The Pampered Rabbit

by Tina Nolan

  “Cool!” Jen grinned. “Who’s Cocoa?” she asked Eva.

  “A gorgeous rescue dog. Dad’s mate, Stephen, found her. He saved her life. We already found a home in Clifton for the guinea pigs – Billie and Beauty, remember? Plus a lovely home out at Long Leas Farm for Peggy!”

  “Brilliant!” Jen beamed. She detoured across the yard to visit the pony in the stables. “So someone actually wants to give you a home, you cheeky monkey!”

  She laughed as Peggy leaned over her door and barged her bony head against Jen’s shoulder. “You have such attitude, Peggy my girl! I only hope your new owners know what they’re letting themselves in for.”

  “And Holly’s already learned two tests for her agility training!” Eva rushed on with the week’s news. “The hoop and the weave poles…”

  “Oh yes, you told me about that.” Jen made her way towards Reception. “It sounds fascinating.”

  “I’ll just take Holly back to the house and join you,” Eva gabbled. She didn’t want to miss a scrap of information about Jen’s mega-interesting week. “Come on, Holls!”

  “…So, in the end, I persuaded her,” Karl told Jen.

  It was no good – Eva had been quick, but as she ran into Reception she knew she’d missed something important.

  “You persuaded who to do what?” she demanded.

  “Slow down, Eva,” Heidi told her through the open door of the examination room, where she was busy identity-chipping Sally and Sara, the two black and white bunnies. “One of these days you’ll bust a gut!”

  “I persuaded Mia to come in at teatime today to take a look at Sara and Sally,” Karl told her.

  Eva’s jaw dropped. “But I heard her say Fern would be jealous, Fern was way too precious, blah-blah!”

  “You never knew your brother had a persuasive side, did you, Eva?” Heidi put the two rabbits into their cage and carried it into Reception.

  “When did you talk to Mia?” Eva asked, staring at Karl.

  “It was last night, after you and Annie left. We were doing homework stuff, but in the middle of maths I brought up the idea of adopting another rabbit again, and eventually I got through to her.”

  “She’ll let Fern have a friend?” Eva shook her head in amazement. “Hey, Karl, that’s cool. Well done!”

  Heidi laughed. “Did I hear family harmony just break out?”

  “No, honestly.” Eva was excited. “We really think that’s what’s wrong with Fern, don’t we? She’s lonely. This could be the answer.”

  “And here come your visitors now, by the look of things,” said Jen, who was standing by the window. She watched Mia and Carrie Logan get out of their car in the car park. “Is this them?”

  Mother and daughter walked into Reception. Mia looked nervous and hung back in the porch.

  Uh-oh, she’s about to change her mind! Eva thought.

  It was Carrie Logan who ushered her daughter into the building. “Don’t make a decision until you’ve at least looked at these rescue rabbits,” she pleaded.

  “I don’t think it’ll be fair on Fern,” Mia murmured, staring at the floor and deliberately not looking at Karl. “She wouldn’t be happy, Mum.”

  “Just take a quick look,” Karl said. “Sally and Sara are right here.”

  Yes, take a look! Eva willed Mia to love Sally and Sara as much as she did.

  “But only if you want to,” Jen said calmly. “We definitely don’t want to force you to adopt these rabbits.”

  “To be honest, I’ll try anything,” Carrie Logan confided in Jen and Heidi as Mia reluctantly stepped forward to peer into the cage. “The whole household is upset over this. First it’s Fern who won’t settle in her new home. Then it’s Mia moping and making herself ill with worry. Now my husband is grumbling and saying he wishes we’d never moved house in the first place since it’s caused so much upset.”

  Mia looked in and saw two sweet black and white faces. Sara’s nose had a long white stripe down the middle, while Sally’s was pure black. Sara had one white ear and one black. Sally twitched a pair of snowy white ears. “Oh!” Mia murmured. “How cute!”

  “They’re both really tame,” Karl assured her. “Would you like to hold one?”

  Mia frowned and held back, so Eva rushed in. She opened the cage and lifted Sara up. “Since they’ve been here with us we’ve handled them at least twice a day to keep them friendly,” she explained, tipping Sara on to her back and tickling her tummy. “Mum says they’re Netherland dwarfs – you can tell by their short ears and cute round faces. See how she likes being tickled.”

  “They’ve both been vaccinated and spayed,” Heidi told Carrie Logan quietly. “And I’d just finished identity-chipping them as you came in.”

  “Well?” Mia’s mum asked, studying her daughter’s serious face.

  “They’re both really sweet,” Mia admitted. She glanced up at Karl. “Is it OK if I hold Sally?”

  Lovely and soft and silky! Eva thought, crossing her fingers as Mia took Sally in her arms. And look at those huge brown eyes! Who could resist!

  “Sally and Sara are about the same size as Fern,” Mia murmured, softly stroking Sally’s head.

  “Yes, and since they’re a dwarf variety they won’t grow any bigger,” Heidi said.

  “Do you know what sort of home Sara and Sally came from?” Mia asked. She handed Sally back to Karl, then gently took Sara from Eva.

  Heidi shook her head. “They were found in a rubbish bin in a pub car park about five miles away. The landlord brought them straight here.”

  Mia gasped. “How horrible! You mean somebody just threw them away?”

  In the background, Eva gave Karl a grin.

  He smiled back.

  “That’s so cruel!” Mia insisted, cuddling Sara close to her chest.

  “They so need a brilliant new home!” Eva whispered. Life had been pretty tough for Sara and Sally. How could you not take pity on them and love them?

  “There definitely would be room in Fern’s new hutch,” Mia said quietly.

  “Does that mean ‘yes’?” Carrie Logan prompted. She seemed eager to get Mia to make a decision.

  Mia tickled Sara under the chin, then turned to look at Sally’s sweet, black face.

  “Fern would soon make friends with her, wouldn’t she?” she asked Jen.

  “It might take her a day or two to get used to a companion, but yes, she’d love to have company, I’m sure.”

  “So which one would you like to bring home?” Carrie asked. “Sara or Sally?”

  Eva and Karl saw a look of doubt flicker cross Mia’s face. Sara or Sally? Sally or Sara? Black-faced Sally with the pure white bib and white front paws? Or Sara with the flash of white down her face and the band of white around her tummy?

  “That’s hard,” Mia whispered. “What will happen to Sally if I choose Sara?”

  “We’ll find Sally a good home with a different family,” Heidi promised.

  “But won’t Sara pine for Sally if we separate them?” Mia asked. “I bet they’ve been together ever since they were born.”

  Choose both! Eva had been keeping her fingers crossed for ages now. Not Sally or Sara, but Sally and Sara!

  There was a long silence, interrupted only by Mia’s soft-hearted sighs.

  “Well?” Heidi asked at last.

  “We can hardly leave one behind, can we?” Carrie Logan said to break the tension.

  Heidi, Jen, Karl and Eva all smiled in relief.

  “OK, so let’s take them both,” Mia’s mum said. “Come along, Sara and Sally. Come home with us and meet Fern!”

  In the kennels the following morning, Eva brushed Cocoa’s smooth, shiny brown coat. “We have to make you look smart,” she told her. “Lots of people are coming to see you today!”

  The rescue dog wagged her long, thin tail. Her ears were pricked and her head was cocked to one side.

  As Karl popped his head around the door, a dozen dogs began a chorus of excited barks. “Is Cocoa ready y
et?” he yelled.

  “Almost!”

  “The first appointment is at half-nine.”

  Karl came down the row of kennels to inspect Cocoa. “That’s enough brushing, Eva,” he said. “She looks fine to me.”

  “See how well the cut on her paw healed.” Cocoa was one of Eva’s favourites and she found an excuse to spend a few extra minutes with her before the first lot of potential owners arrived. “You did a great job yesterday, Karl – with Mia, I mean. I never would’ve thought she’d go for the companion rabbit idea.”

  Karl blushed. “Thanks. I’ve taken Sally and Sara off the website.”

  “Don’t change the subject!” Eva teased. “Mia must really trust you.”

  “Yeah well, fingers crossed it all works out,” he muttered, as Jen came into the kennels.

  “The first person to see Cocoa is here,” she announced, to another round of sharp barks.

  “Is it a couple – Mr and Mrs Horsford?” Karl asked, putting Cocoa on the lead.

  Jen shook her head. “It’s a man. He didn’t give his name.”

  So Karl and Eva went with Cocoa into Reception.

  “Stephen!” Eva gasped, when she saw her dad’s workmate standing there.

  “What’s up?” Karl asked, as Cocoa recognized her rescuer and wagged her tail. “We weren’t expecting you.”

  Stephen looked embarrassed. “Maybe I should have phoned.”

  “If you came to see how Cocoa’s getting along, you’re just in time,” Eva told him.

  She let the dog off the lead and smiled as she trotted up to Stephen.

  “Hello there, girl.” Stephen bent down to stroke her. “I must say, you’re looking a whole lot better than when I found you!”

  Cocoa licked his hand and wagged her tail some more.

  “She’s saying thanks!” Karl laughed.

  “So you found her a good home, did you?” Stephen asked awkwardly. “Is that what you meant about me arriving just in time?”

  Karl was about to tell him about the three appointments they had lined up for Cocoa, starting with Mr and Mrs Horsford, but Eva stepped in quickly. “Not exactly,” she told Stephen. “Why do you ask?”

  Stephen cleared his throat. “The thing is – I’ve been talking to my girlfriend all week about it, and she’s finally said yes. I didn’t mention it to Mark in case it led nowhere. But now Cheryl’s agreed, and—”

  “You want to adopt Cocoa yourself!” Eva jumped in.

  “That’s right – I do.” Stephen knelt down and put his arms round Cocoa’s neck.

  The dog covered his face in grateful licks.

  Eva grinned at the surprise turn of events. “Wow, that’s cool! It’s totally cool!”

  “So Karl called the people who had been interested in meeting Cocoa, and persuaded them to come and look at the other dogs. And Stephen adopted Cocoa! He took her away on the spot!” Eva told Annie as they constructed a see-saw for Holly’s agility training. Annie had placed an empty plastic paint pot on its side in the middle of the Animal Magic yard, and now Eva was carefully balancing a long plank of wood across it.

  Yip! Yip! Holly ran in crazy circles around the yard.

  “Are you sure this will work?” Annie asked as she tested the wobbly see-saw.

  “Course it will. Anyway, Stephen lives next to a park in Clifton, so Cocoa will get mega walks. You should’ve seen how happy she was to go with him to her new home.”

  In the background, Eva could hear the phone ringing in Reception. It was lunchtime, and she knew there was no one there to answer it. “Keep an eye on Holls, will you, Annie?” she asked, as she ran indoors.

  “Hello, Animal Magic, Eva speaking,” she said as she picked up the receiver.

  “Oh, thank goodness. Please come quickly!” a girl’s voice said.

  “I’m sorry, we usually ask people to bring their pets in to the Rescue Centre.”

  It took Eva a second or two to recognize Mia, and she felt her heart lurch. “Mia – what is it? What’s wrong?”

  Mia was sobbing so hard she could barely speak. “It’s Fern. Oh, I should never have done it. I knew something bad would happen!”

  “What’s the matter? Has she been in a fight with Sally and Sara?” Eva asked.

  It was less than twenty-four hours since Mia and Carrie had taken the rabbits up to Earlswood Avenue, and already there was a crisis.

  “No. It’s worse than that. Someone has to come – please!”

  “OK, OK, listen, Mia.” Eva tried to think straight. “You’re saying something’s wrong with Fern?”

  “Yes. She’s been sick and she’s gone all limp. I brought her into the house as soon as I realized…”

  “Mum’s not here, but Jen is. She’s in the cattery. I’ll ask her to come to the phone.”

  “No, tell her to come straight up here,” Mia begged. “And tell her to be quick, please, Eva, before it’s too late!”

  Jen grabbed her medical kit and she and Eva ran across Okeham Main Street and up Earlswood Avenue to the Logans’ house.

  Carrie Logan was waiting at the front door. “Thank you for coming,” she told them. “Mia’s in such a state.”

  Jen and Eva followed Carrie through the house.

  They found Mia kneeling in the conservatory, bending over her precious Fern, who lay on a white towel on the tiled floor.

  “She’s really, really sick!” Mia sobbed, her eyes red and her face streaked with tears. “This is how I found her in her hutch – just lying there.”

  Jen nodded. “Let’s lift her up on to this table. That’s it – gently. Now let’s have a look at her. You say she’s been sick, but did she have diarrhoea as well?”

  Mia shook her head.

  Eva felt a tight knot of worry form in her stomach – poor Fern didn’t react, even when Jen felt her abdomen and examined her eyes and mouth.

  “It’s possible that she’s picked up an infection,” Jen commented. “She’s certainly dehydrated. Mrs Logan – do you have a small plastic dropper we could use to drip some liquid into her mouth?”

  As Carrie dashed off to the medicine cabinet and Mia continued to sob, Eva glanced out of the conservatory window.

  She saw the long wire run built by Mr Logan and the magnificent new hutch at the top of the garden.

  “Sally and Sara have made Fern sick!” Mia cried. “They had a bug, and they gave it to her!”

  “No, that’s not right,” Eva objected. “Sara and Sally didn’t have any bugs – they were totally healthy all the time they were at Animal Magic.”

  But Mia shook her head. “They’re the reason Fern’s sick. They gave her a bug, and now she’s going to die!”

  “Hush!” Jen murmured. “No one’s going to die if we can possibly help it.”

  “It’s all your fault, Eva,” Mia wept. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Carrie returned with the dropper. “I never would have let those two rabbits near Fern if it hadn’t been for you!”

  Eva stepped out of the conservatory door on to the lawn. She felt breathless with worry, and was upset that Mia had blamed Sara and Sally for making Fern ill, but she knew that if anyone could discover what was wrong with Mia’s pampered rabbit, Jen could.

  A breeze blew through the still-bare trees in the wood behind the Logans’ garden, making Eva shiver and zip up her fleece. She crouched beside the rabbit hutch to check how Sara and Sally had settled in. That’s funny, she thought. The door to the sleeping compartment should be closed!

  But it was hanging open, and on the feeding platform the water bottle was dripping clear liquid on to the dish of oats Mia had put down earlier.

  “Sara? Sally? Where are you?” Eva murmured, reaching carefully inside the dark sleeping compartment and finding to her dismay that it was empty. She looked under the ramp and into the shaded area behind – nothing!

  “Mia!” she cried, jumping up and running back down the lawn towards the conservatory. Her heart thumped as she checked the empty run. “I’ve got some awful
news – Sally and Sara have escaped!”

  “Listen, Karl – I think Mia left the hutch door open on purpose.” Eva spoke quickly into her phone as she stood alone on the pavement outside the Logans’ house. “She didn’t act surprised when I told her that Sara and Sally had run away.”

  “Are you sure they’re not in the hutch?” Karl asked. He and Annie had offered to come and help, and they were on their way up Earlswood Avenue as he spoke. “Look again, Eva, just to make sure.”

  “They’re not there!” she insisted, spotting him and Annie at the bottom of the hill. “Mia thinks our Animal Magic rabbits made Fern poorly, but that’s rubbish. Jen says she’ll take a blood sample to find out what’s wrong. Hurry up, you two – we have to set up a search party and find Sally and Sara!”

  “Calm down, Eva,” Karl said, hanging up as he and Annie ran up the hill. “You didn’t go accusing Mia of letting them escape on purpose, did you?” he asked when he reached the house.

  Eva shook her head. “But honestly – that’s what it looks like. Mia would never leave the hutch door open by mistake, she’s much too careful for that.”

  “Even though she’s worried crazy about Fern?” Annie reminded her. All three were hurrying up the Logans’ drive, crossing paths with Jen as they reached the front door.

  “I got the blood sample,” Jen told them. “I’m going straight into Clifton, to the lab, to get it processed as quickly as possible.”

  “Does Mum know?” Eva asked.

  Jen nodded. “I called her and she’s heading back to hold the fort. I take it you three are going to look for Sara and Sally?”

  “We’ll start in the back garden,” Karl told her. “Where’s Mia? Is she with Fern?”

  “Yes. I’ve told her to keep Fern warm and give her plenty of water.”