was a hero, plain and simple. The least they could do was give him a decent burial.
But when he finally mustered up the courage to look around for the body, it was nowhere to be seen. Spence did slow a three-sixty, looking up and down the street. None of the locals would have bothered to pick up a dead dog, especially not with a bunch of angry soldiers milling around in the area.
“Did anybody see what happened to the dog?”
Everyone looked around, but no one answered. Was it possible? Spence didn’t give voice to that hope. The chances of an animal that size surviving a bullet wound were pretty damn slim. After all, ammunition was designed to kill a much larger target.
But dogs had a reputation of slinking off into a corner to die. Maybe he’d lived long enough to crawl into the dark shadows of the alley.
“Watch my back.”
Leif nodded and trailed after Spence. Sure enough, he spotted a pale form on the ground about halfway down the alley. Spence started forward, still watching for any sign of more shooters.
“What are you going to do, Spence?”
There was sympathy in Leif’s voice, so Spence gave him an honest answer. “I’m going to bury him.”
“Got something to wrap him in?”
“My shirt.”
He knelt at the dog’s side. Almost of its own accord, his hand reached out to touch the blood soaked fur. To his amazement, the dog whimpered in pain.
“He’s not dead!”
Leif moved around to see better. “Hot damn! Are you sure?”
The dog answered that question when he lifted his head to lick Spence’s hand. Son of a bitch, what was he going to do now? Burying the dog was one thing. Dragging him back to camp was another. Command had issued orders that no pets were allowed.
But this dog was no pet. He was a hero.
Spence stripped out of his shirt. He used his knife to cut off a sleeve to use as a pad over the wound and then gently wrapped the dog in the rest of the shirt. When he stood up, he lifted his wounded buddy off the ground.
“Nick’s not going to be happy.”
“When is he ever happy these days? Besides, this little guy saved his ass, too.”
The rest of the patrol was waiting out in the street. Spence figured Nick spotted the dog immediately, but he didn’t say a word. For the moment, he pretended Spence and the dog didn’t exist.
“Okay, everybody, let’s get moving. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
They made good time the rest of the way back to camp, but the hard part was still ahead of them. The last thing Spence wanted to do was cause a big scene, but he wasn’t going to back down on getting the dog patched up. He owed him that much. So did the rest of the patrol even if they didn’t want to admit it.
But as they approached the gate, the other men silently formed up around Spence, effectively blocking the guard’s view of his burden.
“Quiet boy, we’re almost there.”
The dog whimpered softly but remained settled in Spence’s arms. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they made it past the guard. But even though they were now safely inside the camp, they continued on as a group right to Spence’s door.
“Thanks, guys.”
Nick planted himself right in front of Spence. “What are you going to do? Have you even thought this through?”
They both knew he hadn’t, but that didn’t change anything. He stared down into those trusting eyes and knew he was determined to win this particular battle. “I’m going to put him in a box and track down Sean, the medic. He owes me one.”
Then he held his breath and waited for the explosion. When it didn’t come, he forced his gaze up to meet Nick’s. His friend was staring down at the dog, his face completely devoid of any emotion.
“You get that mutt out of sight, now before anyone else spots him. I’ll find Sean.”
Then he walked away, leaving Spence staring after him in shock. Then the dog whimpered again. Time to see what he could do to make the mutt comfortable until the medic
But when he finally mustered up the courage to look around for the body, it was nowhere to be seen. Spence did slow a three-sixty, looking up and down the street. None of the locals would have bothered to pick up a dead dog, especially not with a bunch of angry soldiers milling around in the area.
“Did anybody see what happened to the dog?”
Everyone looked around, but no one answered. Was it possible? Spence didn’t give voice to that hope. The chances of an animal that size surviving a bullet wound were pretty damn slim. After all, ammunition was designed to kill a much larger target.
But dogs had a reputation of slinking off into a corner to die. Maybe he’d lived long enough to crawl into the dark shadows of the alley.
“Watch my back.”
Leif nodded and trailed after Spence. Sure enough, he spotted a pale form on the ground about halfway down the alley. Spence started forward, still watching for any sign of more shooters.
“What are you going to do, Spence?”
There was sympathy in Leif’s voice, so Spence gave him an honest answer. “I’m going to bury him.”
“Got something to wrap him in?”
“My shirt.”
He knelt at the dog’s side. Almost of its own accord, his hand reached out to touch the blood soaked fur. To his amazement, the dog whimpered in pain.
“He’s not dead!”
Leif moved around to see better. “Hot damn! Are you sure?”
The dog answered that question when he lifted his head to lick Spence’s hand. Son of a bitch, what was he going to do now? Burying the dog was one thing. Dragging him back to camp was another. Command had issued orders that no pets were allowed.
But this dog was no pet. He was a hero.
Spence stripped out of his shirt. He used his knife to cut off a sleeve to use as a pad over the wound and then gently wrapped the dog in the rest of the shirt. When he stood up, he lifted his wounded buddy off the ground.
“Nick’s not going to be happy.”
“When is he ever happy these days? Besides, this little guy saved his ass, too.”
The rest of the patrol was waiting out in the street. Spence figured Nick spotted the dog immediately, but he didn’t say a word. For the moment, he pretended Spence and the dog didn’t exist.
“Okay, everybody, let’s get moving. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
They made good time the rest of the way back to camp, but the hard part was still ahead of them. The last thing Spence wanted to do was cause a big scene, but he wasn’t going to back down on getting the dog patched up. He owed him that much. So did the rest of the patrol even if they didn’t want to admit it.
But as they approached the gate, the other men silently formed up around Spence, effectively blocking the guard’s view of his burden.
“Quiet boy, we’re almost there.”
The dog whimpered softly but remained settled in Spence’s arms. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they made it past the guard. But even though they were now safely inside the camp, they continued on as a group right to Spence’s door.
“Thanks, guys.”
Nick planted himself right in front of Spence. “What are you going to do? Have you even thought this through?”
They both knew he hadn’t, but that didn’t change anything. He stared down into those trusting eyes and knew he was determined to win this particular battle. “I’m going to put him in a box and track down Sean, the medic. He owes me one.”
Then he held his breath and waited for the explosion. When it didn’t come, he forced his gaze up to meet Nick’s. His friend was staring down at the dog, his face completely devoid of any emotion.
“You get that mutt out of sight, now before anyone else spots him. I’ll find Sean.”
Then he walked away, leaving Spence staring after him in shock. Then the dog whimpered again. Time to see what he could do to make the mutt comfortable until the medic
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