All That's Missing Read Online Free PDF

out.”
    â€œPassed out?”
    â€œHe was unconscious when they found him,” the man said.
    Poppo was in a Dumpster?
Arlo thought about the garbage strewn around the trash can at the ball field last week and the can of Vienna sausages.
    The lady police officer squatted down till she was eye level with Arlo. “We thought you’d like to see him,” she said.
    Arlo started toward their car.
    â€œDon’t you need to call somebody first?” the man asked.
    Arlo looked at him.
    â€œYou know, an uncle or aunt? Somebody like that.”
    â€œYou should have somebody with you,” the lady added.
    The name Ida Jones skipped across Arlo’s mind. But even if he thought she could help him, he had no idea what her phone number was or how to reach her.
    The man stared at Arlo. “Mr. Fanucci said your grandfather kept calling for some guy named Frankie,” he said. “How about calling him?”
    â€œIt might be worth a try,” the lady police officer suggested.
    Arlo looked down at his feet. “Frankie’s dead,” he said. “He was Poppo’s little brother.”
    â€œOh.” The man exchanged glances with the woman. “That’s too bad, kid.”
    Then nobody said anything for a minute, until finally, the man cleared his throat and the lady asked another question.
    â€œSo, there’s nobody?” she asked.
    â€œJust Poppo,” Arlo said.
    â€œYou’re shivering,” the lady said. “We’d better get you in the car.”
    The man parked the police car in the lot for the emergency room. Arlo followed him inside with the lady officer bringing up the rear. They walked through a set of double doors to a window where a woman in a nurse’s uniform was typing on a computer.
    â€œThey brought this kid’s grandpa in an hour ago,” the man told the nurse.
    â€œName?” the nurse asked without looking up.
    â€œSabatini,” the man said.
    The nurse stopped typing. She raised her head and looked at Arlo. Was it Arlo’s imagination or did she let out a small groan? Then she looked at the man. “They moved him to ICU,” she said.
    And Arlo felt the lady officer put a hand on his shoulder.
    Both officers stayed with Arlo in the waiting room until a nurse came.
    â€œWould you like to see your grandfather now?” the nurse asked.
    â€œYes, please,” Arlo said.
    â€œI can take him in,” the nurse said to the two officers.
    The man gave Arlo a small salute. “Take care of yourself, kid,” he said as he stood to leave.
    â€œHope your grandpa’s OK,” the lady officer said.
    â€œThanks,” Arlo said.
    His heart jumped around in his chest as he followed the nurse through the double doors. According to the clock, it was ten minutes past eight.
    The lights were dim in intensive care. Curtains on metal rods were all that separated one bed from another. Arlo was almost afraid to see how bad Poppo looked. But when the nurse pulled back the curtain, Poppo looked pretty much the same as Arlo remembered him except for the bandage over his right eye. His hair was scraggly and he hadn’t shaved for a few days, but Arlo had gotten used to those changes already. Poppo hadn’t looked like his usual self since way back in the spring.
    â€œHe’s not awake,” the nurse said, “but you can talk to him if you like.”
    There was a tube coming out of Poppo’s nose and a needle taped to the back of his hand. The needle was attached to a long plastic tube that connected to a bag of fluid on a metal pole.
    â€œCan he hear me?” Arlo whispered.
    â€œIt’s possible,” the nurse said. “You should try. Sometimes it helps.”
    â€œHelps with what?” Arlo asked.
    The nurse’s eyes widened for a moment, as though she were afraid she’d said something she shouldn’t. “The doctor will explain all of that to you later,” she said.