Jess the Lonely Puppy

Chapter Eight

“Jess! Jess!” Chloe ran down the stairs, a worried edge creeping into her voice. She couldn’t find Jess anywhere. Or Will. But she had a horrible feeling that she knew where they were.

Will had hated being stuck in the house over the last few days. Almost more than he’d hated the hospital. He couldn’t ride his bike or skateboard, and even if he wanted to go upstairs Mum or Dad had to help. But not being able to walk Jess was the worst thing of all. He was desperate to take her out. Mum had driven him and Chloe to the park the day after they came back, so that he could watch Jess running around. But poor Jess hadn’t understood, and she’d kept coming back to Will and staring at him hopefully, wanting him to join in.

Ever since then, Will had been aching to take Jess out to the park by himself.

“She’s really well-behaved now, Mum,” he’d pleaded that morning at breakfast. “It isn’t far. Now that she’s been to dog-training classes, I could take her, no problem.”

“Of course you can’t!” Mum sounded horrified. “You’re only just out of hospital! You need to use your crutches; how can you possibly manage Jess as well?”

But Chloe didn’t think Will had been convinced. He’d just scowled into his cereal.

Chloe stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide. Will’s crutches were propped up by the front door, and Jess’s lead was gone from its hook.

He’d taken her out, Chloe realized, nibbling her thumbnail anxiously. He’d got so cross with everyone fussing over him that he’d decided to show them, and he’d taken Jess for a walk on his own.

Chloe stared at the door. If she went and told, Mum would have a fit. Better just to go and find them. She reached for the door keys and let herself quietly out of the house.

Jess was walking beautifully, not pulling at all, just like she’d learned at the training classes. But Will was holding her lead strangely, she thought, looking up at him. He kept wobbling. He looked like he wanted to turn back, and they were only halfway to the park. Jess stared up at him and whimpered. Something was wrong.

Will suddenly sat down on someone’s front wall, gasping. “Sorry, Jess,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have brought you out; it was a stupid idea and now we’re stuck.”

Jess pulled gently at the lead in his hand, but he tightened his grip. “No, sorry, Jess. We’re not going to the park.”

Jess whined – she had to make him understand. If he let her go, she could fetch help! She took the lead in her teeth this time and tugged at it harder. Then she walked a couple of steps back in the direction of the house and barked encouragingly at him.

“No, I can’t,” Will tried to explain. “Oh! You want to go home? Do you know the way?” he asked doubtfully.

Home! Jess sat down, wagging her tail. She pulled the lead with her teeth again, and this time he let it go.

“Go home, Jess. Find Chloe,” Will told her. The puppy licked his hand reassuringly, before trotting off down the road as fast as she could. She felt anxious – she didn’t like running along with her lead trailing like this. But she had to help Will.

Chloe dashed down their street, heading for the park. She really hoped Will hadn’t done anything to make his leg worse. What if he’d fallen?

Suddenly she spotted Jess running towards her – on her own. Where was Will?

Jess gave a delighted bark. She’d found Chloe! She jumped up at her, barking again and again, and Chloe hugged her tightly. “Good girl, Jess. Shhh! Where’s Will? Can you show me?” she asked, holding Jess’s scrabbly front paws.

Jess jumped down immediately and turned back, waiting for Chloe to pick up her lead. Then they raced along the road together.

Will was still sitting on the wall when Jess proudly led Chloe back to him. He was looking very white, and Chloe sat down next to him, wondering if he’d have a go at her if she gave him a hug. She compromised by putting an arm round his shoulder.

“Don’t say it,” he muttered.

“I didn’t!”

Will smiled at her for a second. “Sorry. I should have listened to Mum. It’s a good thing Jess was here. She knew what to do – she made me let go of the lead so she could fetch you.”

“She’s a star,” Chloe told him, watching Jess panting contently. “You should come to her training classes, you know. The last beginners’ class is on Thursday. It’s a special competition lesson. You’d be really proud of her.” She stood up and helped him pull himself to his feet. Then they set off slowly down the road.

“Um, maybe,” Will said quietly. “I’m sorry I was so jealous before. It’s just I was looking forward to taking her.”

“You could help me practise with her,” Chloe suggested. “Even if the walking bits are difficult, you could do sit and stay. And she needs to learn to behave properly for you too.”

“I suppose so.” Will looked a bit more cheerful. “Grandad told me about her stealing those biscuits. They ought to have a biscuit-hunt in this competition. Jess would win, wouldn’t you?”

Jess barked, ears pricked, and Will burst out laughing.

“I’m never taking her anywhere near a shop ever again.” Chloe shuddered. “Come on. If we’re quick, Mum might not have noticed we’ve been gone.”

They limped back home, with Jess walking at a snail’s pace beside them, giving them both loving looks.

“I can’t believe how good she is!” Will told Chloe, as he watched Jess sitting on her own in the middle of the church hall, with a biscuit between her front paws.

“She isn’t even looking at it!”

“She knows she’ll get it in a minute,” Chloe said, but she couldn’t keep the proud smile off her face. “All that practice we’ve done has really helped.”

Mike nodded at her, and she walked back to Jess. “Good girl!” she said. “You can eat it now.”

Jess gulped down the treat happily. She could see Will grinning at her too.

Mike wrote something on the piece of paper he was holding and looked around the room. “Well done, everyone! That’s the end of the competition, so can you all line up along here with your dogs, please, and I’ll announce the winners.”

Chloe grabbed Will’s arm and helped him to the centre of the hall, so that he could line up with Jess, too. “She’s your dog as well,” she hissed, as he gave her an I shouldn’t be doing this! look. “Intermediate training classes start next week, and I’ve told Mike we’re both coming – we can take turns leading her. You can be off your crutches for an hour by then, can’t you?”

Will nodded, grinning. “I’m sure I’ll manage it.”

Mike was walking along the line with a handful of shiny rosettes. “Well, it’s been very tight, but we have a winner. Chloe and Will, can you bring Jess out for her first place rosette, please!”

“Jess, you won!” Chloe hugged her, quickly rubbing her cheek against Jess’s silky ruff of fur. “Come on, Will!”

As they made their way to the front, Chloe looked round delightedly at Mum and Dad and Grandad, all clapping. Grandad had the camera ready too.

Mike handed Chloe the rosette, and she bent down to pin it to Jess’s collar. The puppy looked up at Will on one side and Chloe on the other, both smiling. And she thumped her tail happily on the floor.