Page 85 of Greed

She reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. It means a lot that you’re here.” She bit her lip as a tear dripped off her cheek.

“What’s going on?” She asked her dad. He smiled but didn’t answer as he led her across the farmyard.

“It’s a surprise, Minny.”

She crossed her arms and stopped walking. “Dad, I’m not in the mood for a surprise. You should be resting.”

“Minny, look at me.” Her dad smiled and laid his hands on her shoulders. “You can’t stop living just because life throws you a pitch you don’t like.”

“Dad, stop with the baseball metaphors, please. This is serious, you’re sick, and you need to keep up your strength.”

He chuckled, which annoyed her further. “I’m feeling good. I’m having a great day, and I need to take advantage of all the good days I have left. Now come on, don’t be a poopy head.”

“A poopy head? Really Dad.” She dropped her arms and rolled her eyes but followed her Dad into the barn.

She heard the whimpering noise before her Dad opened the stall door. As soon as the wood swung out of the way, a chubby little puppy bounded out at her. She dropped to her knees as the bundle of wiggly cuteness ran to her, his pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

“Dad! He is so cute! Whose puppy is he?”

“Who do you think, Minny?” Her Dad laughed as she picked up the pup to be assaulted by wet kisses.

“He’s mine,” she asked excitedly. The first real smile she’d had in weeks spreading across her face.

“Yes, Sweetheart, he is yours. I think the name Shortstop would work well,” he laughed as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Thanks, Dad! Mom is going to hate him.” The two of them laughed as they pictured the horrified look on her mother’s face about having a dog in the house. “How about Toby? For Toby Harrah?”

“You want to name him after my favorite baseball player?” Her Dad squatted down and rubbed the head of the pup. The extra dark hair around his big brown eyes made it look like he was wearing a mask.

“Yeah.” She lifted her shoulder, not able to meet her Dad’s eyes. Knowing he was going to die and to look him in the face while she said it was too much. She wiped away the tears in the pup’s fur as he licked her cheek.

“I love you, Minny. Always remember that.”

“I know, Dad. I love you too.”

She jerked awake and realized she’d fallen asleep. Toby was moving, his large body violently jerking. “Help! Help,” she screamed, and Riker jumped up from where he was slumped over, sleeping. He bolted for the door and began yelling for the vet.

Staff came running in and ordered her out of the way. Riker wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body into his as she watched them work on her Toby.

“Please save him,” she begged as she pulled against Riker’s hold to get back to her boy. Riker picked her up to take her out to the waiting room. “Put me down. I have to go to him. He has to know I’m here. I can’t lose him. I just can’t.”

“He knows you’re here.” He held her tight as she pushed against his chest, trying to get away. His strength was too much, and she stopped fighting and buried her head in his shirt as the tears consumed her.

She heard the door open, and Riker let her go to turn and face the vet.

“No.” She held up her hand as if that would stop the pain that was going to rip her heart out. “No, don’t you say it.” Grief wracked her body as the vet simply looked at the floor.

“I’m sorry, but the surgery was just too much for his body.”

Her knees gave out as she collapsed onto the floor, but Riker scooped her up into his arms as the pain lanced her heart. Her best friend and the last piece of her dad were gone. She hadn’t even been here when he needed her the most. She could hear Riker and the vet talking but had no idea what was being said as she sobbed and clung to Riker.

It felt like her dad had died all over again. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

“I need to say goodbye,” she suddenly said, interrupting the men. “I need to say goodbye,” she said again.

“Okay.” Riker kissed her forehead and sat her down on her feet. Gripping her hand, she sucked up her pain to put Toby first.

Her lower lip trembled, tears clouding her eyes as she dropped to her knees beside her dog. “I love you. I love you so much. Thank you for being the best friend anyone could ask for. You saved me so many times. I only wish I could’ve done the same for you now.”