Read Online Roll With It by Nick Place - Free Book Online

confided.
    ‘Since seven! That’s terrible.’
    ‘Oh, I know,’ she agreed. ‘It’s been a terrible day.’
    ‘You look like you could do with a cuppa. I know I could. You going to offer me one?’
    She looked down at her arm, which she was still holding tight with her good hand. ‘I can’t offer you anything, love. I’m afraid I’ve done something to my arm.’
    Laver appeared to notice her arm for the first time. ‘Yeah? What do you reckon’s wrong?’
    ‘I’m not sure. It’s gone kind of numb, around the elbow.’
    ‘Oh dear. Anywhere else hurting? How’s your hip?’
    ‘That’s sore as buggery too, love. That’s why I haven’t been able to get up.’
    Laver crossed his arms and rocked slightly. ‘You poor thing. What do you reckon we should do?’
    ‘I—I’m not sure.’
    ‘Well, I think you should probably see a doctor, Mary. That arm could be nasty.’
    She looked down at it, looking tired and old, all her fight gone. ‘I don’t want to leave my house. They’ll put me in one of them homes where I’ll be stuck in a bed. That’ll be the end of me.’
    ‘Mary, look at me.’
    She lifted her head to meet Laver’s eyes.
    ‘Mary, I guarantee that unless there’s something really wrong with you, you’ll be home within a couple of days. The doctors’ll want you to remain independent. They’ll fix you up and maybe keep you in hospital for a night or so to make sure you’re okay. That’s it.’ He noticed Mary was sweating. ‘Are you in pain, love?’
    She nodded, starting to cry. ‘My arm’s not so numb anymore. It’s killing me.’
    Laver unfolded his legs, crawled over to her and put his arm carefully around her shoulders. ‘C’mon, Mary, let’s get you into the ambulance and on your way.’
    ‘I can’t get up.’
    Laver jerked his head at the ambulance pair. ‘I’ll help you. So will these two. They’re going to be nice to you from now on. Look how handsome they are, Mary. All these young men sweeping you to your feet. You got any children, Mary?’
    ‘I’ve got a daughter. She’s married. She lives in Geelong.’
    ‘Where’s her number, Mary? We’ll give her a call so she can meet you at the hospital.’
    ‘On the wall by the fridge. Thank you.’ The ambos helped Mary lie down and started moving a stretcher into place. Laver stood back to give them some room but stayed within her sight.
    ‘So I’m the bad guy, huh?’ muttered Ratten quietly from alongside.
    ‘It’s okay,’ Laver said under his breath, ‘I won’t really tell Slatts you were trying to beat Mary up.’
    She gave him a look and decided he was joking.
    When they got outside, Ollerton and his bike were gone.
    ‘You sure know how to make friends in the squad, Tony,’ McGregor said.
    ‘At least you’re still talking to me. What is it with Ollerton? And Standish? It’s like the Hitler Youth reborn.’
    McGregor smiled. ‘You know what they say about drugs in the Tour de France. Standish and Ollerton act like they’ve got roid rage. They ride Beach Road with the Hell Riders every weekend and pump iron like you can’t believe.’
    ‘And I got them both on my first day in the saddle. So much for Slatts giving me an easy ride.’
    Ratten gave him a look but Laver beat her to it, saying, ‘Pun intended.’

Jake was so busy wallowing in self-pity that he almost missed the bike. It was four hours since he’d lost her as she rode away from the pool, and his seventh cruise along Smith Street as his ‘sick day’ ticked hopelessly away. He’d battled the peak-hour traffic in his Mazda for a while, towards and then away from the city, but this time he walked, bewildered by the variety of restaurants, bakeries, two-dollar shops, seconds fashion outlets, art galleries full of what looked like the same graffiti that was on the walls down every lane, and a bar called Kent St, which made no sense given its address was Smith Street. Bikes were everywhere, locked to every pole and bike rack. Jake took it