The Silent Leader

The fallen

"Chase!" I bark as he falls off the bed, his body collapsing onto the floor in a heap. I peer over the bed speechless until I see the gradual rise and falls of his chest. With great effort I pull myself over to the nurse calling button, hitting it a little hard until she walks in the door.

"Hey Rocky what can I do for...where's the other pup?" She asks, suddenly becoming worried. I facepaw as I give a half hearted whimper, "He's over to the left of my bed! He.. he just collapsed! I think he's hurt!"

She runs across the room and stops to look at him before gingerly picking him up into her arms. "Easy now, you've fallen down." She says gently as Chase's eyes slowly flutter back open. "Don't touch me, I'm fine." He snaps weakly, bracing his paws against her shoulder as she calls her hall's doctor.

"I'll be the judge of that." The doctor says as he quickly brings Chase to the table opposite from me. He pulls a scapple out of his vest pocket, "Now Chase is it? I'm going to remove your uniform on this side ok? Try not to struggle."

Chase's dull eyes alright with something I don't see much of in the pup, fear. "Get that thing away from me!" He cried as he watched the blade make its way to him. "Chase he's not going to hurt you, don't be afraid." I say gently, now suspended to Chase's left by the nurse who so graciously lifted me into her arms. Chase just laughs, trying to bat the scapple out of the doctors hand.

"Chase, I cannot help you if you don't let me." He says calmly, showing years of dealing with agoraphobics. "Then leave me alone, I'm fine! Just a little tired. And for howling out loud... I'll never have another scapple near me again, try it and see what happens!" Chase growls, trying in vain to stand. "I wouldn't do that." The nurse says before he falls down again. He turns to look at me, misery and an old fear plain as day on his face. I slowly shake my head until whatever fight was in him dies out. His eyes bore into mine as they begin to fade. He growls weakly and closes his eyes, trying his best to forget about the doctor. It pains him to do so, realizing that he needs someone else's help, he's always been that way. I think as the doctor splices open his vest.

His side is a horror story of burns alone, one long wound running from back hip to front foreleg. Towards the front you can see where it had already been gauzed over once, probably by himself, but the rest just deteriorated against the blood flow that continued to pump through the open scratch.  Tell tale signs of infection already beginning to show, the skin around the edges already taking on a sickly grey color. 

I want to cry at the sight, knowing that had I jumped out of the way fast enough he wouldn't have had to come in and get me. The idiot should've got himself help! "Why didn't you tell anyone about you Chase? How'd that happen??" I whine, shedding a tear at the fallen shepherd before burying my head into the nurse's shoulder. "You don't know the world the way I do, and I figured you'd remember me! Guess I'm not that good of a kisser then."he laughs before coughing.

"Shush don't speak, save what's left of your energy." The nurse says quietly, gently laying me down in a chair. "I'm going to get his owner, stay here." She says to me before heading out the door. "Will he be ok doc?" I ask, not knowing if I could take the wrong answer. He shakes his head slightly, "Too early to tell. The wound has already been cauterized somewhat from the burns that follow the gash, I'd bet whatever cut him was inflamed or searingly hot."

I try to think back to when I was being dragged by my rescuer, who I now know is Chase. I should've known, Chase is the only pup I know whose scent smells that way.  I take a deep breath through my nose, taking in Chase's scent from my seat beside the table. As if brought alive through the act, I'm thrown back into one of the scariest event's of my life, the great warehouse of 12th Street ablaze with me stuck inside. Along with the pup who both saved my life... and apparently shares the feelings I so desperately wanted to tell him... and now when the question I've asked myself time and time again, could Chase like me too? I know the answer now, I know who I want to be with the rest of my life, and he's now fighting for his life on the table beside me.