Jill stood at the edge of the cliff, her back to the drop, as she looked at Steve, waiting for confirmation. She received a nod, and after taking a deep breath, attempting to summon all her courage, she gingerly took a step backwards. Her hands clung to the rope leading from the knot around her stomach. The loop around her was slightly too tight for comfort, but she didn't care, so long as it was secure.
She took a few more steps, taking her time, being careful to lay her foot on a stable area of the cliff face. She eased herself lower and soon found herself with the unnerving feeling of being almost horizontal in mid-air. It wasn't a massive distance to the ledge upon which Frankie crouched next to Anita, but it was too much of a distance as far as she was concerned.
However, as she progressed, although the fear was still there, and she couldn't quite prevent her entire body trembling, her confidence increased, and she sped up her descent, knowing the urgency of the situation.
She glanced down, and then back up, realising she was about halfway down. Frankie was looking up at her, and a couple of the policemen were gazing down at her, once of whom was restraining Mrs Barton who was too following her moves anxiously and had once again descended into tears.
Jill tore her gaze away from the distraught mother and turned her full concentration back to the task in hand. She placed her foot down, but was suddenly panicked when she a few rocks beneath it came loose and tumbled down the cliff face. With nothing beneath her feet, nothing to steady her, she swung violently and went crashing sideways into the cliff. She vaguely heard Frankie shout something to her as she made contact with the rock, the impact winding her. For a moment she just hung there, breathing sharply as the panic subsided and the result of the collision registered on her right side; a sudden pain burning through her arm, chest, hip and knee.
She took a moment to regulate her breathing, forcing herself to block out the pain before once more making her way downwards, albeit slower, more tentatively, and shakily.
It was a relief when both feet finally made contact with the ledge. She dusted off her hands, and picked her way across to Frankie, eagerly taking the hand he offered her to steady herself as she crouched down next to him.
"Mind the edge." He said, placing a gratefully received hand on her back, reassuring her to an extent before she turned her attention to Anita.
"Hello, Anita, I'm Doctor Weatherill. Can you hear me?" When the young girl gave no response, she quickly set to work. She was breathing and her airways were clear, and her pulse was strong, if a little rapid.
She started to come round as Jill worked, Frankie doing his best to sooth her. She gave her an injection, to help with the pain, and then set to work on the leg, wrapping a bandage around it, and tying the knot over the wound, putting pressure on it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Once she'd finished, she turned to Frankie.
"She's lost a lot of blood, we need to get her up there as soon as possible."
He nodded, before shouting. "Get the doctor up first, then lower the stretcher down Steve."
"Can we get her up on a stretcher?" Her gaze traced over the cliff face, the difficulties obvious.
"There's no other way." He replied, helping her stand and clamber over the rocks.
"I'm ready." She called, immediately feeling the rope tauten. It rode up her body, forcing her to start climbing, her fingers digging into crevices in the rock for a handhold.
She made fairly rapid progress, forcing herself not to look down, and not to feel panicked as she drew further away from the ledge. Eventually, she reached the top. Two policemen hauled her over the edge, assisting her futile scrambling, elbows and knees scraping on the rock. They helped her stand, holding on to her until she was a safe distance away from the edge. She then made her way a little unsteadily towards Steve and allowed him to untie the complex knot, loosening the tight hold the rope had on her, until eventually it fell completely from her.
The next few minutes passed in a flurry of activity; Steve secured the rope around the stretcher and lowered it down the cliff where Frankie carefully manoeuvred Anita onto it and expertly fastened the numerous straps. The stretcher bearing Anita was then brought up slowly, the atmosphere of the area incredibly tense as everyone looked on, collectively holding their breath.
Frankie soon followed, and with both drivers and Anita in the ambulance, it sped off, Jill following behind in her mini, and Anita's mother being brought in a police car.
