“How’s Daisy?” Grandad asked. “How’s Monty coping with her bossing him around? Is she being a little madam?”
Amelie swallowed. “A bit…” She wished Daisy would be bossy. That would be better than her being so quiet and unhappy.
“She’s still getting used to the move, Dad,” Amelie’s mum put in. “I’m sure she’ll be fine soon.”
Grandad nodded but he looked worried.
“It’ll be OK, Grandad,” Amelie found herself saying. “I promise we’ll make her happy.”
“I know you will, love.” Grandad smiled at her. “She’s in good hands.”
Amelie smiled, too, but behind her back she was digging her nails into her palms. How could they make Daisy happy when she was so upset? But now she’d made a promise. And she was going to do everything she could to keep it.
“Josh! Josh, wake up!”
“Amelie…” Josh groaned and pulled the duvet up around his ears. “What’s the matter?”
Amelie perched on the edge of his bed and Monty snuffled his nose under Josh’s duvet.
“Eugh! Cold,” Josh moaned. “Get off, Monty.”
“I need to talk to you. I’ve hardly slept at all, thinking about it.”
“About what?” Josh sat up and looked at Amelie blearily. His hair was sticking up and he still seemed half-asleep.
“I need you to help me make Daisy happy.”
“What?” Josh yawned.
“I promised Grandad,” Amelie explained. “I didn’t mean to, it just came out. I wanted to cheer him up… I told him we’d make Daisy happy. So now we have to.”
“Me?” Josh sighed.
“Both of us! What can we do? I’ve just been down to feed her and Monty, and she’s still not eating. She had a tiny nibble of her biscuits and then went back to her basket. And I think Monty’s scared of her. He kept looking over at her the whole time he was eating.”
Josh ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “I wish the hospital let dogs in. She’s missing Grandad and he’s missing her. If only they could see each other.”
Amelie nodded. “She’s only little – do you think we could smuggle her in? Maybe in my school bag?”
Josh grinned. “I wish we could. But she’d bark her head off if we tried to put her in a bag. We might get banned from the hospital.”
“I suppose so…” Then Amelie sat up, staring at him. “She can’t see Grandad … but what about hearing him? We could phone him at the hospital and he can talk to Daisy!”
Josh nodded. “Yes! That’s perfect, Amelie! Let’s go and do it now.”
Amelie jumped up but then she stopped. “I’m not sure we should, not before school. Grandad looked so tired yesterday – he might still be asleep.” She sighed. “Let’s call him when we get home. A few hours won’t matter…” It just seemed such a long time for Daisy to wait.
Amelie spent the whole day worrying about Monty and Daisy. Dad had said that he’d try to take them both out for a morning walk but Amelie wasn’t sure Daisy would want to go. She’d been out in the garden to wee but she hadn’t seemed to enjoy the fresh air. She’d just trailed back into the house. When Monty wanted walks, he danced around her eagerly, or sometimes he sat in front of his lead, whining and trying to claw it off its hook. Daisy hadn’t done anything like that.
“What’s the matter?” Ella asked her at break time.
“Monty and Daisy aren’t getting on,” Amelie admitted. “I got so excited about having Daisy come to live with us, I didn’t even think about what it would really be like.”
Ella looked sympathetic. “But dogs do get new owners sometimes. I bet she’ll get used to you soon.”
“I hope so. We’ve got a plan, anyway.” Amelie explained about the phone call and Ella nodded.
“That sounds like a great idea,” she said, as the bell went. “Don’t worry, Amelie. I’m sure hearing your grandad’s voice will cheer Daisy up.”
Amelie had promised to wait for Josh so they could phone Grandad together but he seemed to take hours to walk home from school that afternoon. She watched out for him from her bedroom window with Monty curled up on his cushion next to her.
Monty was supposed to sleep in the kitchen – he definitely preferred sleeping in Amelie’s room, though. Mum and Dad had told Amelie he shouldn’t sleep on her bed, because when he was fully grown there’d be no room for her. So he had a big cushion next to the bed instead.
As soon as Amelie saw her brother coming down the road, she leaped from the windowsill and galloped down the stairs. Monty had been half-asleep but he woke up as Amelie dashed past him. Where was she going? He blinked after her, confused, and then got up, shaking himself awake to follow her.
“OK, OK, I’m coming,” Josh said, pulling his mobile out of his pocket as Amelie dragged him into the kitchen. The two baskets were still at opposite ends of the room – Daisy’s little dachshund-sized one and the great big basket that Dad had bought for Monty to grow into.
“Dad said she wouldn’t go for a walk this morning,” Amelie told Josh. “She wouldn’t even get out of her basket.”
“Maybe this’ll help,” Josh said, searching for Grandad’s number. Amelie crouched down next to Daisy, eyeing the little dog anxiously. She really hoped this would work.
Daisy was curled up in a ball, with one paw stretched over her muzzle – almost as if she was trying to cover her eyes. She’d obviously heard Amelie and Josh coming. She opened one dark eye and stared at them suspiciously.
“Josh! Amelie! Your mum told me about your idea!” Amelie could hear Grandad’s voice, small and hollow sounding, from the phone.
“Hi, Grandad. I’m putting you on speaker – Daisy’s right here.”
Before Josh could even touch the screen, Daisy was on her feet, her ears as pricked as a dachshund’s ever could be. Josh laughed. “Grandad, she can definitely hear you! Say hello to her!”
“Daisy! Oh, there’s my lovely girl…”
Amelie blinked back sudden tears. She didn’t really know why she was crying – it was just that Grandad sounded so happy to be talking to Daisy. Daisy looked happier, too. She had her nose pressed up against the phone and her tail was wagging the tiniest bit. It was working!
Amelie beamed at Josh and he grinned back at her.
Monty sat alone in the kitchen doorway, watching them fuss over Daisy, his head hanging low. As Amelie reached up to high-five Josh, he looked up eagerly, his tail starting to wag, hoping that she’d notice him. But Amelie was too busy watching Daisy.
Chapter Four
“Come on, Monty! Walk time!”
Monty raced down the hallway, almost crashing into Amelie’s legs. He was desperate for a really good long walk.
It had been five days since Grandad had gone into hospital. Josh and Amelie had done their best but walks had taken second place to hospital visits. They’d even had to miss Monty’s dog-training class on Saturday. But when they went to visit Grandad on Sunday he had told them to stop fussing. “I’m definitely on the mend,” he told Amelie firmly. “You need to go home and spend some time with those dogs. Sunday afternoon’s the perfect time for a long walk.”
Monty ducked back as Daisy suddenly appeared from behind Amelie’s feet. He was still nervous around her. Daisy didn’t seem to care that she was so much smaller than he was. If he came near her food or her basket, she’d bare her teeth at him and growl. So Daisy was coming on the walk, too? He dropped back, crouching low and wagging his tail a little to try and show her that he was friendly.