everyone,” Grandma Alice said in her most important voice. “We have an emergency case and I need to consult the nurse.”
Mama raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Daddy. They couldn’t get Mrs. Sampson to give up the crow. Why would they be bringing another case here?
Big Bob followed close behind Alice holding a large brown box in his hands.
Alice stepped to the side and swung her arm likethey did in the infomercials she watched on TV. “Ta-da!” she said.
Big Bob set the box down on the table so everyone could see. Cocoa was lying on her side, her little bandaged leg sticking out at an uncomfortable angle. She moaned in pain but wiggled her bottom anyway, to show she was friendly.
“Fred, I know you have a list of volunteers that workwith dogs and cats, too, but I’ll be darned if I can find it.”
“It’s on the hard drive, Grandma,” Keisha said. “Go to the ‘organizations’ file, and choose the ‘vet volunteers’ file.”
Grandma Alice gave Keisha one of those you-must-not-have-any-idea-where-I’m-going-with-this looks. “I’m quite sure it is, dear, but we were having problems with the system this morning.”
“What problems?” Daddy wanted to know. “That’s a brand-new computer.”
This time Daddy got the look.
Every third or fourth word in the conversation, the crow in the corner let out a squawk.
“That little guy’s going to need a cough drop,” Mr. Sanders said.
All of a sudden, there was a tremendous scuffling noise inside the box. The baby crow was trying to fly! He succeeded in lifting the tea towel a couple of times, but mostly, he sounded like he was knocking up against the sides of the box.
“What’s happening?” Mrs. Sampson’s open hand hovered over the box as if she could stop the little crow from hurting himself. “Why is he so upset?”
“He’s doing what he is meant to do, Mrs. Sampson,” Mama said. “He is trying to fly.”
“I let him do that yesterday afternoon. We practiced launching off the kitchen table. But he could hurt himself in the box.”
“You’re right. He could injure himself.” Daddy reached down and used the tea towel to scoop up the bird and pin its wings to its sides. “The first thing to know about wild animals, Mrs. Sampson, is that they won’t do things on your timetable. He’s not going to practice flying like Keisha going to the playground and practicing her double unders. He’s going to do it whenever he wants.”
The baby crow fell silent in Daddy’s hands, making it easier to hear the moaning sound coming from the box on the table. Jorge was tall enough to see inside, but Keisha had to climb onto a kitchen chair to get a better view of the two button eyes and the little wet nose.
“What do we have here?” Mama said. “This does not look like a wild animal to me, Alice Carter.”
“Now don’t get your tea towels in a tangle, Fayola,” Alice said. “I just wanted to consult the nurse.”
“She’s had a lot of tendon damage to her foreleg,” Bob said.
“What kind of damage?” Mrs. Sampson asked, squinting into the box.
“Not sure. Definitely some sort of tear, but we’realso wondering about compression of the nerve endings and how that will affect her ability to walk.”
“So she’ll need this cast for a few weeks.”
“At least. She has to have vitamins and antibiotics administered orally on a strict schedule and she’ll have to be carried outside to go to the bathroom. After the cast comes off, she’ll need physical therapy and to be walked with a sling until she can put weight on her leg. We’re still not sure the leg can be used, but if she gets the right physical therapy, there’s a chance.”
“That’s a lot of work for one old pup,” Daddy said. “You’re sure there’s no owner?”
“Oh, this old gal has been on her own for some time,” Bob said. “I agree, Fred. This is a hard case. Even if she does get the medical attention she needs, it won’t be easy to find an
Mama raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Daddy. They couldn’t get Mrs. Sampson to give up the crow. Why would they be bringing another case here?
Big Bob followed close behind Alice holding a large brown box in his hands.
Alice stepped to the side and swung her arm likethey did in the infomercials she watched on TV. “Ta-da!” she said.
Big Bob set the box down on the table so everyone could see. Cocoa was lying on her side, her little bandaged leg sticking out at an uncomfortable angle. She moaned in pain but wiggled her bottom anyway, to show she was friendly.
“Fred, I know you have a list of volunteers that workwith dogs and cats, too, but I’ll be darned if I can find it.”
“It’s on the hard drive, Grandma,” Keisha said. “Go to the ‘organizations’ file, and choose the ‘vet volunteers’ file.”
Grandma Alice gave Keisha one of those you-must-not-have-any-idea-where-I’m-going-with-this looks. “I’m quite sure it is, dear, but we were having problems with the system this morning.”
“What problems?” Daddy wanted to know. “That’s a brand-new computer.”
This time Daddy got the look.
Every third or fourth word in the conversation, the crow in the corner let out a squawk.
“That little guy’s going to need a cough drop,” Mr. Sanders said.
All of a sudden, there was a tremendous scuffling noise inside the box. The baby crow was trying to fly! He succeeded in lifting the tea towel a couple of times, but mostly, he sounded like he was knocking up against the sides of the box.
“What’s happening?” Mrs. Sampson’s open hand hovered over the box as if she could stop the little crow from hurting himself. “Why is he so upset?”
“He’s doing what he is meant to do, Mrs. Sampson,” Mama said. “He is trying to fly.”
“I let him do that yesterday afternoon. We practiced launching off the kitchen table. But he could hurt himself in the box.”
“You’re right. He could injure himself.” Daddy reached down and used the tea towel to scoop up the bird and pin its wings to its sides. “The first thing to know about wild animals, Mrs. Sampson, is that they won’t do things on your timetable. He’s not going to practice flying like Keisha going to the playground and practicing her double unders. He’s going to do it whenever he wants.”
The baby crow fell silent in Daddy’s hands, making it easier to hear the moaning sound coming from the box on the table. Jorge was tall enough to see inside, but Keisha had to climb onto a kitchen chair to get a better view of the two button eyes and the little wet nose.
“What do we have here?” Mama said. “This does not look like a wild animal to me, Alice Carter.”
“Now don’t get your tea towels in a tangle, Fayola,” Alice said. “I just wanted to consult the nurse.”
“She’s had a lot of tendon damage to her foreleg,” Bob said.
“What kind of damage?” Mrs. Sampson asked, squinting into the box.
“Not sure. Definitely some sort of tear, but we’realso wondering about compression of the nerve endings and how that will affect her ability to walk.”
“So she’ll need this cast for a few weeks.”
“At least. She has to have vitamins and antibiotics administered orally on a strict schedule and she’ll have to be carried outside to go to the bathroom. After the cast comes off, she’ll need physical therapy and to be walked with a sling until she can put weight on her leg. We’re still not sure the leg can be used, but if she gets the right physical therapy, there’s a chance.”
“That’s a lot of work for one old pup,” Daddy said. “You’re sure there’s no owner?”
“Oh, this old gal has been on her own for some time,” Bob said. “I agree, Fred. This is a hard case. Even if she does get the medical attention she needs, it won’t be easy to find an
Similar Books
