He sped toward the nearest vet clinic, heart pounding. The road ahead blurred with tears.

At the clinic, a young nurse rushed out. “Sir, what happened?”

“Found him on the highway. He’s still breathing.”

They took the dog inside. Cole waited outside in silence, rain dripping from his gloves.

Minutes felt like hours. When the vet finally came out, she sighed. “He’s lucky you found him. He’s lost blood, but he’ll live.”

Cole exhaled shakily. “Thank God.”

Then she looked at him curiously. “You said you found him near Route 19?”

“Yeah.”

Her expression changed. “That’s strange. We’ve been getting calls about a missing service dog from that area. His name’s Cooper. The owner was—” She stopped. “You might want to sit down.”