Mittens clung to the underside of the gurney, her clawless paws slipping on the cold metal. That smell - that antiseptic whiff that spoke of the vet and the humane shelter! Feet flashed past, upside-down. Mittens didn't like feet. Feet could tread on you without even noticing - or kick you on purpose.

Her spine jarred and her teeth clattered together as the trolley bore the unconscious girl and dog through the hospital. She looked sideways to Rhino beside her, to see how he was making out. The hamster was gripping a strut with his little pink feet, eyes huge.

"Wow! It's just like ER!" he was squeaking. Was he really so out of touch with reality that he didn't understand his buddy and hero was in danger up there? Mittens thought he probably did, and his bravado and chatter was to keep him from thinking about it too much.

The trolley banged against swing doors and stopped beside a bed. Mittens and Rhino dropped to the floor - the cat landing on her feet, of course - and scuttled under a green plastic chair. More feet entered, and stood around the bed.

The animals watched as the oxygen masks were taken from Penny's and Bolt's faces and the girl's arm was attached to a drip. Her other arm was wrapped tightly around her dog, and no doctor or nurse would have dreamed of removing it.

When the flurry of activity was over and the doors had swung shut, Mittens and Rhino crept out from their hiding-place. The room was silent except for the hum of a fan and the breathing of the two patients.

The sight of the white dog lying still was so unnatural that Mittens felt her fur stand up on end. She wanted to see those big brown eyes open again, alert and full of life. She jumped lightly up onto the bed, curled herself beside Bolt's flank, and began licking the soot from his fur.

Although her tongue was busy, she couldn't keep her mind from the thoughts she'd been trying to avoid. Bolt's mission was over: he had his person back, and he was a hero for real, not just on the magic box. But what about Mittens?

She had seen the way he looked when he talked about Penny, and realised with a stab of jealousy that Bolt would never look like that when he talked about her. Now he was with Penny he didn't need Mittens any more. And even if he did want her around, would Penny and her mom welcome a scruffy streetcat? People made the rules and pets obeyed, even exceptional pets like Bolt.

OK, let's say Bolt still wanted her - and Rhino - and his family let them stay. Mittens still wasn't sure she could trust people ever again. They feed you, they pet you, they make you love them, and they act like they love you. Then...then they leave.

She realised she had been grooming the same patch of fur, the soft place under Bolt's ear, over and over again, until it was soaked.

You should go, Mittens. Get outta here. He'll be fine, she told herself. Hmm. The head is talkin' but the paws ain't listenin'!

A sound made her turn her head, and she saw the door start to swing open. Like a shadow, Mittens darted back down under the chair.

The plastic above her creaked and her view was blocked by a pair of calves ending in neat court shoes. Great. I'm trapped! Mittens' alleycat instincts screamed panic, but she forced herself to sit tight.

"Oh, Penny, I'm so sorry!"

Mittens recognised the voice - it was Penny's mother, who had travelled in the ambulance with them and booted out that creepy man.

"I should have stopped this months ago. What we did to Bolt was wrong, and it was wrong to keep you two apart. But I couldn't break the contract - we needed the money for your future. It was your...your college fund..."

The scrawny cat bellied out from under the chair and sneaked a look at Penny's mom, starting at the feet. Her clothes were businesslike and smelled fresh. Her lap looked comfortable. Her eyes were soft like Bolt's - and were brimming with tears. Mittens watched as she carried on talking to her unconscious daughter, apologising and explaining while the tears started to spill down her cheeks.

Her paws had a mind of their own today. Somehow Mittens found herself braced for a jump, then landing in that soft, inviting lap. Penny's mom gave a small shriek, and the cat tensed for the cuff or the shake, but it didn't come.

"Hello, kitty," said the woman gently. "What are you doing here?" Her hands folded around the cat and began to stroke.

Mittens had forgotten about stroking. Stroking and tin-openers - the two things that made people necessary. A rusty purr fought its way out from her throat and her white toes began to knead at the sensible skirt.

They sat there for a long time, watching the bed together. All the while, the human stroked and the cat purred. Mittens knew that she was making Penny's mom feel better just by being there. She felt...needed. It felt good.

Penny's mom jumped when she felt something furry brush against her foot. A rat! No, a hamster! In a hospital! What was going on? Wonderingly, she lowered her hand and the rodent jumped into it. She rummaged in her bag for the snacks she always carried to keep Penny's energy levels up through the long days of filming. The chubby little hamster rejected raisins but seized on a packet of M&Ms, shoving them greedily into his cheek pouches. Penny's mom laughed quietly as he ran up her arm to perch on her shoulder.

"Mom?" said Penny from the bed, then: "Bolty?"

Mittens felt a hand grip her fur - but not roughly, more as though Penny's mom needed something to cling to. She twisted her neck around and gave the hand a little lick.

Bolt's ears had pricked up at the sound of his person's voice. He put his paws on her chest, his bushy little tail wagging until it blurred, and licked and licked and licked at her face until she giggled and pushed him away. She looked up and held her arms out for her mother.

Mittens was placed gently on the floor; Rhino, forgotten, clung to his perch. As Penny and her mom embraced, Bolt caught sight of his feline friend waiting shyly to be noticed.

"Hey! Mittens! C'mere!"

The cat jumped up beside him and rubbed her head under his chin, her tail perpendicular with pleasure. Penny would always come first with him, but the expression on Bolt's face told her that she was important and special too. Besides, who wants to get slobbered on?

"Thanks, Mittens. Thanks for making me go back, and for looking after me, and teaching me how to be a dog. I must have been a real pain in the butt."

"That's OK, you big dope."

"I'm sorry I didn't want to stay with you. But maybe...will you come and stay with me, instead?"

Bolt cocked his head and let an ear droop. Was he doing the dog face? He was! He wanted her! Mittens' narrow chest swelled.

"Well...OK," she drawled, doing her best to sound disinterested. "As long as you accept that cats go above dogs in the pecking order. I get first dibs on the scraps, I get to walk on the countertops, and -"

"And me, and me! I'm coming too!" Rhino squealed, barrelling down from Shoulder Mountain and landing on Bolt's back. "Somebody's got to keep the cat in check!"

Mother and daughter understood none of this conversation, but it was clear from watching the three animals that they knew each other.

"What a sweet kitty! Where did she come from?" Penny asked.

"I don't know - she was here in the room when I came in."

"She and Bolt are friends, aren't they? And the funny hamster too! Do you think they helped Bolt find his way back to me?"

Penny's mom looked at the pets. It had been such a strange day that anything seemed possible. And although she had done her best to comfort Penny while he was missing, privately she had doubted that their innocent, good-natured Bolt could survive away from the studio.

She smiled. "I think I know what your next question's going to be. And the answer is: Yes, you can keep them."

"Yay! Come on, kitty!"

Mittens left Bolt's side and trod delicately up the sheet to Penny, where for the second time that day she was enfolded in a pair of loving arms and stroked. She closed her eyes and purred so loudly the sound filled the room. She was a sweet kitty. Her, Mittens!

"She's so cute. Look at her little white feet," Penny whispered, cradling the cat. She beamed at her mom. "I know! We'll call her...Socks!"

THE END