Read Online Kisses for Lula by Samantha Mackintosh - Free Book Online Page B

to be fine. Here comes the nurse.’
    And, yes indeed, the nurse was coming at full pace, with one of those stretcher thingies, which she plonked down alongside Arnold. She got some girls to ease him on to it while firing questions at the rest of us.
    ‘What happened here, girls?’
    ‘Uh, my friend was running and my dog got a bit excited and knocked him into the wall,’ I blathered, watching how the lecherous Barbie was lifting Arns by the hips on to the stretcher.
    The nurse glanced up at me and then across at Boodle the Poodle, who was standing at full height now, nose in the air, still drooling round teeth and tennis ball. The nurse swallowed.
    ‘Did he bump his head on the wall?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said.
    ‘Hard,’ said Mona, narrowing her eyes at Boodle.
    ‘Know if he’s had a tetanus shot in the last ten years?’ asked the nurse with her eyebrows raised, clearly not expecting an answer.
    The girls lifted the stretcher on her signal.
    ‘He has,’ I said confidently.
    ‘Really,’ said the nurse.
    ‘Really. We were just talking about it yesterday. You know, discussing childhood injuries, the whole relativity theory, that kind of thing. The Science Fair has got us all thinking out the box,’ I babbled.
    Arns moaned again.
    ‘What’s his full name?’ demanded the nurse, leading the way into the school buildings, past the dining halls.
    I cleared my throat. ‘Arnold Radbert Trenchard.’
    ‘Do you know how to get hold of his mother or father?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Mona, will you take this young lady to your housemistress to call them? We’ll be in the sanatorium.’
    ‘Yes, Nurse Wilton.’
    The little posse of stretcher toters carried on down the avenue and I followed Mona left down another path of dappled shade. Boodle nudged me gently and licked my hand. I swallowed hard.
    Mona glanced at me. ‘I think he’s going to be fine.’
    ‘It’s just that’ – I coughed – ‘he hit his head so
hard
.’
    ‘It sounded painful,’ agreed Mona.
    ‘Uh-huh. But Boodle didn’t mean it. Did you, Boodle?’
    I clipped her lead back on and followed Mona up the steps and into the building, wondering if Pen had woken my parents up yet. Probably not. Mum would be late into work. I hoped I could make more than just one call.
    The housemistress was really sweet, and with only a couple of clicks I was put through distressingly quickly to Sergeant Trenchard. Then I had to explain that my sister’s dog – no animal of mine – had knocked her son’s genius head into a flinty wall.
    ‘H-he may be hurt,’ I stammered, ‘but I don’t think so.’ My voice went a little creaky. ‘I think he only passed out because of the blood. You know
seeing
it. Not, um, blood
loss
.’ A pause. I scrunched my eyes closed, waiting for nuclear fallout, but Sergeant T did not react as expected to my ‘blood’ observations and sounded more mother and less sergeant when she asked where to find us. I explained to turn left at the abandoned bike and keep going, and she said she was on her way.
    Then I phoned home. Mum answered.
    ‘Mum,’ I said. ‘I just went out for some fresh air cos I wasn’t feeling so good and I’ll be back soon. I called Mike early this morning to say I wouldn’t be at the library today.’
    ‘You okay, Lu? You shouldn’t have gone out if you were feeling unwell. Where are you now?’
    ‘You’re right. I should have stayed in bed. I’m just having a rest at PSG. Stopped off to let you know.’
    ‘Oh. Do you need me to come and get you? Are you sure you’re okay?’
    ‘I’m fine. Just a little tired. I’ve got my bike and Boodle and we’ll be home in half an hour. Okay?’
    ‘Okay, Lu. Call me at the office when you get in, though. I’m leaving now.’
    ‘Really? This early?’
    ‘I’ve got that meeting, remember?’ said Mum, her voice anxious. ‘With Sophie, her parents and Security, to talkabout the missing documents. Thought it best to get that out of the way before anyone gets