Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

incontinent?’
‘I’m not finished.’ I plugged 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 him studying me.
‘Oh, lighten up, Clark. I’m the one having scalding hot air directed at my
genitals.’
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 may sound stupid, but I couldn’t help but laugh. It was the closest Will had
come to actually trying to make me feel better.
The car looked like a normal people carrier from outside, but when the rear
passenger door was unlocked a ramp descended from the side and lowered to the
ground. With Nathan looking on, I guided Will’s outside chair (he had a separate
one for travelling) squarely on to the ramp, checked the electrical lock-down
brake, and programmed it to slowly lift him up into the car. Nathan slid into the
other passenger seat, belted him and secured the wheels. Trying to stop my
hands from trembling, 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 him up into his scarf and thick coat, but still he grew
quieter, his jaw set, somehow diminished by the greater space of his
surroundings. Every time I looked into my rear-view mirror (which was often – I
was terrified even with Nathan there that somehow the chair would break loose
from its moorings) he was gazing out of the window, 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 times, too afraid to reverse into
any but the largest of spaces, until I could sense that the two men were beginning