Zero at the Bone Read Online Free PDF

were gone. But Dr. Burris says he will be fine.” She watched their faces apprehensively while she spoke. For ten years Higgins had boarded with her when the sisters were out of town. Since they traveled for four months every year, and since they paid double the usual rate for Katherine and Joe to give special attention to Higgins, he was a major and dependable source of income.
    Both of them were staring at her, waiting. Katherine had never seen them look so severe, their sagging faces set into stony silence.
    “It happened Tuesday—a freak accident,” Katherine said. “He was out running with Ra. You know, exercise to keep his weight down, as we talked about. First Ra would chase Higgins, then Higgins would chase Ra.” Katherine was pleased to note that both sisters looked a little softer at the vision of their darling playing with a friend.
    “There was a garbage bag waiting for Joe to put out at the curb. Ra jumped over it when Higgins was chasing him and Higgins tried to jump it, too. But you know his legs are shorter and he didn’t make it and landed right on top of the bag. There was a broken bottle in the bag that cut him through the plastic.”
    Katherine’s eyes started to fill with tears when she described it. The scene had been awful—bloody and dominated by pitiful yips of pain. Best they didn’t hear about that. “It was a very long cut. Well, you can see that, but fortunately not too deep. I know you both have a great deal of confidence in Dr. Burris, and he knows Higgins well, so we took him into San Antonio, to Dr. Burris’s house, since it was after office hours. He disinfected it and put in fifteen stitches.”
    Now Hester had taken Higgins from her sister and restrained him in her arms so she could study the long jagged cut with the black stitches. Her forehead was squeezed down over her eyebrows.
    Katherine stopped to catch her breath. She still had no idea what they would do—drive away and use another kennel in the future? Spread the bad word among their numerous friends? Report her to the Humane Society for neglect?
    There was silence as the sisters absorbed the news and explored the injury with gentle fingertips. Finally Hester spoke. “How did the little fellow behave during this emergency?” she asked, pressing her crinkly, powdered cheek gently against the dog’s injured side.
    “Oh,” Katherine said, “he was splendid. After the initial shock, he was very brave, lay quietly in Joe’s lap so he could hold a towel to the cut to stanch the bleeding. No complaining at all.”
    Both sisters smiled at their dog.
    “I feel so bad about it,” Katherine said, discovering as she spoke the words how really bad she did feel. “Higgins and Ra have always played together when Higgins is here and … well, this was a bad accident. He’s due at Dr. Burris’s the day after tomorrow to have his stitches removed. The cut seems to be healing well. Oh, and there’s an antibiotic salve to put on twice a day.” They both nodded at her. “It will leave a scar, he says.”
    Hester handed the dog back to her sister. She approached Katherine, stretched her arms out wide, and wrapped them around her. “It must have been dreadful for you, Kate. You’re so fond of him. And then to have to worry about how we would feel when we saw him. He can be so clumsy sometimes, just a knucklehead really.”
    Judith said, “You must let us reimburse you for the vet bill. Dr. Burris doesn’t come cheap.”
    “Oh, no,” Katherine said. “That’s my expense.”
    “Well, we need to collect his things and get this boy home,” Judith said. “Did you have a chance to work on his manners, Kate?”
    “Yes, before the accident we did. Put him down a minute and I’ll show you.”
    Judith deposited Higgins on the ground gingerly. He stood there on his short bowed legs, his tongue protruding, his cork-screw tail curled tight against his fat rump. Katherine moved to stand directly in front of him. In her gruff