Eric and Mila are two of our best trainers and they really know what they’re doing, and Don is the kennel’s caretaker and he’s really good at his job, but I need to go out and look for Didar myself, nothing else would do.
“How long has it been?”
The kid looks down at the screen of his cell. “Half an hour I think, I’m really sorry I…”
“Shit!” I rush out of the kennel without letting him finish.
Siberian Huskies, particularly young ones, have stamina and are very excitable: they can run for miles without getting tired and when they see an open space they just go, especially if they sniff prey.
Half an hour wouldn’t be such a disaster with a puppy of a different breed, but Didar could be on the other side of the woods that surround our facilities already and there’s a fucking freeway there.
I jump into my car and drive faster than I should just knowing that as curious as he is, Didar probably followed the traffic’s noise to go see what the fuss was all about.
I get Mila on the phone as I drive and she tells me Didar was so fast, they didn’t even catch a glimpse of him —he was gone in moments— and that she and the guys split to cover more ground and are searching the woods on foot.
I tell her to keep me posted and five minutes later she texts me saying that Eric found a trail and my worst fear becomes a reality when she adds that it points north and to the freeway.
I get on the road and there’s so much traffic, I realize I could never make it with my jeep, so I park into a rest area and dash into the woods on foot, keeping to the external perimeter.
I can only hope Didar got scared of the fast-moving cars and trucks and just stopped on the border of the freeway.
I’ve been running just for a few minutes when I spot a blur of black and white rush through the trees on the edge of the forest and then cut right into the middle of the traffic at breakneck speed.
My heart just stops and my hands start to shake as I scream his name at the top of my lungs.
“Didar, no!”
I hear skidding tires and horns blaring and then my vision is blocked by a swerving truck.
I hear a thud and a single high-pitched whine, and my blood runs cold.
For a moment I don’t move, my hands are shaking, my vision is blurred and there’s a ringing sound in my ears; then the icy grip of the shock slackens a little and I rush forward.
The impact with the truck threw Didar back into the treeline and now he’s lying on his side, unmoving.
I see the other trainers run to him as my mind fills with pictures of him.
I see him all fluffy and small, so small, barely fitting in the palm of my hand when he arrived, orphaned and still in need of being weaned. I see him running around me in circles, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth as he yaps and playfully barks and growls at me.
I reach his side and kneel down, my heart breaking as I stare at him and then I hear it: a small feeble whimper that fills me with hope and relief and before I know it, I’m picking Didar up and cradling him to my chest. I can feel the beat of his heart and his breath on my shoulder.
I hear Mila sobbing that I shouldn’t move him, but fuck it, I can see blood seep into his fur and soaking it, I’m not waiting for someone to show up to save him, not with this much traffic, I can’t risk his life like that. There’s so much blood I can’t even see where his injury is or if there’s more than one.
“It’s okay, buddy, I got you… hang on. Don’t be scared, I got you.”
Didar whines softly and I feel his body start to shake.
I keep him securely in my arms and run toward my jeep, making sure not to jostle him too much.
I gently place him on the back seat and cover him with a blanket.
Incredibly enough, he opens one of his soulful icy-blue eyes and looks up at me, yelping.
“Hang on in there, pup, I’ve got you. Please be strong…”
I get behind the wheel, cursing the bastard that destroyed our foundation as I drive away. We have a state-of-the-art clinic within the facilities but bringing Didar there would accomplish nothing, since there’s no medical staff.
I swear that if something goes wrong and Didar doesn’t make it, I’m gonna end the fucker myself, I don’t care if he is behind bars already, they won’t be enough to keep him safe from me.
Thank God there’s a clinic that’s only a few minutes away if I really push it. I took Didar and the other puppies there a couple of months ago for their shots and check-ups.
I only need for this fucking traffic to let up a little.
I hear the puppy whimper again and I grip the steering wheel harder.
“Didar, hang in there, buddy… we’re almost there. Be strong…”
–*–
I rush into the vet hospital holding Didar in my arms and yelling for someone to help us. He lost consciousness just as I stopped the jeep and his body is getting colder and colder now, despite the thick fur covering it.
People in colorful scrubs and white coats immediately run up to me with a stretcher.
“He was hit by a truck, lost a lot of blood… he’s unconscious. Please! Please do something! Help him!” I cry, once again succumbing to panic.
Someone takes Didar from me and lays him on the stretcher and start to wheel him away.
I run beside the stretcher answering the questions fired at me as fast as I can and then another vet comes running and when I see her face, my heart jolts in my chest.
“Tess!”
“Axel!”
Some nurse or something blocks my path. “Sorry, sir… you can’t come in there, that’s our operating room…”
“What the fuck are you saying?” I ask, glaring down at him.
Tess comes between us and I feel her small hand on my racing heart.
“Axe, he needs surgery and a transfusion. I need you to stay here and stay calm, okay? I’ll do everything in my power to save him.”
I gulp down, forcing my hands into fists to stop them from shaking.
“Promise?” I ask her.
She stops with one hand on the double doors and nods gravely. “I promise.”
Chapter 4
TESS
Five hours later I finally step out of the operating room, I’m exhausted, but I did it: I kept my promise.
For a little while it almost looked like we were gonna lose the puppy on the table, the injuries weren’t lethal, yet the amount of lost blood nearly killed him, but he is very strong and pulled through.
Axel stops pacing, his head swiveling on his neck as soon as I push through the doors.
“Is he… is he okay?” he asks, the pain and concern in his broken voice nearly bringing tears to my eyes.
I nod, smiling at him for good measure. “Yes, Axel, he’s gonna make it.”
“Really?!” he asks, beaming as he rushes up to me.
“Really, he’s a tough little guy: he was a champ in there.”