25. THINKING
So, my little savioress has a name. I like it. It fits. I'm still worried about her though. She's been through quite an ordeal. As I sift through the sandy loam my mind keeps running over the battle. I really didn't see much of the action, but her fighting ancestors would be proud.
I'm glad Jack is going to keep her, and not just to get me off the hook. I can tell he's lonely. I know the look. We had lived in each other's hip pockets for eight years. We had laughed, played, worked, bled and died together. Now, my friend will at least have a companion, and one who will undoubtedly keep him very busy.
As I dig, I hear the cell phone ring. Jack appears over me as I crouch in the ditch I've dug myself. "We need to go." He says. "We've had a new development."
I look up and see the same look that I had seen on his face too many times to count. One of Jack's kids needs him. Human, alien or dog, once you are his he is responsible and he will always come for you.
I pick up my tools quickly and we head down the hill to the Jeep. I drop them off at the camp and we head for the car. As we get settled in the front seat he says tersely. "She had a seizure. The Doc is worried. She said we may have to make a decision." The vehicle is silent all the way into town.