Amelia gave Winston his third dose of tetracycline. She bit down hard on her lower lip as she squeezed the drops of liquid into his tiny nostrils.
“You’re good at that,” Duke said. “You’re really a great helper.”
“Thanks. I’m going to stay in here for a while.”
“Sounds good. I’ll phone around some more. There’s a vet out in the Valley I haven’t tried.”
Since the day before, Winston had been breathing with his mouth open. Gasping, more like it, Amelia thought. The bubbly stuff was back, oozing out of his nostrils. She felt sick with fear.
Duke had called the vet in Burnaby, who said he was having trouble getting the other drug. Maybe in a couple of weeks, he’d said.
We can’t wait a couple of weeks, Duke had replied.
Someone had to have the drug somewhere. Duke had spent all morning calling vets. So far no luck.
Amelia walked around the room, peering into the cages and pens. Bill sprawled on his branch, watching her. The snakes were curled up in balls. Kilo floated in her pool. Apollo and Oliver were asleep.
No one is moving, she thought.
They’re holding their breath too and praying for Winston.
On Thursday morning Marguerite brought over some kale from her garden for Mango and Beaker, and a huge zucchini for Diane. Amelia watched her mom take the zucchini with a brave smile—it was their fourth in four days.
“It’s a bumper crop,” Marguerite announced happily as she accepted a cup of coffee from Diane. “I don’t know why I’ve never planted them before. Who knew six plants would produce so much?”
“Who knew,” Diane repeated. She poured herself a coffee too and sat at the table with Amelia and Marguerite.
“What are those?” Amelia asked as Marguerite spread half a dozen small pieces of colored cardboard, each one a different shade of beige, on the table.
“Paint chips. I’m painting my living room. I need some help deciding.”
Amelia turned over each chip and read the name out loud. “Oyster, pearl, egg shell, bone white, mushroom.”
“Are you doing it yourself?” Diane said.
“I’m getting that girl across the street. Rachel. She has a reno business. She left a card under my door. Great timing, because I’d just decided to paint.”
“We got one of her cards too,” Diane said. “Maybe next year.”
“No offense,” Amelia said, “but don’t you think these colors are boring? Why don’t you be original and paint your living room purple?”
Diane and Marguerite stared at her.
Amelia got up with her cereal bowl. “I like purple.”
Amelia went over to Marguerite’s in the afternoon. She’d printed two coupons, one for weed killer and one for a seed-starter kit.
The door was open, and voices drifted from the living room.
“Come in,” Marguerite shouted. “We’re in here.”
Marguerite and a girl in paint-spattered overalls were standing in the middle of the room. Amelia recognized her right away. Rachel, from Rachel’s Renos across the street.
“Rachel, this is our neighbor Amelia,” Marguerite said.
“Hi,” Amelia said.
Rachel was chewing gum vigorously. She stopped chewing and grinned at Amelia. “I’ve seen you around. Hiya.” She turned to Marguerite. “Awesome color. I get so sick of painting oyster walls. Purple. I love it!”
“Mauve,” Marguerite said quickly. “Pale mauve. It was… well, Amelia’s idea.”
Rachel grinned at Amelia. “Very contemporary.”
“Thanks.”
“That wraps it up.” Rachel blew a big pink bubble and popped it. “I got all the measurements I need. D’you want me to wait until Rona puts their paint on sale?”
Marguerite smiled. “What we need is one of Amelia’s coupons.”
Amelia felt her cheeks grow hot as Marguerite explained about the coupons and the animals. Marguerite called it Amelia’s project, and Amelia thought Rachel might think it was dumb.
But Rachel said, “No kidding? All those reptiles and stuff right across the street from me? That’s so cool.”
“Now,” Marguerite said. “I just took zucchini cookies out of the oven before you got here. You’re both invited to join me.”
Rachel popped another bubble and said hastily, “Uh, I got another job to go see about.”
“Me too,” Amelia said. “I’ve got…um…lots of chores.”
They left together.
“Hey,” Rachel said. “I’m always looking for deals on nails and screws and paint. And I’d like to help save Winston. D’you think there are coupons for that kind of stuff?”
“I’ll find some,” Amelia said.
“Great.” Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Zucchini cookies?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amelia was drifting to sleep when a loud popping noise jolted her awake. She met her mom in the hallway by the bathroom.
“Was that bullets?” she said.
“What?” Diane was holding a mug and her textbook. She had her first practical exam in two days, and she’d announced at supper that she was going to pull an all-nighter.
“Bullets. That noise. Someone was shooting at our house.”
“Someone was what?”
“I’m serious. I think someone was trying to shoot us.”
“Like who?”
“I don’t know. The Mafia.”
Diane snorted. Then she said, “You really are scared, aren’t you, kiddo? I didn’t hear anything. Are you sure it wasn’t just a car backfiring?”
“It was way too loud. And I’m not scared. I just thought you should know.”
“Come on.”
Amelia followed her mom to the kitchen. Beaker gave a wolf whistle from his cage in the corner. Amelia and Diane burst out laughing at the same time.
“You’re definitely a lady’s man, Beaker,” Diane said. “But you’re supposed to be asleep. You’ll wake up poor Mango, and he likes his beauty rest.”
She set her book and mug on the counter and pulled back the curtain at the window. “Now look.”
Amelia saw the dark shapes of a few parked cars and the Rachel’s Renos van, but that was all.
“I did hear something,” she said. “I guess it could have been a car backfiring. I’m not scared. I’m just telling you.”
“Agreed,” Diane said. “Now how about we make you some hot chocolate, and you can grab a book and keep me company in bed?”
Shivering, Amelia pulled her eyes away from the street. “Agreed.”