*Might be too mature for younger readers or those who have lost pets before*

Beep...beep...beep...beep...

The rhythm was steady, a monitor displayed that his heart rate was elevated but not strained. The deer's eyes opened just slightly, he couldn't keep them open for very long. Bright lights hovered above him, and his body was slowly becoming more and more numbed from the injections they had put into him.

A gloved hand caressed his neck. He listened to the voices of the veterinarians who were doing everything the could to save him. He didn't understand them, but their voices were more than enough to soothe his mind.

The stag closed his eyes, weeping just a little. The past few days had been nothing but pain for him, but he felt just a little comfort as he lay on the padded operating table. A simple cloth covered most of his body, there was enough exposed for the vets to inspect.

His skin was rotting away.

~~~

"Where did you find him at?", one of the vets, an older woman, asked a high-school boy who sat in the waiting room of the clinic.

"He was walking down the street.", the boy replied, "Not too far from here."

The boy was worried about the deer. He had led the animal to the vet clinic, looking for help from anyone. The deer had been grunting and moaning with every step he had taken on that long road.

"What is it? Do they know what happened to him?", the boy asked.

The vet shook her head, "They've never seen a case like this. They think he might have been exposed to radiation contamination, but for now they're not sure. We wouldn't even know where he came from."

The boy lowered his head. "Hey...", the vet said, kneeling down to meet him at eye level, "You did a brave thing bringing him here. I'm sure he really appreciates that someone would care for him like you did."

At that time, another vet came in. The two looked to the man, who sighed and shook his head. "There's nothing more we can do for him. He's suffering too much...", he began to say, looking to the boy, "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to put him down."

There was a few seconds of silence as the boy and the other vet dreaded the words. But then the boy asked, "Can I see him?"

The two vets nodded their heads, and standing, the three walked down a hallway to a room at the end.

The boy walked in to see the deer breathing steadily, his fur was an unusual shade of grey, bulges and tumors emerging from his skin. The vets handed him a pair of gloves, and putting them on, he approached the head of the animal.

He petted the deer's head. The stag had a beautiful set of antlers that seemed untouched by whatever was plaguing him. The deer's eyes opened and stared at the boy, seeing a familiar face was calming to him. The boy stared back into the dark eye, the lights above reflecting and glistening within it.

"Are we ready?", one of the vets said to the others. They nodded, and two syringes were taken from a nearby table.

The vet who was talking to the boy before approached him and said, "It's time."

The boy's eyes teared up as he petted the deer's head and said goodbye to him.

The deer closed his eyes and smiled just slightly as he was injected. He rested his head and took one last breath. The beeping monitor became a steady electronic hum as the deer's heart stopped.

And at that moment, the vet embraced the boy. He didn't even know the deer, but he felt like he had lost a old friend.

~~~

"Investigators uncovered a shocking discovery on Friday. Police and officials were at the scene as several barrels of toxic waste were found in a warehouse, and cleanup methods are underway. Local 10 News will keep you informed as further information develops in this case."

The boy watched the newscast. The contamination was brought to the city's attention after the vets told the story to the news of him and the deer. The city was lucky that the waste was found early, as it was poorly maintained and would have easily gotten into the city's water supply.

The boy finished his breakfast and got ready to go to school, stepping out in time to see a doe and her fawn sitting on the front lawn. The two watched him curiously, and he stopped and smiled at them. "Hello there.", he said to them, "Are you friends with Bucky?" The boy had given his deer the nickname after the day he found him.

The doe and fawn didn't understand him, but his words were kind to them. They looked off toward the road, and as the boy looked there, he could have sworn he saw a beautiful young stag walking on the sidewalk toward them. The two deer stood and greeted the apparition, nuzzling him and walking together. The boy had never seen a more beautiful sight.

And from that moment, he studied the environment, going to college and graduating in environmental toxicology. He would save many lives with his work.

We never know who we touch when we give simple acts of kindness.