* * * * *
Savannah was on edge waiting for the realtor to call and couldn’t focus on her work. She thought some fresh air might help, so she stepped outside and sat on the front stoop. After a moment, Savannah realized Nanny hadn’t come to greet her as usual. Curious what the old pit might be up to, Savannah wandered around the yard to find her.
After circling the small yard, Savannah hadn’t found Nanny and she began to worry. What if she had gotten out? Savannah went to check the shed and found Nanny laying on the floor. “Hey, old girl,” Savannah called.
Nanny whimpered. For a moment, her front paws scuffed on the flooring like she wanted to get up. After a moment, she stopped the scuffing and started to whimper again, her tail thumping on the ground as she stared at Savannah.
Savannah bent down beside Nanny. She knew something was wrong, but didn’t know what. She carefully ran her hands over the dog’s body. Nanny had been losing weight lately, so her bones were much more obvious under Savannah’s gentle hands than they’d been only weeks ago. When Savannah’s hand reached Nanny’s hip, the dog yelped and started whimpering again.
“I’m going to be right back, Nanny. Okay?” Savannah spoke softly and walked out of the shed. She ran inside to get her cell phone and called Gabriel. He didn’t answer on the first call. Savannah called two more times in rapid procession. Finally, he picked up.
“Savannah? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” The sound of a motor running in the background made Gabriel’s anxious words muffled.
“It’s Nanny. Something’s wrong with her.” Savannah felt the anxiety building in her chest as she spoke the words aloud.
“What do you mean something is wrong with her?” Gabriel asked.
“She’s laying in the shed and can’t get up. I think it’s her hip.” Savannah responded.
Gabriel was quiet a moment. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Okay?”
“Okay,” Savannah responded.
“Stay with her until I get there, please?” Gabriel’s voice was distressed. That was understandable. For as much as Savannah loved Nanny, that old dog had been Gabriel’s shadow for more than fifteen years. That was how she got her name. Gabriel said the dog was like his “own personal nanny” because of what a watchful eye she’d always kept on him.
Savannah went back into the shed, where Nanny whimpered again as she tried to stand. She patted the dog’s head, pulling it into her lap as she’d done so many times before. Savannah prayed Gabriel got there quickly because she didn’t know what else to do.
Chapter 21
Savannah heard a car pull into the driveway twenty minutes after she got off the phone. Seconds later, Gabriel appeared in the doorway of the shed. His face blanched when he looked at Nanny, who seemed to be getting worse. She hadn’t even tried to stand in the last ten minutes, and Savannah felt in her gut this was the good old girl’s end.
“Hey, Nanny,” Gabriel said as he bent down near the pit’s side. “What’s the matter?” Nanny made a very small effort to rise but stopped. Savannah saw a single tear run from Gabriel’s eye, but knowing how he felt about men crying, she didn’t comment. Shaking his head and never taking his eyes from Nanny, Gabriel said, “Go get a thick blanket. We’re going to take her to the emergency vet.”
Savannah nodded and ran off to do as she was told. When she returned with the blanket, Gabriel very carefully slid it under the dog. He wrapped her up and with slow, careful tenderness, Gabriel lifted the dog into his arms much like he would a child. Nanny whimpered when Gabriel did that, but she let him carry her. There wasn’t a mean bone in her body. Even in pain, Nanny didn’t bite or even snap.
Gabriel made it to his car and told Savannah to drive as he climbed into the backseat with Nanny. Savannah once again did as she was told, and was soon pulling in front of the veterinarian’s office.
Savannah went inside and spoke to someone. Two female vets came out with a wide stretcher to get Nanny. Gabriel and Savannah followed behind and were told to wait in the waiting room.
Gabriel’s face was miserable, and Savannah shared in his pain. It seemed years had passed before a vet in a white doctor’s coat came walking into the waiting room. It was late, and the two of them were the only ones there.
“Hi, Mr. Cano? I’m Doctor Sam. I know you usually see Doctor Davis, but he isn’t in today.” She held out a hand and shook Gabriel’s. The doctor’s face looked sympathetic as she continued. “I wish I had good news, but unfortunately, I don’t. Nanny broke her hip. It’s possible to set it and hope it heals, but considering her age, I think euthanasia is the kinder option.”
“Euthanasia?” Gabriel’s voice broke, but he still didn’t cry.
Doctor Sam nodded. “Yes. She’s very close to twenty years old, according to her charts, and this is likely only the first of many fractures if you choose the other route.”
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I hear you.” He paused. “Okay. Can I see her? Get a few minutes first?”
The doctor nodded. “Of course. Take your time.” She smiled sadly. “Nanny is a very good dog. Most dogs we see under so much duress tend towards biting or growling. Nanny hasn’t once nipped any of us. She just wants some love, and it's obvious you've given her a lot of that.”
Gabriel nodded. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he followed the vet back to the room where they had Nanny. Savannah had wondered if she should follow, but Gabriel held onto her hand and pulled her along, answering the question before it was voiced.
Nanny lay on a table with short walls on either side. She whimpered as Savannah and Gabriel entered the room, her tail wagging for a second. Savannah stood behind Gabriel, and he reached out his hand to pat the pit’s head.
“Hey, old girl,” Gabriel said. “It’s going to be okay.” He nodded his head as he stroked Nanny’s back, careful to stay well above her hips. “We’ve had some good times, huh? But now it’s time to rest.”
The vet who’d been standing behind them moved forward with a syringe when Gabriel looked at her and gave a nod. Gabriel continued to rub Nanny’s head with one hand. He squeezed Savannah’s hand with the other as the vet injected a brightly-colored solution using a syringe. Nanny briefly twitched and whimpered in pain. She stared at Gabriel and gave a final wag of her tail. After an abnormally deep breath, Nanny stopped moving.
The vet waited a few seconds before moving towards the table with her stethoscope. She listened for a moment and when she raised her head, Savannah saw unshed tears in the vet’s eyes. Doctor Sam said, “She’s moved on to a better place, now.”
Gabriel nodded. He leaned down and kissed Nanny’s head. After a moment of staring at his longtime companion’s body, he moved towards the door. They’d already made arrangements to have Nanny cremated and there was nothing else they could do.
* * * * *
Gabriel sat in the car, still parked in the driveway of Savannah’s house. He’d asked her to drive home, feeling physically and mentally unable for even that small effort. Savannah said nothing for a long time. Gabriel watched as she looked in his direction and then away. Staring straight ahead, the motion was visible only from the corner of his eye. Gabriel was lost in a memory of the day he’d found Nanny, only a tiny puppy then.