When Thomas returned the next morning, the clinic smelled faintly of coffee and antiseptic. A nurse was already kneeling by the kennel, laughing softly.
“Your buddies had breakfast without you,” she said. Switch’s tail wagged weakly; Tracks stood over him, chewing on the edge of the towel like a tiny guardian.
Thomas crouched, smiling. “Looks like someone’s on duty again.” The pup’s ears flicked toward his voice, tail giving one quick wag before settling back beside his brother.
“He slept beside the little one all night,” the nurse whispered. “Didn’t move once.”
