Free Please Release Me by Rhoda Baxter Page B

get stuck. It’s all very well thought out.’
    ‘I know.’ She forced the words out through her clenched teeth. ‘Can we not talk about it for a minute?’
    ‘Okay.’ He turned into the hospital site and they drove in silence for the rest of the way.
    Harry, wearing a T-shirt with the hospice logo on it, met her at the entrance to the building.
    ‘Hello my darling. All ready for our little adventure?’
    Grace didn’t reply.
    ‘She’s a bit nervous,’ Peter said.
    Grace shot him a glare. He raised his hands up in front of his chest as though in surrender. ‘Sorry.’ He smiled. ‘Just remember to focus on your hands and don’t look down. So long as you feed the rope steadily through your hands, all you have to do is walk backwards.’
    She nodded.
    ‘Come along my darling.’ Harry put an arm around her and ushered her inside. He kept up a cheerful chatter all the way up in the lift, but Grace was too nervous to hear a word he said. She forced herself to concentrate on her breathing. She tried to imagine the lift was a bubble in a tranquil ocean. It didn’t work.
    The topmost floor of the hospital held a nondescript lobby with wards leading off left and right.
    ‘This is our stop,’ Harry stepped out of the lift and waited for Grace to follow him. ‘This way.’ He led the way to a side door, set next to the lifts, that she hadn’t noticed before.
    The door led to small stairwell, with concrete stairs that went upwards. A cheerful lady with a clipboard was waiting, leaning against the door. ‘Hello? Are you one of our brave abseilers? What’s your name please?’
    ‘Grace Guneratne.’ Her voice sounded far away, even to her. At least her heart had stopped trying to climb out through her mouth
    ‘That’s lovely, thank you,’ said the lady. ‘Come with me and I’ll help you get kitted up.’
    ‘I’ve got to leave you here, Grace.’ Harry gave her a warm hug. ‘Good luck. Enjoy it. I’ll see you at the bottom.’
    Grace managed a weak smile, hugged Harry back and followed the lady in the high visibility jacket into what appeared to be a small maintenance room which had been taken over by climbing harnesses and other equipment. She was given a helmet and gloves.
    Calm. She had to remain calm. The lady was talking to her, her voice level and soothing as though she were speaking to a skittish animal.
    ‘These go round your legs.’ She helped her into it. ‘You need it snug around you, with the chest strap—’
    ‘At my chest?’ She couldn’t help herself. The nerves were making her head pound. It was either sarcasm or burst into tears.
    The lady glanced up, a brief flash of humour sparkled before she was serious again. ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Sorry.’ She stood there, her arms held out to the side, feeling awkward whilst the woman expertly threaded straps through buckles, pulling here, fastening there. Her hands moved over Grace’s body with firm purpose. It was closest physical contact she’d had in a long time. She should be finding this amusing. Or at the very least embarrassing. But there was no room for any emotion other than fear.
    ‘Let’s just check that that’s snug and closed.’ The woman’s voice was still calm, which was starting to feel reassuring. She clearly didn’t see anything as dangerous.
    ‘Ready?’ said the lady.
    ‘No.’
    The lady laughed. ‘You all say that. You’ll be fine. It’s the ones who are too cocky that we worry about.’

Chapter Seven
    The bald stairs led up to a rectangle of daylight. Grace tramped up them, like a prisoner being taken to execution. Did she really want to do this? Perhaps it was just a matter of adjusting her expectations so that she was happy with her rut. After all, there was nothing WRONG with her life as it had been. What had all this fuss about change really brought to her? Not a lot. She stopped, a few steps from the top.
    ‘Not having second thoughts, are you Grace?’ an amused voice said from behind her. This