“What happened?” I cry out, the taste of my tears coating my throat, and remove the jacket I threw on top of my dress earlier.
I apply pressure to Lexie’s wound with my jacket, unable to breathe from crying so hard. She whines in pain at the contact, each of her exhales a struggle.
Meanwhile, Finn is completely out of it.
“Give me your keys. We need to take her to an emergency vet. We need to—”
“Finn! What the hell happened?” I snap him out of it.
“I… I don’t know. We were coming back from our walk, and some asshole hit her,” he says frantically.
“She got hit by a car?” I blurt at the top of my lungs.
Finn gives a small nod, the trauma in his eyes making it clear that this is the absolute maximum amount of pain a human being can handle.
“Then he just took off,” he adds.
My palm flies to my mouth at the realization…
This was a hit-and-run.
Finn had to drag her all the way back to the house in his arms after she got hit in front of him. He probably ran inside the house, looking for help when he couldn’t find his keys.
“Did you call the cops?”
“They’re already on their way,” he confirms. “Give me your fucking keys, Dia!”
My crying turns hysterical when Lexie becomes cold, her brown eyes filled with tears. Her whimpers decrease in volume, and I grab her face between my hands for a moment. She’s scared. Looking at me as though she’s waiting for me to save her. To ease her pain.
She’s not going to make it.
And we definitely don’t have thirty minutes to get to the vet.
Panic overtakes Finn completely. “Dia, for fuck’s sake, we’re wasting time.”
“Finn.” I grip his face. “Look at me. She’d be dead by the time we got there.”
But he doesn’t like my response.
“No. No. You’re lying.” He shakes his head. “She’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine, baby. She’s going to be fine, right?” He’s begging me to lie to him.
I realize time is running out when her breathing becomes shallow and desperate, her body trembling. A tear escapes her eye, and I pet her in an attempt to bring her a sliver of comfort. She licks a tear off my cheek to comfort me,which only makes me cry harder.
Memories of the times she cuddled up next to me when I was sad twist my heart in my chest. All the nights she spent sleeping by my side. All the laughter, the walks, the smiles.
This dog is the reason I made it through the summer.
Howling with sobs, I kiss the golden retriever on the top of the head and whisper, “Goodbye, sweet girl.”
“No, she’s not fucking dying,” Finn snaps.
I want nothing more than to spend Lexie’s last moments holding her, but looking up at Finn? Seeing the heartbreak in his eyes? I know he needs to say goodbye more than I do. He needs to be with Lexie while he still can.
“You have to say goodbye!” I yell, and Finn blinks at me, fighting tears with all his might.
“Stop! Stop fucking saying that. She’s going to be okay. She… She can’t die.”
I’ve never seen this boy cry before—hell, I’ve barely ever seen him feel—but his pride doesn’t matter right now.