Later, the girl stirred in her sleep, her voice breaking the quiet. She whispered “Max” again, but this time the word trembled with fear, as though she were calling out to someone she’d already lost. Manny noticed she reflexively petted the dog’s head. He wondered whether Max was the dog.
Nurses mentioned the dog growled whenever the hospital doors hissed open, pacing as if expecting danger to walk right in. Its anxiety was sharp enough to infect the staff. Manny wondered briefly about the deep connection that had been forged between the dog and child.