After dinner, she spread herself out on the living-room floor and taped together six big sheets of drawing paper.
“There you are! What are you doing?” Dad asked, peering round the living room door.
“Making a ‘Welcome Home’ banner for Will. I thought I’d put it in the hallway. Can I tie it on to the banisters?”
“Course you can. That’s a really nice idea, Chlo. Do you need any help?”
Chloe shook her head. “Only with the tying. Thanks, Dad.”
The banner took ages, outlining the letters, then painting them in with lots of different colours. When she’d finished filling in ‘Welcome Home!’, Chloe decided to have a break and go and get some juice while it dried.
She came back with her drink and stood at the door to admire her work – which was now decorated with a pattern of blue and red paw prints.
“Jess!” Chloe said crossly. “You walked on it!”
Jess looked up at her guiltily, and gave her tail an apologetic wag. Chloe laughed. “Actually, I bet Will would like it better like this anyway.” She smiled to herself, imagining how furious she would have been if Jess had done something like that a few weeks ago. “You just want to welcome him back too, don’t you? We’d better wash your paws though, before you track paint everywhere.”
Jess and Chloe sat on the window seat, staring out at the road, waiting for Will to come. Jess kept jumping down, running over to the front door, and then dashing back again. She was so excited her tail couldn’t stop wagging. Will! Chloe had said Will was coming home!
Chloe peered out of the window. “Yes! There’s the car, Jess. They’re here!”
Jess shot out into the hallway, barking excitedly and scrabbling at the door.
Chloe opened it, and they stood watching as Will struggled out of the car on his crutches.
Jess looked up at Chloe uncertainly as she saw Will hobbling towards them, but Chloe smiled and shooed her forward. Will was beaming, and calling to her, so she went to sniff him, and then licked his hands lovingly. She could tell that she shouldn’t jump up.
“Good girl, Jess,” Mum said gratefully. “I was worried she might be a bit rough.”
Will loved the banner. “Great painting, Jess.” He chuckled, balancing on one crutch to ruffle her fur. He looked up at Chloe. “Thanks for looking after her. She looks great.”
Chloe smiled proudly, but he was saying it as if she didn’t have to worry any more. It felt like Will was taking Jess back now. She lagged behind as they went into the house. Feeling as though she ought to let Will and Jess be on their own, she lingered in the hallway. She missed Jess already!
Jess led Will into the living room, and lay down determinedly on his lap as soon as he sat down on the sofa.
“She’s not letting you go again,” Dad said, laughing.
Jess sighed happily. But then she looked round for Chloe. Why wasn’t she here too?
Jess sat up and licked Will’s hand, then headed out into the hallway, where Chloe was sitting on the stairs. Jess looked up at her and gave a worried little whine. Why was Chloe all on her own? She took the hem of Chloe’s dress in her teeth and tugged, very gently.
Chloe smiled at her, her eyes widening with hope. “You want me to come too?” she whispered, and Jess wagged her tail. Chloe leaned forwards and kissed the top of her head. “You belong to both of us, now, don’t you?” she whispered gratefully.
Chapter Eight
“Jess! Jess!” Chloe ran down the stairs, a worried edge creeping into her voice. She couldn’t find Jess anywhere. Or Will. But she had a horrible feeling that she knew where they were.
Will had hated being stuck in the house over the last few days. Almost more than he’d hated the hospital. He couldn’t ride his bike or skateboard, and even if he wanted to go upstairs Mum or Dad had to help. But not being able to walk Jess was the worst thing of all. He was desperate to take her out. Mum had driven him and Chloe to the park the day after they came back, so that he could watch Jess running around. But poor Jess hadn’t understood, and she’d kept coming back to Will and staring at him hopefully, wanting him to join in.
Ever since then, Will had been aching to take Jess out to the park by himself.
“She’s really well-behaved now, Mum,” he’d pleaded that morning at breakfast. “It isn’t far. Now that she’s been to dog-training classes, I could take her, no problem.”
“Of course you can’t!” Mum sounded horrified. “You’re only just out of hospital! You need to use your crutches; how can you possibly manage Jess as well?”
But Chloe didn’t think Will had been convinced. He’d just scowled into his cereal.
Chloe stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide. Will’s crutches were propped up by the front door, and Jess’s lead was gone from its hook.
He’d taken her out, Chloe realized, nibbling her thumbnail anxiously. He’d got so cross with everyone fussing over him that he’d decided to show them, and he’d taken Jess for a walk on his own.
Chloe stared at the door. If she went and told, Mum would have a fit. Better just to go and find them. She reached for the door keys and let herself quietly out of the house.
Jess was walking beautifully, not pulling at all, just like she’d learned at the training classes. But Will was holding her lead strangely, she thought, looking up at him. He kept wobbling. He looked like he wanted to turn back, and they were only halfway to the park. Jess stared up at him and whimpered. Something was wrong.
Will suddenly sat down on someone’s front wall, gasping. “Sorry, Jess,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have brought you out; it was a stupid idea and now we’re stuck.”
Jess pulled gently at the lead in his hand, but he tightened his grip. “No, sorry, Jess. We’re not going to the park.”
Jess whined – she had to make him understand. If he let her go, she could fetch help! She took the lead in her teeth this time and tugged at it harder. Then she walked a couple of steps back in the direction of the house and barked encouragingly at him.
“No, I can’t,” Will tried to explain. “Oh! You want to go home? Do you know the way?” he asked doubtfully.
Home! Jess sat down, wagging her tail. She pulled the lead with her teeth again, and this time he let it go.
“Go home, Jess. Find Chloe,” Will told her. The puppy licked his hand reassuringly, before trotting off down the road as fast as she could. She felt anxious – she didn’t like running along with her lead trailing like this. But she had to help Will.
Chloe dashed down their street, heading for the park. She really hoped Will hadn’t done anything to make his leg worse. What if he’d fallen?
Suddenly she spotted Jess running towards her – on her own. Where was Will?
Jess gave a delighted bark. She’d found Chloe! She jumped up at her, barking again and again, and Chloe hugged her tightly. “Good girl, Jess. Shhh! Where’s Will? Can you show me?” she asked, holding Jess’s scrabbly front paws.