Page 15 of Silver Secrets

“Yeah. She’ll be here sometime in the next hour,” Gage answered. “Do you want something to drink? I should have thought about it before now, but?—”

“Your mind is on this sweet girl,” she finished his sentence.

“It is.”

“I’m okay right now. Would you like to hold her again?”

Gage shook his head. “I’ll hold her later. When it’s time.”

They sat in comfortable silence, whispering sweet sentiments to Cookie and giving her plenty of pats and cuddles until the veterinarian showed up fifty minutes later. Gage felt his emotions weighing heavy in his chest as he watched her get ready for the procedure. Sloane placed Cookie on the ground so she could get one final check over.

“Alright. I’m ready to administer the medicine whenever you are. Would one of you like to be holding her when she passes?”

“Yes.” Gage cleared his throat. “I would like to be holding her if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is.”

Dr. Daniels waited for Gage to sit on the floor and scoop Cookie up onto his lap. Sloane reached over, placing her hand on the little dog’s back.

“You’re such a good girl, Cookie. You mean so much to us,” Gage heard her whisper as she pressed a kiss to Cookie’s ear. Her hand came up to rub Cookie’s paw while Gage watched the medicine be administered.

“This medication is just to make sure she doesn’t feel any pain. In about sixty seconds, I’ll administer the second medication to stop her heart.”

“Look for a little boy named Mikey when you get to the other side, okay? He’s really good at giving big hugs. I know he’ll give you all the treats you could ever want, and play tug of war with you until you both need a nap. You’ll know he’s my son because we have the same eyes,” Gage whispered before kissing Cookie’s soft fur. Much to his surprise, she opened her eyes and focused on his face, as if she was memorizing the way his eyes looked. Her eyelids drooped after only a few seconds, and Gage watched as her little body went lax in his arms. “He’ll be waiting at the bridge for me one day, Cookie. I’d love to see you there with him when it’s my time to cross over.”

“Sweet dreams, Cookie.” Sloane said as she wiped a tear off her cheek. “You are so loved. We’ll see you again one day.”

* * *

The moment she’d heard Gage whisper about his son, her heart had broken wide open. What happened to his wife and son wasn’t a secret, but he guarded the memories of them so fiercely that she could only recall him bringing them up one or two other times.

Sloane knew Cookie wasn’t the first dog he’d taken home in their last few days of life, but to know he loved them so deeply in those last moments, that he shared something so profoundly sacred to him with them as they left this life, it cracked the walls she’d built up around her heart.

Sloane wiped at the tears now falling down her face as Cookie took her last breath. The vet let them sit with her for a few moments while she put her equipment back in her bag.

“Are you alright if I take her now? I promise to handle her with the utmost dignity.”

“Of course,” Gage said as he handed Cookie, still wrapped up in her bright pink blanket, over to Dr. Daniels. “When will I be able to pick up her urn?”

“It’ll be four to six days, but one of the vet techs from my clinic will call as soon as she’s ready to be picked up.”

“Thank you again, for everything. We appreciate you coming out tonight.” Gage stood and walked Dr. Daniels to the door. Sloane took that as her sign to get up and follow. She hadn’t meant to be out so late, and it was well past sunset. A shiver ran down her spine. She hated the dark.

“Thank you for staying.” Gage’s voice so close to her made her jump. “You okay?”

“I got lost in my thoughts there for a minute. Sorry.”

“I really mean it, Sloane. It was nice having someone here with me this time.”

Sloane studied his face. The way his eyes held such compassion. The red rimmed edges and the way the tip of his nose was the same color from holding back his emotions. It clearly affected him deeply.

“Why do you do it? I mean, it’s a beautifully kind and compassionate thing to do. To be with them in their final days. To give them love and comfort. But it’s so emotionally taxing.”

“It’s penance, Sloane.”

Six

An alarm was going off somewhere in the distance. No. Not distance. Right next to her head.

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