CHAPTER 14 ‘Grief’

Calvin's gravestone is read by Six-Thirty. He's learning words from Elizabeth. Six-Thirty already knew over 100 words, despite Calvin's claim that dogs could learn 50. Elizabeth had started teaching Six-Thirty and keeping track of his words because she believed he was special. Six-Thirty also silently informed Elizabeth's unborn child, "Creature," of Calvin's death.

Three months after Calvin's death, Elizabeth demolishes the apartment kitchen and builds a lab. Since she was fired, her old Hastings colleagues had been visiting her for help with their work, and Elizabeth had started charging them, making a living by "doing other people's work without any credit".

Six-Thirty tells Calvin about Elizabeth's lab, her attempts to teach her words, and her "erging" at the gravestone. Six-Thirty wants to give Elizabeth hope and thinks this is bad for the "creature."

Six-Thirty runs away when the cemetery groundskeeper tries to shoot him. Six-Thirty barks until people arrive to stop the groundskeeper's bleeding, remembering Calvin's death. Calvin's reporter writes about the dog who mourned his master and saved a man's life. Dogs are allowed at the cemetery after the groundskeeper is fired.