When a partner comes by and gives you a bunch of urgent work to do on a project he described as a “biggie” with an impossible deadline due to your current workload, it can be a bit awkward and it is hard to decide if you should try to decline the work or do your best to get it done but probably end up delivering it late. While I was trying to decide, the partner walked out. I emailed the partner stating that I could not do the work, but I got his out-of-office auto reply. He had gone to Hawaii.