Page 19 of Second to None
Chapter 7
Emily waltzed into the Carver Center the next morning, ready to gather the staff together to tell them the good news about the K-9 Angelz project. They had already drawn up plans in order to present them to both the bank and the Catalyst Foundation. With Max’s additional funds, they could incorporate items from their wish list. She just needed to keep enough money set aside for the new HVAC system. It felt so good to be able to add things to their list instead of always having to pare down their requirements to the bare minimum.
Just as she was typing up the e-mail calling the staff meeting, her cell phone rang with a call from Dr. Quillen’s office. Emily felt a shiver of unease as she answered.
It was the veterinarian herself. “Diego’s little dog has had a setback. He’s developed a fever, due to a penicillin-resistant staph infection from the open fracture. We’ve switched him to oxacillin to combat it. However, he’s malnourished and has some other injuries and health problems from living on the streets, so he doesn’t have a lot of strength to fight the infection. But we’ll keep trying.”
Emily closed her eyes as her heart twisted. “Does Diego know?”
“No. I told Tiana to let him know that the dog’s still with us, but nothing more.”
“Should I keep Diego away today?”
The vet blew out a breath. “Honestly, the little guy’s in pretty bad shape, and he’s mostly sleeping anyway. It might upset Diego to see him like this.”
After thanking the doctor, Emily sagged in her office chair. Tiana had been so upbeat yesterday that Emily had stopped worrying about the dog, other than as an unexpected expense.
“Why does it have to be Diego?” she muttered. But she knew. It was because the boy cared. And caring hurt.
*
Emily was in her office when Diego appeared at the door after school. “Doc Quillen texted me that I shouldn’t go in to see Mario. That’s what I named the dog. After Mario Molina, the guy who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. She said he needed to rest.” His voice quavered. “That don’t sound too good.”
“Sit down, Diego.” Emily stood and rolled her chair around the desk to be beside him. “You know how the bone was sticking out through his skin? That’s caused an infection, so Mario is running a pretty high fever. Doc is doing everything she can to bring his temperature down, but he’s had a tough life, so he doesn’t have a lot of strength to fight off the germs.”
Tears streaked silently down Diego’s cheeks. “I can help him fight. He needs to know that someone wants him to live. Ask the doc to let me see him.”
Emily had to choke back her own tears. Maybe Diego had a point. The little dog knew the boy as his friend. She rested her hand lightly on Diego’s shoulder. “Mario isn’t doing well. It may upset you to see him in this condition.”
Diego wiped his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt. “I’ll feel worse if I don’t try to help him.”
“You’re an amazing person,” Emily said, meaning it with all her heart. “Let me clear it with Dr. Quillen.”
After a few minutes on hold, the veterinarian came on the phone. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. The dog is barely holding on. It’s possible he could die while Diego is here.”
“I know.” Emily looked at the boy, who had his velvet-brown gaze locked on her. “But he understands that, and he still wants to be there.”
“If you think he can handle it, send him over.”
Emily took a deep breath. “Thanks, Jessica.” She ended the call and nodded to Diego. “Dr. Quillen says you can see Mario. I’ll go with you.”
Diego sprang out of his chair. “You don’t have to go. I know where the office is.”
She knew he didn’t need an escort, but she didn’t want him to face the truth of the dog’s condition alone. “It’s okay. I could use the exercise. Let me tell Nurse that I’m leaving for a while.”
As Emily grabbed her coat and set off down the stairs with Diego, a single wish repeated itself in her brain.Please don’t let the dog die. Please don’t let the dog die.
*
Diego had been silent during their walk to the vet’s office. He’d huddled down into the new winter jacket Violet had given Emily at the board meeting last night. How Violet had learned the boy needed a warm coat, Emily had no idea, but the older woman had handed her a shopping bag, saying, “You’ll know who needs this the most.”
The reception area was somewhat less crowded than it had been when they brought Mario in. Emily looked at Carla with a question in her eyes, and the woman gave her a quick nod and thumbs-up before she pointed to two empty seats. “I’ll let Tiana know you’re here,” the receptionist said.
Diego jittered in his chair, running his jacket’s zipper up and down its track. “Do you think he’s already dead and they’re afraid to tell me?”
“No, Carla would have said something to me. They’re just busy, as usual.”
A few minutes later, Tiana walked into the reception area, wearing blue scrubs with yellow kittens printed on them. “Come on back,” she said, her face soft with sympathy.
