Page 68 of Puppy Love

In. Hold. Out.

The dog snaps at me when I attach it to her collar, but I am unfazed.

“I know, I’m sorry. She’s really friendly, I don’t know—”

I shake my head and scoop Reese into my arms.

My knees buckle for a moment with his full weight, but I gain my footing. I feel his heartbeat against my arms, his pulse thready. The woman’s face grows pale as she stares at him, her dog sitting next to her, now decidedly tranquil.

“Can I do anything? Can I—”

I push past them, my legs shaking. I don’t know if it’s from his motionless weight, or from the feeling that my heart has sunk into my feet. “You’ve done enough.”

I move quickly now, as quickly as I can down the trail. Blood soaks into my jacket, but I don’t know where it’s all coming from. It’s all over him. His neck, his ear, his ribcage, his legs. My boots shuffle through the snow as I try not to slip on the slight decline. I don’t know how long it takes to get to my car, but it feels like eternity.

Reese whimpers when I set him down on the back seat, and I realize, looking at him now, it’s even worse than I thought. Bruises have already started to peek through his thin white coat, and blood has drenched him almost entirely.

I barge into the Greenrock Valley Vet like a force to be reckoned with. The drive from the trail should have been ten minutes, but I made it in four.

I bang on the glass door rapidly but continue to take slow, steady breaths.

In. Hold. Out.

I knock again, my knuckles turning white as they hit the cold glass.

Please, let us in.

A short man with fluffy brown hair spots us from behind the desk. His brows raise with concern as he jogs to the door, pushing it open.

“Our lobby is actually closed. But—”

I stagger into him, Reese held tight in my arms. He whimpers as he breathes, like the movement of inhaling is painful. The man looks down, his eyes widening when they land on Reese’s blood-soaked body.

“Please,” I plead firmly. “Please help him.”

The man nods, using his back to hold the door open. He reaches his hands out, trying to take Reese from my arms. My grip tightens at first, for some reason, but then I let him. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s why I’m here.

“Hey! We got an emergency!” he yells out, disappearing into a hall, Reese draped over his arms. My chest tightens, and just as I begin to follow him, he returns, empty-handed. Red stains seep into the fabric of his uniform, and he slips back behind the desk, quickly pulling out a form.

“Do you know what happened?” he asks, a crease forming on his forehead. My muscles tense, forcing my body to go still. I swallow.

“Dog attack,” I say, grabbing a pen out of the glass jar next to me. I begin to scribble my information down, the ink leaking messily over the page. The man nods.

“We figured. Did you know the dog?”

I shake my head. The man stays silent for a moment, and my gaze shoots up to him, my brows pressing together.

“What?” I ask.

He takes a slow breath.

“They aren’t sure yet, but they think he may have punctured a lung. If so, he’ll have to have surgery, but—” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t look good.”

For a second, everything washes over me. Fear. Guilt. Anger. The words repeat inside of my mind.

It doesn’t look good.

My throat begins to close, and just when I think I’m going to stop breathing, it all washes out. Every thought, every emotion, evaporates into the air. A sinkhole forms in my chest where my heart should be, and I blink blankly at the man.

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