#the second surgery she had at the vet they called me and said they wanted her to recover at home

[themathomhouse]

ALSO! Go at your cat's pace. I was following guidance for a senior cat, who I knew had been left alone for over a month after her previous owner had passed away. I gave her space, let her settle in the living room for a few days. I was intending to wait to introduce her to the rest of the house - like all the guidance I'd found had said.

But every time I'd been in the living room, she plonked herself on me. She kept trying to follow me out.

After three days total I decided she could just go where she liked, and I introduced her to the house. By day four, she was sleeping on my bed.

This advice is really good, but watch your cat! They will tell you when they're ready.

[thestarrynightslover]

Whatever Comes

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Word count: 2,147

Warnings: A lot of angst. Mentions of blood, life-threatening injuries, hit-and-run, fracture wounds, and miscarriage.

Summary: Doctor (y/n) (y/l/n) and Jay Halstead are secretly dating when there is a terrible accident involving (y/n) and a lot comes to light.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the One Chicago shows, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way, or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: Okay, so this is my first fic in a long while and I don't think it's all that good but I had to restart somewhere, so I hope you like it anyway!

(y/n) = (your name) (y/l/n) = (your last name) (y/n/n) = (your nickname)

| masterlist |

You had just gotten out of your car across the street from the side of Med and, as you were making your way through the bit of road that led to the hospital, a car comes into the driveway — screeching tires, in full speed — and runs you over long before you could even see anything and, there, in the matter of a few seconds, everything goes black and you’re left bleeding out in the street.

Almost an hour later, after you had regained consciousness and had begun dragging yourself, very slowly, towards the hospital, Will and Ethan, about to go inside Med, spot you and run your way eager to help you out — even if they hadn’t known it was you at first.

“Oh man, it’s Dr. (y/n) (y/l/n)!” Ethan exclaimed.

“(y/n), can you hear me?!?” You sort of heard Will ask through your dizziness haze.

“Wow, you’re actually shorter this up close than I had imagined at first.” You attempted a joke with your friend, momentarily gaining some clarity.

Ignoring you, Will just asked no one specifically, “oh Lord, how long has she been bleeding out here?”

Decisive as always, you heard as Dr. Choi commanded, “I don’t know but, come on, Will, let’s carry her to the ED!”

As soon as your friends get inside the hospital with you, everybody stays in shock for a moment until Maggie yells: "get her in treatment 4, now!"

Following her lead, Will and Ethan get started on treating you, who has a few broken ribs, and free fluid in your belly besides from a punctured spleen. Having done their best in the ED, they decide to send your upstairs for surgery with Crocket.

Once you're going to surgery, Miss Goodwin tells Maggie and the doctors to call PD and specifically ask for Intelligence, since you were friends with the unit. As the cops get there, one stands out: Jay Halstead. He's frantic, devastated-looking, just completely lost, and desperate to hear more news about your condition. No one really understands why he is reacting like that, but all of them do share the fear of losing a great friend. Voight's giving out assignments to the team, so Jay knows that that's when he needs to speak up.

"Um, sarge?" All eyes are on him. "If you and the team don't mind running one man short today... I was hoping that I could, um, stay here with- with her?" Hank just stares at him, unlike everyone else — who are shocked — the older man's focus is on his detective's eyes, on the way he was so distraught from the moment they got the call about (y/l/n). That was the behavior, the look, of a terrified man. And, as everyone there knew, Jay Halstead — the freaking war vet — wasn't one to get scared easily. "(y/n) and I-"

"It's fine. No need to explain. You should stay here, Jay. Let us know, in case anything changes. And we'll catch the son of a bitch." He said firmly, making Jay feel as appreciative as ever, and, also, sending an implicit message to all the other members of the unit, one that said: we work this with all we got right now, for (y/n), and for Jay, no questions asked.

After the officers left the hospital, there was still a big commotion from everyone who stayed, because it was one of their own up there in the or. But, surpassing everyone else's, was Will's surprise by how distraught Jay looked, especially considering how his little brother wanted to stay at the hospital, instead of going to find who hurt you. So he comes to confront the detective about it. "So... You and (y/n) are a thing?" Will asked, trying to understand. Since Jay just nodded his head, he decided to push a little further: "And... Were you ever planning to tell me? What the hell, man?"

"Will, I-"

"She's one of my best friends, Jay! Not to mention the fact that I'm the doctor who oversees her work here!"

"Will you put it down?" Jay pleaded with his brother, motioning him to a more reserved corner of the waiting room. "I know, okay? I know. And I'm sorry if it upsets you, man, I really am. But this could've blown her career. That's why we hadn't told you yet." It was clear that Will didn't exactly like his brother's explanation, but he knew it was true.

"Just... How long?"

"Um, about six months?"

"Six months?!" The doctor yelled in shock, then repeated it in a lower tone. "But, six months?"

"Yeah, I know it's a lot of time keeping you in the dark, Will. But, trust me, we weren't thrilled about it. And we were hoping to tell you soon. I swear." Jay said, and his brother could, once again, see it was the truth.

"So, that means that when you started seeing each other she was still finishing med school?"

"Yeah, that's right. Which was, like, the main reason for us to keep it under wraps. An intern dating the attending doctor's little brother? Wouldn't look good."

"That's true..." At that point, Will took another look at his brother. Jay looked so worried and scared, even while trying to hide it. "So, uh, you guys are serious?" That question got a little smile out of the detective.

"Yes, we are. I know that it is new for you... But, I love her, Will. I really do." He took a moment to breathe, not being able to hold back some tears this time. “And, I can’t lose her. I just can’t.”

“Jay…” Will started saying but didn’t quite know how to continue. What could he possibly say to comfort his brother right now? “We just… We just gotta stay hopeful, okay? (y/n) is a really tough person and Dr. Marcel is a great surgeon, you know it. She is gonna pull through.”

A lot of disquieting hours later Crocket finally comes out of the surgery, just to be met by a very worried hospital staff and an on-edge Jay Halstead.

"Where is sh- How is she? Is (y/n) okay? Can I see her?" The detective hovers, not even taking a breath.

"Wow! Uh, you gotta calm down a little, buddy."

"Don't give me that crap! Just- just tell me how she is!" Jay shouts again, not giving a damn about what anyone was thinking. You were the only thing on his mind right now.

"Alright. But try to keep breathing, okay?" To that, the other man didn't even bother to answer. "Okay, um, it was a very complicated surgery, I had to do a lot of cleaning and moving around to get to the worst parts and-"

"Can you please just cut to the part where you tell me if she's okay? No offense, but you can fill me in on the details later." Jay stated nervously. It wasn't just that he wanted to know what was the result of all those hours in the or, but, also, because Jay knew he wouldn't understand half of what Connor was saying, even with the simplified language. You would. But not him.

"Right. Okay. She's, um, she's okay for now. We'll need to monitor her on an hourly basis, though." By that point, the surgeon could already see the relief on both Halsteads' faces, so he went on. "We controlled the bleeding, but, with all the blood loss," he stopped to take another look at the detective, "I'm afraid," another pause, because, sure he had delivered this kind of news before, but this time it was a lot harder, because those people were his friends. And, what they had just lost, he had just lost too, in a way, "we couldn't save the baby."

"The baby?" This time he got an answer from both brothers.

"Uh, uh... You, uh, you didn't know she was pregnant?" Crocket asked, kind of already guessing the answer while sharing a look with Will.

"Oh my God..." It was all the youngest Halstead managed to let out. Seeing how his brother was unable to react any further, Will decided to step up and ask the tough questions.

"So, um,  if everything goes well from now on, you think that (y/n/n) will make a full recovery?"

"Ahhh, yes, actually. She was in great health, so, after making it through, uh, through the night, she shouldn't have any major issues." At that point, Marcel himself was trying to be as objective and as doctorish as possible, in order not to make things worse for the man who had just heard that he lost a child he didn't even have a chance to wait for.

"So, is it, um- is it possible that she didn't know about the pregnancy yet?" But, damn it, Will just kept asking all the impossible questions.

"Uh... It is, actually. Very possible." Hearing that, the detective immediately glued his eyes on him. "We estimate that the fetus was about seven weeks. It's very common that women on birth control haven't found out about it at that point." As neither Halstead said anything, Marcel continued, "well, she's up in the ICU now and in and out of consciousness but, if you want, you can see her for a few minutes."

Hearing that, the detective came out of his haze and said: "Yeah, I wanna see her!"

A few hours later, as Will Halstead gathered his things after finishing his shift, he decided to go check on you but got surprised when he realized that his brother was still there, in the waiting room. "Jay, what are you still doing here?"

"I'm waiting," he said simply.

"Jay." Will called again, "you can't do this, you need to go home, get some sleep, eat…"

"I'm not leaving her alone."

"She's not gonna be alone, Jay." Not getting any response, Will decided to lead with something else. "You know, Voight called Goodwin and said that they're hitting a lot of walls in the (y/l/n) investigation…" Measuring his brother's reaction, Will continued: "Maybe they'd have better luck working with the whole team…"

"Yeah, you're probably right. Tomorrow I'll tell Voight that I want in on the investigation." Jay said, not making any sign of wanting to leave.

"Jay, you can't work tomorrow after staying here the whole night!" Seeing his little brother still not intending to leave, he threatened, "if you don't go home right now, I'll call Voight myself and tell him that you're in no shape to work-"

"Oh, c'mon! You're gonna do that!"

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Will said, looking as serious as they get. "Look, Jay, you know she's in good hands here. And, whatever happens, you'll be the first to know, I've made sure of it."

"But-"

"But nothing, Jay! It's time to go, come on!" Will pressed so much that Jay resigned himself to do as his brother told him.

For almost a week, you stayed in the ICU. For almost a week, Jay Halstead passed by Med on his way to work and on his way home from work.

Once you were moved to a room, Jay started feeling like he could finally breathe again, even though there was now the baby that someone had still to tell you. And, after chatting with Will and Crockett, Jay had already decided he was gonna be the one to deliver the news to you. So, one day, after Intelligence had already caught the drug dealers that were running away when they hit you, Jay asked Voight for the afternoon off to take you home from the hospital.

When you were at your place, you asked Jay what was going on: "Hey, you didn't say a word on the way here, is anything besides the fact that I just spent almost two weeks in the hospital and that everyone found out about us wrong?"

"Let's sit down for a minute, babe."

The minute he said that, you knew there was something really wrong.

"Okay, you're scaring me…" You said while sitting down on the couch.

"I just- I have something important to tell you," and, like that, Jay proceeded to tell you the worst thing you ever heard. It's not like you'd been planning on becoming a mother or anything like that anytime soon but it was still a possibility that was brutally taken away… You and Jay cried together for the first time and, consoling each other, you felt your relationship growing stronger. 

So much so that after some time you could start talking about the future that both of you foresaw with one another and, even though nothing was completely decided, there was one thing you knew for sure: as long as you were together, you could face anything.

[jamiebluewind]

Warning! Pet illness, xray

A friend of mine a few states away had a pregnant female cat walk onto her porch and decide she lives now. She had 3 kittens. Since my friend/roommate @winterpower98 was looking for her first cat, we (other roommate/bestie, Winter/Gaia, and I) decided to take a trip down to visit and see if one of the kittens would work for her.

The thing is, she did fall in love with one! He's black with white markings, so the 6 year old had been calling him Eclipse. He's, curious, playful, and always trying to get into something. He loves Gaia. I mean LOVES her. And she loves him. Like... emptying her savings loves him.

Right before we arrived, our friend noticed a little lump on his belly. They thought nothing of it. And then, it got bigger. And bigger. And bigger.

After a week, we took him to a local vet to get checked out. He had a umbilical hernia. Luckily it stopped before his diaphragm, but the hernia was severe enough that he would need surgery to close it (a lot of articles talked about smaller ones closing on their own which is why we waited). He would also need special care for IBS symptoms and to keep his hernia from getting injured or obstructed before repair (which couldn't happen until he was big enough to go under anesthesia). He would need to come indoors for his safety and be separated from the others as his sisters pouncing on the hernia was causing issues (a week earlier than the 8 week mark).

I was honestly expecting Gaia to say it was too much for her to handle. Even told her that nobody would judge her for not being ready for that level of responsibility. That we could find an organization that could take him and get him the help he needed and find him a good home. He has two sisters she could consider, there were plenty of shelters back home with cats under a year old, and we could even check the town we were visiting and places on the way back home, so there were options. I knew how much it took to care for a kitten with health issues (my current cat required months of specialized care and there were plenty of scares along the way) and Gaia has no previous experience with cats outside of hanging out with our cats, so that's just starting on hard mode.

After a long serious talk on the responsibilities she was about to take on, she said she knew it would be hard but the thought of giving him up made her sick. That she would do whatever it took to give him a happy life for however long she has him. We aren't rich people, she's going back to college full time, she had only decided on him over one of his sisters that morning, and (again) this would be the first cat she has ever had. She went all in without a second thought.

The original quotes from various vets willing to do the surgery (not all vets can) were pretty insane, but luckily I found a non-profit that did the surgery for about half. My other roommate and I fully support her and chipping in what we can.

Eclipse is 8 week old and his surgery is scheduled in a month, but we are going to call in and check for cancelations since he's reached the minimum weight and age for anesthesia. Winter has been so busy caring for him that she's not had a chance to post about him, so I decided to do it on the drive home. I think the story is important because it raises awareness about an issue most don't know about and shows someone genuinely caring about a pet with special needs. As a disabled person who's went through a lot of ableism and survived abuse, it really hit me to see how much she loves him with her whole chest and doesn't ever approach his issues with anger or blame.

I don't ask for reblogs much, but I wanted to ask you guys to boost this. I linked Gaia's PayPal below if anyone wants to help take some of the financial burden off her, but you can also support her with messages and boosting this and her future post/s about Eclipse (cut her some slack guys, she's currently in tired new mom mode). I don't expect anyone to donate because I know you guys are mostly in the same shape as us, but I think showing Gaia support is just as important.

Now if you'll excuse me, the hyperactive boy got the zoomies and just jumped in the toilet XD

Edit: Late thing to add on, but a few days after posting this my other roommate/bestie Sarah decided to adopt his sister! Her name is Melanite, but her honey eyes have earned her the nickname Miel. Her and Eclipse have always been very close (often laying on top of each other), so it's great that they'll get to stay together.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 50 (Life in Brindleton Bay)

cw: pet death, trying to explain loss to a two-year-old

Though born and raised in electric San Myshuno, Conrad immediately took to the quieter pace in coastal Brindleton Bay. He spent time with Gord at the dog park across the square, running the obstacle course to prepare him to impress their new captain at Brindleton PD.

As soon as Conrad moved in, Heather said she'd take Gord to be neutered. "I kept meaning to schedule the surgery, but with my work and the recovery time, I just didn't," he admitted sheepishly. Heather smiled.

"You live with a vet now. We'll both make sure he's better in no time. If we're splitting bills, that makes us a team, I think. Officially."

Conrad smiled, pulling her in for a kiss. "We are a team."

As a friendly and happy pup, Gord endured the cone of shame until his stiches healed. But they had only lived in Brindleton Bay a few days when Grim came calling for Heather's elder cat, King Tut.

Heather grieved his loss for weeks. He'd lived over two decades, so Tut's death wasn’t unexpected, but he’d been her companion since she was a child. And though she had her own grief to navigate, she had to help her son come to terms with loss for the first time.

Ash loved spending time with the family cats while Heather worked on her mobile app or studied her vet charts, but now his four-legged friend was gone. "Where Tut go, mommy?"

She knelt down to talk to him at eye level. "Tut lived a really long time, long before you were even born, and he was really old. When kitties get old enough, they go to a really special place with other kitties, but this place is only for them."

"We won't see him?" He sniffled, and Heather pulled him in for a comforting hug.

"We have to say goodbye to him here so he can make his journey to the special place. But it's okay because he'll be happy. Just as happy as he was when he got to be here with us."

Conrad buried Tut in the yard under a tall hemlock tree. His ghost could rest peacefully in the shade, and Heather and Ash could mourn whenever they needed.

And Tut could visit whenever he missed them, too!

Despite the sad start to their life together in Brindleton Bay, Conrad and Heather looked forward to the future. He watched over Ash when she worked long hours at the clinic, and they settled into a new routine as a trio with two cats and a dog.

One morning at the clinic, Everett's dad Bob Pancakes brought in Majora, one of his cats, and Heather learned he and his second wife, Annette, were considering retirement.

"I want to spend more time with my grandsons," he said with a gentle smile, and Heather listened intently while she worked. "Jett looks nothing like Spencer, but he loves her just the same. It's Spencer I worry about. She loves those boys, but I think she feels like something's missing. She can twist herself in knots with stress. My Eliza was like that, so it didn't surprise me when Everett fell in love with her, but I worry she needs adventure my homebody son just isn't built for, and the boys are so young."

Heather soothed Majora on the exam table. "Can I do anything to help?" She didn't want to intrude on their family, remembering her personal rule to keep her distance unless Everett or Spencer asked her themselves. "I don't know if I should get involved."

Bob laughed. "I'm not asking you to act like her therapist, but maybe you could spend some time with her. Plan a trip. The Kim-Lewis' and I will help Everett with the boys."

"I'll talk to her." She changed the subject to Bob's other kids before she cured Majora's lava nose with organic disinfectant spray. The poor kitty sneezed but recovered quickly and she sent them on their way, returning to the lobby to greet her next patient.

It wasn't like she didn't need a vacation, but life was far too busy these days for travel. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: Pet aging is probably too long but two decades isn't unheard of! Cats really don't get in the way unless I have infants, so I don't mind having them around this long, and honestly the longer the cats live the easier it is to meet the Gen 2 challenge to always own at least two cats. Dogs don't live as long, so at least that's accurate in my preferred settings!

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

ari!!! pls can we get some more secret!reader i’m genuinely obsessed ur writing keeps me alive 🙏

"We're not taking Titus to a subpar vet-"

"Damian."

"Call Todd. His woman has credentials," Damian demanded.

"She hit you with a bat," Stephanie reminded, smirking. Watching Bruce pinch the bridge of his nose even as he pulled up his phone to call the second Robin ad implore, bribe, and bully if necessary to get you out of the house. Titus had been struck by a car and he'd pay any sum of money you wanted to just come and try.

___________________ Jason lead you through to where they'd set up surgery for you. And he tried not to be nervous. None of the family had met you. Not really. Even after you'd smacked Damian in the head Bruce had just collected him and not come farther into the house than the front door.

And he knew that you were too focused right now to care very much about the humans in the building. You'd agreed almost immediately with a few choice words about the 24 hour clinics in Gotham. And from the moment you walked in you had one concern. And that was saving a little boy's beloved pet.

You went to work, steady, confident hands doing the work.

"What's taking so long?" Damian demanded.

"Would you rather she cut corners?" Bruce asked before Jason could make a snappish reply that would only escalate things.

"She's just being thorough, Dami," Steph said, "She came, didn't she?"

"If she fails-"

"Well luckily," you rasp, stretching your neck and popping it to relieve the tension, "Titus should make a full recovery. I didn't even have to remove the leg."

"Can I see him?" Damian asked, his previous threat forgotten.

"Of course," you answer, "Just be gentle. I'll stay for a while... make sure he's on the mend and there aren't any complications."

"Thank you," Bruce answered for Damian, stepping forward to shake your hand. Noticing your hesitation when he reached for your hand. The one with scarring on it.

"Of course-"

Jason stepped forward and put an arm around your shoulder when your hand went to your neck. Without the distraction of someone needing your help, you were uncomfortable being seen. Even with a turtle neck on and long sleeves, "If you don't mind I'm going to take her to change clothes and get something to eat," he told Bruce.

Bruce nodded, "Absolutely." He turned to you and smiled, "We'll do proper introductions when you're not starving and blood-spattered."

"Thank you."

[losech]

Yesterday's eclipse trip was pretty cool, for the first half. I found a very secluded penninsula and explored a bunch of it looking for a spot. I ended up bushwhacking through reeds and walking in Lake Erie to get to the very southern most tip. Most people who go there take a boat. It was a super cool spot that I had planned on watching the entire eclipse, start to finish, from. But my dogs had to get into mischief and change that plan.

Cinder found a muskrat, that attached itself to her face. That alone likely would have produced a couple deep punctures or a small tear, but Ember had to contribute. She has been trying to catch a muskrat her entire life and she wasn't going to pass this opportunity up. She grabbed it and yanked it off Cinder's face then proceeded to thrash it around in the lake. She was in her element and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cinder on the other hand was left with a long and deep gash on her face in her whiskers. It bled a lot for a while, and after calling the vet and sending them a photo, I decided to try to hike back to the car right as the eclipse began and hopefully get her to the evet before traffic got bad.

It had taken us 3 hours of hiking to get to the point, not including the extra exploring, and by avoiding the reeds, downed trees, and mud by walking directly through the lake for at least a mile, we managed to cut that 4 mile hike down to one and a half hours. I was 10 minutes from the car when totality began, and I did stop right before to watch. It only lasted 30 seconds where I was but it was extremely cool. My favorite part was the 360 sunset look the sky had, I had read about everything else I saw except for that and that was super neat to experience.

We got back to the car right as other people began leaving but we beat most of them out. It took two hours to get to the evet. And that's where it got obnoxious. I guess the eclipse fucked with everyone's pets cause a ton of critical patients kept coming in, more than any other time I have been there. We waited for over 8 hours just to be handed a bill and a couple meds and told to go home. It was 1:30am so I was not happy, but I do understand that a dog with a split lip is not a priority over animals that are actively dying. I just wish they'd told us they wouldn't have been able to get to us sooner.

I called off work because I was exhausted and covered in muck and blood, and had decided to try to get Cinder into my normal vet this morning. When I had called them they said they had an opening for surgery I could schedule, which is what I'd preferred to do, but due to the location and size of the gash, I opted for the evet at their reccomendation. So before they opened, I drove almost the whole way there then stopped and called to ask if they still had an opening. They did, and were able to fix Cinder's face and did a good job on it. I think they felt bad for me, they knocked a bunch of drugs off the bill and it came out to less than $200. Total it was around $360, which is significantly less than both estimates I had gotten.

Poor Cinder is sad and whiny, she doesn't care for how she feels right now. She's definitely not like Flint who always just vibed while anesthesia was wearing off.

I definitely want to go back to that penninsula, there's a lot more to explore. Probably do it on a hot day so walking in the lake won't feel as cold.

[kickthecan-revolution]

Mr. Peach, aka “big Jim” (James the Giant Peach) is still here. The rescue said she’d take him after he healed from his surgery. I called, I texted - no reply. I ended up at my vet’s house Saturday night, he and his partner invited me to their daughter’s second birthday party (and I showed up, another miracle). She was supposed to be there but didn’t come which felt strange. The next day, I finally texted my vet’s partner (who manages the operations for their mobile vet company), I asked her if A (rescue owner as well as an employee) was ok, that I’d not heard from her. That I didn’t want my vet to know, as she was his employee and her rescue should be separate from that. I learned that over the weekend, A had gotten several kittens she’d found homes for returned, and she was overwhelmed.

When I tell you the panic. It was a Thing.

I texted A letting her know I’d heard about her situation and that we were fine here and I’d check back in next week, she called and we talked for a while. I love her commitment to always taking a cat back if it doesn’t work. She’s new to all of this and I’m not going to pile on to adding another cat in her parents’ house where her dad isn’t a fan of all of this to begin with. There’s an adoption event that I’m going to bring him to this Saturday. I put an ad up on Next Door.

I’m not going to talk about the melt down I had after we hung up, into that evening. What I will say is how thankful I am for this experience, for all the purging of pain and fear I’m experiencing, old old old stuff that has clouded my judgment and my beliefs about others, and myself.

The next morning I woke up and dreaded going into Peach’s room for hours to play with him, then come out and play with the others, then back in with Peach at night. I realized how my entire life, I never made a move if the person in front of me was sad/angry/displeased with me. I froze - calculated- and shifted however I needed to so that would stop. The entirety of my focus has been watching others and reacting so I’d stay connected, not rejected, not alone, not hated.

The rage of that - of those in my life not being willing to look past the glittery, funny, storytelling persona - engulfed me. The anger of no one being interested enough to go deeper - wanting to know me well enough, so they just accepted what was mostly just bullshit- the grief of that - was intense.

Something in me cleared and shifted. The constant worry about these cats - the panic at their reaction, the worry of Peach behind that closed door - it was my sole focus. This is all me, projecting so much onto them. In a good mood when things are peaceful and everyone seemed chill and rhen slammed into despair and panic and tears at the slightest altercation, desperate for help. So the answer to that was to separate them all and force that peace.

But *I* wasn’t peaceful, that meant splitting my time up in that small room with him trying to keep him entertained vs my life outside of it where all I was doing was worrying about him. More of the same, abandoning myself for someone else’s experience, convinced that their experience was the key to me staying alive, having love, being liked. Being ok. Feeling almost sick inside with worry and fretting. Putting them into the core of me being alive and surviving that day. I’ve been consumed by this for two months, almost three.

So I just opened up all of the doors. I don’t want anymore closed doors in my home, I don’t want that experience anymore. As long as Peach is here, the doors are going to be open. Not to the outside, so the big girls will be on a schedule to be on the deck. I slid my experience up to the front of my mind, and prioritized it. The voice inside, “you selfish asshole, putting these cats in harm, what are you doing?” started screaming. I told it to leave. I pushed it away each time it showed me something terrible that might happen. I told it to leave. I kept saying “fuck this, fuck you. Go away.” I didn’t let the big girls outside, I wasn’t going to do that thing where I let them in and out, in and out, in and out. Stay in and deal with it.

In the midst of the hissing, growling, trilling (that was Peach, so excited to be with the cats), I started cleaning. I’ve neglected my space these last two months, just doing the basics like dishes, etc. so I put things away, cleaned the refrigerator, hung clothes up, swept, took tons of garbage out I’d kept on the side deck. I did laundry , straightened my room. I was done worrying about it. As Shirley said, no one is going to die. No one has died. Then we all took a nap I my room, Buddy and Minnie on the bed and Peach underneath it (he tried to get up a few times and they were not having it). Peace. On my terms. Because this is my house. A new frontier gained.

The strength of that moment is not something I can put into words. It was the Diane that was never able to really leave her mom to go be with friends or OUT LIVING, discovering who she was because her mom would be by herself in that horrible house with that horrible man alone, how dare she go have fun when her mom was so sad, alone. Maybe in danger without her to be her comfort and protector. It’s the Diane who would do everything to make her mom less sad, less angry, less upset so her mom wouldn’t disappear into her room with a migraine, incapacitated, in so much pain she was suicidal. That Diane put herself first yesterday, and did it again this morning. And will do so everyday until the universe shows the path for Peach.

I’m so grateful for this experience. For Shirley, helping me see when I am just purging, being my spiritual companion and guide through this process. Helping me understand that these cats are all just mirrors for what I need to heal and grow. I don’t really even talk about her much because of how out there this is, more than once it’s come to me that this is scam and she’s is kind of crazy and I’ve allowed someone nuts significant access to my mental well being. But then I come back to the impact - the growth, the clarity, overcoming so many fears - and I know all of this has been designed for me and my continued growth. So this morning, there are happy tears, grateful tears. I’m proud of myself. And I am thankful to Peach for coming here and helping me.

[werelioness]

My dearest cat died month ago. My pretty girl Nyasha. She was 11 years old. My closest friend.

I'm aware it's off-topic, but I need to speak it out.

This spring she was treated for mammary tumors. She overcame the first surgery awesomely. After the second surgery she fell of a windowsill, on May 14. And more problems started. Her eye got cloudy, the eye vet said it was glaucoma, we started treating. Then the surgery seam opened a bit, with vet help we treated it too, all seemed well. Then she wouldn't eat and would hide in warm placу behind the fridge.

The next day she was sleeping peacefully. But suddenly got scary epileptic seizure when I wanted to treat her eye drops... We ran to our vet clinic, they said her temperature was critically low. And took her away to stay there for examination. She yowled very loudly as she was taken away, that was the last of her voice we heard.

The vet called, said Nya had two more epileptic seizures, and she won't response to the treatment. We understood, she feels bad.

We came at the vet clinic that evening, to tell them to put her to sleep. So she wouldn't suffer more, as our vet said there's not a smallest chance, as it is either a stroke or a brain tumor. I remember her half-conscious eyes looking at me as I said my goodbyes, her incredibly cold paw beans. And will remember it forever. I cried this night a lot, I miss you. How could it be in the same day, from a nicely sleeping kitty in the morning, to a suffering kitty at the vet's small box in the evening. When in March she was perfect, she recovered from the surgeries pretty good. To end the spring like this.

Rest in peace my girl. Please forgive me for letting them kill you. I couldn't bear seeing you suffering.

~April 16 2013 - May 20 2024

These are her photos. First from the first photosets on July 2, the day after we brought her home (the previous owner was giving her cat's kittens to good hands, we chose Nya). And the second picture was her last photo, the day before, May 19.

this cursed spring darn it.

[babyitsbeautiful]

Life Update for 2023. (It's a long one.)

For those that follow me on other social media platforms, you already know what's been happening and I appreciate the love and support.

For those that don't, I feel like this is long overdue. Especially to my 'crash through the surface' readers. I promise I will give you the ending you deserve.

To start, this has been a hell of a year. So many unexpected things have happened in such a short time frame that it's hard to convey just how crazy it's truly been.

I gained a new sister with whom my father had out of an affair before he died 23 years ago, although she is wonderful in every way, so I guess I can thank him for at least giving me another beautiful sister.

We met at the beginning of the year and have stayed close ever since. It's like we've known each other forever. The first half of the year was very exciting for me. I had a new sister, got to do so many fun things and work the Vampire Diaries/Originals convention for Creation Entertainment. Truly an amazing few months. I was so excited to find out how the rest of the year would go. I was even in the mood to start writing again.

But then the unimaginable happened. My 8 year old blue heeler, Lucy, had what we thought was a benign fatty lipoma (she had all the signs) removed at the beginning of July that turned out to be a high grade mast cell tumor that was basically untreatable and irreversibly fatal.

Ironically, we got the news two weeks after her surgery, on the 23 anniversary of my dad's death... from cancer. I was completely devasted. I could tell immediately that her vet did not want to give me that news. I asked every question I could think of and was told there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, nor would Chemo even work at that point, it was already too far progressed. He told me to ignore the estimated remaining life span noted in her test results (less than 4 months) and to just love and spoil her everyday. I told him I already do that, but I did go the extra mile for her anyway.

We had a good rest of the summer, all the way through September she showed no signs, other than the metastatic growth of the cancer cells in the same area on her belly, forming twice as worse than before. But she didn't mind, and just continued to live her best life.

I told her that she would get to see her Uncle soon, my younger brother, when he came to town for our new sister's wedding at the end of September (he walked her down the aisle, hella cute btw.) She loves loves loves her uncle, and was beyond excited to see him.

And I swear to you she stayed as strong as she could just to be able to see him one last time because on the day he left, her tumors ruptured and her health started to rapidly decline. I did all that I could for the month of October to keep her here with me. We bandaged her up so the bleeding would stop, she got medication from the vet, but there was only so much that could be done. She stayed so strong though, I could tell she was a fighter, still with a smile on her face.

But in that last week, when the medication no longer worked and she lost that smile and had that look on her face, a look of intense pain and just all around defeat, I knew she needed me to carry her strength.

She silently told me that she was ready and I made the call that changed my life forever. So on October 25th, we said our goodbyes and she fell asleep in my arms before waking up on the other side of the rainbow bridge where there was no more pain or fear.

She was my entire world and I, hers.

It's been a month now, and it still hurts every day, but every day is a little better than the last. The second half of the year has really changed me in so many ways. My life is so different now, because my entire life revolved around taking care of her. And I wouldn't have changed it for anything. Lucy was never a people person kind of dog, she did not like strangers or other animals. So if I wasn't working, I was at home with her. The times I had a social life or travelled were rare and far between.

But she's gone now and my life belongs to just me again. It's a strange feeling really, not having that kind of dependency anymore, but I revel in it at times.

I've travelled more in the last month than I have in years as keeping myself busy and away from an empty apartment helps. I will be going to New York for the first time this New Year's Eve, which is amazing and so exciting.

I confess that at first I felt the guilt of being able to do fun things at her expense of being gone. But her being gone was not anyone's choice, it was just something that neither of us could control and I had to end her pain when it was still beginning rather than have her suffer more than she already was. I know that. I would just rather have her with me for a few more years than be able to do fun things. She was my fun thing. ♥

With all that being said, I am at a very different stage in my life now that involves me getting back into the things that make me happy, which is writing.

I never intended to go this long without updating this story, but then life, like the one I've lived this year, happens and certain things just take precedent over other things.

I will be getting back into 'crash through the surface' very soon. I've thought about it more in the last few weeks than in a long time. So to my readers both (potentially) new and old, thank you thank thank you for the love on what we have so far. The story is far from over.

Also a huge thank you to everyone who has me on Facebook and Instagram and keeps up with my craziness, I truly adore all of you.

And if you don't but want to: @hollyelizabeth3

[okdeedee]

Okay so I feel that Cassian will be someone who shows his love through actions instead of words. So maybe a Cassian x reader where it’s little acts of service over the course of their relationship?

ease my mind - cassian andor x gn! reader a drabble from the latch verse.

you don't need to read the latch series to understand this - it's post-scarif, canon divergent (everyone lives). the only context you need is that a couple ocs are mentioned - they're the reader's colleagues.

an: thank u for this request/prompt anon! it's so sweet. i'm coming to it late, but i wanted to write something when i felt inspired, instead of churning it out for the sake of writing. for any latch readers this is the first foray into post-if i could (post-scarif)

warnings: mention of surgery/amputation (not graphic), very vague almost unrecognisable mention of a sexual situation, fluff. angst.

wc: 1.4k

____

It starts even before you and Cassian are romantically involved. 

You can’t bring yourself to call it ‘dating’ because you’re in the middle of a galaxy-wide war and calling Cassian your ‘boyfriend’ just feels… trivial. 

And it feels too casual and light for whatever the two of you have. 

But it starts after you cry in Cassian’s arms about not being able to handle combat - without you even asking, he works alongside Melshi to get you your placement, to vet out the team you’re joining. The night before you start, he wishes you luck. 

Soon after you start, Cassian visits you while you’re on shift. He brings tea or caf, sometimes. 

If you’re really busy, he won’t say a word, he’ll just set a mug on your toolbox or on a crate near you, smile, and walk away. 

He’s good at talking; at emotional conversations, communication. He likes complimenting you, being complimented back. He loves physical touch - the way he holds his friends and the way he constantly seeks out points of contact with you shows you that. You know he values spending time with you. 

But he’s always been good at being covert, and it turns out, he uses that skill to do little things for you. 

Once, you forgot you’d put a spanner in the pocket of your coveralls, and it stayed in your room overnight. Then, it fell out somewhere in the mess hall during breakfast before your shift the next day. 

You complained about it to Greda when she resurfaced from a G-75 an hour into your shift, because you needed it for your next repair, and now you’d have to go and search the mess hall for it. 

You went to help Yemmi with something for ten minutes, and when you came back up to the Y-wing you were working on, your spanner was sitting there in your toolbox. You were baffled at the time, but life went on, and you brushed it away as one of those weird things that just happens sometimes - maybe you had remembered to bring it after all. 

You only found out later, after you and Cassian got together. 

It was your second or third time staying the night in his room, and you’d made the same mistake - this time with a drill-bit and a spring you found in your pocket. Cassian smiled fondly, tiredly, while picking up his sleep-shirt and said “Make sure you don’t forget them tomorrow like last time.”

You managed to tear your eyes away from his bare chest long enough to ask “What do you mean, ‘last time’?” 

He pulled his shirt on and you mourned losing the sight of his torso for a second. “When you left that spanner in the mess hall.” 

“How do you know about that?” 

He looked sheepish, almost. “I heard you telling Greda about it and I brought it to the hangar.” 

You thought you might cry. This gentle, loving man. “I always wondered how that just appeared in my toolbox. You did that for me?” 

He heard the waver in your voice, his brows furrowing with concern. “Of course.” 

Your chest was full to bursting with something so vivid it was entirely unnameable so you just walked over, held his face, and said “I love you.” 

You’ll remember being able to feel the heat that bloomed in his cheeks for as long as you live. 

He did your laundry with his once, when you left an undershirt and a pair of socks in his room. He picked up your favourite brand of caf during a mission. 

Sometimes when he has a couple free hours, he’ll sit with you in the hangar and pass you tools when you need them, without you even having to ask. 

It’s an effort to get him to stop focusing on you in bed, to convince him to let you do something for him.

He gives, and gives, and gives. 

.

Ever since Scarif, the tables have turned. 

The initial surgery went well, but not well enough. The reconstruction of his hip and spine succeeded, but the nerve endings in his leg were irreparably damaged, the muscles atrophied.

They hold out hope for a while, the doctors; of his leg making a recovery with enough physical therapy, but he’s still in a coma, and without proper exercise, the blood flow gets weaker and weaker. It’s soon clear that his leg will need to be amputated.

He’s still in the coma when they amputate, and it’s only a week later that he wakes. 

It’s a massive blow for Cassian. 

He’s used to a level of agility, elasticity, that will be altered by the loss of a leg and the gain of a prosthetic - even if current prosthetic technology is incredibly advanced. 

He’s not one to sulk, per se, but you can tell from the look in his eyes that he sees this as a great loss. 

.

It’s a few weeks after he’s woken up, and it’s his first day of physical therapy - his first day out of bed, using crutches, trying to rewire the pathways in his brain to understand the absence of one of his limbs.

Eyroa kindly offered to take your shift, and you thanked them profusely. They just smiled in their calm, peaceful way and shooed you out of their workspace.

So, you’re sitting in the visitor’s chair in the training room, watching the therapist work with Cassian on strengthening exercises, writing notes on her directions.

Cassian’s frustrated – you can see that – he’s always been good at most of the things he does, he’s incredibly smart and scarily observant.

But no amount of logic and intelligence can make the human brain absorb the loss of a limb any quicker. He fumbles, subconsciously expects to have his right leg catch him when this torso shifts forward.

It’s a long day, and by the end of it, Cassian is bone tired and understandably glum. He’s back on the hospital bed, staring down at his feet.

Something in him died on Scarif, you think. He’s still fiercely devoted to the cause, but his fire is dimmed. There’s less light in his eyes.

You don't know what to do - a brush with death like that is not something you've experienced. You want some way to make him feel better.

You’re holding his hand, looking up at him. His beard is unruly and flecked with dry skin, he hasn’t wanted to touch it – hasn’t wanted to do anything much, the last few weeks.

You have an idea.

You lean forward and kiss his cheek. His eyes flick to you.

“I’m going to grab something from your room, I’ll be back in a minute. Is that ok, Cass?”

He grunts softly in response.

“Alright.” You kiss his hand for good measure before you let it go.

.

You come back ten minutes later with his razor, scissors, shaving cream and a little bag for rubbish. Balanced in your other hand are two mugs of tea.

You set your tea on the nightstand and place the other mug in his hands. His eyes close drowsily as he gently inhales the steam that rises from it.

“I’m gonna shave your beard, is that alright?”

“Hm.”

“That’s not a yes or no, Cassian,”

He laughs ruefully, but it’s just an exhale through his nose. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

So you lean in, prop one leg on his bed and stand on the other.

You trim his beard first in little clumps so you can drop them in the bag without getting hair everywhere. Then you spread the shaving cream on gently, lovingly, and feel your heart sing with the victory of him leaning the weight of his head into your hands.

It’s quiet as you shave his face. Just your soft, mingled breaths. His shoulders loosen, his jaw unclenches. Every once in a while, he lifts the tea up to his lips, you pause in your work, and he takes a sip.

When you’re done, you wipe his face with a washcloth that’s on the nightstand and run your fingers over his jaw and neck. You pepper achingly soft kisses along his jawline, and his brows furrow just a touch. Then you press your foreheads together gently.

You can’t magically rewire his brain to accommodate for the loss of his leg in an instant. You can’t take away his pain. You can’t make his physical therapy sessions go any better. But you can make him feel more normal, human, in these little ways while he recovers. Until his new normal is a prosthetic, or moving around with crutches.

Let him focus on what’s important while you keep up his routines from before.

You kiss him on the lips, just once, and lean away.

There’s a faint smile on his face.

“Thank you,” he says groggily.

You move away to sit next to him again. You take the mug out of his loose grip and set it back on the nightstand, “Sleep well, love."

[bookinit02]

things that have happened in the last two days:

1) my roommate springing two new surprise kittens on us with no warning at all (good surprise but still Surprising)

2) discovered a black lump on bagel’s ass and immediately thought he had cancer

3) took him to the vet but apparently the doctor doesn’t work wednesdays (so why are u….. Open)

4) said eh that’s fine he’ll live another day

5) spent my whole night crying bc of Sadness & said out loud “it’s ok tomorrow will be better”

IMMEDIATELY THE NEXT DAY

6) found out the black lump burst open and is now a gooey pink hole into bagel’s intestines

7) calling the vet in tears to ask if i can drop him off bc it’s an emergency and i can’t miss class and no one else can take him

8) receptionist lady telling me “well that doesn’t SOUND like an emergency🙄”

9) me crying the whole way to the vet bc i was expecting to have to put bagel down

10) more rudeness at the vet & me feeling Stupid bc i’ve never been there before & i don’t know what i’m doing & i’m in my pjs

11) got a call right before class that they did surgery and bagel will be ok but his treatment is 400 dollars

12) texting my sister, relieved, bc she promised to spot me half of the money

13) i rush to class & all throughout class my sister is texting me FURIOUS bc she doesn’t want to give me the money anymore and she wants me to know that i’m irresponsible and lazy bc i don’t work more and that i need to get another job

14) me crying in the back row of class for 50 mins straight while texting my sister bc i don’t have the money to pick bagel up from the vet and now she hates me

15) rush out of class immediately after it’s over, knock into like 3 ppl, super embarrassed and horrified bc i was crying the entire time and it’s only the second day (and also i missed everything the teacher was talking abt)

16) sister spots me the money very reluctantly! so i pick bagel up and he has an extremely gross open butt wound that i have to clean twice a day for the next several weeks🥳

17) get home thinking everything is good now

18) my dad texts me to tell me he got married today. text says “married in hawaii.” and nothing else😭

19) absolutely FLABBERGASTED just bc of the sheer amount of bullshit from the past day. but honestly not super surprised

20) watermelon margs.

[hjellacott]

All of these are very accurate! I've grown-up with cats and can't remember the last time I lived without one, and I've got a more heartbreaking fact about cats as is nevertheless important to know.

When your cat loves you, they'll distance themselves from you when they know they're going to die. I'd read this in a cat book when, years later, my dear cat, with whom I'd grown up, fell very ill and the vets only made it worse, so I took her home from the vet hospital and we were hoping she'd get a bit better over the weekend. It was just us in the house, the family was out for the weekend in other commitments. Anyway. I was watching my girl like a fucking hawk, and she'd recently had major surgery, so she was just very low. And then I saw that even though she had her belly full of stitches, she kept dragging herself underneath the tightest, dustiest, dirtiest spaces under furniture she hadn't fitted herself in since she was small like a kitten.

I'll admit to having scolded her the first few times, dragging her out against her will and putting her back in her bed with her blankets, cleaning the dust out of her stitches over and over again. And then she kept doing that and as the night fell, and I noticed her breathing going down, I suddenly remembered what I'd read and realised, with absolute dread and horror, what was about to happen. That's when I knew my cat wouldn't make it to the morning. Because she loved me so much and she knew she was going to die, but didn't want me to see it happen. Exactly as the book I'd read had said cats do. They don't want to be seen dying. They want to die left alone, in peace, where nobody will bother them but also, where their loved ones won't see them go.

I'm sorry for having brought a happy post to a sad end, but I think it's useful to know, because the second I realised, I began calling the vet for help. If I'd realised much sooner, I would've had time to take her to the vet and perhaps, he would've been able to save her, because what happened was, she was having a post-surgery complication related to anaesthesia (just don't put elderly cats under general anaesthesia, for the love of God). And I want you to be able to spot the signs and do your best for your kittie if you see yourself in the same nightmare.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time. My cat went into respiratory failure shortly afterwards, and died in my arms, at 11 years old, while I was doing CPR on her (always important to learn CPR for animals).

But because I don't want to leave you sad, I'll have you know a few months after that I emigrated and moved in with some friends in the UK, and they have a lovely orange cat who's the sweetest girl and gives me all the cat kisses in the world and I've already told her about my girl so that when she goes to heaven, she can give my girl some love for me.

I feel like the reason certain dog-lovers insist cats are evil is because they read their body language as if they were dogs. So here’s a very basic guide to common “mean” things cats do that actually aren’t mean at all if you know what they’re thinking.

Rolling and exposing belly- attacks you when touched Does not mean: Give belly rubs! - haha I tricked you!  Actually means: I’m playful! If you reach for my belly I’ll grab your arm and bite it because I think we’re playfighting! 

Lazily exposing belly - still attacks when touched Does not mean: tricked you again! Actually means: I’m showing you my belly because I trust you. Please don’t break that trust by invading my personal space. I might accept a belly rub if I’m not ticklish and I know you well. Snapping at you while being pet Does not mean: I suddenly decided I dislike you! Actually means: You’re petting me in a way that gives me too much restless energy. Please focus on petting my head and shoulders instead of stroking the full length of my back next time.

Is in the same room but makes no attempt to interact Does not mean:  I’m ignoring you Actually means: We’re hanging out! I’m being respectful by giving you space while still enjoying your company. Slapping/scratching your hand when you try to pet them Does not mean: I hate you! Actually means: You’ve failed to establish that we’re not playing, or the way you’re approaching me scares me. Be calmer, speak more gently, make eye-contact and blink slowly at me before you try again.

[sweetteahyung]

My Rocky pup is gone

This past Saturday (Sept 7th), 2 days after his gotcha day/birthday, my puppy had to leave me. I had him for 12 years and 2 days, and it wasn't long enough - but nothing could've been long enough for me.

His name was Rocky, and I kind of adopted him from the animal shelter when he was a year old. I say "kind of" because it was a bit unusual. I was volunteering at the animal shelter at the time, and a lot of the dogs came down with canine influenza and had to be put to sleep. They thought they'd quarantined Rocky in time, but it just so happened that he started showing symptoms on a day that I dropped by to see if I could come back and volunteer soon. The shelter employees asked if I could take him home and quarantine him at my house for a couple of weeks so that he wouldn't have to be put to sleep, and of course I said yes. They said i could bring him back, and at the time I had no idea how much he'd come to mean to me.

He had some behavioral issues - he was dog reactive, he pulled on the leash, he jumped on you, he would bite if you even touched his tail or his paws, he was really bad with kids, and he hated the mower. He was really good with cats, however, and some of his mannerisms were very cat-like, so I've always assumed he was probably raised with cats and not socialized with dogs. We didn't have a good start with our training, but I discovered R+ training and things only went up from there. Several years back we switched to force free training and cooperative care and it was the best thing we could have ever done. I wish I'd done it sooner :c but I didn't know, and now I will for whoever my next dog will be.

At 5 years old, we discovered he had "the worst arthritic hips" the vet had ever seen, and a spine issue that I always forget the name of :'D the vet I was going to at the time told me that if I couldn't do the surgeries to fix his hips and spine, he wouldn't have a good quality of life and I should have him put to sleep. I got a second opinion and started him on some supplements that helped a lot. He did amazing for 7 years, though looking back now there's some things I would've done differently with keeping him from overworking his joints.

At the beginning of this year, I noticed him slowing down a little, but I didn't think much of it at first because he was 12, which was pretty old for a german shepherd! but he started not fully finishing his food, which was very unlike him, so I immediately got him in with the vet. They did bloodwork, and most of it was normal, but my vet could tell that he was losing a bit of blood, so she did an ultrasound and they found a mass on his spleen. Because my luck is terrible, when he had the surgery to remove the spleen (which went well, thankfully) and they had the mass sent off for testing, it of course came back as cancer. And though we'd removed the mass, the cancer could pop up again anywhere, and could also cause internal bleeds. He was given less than a year to live, and he made it 6 months.

He did really good after his surgery! I had to switch around his food and add more supplements due to the fact that he was missing a part of his immune system. I also changed jobs and was no longer getting a really good discount on pet supplies (I previously worked at a pet store, now i'm at a doggy daycare), so his food and supplements were almost $200 each week, which was about half of each paycheck. But I happily paid it, and would pay more if it meant i could have him back and happy and healthy again.

Friday afternoon he fell on his bed, but his back legs dragged just a little so we thought he'd just tripped. Friday night he could barely stand or walk, he was so weak. I called my vet on Saturday and she had us come in even though the clinic had already closed. He was so weak, and it was because of an internal bleed. The vet thought it might be time, and though I wanted to do something, anything to fix him and keep him going for a bit longer, I looked into his sweet cloudy eyes and saw that he was tired. He'd keep going if i asked him to but he really needed to rest. I told him it was okay to go on, and supported his big handsome head as he fell asleep.

Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I've had to do since I lost my dad 2 years ago, also to cancer. FUCK cancer, honestly. I'm so sick and tired of it taking important things from me.

I don't know what to do without him. I don't want to be here, in a place where he isn't. He was my heart and soul and i worked long hours, extra hours, to make sure I had enough money to feed him good food and give him supplements to help with his health stuff. I feed my cats now and there's no Rocky to feed after. He's not lying on the floor next to my bed instead of on the nice orthopedic dog bed I got him. He doesn't greet me as soon as I get home and sniff my pants/arms/shoes to see what dogs i've dealt with at work. I don't have to give him a treat every time i leave to make up for the fact that i'll be gone for a while.

I hate that he had to deal with such hot weather. We couldn't do anything fun, like go for walks or drive over to one of the nearby parks to walk around and sniff new things. He never got to play with the newest toy I got him because the cats fucking peed on it and I washed it and then my dumb brain forgot about it till it was too late. I'll never get to trim his nails again, or brush out the 10 dogs worth of undercoat, or do any of his tricks with him ever again. I wish I'd been able to work less and spend more time with him, and that i wasn't so tired when i got home and could've taken him for more walks.

In some ways, losing him is harder than losing my dad. I at least had my dad for 29 years, but I only had Rocky for 12 years and 2 days. My heart hurts. There's a Rocky shaped hole that's jagged and bleeding around the edges, and if losing my dad is anything to go by it's going to be years before it feels even close to scabbed over.

He spoiled me for any other dog. I've met so very many dogs in my lifetime, and none of them have ever been as good as Rocky. No dog will ever be as good as Rocky again. My entire heart is gone and it's been so hard to try and keep going. I'm doing my best, but I just want to be with him.

[genderfluid-insomniac]

Hello! Would it be okay if you could write a short fic where the readers cat is at the vet for something pretty serious and the reader is super worried abt it? Could it please be a comfort fic with scaramouche, kazuha and possibly ganyu? If that’s too many characters just scaramouche is fine. Thank you so much and it’s completely fine if you can’t do it!

hi anon! I hope everything is going well and you're cat is alright! Love you darling!!

Reader’s cat is at the vet for something serious and their lovers are here to comfort them

༻Scaramouche༺

Now, we all know Scaramouche isn’t one for sentiment and emotion but when it’s you he’ll try his best. No promises though.

I wanna say the only reason that your cat is still alive and not gone is because of the supposed “mess” it made and how it was “constantly annoying”, you had to say it didn’t look like he was all that pissed off constantly.

Occasionally when he thought you weren’t looking he’d have a small smile while stroking your cat and chuckling at the purring they gave from the affection.

It was late at night and he was finishing up work when you came running to him with your cat in your arms with tears brimming. “Scaramouche! It’s n/n! They suddenly passed out and they’re breathing is shallow.”

He hummed and clicked his tongue, throwing out a comment saying they’d probably be fine but you interrupted him and not wanting to cause an argument he called in a doctor to check up.

You waited outside the room and didn’t notice your lover coming up beside you, raising a brow at the tears slowly crawling down your face as the negative thoughts clouded your mind. Feeling a hand pat and rub your head, pulling you closer and holding against his chest.

“It’s pretty pathetic you’re all panicked over nothing, when have they ever been weak enough to give up. I thought you had more faith in them, so don’t worry, beloved.”

You almost didn’t catch the last part as he whispered it and the smile when he nudged you towards the door, adoring the sweet reunion of you and your kitty (not like he’d tell you).

༻Kaedehara Kazuha༺

Your cat wasn’t feeling well and you’d been worried for a couple days, finally giving into your worries and having a vet take a look at them. What they said shocked you and you honestly couldn’t speak, nodding and asking them to try their best.

They’d be in surgery until tomorrow morning so you immediately ran down to the dock where Kazuha would be no doubt, slightly teary you yelled to Beidou where the samurai was and you got an answer.

Seconds later your lover was with you and very concerned about why tears were running down your face, softening when you told him that your cat was going into surgery.

“It’s going to be alright, have they ever been otherwise. Trust in me when I say that they’re stronger than you think.”

He spends the night with you talking down all your worries and overthinking, cuddling you against the fire and making sure you get some sleep.

Kazuha ends up lulling you to sleep with his zither playing and wraps a blanket around the both of you, kissing your forehead.

“Darling, the vet sent a message and we can go pick up your kitty, want to go now?”

You eagerly nodded and rushed out, dragging him along the streets of Liyue and worriedly smiling in hopes. You carefully took your cat out of the doctor's arms and coddled your precious pet, your boyfriend coming up behind you and patting their head.

༻Ganyu༺

When something bad happens to your cat while living with your girlfriend and you realize it’s serious, the adeptus doesn’t hesitate to take you to the vet.

She’s going to try her best to be a calming presence for you while your cat is going through surgery but she’s almost as nervous as you and praying to Morax that your pet would be alright.

Most likely your precious kitty will have to stay overnight so you both drive home in silence, halfway there you break down and Ganyu pulls you into her arms.

“I know you’re scared and worried, I am too, but now we can only hope that they’re gonna pull through.” The blue haired woman will stop by your favorite restaurant and get your favorite food.

The rest of the night will consist of you and Ganyu cuddling and trying to get you to relax because worrying will do you no good. Needless to say, neither of you could sleep that much and when the hospital sent a message you practically ran out the door.

Ganyu had to stop you and promise she’d get you there because she was afraid you’d trip, when you got there your kitty was happily waiting for you.

“See, I told you they’re fighters. Nothing to worry about!”

[strangecowplant]

UPDATE

sorry once again for the very late update, teddy has been requiring quite literally every second of my time right now but i can write when hes napping

teddy is home again, and he's really messed up on his meds. he's now also taking lorazepam on top of his antibiotics and gabapentin, coupled with another bout of sedation he's extremely high right now. i was not told taking these two would increase side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, confusion ect he's completely fucked up right now. they also didnt tell me the side effects of this new med, one being vocalization which is horrible to hear esp when you dont know why its happening, the only way to stop him meowing sometimes is to hold him like a baby and sing as i walk up and down the hall. i had to literally google all these side effects and interactions myself

he is drinking lots, eating lots but he has not peed yet again. im trying to stay so positive right now, maybe its because he's so fucked up on meds, maybe he just needs some time, i have no idea. hes trying, not straining, but nothings coming out yet, he did poop however so in theory he does have control over his muscles enough back there which should mean he can pee, and yet...

im so exhausted, but im also EXTREMELY pissed off now. i am done with this vet, i never even got a call today for reassurance until late, i had to call three times to ask about him and was only able to get small updates from the other staff bc the vet was in surgeries, understandable of course surgeries are top priority, but he or one of the staff could've at least called in the am like i was expecting. i didn't receive a call until 4:30 as i was walking out the door to go there

they removed the catheter before calling me, i said i would've liked to keep it in for as long as possible yesterday but it was in for less than 24 hours again (first time it was in for less than 12) and they didn't check if he could go on his own afterwards afaik. it seemed like they were just shrugging me off, i had to ask all the questions that really should've been explained by them first I had to be the one to even ask if this new medication could even be TAKEN with his other ones. i had to ask if he was given his meds this morning (he wasnt last night because 'he was still very groggy from the anaesthesia' which im sure is code for 'place is closed time to go home' i hope his pain medication stayed in his system enough to last overnight) something didnt feel right yesterday when i stood my ground to them, it really feels like the vet wants to wipe his hands clean and move on like he knew i wouldnt be giving them more money for surprise additions (which mind you, the new medication was a surprise and never spoken about. his first dose of it was at 9am, they had ample time to call me beforehand and explain he would be taking it)

when the vet finally called he also mentioned randomly that he has a minor heart murmur likely from birth, except i know for a fact he's never had one he's been checked over multiple times since birth and has always had a super clean bill of health. i asked if it could be caused by the blockage but he said its unrelated and then said he wanted to xray or ultrasound to check right then and it would be 850-900+$ with adding on a bunch of words as if to scare me. of course i dont want my boy to be ill but all this happening and knowing that im already struggling to pay just feels like a way to milk more money from me. of course a check would need to be done but i would've appreciated an 'in the future we will want to check this' and not 'he can collapse' when im already dealing with teddy being on deaths door. not to mention having him be sedated again i can't imagine being good at all for him. the way it was gone about feels wrong and i was a wreck until i talked to my mom about it and she reassured me. scouring studies i did in fact find its relatively common for murmurs to happen with acute urinary blockage in cats, so saying it was absolutely unrelated further adds to my mistrust. to add on even more, i also know for a fact ultrasounds for cats are nowhere NEAR 900 dollars

i don't know how teddy is going to hold up tonight, he's not all there from the drugs and hes not peeing. im so broken im numb, but im angry now. im going to do the absolute best i can for him, im calling around other vets tomorrow to see what can be done, im going to get second opinions and ask if what this vet did was as wrong as i think it is. i am preparing for the worst but working hard for the best and i am never going back to that place, they've taken thousands of dollars from us in the last two years with most of it from just this weekend and for what? just to be pushed aside?

please everyone keep teddy in your thoughts and hope he can somehow recover from this, hope he can make it through the night and finally pee, he can pee on whatever he wants i dont even care i just want him back to normal

please help me pay my kitties emergency vet bill!

ive never done this before but one of my cats just had to get an extremely sudden emergency procedure and i don't know what to do, my vet and i have reached out to a couple incredible programs here to help with the bill but one is less than half and the other hasn't replied back yet, i've already declined the blood work (CA$356) to lower the bill at the risk of possible underlying liver and kidney issues not being found but its still a monumental amount for us right now. i just feel so helpless

we had enough to pay the minimum deposit to get the procedure started in time thankfully, but we were already scraping by as it is and now we're in desperate need of funds to eat/pay rent/pay off any remainder of the bill. i am disabled without aid and have been unable to work/haven't worked since 2015 but am on track to hopefully start working pt this fall. i live with my mom who has 3-4 jobs including one seasonal job which needless to say is stressful and wearing her down. we unfortunately are stuck in the most expensive place to live in canada with the inability to save up to flee so the cycle is never ending.

this is Teddy, my typically very silly vocal happy boy who's not quite 2 yet, my comfort king, my little muffin who acts like a weighted blanket for me at night and eases my anxiety, his favourite toy is his pink unicorn poof, he loves car rides and he can shake paw!

he got a sudden urinary blockage last night with no straight answer as to why and progressively got worse as the night went on, i didnt sleep at all, i was panicking and bawling, naturally, and raced to the vet to get in as soon as the door opened. i assumed it was a uti which wouldn't have been as costly, but it turned out to be much more severe and life threatening. i never expected my usually extremely healthy boy to suddenly be at risk of that and im still trying to just process whats been happening

he needed to be sedated and given a catheter and some medication, the total bill came to CA$985.62, of which we were barely able to pay 500 of, and one program was able to donate 300 leaving a total of CA$185.62 for the bill. this, of course, leaves us scrambling for food and rent as well

i know there are a lot of fundraisers out there needing donations right now, and i really hate letting myself be so open and raw like this but even a dollar would help tremendously and i would be forever grateful for any help whatsoever, even a rb to signal boost is greatly appreciated <3

TLDR; my cat had a sudden life threatening issue and now we can't pay the full vet bill or pay for food/rent

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[ghostiewriter]

summary: JJ takes over John B's last client due to a last minute change, but she is just a little too pretty to be normal around. Or, day eighteen of ghostie's spooktober spectacular.

read here on ao3.

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“YOU ARE A FUCKING LIFESAVER, JJ MAYBANK! I OWE YOU MY FIRSTBORN!” 

His nose scrunched up, both in confusion and disgust. “Dinner will be fine, thanks.” 

He didn’t get a chance to hear his friend’s reply as he ran through the front door of the shop, keys in one hand and backpack in the other as he quickly scampered off to his car parked out back in hopes that he would make it in time. 

JJ had just been finishing off things in his studio when John B had came bursting in through the door, heavily panting and almost wheezing as he tried to get his words out. 

There has been a last minute complication with his dog’s surgery and the vet was calling him in to have a consultation. Despite assuring him on the phone it was nothing too serious, it still left John B panicked and spooked and ready to bolt it out of the doors the second he got the chance. 

The only problem was that he had one last appointment for the day. 

Being the good friend he was and with the promise of getting takeout for the next week, JJ had quickly waved him off and told him he would take care of the tattoo appointment. 

He took a glance at the notes and it didn’t seem too difficult. Despite the fact John B specialised in his own style of realism tattoos, JJ was lucky enough that this client wanted a simple line work tattoo that was comfortably within his skill set to do. It wouldn’t take more than thirty minutes tops, maybe even less if the client wasn’t as squirmy and squeamish as others were. And though he didn’t mind, JJ was kind of hoping for an early night in to just relax after a six day work week. 

It was around ten minutes before the scheduled appointment time when the bell above the door rang and JJ lifted his head up from behind the counter where he was dealing with the paperwork for said client. He didn’t know much about the client other than John B had worked with them a few times before and the appointment name was under ‘Carrera’. 

What JJ was not expecting was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen in his life walk through the door. 

“Uh, hi, I have an appointment with John B,” she said and flashed him a sheepish smile, the door closing behind her with a soft thud. 

It took JJ a few moments to realise he had just been blankly staring at her. 

“Yeah–yes! Sorry, yes, you do,” JJ stammered out as he made his way around the counter and offered his hand to her. Never had he ever been so formal with clients before but apparently he was starting now. “John B had an emergency, so I’ll be taking over the session for him.” There was a short pause. “If that’s okay with you.” 

Kiara’s lips twitched upwards, nodding her head. “Sounds perfect.” 

JJ tried to get a grip with himself as he handed her the clipboard of papers she needed to fill out before heading to his studio in the back to get it all set up for the session. He glanced over her papers to make sure everything that needed to be filled out had to and he took note of her name—her really pretty name—before leading her to his studio. 

“So, Kiara, I drafted up some options, different styles of line work because I wasn’t sure how minimalistic you’d want it,” he said as he laid out the options on the black table in front of her. 

“They are all amazing,” she murmured quietly, almost like she didn’t mean to and JJ turned his head so she didn’t see light pink hues on his cheeks. 

“Just…let me know when you’ve chosen.” 

The thing was that JJ had tattooed and worked with attractive clients. He had worked with pretty clients, handsome clients, gorgeous clients. And he knew himself he wasn’t bad looking, but it was always easy to just carry on with the work he loved (with the odd shameless flirting here and there). 

But Kiara was different. 

He wasn’t sure why she was different or how she was different, but he knew that she made his heart beat a little faster than it should have and that it definitely shouldn’t be this hard to look away from someone. 

“This spot is gonna be a little sorer than your others, just because it’s right on the bone,” he told her as he gently soothed the outline onto her skin. Kiara was laid down on the table, her shirt tucked up just under her bra to expose her stomach and her shorts pulled down on one side to expose the hip she wanted tattooed. 

“Okay,” she breathed out. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll go at your pace, okay?” JJ assured her with a charming smile, giving her knee a soft squeeze before he turned to pick up his tattoo gun. “Need you to breathe for me, nice deep breaths. And tell me whenever you wanna take a break.” 

JJ’s eyes flickered to her face when he heard the deep breath she let out the second the needle touched her skin. With raised eyebrows, he asked if she was okay to continue and only did so once she had confirmed she was fine. 

The buzzing of the tattoo gun and soft sound of music playing through the speakers were the only sound to fill the studio. Even with it being a little later in the day, most of the after work rush hour had passed and the streets outside the shop were just as empty. The only sound to break the silence was the odd hitch in Kiara’s breath whenever JJ went a little heavier on with the gun.

“Shhh, you’re doing great for me,” he murmured, eyes focused on the inked lines on her skin instead of her face. “Taking it so well.” 

This time it was Kiara’s turn for her face to burn up as his words washed over her. And whether he knew his effect on her or not, she wasn’t sure but it didn’t stop him from continuing. 

When she accidentally wiggled, he used his free arm to stretch across her torso and keep her pinned down. When she let out a small whimper, he gave her thigh a gentle but encouraging squeeze. And when she needed a small break, he didn’t even hesitate stopping and grabbing her a glass of water until she felt better. 

“Almost done,” JJ’s voice was lower, and a little hoarse, but she liked it. She liked it a lot. “Atta girl, just a little bit left.” 

The last five minutes of the session was honestly a blur for Kiara. She remembered listening to his voice, letting his words replay in her head over and over again and prayed to some higher being that her body wasn’t as noticeably warm as she felt. 

She barely even processed the words of his aftercare treatment advice, eyes a little too lost on watching the way his lips moved and the way his hands moved around as he spoke. 

He told her that John B would definitely be around for her next tattoo session. 

She told him that she couldn’t wait to see him around the shop again. 

And maybe if neither one of them were cowards, they would have exchanged numbers.

Not that it mattered, because the second John B caught whiff of the brewing love he made it his job to play Cupid (even if it meant pretending his dog had diarrhoea three times in a month). 

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