The authorization paperwork had been completed at the department that morning. The duty sergeant had handled the administrative process with quiet efficiency and had said nothing unnecessary. Alex had signed his own section without reading it because reading it would have required him to process the words as words, and he was not ready for that.
Dmitri and Oleg approached the table one at a time. Dmitri placed his hand briefly on Rex’s flank, applying a gentle pressure that was not quite a stroke. “Best partner I ever worked next to,” he said, and his voice was even. Oleg leaned down close to the dog’s ear and said something too quiet for anyone else to hear, then stepped back.
Alex leaned close to Rex’s head, close enough that the dog’s ear was against his cheek.
“I’m here, buddy. You don’t have to fight anymore. I’ve got you.”
And then Rex moved.
