A month ago…

As a child, I spent half a day in the walls of the theater. She disliked a kindergarten with an evil nanny so much that she constantly asked her parents for a rehearsal. The theater family is not just a working environment, but a creative team where it was not forbidden to bring children if they did not interfere with the process. I learned to sleep under the roar of mounting scenery, and under deafening musical arias, and under noisy battle scenes.

The theater has never been quiet: rehearsals in the dressing rooms, a run on the stage, singing voices in the corridors. Arguments about costumes, squabbles between leading artists and an atmosphere of general turmoil did not affect my sound sleep in any way. I have retained this habit of sleeping under anything to this day.

Therefore, I was insanely surprised when I woke up from a rustle. Amazing hypersensitivity today!

My neck was stiff, my back was uncomfortable ... I moved and realized that the reclining position of the candibobric was not for me. Nevertheless, I am a master of pressing on the pillow on horizontal planes. Orom in the theater, but I chose the softest place for myself!

The sofa turned out to be that monster of a bad dream. In the dawn rays, I winced from body aches and tried to figure out why I was sleeping so ugly and uncomfortable and where I was. Outside the window, nightingales were pouring - you will not hear this in the city! Memory returned gradually, but Smolov, who came out of the bath, gave her a special kick of acceleration.

Do you think that the pants are on one side, the belt is unfastened, the towel is over the shoulder, and the face expresses only one thing: “Not another drop in your mouth!”?

Nothing like this! No, of course, he was clearly tormented by a headache and regretted that yesterday he broke loose and got drunk. There was a deep crease between the eyebrows, which I had never seen before, but otherwise ...

Droplets of water flow down the perfect torso, a snow-white towel hugs the hips. All so wet-sexy that I seriously thought: I sleep at home in my own bed, and these are all my dirty fantasies about the boss.

I overdid it yesterday, sorry. I don’t usually drink…” Pavel noticed that I woke up and hesitated on the threshold. I feverishly wiped the circles from the mascara under my eyes, because I knew for sure: sleeping with makeup on your face is contraindicated if you don’t want to look like a tortured donkey in the morning. Smolov is good - it looks perfect! Well, how is it possible?

Anya, Anya, even a night with a drunken boss didn't end in a creep for you!

“I didn't want to! - she immediately proudly objected to herself, remarking with annoyance: - But the boss could try! Of course, I would refuse, but the attention and the cat is nice! It even became a shame: am I not a woman?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door:

- Pavel Konstantinovich! Woo! Guard! Trouble! Woo! Wake up faster! the man screamed heart-rendingly, for some reason howling between words.

Smolov threw a wary look at me, and I understood the authorities without words: "hide" - he ordered me. And I, like a loyal subject, picked up the shoes from the floor and disappeared into the bathroom.

- What? – the chief's voice was perfectly audible behind the wall.

- Phew, thank God, you're all right! All employees have a terrible rash on the body, on the face, even on the mucous membranes! Chief, what to do? – Panic and sewed around only thanks to one tone of the speaker. Unwittingly, I myself contracted this tremor.

Rash? I examined my arms and legs and sighed in relief.

- Have you called an ambulance? - Smolov's voice was extremely collected.

- Yes. They said it would take a long time to get here. Saturday, summer residents, even flashing lights do not help. And so many cars will not be assembled at once. Almost five hundred people! When I told them the number of patients, they thought it was a joke!

Did you find out the reason? – Pavel spoke to the point, cutting off the superfluous. Professionalism and the ability to abstract from emotions were felt.

- We don't know! Everyone itchs, the temperature jumps. I've already torn my whole arm, but I can't stop! Pharmaceuticals, damn it! No one knows what kind of attack, and no one can cope!

“I’ll take an antihistamine now. And you run and tell everyone to look in your bags. Let this help units, but we can alleviate the most difficult cases.

- Okay, I ran.

- Stop! Are there critically ill patients? You spoke about a rash on the mucous membranes. Is there swelling of the throat?

Hmm, Smolov is well versed in the problem! I respected the man even more!

“I don’t know…” Judging by the voice, the man was frightened.

- You do not know? - Smolov exuded a threat. - You have been working with drugs for so many years and have not heard of Quincke's edema?

"I heard," he squealed stiflingly.

"That's enough," Pavel cut him off. - Complete the task, then go down to the first floor. Where are most of the patients?

- In the lobby. They are waiting for an ambulance.

“Meet me there,” after these words of the chief, a strong slam was heard on the door. I bet a thousand - this is Smolov starred with anger.

- Anya? - I stuck my nose at the shout of the authorities and looked at Pavel in surprise. Didn't I hear? Does the boss know my name?

- Are you Anya? he asked, seeing my dumbfounded face.

"Uh-huh," I nodded cautiously.

- Come out, Anya. We need eyes and hands,” Pavel was already pulling on his T-shirt. - We will examine the sick and remove the swelling in those who are in critical condition. Rarely does anyone keep an antihistamine with him ... - the boss was clearly out of sorts. I understand: my head hurts, probably, the drunken carousel has not really passed yet, but I already have to run to save the world. So, the heroes can not rest!

- You know how to distinguish critical edema from a slightly sore throat? Smolov suddenly drawled doubtfully. He stood at the exit and held on to the door handle.

I put on my shoes, straightened up and said as cheerfully as possible:

- Ready! I can!

- Excellent! Let's go, let's see how we can help ... Take the phone, if it has a flashlight, we will examine the throat, - Smolov handed me medical masks from the first aid kit and took the box with him. - Put it on in case it's contagious.

He spoke so correctly, as if a doctor, but the look ... T-shirts and pants have never looked so chic on anyone! Free style in clothes did not simplify Smolov at all. Gathered, as if in a business suit with a needle, the chief is very determined! This internal pressure (energy beating from within) attracted like a magnet.

Eh, you can’t hide a leader even behind a canvas bag! And the predator, which was guessed in every movement of the body, even more so!

We descended the stairs to the first floor and followed the sound of the humming human beehive. Everywhere, where there was enough eyes, the tortured employees of the company sat. Faces in a repulsive small rash, hands dotted so that no living place is visible.

Mom once had hives, and it seemed to me that it looked similar, but she was not eager to make a diagnosis - not a doctor. Therefore, modestly loomed behind the boss.

Are they going? - asked some scabies.

— How many cars? — others were interested, now and then rubbing their watery eyes with their hands.

- We all do not vle-e-e-ee-e-e-eat! - moaned in response to the third through a stuffy nose.

Panic grew, everyone hurried to get to the hospital first, made their way closer to the exit, appealed with the severity of their condition, and some even managed to almost fight, but they just didn’t have enough strength. Many staggered from the temperature ...

Smolov immediately wedged himself into the thick of things and gave orders to those who stood on their feet. In total, we collected ten vials of antihistamine drops and twenty tablets. It is monstrously small for five hundred people, but you can save the life of someone in an emergency or alleviate the condition before the arrival of a doctor.

Then time went by like crazy. A real madhouse reigned. Ambulances got stuck in traffic jams on Saturday among summer residents and could not get there promptly. Smolov and I only did what we looked into the mouth of the sick and divided into groups: critical condition, acute, moderate, mild. People were unhappy, arguing, trying to move into a group that would leave first in an ambulance, until Smolov barked properly.

Sometimes a couple of good strong phrases bring our people to their senses without fail!

After that, a bad world reigned, full of suffering views on the authorities. But the boss was not in vain known as an inflexible boss: he did not succumb to manipulation, even if the stray beauties from the branches begged, clapping their eyes. They simply did not know this: the boss is against office romances!

My legs quickly ached from running around, and I threw off my shoes to the side. A panicked thought flashed through: someone noticed that I had come with Smolov, and even in yesterday's dress. But everyone was so up to myself that I quickly forgot about such nonsense. Three hours later, the first ambulance reached us, and a real flea market began - everyone rushed to the exit. Doctors were torn to pieces, people shook their rights: they insisted on a massive virus, poisoning or allergies, reminded of the mandatory measures of the state, of medical duty, of ambulance helicopters. In fact, medicine turned out to be deplorable, and even close to the capital one could get into such a mess that a little bit, but almost half a thousand people felt on themselves!

Twenty minutes later, there were five ambulances outside the mansion. Some of the doctors stayed, some left with the patients. Half an hour later, ten more ambulances arrived at the doorstep. And this series of doctors and patients scurrying back and forth turned into one continuous mess for me. By the end of the day, I myself staggered no worse than today's patients, but I looked at the cheerful Smolov and ordered myself to keep up.

During this day, we imperceptibly became closer to Pavel. By evening, I began to catch the movements of the chef so subtly that I didn’t have time to ask him, as I was already on the hook. We carried people exhausted by fever, helped doctors, and supplied water. And when the last dozen patients were taken to the regional hospitals, saying that now all the departments in the region were filled with employees of the Buer company, Smolov and I collapsed on the sofa in the hall, not feeling our legs under us.

- Is it over? - Pavel turned his head towards me, and we were so close to each other that his question flew out of my head, as if through a through pipe. What did he ask there? For the life of me, I don't remember. I feel only his warmth and all. Snuggle up, curl up and go to sleep...

She nodded cautiously, the chief wearily closed his eyes and slowly turned away.

“On Monday, hell is waiting for us if the employees do not get back on their feet by the beginning of the working week. If the information is leaked to the media, the shareholders will not leave a stone unturned from the office. Pharmaceutical attack on a pharmaceutical company - the wolf ate the wolf! And the time was chosen clearly - the company's half-century anniversary! I don’t doubt for a second that this is a well-planned cruel plan,” Smolov’s teeth gritted with anger. And I think it's about the food. Who selected the catering service?

“I have no idea,” I said frankly and simply, since I was far from the organization process: I sat quietly in my legal department and came to the holiday for something ready. She said so easily, as if to an old friend, and not to the boss, to whom the employees of all nine floors of our company and a dozen branches around the country prayed. And I caught myself in an extremely dangerous feeling: I became absolutely comfortable in the company of Smolov! - Let's talk about it tomorrow?

Pavel “poked” me from the very beginning, but I switched to informal communication only in the middle of the day, when I got tired of making ceremonies at every appeal. It wasn't before! The boss took the changes calmly or simply did not notice the difference in the fuss, completely immersed in business.

“Yes, tomorrow you can’t get away from this ...” the chief squinted at me and whispered suspiciously: “Why aren’t you in a discordant row of patients?” As far as I remember, I ate whiskey yesterday by myself.

“But I didn’t have an appetite—well, I shouldn’t admit that I swore to myself not to eat after six?” That if I hold out for a month, then next I will go to take a new foreign car on credit! That's it!

- I do not believe it!

- And you? Why did you lie down on a bench in the sad company of the moon? - I masterfully translated the arrows.

All the colors of relaxation seemed to have been washed off Smolov's face. The hard lines of the chin and cheekbones immediately gave out a high-voltage internal tension, and the eyes became extremely serious:

“This buffet company has been a nuisance from the very beginning! I should have driven them with vzashey as soon as I recognized her!

- Did you know who? I asked carefully. And what kind of friend? Does it have anything to do with the mass rash? I haven’t understood anything yet, but Smolov teased curiosity skillfully!

- Got it. The one that I have been looking for for many years - in the words of Pavel there was as much bitterness as in a double espresso from robusta.

- Your girlfriend? – The question looked natural.

“Worse,” the man chuckled wryly.

And who could be worse?

“Mother,” he answers.