Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman Page B

pang inside.
    The sick people who had their families and loved ones around their beds all looked happier than the ones who didn’t.
    When Colin got back to Griff’s ward, Griff was sitting up and Ted was sitting next to him on the bed.
    They both smiled when they saw Colin and beckoned him to them.
    â€˜We know you probably don’t like soppy stuff,’ said Ted, ‘but we both just want to say thanks.’
    Colin felt his insides go all warm and runny.
    Who said he didn’t like soppy stuff?
    â€˜You’ll probably never know how important this time is to us,’ said Griff softly, ‘or how precious a gift you’ve given us.’
    â€˜Now that;’ said Ted grinning, ‘was soppy.’
    â€˜Next Monday?’ wailed Alistair. ‘But I thought we were going today.’
    â€˜Ted’ll be back on his feet then,’ said Colin. ‘Once he can visit Griff by himself we’ll go.’
    Alistair slumped onto the kitchen stool. The jungle first-aid kit slung around his neck clunked against the ironing cupboard. The lid came off and a couple of hundred kelp tablets rattled around on the floor.
    â€˜Mum and Dad are getting suspicious,’ said Alistair. ‘Mum walked into my room yesterday while I was practising sucking blood out of a snakebite and she thought I was kissing my hand. She said if she catches me doing it again I’ll have to see a psychiatrist.’
    â€˜Well don’t do it again,’ said Colin. ‘Practise on a cushion.’
    â€˜That’s all very well,’ said Alistair, ‘but while I’m wasting time practising on a cushion the ancient tribes of South America are probably talking to an advertising agency about marketing their cure for cancer themselves.’
    â€˜That’s if they’ve got one,’ said Colin.
    The next day Ted had to see his doctor for a checkup on his foot, so Colin wheeled him to the surgery.
    The doctor was out on an emergency call and the receptionist told them he could be gone an hour or more. Ted and Colin agreed that Colin would go and spend a couple of hours with Griff, then come back and collect Ted and take him in.
    Griff looked worse than Colin had ever seen him.
    He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, making a faint rasping noise as he breathed. He didn’t even smile when he saw Colin.
    To cheer him up, Colin told him about the Bishop sisters who went swimming in their dad’s water tank and Bronwyn Bishop lost a contact lens so they let all the water out to look for it.
    Griff didn’t even smile at that.
    Oh well, thought Colin, you’ve probably got to understand how scarce water is out our way in December.
    He started telling Griff about Wal Petersen’s Holden Kingswood which had so much rust in it you could see the road through the floor.
    He thought that was of pretty universal interest, specially with Wal Petersen being a police-man, but half-way through Griff put his hand on Colin’s arm.
    â€˜I don’t really feel like talking today,’ he said.
    Colin felt awful. Poor bloke’s feeling real crook and I’m rabbiting on about police corruption.
    â€˜That’s OK,’ said Colin, ‘no sweat. I’ll go, eh?’
    â€˜No,’ said Griff faintly, ‘I like having someone here.’
    So Colin sat quietly, watching Griff.
    He wondered if it was possible to make someone feel better by telepathy. Why not, he thought, people can bend spoons.
    He tried it.
    It seemed to work.
    Every few minutes Griff looked over at him, and, seeing him there, seemed to relax.
    Later that afternoon, when Colin returned with Ted, Griff looked much better.

Chapter Fifteen
    â€˜Tomorrow?’ shrieked Alistair.
    Colin nodded.
    â€˜You said today,’ yelled Alistair. ‘You said today would definitely be the day. You said Ted would be back on his feet today and that we would definitely be going to South America