'Anna! Come here girl!' The woman's clear voice rang trough the air causing my fragile and keen ears to tingle. Immediately I follow the sound of her voice, my paws sliding across the waxed surface of the wooden floor. She was in the kitchen, and I could smell the delicious scent of hot dinner in the air. The woman was tall and slim. Her black curls bounced as she mixed whatever was boiling in that pot. She was humming a soft tune as she prepared the meal. Then she turned and saw me. Her eyes twinkled and a smile grew across her face. But this time her smile wasn't real, it was forced. I caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes and laid my ears back. She froowned. 'What's wrong with my puppy?' She crooned as she knelt down to hoist me up from the slippery floor. I leaned towards her face and managed to get a good lick on her cheek. A giggle escaped her throat and I let out an excited bark. I could sense that the woman lost something again, and she was disappointed. The only heartbeat I could hear was hers. but last night, there was another heartbeat, inside her stomach. Fast and rapid. But the unfamiliar heartbeat was gone, and only the slow rythmn of hers thumped against my ear. I heard a door open and immediately could smell the Man's strong scent. 'Baby, I'm home.' His voice lingered lifelessly in the air. That sad look returned in the woman's eyes as she sat me back down on the floor. The Man came into the kitchen and gave the woman a hug. 'So how was your appointment?' I heard him ask. I could hear her heart fluttering nervously inside her ribcage. She shook her head furiously began to wail loudly. My legs began to shake and I whimpered. I didn't like to hear the woman cry like that. She looked at the Man with tears streaming down her cheeks. 'We lost it again. And I'm tired of trying David. I want my baby.' And she began to cry even louder now. The Man held her in a tight embrace. His eyes trailed over to where I was, and I could see tears in them. I scurried under the dining room table and curled up in my bed. But the woman's sobs wouldn't go away...
I woke up to the sound of the woman calling me. 'Anna! Anna? Baby come here!' I ran into the kitchen and there by the refrigerator was a bowl of nice hot beef stew. I immediately began gobbling it down and the woman sat on the floor beside me. Her long fingers combed through my soft brown fur. 'I know you probably don't understand me right now but I love you so much Anna. You're the baby I never had.' A single tear ran down her red cheek. I curled up into her lap and pressed my forehead against her belly. 'I want my baby so badly.' She whispered to herself. I pressed my head into her belly a little harder, hoping to hear that light rapid heartbeat I heard the night before. But it was silent. And the only sound was her heart, beating heavy and slow with agony.