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文/彭妮·波特 译/青闰

“保持警惕。”米勒朝后座扫了一眼，对他说道。在昏暗的灯光下，米勒只能分辨出挂在搭档项圈上闪闪发光的警徽：编号85。新手是一条强壮结实的德国牧羊犬，名叫奥尔登。

2突然，巡逻车的车头灯照见一个人影正在撬一幢建筑的门锁。米勒嘎地刹住车，大声命令“上！”一瞬间，奥尔登纵身跃出敞开的车窗，深沉的吠叫声响彻夜空。

3几秒钟后，奥尔登咬住了嫌疑人的臀部，追捕就此结束。

4在接下来的几个月里，米勒与奥尔登保持着严格的工作关系。这狗不给吃残羹剩饭，不能进卧室，不管天气如何都得在室外过夜。有时风雨大作，奥尔登会把鼻子从狗窝里伸出来，冲着后门吠叫，米勒假装没听见。

5日复一日，米勒让狗绕着后院奔跑，以增强他的耐力——毕竟，奥尔登是一个正受训练的战士。为了考验奥尔登的风纪，米勒会给他下达“待着别动”的命令——然后离开。有一次，米勒散了半小时步。等他回来时，奥尔登依旧待在原地纹丝不动。那一刻，米勒想拥抱奥尔登，但他没有，只是轻声说了句：“好样的。”

6一天下午，米勒和奥尔登刚开始值班，无线电就传来了紧急呼叫：“北公园大街720号发生了枪击案。”米勒立马按响了警笛。

7当他把车开到那座房前时，一辆白色汽车飞驰而去，方向盘后面是嫌疑人史蒂夫·马登。

8米勒以90 英里的时速穿过一个个十字路口追捕马登。最后，嫌疑人突然转向一条背街，弃车而逃。米勒纵身跃出巡逻车，箭步跑过一个个垃圾箱，进入一条小巷。

9米勒拐过一个弯，以为会看见正在狂奔的嫌疑人，却发现一把手枪的枪管正对着他的胸口。

10马登扣动扳机，米勒做好了赴死的准备。但是，一声雷鸣般的吠叫突然响起，奥尔登从拐角处飞奔出来，直扑马登。持枪歹徒开枪逃跑。

11子弹击中了奥尔登的面部，他向后打了个转，侧倒在地。子弹洞穿奥尔登的面颊，飞出脖子，钻入肩膀。鲜血从各个伤口喷涌而出。

12米勒瞬间反应过来。他心想：奥尔登刚才做出了最大的牺牲啊。他的搭档躺在那里直喘，米勒低声说道：“会没事的。”说完就向马登追去。

13嫌疑人此刻正奔跑着穿过一栋房屋后面的开阔地。另外两名警官也赶到了，三名警察与马登交了火。最后，米勒一枪射中马登的肋部，把他击倒在地。

14米勒抱起奥尔登，轻轻地把他放在巡逻车后座上，之后风驰电掣地向动物医院驶去。

15到了医院，医生准备给奥尔登做手术，便把米勒请出了手术室。米勒担心再也见不到勇敢的搭档了。

16第二天早上到了医院，米勒发现奥尔登躺在手术台上，缝合的伤口处缝线清晰可见。“子弹差一点就击中了他的颈静脉。”兽医说，“他很幸运，但现在还没脱离危险。”

17米勒抚摸着奥尔登的脸庞，注意到他的眼睛微微睁开。随后，兽医将一颗铅弹放到米勒的手掌上，说道：“你或许想要这个吧。”米勒低头看着那颗子弹，心想：这颗子弹本来是冲我来的啊。

18米勒开始往外走，奥尔登挣扎着想从手术台上爬起来跟主人走。但是，他受伤的身体几乎动弹不了。“丹尼，他想跟你在一起。”兽医说，“带他回家吧。”

19在随后的几天里，米勒给奥尔登的伤口换药，喂他吃的，抱他到外面。很快，米勒就明白，奥尔登要挺过来了。

20然而，训练师霍尔告诉他“枪伤可能会废掉一只警犬”时，他又高兴不起来了。

21不！米勒想：他是我的搭档，应该和我在一起。只有一个希望能让奥尔登留在警队，那就是他必须通过一项测试，看他还能不能胜任自己的工作。

22枪击刚过几周，米勒就开车把奥尔登带到了一个废弃的军事基地，以再现那次枪击的场面。好几名警官紧张地站在一旁。

23接着，霍尔发出了测试开始的信号。奥尔登服从所有的命令，沿着一条长廊跑下去，纵身跃出窗户。但接下来，一名身穿防护衬垫的警官飞奔出来，举起手枪瞄准。当奥尔登冲上前时，这名警官贴近奥尔登的面部开了两枪。奥尔登一下子僵住了。

24“快上，伙计。”米勒说。他重又命令奥尔登进攻。奥尔登立马扑向那个持枪的警官，没有顾及他手里的枪。警官们鼓掌喝彩。“米勒，”霍尔咧嘴笑道，“你的搭档回归了。”

25回到家里，米勒领着奥尔登走向他的窝。突然，他停住了。自从一年多以前见到奥尔登时起，他就一直想做一件事。现在是时候去做了。米勒蹲下来，双臂搂住奥尔登，抱住他。之后，米勒和奥尔登开始在柔软的草地上翻滚。奥尔登一声声欢叫着，尾巴啪啪地打着地面。 □

“Keep a sharp lookout,” Miller told him, glancing toward the back seat. In the dim light, Miller could just make out the shield glimmering smartly from his partner’s collar: Badge No. 85. The rookie was a husky German shepherd named Olden.

2Suddenly the cruiser’s headlights illuminated a figure breaking the lock on a building. Miller screeched to a halt and shouted the command “Go!” In a flash Olden bounded through the car’s open window, his deep bark reverberating through the night.

3The chase ended seconds later as Olden nipped the suspect on the buttocks.

4Over the next few months, Miller kept his relationship with Olden strictly professional. The dog was fed no table scraps. He was kept out of the bedroom.He spent his nights outside, regardless of the weather. Sometimes during storms, Olden would poke his nose out of his doghouse and bark at the back door. Miller pretended not to hear.

5Day after day, Miller raced the dog around the back yard to build his stamina—after all, Olden was a soldier in training. To test Olden’s discipline, he’d give him the order to “Stay”—and then he’d leave. Once Miller took a halfhour walk. When he returned, Olden was still glued to the spot where he had left him. At that moment Miller wanted to give Olden a hug, but instead quietly said, “Attaboy.”

6One afternoon, just after Miller and Olden began their shift, an urgent call came over the radio. “Shots fired, 720 North Park Avenue.” Miller flicked on the siren.

7As he pulled up to the house, a white car sped away. Behind the wheel was Steve Madden, a suspect.

8Miller chased Madden through intersection after intersection at 90 m.p.h.Finally the suspect swerved down a side street and abandoned his car. Miller jumped out of his cruiser and raced past garbage cans into an alley.

9Turning a corner, Miller expected to see a man running headlong. Instead,he found the barrel of a pistol pointing right at his chest.

10He braced for the jolt as Madden squeezed the trigger. But suddenly a thundering bark rang out and Olden burst around the corner, tearing straight for Madden. The gunman fired and fled.

11The bullet caught Olden in the face,spinning him backward and dropping him onto his side. The slug bore through Olden’s cheek, burst out his neck and buried itself in his shoulder. Blood spurted from the wounds.

12It took a split second for Miller to react. Olden has just made the ultimate sacrifice, he thought. As his partner lay panting, Miller whispered, “It’ll be all right.” Then he went after Madden.

13The suspect was now running across an open area behind a house. Two other officers had arrived, and the three cops exchanged shots with Madden. Finally,Miller felled Madden with a shot in the side.

14Miller scooped Olden up and placed him gently on the back seat of the patrol car. Then he sped toward the animal hospital.

15At the hospital, as Olden was prepared for surgery, Miller was ushered out of the room. He feared he’d never see his brave partner again.

16At the hospital the next morning,Miller found Olden lying on a table.Stitches jutted1jut（使）突出；（使）伸出。from the closed wounds.“The bullet missed his jugular vein by a fraction of an inch,” the vet said. “He’s lucky, but he’s not out of danger yet.”

17Miller stroked Olden’s face and watched his eyes open slightly. The vet then dropped a piece of lead into Miller’s palm. “You might want this,”he said. Miller looked down at the bullet. This was meant for me, he thought.

18As Miller began to walk out, Olden struggled to get up from the table and follow his master. But his torn body could barely move. “Danny, he wants to be with you,” the vet said. “Take him home.”

19In the days that followed, Miller dressed the dog’s wounds, made sure he ate and carried him outside. Soon it was clear to Miller that Olden was going to live.

20His joy was tempered, though, when trainer Hall told him, “Gunshot wounds can destroy a police dog’s effectiveness.”

21No! thought Miller. He’s my partner.He belongs here with me. There was only one hope for keeping Olden on the force: the dog would have to pass a test to see if he could still perform his job.

22Just weeks after the shooting, Miller drove Olden to an abandoned military base to re-create the scene of the shooting. Several officers stood by nervously.

23Then Hall signaled the beginning of the test. Olden followed all orders,running down a long corridor and jumping out a window. But then an officer layered in padding dashed out, leveling a revolver. As Olden advanced, the officer fired twice close to the dog’s face.Olden froze.

24“C’mon, buddy,” Miller said. He recommanded Olden to attack. A second later, the dog leaped at the gunman,now ignoring the gun in the officer’s hand. The officers broke into applause.“Miller,” Hall said, grinning, “you’ve got your partner back.”

25At home, Miller led Olden to his pen. Suddenly he stopped. There was something he’d been wanting to do ever since he saw Olden more than a year before. And now was the time to do it.Crouching down, Miller wrapped his arms around Olden and hugged him.Then the two started rolling around in the soft grass. Olden barked and barked,his tail thumping. ■