Alex scrambled eggs in butter and made toast with dark brown bread that had the consistency of a hockey puck. He offered some to Julia, but she passed.
He and Cal ate, then took the dog to the roof to do his business again. The thing got so tired walking from the elevator, Alex had to carry him again. Something seemed wrong, but Alex didn’t want to scare Calvin by asking about it.
About six o’clock, the pharmacist called and advised the medicine was ready. Alex could pick it up anytime or wait for delivery tomorrow.
Not wanting to wait, he bundled Calvin up for the short walk to the pharmacy. Alex could see why she’d balked at the price. The bill was a few hundred dollars, and there were only three boxes of single-use injections. Either insurance didn’t cover it, or she didn’t have insurance.
Fortunately, money wasn’t an issue for Alex. Years ago, his oldest brother, Sam, talked their family into investing in his start-up computer business. They’d bought in only to be supportive, but his little venture had morphed into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Samatrix made Sam a billionaire and Alex, his brothers, and their mother millionaires. Three hundred dollars for some medicine was nothing, and he paid for it without blinking an eye.
He let Calvin pick out a granola bar and a bag of popcorn. Calvin acted overly polite and thanked him repeatedly, which made Alex think he was buying him something he shouldn’t. At least a granola bar was better than a candy bar.
Once back at the condo, Alex opened one of the boxes and read the instructions on how to administer the shot. It looked pretty straightforward. Take off the cap, put it on the skin, push the trigger, and count to five. Easy peasy.
“Julia,” he whispered. She moaned as he sat next to her on the bed.
“I got your medicine. It’s an injection. Do you want to do it yourself? Or have me give it to you?”
She rolled over and shoved her pajama bottoms down an inch. Not enough to see much of her ass, but enough to confirm it was as firm and round as he’d expected.
“This might pinch.” He uncapped the injector and positioned it properly. “One, two.” He pushed the button, and she barely flinched as the needle jabbed her. After waiting the appropriate amount of time, he removed the syringe and replaced the cap. A dab of blood remained at the injection site, but she released the hold on her clothes before he could get it. She muttered her thanks but didn’t move.
When he came out, Calvin sat on the couch, thumbing through the Hardy Boys book. Before this afternoon, it had been years since Alex had read the books. He kept them only because they reminded him of his dad and the good times they shared reading them together.
Alex swallowed past the lump in his throat and plopped down next to Calvin. He turned to where they’d left off and started reading. A chapter in, Calvin snuggled under his arm, catching Alex by surprise. He awkwardly made room for him and kept reading.
After another chapter, Alex told Calvin he was going to check on his mom, but when he got up to do so, noticed Charlie was weirdly still.Oh, no. No. Not on his watch. Ignoring it crossed his mind, but what good would that do?
He knelt next to the dog and laid his hand on his chest. No heartbeat, no movement indicating breath.When it rains, it pours, he thought.Could things get any worse?
Calvin came up behind him holding a dog bone. “He gets one bone at night,” he said. “Here, boy. Get your treat.” The dog didn’t move.
“Why’s he not movin’?” Cal asked.
Alex took a deep breath. “Buddy, I’m so sorry, but Charlie is dead.” It sounded harsh even to his own ears, but he didn’t know if Calvin would understand the euphemisms for death, and he didn’t want to have to repeat it over and over to get the message across.
Calvin froze, and Alex wondered if he even understood what dead meant. “Like my dad? He’s not coming back?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “He’s with your dad now. I’m sure he’s real happy. Now he can run and play and have lots of energy again.”
Tears started down Calvin’s little face. He climbed into Alex’s lap and curled onto his chest. Alex patted him. Awkwardly at first, but then more sincerely. Poor kid. First, he loses his dad, then his dog.
“It’ll be okay, bud,” he said, stroking his back. “Your dad will take care of him.”
Calvin wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “I shouldn’t cry. Big boys don’t cry.”
“Who told you that?”
“Sam.”
Alex sighed. “You gotta stop listening to Sam. Everyone cries when their dog dies. Even grown-ups. If you don’t cry, you have no heart.”
Calvin nodded seriously. “What do we do with him?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. But I’ll find out and take care of it, okay?”
“Okay.”
They moved back to the couch, and Calvin cried himself to sleep on Alex’s shoulder. He didn’t want to wake him but needed to deal with the dog’s body. With his free hand, Alex used his phone to search for what to do with dog remains. He found a twenty-four-hour vet nearby, called, and in hushed tones, asked what to do. They gave him the number of a pet crematory uptown and told him they would even pick up the dog. Alex called and made the arrangements.
