The Loyal Watcher

The shepherd followed close behind, his nails clicking anxiously on the tile. A security guard moved to stop him but hesitated. He wasn’t running away—he was trying to stay with her.

Inside the trauma room, the girl was laid on a gurney. Monitors beeped, oxygen masks pressed against her face. Her heartbeat was faint, her breathing shallow. “We’re losing her,” murmured Dr. Simmons, the lead ER physician.