by Ilene Cooper
Then it was Candy’s turn. Bobby was shocked when he looked at her poster. He glanced at Shawn. Shawn looked pretty surprised, too.
Bobby had thought maybe his mother had given Candy a picture of him. What he hadn’t thought was that she would blow the picture up. Half the poster was taken up with Bobby’s head. It was huge! The other half was Shawn, but at least it was a photo of his whole body. He didn’t look like a giant head on a poster.
Candy stepped in front of the class.
“I’m thankful for my two great friends.
One is Bobby. One is Shawn.
They’re lots of fun and never make me yawn.
They used to be shy, but they’re not anymore.
Even when they were, they didn’t make me snore.
They’re two friends I’ll always keep.
They’re so interesting, it’s hard to sleep.
But if I do fall asleep—”
Mrs. Lee tried to interrupt. “Candy …”
Candy didn’t seem to hear her. “I’m sure they’d wake me up—”
“Candy!” Mrs. Lee said a little more loudly.
Candy looked up. “Yes?”
“That’s a very nice poem about Shawn and Bobby,” she said.
Everyone was looking at either Shawn or Bobby. Bobby could feel his face growing red.
“However,” Mrs. Lee added, “all the poems have to be around the same length. So why don’t you end with ‘it’s hard to sleep’?”
“Really?” Candy said, surprised. “Because I’ve got …” She counted the lines on the back of her poster board. “I’ve got eight more lines. And they rhyme.”
“I’m sure they do,” Mrs. Lee said. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to stop where I told you.”
Candy stepped back into the group. “Don’t worry,” she whispered loudly to Bobby and Shawn. “I’ll read the whole thing to you later.”
Bobby nodded.
Finally it was his turn to stand in front of his classmates. He could see they liked his picture of Lucy. A few of them pointed and there were lots of smiles.
“Lucy, my beagle, is the best.
You could search north, east, or west,
And you’d see she’s better than the rest.
She’s smart and friendly as can be.
I’m thankful she belongs to me.”
“Very nice, Bobby,” Mrs. Lee said. “Both the art and the poem will make the audience feel like they know Lucy.”
“Thank you,” Bobby said softly. He was glad that everyone would get to know how great Lucy was. But mostly, like the poem said, he was thankful she belonged to him.
“Bobby!” Nanny Ann reached for Bobby to give him a big hug when he got home.
Bobby felt shy. That seemed funny. Nanny was his grandmother, after all. But he didn’t know her very well.
Bobby and his family had visited Nanny twice. Washington was very cool. It was the capital of the United States. There was a lot to see there. They had even visited the White House, where the president and his family lived.
This was also the third time Nanny had visited them. Sometimes he talked to his grandmother on the phone or on the computer. That wasn’t the same as giving her a hug.
He walked into her arms anyway. The hug felt pretty good.
Bobby pulled away and Nanny gave him a long look. “How are you, my boy?”
“Fine,” Bobby said.
“I’ve met your dog, Lucy,” Nanny said. “She’s a sweet little thing.”
Bobby was surprised to hear Nanny say that. Usually when new people came to the house, Lucy went, well, a little crazy. She would bark, jump on them, and maybe even chew their gloves. She had done that to Mrs. Brady, the lady from the adoption agency.
Bobby was pretty sure that Nanny was the first person to describe Lucy as “a sweet little thing.”
Bobby looked around for Lucy. “Uh, sometimes she can be pretty wild.”
“Well, not today,” Nanny said. She led Bobby over to the couch in the living room. “So sit down and tell me what’s new.”
Bobby didn’t know where to start. He hadn’t talked to Nanny in a while. Probably everything was new.
“I guess you know we’re getting a baby,” he began.
“I do!” Nanny said with a big smile. “I bet you’re excited.”
Bobby nodded. But not very excitedly.
“No?” Nanny asked.
Bobby shrugged.
Nanny ran her hand through Bobby’s hair. “Getting a new baby is a big thing,” she said.
“Yes. It is,” Bobby agreed.
“Are you worried that the baby is going to take up too much of your parents’ time?” Nanny asked.
Bobby shook his head.
“Oh,” Nanny said. “Do you think the baby will be noisy, crying too much?”
“I know it will probably cry a lot. Babies do that,” Bobby answered.
“Then what is worrying you?” Nanny asked.
Bobby looked at his grandmother. He didn’t know her very well. But he felt like she knew him. From the look on her face, Bobby could tell she really wanted to help him.
He fiddled with a button on his shirt. “I … well, I’m not sure I’ll make a very good big brother.”
Nanny looked surprised. “Oh, Bobby. I don’t think that’s true.”
“Could be,” Bobby replied.
Before Bobby could tell her more, his mother came bursting into the room.
“The adoption agency just called,” Mrs. Quinn said in a voice that didn’t sound quite like hers. She had a funny look on her face, too.
“Is the baby here?” Nanny and Bobby asked, almost at the same time.
“I don’t know. Mrs. Brady just said she wants to see us right away. It will take a while to drive over to the agency. David is leaving his office now, and he’s going to pick me up. I don’t know what time we’ll be back.” Mrs. Quinn’s words came out in a rush.
“That’s all right,” Nanny said. “I’m here. Bobby and I will take care of everything. Won’t we, Bobby?”
“Sure,” he said. He wasn’t paying much attention, though. He could feel his stomach fluttering. Fluttering? Rolling! When his parents came back, would they have a baby with them?
Mrs. Quinn had barely had time to get her coat on when Bobby heard his father honking outside. She gave her mother a hug and Bobby a big kiss before she dashed out the door.
“I’ll let you know what’s happening just as soon as I can,” she said.
Bobby and his grandmother looked at each other.
“Wow,” Nanny said.
“Yeah. Wow,” Bobby agreed.
“Everything’s ready?” Nanny said. “The room, all the baby things?”
Bobby nodded. Everything was ready. Was he?
Just then, Lucy wandered into the room. She barked when she saw Bobby. She hopped on the couch and put her head in his lap.
She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. She looked over at Nanny.
“Her training seems to have worked. Is she always so calm now?” Nanny asked.
“No! No she isn’t,” Bobby answered.
What was the opposite of calm? Energetic? Wild? Crazy, even?
Suddenly something became very clear to Bobby. Lucy wasn’t feeling well, and he knew what he had to do. He had to get Lucy to the vet. Now.
“Nanny,” Bobby said, talking fast, “Lucy likes to run around. She likes to jump on people. She likes to howl. She’s been too quiet for the last couple of days. Mom said she would get Lucy to the vet, but she’s been so busy.”
Nanny patted Lucy’s head. “Well, she certainly doesn’t seem like the Lucy you and your mom told me about.”
Bobby felt hopeful. “So will you help me take her to the vet? Today?”
“Today?” Nanny seemed surprised. “I don’t know about that.”
“But, Nanny—” Bobby began.
“I don’t know where the vet is. And it’s getting late. The vet might not be able to see us.�
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Bobby didn’t want to argue with his grandmother. He wasn’t even sure what he should say. But when he looked at Lucy, all stretched out and tired, he knew he had to do something.
Bobby took a deep breath. “Nanny, please. I know Lucy isn’t feeling well.”
Nanny ran her hands through her wavy, short hair. She looked at Bobby. She looked at Lucy. Then she looked at Bobby again.
“All right, Bobby,” she said. “You know Lucy best. Find the vet’s number, and I’ll see if he can get her in this afternoon. Then I’ll text your parents and tell them what’s up.”
The next half hour was a rush. Lucy’s vet, Dr. DiMarco, said he could fit them in if they could get there soon. Bobby had to wipe down Lucy’s carrier and put her inside. Usually she didn’t like it, but today she went inside without a peep. Then Bobby had to find his mother’s spare car keys.
Nanny had a little trouble getting the car started.
“You know how to drive, right?” Bobby asked worriedly.
“Well, I don’t have a car in Washington. I use the buses and the train. But I can drive.”
When the car started, it jerked a bit. “How far is it to the vet’s office?” Nanny asked.
“Just past downtown.” Bobby pointed the way.
Nanny looked glad to hear it. They arrived at Dr. DiMarco’s without any problems.
Lucy could tell she was someplace new. Bobby heard sniffing inside the carrier. She pushed her nose against the screen.
Nanny checked in at the front desk, and they were called into the examination room almost right away. Bobby let Lucy out of the carrier. Lucy sniffed and sniffed every part of the room. Where was she? What was she doing here?
Dr. DiMarco picked Lucy up and put her on the table. “Hi, Lucy.” He patted her head. “What’s going on with her?” he asked Nanny.
Nanny looked at Bobby. “I’m just visiting. Why don’t you tell the doctor, Bobby?”
Bobby felt more shy than he had in a long time. He’d only met Dr. DiMarco once before, when Lucy first came to live with the Quinns. Dr. DiMarco was very tall and very serious. Bobby really didn’t want to be the one to explain about Lucy, but he knew he had to do it. He was Lucy’s owner, after all.
“Lucy usually likes to run around,” he began slowly. “And sometimes she acts wild. And she barks and howls. Lately she’s been quiet and she seems tired. She sleeps more.”
Bobby let out a breath. There, he had done it.
Dr. DiMarco nodded. “That was very helpful, Bobby. I know what to look for now.”
The doctor checked Lucy’s eyes. He lifted her floppy ears and examined them. He listened to her breathe. He poked her and prodded her. Lucy looked more surprised than anything. Who was this man?
When Dr. DiMarco finished, he picked Lucy up in his arms. “Well, Bobby, I’m glad you were paying attention. I’m going to do some blood work on Lucy, but I think I know what is wrong with her. I think she has an infection.”
“An infection?” Nanny repeated. “Is it serious?”
Bobby was glad Nanny had asked the question. Just thinking about Lucy being sick made him nervous.
“It can be. So it’s a good thing you brought Lucy in when you did. The office is closing for the Thanksgiving holiday. We would have had to wait to treat Lucy until next week,” Dr. DiMarco told them. “Now I can give Lucy a shot and some medicine, and I think before long, Lucy will be fine.”
Bobby and Nanny looked at each other and smiled. Lucy was going to be all right!
Lucy slept on the way home. Bobby could hear her snores. Going to the vet had knocked her out.
As they pulled into the driveway, Nanny said to Bobby, “Well, I think you don’t have to worry about whether you are going to be a good big brother anymore, Bobby.”
Bobby was puzzled. “Why not?”
Nanny smiled at him. “You take such good care of Lucy. No matter what anybody said, you were going to make sure Lucy got to the vet. And you did!”
Nanny’s words made Bobby feel good. Actually they made him feel great!
“That’s what being a good brother is,” Nanny went on. “Watching out for your brother or sister and making sure that they are okay. I can see you know how to do just that.”
Bobby was about to say thank you when Nanny’s cell phone rang.
She looked at the name. “It’s your mom,” she said.
Bobby watched as Nanny talked to his mother. Her face went from excited to surprised to more surprised. She kept repeating the word two.
“Is the baby here?” Bobby asked when she hung up.
Nanny looked as if she was trying to gather her thoughts. “It’s a little more complicated than that, Bobby,” she told him. “The adoption agency wants to know if your family will take twins.”
“Twins?” Bobby repeated. No wonder Nanny kept saying the word two!
Bobby and his grandmother must have said the word twins ten times while they were waiting for his mom and dad to come home.
Now Bobby and Nanny were sitting around the dining room table with his parents, eating pizza, and talking about the babies.
“The babies are going to be born in a few weeks,” Mrs. Quinn said, rubbing her forehead. “Mrs. Brady said she knows that we were only expecting one baby. We could wait and let the twins go to another home. This is a big decision.”
“Twins,” Nanny murmured again. “The baby’s room is only set up for one.”
Mr. and Mrs. Quinn looked at each other. Then they looked at Bobby.
“What?” he asked.
“Your room is bigger than the baby’s room,” his father said.
“The only room we can fit two cribs in is yours,” his mother added.
Bobby didn’t know what to say. It was hard enough to get his mind around two babies in the house. Now he would be trading rooms with them?
Nanny came to his rescue. “We don’t have to think about rooms right now. First you have to decide what you’re going to do.”
“You’re right,” Mrs. Quinn said. She put her slice of pizza down on the plate. She hadn’t really eaten any of it. She just kept picking up the same slice and putting it back down.
“Ryan and Brian are twins,” Bobby pointed out. “They’ll be here for Thanksgiving. Let’s just ask Aunt Kay and Uncle John if it’s hard to raise twins.”
All the adults laughed at that.
His father ruffled Bobby’s hair. “I already know those boys are a handful. We’ve watched them grow up.”
Bobby had another thought. He looked from his mother to his father. “Sometimes when parents are having a baby, they expect one but they get two, right?”
Mrs. Quinn nodded. “Yes, parents find out along the way that they are having twins. They don’t always know at the beginning.”
“So they’re surprised, just like we are?” Bobby asked.
His parents looked at each other for a moment. “You know, Bobby, you’re exactly right,” his father said slowly.
“Parents take what comes,” his mother agreed. She smiled, really smiled, for the first time since she had gotten home.
“And what has come to us are two babies,” Mr. Quinn laughed. “How do you feel about that, Jane?” he asked his wife.
Mrs. Quinn’s smile turned into a laugh, too. “Great! We’re having twins!” she agreed. “Bobby, you’re so smart!”
“I am?” Bobby asked.
“You know how to ask the right questions,” Nanny said.
Bobby was glad his questions had led to his mom and dad wanting twins. He was glad that everyone was smiling. “Hey, there’s one important question I forgot,” he said.
“What’s that?” his dad wanted to know.
“Are the babies boys or girls? Or one of each?” Bobby couldn’t believe he had gone this long without asking that.
“Girls!” his parents both said loudly.
Lucy came wandering into the dining room. Usually when someone said girl in a loud voice they were talking to her.
Bobby picked Lucy up and put her on his lap. She wiggled a little, but then she snuggled close to his chest.
“Lucy’s feeling better,” Bobby said. “Dr. DiMarco’s shot must be working.”
“You went to see Dr. DiMarco?” Mrs. Quinn asked, surprised.
“I texted you, Jane,” Nanny said.
“We were so busy, I never checked my phone,” Mrs. Quinn admitted. “What happened?”
Nanny, with Bobby chiming in, told the story of Lucy’s visit to the vet.
“Oh, Bobby, I’m so sorry,” his mother said. “I knew you wanted to get Lucy to the vet.” She leaned over and rubbed Lucy’s head.
“Well, Bobby knew what to do,” Nanny informed them. “He found Dr. DiMarco’s number, he cleaned off the carrier, he got the car keys, and he pointed me in the direction of the office.”
“You sure take good care of Lucy,” his father told Bobby. “Your new little sisters are lucky to have you as a big brother.”
Sisters. Two baby sisters. Bobby felt a little like his head might explode. He hugged Lucy tighter. This must be how his parents were feeling right about now. There was so much to think about!
After Bobby got ready for bed, he peeked into the babies’ room. Well, now his room, he guessed. It was smaller than his, but not too much smaller. But the paint! The room was a bright yellow. And those polka-dot curtains. They might as well have the word baby printed all over them.
Lucy skipped impatiently around Bobby as he stood in the doorway. Let’s go in, she seemed to say. Or go back to our room. But let’s not just stand here. Hoooowl! she added.
Now Bobby knew that Lucy was feeling better.
Bobby’s mother heard the howl and came out of her bedroom. She saw Bobby looking at the yellow room. “Don’t worry, Bobby,” his mom told him. “We’ll paint it. You can pick any color you want. And we’ll move the curtains into your old room.”
Bobby nodded. It was a start.