I read it twice before I could breathe properly.
“Lois is okay,” I told Micah later.
“And Benny?”
“He’s waiting for us.”
At the shelter, Benny recognized us instantly. His tail wagged so hard his whole body moved. Micah laughed and wrapped his arms around him.
“She didn’t forget us,” I whispered.
A week later, we visited Lois at her care home. Micah carried muffins and sunflowers. Lois sat wrapped in a blanket, eyes tired but bright.
“Benny,” she murmured when he reached her feet. “I was hoping.”
“These are for you,” Micah said, offering the flowers.
She smiled.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
I knelt beside her.
“Of course we came.”
She squeezed my hand.
“Take care of each other.”
Outside, snow began to fall again. Benny trotted ahead, Micah’s hand warm in mine.
For the first time in a long while, everything felt right.
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