The store manager didn’t hesitate—he kicked the scarred service dog aside as the veteran collapsed. He never realized the animal wasn’t a threat. It was trying to save the only person it lived for.

I was already moving. Years working in cardiology teach you to recognize a heart attack before anyone says the words. The gasping breaths. The gray skin. The weakening pulse.

Nitroglycerin. The pouch had to contain nitroglycerin.

The dog pushed it forward again, whining desperately.

And that was the moment Curtis Malloy entered the aisle.

PART 2 — The Moment Everything Went Wrong