Stuck Between Floors

It is 6:50 in the morning. Amaia is a new nurse, and today is her first day. She gets into the hospital elevator. A girl gets in too. She is about eight, and she has a big pink balloon. The balloon says: It's a girl!

The doors close. The elevator goes up: one, two, three. Then it stops. The lights go off, and only a small light stays on. The girl does not scream, but she holds her balloon tight. Amaia presses the button. Nothing.

"Don't worry," Amaia says. "I'm a nurse. My name is Amaia." "I'm Bettina," the girl says. Amaia presses the red button. A voice answers, "We know. Please don't move. Ten minutes." Ten minutes is a long time. Amaia is not calm, but she does not show it.

"Let's count things," Amaia says. They count the floors on the sign by the door: there are nine. They count the buttons: there are twelve. "Why do you have a balloon?" Amaia asks. "My mom had a baby last night," Bettina says. "I'm a big sister now. I don't know her name yet."

The lights come on. The elevator moves again: four, five. The doors open, and Bettina runs down the hall to Room 512. Amaia looks at her list. Her first patient today is in Room 512: a new mother and a baby girl. Amaia smiles and follows the pink balloon.