Doctor's Orders by Daniella Divine Read Free Book Online

turned to give me a nod of
approval. I still had no idea whether today constituted a date, or
more of a ‘getting to know a colleague’ business deal. But Ellen
was jealous, and that’s all that counts, really.
    Ellen offered him a coffee, but he politely pointed
out that we needed to get moving. A few minutes later, we were out
in the street, heading towards his car. I looked for the Bentley,
and so was surprised when he paused next to a brand-new Range
Rover. He pressed a key fob and the lights flashed as the doors
unlocked with a thunk. The rear of the vehicle was packed with
various bulging green and khaki bags. Maybe Ellen was right.
Abseiling seemed a real possibility.
    ‘Jump in,’ he said. ‘There will be some traffic to
start with, but once we are south of the city, it should be an easy
ride.’
    South of the city? What the hell was to the south of
the city…about an hour’s drive away? As Brad drove, I watched the
signposts flicking by, trying to get a feel for where we were
heading. Canberra…the nation’s capital? I hoped not. Canberra is
probably the most boring city in Australia. Anyway, it was too far
away. The Southern Highlands perhaps? The Shire? No, too close. Not
the Blue Mountains, they were out West.
    I didn’t find out for sure until we were driving
through the streets of Woollongong, a seaside town that I had never
visited before. No reason to…nothing much happened there that I was
aware of. It seemed to be a pleasant enough town, but why were we
here? Jeez…I felt so stupid.
    ‘Are you nervous?’ Brad asked.
    ‘Um…just a little,’ I answered cautiously.
     
    ‘No need to be...it’s as safe as houses. And I will
be with you all the way.’
    Well, that seemed reassuring. We skirted round the
north of the town and headed towards the coast. We pulled up on
some parkland near the beach. Looking good so far, I thought. The
beach was awesome, with rolling surf and a few families strolling
along the sand. Nothing scary there. And no cliffs to abseil
from.
    ‘Well, here we are!’ Brad exclaimed triumphantly,
pointing in the opposite direction to the beach.
    I followed his finger and looked across the
parkland. At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about. And
then I saw it. A huge sign stood at the side of the road like a
behemoth, blasting out a message in huge, bold lettering.
    I read it with a growing sense of panic.
    Oh, my God…no! Please tell me this isn’t it…
    But it was. This was my worst nightmare come true. I
would rather abseil every day for a year than do this. I would
rather do anything than do this. But now there was no
escape. It was all over.
    I swallowed hard, trying to come to terms with the
fact that I was about to die…
    So this was it. I was
going to die, right here. I would never see another sunrise. My
short life was going to end with me falling from thousands of feet
in the air and smashing into the ground.
    I read the sign again, hoping that somehow I had
been mistaken. But nope…the words read exactly the same way the
second time.

    WELCOME TO SKYDIVE CENTRAL!!!
     
    Skydiving?
SKYDIVING!!! Oh, fuck…I was screwed. There was no way I could
handle a parachute. I’d fuck it up. I’m scared of heights remember?
Standing on a chair to change a light bulb scares the crap out of
me. If I let Brad push me into doing this, there would be only one
possible outcome. The other jumpers would all float gracefully to
the ground - whilst watching me plunging earthwards at high speed,
tangled up in my mangled parachute. At least my funeral would be
cheap. They wouldn’t need a big coffin – just a small box for the
bits they could scrape up off the ground.
    Ah well, it had been a good life. I had enjoyed lots
of sex, which is all that counts really. And at least now, I would
be spared the misery of becoming old, ugly and unfuckable.
    I got out of the car and threw up on the grass. Brad
jumped out of the driver’s seat and rushed round, just in time to
get a