Artem dared to hope, his tears of sorrow transforming into tears of tentative joy. He leaned closer to Leo, whispering softly, as if the world had narrowed to just the two of them.

— Is this your way of telling me you’re not done yet, buddy?

Leo, in his silent language, seemed to affirm this. The room that had been a space of impending loss was now charged with a different kind of tension — the tension of hope reborn. The assistant, tears freely flowing, smiled through her emotion, feeling the profound connection between man and dog that seemed to transcend the very boundaries of life and death.