Back Online Read Online Free

together.
    â€œGo on in and see Phin, Madison. Eloise has him sedated. Get your mom, too,” Dr. Wing said. “He’s okay now. I will be right with you.”
    Inside the room, Phin was laying on the steel table, his little body resting on its side. He had a bandage wrapped around one leg.
    â€œWhat happened?” Mom asked as she came in. “Is he okay? Does he need surgery? Medicine? Is he very sick?”
    Eloise said that Dr. Wing would fill them in more when he came back inside. Phinnie had had a mysterious attack, but he would fully recover. The bandage was over the spot where they’d injected him with a strong allergy medicine, which was supposed to help him sleep, although he still looked uncomfortable.
    Just as Madison was about to ask Eloise another question, a loud screech came from the lobby. Eloise raced off to help whichever animal needed attention. Madison wondered if she recognized that cat screech. Last spring, a cat had been diagnosed with leukemia, and Madison recalled how its owner, a retired librarian named Mrs. Peabody, burst into tears right there in the waiting room.
    Sometimes it was like that with pets.
    Well, not sometimes. It was always like that with pets. Pets are part of the family. If they hurt, you hurt. Phinnie was Madison’s furry little brother.
    A few moments later, Dr. Wing snapped off his latex gloves and stepped inside in the examination room.
    â€œSo we want to keep Phin here overnight,” Dr. Wing said gently. “Just to observe him and keep him comfortable. I don’t see any need for surgery.”
    Madison felt her pulse race a little again at the mention of the S -word.
    â€œNo worrying allowed, Madison,” Dr. Wing said. “He’s fine and dandy, and he’ll be snuffling that pug nose at you in no time. It was just a perfect storm of symptoms. He’ll be back home in his dog bed ASAP.”
    According to the doctor, Phin had contracted some kind of skin infection that made him itchy. He had an allergy attack on top of that, and the combination made him miserable. Poor pug! Madison and Mom would have to be careful with him from now on—and make sure to give him his doggy antibiotics.
    â€œThank you for seeing us so quickly,” Mom said, shaking Dr. Wing’s hand on the way out. Madison said the same. She waved good-bye to Phin, too.
    â€œI’m glad he’s gonna be okay,” Dan said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
    Madison crossed her arms. “Yeah, me too,” she said. “Your mom sent me an email and said I could volunteer on Thursdays now. I guess that means we’ll be hanging out more? I am starting later in October.”
    â€œCool,” Dan said.
    â€œAnd what we were talking about before … Well, you won’t say anything right? To the other guys?”
    Dan furrowed his brow. “I’m too thick to remember what you said. Ha! See you at school!”
    Madison grabbed Mom’s elbow and leaned in as they headed for the door.
    â€œHe’ll be fine,” Mom said.
    â€œWho?” Madison said, thinking Mom was talking about Dan. “Who’ll be fine?”
    â€œPhin, of course,” Mom whispered. “Frozen yogurt on me, on the way home, okay?”
    They stopped at Freeze Palace and got two larges. Mom got Pink Taro and Madison got Chocofun, which tasted a lot like hazelnut spread. Madison’s teeth ached with each cold bite.
    It was weird coming home to a Phin-free house. There was a message light blinking on the portable phone. It was Dad asking Madison to call him back. Mom had called him earlier to give him an update on what happened to Phin. He didn’t live in their house anymore, but Mom always let him know about all the important little details, like when Maddie had a cold, or bigger things, like when Phin had an emergency trip to the vet. Even though they weren’t married anymore, Mom and Dad knew how to keep Madison from feeling