“Ma,
stop!” Her son Nicky yelled as Trista rounded a curve in the
road.
She hit the brakes and swerved off the road. Her eyes wild, she whirled in her seat to glare at her son. “Don’t ever do that again!” she barked. Nicky’s eyes were wide with alarm at her sudden outburst and she felt the need to jump out of the driver’s seat and climb into the back to apologize. “I’m sorry, honey, you scared me. Why did you want me to stop?”
“There’s a dog laying on the bank back there.” he said softly, afraid to set her off again. “I think it’s hurt.”
Trista eyed him. “You want me to pick up a stray dog off the side of the road?” Nicky nodded. “Nicky, I think I should explain to you about stray dogs. They could have diseases. They might bite. You never know what you could get from a….” Her son looked up at her in the soft glow of the dome light. His wide brown eyes were brimmed with tears. “Nicky, we can’t just pick up some dog off the road.” She said finally, backing out of the car to return to her seat. He nodded again, as if he understood, and pulled his knees to his chest in the seat. “Nicky, don’t look so sad. It’s not like it’s our dog.” she said, settling into the driver’s seat. Nicky nodded again. Trista started the engine. She didn’t move the car for a long moment. “Oh, for pity sake.” she exclaimed, turning the car around. She pulled off the road next to the dog on the bank. “Nicky, get into the front.” She got out and walked around the car and stood looking at the dog.
The boy was so thrilled he leapt from the car and hugged her before climbing into the seat next to the driver’s. “Need help, Ma?” he asked.
Trista grimaced. The poor thing was missing its right front leg and there was blood on the grass covering the embankment. “No, you stay right where you are.” she said firmly. She left the dog and went to the trunk.
“Ma?” Nicky called. “He’s still moving.”
“Yes, Nicky, I saw that.” Trista replied. “Good grief, how could that happen to an animal like that?” she wondered aloud as she pulled two torn sheets from the trunk and ripped one into a few even strips. The second one she lay on the back seat and then approached the animal. “Hi, there, fella.” she said softly. The dog let out a barely audible whine. “Lay still, there. I’m here to help.” It whined again and lay it’s head back against the tree behind it. Trista balled up a few of the strips in her hand and placed them against the gaping wound at the dog’s shoulder, then wrapped a few more around it and tied them securely. Her boyfriend Martin was their local vet and she’d helped in his office a few times. “Ok, fella, let’s go for a ride.” she said. She gently lifted the dog from the ground and, staggering, carried it to her car.
“He’s bigger than he looked.” Nicky said as Trista slid the ailing animal into the seat behind him.
“Yeah, I think he might be part St. Bernard.” she agreed. She returned to the driver’s seat and pulled out her cell phone. She called her mother to tell her she’d be especially late to dinner and then called Martin. “Marty, I found a dog missing a leg.”
Marty sighed. “What’s so special about that, Trista? I’ve seen dozens of them. Sometimes I’m the one who takes the leg off.”
“No, listen. I found this dog on the side of the road. It looks like it might have been caught in something and the leg was ripped off.”
“Bring it over.” he replied. Trista flipped the phone shut and tried to concentrate on driving. Her injured passenger was whining in the back seat.
“Hold on, fella.” she said softly. The dog seemed to understand her. She was glad. She was pretty sure this guy would do them no harm. “Nicky, pour some of my water into that cup lid and see if you can get him to drink.”
The boy did as he was told and turned in the seat to offer the dog the lid. He lapped at it. “Must be thirsty.” Nicky said.
“Loosing a lot of blood will do that to ya.” Trista replied. She smiled at her son. “Even if you’re a dog.”
Nicky smiled. “I like him. I hope he’ll be okay. Can we keep him?”
“Oh, Nicky…” she tried to say no, even envisioned herself saying it. She pictured his sad eyes as they dropped the animal off at Marty’s and left. Marty would send it to the SPCA if it survived. Chances are it would not be adopted and be put to sleep in a few months anyway. She glanced at Nicky out of the corner of her eye. He was busily attending to their passenger. “Okay, if he turns out to be okay, we’ll keep him.”
Marty waited at the door and came running out as they pulled up. He was dressed in surgery scrubs and took the dog into the animal hospital without so much as a “hello.” Trista and Nicky sat quietly in the waiting room for an hour. Finally, Marty returned, hanging his head. “He didn’t make it.” he whispered to Trista. She looked up at him, then looked at Nicky, tears filling her eyes.
“Oh, Marty.” she sighed.
Nicky looked up and sniffled. He knew the dog was dead. He didn’t need to hear Marty say it. “Ma?”
“Yeah, Nicky.”
“Can we take him home and bury him as if he was ours?”
“Yeah, baby, okay.”
“Ma?”
“Yeah, Nicky.”
“Can we put ‘Shadow’ on the cross?”
“I think he would have liked ‘Shadow’.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
She hit the brakes and swerved off the road. Her eyes wild, she whirled in her seat to glare at her son. “Don’t ever do that again!” she barked. Nicky’s eyes were wide with alarm at her sudden outburst and she felt the need to jump out of the driver’s seat and climb into the back to apologize. “I’m sorry, honey, you scared me. Why did you want me to stop?”
“There’s a dog laying on the bank back there.” he said softly, afraid to set her off again. “I think it’s hurt.”
Trista eyed him. “You want me to pick up a stray dog off the side of the road?” Nicky nodded. “Nicky, I think I should explain to you about stray dogs. They could have diseases. They might bite. You never know what you could get from a….” Her son looked up at her in the soft glow of the dome light. His wide brown eyes were brimmed with tears. “Nicky, we can’t just pick up some dog off the road.” She said finally, backing out of the car to return to her seat. He nodded again, as if he understood, and pulled his knees to his chest in the seat. “Nicky, don’t look so sad. It’s not like it’s our dog.” she said, settling into the driver’s seat. Nicky nodded again. Trista started the engine. She didn’t move the car for a long moment. “Oh, for pity sake.” she exclaimed, turning the car around. She pulled off the road next to the dog on the bank. “Nicky, get into the front.” She got out and walked around the car and stood looking at the dog.
The boy was so thrilled he leapt from the car and hugged her before climbing into the seat next to the driver’s. “Need help, Ma?” he asked.
Trista grimaced. The poor thing was missing its right front leg and there was blood on the grass covering the embankment. “No, you stay right where you are.” she said firmly. She left the dog and went to the trunk.
“Ma?” Nicky called. “He’s still moving.”
“Yes, Nicky, I saw that.” Trista replied. “Good grief, how could that happen to an animal like that?” she wondered aloud as she pulled two torn sheets from the trunk and ripped one into a few even strips. The second one she lay on the back seat and then approached the animal. “Hi, there, fella.” she said softly. The dog let out a barely audible whine. “Lay still, there. I’m here to help.” It whined again and lay it’s head back against the tree behind it. Trista balled up a few of the strips in her hand and placed them against the gaping wound at the dog’s shoulder, then wrapped a few more around it and tied them securely. Her boyfriend Martin was their local vet and she’d helped in his office a few times. “Ok, fella, let’s go for a ride.” she said. She gently lifted the dog from the ground and, staggering, carried it to her car.
“He’s bigger than he looked.” Nicky said as Trista slid the ailing animal into the seat behind him.
“Yeah, I think he might be part St. Bernard.” she agreed. She returned to the driver’s seat and pulled out her cell phone. She called her mother to tell her she’d be especially late to dinner and then called Martin. “Marty, I found a dog missing a leg.”
Marty sighed. “What’s so special about that, Trista? I’ve seen dozens of them. Sometimes I’m the one who takes the leg off.”
“No, listen. I found this dog on the side of the road. It looks like it might have been caught in something and the leg was ripped off.”
“Bring it over.” he replied. Trista flipped the phone shut and tried to concentrate on driving. Her injured passenger was whining in the back seat.
“Hold on, fella.” she said softly. The dog seemed to understand her. She was glad. She was pretty sure this guy would do them no harm. “Nicky, pour some of my water into that cup lid and see if you can get him to drink.”
The boy did as he was told and turned in the seat to offer the dog the lid. He lapped at it. “Must be thirsty.” Nicky said.
“Loosing a lot of blood will do that to ya.” Trista replied. She smiled at her son. “Even if you’re a dog.”
Nicky smiled. “I like him. I hope he’ll be okay. Can we keep him?”
“Oh, Nicky…” she tried to say no, even envisioned herself saying it. She pictured his sad eyes as they dropped the animal off at Marty’s and left. Marty would send it to the SPCA if it survived. Chances are it would not be adopted and be put to sleep in a few months anyway. She glanced at Nicky out of the corner of her eye. He was busily attending to their passenger. “Okay, if he turns out to be okay, we’ll keep him.”
Marty waited at the door and came running out as they pulled up. He was dressed in surgery scrubs and took the dog into the animal hospital without so much as a “hello.” Trista and Nicky sat quietly in the waiting room for an hour. Finally, Marty returned, hanging his head. “He didn’t make it.” he whispered to Trista. She looked up at him, then looked at Nicky, tears filling her eyes.
“Oh, Marty.” she sighed.
Nicky looked up and sniffled. He knew the dog was dead. He didn’t need to hear Marty say it. “Ma?”
“Yeah, Nicky.”
“Can we take him home and bury him as if he was ours?”
“Yeah, baby, okay.”
“Ma?”
“Yeah, Nicky.”
“Can we put ‘Shadow’ on the cross?”
“I think he would have liked ‘Shadow’.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”