The clinic doors burst open as Thomas rushed inside. “Two puppies—hypothermic,” he said. A vet tech lifted the smaller one first, checking gums and breath.
“Heat pads. O2 at low flow,” the vet ordered, already wrapping the tiny body in warmed blankets. Another tech examined the older pup’s paws—cut and raw from gravel.
The older one refused to lie anywhere except beside the smaller one. Even half-asleep, it pressed its spine against the bundle of towels like a shield.
“He won’t leave him,” a nurse whispered, smiling despite the chaos. “Not for a second.”
