Around four in the morning, a dog started barking behind the row of terraced houses. By five, the barking grew more frantic. People began waking for work, annoyed by the noise. Half an hour later, residents were already stepping out, heading for their daily commute.
The first to leave were a man and womanlikely husband and wife. They decided to investigate the commotion. Walking toward the car park, they spotted the animal. It barked incessantly, muzzle pointed toward the houses. Behind it, a man lay collapsed on the pavement. The couple rushed forward, realising the dog was calling for help.
The closer they got, the fiercer the barks became. A German Shepherdsteady, guarded, not one to trust strangers easily. The woman suggested ringing for an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived swiftly. As they stepped out of the vehicle, the woman warned them about the dog. Yet the moment they neared the injured man, the barking stopped. The dog trotted to its owners side and sat, silent.
The medics knelt carefully, keeping one eye on the animal. The man, youngmid-thirtieswas bleeding heavily from a wound in his abdomen. They worked fast, stabilising him while the dog watched, motionless.
A small crowd had gathered at a safe distance. No one dared step closer.
One paramedic fetched a stretcher. They lifted the man gently, but the dog couldnt come. It stared as they loaded him inrules were rules. The ambulance pulled away slowly, and the dog gave chase, weaving between parked cars, sometimes falling behind, sometimes keeping pace.
At the hospital gates, the ambulance halted. The security guard raised the barrier, but the dog stopped short.
“Thats the injured blokes dog,” the driver explained.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” grumbled the guard before barking an order: “Stay! Down! Sit!”
The German Shepherd hesitated but obeyed. It sat by the gates, eyes locked on the ambulance until it vanished inside. After an hour of waiting, it lay down near the wall, out of the way.
Security kept watch at first, but when it became clear the dog wasnt a threat, they only glanced its way occasionally.
“What do we do with it?” one asked.
“Nothing. If it wants to stay, let it.”
“But what if the owners in there for ages?”
“Its clever. Itll leave eventually.”
“Poor thing. Should we feed it?”
“Feed it once, and youll never get rid of it.”
The dog watched them, ears pricked.
Forty minutes later, one guard returned with news.
“Blokes out of surgery. In ICU, but stable.” He set down a bowl of water and a sausage near a tree. “Go on, then. Eat.”
The dog stared but didnt move.
“Suit yourself.”
Slowly, it crept forward and drank.
A week later, the ownerresting in a recovery wardmissed his companion but had no way of knowing where he was.
Theyd been together since his medical discharge from the army. Served together, came home together. He trusted the dogs instincts.
Meanwhile, the German Shepherd had shifted its vigil beneath a tree, still eyeing the gates. One guard, now feeding it regularly, had an idea.
After his shift, he knocked on the mans door.
“Afternoon. Mr. Carter, is it? James?”
“Thats me. Whats happened?”
“Security, sir. Your dogs still out there. Wont budge. Weve been feeding her, but she wont leave.”
James smiled, eyes shutting briefly.
“Shes mine. Millie. Served with me. Smart as they come.”
“Figured that much,” the guard chuckled. “Want me to tell her anything?”
James grabbed a tissue, rubbing it over his hands and face.
“Take this to her. Shell understand.”
The guard held out the tissue. Millie sniffed it for a long moment before carrying it beneath the tree, lying atop it.
Days passed. Millie waited.
And when James finally walked out, their reunion was everything. Theyd been through hell together. Some things were worth waiting for.
And she had waited.
