Bella Read Free Page A

puppy snuggled against her.
    I feel so safe with you
.
    “You know,” said Ms. Dobbins, smiling down at Lizzie and the puppy. “I think this puppy needs a name.”
    Lizzie looked up. “Really? Are you sure?” That must mean that Ms. Dobbins thought that the puppy would not die.
    Ms. Dobbins nodded. “Dr. Gibson said that if she made it through last night, it’s a pretty good bet that she’ll do just fine from here on out, especially with your loving care.”
    The puppy nuzzled her head into Lizzie’s chest, let out a tiny sigh, and fell asleep.
    “Good girl, Bella,” said Lizzie.
    Bella. The perfect name for a beautiful little girl.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Ms. Dobbins stayed long enough to supervise while Lizzie fed Bella for the first time. Then she had to go. “You’re doing great,” she told Lizzie. “Bella is really going to thrive, now that she’s met you.”
    By then, Lizzie knew that “thrive” meant to gain weight and grow strong. To live. She gazed down at the puppy, who lay on a thick, folded towel in her lap. Bella’s tummy was round and full of formula, and she slept soundly, curled into a warm, soft ball. “Bella,” she whispered, and the puppy’s tiny ears twitched. Lizzie felt her heart swell again. This little creature needed her so badly.
    When Ms. Dobbins left, Mom went upstairs towork on an article. Lizzie sat on the couch with Bella on her lap, watching the puppy’s chest rise and fall with every small breath she took. Sometimes there was a pause between breaths, and Lizzie’s heart would begin to pound. What would she do if Bella stopped breathing? But then Bella would wriggle a bit and give a little puppy snort and her breaths would come regularly again.
    After a while, Lizzie’s foot fell asleep. When she shifted her position, Bella woke up — and immediately began to cry. She clawed her way up Lizzie’s shirt, mewing like a kitten and weaving her little head back and forth as if she were looking for something.
    Feed me, feed me
!
    She
was
looking for something, Lizzie realized. Something to eat! “Mom!” Lizzie called. “Bella’s hungry.”
    Mom came downstairs to help Lizzie warm the formula and fill a bottle. When Lizzie put the nipple near Bella’s mouth, she latched on right away and did not stop sucking until the bottle was empty. When she was done, she yawned and began to curl up on Lizzie’s lap again. But Lizzie tucked her into her cozy box and set up the lamp over her to keep her warm. “You sleep for a little while,” she told Bella, “while I take care of some other things.”
    Lizzie needed to wrap the socks she’d gotten for Maria. Also, Mom had been bugging her to clean her room, and it really did need it. Lizzie had to admit that things had gotten a little out of control in there lately. She knew she had some homework to do, but at the moment she wasn’t even sure where her backpack was. Cleanup would have to come first.
    But Bella did not seem happy in her box. As soon as Lizzie took one step away, she woke upand began to cry. Lizzie came back and stroked Bella’s head with one finger until the puppy calmed down. Lizzie still could not believe how tiny Bella was. Her head was hardly bigger than a golf ball. When Bella’s eyes fell shut and her breaths got longer, Lizzie took her finger away and stood up again. The puppy’s eyes popped open, her pink mouth yawned wide, and she began to whimper and whine. She struggled to her feet and tried to scrabble her way out of the box, crying in the most pitiful, pathetic way.
    Lonely! I’m so lonely. Pleeeease don’t leave me here alone
.
    “Oh, Bella.” Lizzie sighed and picked the puppy up out of her box. She cradled her close as she walked back to the couch. Bella’s cries stopped as soon as Lizzie held her, but the puppy’s heartpumped hard and fast; it felt like hummingbird wings against Lizzie’s chest.
    Lizzie sat down, trying to settle herself more comfortably this time, now that she knew Bella was not