Masks Read Free

start searching. Where could she be?
    Then I hear it, a faint
meow
coming from the back of my closet. I turn on the closet light and find Mittens in the back corner. She’s curled up in a tight ball, and I see several places where she has vomited. Her sides are heaving in and out as if she’s trying to vomit again, but it looks as if she can’t. She doesn’t even try to come to me.
    “Mom!” I cry. But there’s no answer. Mom must have already left for the hospital. And Daddy takes Harshil and Jasmine to the library on Saturday mornings.
    I scoop up Mittens, wrap her in a towel, and put her in the basket on the front of my bike. It has a lid that I close and fasten. “Hang on, sweetie. I’ll get you to Dr. Mac’s in no time.”

Chapter Three

    D r. Mac is searching for something in the supply closet. When she hears me racing into the clinic, she turns quickly. “What’s wrong, Sunita?”
    “It’s Mittens. She’s been vomiting, and she won’t even move.” My voice is shaking.
    “Come on,” she says, heading straight into the Herriot Room. I follow her with Mittens.
    When I unwrap my cat, she’s still curled into a tight ball. Dr. Mac carefully feels her all over. When she lightly presses my cat’s belly, Mittens lets out a loud moan and hisses.
    “I’m going to X-ray her,” Dr. Mac tells me. “But first, I’m going to give her a sedative. She’stoo upset to let us get a good picture of her insides.”
    “What’s wrong with her, Dr. Mac?” I ask.
    “I hope the X-ray will tell us,” she says.
    I pick up Mittens and follow Dr. Mac into the X-ray room. She hands me a lead apron, gloves, and collar for protection against the harmful rays of the machine.
    “First, put the lead protectors over yourself,” Dr. Mac instructs. “Then lay Mittens down on her side with her legs stretched out. We’ll take a second view with her lying on her back.”
    I do as Dr. Mac asks. The sedative has relaxed Mittens enough that she lets me lay her on her side and gently stretch her out.
    Dr. Mac steps into the small room next to the X-ray machine. She hits some buttons and the machine X-rays Mittens. The whole procedure takes only a few moments.
    I remove my shields and return with Mittens to the Herriot Room while Dr. Mac develops the film. Brenna, David, and Maggie have come in to wait with me. “She’ll be OK, Sunita,” Brenna says. “You know Dr. Mac won’t let anything bad happen to Mittens.”
    I nod, knowing Mittens will get the bestpossible care. But I’m not as confident that nothing will go wrong. I’ve worked at the clinic long enough to know that animal injuries can be unpredictable.
    After a few minutes, Dr. Mac comes in to show us the X-rays. She places them on the lighted view box. “Everything looks fine except the intestines. They’re all bunched up, making what we call a ‘string sign’ on the X-ray. Could Mittens have eaten some string in the last few days?”
    “Yarn!” Tears spring to my eyes. “She must have eaten the yarn from my tiger mask! Is that what’s hurting her?” I ask.
    “Not exactly. Sometimes yarn can pass through a cat’s system without any pain or damage. In this case, the intestines are trying to move the yarn through Mittens’ system, but the yarn has gotten stuck. The pulling has caused her intestines to bunch up, and that’s why she’s in pain and vomiting. We’re going to have to operate right away, Sunita.”
    I feel so horribly, terribly guilty. I know cats shouldn’t be left alone with string or yarn. I know it! When that stray cat tipped over the garbage, I let myself be distracted and forgot all about Mittens. Even though I try to hold back,my lower lip quivers and a tear rolls down my cheek. It seems so babyish to cry in the middle of an emergency. Maggie puts her hand on my shoulder.
    Dr. Mac turns to me. “I know it’s scary, Sunita, but try to stay calm.”
    I can hardly believe what’s happening. I wish I could just wake up and discover