She raised herself on her front legs, but her back legs stayed grounded. There was a dark stain not very far from the dog. “What in the—?” Jennifer looked at the stain; an accident clearly tinged with blood. She knelt in front of Alice, who whimpered in either pain or confusion. “Come on, girl... Tell me what’s wrong.” Alex tried to hoist Alice’s hindquarters up, but she had no control of her legs and couldn’t hold her own weight. She was paralyzed at least from the hips down. “Jennifer, we’ve got to get her to the vet.” “Louise wrote the name down for me,” she said, rising. “There’s an after-hours emergency vet....” “I know where we’re going. Just grab a towel for the car.” He hefted all seventy-five pounds of Alice into his arms and headed for his car. “Get in the back with her,” he told Jennifer. As they drove, Alex dialed his cell phone.
