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Authors: Norah McClintock
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process. The mounds grew into mountains. The stacks of paper money got higher too.
I had almost finished with the third box when I heard a shoutâa scream?âfrom outside. Kathy thundered down the hallway past the office where I was working. I scurried across the hall to my own office and looked out the window.
Something was going on in the field outside. Kids, adults, and dogs were milling around, but I couldnât see what all the excitement was about. Then I heard another shout, loud and urgent. Someone banged on my windowâKathy, red-faced from running in the afternoon heat.
â911,â she shouted. âCall 911. Itâs Mr. Schuster. Tell them heâs breathing, but heâs unconscious. He doesnât respond to my voice.â
Unconscious?
I scrabbled for the phone and punched in the numbers. I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded while I told the 911 operator where I was calling from and what I was calling about. I told the operator Mr. Schusterâs approximate age and repeated what Kathy had told me. Then I repeated the address of the shelter, reading it off the shelter calendar that hung on the wall near my computer. The whole time I was thinking,
Hang on, Mr. Schuster.
After I hung up, I opened my window and called to let Kathy know that help was on the way. She nodded grimly. I was closing the window again when I heard a noise in the hall behind me. I started to turn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone darting out of the office across the hall. At least, I thought thatâs what I saw. I wasnât positive.
Probably a staff member,
I thought. I turned to look out the window again. Then I couldnât stand it anymore. I had to find out how Mr. Schuster was.
I stepped out of my office, intending to go directly outside. ThenâIâm not sure what made me do itâI glanced into the office where I had been sorting the money. The piles of coins looked more or less as I had left them, but the stacks of bills didnât. They had been knocked over. But what had scattered them?
Or who?
All the office doors were equipped with locks. You pressed a button on the inside door knob, pulled the door closed, and it locked automatically. You needed a key to open it again. I made sure to lock the money room. Then I went outside. I heard a siren in the distanceâthe 911-response unit. Nick and Antoine were standing just outside the building. But whereas everyone else was clustered on the field, surrounding Mr. Schuster, Nick and Antoine were just outside the back door, far away from the crowd. Antoine looked directly at me when I stepped out into the hot afternoon. His expression was not friendly. Nick looked at me too, but only for a moment, before ducking his head and turning away from me, all in one fluid motion. The two of them strode away across the lawn.
âHey,â I called to them. But the shrill of the siren drowned out my voice. An ambulance drove right out onto the field. Nick and Antoine disappeared behind it. By the time Iâd reached it, both boys had joined the rest of their group, and Mr. Jarvis was leading them off the field.
The paramedics got out of the ambulance and hurried over to Mr. Schuster. Kathy was kneeling beside him. Mr. Schusterâs face was white, but his eyes were open now. A man with Kathy stood up and said something to the paramedics. I recognized him from the tour Kathy had given me on my first dayâa vet. Relief flooding over Kathyâs face as the paramedics took over. She squeezed one of Mr. Schusterâs hands before moving out of their way.
âIs he going to be all right?â I said when she stepped away from him.
âI donât know,â she said. She looked around at the staff members and volunteers who had gathered on the lawn. She started toward them, gently telling everyone to go back inside. âMr. Schuster is in good hands,â she said.
I hung back for a moment and looked
I had almost finished with the third box when I heard a shoutâa scream?âfrom outside. Kathy thundered down the hallway past the office where I was working. I scurried across the hall to my own office and looked out the window.
Something was going on in the field outside. Kids, adults, and dogs were milling around, but I couldnât see what all the excitement was about. Then I heard another shout, loud and urgent. Someone banged on my windowâKathy, red-faced from running in the afternoon heat.
â911,â she shouted. âCall 911. Itâs Mr. Schuster. Tell them heâs breathing, but heâs unconscious. He doesnât respond to my voice.â
Unconscious?
I scrabbled for the phone and punched in the numbers. I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded while I told the 911 operator where I was calling from and what I was calling about. I told the operator Mr. Schusterâs approximate age and repeated what Kathy had told me. Then I repeated the address of the shelter, reading it off the shelter calendar that hung on the wall near my computer. The whole time I was thinking,
Hang on, Mr. Schuster.
After I hung up, I opened my window and called to let Kathy know that help was on the way. She nodded grimly. I was closing the window again when I heard a noise in the hall behind me. I started to turn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone darting out of the office across the hall. At least, I thought thatâs what I saw. I wasnât positive.
Probably a staff member,
I thought. I turned to look out the window again. Then I couldnât stand it anymore. I had to find out how Mr. Schuster was.
I stepped out of my office, intending to go directly outside. ThenâIâm not sure what made me do itâI glanced into the office where I had been sorting the money. The piles of coins looked more or less as I had left them, but the stacks of bills didnât. They had been knocked over. But what had scattered them?
Or who?
All the office doors were equipped with locks. You pressed a button on the inside door knob, pulled the door closed, and it locked automatically. You needed a key to open it again. I made sure to lock the money room. Then I went outside. I heard a siren in the distanceâthe 911-response unit. Nick and Antoine were standing just outside the building. But whereas everyone else was clustered on the field, surrounding Mr. Schuster, Nick and Antoine were just outside the back door, far away from the crowd. Antoine looked directly at me when I stepped out into the hot afternoon. His expression was not friendly. Nick looked at me too, but only for a moment, before ducking his head and turning away from me, all in one fluid motion. The two of them strode away across the lawn.
âHey,â I called to them. But the shrill of the siren drowned out my voice. An ambulance drove right out onto the field. Nick and Antoine disappeared behind it. By the time Iâd reached it, both boys had joined the rest of their group, and Mr. Jarvis was leading them off the field.
The paramedics got out of the ambulance and hurried over to Mr. Schuster. Kathy was kneeling beside him. Mr. Schusterâs face was white, but his eyes were open now. A man with Kathy stood up and said something to the paramedics. I recognized him from the tour Kathy had given me on my first dayâa vet. Relief flooding over Kathyâs face as the paramedics took over. She squeezed one of Mr. Schusterâs hands before moving out of their way.
âIs he going to be all right?â I said when she stepped away from him.
âI donât know,â she said. She looked around at the staff members and volunteers who had gathered on the lawn. She started toward them, gently telling everyone to go back inside. âMr. Schuster is in good hands,â she said.
I hung back for a moment and looked
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