“Nobody Touches Him, He’ll Bite” The SEAL At The Clinic Smirked—Until The Vet Tech Knelt And His …

Chapter 2

The room was small and bright and smelled of antiseptic and the ghost of a hundred anxious animals, and the dog had pressed himself into the corner farthest from the door, as far as the leash would allow, his body braced. The growl resumed the instant Nora stepped across the threshold — lower now, almost subaudible, a wire humming under tension.

Aldridge stood with his weight balanced, one hand on the leash, one hand resting on his hip. Between them, the dog was a frozen thing.

“Sergeant, I’m Dr. Mendoza,” the doctor said. “I’d like to do a full physical exam.”

“The leg,” Aldridge said. “That’s what I brought him in for.”

“I understand. A full exam will help us identify the cause. We may need to sedate him for imaging.”