“You talking to me or the dog?” I asked.
“You. Sit down and hold a couple of them up against your chest.”
I slumped into the chair and let go of Buster’s leash. Zina handed me a squirming pup, who squealed as it was removed from the pile of its siblings. I cradled it in my arms. She handed over another one.
“How long do you need me to sit with them like this?” It wasn’t entirely unpleasant except for the way their tiny nails scratched against my pecs.
“Until I figure out what to do. I’ve got formula over at the shelter. I’ve got to go back.”
“Isn’t there somewhere closer?”
“I guess I can grab some from Coop. These pups need to eat.”
“I’ll go.” I stood, juggling the two pups in my arms. “You stay here and I’ll go get what you need.”
“You sure?” She’d set the other pups down on a towel and pulled a heating pad out of a box.
“Yep. Just let me grab my shirt. You make a list and I’ll get everything you tell me to, okay?” For the first time in as long as I could remember, I wanted to help. And not just do enough to get myself out of an uncomfortable situation, but really, truly help someone in need.
“Okay.” Zina took the pups and placed them on the towel with their siblings. I counted six. Six more dogs that would need to be moved. How did she do it? As soon as it looked like she was making progress, some other dogs would show up, and she’d have to start all over again. I shook my head as I walked toward the door.
Thirty minutes later I’d run to the store and come back with everything Zina had on the list. She took the two bags of suppliesand started barking orders. I followed her lead as she mixed up formula and began to feed the pups.
“Give me one, I can help.” I held out my hands, and she set a tiny black-and-white puppy in my palm.
“They’re going to want to wolf it down, but you’ve got to make sure they go slow. Otherwise they’ll just get sick.”
Minutes passed, then hours. I went back and forth between feeding one pup and then trading it out for another. By the time they’d all been fed, it was time to start over again.
Zina was relentless . . . kept plugging away, taking a break every now and then to feed and exercise the other dogs.
I wasn’t going to be the reason one of the pups didn’t make it, so I kept up with my job.
After she’d gotten the other dogs taken care of, she joined me on the warehouse floor, where she’d spread out a few layers of blankets. She’d settled the pups in a laundry basket with the heating pad underneath, then collapsed on the blanket next to me and let her head rest on my shoulder.
“I hope they all make it.” She let out a sigh that sounded like it contained all of her frustration.
I tilted my head, resting my cheek against her hair. “They will. They’re lucky they’ve got you in their corner.” With her fighting for them, I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t make it.
“I’m so tired.” She nestled closer.
I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her down to where her head rested in my lap. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
“I can’t. I’ve got to make sure those puppies make it through the night.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them. I promise I’ll wake you up if I need you for anything.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Tell you what. It’s uncomfortable as hell out here. Why don’t we bring the pups in the house, and I’ll watch them while you rest?”
Her eyes closed. I almost laughed. I bet I could get her to do just about anything while sleep tugged at her consciousness.
“Come on.” I got up and put my hands under her armpits to tug her to a standing position. She didn’t resist.
“Okay, but only for a little bit.”
“Whatever you say.” I tucked the feeding supplies into the laundry basket and picked it up. With the basket on my hip and one arm wrapped around Zina, I led the way through the dim lighting of the warehouse and across the drive to the house. The lights were off on the lower level, which meant Gramps had turned in.
