“She’s still breathing, thank heavens, but she’s taken a bad smack to the mouth.”
“Look here, Archie, her back leg’s at a funny angle.”
“Oh, no, that’s broken, Jasmine, definitely. It looks a clean break. Thankfully the bone’s not pierced the skin.”
“Poor Milly.”
Jasmine licked the front of her face.
“Right, we need to get some help. Is your owner at home, Henry?”
“It doesn’t look like, Archie. All the lights are out.”
“It’s really cold and we can’t leave her like this. Jasmine, go and fetch Portia. She’s a Persian and with all that hair she can snuggle up to Milly and keep her warm.”
“Right, Archie.”
Jasmine sprinted off.
“Henry, I’ve noticed the upstairs lights are on at Milly’s across the road. I’ll try and grab her owners’ attention. In the meantime, try and keep Milly warm yourself and talk to her. She needs to know there’s help at hand. Give her wounds a few licks, too; they must be very sore.”
“Okay, Archie, I’ll do my best.”
Archie shot across the road, hurdled the front wall of Milly’s house like a Grand National winner and leapt onto the windowsill. He scratched at the panes and meowed as loudly as he could but there was no response. Being upstairs, Tom and Jill could not hear him.
“Hey, Milly, it’s me, Henry. You’re going to be okay, believe me. Archie’s gone for help and Portia’ll be here in a minute to keep you warm.”
Henry snuggled up as best he could, careful to avoid her broken leg. He licked her face, her mouth and behind her ears.
“Come on, Milly, don’t give up. Everyone’s doing what they can and you’ll be as right as rain before you know it. Those blasted cars! They should keep them off the road.”
Milly was still breathing strongly which reassured Henry and gave him hope. She roused a little and Henry wondered if she was waking up. He talked more loudly.
“Milly, Milly, are you awake? Can you hear me? It’s me, Henry. You’ve been in a nasty accident.”
“Henry, what are you ... aargh, that really hurts.”
Milly’s voice was barely a whisper but Henry heard her well.
“Milly, don’t move, keep still. Help’s coming.”
He rubbed his head against the back of her ear.
“Here’s Portia and Jasmine!”
Panting heavily, Portia observed Milly.
“Oh, you poor thing, Milly. Let’s keep you nice and warm.”
Henry carefully moved away and Portia took his place, her fat, hairy body acting like the most comfortable quilt imaginable. Though woozy and still trying to comprehend what was happening, Milly felt instantly better, particularly when Portia placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder. Jasmine and Henry smiled and touched noses, the tips of Henry’s ears blushing.
Across the road, Archie was still struggling to attract Tom and Jill’s attention. He looked upwards, white whispery lines of breath puffing intermittently from his nose and mouth, and deduced that they were still upstairs for the lights were shining brightly behind the curtains. Like the fencing at the rear, the front of the house was shrouded in ivy. Because of the season, the majority of the leaves were in various shades of brown and numerous bare patches were showing. Archie knew that he had to get onto the upstairs windowsill. With intense concentration and steely determination, he plotted a course up the ivy. Taking a deep breath and with the agility of one of his jungle forebears, Archie scrambled upwards, scattering leaves everywhere, and arrived on the windowsill with only a couple of scratches by his left eye to show for his trouble. Inside, he observed two human shadows moving around behind the curtains and scratched furiously at the window while wailing with all his might. Tom and Jill were startled to see the shadow of a cat on the windowsill and particularly one so animated.
“Is that Milly? What the heck’s she doing? I’ve never seen her there before.”
“Gee, she gave me a fright,” Jill responded, her hand on her chest.
Tom took a few paces across the room and drew back the curtains. To further astonishment, they saw that it wasn’t Milly after all.
“What the ... Who’s that?”
“I think that’s Archie, Tom. He’s new to the area, you know, the cat of that nice couple that moved in up the street. I still don’t know their names.”
“What’s he up to? Hey, stop scratching at the window, will you, and keep the racket down! There’s already one cat we know who’s a bit crazy round here.”
Jill observed him carefully.
“He keeps looking down behind him and then directly at us. Do you think he’s trying to tell us something?”
“He’s definitely trying to grab our attention.”
Tom and Jill stood right up to the window and Archie rose up on his hind legs, his head at the same level as theirs, and scratched furiously at the glass, his breath forming tiny spots of condensation on the pane as he meowed incessantly. Tom and Jill were bemused, wondering what he wanted. Then, all of a sudden, Jill screeched for her eyes made contact with the scene on the pavement opposite; three cats huddled around another who was clearly hurt. She knew instantly it was Milly.
“Oh, no, it’s Milly, it’s Milly! Something’s happened, she’s hurt, look! Oh, no!”
A cold sweat took hold of Jill and when Tom witnessed the scene, one took hold of him as well.
“Come on, hurry!”
They hurtled out of their bedroom and rushed down the stairs and through the front door in a flash, ignoring their coats despite the cold.
“Milly! Milly!” Jill yelled, loud enough to wake the street.
Portia, Jasmine and Henry moved aside. They were soon joined by Archie, Portia licking the scratches above his eye.
“Milly, Milly, oh, no!”
Jill began to cry, smoothing her coat with the lightest of touches, not wanting to cause further damage. Tom squatted down next to her and felt Milly’s chest.
“She’s still breathing. Her leg looks bad, though.”
“Oh, Milly, what’s happened?”
Jasmine, Henry, Portia and Archie looked on disconsolately. Jill turned towards them.
“Thank you for taking care of her and alerting us. I’ll never forget it.”
“She’s conscious, Jill, but she must be in a lot of pain. Her mouth looks bad, too.” Tom grimaced. “Come on, let’s get her to the vet.”
“They’ll be closed at this time,” Jill sobbed.
“Not the twenty-four hour emergency one. I’ll grab the car keys and her blanket.”
Jill blubbered and was so distraught that Archie leaned into her leg. The faintest of smiles crossed her face and Archie leaned into her again. She gave him a thankful tickle and Archie responded by licking Milly behind the ears.
Tom was soon back, wearing his navy-blue duffel coat, and handed Jill her olive- green Parka and Milly’s blanket. He opened the back door of their car while Jill placed the blanket on the pavement next to Milly.
“Really gently, now.”
Jill slid her hands under Milly, who growled, before carefully lifting her onto the blanket. Tom wrapped the corners around her before Jill lifted her again and held her to her chest. Although Milly growled a second time, Jill was reassured as she was clearly responding. She slid gingerly into the back of the car. Tom shut the door and skipped round to the driver’s seat. The engine roared into life, two lines of grey smoke blasting from the exhaust pipe one after the other. Jill turned to look out of the window and saw Jasmine, Henry, Portia and Archie sitting down side by side, their faces pointing up at her. Under her breath, she whispered “thank you” as Tom drove off.
Two hours later, Tom and Jill were sitting patiently and holding hands in the reception of the vet’s awaiting the outcome of Milly’s operation, their calm veneer hiding their anxiety and fear. They had long forgotten the aroma of animal and antiseptic that struck their nostrils on arrival but which still pervaded the
air. A lethargic chocolate Labrador had been the only other pet brought in while they were there, its owner convinced that it had swallowed her daughter’s plastic Tinker Bell. To Tom’s eye, the balling toddler who accompanied her appeared more concerned about her toy than the well-being of the poor dog.
Jill looked up at the clock behind the reception desk and sighed before contemplating the various toys and foods on sale on the shelves to her left. A ‘deluxe’ catnip mouse caught her eye. She had no idea why it was ‘deluxe’ but vowed to buy it should Milly pull through.
Tom’s mind began to wander as the time ticked slowly by and not in a direction that brought him any cheer as their financial worries reared their ugly head again.
“I’m sorry to raise it, Jill, but this treatment is going to be very expensive, hundreds of pounds, I reckon.”
“Yeah, it crossed my mind, too.”
“Well, it is what it is; there’s nothing we can do about it. I can probably put another hundred on my card but that’ll be it.”
“I think I can manage a hundred and fifty.”
“The bill’ll be more than two fifty, miles more, I’m certain. The vet seems a nice guy. Hopefully he’ll accept part payment now and the balance after Christmas. I’ll ask Dad for it and pay him back later, when I can.”
Tom shook his head and pursed his lips. Jill clasped his hand.
“He’s lovely, your dad. He’ll understand.”
“I just hope he doesn’t remember Milly biting his hand last year!” Tom replied.
For the first time that evening they grinned.
“Sod’s law we didn’t take out pet insurance.”
“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. That’s life.”
The frosted glass panel of the door through which the vet and his nurse had taken Milly suddenly darkened. There was activity behind it. Jill’s clasp tightened around Tom’s hand and their bodies stiffened. Tom took a deep breath to try and stop the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. The door opened and the vet appeared. He was young, handsome and professional, if somewhat tired, his eyes dark, his pale-blue tunic wrinkled. However, his smile was reassuring and even before he said a word, Tom and Jill felt sure that the treatment had gone well. He came and sat down next to them.
“Milly’s fine, the operation went well and I’m happy with her condition.”
Jill leaned her head into Tom’s shoulder, her eyes watering, the knuckles of her right hand showing proudly, so tightly did she grip his hand.
“She’s with Katie at the moment in recovery. I’ll take you in to see her in a minute. We’ll keep her there for a few days to see how she gets on. We pinned her leg; the break was clean so it should fix easily. We reset her front canine but had to remove the two broken teeth on the side. She’ll manage well enough without those though she’ll be on fluids for a few days. I was worried her jaw might be fractured but the x-ray showed nothing and it’s the same for the rest of her body. She’s obviously battered and bruised and will be sore for some time but the painkillers will help her along. So, generally, in the circumstances, I’m pleased. It could have been a lot worse. Another cat life gone!”
They chuckled, relief washing over Tom and Jill.
“Thank you very much. We really appreciate what you’ve done,” Tom acknowledged.
Jill nodded.
“She seems a hardy cat, judging by her records. We’re linked online to your usual practice. I was intrigued by the warning on her file for everyone to take care because she can be a bit feisty.”
“I think you’re being kind with ‘feisty’,” Tom chortled. “She’s got a bit of a reputation.”
The vet laughed.
“Anyway, let’s take you through to see her. She’s still asleep but I can assure you she’s doing well.”
They rose and went into the recovery room. Katie was washing her hands and flashed a dazzling smile when they approached her. Tom and Jill smiled back and expressed their thanks. Milly was curled up on a yellow towel inside a rectangular hutch behind an aluminium grille, her right rear leg protruding stiffly due to the tight bandaging. Some bloody dribble was visible between her lips but her breathing was strong and regular.
“Oh, Milly, look at you, you silly girl.”
Jill placed a finger between the bars and touched the tip of Milly’s nose, her eyes misting.
“Let me open it for you.”
Katie acted on her words and left Tom and Jill to stroke Milly with loving care. She was out for the count, snoring softly. After staying with her for a couple more minutes and feeling increasingly reassured, they left her alone and returned to the reception. Jill selected a ‘deluxe’ catnip mouse in green and blue fabric and placed it on the desk.
“Take that with you now and we can sort out the bill when Milly is ready to go home after Christmas,” the vet advised.
“Thank you,” Tom and Jill replied, casting each other a glance, relieved, in more ways than one.
Chapter Six
Recovery & Reflection
Milly was lying on her blanket on the sofa, her new catnip mouse beneath a paw and under guard, observing Tom, who was removing the decorations and taking down the Christmas tree. She stretched out full length and yawned twice, having just woken up from the deepest of sleeps. She felt some pain in her mouth, but less than the day before and much less than the day before that. Indeed, earlier in the day, she had eaten some solid food for the first time since her accident without any great discomfort. It was the same for the rest of her body; the aches were less intense and the throbbing in her leg minimal though the bandage, now grubby and frayed, made it awkward to move about. At first, she had tried to bite it off but quickly realised that there was no hope of success. Increasingly, she understood that it was there to support her painful leg and accepted it though she hoped it would not stay on forever.
Tom looked as miserable as the monochrome weather outside, Milly thought, the two scrunched up letters and torn envelopes on the floor being the reasons why. It was as if he was living his life under a thundercloud of gloom and, remarkably, for it had never been her inclination before, Milly felt sorry for him. She scrambled off the sofa and leaned her head into his leg.
“Hey, Hop-a-long, what are you after?”
Tom tickled her spine and Milly broke into a purr, her back arched, her tail pointing to the skies. A moment later, she returned to her blanket, dragging herself up onto the sofa as she was unable to jump. She slid her cheek three times against her toy.
“Strange. Seems you don’t want anything after all?”
Milly’s sign of affection appeared unconditional. He stroked her flank and tickled her ear and, with eyes shut tight, Milly purred loudly, a trickle of saliva dripping from her chin.
“You messy thing.”
Tom wiped up the saliva with a tissue but he had a smile on his face. At least for those few minutes his mood had improved. However, with a sigh, he returned to the chore of the Christmas tree.
Curling up, Milly’s eyes focused on Tom. She really did have the most wonderful owners, she thought. Food, drink, shelter, warmth, love, toys; what more could she want? And after her accident, they were there to nurse her back to health. Milly was aware that times were difficult, that Tom was not working and that money was tight, but they still managed to pay for her treatment though Tom had turned white when he had seen the bill. She would be forever grateful. Guiltily, Milly realised that she was the one responsible for Tom losing his job. She lowered her eyes in shame when thinking about how selfish she had been escaping in the mornings against her owners’ wishes. With equal guilt, Milly observed the ragged corner of carpet and armchair fabric that her claws had ripped to shreds. She could easily have scratched her claws on the cherry blossom tree in the garden or on one of the four different pads her owners had bought for this purpose but which she ignored. And their precious oriental rug was no longer in place, stained beyond the most intense of cleaning.
“Thank God that’s finished,” Tom
exclaimed a couple of hours later, wiping his brow and switching off the Hoover, the carpet finally free of pine needles. “Job done.”
With the Christmas tree in the front garden awaiting collection and the boxes of decorations stored away, Tom sat down beside a purring Milly and puffed out his cheeks. She immediately got up, clambered onto his lap and kneaded him before settling down.
“My, what’s up with you today, Milly? You’ve never done that before. You usually scarper when I try and sit you on my lap.”
Tom stroked her and the purring grew louder, her eyes flickering.
“You seem a lot better today. Won’t be long now before they take off your bandage.”
Tom had the impression that she would stay on his lap all day if he didn’t move her so he carefully lifted her back onto the blanket, anticipating the usual growl and bite. But, in this instance, Milly was compliant.
“I’ve never seen you like this before.”
Tom felt relaxed resting on the sofa with Milly snuggled up next to him and, momentarily, his problems seemed a million miles away. But then he glimpsed the rejection letters on the floor and his heart sank. In desperation, he picked them up and flattened them out. He re-read them, hoping against hope that he had missed something positive. His deep sighs confirmed otherwise. Milly sensed his dejection and, placing a paw on his thigh, leaned her head into him.
“You shouldn’t worry, you’ll get a great job soon, I know it. It’s their loss they rejected you ’cos you’re a good person.”
Milly’s affection raised his spirits.
All of a sudden, Tom and Milly were startled by a flurry of movement by the window. It was Archie jumping up onto the sill. He was wearing a new bright-red collar attached to which was a shiny brass name-tag, his Christmas present. He looked directly at Milly and rubbed his cheek against the glass, leaving the faintest of smears of saliva. Milly raised her shoulders, her eyes glinting. Tom expected her to start growling and spitting but her features softened and when she extended a paw a few inches forward in Archie’s direction, Tom was astonished, recognising that she was acknowledging his presence in a kindly manner.
Oh, Milly! Page 4
