After Hours at Dooryard Books

Walt can usually be relied on to sleep until somebody jangles his leash at him, so Patrick isn’t expecting to wake up to a wet nose in his face and the sound of whimpering. When Patrick opens his eyes, Walt is staring tragically at him. It’s barely light out.

“All right, all right.” Patrick scrambles to put on some pants and shoes, then snaps the leash on Walt’s collar and opens the apartment door as quietly as possible so they don’t wake Nathaniel.

Walt tugs at the leash. Usually Walt has to be practically dragged around the block in the morning, then passes back out a few minutes after they come home.

Whatever labor union he belongs to regards forty-five minutes as the longest shift anyone can work without a nap.