For a full second, the hospital forgot how to breathe. The pit bull’s paws left perfect, muddy ovals on the clean white linoleum—his pads were severely worn down and raw. He ignored a woman who screamed from the back of the waiting area, his focus entirely on the nurses behind the desk.
He lowered his hindquarters with agonizing care, letting the girl slide gently from his back onto the floor. As she slumped into a heap, the dog let out a low, broken whimper, looking around at the circle of shocked faces. He had expected a different reaction from the humans he thought he could seek refuge with; instead, he saw only horror.
“Code Green! Get security!” Connie, the night charge nurse, yelled, slamming her hand onto the emergency phone. “Get that thing out of here, it’s a liability!” Security guards rushed into the lobby from the adjacent corridor, their heavy boots thudding against the floor. Two of them instantly drew their Tasers, the weapons humming with lethal voltage.