A Long Wait
The sterile scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the familiar, comforting smell of Joseph’s dog. He sat hunched in the waiting room chair, its plastic cold beneath his over-heated jeans. His clutched phone tight in his hands. It felt like a lifeline and a burden all at once. He’d just sent me a text, a hurried, raw outpouring of fear, and now the silence of the vet’s office amplified his anxious thoughts as he awaited my reply.
“If I lose him I will be most devastated. He is all I got at home and my cat.”
Just an hour before, Joseph’s world had imploded into a frantic scramble of fear and soiled carpet. Buster, his beloved Golden Retriever, had been fine, or at least, "fine" as far as Joseph knew. Then a seizure juddered Buster’s entire body. A sudden, violent tremor shook Buster's large frame, followed by an unexpected gush of urine which saturated the living room carpet below. Joseph scooped him up. Buster’s familiar muscular frame was now terrifyingly limp. The drive to the vet had been a blur of frantic prayers and choked-back tears.
Now, Buster was behind the closed doors, framed in perfect view from Joseph’s seat, in the hands of strangers, who were now evaluating his condition using the language of pet-science. Joseph kept rehearsing the seizure scene as he sat there. Buster's eyes had been, wide with confusion as his legs flailed with spasms. The image was seared into his mind in a painful loop.
A young woman with a nervous terrier on her lap glanced at him sympathetically. Joseph offered a weak, tight-lipped smile in return. All speech was caught in his throat. There was a lump of dread making it impossible for him to talk, even if he knew what to say. Buster wasn't just a pet; he was Joseph’s steady beat of life in his otherwise solitary home, a fixture of unwavering companionship. Buster and Mittens, a quiet cat, were his constants, anchors in a world in which he often felt adrift. The idea of losing Buster was creating a black hole inside his chest. He tried to push the thought away, to focus on the faint sounds from behind the door.
Minutes were dragging as if heavy and thick molasses. He looked at his phone for my response to his message.
“I'm so sorry to hear about that. I've been through that kind of thing with my own dogs. I hope he gets well soon! Please keep me updated.”
At least my message allowed Joseph a brief break from his frenetic thoughts before he was once again consumed, worried about Buster feelings of confusion and fear. He just wanted to hold him, to tell him everything would be okay and take him home.
Finally, the door opened. The veterinarian, her face kind but weary, stepped out. "Mr. Davies?" she said softly. Joseph shot to his feet, his heart hammering against his ribs. This was it. The moment of truth. He braced himself, ready for whatever news she held.
His long wait was over and his house would remain a home for three!
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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV in Northwest Arkansas. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as a real estate agent and Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.
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