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SNUGGLES
By,
Mark
Crider
Little Mikey lay in bed; the TV was burbling an old movie about
Lassie, probably from the forties. His eyes were opening from time
to time, as the pain and nausea from the chemo mixed with
painkillers ebbed him in and out of consciousness.
His mom came in and felt his forehead, then
laid a cool washrag on it. He opened his eyes, the pain showing, and
asked his mom if he could please have a dog—any kind of dog, before
he died. With tears in her eyes she said yes, she would talk it over
with his dad. When he felt well enough from this round of chemo they
would go to the rescue place and he could pick one out.
His eyes blinked open! "Really? I'll be well
and ready to go when Dad gets home," he coughed out.
"There, there, we'll see how you are when Dad
gets home."
He had been adopted by Bill and Jan when only a
few weeks old and was now eight, though his little frame spoke more
of four or five because of the discovery that he had leukemia when
he was just a little more than three. They had been in line for
another child ever since they got Mikey. Whether a boy, or girl,
they wanted two children. It hadn't happened.
Four o'clock came and Dad arrived home from the
machine shop where he worked the day shift. There sat Mikey dressed
to go, pale and somber, near the door as Dad stepped in. "Let’s go,
let’s go!" he was shouting towards his mom. She came in the room and
they had a little conversation about adopting a dog, then they
loaded up in the car.
The rescue people were friendly as they lead them through the maze
of kennels of all the barking, jumping, and wagging tails. Then,
there he was, lying inside his shelter—golden eyes looking into
Mikey's pale blue ones. The old dog got up, slowly walked up to
Mikey, and licked his hand while giving him a couple of tail wags to
let him know he could feel his illness. Then he sat down and looked
into Mikey's eyes. Mikey got on his knees and hugged the thick coat
around the old dog’s neck and shoulders while getting another kiss
on his cheek.
"Don't snuggle the dog Mikey, he may not like
it," his mom admonished.
"That's it, that's his name! Snuggles!" shouted Mikey.
The deal was finalized and they took Snuggles home for a nice bath,
which he enjoyed. After he was dried they showed him around the
house then took him to Mikey's room, where he was in bed resting
after the ordeal of going out to the rescue organization. Mikey put
his hand out towards the edge of the bed to pet Snuggles and oomph!
Snuggles was up in the bed beside Mikey with his head lying beside
Mikey's. They had bonded.
The weeks turned into months and Mikey got a lot better since
Snuggles came into his life. They even played outside and went for
walks, which Mikey hadn't been able to do in a long time.
Several months passed and Mikey had to go into
isolation to receive a bone marrow transplant. He was gone over a
month and Snuggles would just lie in the bed waiting for his friend
to return. He would only get off the bed to go outside or check the
house to see if Mikey had returned. He refused to eat and drank
little water. Bill and Jan were worried as he was losing weight
fast.
Mikey arrived home to a barrage of doggy
kisses, barking, and jumping. Snuggles ate and ate trying to catch
up. Snuggles buddy was home and all was right now, he was happy.
Everyone was happy.
Then one morning nearly a year later, Mom went to take Mikey his
breakfast and was met with a low threatening growl. She looked—Mikey
was pale and not breathing. She screamed and ran to the phone,
calling 911. The ambulance arrived the same time as Bill who luckily
got there and leashed Snuggles, taking him out of the room. Mikey
was gone, but he had had a lot of good months with his friend. The
doctors were amazed that he had recovered and lasted as long as he
did. They attributed it to Snuggles.
The phone rang late one morning some months
later, it was the adoption agency and they had Bill and Jan's second
child ready, another boy, after all these years of waiting. That
Saturday they drove to San Antonio and picked him up. When they got
home they had readied Mikey's room and placed the baby in the bed.
Oomph! Snuggles was up in the bed sniffing, then he looked up as if
smiling. He lay down with his head next to the baby's and thumped
his tail a few times on the bed as a sign of approval. He had a new
buddy to play with in the future.
Bill and Jan were so happy; Snuggles had extended the life of their
first son and now was caring for their second. The years ahead would
be filled with boy and dog running, playing, and sharing things
together. And Mikey was certainly looking down happy that Snuggles,
Mom, and Dad had all the love they could want, thanks to Snuggles.
Mark Crider ©2006
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