The dog refused to leave the morgues doorstep, as if sensing that behind those doors, someone was trying to bring its owner back to life. And that “someone” was no ordinary doctor.
*”Siemionek, just hang in there a little longerIll be done soon,”* Vasily Andreyevich said into the phone, forcing warmth into his voice. *”Youre not too bored without me, are you?”*
Gently, he set the receiver down and smiled. Though his sharp features and stern gaze might have suggested otherwise, his heart was anything but cold. He knew his grandson could manage on his own by now. Siemionek had already learned how to watch movies, read books, even cook simple mealsnavy-style pasta, an omelet. Still, hed call sometimes, saying he missed him Vasily understood it was just a childs way of expressing affection, yet those calls never failed to soften him. So, he played his partreassuring, comforting, telling the boy not to be sad.
Two years had passed since Siemionek came to live with him. Two long years of pain, loss, and slowly rebuilding their lives.
He remembered the day he brought the boy home. The world had felt shattered, and he himself could barely stand, as if hed died and revived multiple times. But he had no choice. All that remained after the tragedy was a six-year-old with hollow eyes, lost in his thoughts.
The accident happened that cursed night when Siemioneks parentsVasilys son, Misha, and his young wifewere returning from a visit. Theyd taken a taxi, expecting a simple ride home. But right at their doorstep, another carspeeding recklessly, driven by a drunk youthslammed into theirs. The impact was horrific. Of the three, only Siemionek survivedsmall, fragile like a broken toy. A miracle, the paramedics called it, shaking their heads. *”A guardian angel shielded him.”* The car was torn apart, yet the boy walked away with barely a scratch, save for a few marks possibly from being pulled from the wreckage.
Vasilys wife had passed long agowhen Misha was sixteen. Hed raised his son alone, and now, his grandson. Time passed, but grief never faded. After losing his son and daughter-in-law, Vasily nearly lost his will to live. His thoughts spiraled: *”Why? Why did this happen to us?”* But one day, he looked into his grandsons empty eyescold as winter sky over a deserted parkand knew: if he gave in now, Siemionek would be utterly alone. And that was unthinkable.
Months crawled by. Only after half a year did Siemionek begin acting like a child againquiet, pensive, but slowly returning to himself. Vasily went back to work. At first, their neighbor Nina Petrovna, a kindhearted woman, watched the boy. She helped, kept him company, ensured he wasnt left alone. As he grew more independent, shed stop by occasionallyto check on him, to feed him.
Nina was wonderful, but one habit of hers drove Vasily madher relentless matchmaking. Shed parade women before him, dropping hints. At first, he didnt understand the sudden influx of potential brides.
*”Well, Vasya, none of them catch your eye?”* shed once asked.
Then it clicked, and he laughed.
*”Nina Petrovna, are you trying to marry me off?”*
Her smile faded.
*”Whats so funny? Youre young, healthystill single! Its unfitting! You could make someone happy, and you wont die alone!”*
To appease her, he promised to *”consider the ladies.”* But Nina wasnt the only one. Other women flirted, and it grated on him so much he quit the hospitalmoving to the morgue instead. Maybe he shouldve done it sooner. After his familys deaths, female attention just irritated him.
He was only fifty. He’d fathered his son at eighteen, his grandson at thirty-nine. He still had strengthworked out, had steady hands, drank only on rare occasions.
His shift was ending. The afternoon crew had taken over, so he stepped out for a smoke. Spring air, fresh with promise.
A massive dog sat by the doors, gazing so sadly it squeezed his heart.
*”Whats wrong? Did they bring someone of yours? Dont be sad, old boy Go home, itll be alright.”*
The dog sighedalmost humantook two steps, then sat again.
An hour later, as Vasily left, the dog still sat there, whimpering softly, begging to be let in. Odd. Dogs sensed death. Why was this one so restless?
*”Hey! Who did they bring?”*
A young medic, pre-med, answered promptly.
*”A woman found on the street. No ID. Probably just walking the dog when…”*
*”Where is she?”*
*”Still there. Piortovichll examine her soon.”*
Piortovich, his replacement, always started his day with tea.
*”Lets check her,”* Vasily suggested. *”No visible injuries, but she doesnt look dead.”*
He took her wristand froze.
*”Shes alive!”*
The medic, Igor, nearly fainted.
*”Get her on a stretcher! Scream for Piortovich!”*
Vasily tossed his bag aside, shrugged off his coat. A pulsefaint, but there!
Piortovich rushed in, got to work. *”A squatter, huh? Hold on, well wake you up! What were you thinking?”*
Minutes later, an ambulance arrivedthe same crew from earlier. Their faces mirrored disbelief.
*”How?! Her pressure was zero!”*
IVs, monitors. Vasily and Piortovich led them out. The dog spun in joyful circles.
As the ambulance left, Vasily sat beside the animal.
*”Good jobyou mightve saved her. Now, lets hope she recovers. What about you?”*
The dog tilted its head.
On impulse, Vasily said, *”Come with me? Ive got a grandsonloves dogs. Once your owners better, youll go back.”*
A wagging tailagreement.
*”Smart… but not that smart,”* Vasily mused. Turned out*very* smart.
They walked home, fifteen minutes away. The dog kept close, never straying.
*”Siemionek! Im backand not alone!”*
The boy darted out, eyes lighting up.
*”Grandpa!”*
*”Meet our guest. No name yet, but hes sharp.”*
*”Whered you find him?”*
Siemionek hugged the dogs neck. Vasily tensedstill a stranger. But the dog licked the boys face, tail wagging.
*”Long story. Dinner, then we feed him. Bet hes starving.”*
After eating, the dog stared at Vasily.
*”He wants something…”*
*”Hes asking where to sleep!”*
*”Woah!”*
A folded blanket by the armchair. The dog lay down, resting its chin on paws.
*”Hes sad.”*
*”Wouldnt you be? Almost lost his owner.”*
He told Siemionek everything. The boy sat beside the dog.
*”Dont worry. Shell get better!”*
The dog exhaledlike a sighand laid its head in the boys lap.
The next morning, jogging together:
*”What should I call you? Just Friend?”*
A soft barkas if knowing not to wake Siemionek.
At noon, after the boy begged, Vasily checked the womans status. A doctor friend answered.
*”Vasily! Heard about your stunt!”*
*”What stunt? The medics did the work.”*
*”Unbelievable case! Sugar dropped to zero, then a heart attack. No signs of life…”*
*”And now?”*
*”Shes stable! Conscious, on IVs, but out of danger. She keeps askingFriend, Friend Worried sick.”*
*”Tell her not to worry. Friends with me. Once shes healed, Ill bring him.”*
*”Youre a saint! Visit us. Let the boy and dog stroll while you talk. Well lift her just enough to see him through the window.”*
*”Grandpa, when do we go? We need to ask what Friend likes!”*
*”Tomorrowmy day off.”*
In the hospital room, the woman turned her head. Green eyes, bright with pain and hope.
*”Hello…”*
*”Im VasilyFriends with me.”*
Her face lit up. *”You?! A saint! I only live for Friend.Marina, Vasily, Siemionek, and Friend spent their days building a new familyone pieced together from loss, saved by love, and bound by the quiet joy of second chances.
