It had been a very very long night. An unexpected emergency room visit turned into a 6 hour long drill of tests, doctor consults, more tests and finally a diagnosis. After admissions were completed for my husband and it was clear he would be well taken care of , I headed home.
At 3:30 a.m., a hospital parking lot is eerily quiet. I was beyond exhausted. And the only thing I could think of was how soon I could get back to the hospital. I mentally noted that after a few hours of sleep I would be able to return.
The dogs greeted me at the door. They had witnessed the scurry at home as my husband was escorted to the ER earlier that night. Now, I returned, without him. I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m., and
stretched out on the bed.
My dogs do not sleep on our bed. It's a habit we never started. They have their own sleeping place, ( a couple of them actually) but our bed is not one of them.
I no sooner laid down and felt my 2 dogs jump on the bed. Maxie circled and literally collapsed at my bent knee. Mia, gently laid down on the opposite side of my leg,against my calf. They both breathed a heavy sigh, as if to say, 'we are here' . In that moment, I knew, they knew, all of the stress and worry that I was feeling. There has not been a time in all the years I've had the pleasure of owning my dogs that I felt closer to them.
How they knew, still to this day, amazes me.
We all fell promptly asleep until that alarm screeched 3 hours later.
