She rushed them both to the car—she didn’t even remember how she managed it, only that her arms shook under Ranger’s dead weight, his limp body terrifyingly heavy, while Lily clung to her shirt, silent and wide-eyed. She got everyone inside, slammed the doors, and peeled out of the driveway with her heart hammering in her throat.
Halfway to the emergency vet, driving one-handed, she fumbled for her phone and hit the call button with trembling fingers. David answered immediately, his voice alert. “Emily? What’s going on?”
“Snake,” she gasped, the word raw. “There was a snake. Ranger… he got bitten. Lily fell—she might be hurt, she’s shaken up. I’m taking Ranger to the emergency clinic now, but I need you to meet me there and take her to urgent care, get her checked.”
“Where are you?” he asked, his voice rising in frantic urgency.
“On Oakridge—maybe two minutes from the vet,” Emily replied, her eyes glued to the road.
“I’m coming. Don’t stop. Don’t wait for me. Just get him there.” The line went dead. Emily gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white and prayed, with every fiber of her being, that the dog who had just saved her daughter would survive long enough for her to save him.
Emily swung into the emergency vet’s parking lot hard enough that her tires squealed. Before she could even open her door, a vet tech spotted Ranger slumped across the back seat and sprinted toward her. “He was bitten,” Emily said, her voice cracking. “A snake—red and yellow—please, he’s fading—” “Got him,” the tech said, already lifting Ranger out with practiced urgency. “We’ll take it from here.”
He disappeared through the sliding doors with Ranger, and they slammed shut behind him with a cold, final thud. Only then did Emily feel the tremble in her hands. Only then did she realize Lily was still in her arms, small and shaken, her face pressed into Emily’s shoulder. “Oh, sweetheart…” Emily whispered, smoothing her hair. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” But Lily’s tiny body felt limp with exhaustion, and Emily’s heart clenched. She had no idea if the fall had hurt her more than she could see.
David’s car screeched into the lot, stopping crookedly across two spaces. He leapt out before the engine even fully shut off. “Emily!” he called, breathless. She rushed to him, lifting Lily slightly.