Left Behind by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2016-03-07T16:24:21+00:00

Chapter Nine

Things begin to calm down after that. Dr. Mac, Melissa, and Dr. Gabe find overnight spots for Elsa and Ariel: Elsa in the last available spot in the boarding kennel and Ariel in a recovery room crate. Dr. Mac wants to keep them far enough apart so that they can’t easily smell each other, which will just keep them alert and stressed. Both dogs will be okay, but everyone here is concerned about what the family will eventually decide. Will they split up the dogs and stop all the fighting? And if they do, which little girl will be brokenhearted? Or will they keep both dogs and make sure they’re always separated? It doesn’t seem like there are any easy answers.

Dr. Mac calls Katie-cat and her owner into the Dolittle Room. I’m still a bit worried that Dr. Mac is angry with me for not helping with the dogs, so I let Maggie help Dr. Mac with this patient while Brenna cleans and sanitizes the Herriot Room and I tackle some more of the paperwork piled up on the desk. Dr. Gabe takes Melissa back to the kennels to show her how we take care of the boarding animals. I look at the clock. It’s four. This day is flying by, but there’s still time for me to get some paperwork done before it’s time for dinner.

I sort the papers on the desk into different piles for Dr. Mac: bills that need to be paid; payments that have come in; offers, catalogs, and advertisements from vet supply companies; informational journals; and patient files. The patient files I can handle myself. Dr. Gabe and Dr. Mac update them as soon as the exam or treatment is over. I just need to file them in their correct alphabetical order. I keep telling Dr. Mac that she should switch over to a computerized system, but the truth is, I don’t really mind filing the old-school way. In fact, it’s one of my favorite jobs as a Vet Volunteer. I love making things organized. My father even teases me that I like making “order out of chaos” even more than I like spending time with friends. That’s not true, of course, but there is something particularly satisfying about taking a mountain of jumbled paper and turning it into a job well done.

I know what gets recycled immediately—usually the advertisements, but never the pizza coupons. I know what the most important mail in the pile is. I keep that in a special spot so Dr. Mac can take care of it right away. Later in the week, I’ll help Dr. Mac track the payments and bills on the computer. The program we use is easy. I should know—I helped her set it up in the first place. But right now, putting things in the correct inbox is enough.

As I sort, I think about Sylvester, the lamb. I’m glad Mrs. Van Hoven called. It means she’s serious about finding another lamb. Still, it seems like something is not quite right about her idea.

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