Harold carried Anne-Marie in his arms to bring her downstairs to meet her long-lost sister. The girl wasn't as sick as she was last night. What if Carface kidnapping her, being out in the stormy atmosphere, it was a traumatic experience for a child of her age and living style. Kate held Anne-Marie's stuffed bunny for extra protection as they all came back down and saw Angel.
"Oh, my little Anne-Marie, it's been so long!" Angel beamed and stood over to the younger girl in the man's grasp. "How would you like to come live with me?"
Something about Angel set Itchy off around her. He sniffed her, then growled a bit at her. Something about Angel rubbed him the wrong way.
"Oh, of course you would get a puppy wuppy!" Angel bent and took out a dog biscuit, as if by magic. She then put it on the dog's nose. "Sit, puppy, sit!"
Itchy hummed, then sat as told. He then panted for the biscuit and Angel patted him on the head, allowing him to eat the baked good bone as a reward for himself.
"Good dog, good dog!" Angel beamed. "You always did love animals, Anne-Marie."
"They're great to talk to!" Anne-Marie beamed back, seeming animated now. Her voice was still a little raspy though.
"Oh, how would you like to come live with your big sister, Angel?" the older girl offered.
Anne-Marie wasn't sure. She loved Harold and Kate like they were her own parents, but she never heard of Angel and the girl was her older sister she never knew about. This was a really tough decision to make. She then thought of a compromise. "Why don't you move in with us?"
"Oh... I don't know, dear... I've always wanted to take you back to live with me after our parents...Perished..." Angel's eyes wetted and she cupped her face with her hands, bawling.
Harold, Kate, and Anne-Marie frowned. Itchy pouted and nuzzled up against Angel to give her some kind of support.
"Well, you're her sister... I guess we could let her stay with you." Kate shrugged.
"You mean it?" Angel instantly stopped crying and grinned. "Oh, you're too kind..."
"I... I'm not sure..." Anne-Marie whispered. "I've always wanted a mommy and daddy..."
"Maybe we could come visit, you could stay with us on holidays so we can all be a real family." Harold suggested.
Angel paused, then smiled friendly. "Uhh... Sure, we can do that! As soon as she heals of course, I'd never take a child if they were too sick to do anything..."
"Okay, Angel," Kate smiled at the young lady. "Anne-Marie will stay with you and you come for Thanksgiving, Christmas, stuff like that."
"Thank you so much, Harold and Kate." Angel smiled fondly.
"Sure thing, Angel, just let her feel better soon, okay?" Harold said.
"Of course," Angel stood up. "I better get to work."
"You work?" Kate asked.
"I'm a volunteer veterinarian, I knew how much my baby sister loved animals and I grew fond of some myself."
"Well, see you later then."
"Bye!"
Angel went out the door. She vowed to come back to the family for her younger sister. Harold and Kate looked down at Anne-Marie. The family then decided to talk this over with some hot soup for the ailing little girl.
"So, I'm going to live with Angel instead of you two?" Anne-Marie asked as she ate some hot soup and drank warm tea with honey for her throat.
"Well, yes, Anne-Marie," Kate answered delicately. "We don't want to get rid of you or anything, but it would probably be best if you spent some time with your sister you never knew about."
"I suppose," Anne-Marie still shrugged. "Can I still see you two?"
"On the holidays," Harold explained to her. "We'll all be like one happy family."
Anne-Marie looked down to see her new pet Dauschand on the floor. He looked back at her with a stoic face. "Do you think she'll let me keep Itchy?" Anne-Marie looked back at the couple who were like substitute parents for her.
"I'm sure she will, dear," Kate smiled. "After all, your sister told us she was a vet. Maybe she'll let you get a discount if Itchy gets sick."
"Umm... Okay... I'll have to talk it over with him."
"Oh? Well, uhh... Okay, you do that."
Anne-Marie slurped some warm broth down her throat. She then grabbed her bunny and went to the guest room with Itchy. The door was closed and Anne-Marie was sitting on the bed next to Itchy with her bunny in her hands.
"I dunno about this, kid, something about your sister makes my fleas twitch." Itchy told the orphan after they decided to talk about Angel. "But, she DID give me a nice snack!"
"Maybe she's a sign," Anne-Marie looked back at the dog. "Charlie came to say good-bye before he went up to Heaven and he sent Angel to look after me!"
"That don't sound like the Charlie I know..."
"He's really changed, Itchy, he gave his life for me... We should give Angel a chance."
"I suppose, she does seem nice, but something about her makes my fur crawl."
Anne-Marie petted the Dauschand. "Just give her a chance for me... Please, Itchy?"
Itchy sighed, not being able to resist her blue eyes. They were nearly like a newborn puppy's eyes being begged for adoption. "D'aw... You humans make the puppy dog eye trick look like puppy's play! But, okay... For you, I'll give her a chance."
"Oh, thank you, Itchy! Thank you, thank you!" Anne-Marie gushed and held the dog tight against her.
Itchy grunted and tried to wiggle free from her child suffocating grasp and winced as she kissed him. "Augh, get off me! I may not bite ya, but I still protest against coddlin'!"
Anne-Marie giggled. "Thank you, Itchy, I'm sure we'll all live happily ever after with Angel after the Wallet family adopts me...Erm... Us!"
Itchy shook her off and scratched his ear with his hind leg. "I can't see why they wouldn't... You're a precious gift, kid. I'm sorry I was so rough on ya before."
"It's okay, I'm going to take good care of you."
"I know you will, Anne-Marie."
"Can you call me Squeaker?" the orphan requested. "Charlie used to call me it all the time."
"Okay, Squeaker," Itchy smiled fondly. "You do kinda sound like a chew toy."
Anne-Marie giggled. She then put Itchy in her arms and went downstairs to tell Harold and Kate about her decision. She would allow Angel to keep her, but the sisters would come for the holidays like a real family. She grew curious about the parents she never knew she had. The orphan girl knew she could finally find out about them and who they were and what had happened to them. She also couldn't wait to tell Angel about the adventure she had with the Junkyard dogs, and mean old Carface, and her never-ending quest to find a new mommy and daddy.
A/N: If Itchy's dog breed name is spelt wrong, I apologize, but don't flame me for it.