The Ghost at the Point by Charlotte Calder Read Free Book Online Page B

the driver, and that was her.
    She felt herself engulfed in a bear hug. It was Jacky.
    “Go good, girlie.” He let go of her and patted the truck on the bonnet. “Go good, truck.”
    Dorrie brushed at her tears.
    “Thanks, Jacky.” On a sudden impulse she reached up and planted a kiss on his stubbly cheek. He wiped at the spot with the back of his hand, looking pleased.
    “We’ll hop on the back,” said his father. “You can drop us off at our track.”
    And so began the long, extremely slow and agonising trip into Redcliff.

Chapter 5
    Even though it was late, Dr Phillips, the island’s only doctor, happened to be at the hospital when they arrived.
    He and the nurse on duty, Sister Kennedy, lifted the sweating, white-faced Gah onto a trolley and wheeled him into the treatment room. Dorrie, fighting back tears, waited on a bench outside while they examined him. Now that she’d finally got him here, she felt all weak and shaky.
    Hands clenched in her lap, she strained her ears to hear the murmured sounds through the half-open door.
    “Does it hurt here?”
    “Is it tender there?”
    She winced when she heard Gah’s sharp intakes of breath or little grunts of pain, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out in sympathy.
    What if his injuries were much more than just a broken leg? What if …?
    All at once she could barely breathe. Ever since she could remember, Gah had been at the centre of her world – solid, loving, always
there
. Life without him was unthinkable. Apart from anything else, where would she live? And what would happen to the old house on the point?
    She pressed her face into her hands and willed herself to calm down.
    Finally, Doc Phillips came out, and she jumped up. He patted her on the shoulder reassuringly.
    “Well, Dorrie, you’ve certainly got a tough old grandad. It’d help if they’d send us one of those new-fangled X-ray machines, but we’ve examined him and it seems to be only his leg that’s the problem.”
    Dorrie felt herself go floppy with relief.
    “But it’s a nasty break,” he went on, “in a couple of places, it seems. He’ll have to stay here in hospital for a few weeks.” He gestured to the door. “D’you want to come in and say hello to him? We’ve given him an injection of morphine for the pain, so he’ll be a bit groggy.”
    Gah
was
a bit groggy, but he managed to open his eyes and grasp Dorrie’s hand.
    “Just my leg,” he murmured. “Right as rain otherwise.” He sighed. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to stay with your aunt and uncle for a while, in town.”
    She stared back at him, trying to keep the dismay from her face as she pictured herself sitting in Aunt Janet’s parlour with Esme, doing needlework, or tackling the dreaded deportment.
    “No need, Gah,” she said cheerily. “I’ll be perfectly all right at home.”
    “No, you won’t.” He frowned and his grip on her hand tightened. “Not out there on your own, all that time.”
    “Of course I will …” She broke off, not wanting to upset him.
    Sister Kennedy laid a soothing hand on Gah’s arm. “Why don’t I telephone your Aunt Janet, Dorrie, and tell her you’ll be coming? For the night, at least.”
    Sister, who had delivered Dorrie, and Esme for that matter, knew almost everyone in town. Practically everyone on the island, in fact.
    “No, I’ve got a better idea.” Dorrie knew that if she stayed even one night with her aunt and uncle, she’d never escape. “Why don’t I stay at Sarah’s place? I’ll take Sampson over there, and Poppy, and I’ll be able to ride back and feed the chooks every couple of days, and still go to school.”
    Gah closed his eyes. “The Jennings have got enough mouths to feed.” But Dorrie could see that the morphine was taking over; he was getting drowsier.
    Sister Kennedy seemed worried. “You can’t drive back all that way in the dark tonight, Dorrie.”
    “Yes, I can,” cried Dorrie.
    Though underneath it all she didn’t feel