Chapter Eighty-Four
Eighty-Four
Retreat
I turn to shout at Joshua, but he’s no longer there. I see him retreating to the steps, red board under his arm, not wanting to see me weep over a dead dog, not wanting to feel responsible.
‘Caleb,’ I say, shuddering with sobs. ‘We need to get the vet.’
‘No time,’ he says, laying Ted on his right side and kneeling next to him. He brings Ted’s back legs up onto his lap, pushes down on his rib cage and water pours out of Ted’s mouth, but he shows no signs of life.
I watch, frozen, as Caleb puts his ear to Ted’s little snout and listens for signs of breathing.
‘Shit,’ he says, and looks at me desperately. Clamping Ted’s mouth together, he breathes into Ted’s nose, making his chest rise and fall. When nothing happens after a couple of breaths, he finds Ted’s last rib and begins chest compressions, using the heel of his hand on Ted’s side.
With an expulsion of water and vomit, Ted comes back to life.