“He won’t let me pick up the baby.”
“Can you please put him in another room next time?”
Rose and I felt torn. Beau had always been part of the family, but now we had a newborn to think about. What if something went wrong?
The unthinkable began to creep in — maybe we needed to let him go.
The Night Everything Changed
That Friday, desperate for a break, Rose and I decided to have dinner out. Just a short meal to feel normal again.
Claire agreed to stay with Zoey for a few hours. She asked that Beau be kept in the laundry room, behind a baby gate. We agreed.
Halfway through dinner, my phone buzzed. Claire’s name lit up the screen.
“Derek!” she shouted through the line, her voice frantic. “Beau went crazy! He tried to attack me when I picked up Zoey!”
Zoey’s cries echoed in the background. Rose was already out of her seat, grabbing her coat.
We sped home in silence, hearts pounding.
When we walked through the door, Claire stood in the living room, clutching Zoey tightly. Beau sat behind the baby gate, motionless, ears flat.
“He lunged at me,” Claire said, shaking. “I can’t work in a house with that dog.”
I barely heard her. Something about her story didn’t feel right. Beau’s eyes weren’t angry — they were pleading.
“Go sit with Zoey,” I told Rose quietly. “I need to check something.”
What the Camera Showed
We’d installed a small security camera in the living room to keep an eye on the baby. I pulled up the feed from earlier that evening.
Claire entered the frame, cheerful, chatting to Beau. She had a small gray backpack slung over her shoulder — the same one she always brought. She set it on the couch and glanced around nervously.
Then, she pulled out a tablet.
I leaned closer.
On the screen, scrolling hearts and emojis began appearing. Claire was livestreaming.
The title read: “Nanny Nights: Part 12.”
Rose gasped behind me.
We watched as Claire smiled into the camera, showing off our baby’s nursery. “This is Zoey,” she said sweetly. “She’s almost three months old now!”
My blood ran cold. She was broadcasting our daughter’s life to strangers online.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Zoey began to cough — a small, sharp sound that grew louder. She was choking.
Beau jumped to his feet immediately. He nudged the crib with his nose. Barked once. Then again, louder.
But Claire didn’t move. She had AirPods in, scrolling through comments, still smiling at her viewers.
Beau barked again — desperate this time. He pawed the crib, nudged Zoey, and when that didn’t work, snapped his jaws near Claire’s leg — not to bite, just enough to startle her.
Finally, she yanked out her earbuds, spun around, and saw Zoey struggling.
