For a moment, it felt as if everyone in the room had stopped breathing. Alex was still gently stroking Rex’s head, trying not to look at the syringe the doctor had prepared.

— What do you mean? — one of the officers standing by the wall asked quietly.

Dr. Elena didn’t answer right away. She placed her hand again on the dog’s side and then quickly turned toward the ultrasound machine.

— I need to check something immediately.

She switched on the monitor. A cold bluish light spread across the room. The only sounds were the quiet beeping of the machine and Rex’s uneven breathing.

Alex frowned.

— But you said… his kidneys… his lungs…

— That’s what the tests showed this morning, — the veterinarian replied without taking her eyes off the screen. — But right now I’m seeing something different.

She slowly moved the scanner across Rex’s abdomen.

Suddenly the machine gave a short signal.

Dr. Elena froze.

— That’s unbelievable…

— What is it? — Alex asked anxiously.

The veterinarian turned the screen toward him.

— Take a close look.

At first Alex couldn’t understand what he was seeing. The monitor showed only gray shadows. But then he noticed a dark shape near the organs.

— Is that… a tumor?

Dr. Elena slowly shook her head.

— No.

She took a deep breath.

— It’s a foreign object. Metal.

The officers exchanged shocked looks.

— Metal? How could that get there? — one of them asked.

— And it’s not small either, — Elena added seriously.

Suddenly a memory flashed through Alex’s mind.

Three weeks earlier.

A nighttime raid at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The police had been chasing an armed group of smugglers. The moment the team entered the building, the criminals opened fire.

Rex had rushed forward first.

After the operation, Alex noticed that the dog was limping slightly, but no serious wound had been found. Everyone assumed Rex had simply hit himself against a metal crate during the chase.

Alex slowly looked back at the veterinarian.

— Are you saying… that’s a bullet?

Dr. Elena nodded.

— Judging by its shape, yes. It got lodged between the organs and gradually caused severe inflammation. That’s why his condition has been getting worse.

One of the officers muttered under his breath.

— But why didn’t anyone find it earlier?

— Sometimes it’s extremely hard to detect, — Elena explained. — If a bullet enters at a certain angle, the entry wound can be almost invisible. The body tries to isolate the metal, but over time it causes serious poisoning.

Alex continued staring at the screen.

— So… he isn’t dying?

The veterinarian looked directly at him.

— He’s badly injured. But we can operate.

Those words changed everything in the room.

— Operate?! — one of the officers exclaimed.

— Yes, — the doctor replied calmly. — It will be a difficult surgery, but there’s a real chance. If everything goes well, he could recover completely.

Alex slowly sat down in a chair. For several seconds he simply looked at Rex, who weakly moved his tail.

The dog seemed to sense that something had changed.

— So… — Alex’s voice trembled — we almost put him down… because of a bullet?

The veterinarian nodded quietly.

The room fell silent again, but this time the silence felt different.

One of the officers rubbed his face.

— Unbelievable… that dog is still fighting.

Alex leaned closer and gently held Rex’s head in his hands.

— Can you hear me, buddy? — he whispered. — You’re not going anywhere today.

Rex slowly opened his eyes.

And let out a soft whimper.

Meanwhile, Dr. Elena was already preparing the operating room.

— We need to move quickly. The bullet is very close to the intestine. If it shifts, it could cause internal bleeding.

The officers immediately stepped forward.

— What can we do?

— Prepare the IV and help me move him, — Elena said.

Alex didn’t leave Rex’s side for even a moment.

When they lifted the dog onto the operating table, Rex raised his front paw again.

With great effort, he placed it on his handler’s hand.

As if he wanted to say just one thing:

“Stay.”

Alex gently squeezed the paw.

— I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.

The doors to the operating room closed.

The next forty minutes felt endless. The officers sat silently in the hallway. The ticking clock on the wall sounded unbearably loud.

Finally, the door opened.

Dr. Elena stepped out first.

Her surgical gown was stained, but there was a tired smile on her face.

Alex immediately jumped to his feet.

— Well?

The veterinarian lifted a small sterile container.

Inside lay a twisted piece of metal.

— Here’s the cause.

It was a bullet.

— The surgery was successful, — she said.

Alex closed his eyes for a moment.

— Rex… is he alive?

Dr. Elena nodded.

— Yes. He’s still asleep from the anesthesia, but he’s strong. In a few weeks he should be able to walk again.