Chapter 5 #3
The dog tucked its chin even lower, as if it was trying to fold into itself to disappear.
Liam crouched down, thinking maybe if he was at its level, it would be less scared.
When he did, he saw the way its ribs heaved under the thin layer of fur as its entire body trembled.
He recognized hunger when he saw it, and fear.
Liam backed away slowly, not making any sudden movements, went inside, and returned with his unfinished dinner.
He set the food down and then sat down beside the tray with his back to the pup so it wouldn’t feel threatened.
His plan worked. Within thirty seconds, the smell lured the dog closer, stepping with cautious hesitancy.
When it finally reached the food, it inhaled the chicken in a matter of seconds, then the sweet potato grits were next, licking the tray clean with frantic, desperate energy. Once those were finished off, Liam picked up the carrot and held the bite out to the pup.
Liam waited, barely breathing, fingers pinched around the vegetable disc as the dog debated whether or not to trust him.
Soulful brown eyes flicked from the carrot to Liam and then back again.
He watched as the dog’s body stayed rooted in place, a good foot away from him, but its neck stretched and it gently retrieved the offered food with its front baby teeth, then quickly pulled its head back to safety to eat it.
Next, Liam picked up a green bean, and it was the exact same routine: eyes flicking, neck stretch, gentle grab, immediate retreat, eat.
By the time Liam was picking up the final carrot, the dog had moved so it was not only standing beside Liam but also had one paw on Liam’s leg, as if to say, “Hey, I’d still like more food, don’t forget I’m here. ”
Once the tray was empty, he held it and allowed the pup to lick it clean before he stood to go back inside.
Without so much as a command, or invitation for that matter, the dog followed him, head held high, tail wagging, paws click-clacking over the hardwood like it always belonged there.
Liam noticed that it had a hitch in its back step.
He wasn’t sure if it was hurt or maybe just stiff.
The dog didn’t seem to be in pain, but he wasn’t exactly a dog expert.
Figuring if it was that hungry, it was probably also thirsty, he filled a bowl of water and set it down. The dog lapped at it greedily, water sloshing over the edge onto the tile floor.
When it was finished, it sat down on its haunches and looked up at him with those enormous eyes as if to say, “Okay, what next?”
“What am I going to do with you?” Liam asked as he crouched down and let the dog smell the back of his hand.
The dog sniffed his knuckles, then ducked under his fingers and pressed its head up against his palm, nuzzling into him, stretching its neck up, not giving Liam any choice but to pet it.
He almost laughed. There was something about this dog, some familiar mischief and defiance bottled inside its little body, as though the universe had sent him a living, breathing reminder of the best, bossiest thing he'd ever known.
Frankie.
I’m losing my mind, he thought. That had to be it. First, the scent. Then feeling her presence. Then her in dog form.
He shook his head. “I don’t even know if you’re a girl.”
As if on cue, the dog rolled over on its back to get its belly rubbed and revealed that, in fact, she was a girl.
This was getting ridiculous. He was just tired. He’d been up for nearly forty hours. He stood and looked down at her and announced, “Bedtime.”
Liam briefly considered the implications of bringing a stray animal into his bedroom, thought about fleas, ticks, and whatever else she might be carrying, then shrugged. It wasn't like he was sharing the bed with anyone else these days.
Without any encouragement, she followed beside him as he walked to his room.
She stayed in the shotgun position as he went through his nighttime routine.
She followed him into the en-suite bathroom and sat on the mat as he stripped out of his clothes and tossed them into the basket, flossed, and brushed his teeth.
She didn’t take her eyes off Liam as he made her a makeshift bed of a pillow, throw blanket, and towel in the corner of the room. “You sleep here.”
Clearly unconvinced, she eyed the blanket bed and then stared up at him.
He picked her up, and it was the first time he realized just how tiny she was.
He could fit her entire body in his hand, literally.
As he set her down in the middle of the fluffy blanket, her ribs were cradled in his palm…
she was just skin and skeleton, she had no meat on her at all.
“Stay,” he commanded before going to his bed, sliding under the cool sheets, and shutting off the lights.
For a moment, all was silent. Then, from the corner, came the unmistakable sound of a dog whining—high, nasal, and persistent.
“Go to sleep,” he instructed firmly.
The whining stopped for a second, then returned, louder this time.
He pulled the pillow over his ears, determined to outlast her.
But the noise got louder and louder. It wasn’t until he felt his blanket pulling that he realized she was pawing at the side of the bed, whimpering with the conviction of a creature who knew exactly how to break down human resistance.
He flipped on his side and glared down at her. She stood with her front paws on the edge of the bed, tail wagging a mile a minute, eyes fixed on him with a look that said, you know how this ends.
“You can’t sleep in my bed,” he stated sternly. “I made you a bed.”
She responded by stretching her front paws higher, nearly making it up onto the mattress, her tail a blur of excited anticipation. It wasn’t the tail, the paws, or even the whining that got him though. It was the eyes. Those huge brown eyes. He’d always been a sucker for big brown eyes.
“Fine.” He relented with a heavy sigh. “One night. That’s it.”
Reaching down, he scooped her up and set her gently on the other side of the bed.
She immediately stood and walked the few steps to him, went directly to the crook of his armpit, circled three times, then curled into a ball and pressed herself against his side, head resting on his chest. Her entire body let out a long sigh and then went completely limp, like she was settling into the first real comfort she’d had in weeks. Which, it may have been.
“It’s just one night. Tomorrow, we’re going to figure out where you belong.”
His fingers found her head, as if they had a mind of their own, and stroked her, brushing down her silky ears. “This is not how I imagined having a redhead in my bed again.”
She responded with a gentle, sleepy snort, smacked her lips a little, then closed her eyes.
He lay there for a long time, hand resting on her head, listening to her breathing. It was a companionable silence, the kind that made his chest warm with a weird, unexpected gratitude. He hadn’t realized how much he missed this—just the simple closeness of another living thing.
She didn’t stir, just snuggled closer, her small body radiating warmth and trust.
Liam closed his eyes and drifted off, the scent of dog and mountain air mingling in his head, the ache in his chest eased for the first time in weeks, or maybe months, or maybe years.