>The hospital has no basement, ...or underground parking lot? - Not such a stupid question. :-)

We were on the lowest level of the underground parking lot. That particular (public) elevator didn't go any lower.


>If you HAD said "Are you wanting to get on the elevator? ..." they might just as well have said "No. I stand in front of elevators to admire the interior decor when they open, dummy" :-)

They could also have been waiting for someone to catch up with them. There's a TV by the other elevator and conceivably someone could want to miss an elevator to hear the rest of a news story.