Henry's heart surged with relief. He stood and hurried to the front door, the puppy trailing anxiously behind him.
Through the window, he saw flashing lights reflecting off the houses across the street. "They're here," he said breathlessly, sprinting back to the bedroom.
The puppy barked in excitement this time, hopeful, urgent, full of life. Moments later, paramedics rushed inside with equipment in hand.
Henry stepped aside, but the puppy refused to move from Mrs. Foster's side until a medic gently lifted it away. "She's critical," one paramedic said, checking her pulse.
"But she's still with us." Henry exhaled shakily.
The race wasn't over yet, but thanks to the little puppy, it had begun just in time. The paramedics moved quickly, but even their urgency couldn't hide the worry on their faces.
One knelt beside Mrs. Foster, checking her pulse, while another placed an oxygen mask gently over her mouth. Henry stood back, his fingers tight around the strap of his mailbag, helplessly watching as the life seemed to drain from her more with each passing second.
The puppy pawed at the paramedic's arm until he carefully set it aside, whispering, "Easy, little one. We're helping her."
But the puppy didn't understand. It whined louder, pacing in frantic circles, its tiny claws clicking anxiously on the hardwood floor.
Every time Mrs. Foster's breathing hitched, the puppy yelped sharply, as though feeling her pain itself. Henry knelt down and wrapped his arms around the trembling pup, whispering, "They're doing their best."
"She needs them now." The puppy trembled in his hold, but didn't take its eyes off her.
"She's losing consciousness," one paramedic said, voice low and tense.
"Blood pressure is dropping fast." Henry felt his stomach twist.
"Is she going to make it?" he asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.
"It's hard to say," the paramedic replied.
"She's been down for a while. We need to move her right now."
They lifted her carefully onto the stretcher. Her hand slipped limply to the side, and the puppy rushed forward, pressing its face against her fingers.
A soft, broken whimper escaped her as if she recognized the touch, even in her weakened state. "We have to go," the paramedic said.
As they wheeled her toward the front door, the puppy followed so closely he nearly tripped over their boots. Every few steps, it let out a desperate bark, pleading with them not to take her away.
Henry scooped the puppy up, holding it against his chest as he hurried behind the stretcher. Outside, the flashing lights cast red and blue reflections across the neighborhood.
A few neighbors peeked from their windows, confused by the sudden commotion. The paramedics opened the ambulance doors and guided the stretcher inside.
The puppy squirmed in Henry's arms, trying with all its strength to leap after her. "She'll hear you," Henry murmured, tightening his hold.
"She knows you're here." Inside the ambulance, a medic called out, "Go!"
"Go! We're losing time!"
The doors slammed shut. The siren roared to life, and as the ambulance sped away, Henry stood frozen on the sidewalk, the puppy trembling violently against him.
Its eyes fixed on the disappearing vehicle, its tiny heart breaking in his arms. The woman's condition wasn't just serious.
It was becoming a fight for her life. The flashing lights faded down Maple Street until they were nothing more than distant glimmers.
Henry stood frozen at the curb, the tiny puppy trembling in his arms like a lost heartbeat. Its small chest rose and fell in frantic, uneven breaths, each one filled with fear.
Henry swallowed hard. He had never felt this helpless.