"Good," Meredith says, "that's good." It's going to make this a lot easier on all of them. Looking at the two of them makes her chest tight. She almost wants to reach out and hug Clementine. "It's going to be okay, I promise. Quick and easy."

She keeps her voice soft as she assembles her purchases, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves. Hopefully her tone will help sooth both the dog and the child. Pulling out the tweezers, she holds Bailey's paw in one hand, carefully working to get a good grip on the piece of glass. Steadying her breathing, she yanks it out as quickly and evenly as she can, setting those aside to reach for the rubbing alcohol and cotton pads so she can clean the cut.