Another Way to Fall. Amanda Brooke

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СКАЧАТЬ I was standing in front of the hospital, my foot still dangling in midair and if the noise of the horn hadn’t already startled me, then the face of the person behind the wheel would have been enough to knock me off my feet. My arms flailed and as I stumbled, the torn pieces of card I had been holding in my hand were snatched away by a gust of wind. As the winner’s confetti fluttered around me, I stepped forward to claim my prize, not even registering that first step that I had been debating, or the next.

       ‘I thought you couldn’t bear the sight of hospitals?’ I said. The sun had broken through what had seemed impenetrable cloud cover. I shaded my eyes with my hand and Alex beamed a winning smile at me, his olive skin pulling taught across his square jaw. He had the decency to look just a little shamefaced. As he absentmindedly smoothed his hair, hair that was slicked back so neatly that it needed no taming, I noted the delicate sprinkling of grey at his temples and knew Alex was proud of this first sign of aging. He was only thirty-two but he was embracing the more mature look, he thought it made him appear more distinguished. ‘I couldn’t keep away, I’ve been thinking of you all morning. So tell me, how did it go?’

       It was my turn to smile. ‘Complete remission,’ I said and the tremor in my voice travelled down my spine in a delicious shiver.

       ‘Then that makes your next decision rather easy,’ he said with a meaningful look.

       ‘And what decision would that be?’ I asked.

       Alex leaned over and opened the door for me. He waited until I was safely secured in the passenger seat before he answered. ‘I would love to tell you but Ally took the call and she’s insisting that she should be the one to tell you,’ he said, picking his phone up from the well between the seats. He thumbed a few buttons briefly and then passed it to me before the call was connected.

       I gave him a quizzical look as I took the phone but Alex’s face was unreadable.

       ‘Ally, do you have some news for me?’ I asked when the call was answered.

       ‘Oh, no. Tell me your news first,’ Ally demanded into my ear.

       ‘I’ve been given the all clear,’ I said. I had already made frantic calls to my mum and Louise but it didn’t matter how many times I said it out loud, it still hadn’t quite sunk in. ‘All clear, Ally. At last, I have something in my life to celebrate.’

       ‘More than you think.’ Ally’s voice broke and there was a pause. I could hear a nose being blown. ‘I’m so relieved that you can finally get on with the rest of your life.’ There was another pause as Ally took a deep breath. ‘And what a life it could be. Someone called Kate rang from your old firm, when you worked in London. She wouldn’t give me all the details but she told me enough. She, or rather they, Alsop and Clover, want you back. She wants you to call her urgently. I’ll text the number to your own phone, OK? Emma, the job will be based in New York!’

       My eyes widened in shock. I was speechless.

       ‘Emma?’

       ‘New York? Seriously?’

       Ally laughed. ‘I’m so happy for you, Emma. Enjoy the moment. It’s been a long time coming.’

       I was still stunned when the call ended and I handed the phone back to Alex. ‘Why me?’

       He laughed. ‘One of the biggest PR and marketing firms in the world is offering you the job of a lifetime and you make it sound like it’s a bad thing.’

       ‘Oh, my God, Alex, I don’t think I can take this much good news in one day.’

       I could feel a scream building inside me as I took one last look at the hospital before Alex drove away. The pavement flickered white as the wind continued to play with the discarded remnants of my appointment card. I had left my mark on the hospital but then it had left its mark on me too and, in fairness, it was I who had taken far more of a beating. But I wasn’t interested in keeping score; we were even as far as I was concerned and I was ready to put it all behind me.

       It was only once we had driven through the hospital gates that I regained my power of speech. ‘And are you OK with me moving to New York?’ I asked, surprised at how selflessly Alex was basking in my glory.

       ‘I want what’s best for you and only you,’ he told me earnestly. ‘It doesn’t matter where you are, I’ll always support you. You can count on me.’

      ‘Are you ready, Em?’ The voice was familiar but held a note of trepidation that would be out of place anywhere except perhaps an oncology ward.

      Louise’s face had the same shadow of fear across it as her own but that was where the similarity ended. Louise was a complete contrast to her sister, taking after their dad’s side of the family. Emma coveted her blue eyes and the blonde hair falling poker-straight halfway down her back, not to mention her body, which was the picture of health. What she didn’t envy was the weight of responsibility that would be placed on her little sister’s shoulders. Louise wouldn’t only have to stand on her own feet as her mum had said, she would need to be strong enough to keep the family together if the worst happened. One of Emma’s legacies would have to be preparing Louise for the task. Judging by her red and swollen eyes, Emma suspected that she was asking too much of Louise, but there really was no choice.

      ‘I have to wait for my prescription but other than that, I’m ready to go,’ Emma replied. Even the sudden surge of enthusiasm to write couldn’t delay her further. She eagerly closed down her laptop before slipping it into an oversize holdall, which was already crammed full of all the detritus of her latest hospital stay.

      ‘Shall I take that?’

      ‘I can manage,’ Emma said. She wouldn't play the part of helpless patient any longer than necessary but as she stood up, her determination faltered. The dizzy spell was more of a ripple than a wave so she did her best to hide it, taking longer than needed to pack up the last of her things.

      ‘Did you bring my jacket?’ Emma asked, thinking about the rain that was still coming down hard.

      ‘Oh, no. Sorry, Em, I didn’t think. Here, take mine.’

      Louise had already begun to take off her coat but Emma stopped her in her tracks with a warning glare. She was still the older sister, which gave her an air of authority that she would cling onto until the bitter end. Louise raised an eyebrow in defiance but then shrugged her coat back on and as she did so, her eyes were drawn to something or someone behind Emma. She began to suppress a smile.

      When Emma turned around, Peter was standing behind her. He had collected Emma’s medication, a cocktail of anti-seizure drugs, steroids and painkillers that would hopefully keep the tumour and its symptoms at bay in the weeks running up to her treatment. They were piled up high on the seat of a wheelchair. ‘That thing had better not be for me,’ she growled.

      Peter was about to answer but Louise cut him short. ‘Don’t even try. You won’t get her to use it.’

      Peter and Emma locked eyes. ‘OK, I give in,’ he said, having stood his ground for only a fraction of a second.

      ‘I СКАЧАТЬ