‘Okay.’ He smiled at her. ‘Good luck with it. Whatever it is.’
He felt a sinking feeling as he watched her walk out of the room, and the door closed behind her. Up till now, he’d wanted to face the odds and succeed. Today he wanted to face the odds with Hannah at his side. Matt sat down, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees and staring at the floor. Waiting, keeping his focus, was a part of his job. He knew how to do that.
Ten minutes later the door opened again, and he jumped to his feet. Hannah appeared, and he scanned her quickly for any signs of what she’d been doing. She was holding two safety helmets in her hand.
‘It’s an obstacle course. We have to do it together.’
‘Okay.’ They’d both done an obstacle course before, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
‘Only I have to guide you.’ She gave him one of the helmets and Matt inspected it. There was an earpiece, which he assumed was linked to the microphone on Hannah’s helmet. And his also incorporated a pair of black-out goggles, which would render him completely sightless. Matt swallowed hard.
‘All right. Anything you want to say to me while I can still see you?’ Perhaps they could quickly work out some kind of code—anything that might help them.
She smiled suddenly. ‘Good luck, Robin. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.’
Matt decided that the best thing he could take with him was Hannah’s smile. He took one last, long look, and put the goggles over his eyes, rendering himself completely blind. He felt Hannah carefully checking that everything was in place, and then her fingers brushed his cheek.
‘I can’t touch you either. Not after we get out of this room. We both have to get across six obstacles.’
‘Both of us?’ That meant that Hannah was going to have to do the course, and guide him as well.
‘Yes. It’s going to be tricky. If I tell you to freeze, just stay where you are. I’ll be working out our next move. But I’ll be there, all the time.’
‘I know...’ He suddenly felt helpless, totally reliant on Hannah. It was both terrifying and exciting.
‘Let’s give it a go. Can you hear me okay through the earpiece?’
‘Yep.’
‘Good. Turn thirty degrees right, and then take three paces. The door will be right in front of you.’
Even that small obstacle was difficult, and he took two goes to get it right. Hannah was quiet and patient, and he began to rely on her voice. The soft scent of her body became suddenly more prominent, and he tried to resist it. But sinking into it, allowing it to reassure him, gave him confidence. As she guided him carefully around the room he began to move more steadily.
The sound of the door opening, followed by a woman’s voice. ‘Ready...??
?
‘Yes, we’re ready.’ He felt Hannah’s fingers curling around his in one last touch that was overwhelming in its intensity. ‘Stick with me, eh?’
‘Like glue.’ Someone checked his helmet and then took his arm and led him slowly out of the building. He felt the caress of a breeze on his cheek and grass under his feet, and heard a cheer from the red team’s supporters. Then a loudspeaker called for silence, and he was turned around a couple of times, leaving him dizzy and disorientated. Then Hannah’s voice. The only thing he had to cling onto.
‘Ready to go?’
‘Give me a minute.’ Matt took a deep breath, steadying himself. He imagined Hannah’s smile in front of him, and the world began to stop its frantic whirl. ‘I’m ready.’
* * *
An almost eerie silence had fallen across the supporters, as four teams started to make their way towards the four identical sets of obstacles that faced them. Matt needed all of her attention and all of her concentration.
‘There are six obstacles. The first is stepping stones. Six paces ahead of us...’
He followed her instructions. Hannah put her foot on the first stepping stone, feeling it spring slightly. ‘There’s a bit of movement in the stones. When you put your weight on it, it sinks down.’
That was bound to disorient him. But Matt was letting her guide him, and they cleared the stones without any mishaps. When she glanced across at the blue team, she saw that one of them had fallen, and they were back at the start again.
‘How are the others doing?’ Matt muttered quietly to her.
‘Forget about them. It’s just us...’ Just them and a couple of hundred other people, all standing silently so that the teams could hear each other. But Matt had to concentrate, and she had to be his only reality at the moment. The thought elicited a quiver, deep in her stomach.