Finally, in a single painful moment of trust, the dog stepped back just enough. Manny slid his arms beneath the girl’s fragile body and lifted her. She weighed almost nothing. It was like he was carrying a bundle of clothes.
As he hurried toward his patrol car, the dog trotted at his heel, refusing to fall behind, as if tethered to the girl by an invisible thread. Inside the car, as the heater roared awake, the girl’s eyes fluttered open. She released a faint, crumbling whisper, “Max…,” before slumping back into unconsciousness. Manny assumed she meant the dog.