Two Weeks with the Queen Read Online Free PDF Page A

men wheeled Luke out and Colin suddenly felt strange.
    Luke wasn’t rabbiting on about anything. He was just lying on the stretcher looking pale and sad. He looked up at Colin and spoke in a tiny voice.
    â€˜See ya, Col.’
    â€˜See ya, Luke,’ said Colin and suddenly it was swirlier inside his chest than it was out on the airstrip.
    A horrible thought snuck up on him. What if it’s something worse than gastric? Something really crook like glandular fever or hepatitis?
    Just for a second Colin’s guts went cold, like when he remembered he hadn’t done his homework, only worse. Then he did what he usually did with homework.
    He stopped thinking about it.
    Mum hugged Luke and Dad and then Luke was being wheeled across the bumpy dirt towards the plane. Dad started to follow, then turned back and crouched down in front of Colin.
    â€˜Look after Mum for me, old mate,’ he said and squeezed Colin’s shoulder and was gone.
    Colin moved closer to Mum, who had wet cheeks and was pressing her lips together very hard.
    Colin watched the little plane soar into the hot sky, and once it was safely up he turned away. OK for kids, he thought, all that flying stuff, when you haven’t got responsibilities.
    He took Mum by the hand.

Chapter Four
    â€˜Looks very nice,’ said Mum, poking the green lumps on her plate. ‘What exactly is it?’
    â€˜Curry,’ said Colin.
    â€˜Why’s it green?’
    â€˜Well,’ said Colin, ‘the sausages burnt a bit while the rice was boiling over so I put some peas in.’
    â€˜Ah,’ said Mum. She put a green lump into her mouth and chewed slowly.
    Colin watched anxiously.
    â€˜Like it?’
    He’d already tasted it himself and it wasn’t bad though it could have done with a few less glacé cherries.
    Mum swallowed and gave him a strange little smile.
    â€˜Very nice, love.’
    She hates it, he thought. Right, that’s it, I’m never putting dried fruit in a curry again.
    â€˜I like the cherries,’ she said.
    It’s the onions, he thought, I knew I should have chopped them up.
    Mum put her knife and fork down and took a deep breath. Oh no, he thought, I didn’t get all those lumps of curry powder out.
    He had a vision of what Dad would say when he heard. ‘I asked you to look after her for me, you drop-kick, not poison her.’
    He grabbed a glass, filled it with water and pressed it into her hand. She seemed not to notice. It couldn’t be the curry powder.
    â€˜Colin,’ she said, ‘there’s something we haven’t told you about Luke. The reason they’ve sent him to Sydney is cause they think he might be pretty crook.’
    I don’t believe it, thought Colin. I’ve just spent ages slaving in the kitchen cooking tea and now it’s getting cold while she rabbits on about Luke.
    â€˜Mum,’ he said, ‘you’ve seen those Sydney hospitals on telly. They’re huge. They’ve got equipment down there that can cure a horse.’
    Mum looked at him for a moment, then smiled wearily. ‘Good on you, Colin. You’re right. No point in moping till we know what’s what.’
    â€˜Now stop worrying,’ said Colin, ‘and eat your tea.’
    He watched her lift a green lump on the end of her fork, look at it and put it back down.
    â€˜Sorry, love, I’m just not hungry.’
    Colin’s heart sank.
    Then the phone rang.
    Mum rushed into the hall and answered it in her long-distance voice. It was Dad, ringing from the Sydney hospital to say that Luke had just been taken away for his tests and to see how she and Colin were.
    â€˜I’m fine,’ yelled Mum. ‘Colin’s just cooked me a wonderful tea and I feel awful cause I’ve lost my appetite.’
    In the kitchen, Colin, who was about to scrape the curry off Mum’s plate into the garbage, grinned and put the plate into the fridge instead.
    Colin had