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‘Is your ?’

‘No She doesn’t come to ht she would want to oversee every aspect of his treatree in front of him I had been so nervous that I had dropped so in vain towet Will hadn’t said anything, except to tell eneral sense of jitteriness

‘Why?’

‘No reason’ I didn’t want hi – ti the instructionthehim two feet into the air

‘Come on, Clark What’s the problem?’

‘Okay I just … I just thought it would be easier first time if there was someone else there who knew the ropes’

‘As opposed to me,’ he said

‘That’s not what I meant’

‘Because I can’t possibly be expected to know anything about my own care?’

‘Do you operate the chairlift?’ I said, baldly ‘You can tell aze level If he had been spoiling for a fight, he appeared to change hisHe’s a useful extra pair of hands Plus I thought you’d work yourself into less of a state if you had him there’

‘I’lanced down at his lap, which I was still ot the pasta sauce off, but he was soaked ‘So, aed in the hairdryer and directed the nozzle towards his crotch

As the hot air blasted on to his trousers he raised his eyebrows

‘Yes, well,’ I said ‘It’s not exactly what I expected to be doing on a Friday afternoon either’

‘You really are tense, aren’t you?’

I could feel hi scalding hot air directed at enals’

I didn’t respond I heard his voice over the roar of the hairdryer

‘Come on, what’s the worst that could happen – I end up in a wheelchair?’

It h It was the closest Will had co to make me feel better

The car looked like a norer door was unlocked a raround With Nathan looking on, I guided Will’s outside chair (he had a separate one for travelling) squarely on to the rarammed it to slowly lift hier seat, belted hi to stop , I released the handbrake and drove slowly down the drive towards the hospital

Away from home, Will appeared to shrink a little It was chilly outside, and Nathan and I had bundled hirew quieter, his jaw set, sos Every time I looked into my rear-view mirror (which was often – I was terrified even with Nathan there that soazing out of the , his expression impenetrable Even when I stalled or braked too hard, which I did several times, he just winced a little and waited while I sorted myself out

By the time we reached the hospital I had actually broken out into a fine sweat I drove around the hospital car park three tiest of spaces, until I could sense that the twoto lose patience Then, finally, I lowered the ramp and Nathan helped Will’s chair out on to the tar me on the back as he let himself out, but I found it hard to believe it had been

There are things you don’t notice until you accompany someone with a wheelchair One is how rubbish most pavements are, pock slowly next to Will as he wheeled hi, I noticed how every uneven slab caused him to jolt painfully, or how often he had to steer carefully round some potential obstacle Nathan pretended not to notice, but I saw hiri is how inconsiderate ainst the cutouts on the paveether that there is no way for a wheelchair to actually cross the road I was shocked, a couple of times even tempted to leave some rude note tucked into a windscreen wiper, but Nathan and Will see place and, each of us flanking Will, we finally crossed

Will had not said a single word since leaving the house

The hospital itself was a glea, the immaculate reception area more like that of some modernistic hotel, perhaps testament to private insurance I held back as Will told the receptionist his na corridor Nathan was carrying a huge backpack that contained anything that Willhis short visit, from beakers to spare clothes He had packed it in front of uess it’s a good thing we don’t have to do this too often,’ he had said, catching my appalled expression

I didn’t follow him into the appointment Nathan and I sat on the comfortable chairs outside the consultant’s room There was no hospital smell, and there were fresh flowers in a vase on the sill Not just any old flowers, either Huge exotic things that I didn’t know the naed inin there?’ I said after we had been there half an hour

Nathan looked up from his book ‘It’s just his six- any better?’

Nathan put his book down ‘He’s not getting any better It’s a spinal cord injury’