“She’s been hiding it,” Margaret said, already moving. “Protecting it.” Ethan hurried the kit to the clinic as the vet prepared warm towels and oxygen.
Under the white lights, tiny ribs fluttered beneath matted fur. “Come on, little one,” the vet murmured, fitting a mask over its nose.
Through the clinic window, Lily pressed her hand to the glass. “She saved it,” she whispered. Caleb nodded, eyes soft. “Looks that way.”
Back at the enclosure, Margaret closed the gate. Shira curled into the straw at last, breathing slow as the first clean light of morning slid across Maplewood.
