فصل 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

Jess

He was on the ground. Jess ran, breathless, barefoot, into the street and the man was standing there, both hands on his head, rocking on his feet, saying, “I never even saw it. I never saw it. It just ran straight out into the road.

Nicky was beside Norman, cradling his head, white as a sheet and murmuring, “Come on, fella. Come on. Tanzie was wide-eyed with shock, her arms rigid at her sides.

Jess knelt. Normans eyes were glass marbles. Blood seeped from his mouth and ear. “Oh no, you daft old thing. Oh, Norman. Oh no. She put her ear to his chest. Nothing. A great sob rose into her throat.

She felt Tanzies hand on her shoulder, her fist grabbing a handful of her T-shirt and pulling at it again and again. “Mum, make it all right. Mum, make him all right. Tanzie dropped to her knees and buried her face in his coat. “Norman. Norman. And then she started to howl.

Beneath her shrieking, Nickys words emerged garbled and confused. “They were trying to get Tanzie into the car. I was trying to get you, but I couldnt open the window. I just couldnt open it, and I was shouting and he went through the fence. He knew. He was trying to help her.

Nathalie came running down the road, her shirt fastened with the wrong buttons, hair half done in rollers. She wrapped her arms around Tanzie and held her close, rocking her, trying to stop the noise.

Normans eyes had stilled. Jess lowered her head to his and felt her heart break.

“Ive called the emergency vet, someone said.

She stroked his big soft ear. “Thank you, she whispered.

“Weve got to do something, Jess. Nicky said it again, more urgently. “Now.

She put a trembling hand on Nickys shoulder. “I think hes gone, sweetheart.

“No. You dont say that. Youre the one who said we dont say that. We dont give in. Youre the one who says its all going to be okay. You dont say that.

And as Tanzie began to wail again, Nickys face crumpled. And then he sobbed, one elbow bent across his face, huge, gasping sobs, as if a dam had finally broken.

Jess sat in the middle of the road, as the cars crawled around her, and the curious neighbors hovered on the front steps of their houses, and she held her old dogs enormous bloodied head on her lap and she lifted her face to the heavens and said silently, What now? What the hell now?