The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

Transcript

From the porch Richard heard Julie screaming about her dog. For a moment you stop to listen to the wailing, feeling a twinge of sympathy. He'd known that it would be hard for her of course, but actually hearing it, the fear and heartbreak, affected him more deeply than he'd thought it would. He didn't want Julie to be upset and he wished there could have been some other way. But there wasn't, he'd had to do it. Had Singer been a gentle dog, a sweet dog, he would never have hurt him. But Singer was as confused and temperamental as she was.

Julie's cries grew louder, more frantic, and the sound was terrible. He felt sorry for her and wanted to apologize. But he would save that for later, when she could see through her pain and recognize he'd done it for the two of them. Maybe he would get her another dog after all this was behind them. Though he'd never wanted a dog, he realized that he could do that for her. They could pick out a dog together and she would forget all about Singer. Maybe they'd make a special trip to the pound and get a dog who liked to fetch the way Singer did. Or they'd look through the newspaper and find someone selling puppies and pick the one they both thought was best. Yes, he thought, that was it, another dog, a better dog. That's what he would do for her when all this was over. She would like that. It would make her happy. And that's all he'd ever wanted for her, happiness.

Now that he was feeling more in control, her cries sounded more distant to him. On the beach he saw a sudden movement. Knowing what it meant, Richard retreated to the corner where he hid in the shadows.

Pete Gandy rushed up the steps, across the porch and through the back door, racing for the kitchen. He tore open the drawer beneath the phone so hard that it nearly broke and he grabbed the directory. Come on, come on, he said, as he began flipping through the pages, looking for the nearest veterinarian. He found the right section and began running his finger down the page, looking for someone who might be able to handle an emergency. The nearest animal hospital was in Jacksonville, thirty minutes away, and with sudden certainty he knew that the dog wouldn't last that long. What should I do? Pete thought. What do I do now?

He forced himself to order his frantic thoughts. The names of the vets were listed and he decided to call them at home since it was too late for offices to be open. It was the only chance the dog had. But that entailed looking up phone numbers one by one, and time was running out.