JAWS (Complete)

Chapter 18

The boys aren’t paying any attention to her, anyway; Galliard leans against Reiner in a way he’s never leaned against her, and Reiner has an arm protectively around him, not letting go even as he awkwardly arranges his legs to get down on the floor. Reiner is bigger than Pieck thought he’d be, based on the little Galliard has told her about him. She had been picturing a svelte, lean man, possibly with brown hair and a crooked smile, not the red-blooded beef on the hoof that had climbed out of the Uber. She’d pictured someone with an arrogant, rich-man’s swagger, someone with a perfectly tailored three piece suit and wraparound sunglasses, someone bearing a suspicious resemblance to the specialists she’s gone to see her whole life. But Reiner is none of those things. He’s big, yes, and getting bigger, if the bragging Galliard does about their work in the gym is any indication, but he’s no meathead. Nor is he a snob, not with how he completely ignored the poverty of Galliard’s apartment and went right for what matters.

They’ve only just met, and barely spoken, but Pieck already likes Reiner. She wishes they could be meeting under happier circumstances, but she likes what she sees so far. Anyone who cares about Galliard as much as he obviously does is okay by her.

“So what happened?” Reiner’s voice is low, a deep, comforting rumble, and Galliard takes a deep breath before he answered.

“He had some trouble getting up this morning, but he did it. I took him outside and he peed and pooped. I thought he was okay, so I went to work. But…” Galliard’s voice breaks a little, and Reiner’s arm tightens around him. Pieck notices that Reiner’s free hand has dropped down to Sarge’s head, and he’s gently petting his ears. “But when I got home, he’d messed his bed, and he never does that, and he can’t get up. At all. It’s like his back legs aren’t connected anymore.”

Pieck glances at the dog’s legs, sprawled out behind him. Sarge rarely lies with his legs like that, she knows, and she can see how his fur is damp from Galliard cleaning him. Sarge’s tail lies limp and motionless on the floor, and Pieck realizes that she doesn’t think she’s ever seen Sarge when he wasn’t wagging it. For as long as she’s known him, he’s been an incredibly waggy dog, and seeing his tail so still makes her heart sink.

“Does he have a vet?” Pieck notices that Reiner is looking at Sarge’s tail too, and wonders if he’s drawn the same conclusion.

Galliard nods. “Yeah. But it’s really hard to get him there, and if… if it wouldn’t…”

His voice doesn’t break. It simply stops, like his vocal cords have gone numb, and Galliard shakes his head.

Reiner glances up at Pieck, catches her eyes, and makes a little jerky movement with his head. She raises an eyebrow, not understanding, and Reiner repeats it, clearly gesturing towards Galliard’s other side. Pieck can feel her eyes widen, and she waves a hand over her crutches; that’s going to be a challenge, buddy, and an even more complicated one getting back up. Reiner mouths please, and Pieck sighs and gets up.

Getting down on the floor is just as challenging as she thought it would be, and she doesn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for grabbing Reiner’s shoulder and leaning on him hard as she lowers herself down. Reiner is like a rock under her hand and barely twitches, and when she’s gotten herself situated, she leans in on Galliard’s other shoulder.

From this angle, she can see Sarge’s face; his eyes are only half-open and glazed, his nose is still and dry, and his tongue, when he swipes it weakly at Galliard’s fingers, is a pale, unhealthy pink. Sarge looks rough, and Pieck can feel a lump rise in her throat as she threads her arm through Galliard’s.