Read Online A Simple Case of Angels by Caroline Adderson - Free Book Online Page A

He’s been ranting about strangers all morning. Maybe Glenda messed up his medications. Anyway, he’s finally sleeping now.”
    â€œWhy does he keep talking about the same thing?” Lindsay asked.
    â€œHe had a stroke. It affected his brain. That’s why he can’t move his right side or properly use his words. He wasn’t speaking at all when he came here, so he’s actually improved.”
    â€œCan we visit Mrs. Michaels? Or Mrs. Tanaka? Or Mr. Fitzgerald?” Lindsay asked. “We met them yesterday.”
    Jorie looked surprised. “Did you? Did Mr. Devon give his permission?”
    Seeing the blush on their faces, Jorie’s lips tightened and she shook her head. Then, after a nervous glance around, she whispered to the girls, “Aren’t those three lovely?”
    Pierre came down the hall carrying a tray with three plastic bowls on it.
    â€œIs that my favorite dog?” he called, and June Bug pulled toward him on her leash.
    â€œOh, good,” Jorie said. “Can you let the girls out when they’re ready, Pierre? They’re just going to pop into the lounge for a quick visit.”
    â€œYou don’t want to leave, do you, June Bug?” Pierre said, sinking down to the dog’s level. He set the tray on the floor so he could use both hands to scratch June Bug all over. One of the bowls was still half full of some unappetizing beige mush.
    â€œWas it hard to train her?” Pierre asked Nicola.
    â€œNo. She’s so smart.”
    Pierre gave June Bug one last vigorous scratch and stood. He began a long story about a friend who had taught his dog to Wipe Its Nose by putting a clothespin on its whiskers.
    Lindsay nudged Nicola, who looked down just as June Bug licked out the last of the bowls on the tray on the floor.
    â€œNo, June Bug!” Nicola cried.
    â€œJune Bug!” Pierre said. “You can even wash dishes!”
    They made their visit to the lounge. June Bug Waved at Miss Higgins and Mrs. Cream. Nicola lifted her up to Kiss Mr. Eagleton. Then Pierre buzzed them out.
    Back in the cold, Nicola offered Lindsay some gingerbread. “I brought it for Mr. Milton. I saw what they gave him for lunch. He liked dog pepperoni better.”
    June Bug showed no interest in the gingerbread now, which was strange. Even stranger was the way she walked so slowly beside Nicola all the way down the walk, as though Nicola had given her the command to Heel, which she hadn’t. Nicola had long given up on Heel. Normally, June Bug either strained at the leash well ahead of Nicola, or had to be dragged behind.
    Now she staggered beside Nicola, trying to keep up.
    Nicola and Lindsay said goodbye.
    â€œThanks for coming,” Nicola said.
    The rest of the way home, June Bug Heeled. Heeled and knocked into the side of Nicola’s leg. When they got within sight of the house, instead of pulling Nicola up the walk, June Bug began to stumble. Instead of bounding up the steps three at a time, she sank onto the icy concrete and sighed as though Nicola was expecting her to climb Mount Everest.
    â€œJune Bug,” Nicola said. “Do you actually need me to carry you up the steps?”
    June Bug looked at Nicola with black, dreamy eyes. So Nicola picked her up.

13
    â€”
    Normally when anyone swept the kitchen floor, June Bug would race in from wherever she was making trouble to leap on the broom, her great enemy. Sweeping in the Bream household was all about pushing a little dog around on the end of a long stick.
    But today when Terence swept the kitchen, June Bug didn’t stir from her corner pillow. So he went ahead and washed the floor, too, which had never even been attempted with June Bug in the house.
    Then Jackson set up his electric race-car track on the sparkling kitchen floor and sent his cars screaming around it for an hour not three feet away from June Bug. She didn’t pounce like they were turbo-charged mice and chew their