Page 58 of Lawless
The coldness in him was gone. His hold on my arm was strong but had a tremor to it. And his other hand held the injured Doberman cradled like a baby against his chest. He had no overblown ego now, no pride. Whatever was between me and him didn't matter. He was just a man desperate to save his friend.
"Please, Mariposa," he repeated. "Please save him."
"Let me see him," I agreed with a nod.
Reaper released me and allowed me to come closer, loosening his hold on Hades so I could examine him.
"Shh, it's all right," he whispered, stroking the dog's muzzle. "You're gonna be okay, boy."
"He's bleeding pretty badly," I reported, my fingers moving gently over the dog's blood-soaked flank. When I applied pressure, Hades cried out in pain and kicked out to get away from me.
"Shh shh shh," Reaper wrapped his arms around his neck and closed a hand over his muzzle. "I know it hurts, boy, but you have to be quiet."
"He might have something stuck, like a piece of shrapnel," I said. "But if I try to remove it, there's a chance he could bleed out. I just can't fucking see down here."
"Let's move him into the light," Reaper nodded at the centermost trickling stream of water, directly under the sliver of sky above the canyon.
I hesitated. "But then there's a chance they'll see us."
"We've been down here for hours and no one's come searching. They must think I'm dead. Now help me move him."
"They know I'm missing," I protested. "They're looking all over for me—"
"No offense, Mari, but when it comes down to you and my dog, I'm picking my fucking dog every day of the week. Now, can you help him in better light or not?"
"Yes," I sighed, ignoring the sting of his words. "I got his legs. You hold his front half."
Taking care to move his position as little as possible, we gingerly lifted him up and side-stepped to the center. I almost forgot how muscular Hades was for a dog, and felt like I was lifting a pile of cinderblocks.
When we set him down again, the direct sunlight on his wound made a world of difference.
"Oh yeah," I confirmed. "He's got something in there."
"Can you remove it?"
"Be quiet for a second and let me check his pulse." Even right then, it felt good telling Reaper off for once. I was in my element.
"I can take it out," I decided after some careful prodding of the wound. "But I need your shirt to slow the bleeding."
Reaper set Hades’ head gently on his thighs and peeled off his cut and shirt with zero argument. I jerked my eyes back down to the injured pup to concentrate.
"I can only do so much down here," I warned him. "The wound still needs to be sterilized and closed up. If we don't get out of here soon, he could bleed out or succumb to an infection."
"Do everything you can then," Reaper instructed. "And I'll worry about getting us out."
In the direct sunlight, I noticed blood trickling down his temple for the first time. It also seemed to be matted in his hair.
Without thinking, I reached for him. "You're bleeding, too—“
"Don't worry about me," he waved me off.
"Reaper, a head injury is serious—"
"I'm fine!" he snarled. "Just don't let my dog die." His voice echoed off the rocky walls and then his face softened. "Please," he added in a whisper.
I nodded, returning my attention to Hades. "It's going to hurt and he's going to struggle. I need you to hold him down."
Reaper placed his hands down on Hades' sides where I instructed, then leaned over to comfort his scared friend.
