Doctor Dolittle 2

Chapter 1 Dr. Dolittle was busier than ever. At ten he had Mr. Carson coming in for a full checkup. At twelve he had Mr. Wennington scheduled for an EKG. And in between he had to squeeze in Mrs. Bloom and her itchy rash. But that wasn't all. At twelve-thirty Buster was due for his worming. At one Misty was having her kennel cough looked at. And the rest of the afternoon . . . well, that was wall-to-wall neuterings. Then there was the Rotary Club dinner that night, and the Kennel Club breakfast the next morning. It was truly as much as Dr. Dolittle, his secretary, and his shaggy canine assistant, Lucky, could handle. Ever since the doctor had discovered he could talk to animalsand understand what they were sayinghe had devoted his life to helping them as well as helping people. He traveled all over the world rescuing animals in need. He led support groups for strays at neighborhood shelters. He settled feuds and lovers' quarrels at the most prestigious zoos. And naturally he made the rounds of all the nature shows: National Geographic Explorer, Emergency Vet, Crocodile Hunteryou name it, he was there. In fact, Dr. Dolittle was becoming quite a celebrity. He couldn't even go home without being swarmed by furry and feathered groupies. "There he is! It's him!" they screeched one night as he drove up to his apartment. "He's so handsome! Sign my food dish!" they howled. "Touch my paw!" With a modest nod, the doctor pushed past them toward his door. "Thank you," he replied. "Thank you all very much!" He fumbled for his keys. "Not again." He sighed as he searched his empty pockets. Brushing pet hair from his suit, he pressed a buzzer on the wall. "Who is it?" a canine voice coyly barked from his apartment. "It's me, Lucky," said Dr. Dolittle. "I forgot my keys." "Well, then I guess you'll have to beg," the mutt inside teased. Dr. Dolittle grumbled and leaned on the buzzer once again. "Come on, boy, beg," Lucky went on. "Get it? Role reversal . . . 'Cause usually the human says to the dog . . . uh . . ." "Lucky!" "Oh, all right." Lucky pressed a button with his paw and the outside door buzzed open. Seconds later, an exhausted Dr. Dolittle walked into his apartment. "Hey, sweetie," called his wife, Lisa. She worked long hours as an attorney but almost always made it home before the doctor did. "Hey, baby." Dolittle smiled and kissed her warmly on the lips. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gift-wrapped box. "A little present for you. From Paris." Lisa dutifully took it and placed it on a table piled high with other tokens he had given her. Dolittle always brought his family gifts from the faraway places he visited. "Thank you," she told him. "But you know what would be a nice present, John?" She nodded wearily toward the window. "Keeping your flock of the faithful away from our building." Dolittle nodded. He loved helping animals, but sometimes the constant pressure was a bit much. He kissed his wife again. "I'll go down and talk to them later." Suddenly his youngest daughter, Maya, dashed in. "Daddy!" she yelled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, sweet girl!" He hugged her back. Then he pulled out another brightly wrapped present and gave it to her. "From Mexico." "Gracias," said Maya with a grin. "I wonder what it is." She held it up to her ear and gave it a little shake. "Aaaah! Earthquake!" Dolittle's ears pricked at the sound of the voice hollering inside the box. He could understand the acceBergen, Lara Rice is the author of 'Doctor Dolittle 2' with ISBN 9780440418283 and ISBN 0440418283.