I squirmed my way out from beneath her, laying her head on the floor as gently as I could. Analemma was still licking her face and making those whining noises. I scrambled to my feet to grab my phone, getting tomato on the screen as I fumbled to press 911.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“My grandmother—she collapsed.” As I looked over at her, I saw blue flames flickering from the stove top. She must have been about to put the pot on the burner.

“Where are you?” the operator asked.

“I’m at home.” I turned off the stove. My hand was shaking. Joan’s eyes flickered and Analemma let out a shrill bark that I’d never heard before.

“What’s your address? I see you’re on a cell phone.”

I gave the operator the address, and then she asked me to describe what had happened. I dropped to the floor again, pulling Joan back into my lap and trying to wipe off some of the tomatoes with a dish towel. I only smeared it more over her clothes, and Analemma started to lick the tomatoes off the floor. “Stop it, Ana,” I said, but she didn’t stop.

“Emergency responders are on their way,” the operator said. “What’s your grandmother’s status now?”

“She’s blinking. I think she’s going in and out of consciousness. What happened to her?” I tried to pull Analemma away from the tomatoes, but she was too strong.

“The emergency responders will be able to tell you, but it sounds like she may have had a stroke.”

The operator tried to explain it to me, but I couldn’t pay attention. I was still tugging ineffectually at Analemma’s collar. I’d never seen my grandmother like this before: weak-bodied, limbs flaccid, as if whatever made her who she was had vanished. I felt helpless. Whatever was wrong with her, I couldn’t fix it, and I was terrified that I would somehow accidentally make it worse.

In the distance I heard the wail of sirens, and as the sound grew closer I realized I had to unlock the front door for them. I got up, leaving Joan again, and ran out of the kitchen. Analemma sprinted after me, leaving red pawprints across the floor. I grabbed her, aiming her toward my room. “Analemma, come!” She turned to look at me with her big brown eyes, and there must have been something in my face or voice because, to my relief, she obeyed. I led her into my room and shut the door.