Ranger’s nose brushed against her fingers, a tentative touch that sent a ripple of astonishment through the onlookers. His tail, which had been stiff and upright, gave a small, hesitant wag. It was the first sign of hope anyone had seen from him.

Lily smiled, a beacon of warmth in the otherwise sterile hallway. “See? We’re not so different, you and I.”

Michael exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, a slow smile creeping onto his face. It wasn’t every day you witnessed a breakthrough of this magnitude.