Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

instructors who were trained in helping quads jump. They had special equipment
that would strap Will to them (apparently, the most important thing was securing
their legs so that their knees didn’t fly up and bash them in the face).
I would show him the hotel brochure, but I wasn’t going to tell him about this.
I was just going to turn up there with him and then watch him do it. For those
few, precious minutes Will would be weightless, and free. He would escape the
dreaded chair. He would escape gravity.
I printed out all the information and kept that one sheet at the top. Whenever I
looked at it I felt a germ of excitement building – both at the thought of my first
ever long-haul trip, but also at the thought that this might just be it.
This might be the thing that would change Will’s mind.
I showed Nathan the next morning, the two of us stooping furtively over our
coffees in the kitchen as if we were doing something properly clandestine. He
flicked through the papers that I had printed off.
‘I have spoken to other quads about the skydiving thing. There’s no medical
reason he can’t do it. And the bungee jumping. They have special harnesses to
relieve any potential pressure points on his spine.’
I studied his face anxiously. I knew Nathan didn’t rate my capabilities when it
came to Will’s medical well-being. It was important to me that he was happy
with what I’d planned.
‘The place here has everything we might need. They say if we call ahead and
bring a doctor’s prescription, they can even get any generic drugs that we might
need, so that there is no chance of us running out.’
He frowned. ‘Looks good,’ he said, finally. ‘You did a great job.’
‘You think he’ll like it?’
He shrugged. ‘I haven’t got a clue. But –’ he handed me the papers ‘– you’ve
surprised us so far, Lou.’ His smile was a sly thing, breaking in from the side of
his face. ‘No reason you couldn’t do it again.’
I showed Mrs Traynor before I left for the evening.
She had just pulled into the drive in her car and I hesitated, out of sight of
Will’s window, before I approached her. ‘I know this is expensive,’ I said.
‘But … I think it looks amazing. I really think Will could have the time of his
life. If … if you know what I mean.’