CHAPTER 23 Lolo
Dr. Gómez brings a soft box that opens in the front and is covered on top and all around. She reaches for Preciosa. Nuh-uh, Preciosa is already in pain. I will not let Dr. Gómez squeeze her and poke her with sticks.
I jump in front of Preciosa and tell Dr. Gómez to back off.
“It’s all right, Lolo,” Dr. Gómez says softly. “I’m here to help your friend.”
I stay put.
“It’s okay, Lolo,” Miguel says. “We won’t hurt her.”
I look into Miguel’s eyes. My friend would never lie to me, and he definitely wouldn’t hurt anyone. Miguel walked away from a fun adventure in that castle so he could save me from the mean cats. He’s my family, and I know I can trust him.
I step aside. Miguel helps Dr. Gómez put Preciosa in the box before he lifts me into his bag.
“When will the kittens be born?” Miguel asks.
“The first one will probably come soon, and then the entire process can take at least six hours.”
“Six hours! But I have to get back to my Tío Diego!”
Dr. Gómez laughs. “I’ll take her with me and let you know when the whole litter has arrived.” She pulls a snack out of her pocket and holds it out to me. “You did a wonderful job looking out for your friend, Lolo. I’ll take good care of her, and you can see her again tomorrow, all right?”
I chew the treat and give Dr. Gómez a quick lick on the finger. She doesn’t seem so bad after all.
Suddenly, Miguel is running. He pants as he races up the hill we came down earlier today. Then he stops. His mouth turns down, and his eyes look wet and sad.
I twist my head and follow Miguel’s gaze. There’s a fire truck in front of Tío Diego’s building, and a crowd is on the sidewalk.
Miguel finds his uncle sitting in a wheelchair next to the truck. “Tío Diego! What happened? Are you okay?”
“Oh, Miguelito, here you are! Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Tío Diego coughs into his hand.
Miguel sobs, his chest heaving up and down. “I’m sorry I left you, Tío! This is all my fault!” Water drips from his eyes.
Tío Diego pats Miguel’s arm.
I rest my head on my friend’s beating heart and hope everything is all right.
CHAPTER 24 Miguel
I can’t stop crying. Tío Diego keeps saying everything is fine, but I know it isn’t.
“I should have waited for you,” Tío Diego says, “but I got hungry so I tried to make toast. I forgot the toaster timer doesn’t work, and I got wrapped up in my show. Before I knew it, the alarm was blaring, and there was smoke everywhere!”
A firefighter walks out of the building and announces to the group, “Okay, folks, you can go back inside.”
“See, Miguelito, nothing to worry about,” Tío Diego says.
“I’m so sorry, Tío,” I say. “I was gone too long. This is all my fault.”
“Psht,” he says. “We’re all fine here. But I’m still hungry!” He laughs as I wheel him into the elevator.
A smiley lady holds the door open for us. “Ah, there you are!” she says. “Diego told us his nephew would come, but we neighbors know he lives alone, so we helped him get outside.”
“Thank you!” I wipe my face on my sleeve.
“Don’t worry, young man,” she says. “No one was hurt.”
I nod.
She turns to Tío Diego. “You’re right about him. He came as soon as he heard the alarms!”
Inside Tío Diego’s apartment, the phone is ringing, so I run in and pick it up.
“Miguel? It’s me!”
“Yesenia, what’s up?”
“Tío Diego called and said you weren’t there,” she says. “I figured he was confused and you were in the bathroom or something, so I said I would call him back later.”
“Oh.” What will I tell my parents? They trusted me to take care of my uncle, and now I’ve let them down. Again.
