Storm Rescue by Laurie Halse Anderson Read Free Book Online

shortly.”
    â€œOkay,” I say. I can’t help but feel a twinge of worry. What if we have a real emergency while both vets are out?
    I don’t think about that for long. There are chores to do. The first hour passes quickly. We clean the exam rooms, wash and refill the water dishes in all the occupied kennel cages, and bring the files and calendar up to date. Then we start to run out of things to do. The five of us keep as busy as we can doing whatever we can think of to do. By the time another half hour passes, the entire clinic is spotless. Every surface and piece of equipment shines. Every item, from penicillin to paper clip, is stowed in its proper place. Every dog has been fed, and all the kenneled cats have clean, fresh litter boxes.
    I’m in the reception area thinking about calling Mom at the hospital when the phone rings. I cross my fingers and check my watch as I pick it up. Dr. Mac left almost an hour ago, but Mrs. Creighton and Precious live all the way across town. Maybe Dr. Mac is calling to say that she’s on her way back. “Hello?” I say. “Dr. Mac’s Place.”
    â€œHi, Sunita,” a familiar voice responds. “It’s Dr. Gabe.”
    â€œDr. Gabe!” I exclaim. “Where are you? Dr. Mac thought you’d be back here by now.”
    He laughs. “So did I. But Hurricane Felix had other ideas. The wind knocked down an oak tree on the road right in front of the Jenkins farm, and it’s blocking my path. They’re hooking a truck up to it to pull it out of the way, but it could be a while.”
    He sounds tired. “So you’ll be back as soon as that’s done?” I ask.
    â€œI hope so,” Dr. Gabe replies. “But it’s been raining pretty hard since I got here, and a lot of the roads were starting to flood even on my way over. I just hope I can find a way around the worst spots. How are things at the clinic?”
    â€œFine.” I don’t tell him that Dr. Mac is out. There’s nothing he can do about it anyway, and it might make him worry. “Really quiet, actually.”
    â€œGood. Let J.J. know I’ll be there when I can.”
    â€œI will.” As soon as she gets back, I add silently. “Drive carefully.”
    â€œThanks. Stay dry, Sunita!”
    â€œOkay. Bye.” As I hang up the phone, I bite my lip and glance at my watch, wondering when Dr. Mac will be back.
    â€œWho was that?” Maggie asks.
    I tell her about Dr. Gabe’s problem. “He’s not sure when he’ll be able to get through.”
    â€œFigures,” Maggie says with a grimace. “Well, we’d better just hope that—”
    Zoe rushes in, interrupting. “I just saw a news report on TV,” she reports breathlessly. “They’ve started evacuating part of town because of major flooding!”

Chapter Seven
    F looding? Are you sure?” I ask Zoe. The image of the giant puddle in Mrs. Clark’s front yard pops into my mind. “Is it actually flooding? Maybe they’re just evacuating people to be safe. You know, as a precaution.”
    â€œI don’t think so.” Zoe shrugs. “They said it’s flooding. Come see for yourself—they’re not showing anything else on TV except the hurricane.”
    We all follow Zoe back through the door from the clinic to the house and crowd into the kitchen, almost tripping over Sneakers, who follows us and whimpers anxiously at all the commotion. Jacqueline Jermaine is on the TV, reporting from right here in Ambler. She’s standing in the parking lot of the Acme supermarket, the wind whipping her usually neat hair into a wild mess.
    â€œJacqueline Jermaine, reporting live!” she shouts into the wind. “As you can see, we’re feeling the effects of Hurricane Felix here in Ambler. Residents of Montgomery and Bucks counties are being urged to remain indoors and stay tuned for storm updates and