Snuggles
© 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
mark@cccoating.com
