Jess the Lonely Puppy

Chapter Two

Chloe was half-reading, and half-listening to Grandad and her parents chatting, when a loud bark made her jump. She watched as the puppy suddenly appeared from among the trees, streaking towards them in a black-and-white blur.

“She’s running about off her lead again,” she said nervously.

Mum looked round at Jess. “She’s just having fun, Chloe, don’t worry.”

Jess stopped a little way away from the picnic rug and barked again anxiously. She needed them to come now, but they were just staring at her. She pawed at Chloe’s leg, but Chloe pulled away with a frightened squeak.

Jess shook her ears crossly. Why did Chloe always do that? Frantically, she ran back towards the trees a little way and barked again.

“I think something’s wrong,” Dad said, frowning and getting up. “Where’s Will?”

Will! Yes, they’d understood at last! Jess whined again, and then wagged her tail as Dad and Chloe finally followed her. Will had told her to fetch them, and even though she hadn’t wanted to leave him, she was desperate to help.

“Oh, no…” Dad muttered as they got closer to the trees. Huddled at the bottom of one of the taller trees was Will. Dad and Chloe broke into a run.

“It’s all right, we’re here now,” Dad said, as he crouched down by Will.

“I fell – I got really high up and a branch broke…” Will said faintly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort you out,” Dad said soothingly. He turned to Chloe. “Go and get your mum and tell her to phone an ambulance. I think Will might have broken his leg.”

Jess sat in the kitchen in her basket, whimpering every so often. She didn’t know what was happening, but things were definitely not right. And she didn’t know where Will was.

“Shh, shh, Jess,” Grandad said gently, stroking her head. “Don’t worry. Poor Jess, it must have been very frightening for her, seeing Will like that.”

“It was frightening for everybody,” Chloe whispered, cupping her hands round her hot chocolate. Grandad had made it for her. He said even though it was summer, there was nothing like hot chocolate when people were upset. But it didn’t seem to be working.

“I wish Mum would ring.” Chloe stared hopefully at the phone, as though that would make it burst into life. “She promised she’d ring as soon as she knew what was happening.”

Grandad patted Chloe’s hand, a bit like he’d stroked Jess. “I know it was scary, but Will’s going to be well looked after. A broken leg mends quickly, and Will’s healthy and strong. He was awake and talking to us, that’s the important thing.”

Chloe nodded. She supposed her grandad was right, but Will’s leg had been all twisted and wrong-looking.

At last the phone rang, and Chloe spilled her drink all over the table.

Grandad reached for the phone before Chloe could grab it. “Hello, love. What’s happening?”

Chloe hovered next to Grandad trying to hear, but it was mostly just Mm-hm and Right, from his end. She couldn’t hear Mum properly.

Finally Grandad put down the phone.

“Didn’t she want to talk to me?” Chloe asked, sounding rather hurt.

“She didn’t have long, Chlo. Will’s going to have an operation on his leg. She needed to be with him.”

Chloe gaped at him. “An operation? But I thought he’d just have plaster put on it? Isn’t that what you do for broken legs? That’s what Maddy had when she broke her arm.”

Grandad nodded. “It’s quite a bad break – he fell a long way. He’s going to have some special pins put in it, to hold together the bone while it mends. Don’t worry, they do it all the time.”

“Is Will going to have to stay in hospital for long?” Chloe asked, tracing patterns in hot chocolate on the plastic tablecloth. She’d wiped it up, but not very well.

Jess came and stood with her paws on Grandad’s knee. She could hear them talking about Will. Where was he? When was he coming home?

“For a while,” Grandad replied. “Mum wasn’t sure. I’m going to stay here for a couple of nights to look after you.”

Chloe felt her throat tighten. She had thought Will would be home tonight. Staying in hospital sounded scary.

Jess looked at Chloe. Was she worried about Will? What was going on? She whimpered, staring up at Chloe and Grandad hopefully. But Chloe just turned away and walked quickly out of the room, her eyes filling with tears.

“Let’s leave her to calm down,” Grandad murmured to Jess.

Jess stared up at him with big, sad eyes. Everyone was upset, and the house felt strange without Will. She wanted him to come home and play fetch with her in the garden.

Grandad sighed and tickled her behind the ears. “I know, Jess. I want him home too. But it’s just going to be us for a while.”

The last week of the summer term was usually brilliant fun. But this year, everything seemed different. Will and Chloe normally walked to school together, because it was only just round the corner, and Will was in Year 6 and old enough to be sensible, Mum said. But all that week, Chloe had to walk to school with Grandad, because she couldn’t go by herself. Jess came too, as Grandad said she really needed some exercise.

Chloe missed Will, and Mum and Dad too. They were spending a lot of time at the hospital with Will, and Grandad was going to stay at Chloe’s house for the rest of the week to help. She loved Grandad, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit left out. At least she had pony camp to look forward to. She and her friend Maddy were spending the second week of the holidays staying at a riding centre, where they’d each get to look after their own special pony all week. They were going pony-trekking and they’d be learning to jump, too. Chloe couldn’t wait.

Maddy met them halfway to school as usual. She knew all about Chloe’s problems with Jess, but she adored dogs too.

“She’s so lovely,” Maddy told Chloe, as Jess trotted alongside them. “I do know what you mean about her being boisterous, but she’s so cute!”

Chloe sighed. Even though Maddy was her best friend, and she was trying really hard to understand how Chloe felt about Jess, she just couldn’t. Maddy loved dogs almost as much as Will!

On Tuesday after school, Mum picked Chloe up in the car to take her to visit Will. She’d seen him for five minutes the day before, but he’d still been sleepy after the operation, and she wasn’t sure he’d really known she was there. Chloe was desperate to see him, but a bit nervous at the same time. She knew he was bound to ask about Jess, and she didn’t know what to say.

Chloe was starting to worry about the puppy. She spent most of her time moping in her basket, or perched on the window seat in the living room, where she usually sat to watch for Will walking home from school. Obviously she was waiting for him to come, and whenever she heard Mum or Dad pulling up in the car she would rush to the door barking excitedly, her plumy tail wagging. Then as soon as she realized Will wasn’t with them, she would slink sadly back to her basket.

Will had a big cast on his leg, but otherwise he was his old self. Except that he hated having to keep still.

Chloe perched on the edge of Will’s bed, while Mum went over to speak to one of the nurses.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be stuck in bed for ages!” he groaned.

“Does it hurt?” Chloe asked, biting her lip.

“No, it’s all right, I’ve got medicine to stop it hurting. It’s itchy though.” Will frowned. “Chloe, how’s Jess? Is she missing me? Mum says she’s fine, but I think she’s just saying anything to make me feel better.”

Chloe glanced over at Mum, who was still talking to the nurse. She knew what he meant. But she didn’t want to upset Will either. Worrying about Jess would only make him feel worse.

“She’s OK,” Chloe said carefully. “She does miss you, but Grandad’s taking her for walks, and she comes with us to school and back.”

“But Grandad can’t run, Chloe. He’s too old! Jess needs loads of exercise. And I was supposed to take her to dog-training in the holidays.” He looked worried. “Couldn’t you go for walks with Grandad?” Will pleaded. “I know you’re nervous with Jess, but if Grandad was there too…”

Chloe looked at her fingers. “We all walk to school together,” she repeated. But she knew that wasn’t really what Will meant.

“Come on, Chloe. Will needs to have a rest now. You can come back and see him soon.” Mum had finished talking, and was looking at Will’s pale face with concern.

Chloe hardly spoke on the way home, until they were just turning into their road. “How long is Will going to be there for?” she asked suddenly.

“I’m really not sure, Chloe,” Mum answered. “He ought to have been able to come home soon after the operation, but the nurse said they’re a bit worried that the bone pieces haven’t fitted back together properly yet. It could be a while – a few weeks, even.”

“Weeks?” Chloe whispered in horror. She hadn’t thought it could possibly be that long. She would miss his stupid jokes. And Jess would be heartbroken.

The puppy was waiting hopefully by the door when they got in, and her drooping ears made Chloe feel so guilty. She’d said to Will that Jess was OK, but now she looked so miserable. Chloe sighed. If she’d told Will that, it would have made him miserable too. There was nothing he could do about it, stuck in hospital.

But I could help, Chloe told herself. I could try and cheer Jess up.

She followed Jess into the kitchen, and watched as she slumped down into her basket. Chloe felt so sorry for her, sitting there with her head hanging.

“Hey, Jess,” she said gently, crouching down by the basket.

Jess ignored her. She wanted Will, and he still hadn’t come back to her. She didn’t like it when he went to school every day, but at least he always came home. Where was he now? And why hadn’t he taken her with him?

Chloe nervously darted out a hand to pat Jess, but she patted her too hard, when Jess wasn’t expecting it.

Jess was feeling so upset that when Chloe touched her, she jumped round and barked sharply, showing her teeth. What was going on? She stared angrily at Chloe, who was scrambling away, crying. Silly girl!

Why couldn’t Chloe just leave her alone?