On his way up to the apartment, Graham held a large tray piled with buttered toast and scrambled eggs that were likely too cold now and a couple of slabs of bacon—or was that pancetta? He balanced a couple cups of coffee as well. He didn’t think he had time to convince Paige of the necessity to attend the meeting and still have time to go back down to eat. As it was, they were going to be late because he was certain she wouldn’t want to go to the meeting. He would need time to convince her. Not only that, she was wearing his clothes all rolled up at the cuffs and sleeves. He didn’t need any more of Rick’s crap. She needed something decent to wear. Thankfully Cheryl, although two years older than Tehya, could still fit into some of her things.
When he’d left that morning to check on Clarisse, they were still asleep in a cacophony of snores, but as he walked up the stairs now, he heard noises coming from his floor. A lot of sounds that didn’t sound like snoring at all. Laughing or wait…was that shrieking? Graham held the tray higher and began to run up the steps two at a time, unsure of the commotion. One of the coffees suddenly fell to the ground with a spectacular splash. Was the noise even coming from his apartment? Then, after one particular shriek, Graham’s stomach clenched, and he dropped the entire tray of food, giving up and letting the rest of it scatter down the stairs. Pulling his weapon from his holster, he ran. That was Tehya!
Flinging the apartment door open wide, Graham couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Dad!” Tehya screamed when she saw him and ran to his side.
Bang also had his weapon out with the muzzle lowered and stood there staring but eyed Graham, shaking his head at the scene.
The girl Cheryl was crying in the far corner of the apartment.
But the curious thing was…Sheriff.
“What’s wrong with him!” Tehya screamed through sobs. “Please help him, Daddy, help him!”
Graham couldn’t tear his eyes away from Sheriff. He whined and cried and flopped around while Paige buried her head in his neck, sobbing. “It’s all right…It’s all right,” she kept repeating over and over, never looking up at the other humans in the room.
Graham knelt down by Tehya’s side and said, “Sweet pea, it’s okay. Stay right here.”
He motioned with his left hand for Bang to step back as he approached Sheriff and Paige.
He knelt down again near Sheriff’s back end. Reaching his hand out, Graham stroked the dog’s coat and whispered, “It’s okay, Sheriff.”
Then Paige suddenly flung her injured arms out, shielding the dog, and pierced Graham again with watery, angry eyes. “His name is Enzo!”