Read Online FOLLOW THE MORNING STAR by Di Morrissey - Free Book Online Page B

going to get him up on his feet if his attitude doesn’t change.’
    ‘Still negative, huh?’
    ‘It’s like he’s given up. He needs to be motivated. His muscles are just melting away. He was obviously such a fit man. It’s a shame.’
    ‘How is he doing physically?’
    ‘You’ll have to ask the docs. I would just like to see him change his attitude, be more positive. He can at least do that to help himself,’ she added somewhat sharply. ‘I have to go,’ she said, glancing at her watch. ‘See you later.’
    Saskia squared her shoulders, adjusted her face with a smile and pushed open the door. ‘Hi. It’s me, Saskia,’ she announced brightly.
    ‘I remember your name. I can remember what happened last week at least,’ said TR bitterly. Then, seeing a hurt expression replace the smile, added, ‘It’s nice to have a visitor who isn’t in a uniform. All these wretched medicos, I wish they’d just leave me be.’
    ‘They’re only trying to help you, TR. Get you back on your feet. Or at least into a wheelchair.’
    ‘Wheelchairs are for cripples.’
    ‘That’s not true!’ Then as she pulled some books from her leather satchel Saskia added casually, ‘Well, maybe you are. The nurse says unless you start doing something positive you might well end up a cripple.’
    ‘Everyone’s a bloody expert,’ said TR crossly. ‘Why can’t they just fix me up, give me back my mind, and I’ll be out of here and on my way.’
    ‘Because you have to do some of the fixing yourself and you’re not doing that.’ TR didn’t answer and Saskia hurried on. ‘Look, I brought some of my horse books along. I was wondering if we looked at them together you could ask me some question . . . sort of test me. It’s for my anatomy and diagnosis exams next week. They’ve really crept up on me and I don’t feel all that well prepared.’
    ‘Having me like this hasn’t helped, I suppose,’ said TR and he grinned ruefully at the pretty girl beside the bed.
    Saskia’s heart lurched at the flash of TR’s familiar lopsided grin.
    ‘Okay,’ said TR, taking the book with his good arm.
    ‘I’ll get us some tea while you skim through it,’ said Saskia, pleased to distract him from his illness for a change.
    The question and answer session interested TR and at one point he showed Saskia an illustration of a horse and pointed to its chest. ‘Big chest like that with those muscles, he’s probably got a big heart and would be a good runner.’ He stopped and grinned at her again. ‘I know a bit about horses, do I?’
    ‘Some,’ laughed Saskia.
    ‘And you want to work with horses?’
    ‘Yes. I always wanted to be a vet, but now my interest is more in horses.’ Saskia launched into her reasons why and found she was chatting as she normally did with TR, as he listened patiently.’ . . . and so when Snowy said . . .’
    ‘Who’s Snowy again?’
    Saskia paused as the reality hit her once more. ‘He’s our family wise man . . . he’s an Aboriginal elder as well. But to me he’s like my grandfather.’
    ‘Tell me about your father. What happened to him?’
    ‘His name was Warwick Redmond and he was very tall with dark curly hair and was a friend of Dingo’s — he’d worked for a friend of his over in the west, I think — and then he came to manage Tingulla and married Mum. I don’t remember him all that well . . . just certain special memories. He was killed in a plane crash when I was very young.’
    Saskia bit her lip. ‘Apart from my mother, you’ve had the strongest influence on me, TR.’
    He looked at the tall, beautiful young woman with the thick dark curls, heartshaped face so like her mother’s and large grey eyes that sometimes took on the deep green lights of Queenie’s emerald eyes. TR suddenly felt sad and depressed. The spark of interest that prompted him to question Saskia made him painfully aware of the blackness in his mind. He had tried to peer into the recesses of his memory but