No, no. The engine stuttered. It was hopeless, she shouldn’t have come, she’d have to call the emergency services, they’d take ages, her car’s engine would be ruined, would the insurance cover it? The car shuddered, the force of the water pushing it off the road. She imagined the car turning over and over, rolling into the mud. Come on, come on, she begged. The engine stuttered, the car seemed to groan, but she was out of the dip.
Holy fuck! Her heart was pounding. She drove to the shelter of the trees, stopped, caught her breath, let her heart slow. That was close. Too close. She’d almost been swept off the road. And if the car had flipped over…
She flicked the radio on: maybe that would calm her.
‘There are reports that a man has been swept away by flood water near the river Wye—’ said the announcer.
No, thought Mary and turned it off. She drove very carefully for the rest of her journey, trying to gauge whether each wet patch on the road was a shallow puddle or a newly-formed pool. Then she was out of the trees and felt a sense of relief as she saw the white concrete and glass of the hospice, shining in the rain. Entering the car park, Mary smiled: no problem finding a place today! The carpark was three-quarters empty. Most people had more sense than to drive to work today.
‘Mary! You made it!’ Harrie at reception sounded surprised.
‘Morning.’ Mary tried to sound casual, as if she regularly conducted amphibious exercises in her car. She swiped her card on the reader on Harrie’s desk.
‘The stories I’ve heard! People who tried to drive in and gave up, people who aren’t coming in.’ ‘It wasn’t easy,’ admitted Mary.
‘Didn’t you see the announcement on the website? Staff advised us not to come in.’
‘Our broadband slows down in rainy weather.’
‘I stayed here overnight. A lot of the girls did.’
‘I had to go home because of Em,’ explained Mary.
‘You missed a real drama.’ Harrie smirked. ‘The electricity cut out just after midnight.’
‘No! But isn’t there a back-up generator?’
‘There is—but it was flooded or drenched or something. We had no power for about half an hour. Bob had stayed over, thank goodness, but he was going wild, trying to get the generator to work.’