22Rachel swallowed any nerves that were trying to surface and braved the hospital lobby. There were sofas scattered around the large open room. Patients or visitors – Rachel couldn't tell – sat and read glossy magazines, ignoring the world around them with ease. Speakers in the ceiling played out a calming, inconspicuous melody that was briefly interrupted by a soothing voice telling everyone that Great General Hospital offered the best healthcare in the world. The ambience was surreal.
The staff at this level moved without urgency. Nobody was flat–lining, nothing bad was happening. If heaven had a waiting room it would look and feel like this – passive and tranquil and utterly benign. For the briefest moment Rachel lost herself. She watched the nurses in their brightly bleached uniforms
