Lowe spent the last three days browsing the web, searching for a place in town to take Andrew and Ethan. Nowhere seemed good enough to represent how grateful he was, and the boy was starting to get frustrated with the situation.

He got Andrew's number from the message he sent his dad on the accident day, but he didn't enter in contact with the guy. He wanted to organize his plans first. Reflecting a bit, he started to think that it would be better to just ask them where they wanted to go. At least they knew the town.

Although this wasn't the only frustrated plan he had, it wasn't his will to explore the neighborhood alone. But after she heard what happened, his mother made it very clear how she didn't want him wandering around. He would be twenty in a few months, but his mom didn't have it in her to see him like the adult he was.

Plus, he was like a magnet attracting misadventures, so he couldn't really blame her. From random people on the streets that Cookie decided to be hostile to and they had to run to not get beat to a pulp, to babies crying as soon he got a bit closer to them, he had a ton of strange stories to tell.

And having to explain how his dog almost died on his first day going out didn't help his case. So he decided to lie low for some days and let his mom have things her way for a while. Anyway, with his classes coming up the next week, he would have to go out, so it wasn't all that bad.

Now Cookie's situation was in another level of frustration. With his friend stuck in the vet, he wasn't even sure when they could bring her back home. It was uncomfortably weird not having her around, but it was for the best. Besides, she was in good hands, and each hour that passed meant that he was one hour closer to seeing her again.

And the timing was just like if the gods were listening to him. Lowe's mom appeared on his door with the good news, although her features were a bit upset. His dad was going to fetch Cookie, and she knew the boy wouldn't think two times before setting foot out of the house. At least he would be in Will's company, settling her worries a little.

Grabbing his phone, he signed a hurried thank you to her and ran down the stairs, meeting his dad in the living room. Lowe just beamed when the older man, with the car keys in hand, motioned his head in the direction of the front door, meaning they were going out.

Their little trip passed fast. The vet wasn't very far from their place, and just like every small town, there was no traffic at all. In addition, Lowe was quite pleased with the scenery. His mother told him that, except downtown, pretty much everywhere in Apoena looked like that. A few houses here and there, just enough to evidence the existence of humans in the area, but the surroundings screamed nature. It was like they were living close to those areas under environmental protection.

Midway to the clinic, he asked his father to stop in a small shop. It was similar to a convenience store but with more of a "you are in the middle of nowhere" vibe. It didn't have many options, but he guessed that chocolate was always a good choice for a present. Maybe it wasn't the best he could come up with, but it was better than going empty-handed.

Putting the gift in his pocket, he went back to the car, signing that he was ready to go.

Without much ceremony, they entered the clinic, and Lowe went to sit on one of the padded chairs while his dad worked things out with Jenny. He kept staring at the two adults talking, creating silly dialogues of things they could be saying in his head. It was an innocent game he invented when he was younger, and he would still play it to keep the boredom away.

Taking him out of his head, his father signed to him, indicating the room he was supposed to get Cookie. The younger one strode to the designated local, not even thinking twice before opening the room's door with full force.

There she was, wagging her tail, being all cute. And very much to Lowe's surprise, there was Andrew as well. He was talking to her while petting her head, and she seemed pretty relaxed in his presence.

As soon as she took notice of the boy, she broke into a sprint in his direction. Without much time to react, soon he was on the floor, receiving kisses from his very excited friend. She kept jumping around, rubbing her body into his, probably to leave her scent on him.

And he patiently waited until she seemed satisfied enough with her action. When she stopped, he grabbed her in a tight hug, carefully avoiding her mended neck. He held his breath for some time, fighting his will to cry. The thought of almost losing her because he couldn't keep his friend safe was too heavy for him.

He drew out of his thoughts when a hand landed on his shoulder, in a consoling manner, and the action made him look at the other person in the room. For a second, he forgot that Andrew was there, watching him almost have a meltdown.

Although he wore a stoic face, Andrew's eyes were gentle, and he let himself be comforted by the other. As soon as he relaxed a little, the tall guy retracted his hand and went to search the room, looking for something.

Lowe stood up, petting Cookie's head one last time before facing Andrew. He clapped his hands two times to draw the guy's attention and took his cell phone from his pocket. When the other looked at him, the boy pointed to his phone and then pointed to Andrew. Then, he started to write a message. After all, he hadn't thanked him properly yet.

When the other received it, his eyebrows lightly stood up in surprise.