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When I woke the next morning, my hand reached for Buddy's harness the way it always did. It closed on nothing.
Vivien's words from the day before came back to me, and I rushed out without even putting on my shoes.
"Buddy, Buddy…"
Somewhere overnight a few boxes had appeared in the living room. I tripped over one and cracked my forehead hard against the corner of the table.
There was movement at the door.
"So early, and here's my brother putting on a whole sob story on the floor?"
"To close the distance between us brothers, I went and bought Buddy some premium dog food."
Every nerve in me pulled tight.
Darrell was a devil. In front of people he was a harmless little saint.
Behind everyone's back he was vicious and cruel, and back in those days I'd suffered plenty at his hands.
"No need."
"Viv, look at him. He's got such a bias against me, I really don't know what to do."
Vivien's cold voice landed by my ear.
"Charles, Darrell is your brother. Can't you act a little like an older brother should?"
She had seen with her own eyes how Darrell and his mother treated me, and now she stood on their side.
"Darrell was young and didn't know better back then. Now he wants to mend things with you, so don't be so ungrateful."
I clamped my hands over my ears, my chest so tight it hurt.
Buddy seemed to sense how close I was to breaking, and nudged the palm of my hand with his nose.
The next moment he let out a low whimper and dropped to the floor in pain.
"Buddy, what's wrong?"
I couldn't see. All I could feel was the wetness around his mouth.
"What's the matter with you now, this early in the morning, does it ever end—"
Vivien's words cut off the instant she saw the state Buddy was in.
"What did you do to Buddy? Why is he throwing up this much?"
The one she instinctively blamed was always me.
Buddy was taken to the hospital, diagnosed with food poisoning.
The vet detected a large amount of xylitol in his stomach.
"Xylitol is a lethal toxin for dogs. The dose is well over the limit, his organs are already damaged, we have to pump his stomach and treat him right now."
"What exactly did you feed Buddy?"
Darrell's eyes went red with hurt, his voice breaking.
"I don't know. I only wanted to be good to him."
Vivien shoved me hard.
"Darrell didn't mean to. He already feels terrible about it."
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
When Buddy first came to us, and got an upset stomach by accident.
Vivien had stayed beside me, never leaving Buddy's side. She'd said,
"Buddy is family. We'll protect him together."
The stomach pump was agony. Buddy's small body kept convulsing, yet he was so good he didn't let out a single cry.
I held him through a whole day on the IV drip.
When we came back from dinner that evening, Buddy was gone from the bed.
The vet said Vivien had taken him away.
A bad feeling shot through me, and I quickly called Vivien.
No one answered.
I could only feel my way home alone.
Without Buddy's help, I nearly got hit by cars more than once.
Bowing again and again to apologize.
"Where's Buddy?"
Looking at the miserable state of me, Vivien didn't feel a shred of guilt.
"Darrell was scared you'd blame him, so he moved back to the old estate tonight."
"He's frightened on his own, so he borrowed Buddy to keep him company and watch the place."
Darrell was a devil. How could I ever feel easy handing Buddy over to him?
My voice shook with panic as I begged, humbling myself.
"Tell him to bring Buddy back. I'll take Buddy and leave, all right?"
But Vivien was thoroughly impatient.
"Charles, being blind doesn't make you right. We've been bending over backwards to look after you at every turn."
"Can't you show a little sense?"
I shook my head desperately, tears spilling down.
"Viv, Buddy is still sick. I'm begging you, get him back."
Vivien pried my fingers loose one by one, her voice weary.
"Darrell's probably already asleep. If I go bother him now, he won't get any sleep tonight."
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll bring Buddy back, okay?"
