it.
He was silent for a long time and when she turned sideways she saw he was looking sad again.
‘Are you sure you still want me to go with you, Emily? I can’t walk as quickly as you can yet. I might hold you up.’
‘But you can walk steadily. How far do you think you’ll be able to go?’
‘However far it takes. I’ll crawl on my hands and knees, if necessary.’
She laid one hand on his, understanding his frustration. ‘Then help me plan it.’
‘It has to be at night, when
she
isn’t around.’
Emily nodded. ‘I have the mobile phone. I had a look at it and the battery’s quite low, so I’ve been saving it to ring Rachel once we have a definite escape time sorted out. Jackson’s even got me some of my own clothes.’
Chad gestured to himself. ‘I have only the clothes they provide and no outdoor ones.’ He sat lost in thought. ‘We’ll stand a lot more chance of success if your friend’s there to help us get away. Will she come for us?’
‘Yes. She’s a very good friend. I’ll phone her tonight.’
She couldn’t imagine Rachel refusing.
She took out the mobile phone in the middle of the night and listened to it ringing.
Please answer, Rachel
, she prayed.
‘Ah, Rachel. Emily here. Sorry to disturb you at this hour, but they won’t let me use a phone so I had to sneak this call.’
‘Emily? But George said you were—’
‘He’s telling people I’m losing my marbles. I’m not. Rachel, could you please get my mail and keep it till I come home? He won’t bring it in and I bet he’s reading it.’
‘Look, just to check that this is bona fide, what did we do on your fifty-fifth birthday?’
Emily knew this was a way for her to let Rachel know if this was a trick, but told the truth, smiling at the memory. ‘Went out for a curry then got drunk together. You sang Happy Birthday to me three times, none of them in tune.’
‘I’m ahead of you on the letters. I know how you feel about George. I’ve been getting your mail when I can. They aren’t always around when the post arrives. I’ve got one letter that looks quite important. I’ve been worrying what to do with it.’
‘You’re an angel. Do not give it to George under any circumstances. Couldn’t you bring it in to me? We can’t escape yet.’
‘Your nephew says you can’t have visitors and they haven’t let me speak to you when I’ve phoned up.’
‘Just turn up, come to the Geriatric Care Unit and come at five past ten precisely. Sister will be on her break then. Make a big fuss. I’ll hear you because it’s a very quiet area. There are a lot of stroke and advanced dementia patients.’
Rachel gasped. ‘What on earth are
you
doing in a unit like that, then?’
‘George has made them think I’m developing dementia. The trouble is, I don’t even have my purse and credit card because he took them away. Could you lend me some money, do you think? And help me get a lawyer? And can I stay with you at first?’
‘Yes, to all those.’
The phone beeped and she looked at it in dismay. ‘Look, I can’t chat any more. The battery’s running low.’
She sat and wept after she’d hidden the phone. Then she got annoyed at herself for being so weak. To prove she was getting her old spirit back, she went on the prowl to try to find a way of getting out of the hospital at night. She needed a code for the keypad to the stairs door, was going to watch for someone going out that way, which the nurses did sometimes on their breaks. She might be lucky and see what number they keyed in.
She waited for over an hour, sleepy but determined.
In the end, she was indeed lucky. A yawning nurse keyed in the number that opened that door to the stairs, doing it very slowly.
They would need a lot more luck than this if they were going to escape, but Emily felt it was a good start.
The following day she told Chad what she’d found out and he clinked his teacup against hers in a toast to her success.
‘Well done!
He was silent for a long time and when she turned sideways she saw he was looking sad again.
‘Are you sure you still want me to go with you, Emily? I can’t walk as quickly as you can yet. I might hold you up.’
‘But you can walk steadily. How far do you think you’ll be able to go?’
‘However far it takes. I’ll crawl on my hands and knees, if necessary.’
She laid one hand on his, understanding his frustration. ‘Then help me plan it.’
‘It has to be at night, when
she
isn’t around.’
Emily nodded. ‘I have the mobile phone. I had a look at it and the battery’s quite low, so I’ve been saving it to ring Rachel once we have a definite escape time sorted out. Jackson’s even got me some of my own clothes.’
Chad gestured to himself. ‘I have only the clothes they provide and no outdoor ones.’ He sat lost in thought. ‘We’ll stand a lot more chance of success if your friend’s there to help us get away. Will she come for us?’
‘Yes. She’s a very good friend. I’ll phone her tonight.’
She couldn’t imagine Rachel refusing.
She took out the mobile phone in the middle of the night and listened to it ringing.
Please answer, Rachel
, she prayed.
‘Ah, Rachel. Emily here. Sorry to disturb you at this hour, but they won’t let me use a phone so I had to sneak this call.’
‘Emily? But George said you were—’
‘He’s telling people I’m losing my marbles. I’m not. Rachel, could you please get my mail and keep it till I come home? He won’t bring it in and I bet he’s reading it.’
‘Look, just to check that this is bona fide, what did we do on your fifty-fifth birthday?’
Emily knew this was a way for her to let Rachel know if this was a trick, but told the truth, smiling at the memory. ‘Went out for a curry then got drunk together. You sang Happy Birthday to me three times, none of them in tune.’
‘I’m ahead of you on the letters. I know how you feel about George. I’ve been getting your mail when I can. They aren’t always around when the post arrives. I’ve got one letter that looks quite important. I’ve been worrying what to do with it.’
‘You’re an angel. Do not give it to George under any circumstances. Couldn’t you bring it in to me? We can’t escape yet.’
‘Your nephew says you can’t have visitors and they haven’t let me speak to you when I’ve phoned up.’
‘Just turn up, come to the Geriatric Care Unit and come at five past ten precisely. Sister will be on her break then. Make a big fuss. I’ll hear you because it’s a very quiet area. There are a lot of stroke and advanced dementia patients.’
Rachel gasped. ‘What on earth are
you
doing in a unit like that, then?’
‘George has made them think I’m developing dementia. The trouble is, I don’t even have my purse and credit card because he took them away. Could you lend me some money, do you think? And help me get a lawyer? And can I stay with you at first?’
‘Yes, to all those.’
The phone beeped and she looked at it in dismay. ‘Look, I can’t chat any more. The battery’s running low.’
She sat and wept after she’d hidden the phone. Then she got annoyed at herself for being so weak. To prove she was getting her old spirit back, she went on the prowl to try to find a way of getting out of the hospital at night. She needed a code for the keypad to the stairs door, was going to watch for someone going out that way, which the nurses did sometimes on their breaks. She might be lucky and see what number they keyed in.
She waited for over an hour, sleepy but determined.
In the end, she was indeed lucky. A yawning nurse keyed in the number that opened that door to the stairs, doing it very slowly.
They would need a lot more luck than this if they were going to escape, but Emily felt it was a good start.
The following day she told Chad what she’d found out and he clinked his teacup against hers in a toast to her success.
‘Well done!
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