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As soon as Adam let her head go, Thea started licking at her paw.
“I can carry her back.”
I looked at him, eyes wide.
“She weighs a hundred and five pounds,” I said. “Plus she hates being picked up.”
“Let’s clean up and we’ll give it a try.”
Five minutes later, Adam and I were walking along the trail, Thea cradled in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.
* * *
Adam
Bench pressingweights is nothing compared to carrying a hundred-pound dog more than a mile along a dirt trail. We had to stop a couple times so I could put Thea down and shake out my arms, but eventually we made it.
Thankfully Summer had driven the trail and her car was just across from its entrance. Summer opened the back door and I set Thea on the seat and she immediately laid down and started licking her paw.
“Thank you so much,” she said as she closed the back door and opened the driver’s door.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Oh.” She shook her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
Summer studied me for a minute then nodded and got behind the wheel. I jogged around the front of the car and settled into the passenger seat. Before I clicked my seatbelt into place, we were off, driving toward the clinic. It took us about twenty minutes to get there and neither of us spoke the entire time.
She pulled up to the back door of the clinic and we both got out of the car.
“Should I carry her in?”
“She should be okay to walk,” she said. “Come on, baby.”
Thea hopped out of the car and I closed the door behind her. Summer unlocked the clinic door and we followed her inside and down the hallway to an exam room. She opened cabinets and drawers, taking out a variety of items and setting them on a rolling tray. It seems excessive for a broken nail, but she’s the doctor.
She looked at the pile and nodded, seemingly satisfied, then walked over to the sink and washed her hands. When she was done, I did the same.
“What can I do to help?” I asked as I ripped a paper towel off the roll and dried my hands.
Summer pressed her foot against the button on the floor and the exam table lowered.
“Come on, girl.” She tapped the table and Thea stood and walked right onto it. “Just stand by her head and pet her.”
I stood by Thea and did as I was asked, talking softly to keep her distracted. It didn’t totally work, but at least I was able to keep her from moving too much.
“Okay, that should do it.” Summer straightened. “Now I just have to wrap it up.”
She squirted a gob of antibiotic cream on a gauze pad and pressed it against Thea’s paw. Once that was in place, she wrapped it in a thick gauze from the tip of her foot up to what I’d call the elbow. She followed that with a thinner gauze, then added two layers of bright pink tape.
Summer lowered the table and Thea hobbled off. I tried not to laugh as she attempted to keep her wrapped paw from touching the ground as she walked.
“How long does she have to keep that on?” I asked.
“In a perfect world, five days. But unless I put a cone of shame on her, I doubt it will stay on more than two.” Summer tossed the clippers, tweezers, and scissors into the sink and threw the empty packaging into the garbage. “I’m going to run to the back to grab some medication. I’ll be right back.”
Thea watched Summer leave, but didn’t follow. Instead, she licked at the bandage on her paw.
