand. ‘Happy Christmas Eve, Cody.’
Adrian raised a glass, leaning over Zach’s shoulder. ‘Miss you here, little boss man, but glad you’re living your best life.’
Cody and Adrian started talking about the previous Christmas. Not much had changed at the hotel. The buzz of Christmas Eve filled the kitchen with cheer, as usual, and Harold had the restaurant running like clockwork. The head chef came in to say hello to Cody. The staff certainly missed him.
It was hard for Zach not being with his brother over the holiday. They always had so much fun with the staff at the hotel. Everyone loved Cody, and when they sat to eat their own festive feast, joy and laughter always surrounded them.
Nadia entered the room, placed some red tinsel around Adrian’s neck, then joined in with the lively chatter with Cody.
Zach could see the happiness in his brother’s eyes, and it warmed him no end.
‘What are you lot going to do once my big bro is gone?’ asked Cody, grinning at everyone. ‘You’ll all be lost.’
Adrian pretended to wipe away a tear. ‘You should come back, Cody, then we can go back to normal.’
Nadia nudged him. ‘Shh! You’ll make Lionel feel unwanted.’
‘He’s the new day manager,’ said Adrian.
Cody grinned. ‘Not yet he’s not. Zach’s got another week.’
Nadia clapped. ‘And we’re having the best party on New Year’s Eve for him.’
Zach laughed. ‘I think you’ll find we do that every year for the guests.’
Adrian flapped his tinsel. ‘Yeah, but this time it’ll be for you as well.’ He looked back at Cody. ‘Don’t worry, your brother is going out with a bang.’
Cody waggled a Christmas cracker near his face. ‘We’ll see the new year in together on here.’
‘Are you having dinner with us tomorrow for the big day, Cody?’ asked Nadia. ‘I can set you up at the end of the table.’
‘No, I’m having dinner with the Silvers.’ Cody smiled. ‘I could take you lot with me.’
Zach waved him away. ‘Don’t worry about us. You enjoy your first Christmas with your wife and her family. I’ll call you in the morning.’
Cody said goodbye to everyone and logged off.
Adrian placed his arm around Zach’s shoulders. ‘Aww, our little one has grown.’
Nadia sniffed. ‘I don’t like change.’ She picked up Adrian’s glass of wine and downed the lot in one go. ‘Come on, Harold. I need one of your starters to cheer me up.’
Zach laughed as they left for the kitchen. ‘Have you eaten anything yet?’ he asked Adrian. ‘You know how busy it gets around here on Christmas Eve, and we’ve got a big day tomorrow. Keep your strength up.’
‘I been picking.’ Adrian tapped his stomach. ‘Saving myself.’
Zach closed his laptop and stood. ‘Let’s go mingle in the restaurant. Make sure everyone’s happy.’
‘Our guests are always happy.’
What about Olive Farringdon?
There hadn’t been any reports on her since she’d decided she didn’t want anyone coming to her room. The staff didn’t want to venture that way anyway, thinking her rude and spoiled.
It had been hard for Zach to go about his daily duties and not think of her. No room service had been ordered, and none of the staff had spotted her around the hotel. Was she holed up in her suite? Was she eating? He had no idea, and he had disciplined himself enough not to find out.
Adrian started singing to someone as he left, leaving Zach alone with only his thoughts for a moment.
It’s Christmas Eve. I can’t ignore this. I’ll just knock. Invite her to dine in the restaurant tomorrow. Should be fine .
He shook his head at himself for overthinking, but he knew he was right to check on her, so he headed for the lift, slipping the party hat off his head as he arrived.
Festive music kept him company all the way up to her floor, then silence fell as the lift door closed behind him.
Zach dithered by her door, as part of him wanted to retreat. If his gut wasn’t giving him cause for concern, he wouldn’t even be on her floor. He sighed, then tapped on the door. ‘Miss Farringdon,’ he called. ‘Zach Sullivan. Hotel manager.’ He stood back, waiting for her to open the door, but after a minute nothing happened. He knocked harder, and called out again, but still she didn’t reply. Pressing his ear against the wood, he called to her once more.
There was no sound coming from inside, and two thoughts rushed through his mind. One, she’s not in there. Two, something’s wrong. His stomach swirled, opting for the latter.
Zach whipped out his phone and called reception. ‘Please ring the Penthouse Suite.’ He waited for the receptionist to get back to him whilst listening to the phone ring inside the suite. It seemed to ring for ages before cutting off.
‘No reply, sir,’ said the man at the desk.
‘Thank you. That will be all.’ He quickly called Adrian. ‘I need you to bring a key up to the Penthouse Suite.’ He didn’t need to elaborate when it came to Adrian, as his right-hand man knew when to ask questions.
It wasn’t long before the concierge was at his side, frowning as he handed over the key card for the suite.
‘What’s going on?’
Zach gestured at the door as he knocked again. ‘She’s not answering.’
‘And since when do we enter when a guest is out?’
‘I think she’s in there.’
Adrian lowered his voice. ‘She said she didn’t want the staff bothering her. That’s probably why she’s not opening the door to you.’
Zach shook his head slightly. ‘I think something’s wrong.’
‘And what evidence do you have to back that up?’
‘That woman has recently lost her whole world. The last time I spoke to her, she seemed very low. I’m concerned for her mental well-being.’ He raised the key card, and Adrian shook his head.
‘I’m not sure about this.’
Zach approached the lock. ‘If we have cause for concern, we can enter.’ He knocked loudly once more for good measure, but there was still no answer, so he opened the door just a touch, bringing his mouth to the crack. ‘Miss Farringdon. It’s Zach Sullivan. Hotel manager. I just want to check everything is okay, as no one has seen or heard from you all week.’ He glanced back at Adrian.
‘Has it been that long?’ Adrian whispered.
‘Almost.’ Zach opened the door a little wider, placing one foot over the threshold. He called out again as he scanned the area. Everything looked to be in place.
A faint groan made both men freeze for a second before facing each other.
‘Miss Farringdon?’ said Zach, trying for gentle and friendly.
‘Zach,’ came a quiet reply.
‘May I come in?’
‘Yes.’
He told Adrian to leave the door wide open and wait there, then he stepped inside and headed in the direction of her voice.
The curtains were closed, allowing little light, and pieces of toilet roll were crumpled into small balls on the floor beside her bed. A half-filled glass of water was on the side-table, and Olive was lying in the bed, eyes closed, and damp hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead.
She coughed, sounding chesty, then peeked his way. ‘Zach,’ she croaked.
He immediately rushed to her side, lowering to his knees and placing a hand on her brow. ‘Bloody hell, you’re burning up.’ He checked the table for any signs of medication, but she had nothing around her to help with her fever.
‘I’m not well,’ she said slowly, hardly able to form words.
‘I can see that, but you’re going to be okay.’
I hope .
Zach called out for Adrian, who came at once. ‘Call the doctor.’
Without saying a word, Adrian got on with the task. They both knew the doctor they used for emergencies at the hotel didn’t celebrate Christmas, so he wouldn’t be too put out doing a house call on Christmas Eve.
Zach lightly brushed back Olive’s auburn hair. ‘How long have you been like this?’
‘A few days,’ she mumbled, and he could see she had little energy for a chat.
‘I’ll get some meds in you. Are you allergic to anything?’
‘No,’ she whispered.
Zach turned to Adrian as soon as he came back to let him know the doctor wouldn’t be long. ‘Get some paracetamol, tissues, and fresh water. Oh, and ask Harold to make some soup.’
Adrian nodded, then set off.
Olive started coughing and choking, sounding in pain.
‘Here, take a sip.’ Zach carefully lifted her head and the glass of water.
You should have called down. Told someone you were ill. What were you thinking? What was I? I should have checked sooner .
He didn’t want to be angry. The poor woman had been through enough, and it wasn’t his place to involve himself in the guests’ lives.
‘We’ll get this temperature down in a minute, and you can try some soup,’ he said gently.
‘I’m not hungry.’
He saw her shiver so pulled the quilt closer to her neck. ‘I won’t be a sec. I’m just going to get a cool flannel for your head.’ She started coughing again as he headed for the bathroom.
Her cough sounded as terrible as Zach felt.
He quickly brought back a cold damp flannel and placed it across her hot brow, causing her to groan.
‘That’s nice.’ Her eyes were closed again, and the shivering had eased. ‘I’m hot and cold,’ she mumbled.
‘Yes, it appears you have flu, and by the sound of things, a nasty chest infection, but don’t worry, the doctor will be here soon. Meanwhile, I’m going to look after you. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.’ He couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though her lips curled into a slight smile.
Adrian was back with supplies and quickly handed them over whilst asking after her.
‘She’ll be okay with care,’ said Zach, feeling hopeful. He helped her take some paracetamol, then moved over to Adrian.
‘Flipping heck. She could have pneumonia for all we know,’ whispered Adrian.
‘Let’s hope not. There has been lots of people with flu around here the last few weeks. It’s probably just that.’
‘Her chest doesn’t sound too good.’
Zach took some of the water bottles Adrian had brought and placed them in the mini fridge, then he used the notepad by the phone to write down what time he had given Olive medication. ‘Where’s the soup?’
‘Chef said give him a minute. He’ll have someone bring it up.’
‘Okay. I want you back downstairs for when the doctor arrives.’
‘Yep.’ Adrian left, and Zach went over to the window to pull back the curtains and let a bit of air in the room.
He inhaled the cold breeze as he stared down at the empty park. Olive groaned, so he went back to her and turned the flannel over, placing the cooler side down, noticing a small smile again.
It took ages for the doctor to arrive, but only moments for him to assess the situation, let her know she was dehydrated, had a chest infection, and that he would prescribe antibiotics.
Zach managed to get her to swallow a couple of mouthfuls of soup after the doctor left. He’d already made up his mind to look after her, and so set about mentally organising his work, as he didn’t want her left alone, seeing how the doctor had told him to ring again if she got worse.
Christmas Day normally went without any hiccups, as most of the hotel staff had been in the job for years, so he was pretty sure he would navigate the next day with ease. He just needed to pop home later for some things, like his toothbrush, as he was about to spend a bit more time at the hotel than he’d intended during his last week. He was used to unsociable hours, but it wasn’t the norm for him to have sleepovers, and it certainly wasn’t in his job description to play nurse.
The memory of Geraldine from Hampshire popped into his head. The last person confined to bed at the hotel. Eighty-three and so sweet. The staff loved her and rallied round, taking turns to sit with her whilst she healed from flu. Debbie would read to her each night, and Harold made sure she had all the nutrition needed. The paramedics were happy for the elderly woman to stay put for a few days, as she was too ill to move around, and the woman’s son had hired a medical team to care for her day and night.
Judging by the whispers, Zach knew his staff wouldn’t be so forthcoming with Olive. And as for help from family, he figured that wasn’t happening.
Geraldine had love and care and walked out of the hotel with a huge smile and lots of flowers from the staff. What would Olive receive?
Zach glanced over at her.
You’re not alone .
He went over to Adrian, who had just brought some herbal tea.
‘I’ll get housekeeping up,’ said Adrian, gesturing at the scattered tissues. ‘Give the place a freshen up.’
Zach nodded his approval, wishing they could wash the bedding, but he knew not to disturb Olive too much. She needed rest, and he was going to do his very best to make sure she got all the help she needed.
Adrian patted his back as he passed. ‘You’ve got good instincts, Zach Sullivan.’
His mum used to tell him that. He smiled on the inside at the thought of her, then took a deep breath as the memory only reminded him she was gone. He had planned to keep extra busy over the festive period, especially on Christmas Day, so his mind had little time to wander to sad and lonely places, but now with Olive so poorly, he wouldn’t get to focus on much but her.