Nathan II Part 8

Part 2 Chapter 8 : Some days you lose.

This story is fictional based on fictional characters. Any similarity to any person living or dead is coincidence. This chapter contains no sex.

If this is legal for you to read and is the sort of stuff you enjoy reading then read and enjoy. If this is not legal for you to read and/or is not the sort of stuff that you enjoy then do not read. You have the choice.

Email comments/questions to thunderchild@fastmail.fm

[Note : This chapter gets graphic in some details. If you are squeamish or get upset with descriptions of violence, you might want to avoid it]

It's been a few days since I last posted.

Sam's forgiven me. Uncle Andrew has cried himself to sleep in my arms. David isn't happy that I will be here a little longer, but is understanding of it.

During the morning I made my last post, Sam and I were together in the lounge watching TV. Uncle's lounge looks out over his back yard.

As we were sitting there watching TV, I noticed a small puppy in the back yard, probably something like a Labrador. I didn't give it a second thought as it ran in under the decking.

A short while later, there was a knock on the door. I got up and answered it, to be met by a local boy of about 7. He asked if I had seen his pup and I told him that it might be out the back yard, and he was happy to check. He went out back and I went back to the movie. I saw the boy appear in the back yard, call his pup, kneel down by the deck and call it a couple more times, and eventually headed round the side of the house.

A couple of minutes later, I heard a screaming sound like I'd never heard before, and the boy himself was screaming and yelling. Sam and I ran outside to see what was happening.

I called to the boy and asked what's wrong. The terror was clear in his voice as he gave his reply - "The dog, he's got a cat".

At first I wasn't to bothered. A pup probably wouldn't do that much damage to a cat, and might even come off worst, especially if it had come across Uncle's cat.

I rounded the house, and what I saw was nothing like what I expected. The boy's pup had Uncle Andrew's cat by the tail. However, a much larger dog, something like a pit bull, had her head completely inside it's jaw. the screams were from the cat who was still fighting to live.

I love cats. I used to like dogs but not any more.

I pulled the dog towards me while Sam grabbed the boys pup, gave it to the boy and told him to run home -- he went fast and in tears. I tried hitting the dog about the head but it still did not release Midnight. So I did the only thing that I could think of.

"Sam, I want you to grab Midnight, take her inside and close the door, then grab any weapon you can and get back out here fast".

Next, I reached around the dogs head and grabbed it's jaws with my hands, and just pulled. I don't know how but I managed to force it open enough to let Sam take Midnight inside.

On the ground beside me was a picket from a fence. I held the dog by it's collar, and I took that picket and started beating the fuck out of it, fully intending that the dog would die in my hands there and then. I had seen enough hurt in recent months and if I could destroy something that hurt someone or something I loved, I would. I kept going even when the picket broke in half. I kept going even when it's back, skull and neck were bleeding. I kept going even when Sam came out.

At first I wasn't aware of his presence. In the end he grabbed my arm and then I stopped. All I saw was the look of fear in his eyes and the eyes of the boy with the pup (who had come back over). I don't think that either of them had seen such an act of violence in their lives. I let the dog go and went to see Midnight.

She was sitting inside, under the computer desk. Around her was a large pool of blood. Her bottom jaw was hanging open, not because she had her mouth open but because it had been broken in two places, with half her bottom jaw just hanging by a thread. I could see that her skin was torn in many places, from her head to her tail. Her breathing was heavy. She was visibly shaking like she was absolutely terrified. Her eyes seemed to ask "Why did this happen to me?", and were filled with so much pain and fear and sadness.

Panic set in. I called to Sam to get some towels while I grabbed the phone book and started checking the vets for anyone who would take an emergency case. One a short drive away said that they could see her later that afternoon. Then the receptionist asked me to check something -- she asked me to press lightly on Midnight's upper jaw and tell her how long it took for the colour to return after I took my finger off. I got Sam to do it, and gave the receptionist the time -- about 3 seconds. Her answer of "Oh hell. Get her in here NOW!" left me in no doubt as to the seriousness of her condition.

Sam quickly but gently wrapped Midnight in a towel while I got the house locked up. Moments later we were on the road heading for the vet, with Sam guiding me and trying to settle Midnight down a bit.

We got there and got in to see the vet. He told us that she would be in surgery for a couple of hours at least. After we'd filled out various forms, there was nothing more to do but to head home. I tried to reach Uncle Andrew but no luck, he was out of office with a customer and had his phone turned off.

When we got home, there was a police officer and a rep from the SPCA waiting for us. They wanted to talk to me about the injuries I had done to the dog. I told them the name of the vet and to contact them to confirm Midnight's condition, and took the time to make a formal complaint about the dog being loose and attacking her. I also showed the police officer the bite marks in my arm. He accepted that and told me that Animal Control would take care of the dog within the next few hours, and no charges would be laid against me over the dog.

The lady from the SPCA wasn't so accepting. She started going off about how I had been cruel to 'that poor dog' and should be prosecuted, and she would see to it that I was. I told her that it had left it's own property, that it had attacked a cat and a person on another property, and that I was in my rights to have killed it on the spot -- which the police officer confirmed. She went off again about me using a stick to beat the poor thing. I lost it. Next thing I knew, I was yelling some nasty things at her while I had her pressed up against the wall with my arm against her throat. The police officer pulled me off her, and as he did I saw a crying Sam leave the room.

I told her to get out of the house, and the police officer escorted her out, telling her that there was nothing more she could do there and that he would sort me out. Then he came in and sat beside me. He put a hand on my shoulder and I thought that this was it, I was going to be arrested. My whole life was crumbling before my eyes.

But instead of handcuffs, he pulled out a hanky and gave it to me to wipe my eyes. He then radioed his base to say that he would be there for a while, that the SPCA lady had left, and that there were a few things to sort out but he had it under control. He sat and talked with me until Uncle Andrew arrived home. Uncle had been given a message by his office that I had been trying to get hold of him urgently, and had come home straight away. At first I just held him as I let go of everything that had happened after the last few hours. Then he saw the pool of blood still there and asked what it was from. All I could say was 'Midnight'.

While I was still holding on to him, the officer explained that Midnight had been seriously attacked by a dog, and that she was now at the vet's.
The officer left assuring us that he would do everything he could to make sure that any charges against me didn't get far. Uncle asked me about that and I explained the situation to him.

He asked me to make us some coffee while he made a couple of phone calls, and asked which vet Midnight was at. His first call was to the vet to check on Midnight's condition. She was in recovery from her surgery. They wouldn't know her true condition till later that afternoon, but she was still alive although sedated.

The next call was to the SPCA. He asked if he could speak to the woman who had been here, but was told he couldn't. He then asked to speak to the manager but was also told he couldn't. He then told them to tell the manager who it was who was calling, and moments later the manager was on the phone.

The call was short but kinda sweet. He was assured that the woman in question would be writing us a formal letter of apology, that her days as a 'field officer' were over as soon as she next contacted base, and that her job would be on very shaky ground. I did feel kinda sorry for her though. She made a mistake, probably motivated by her passion for her job, and that just happened to involve the person who was letting the SPCA 'lease' land from him for a very small fee (the SPCA has it's cattery on the same land Uncle's business is on, land he owns), and her job is in danger. It doesn't really seem right that someone with a bit of money can have that much sway over another persons life. She was a bitch to me, and does deserve some sort of punishment, but my attack on her should be more than enough to cover that.

Early in the evening the vet finally rang us back. Midnight was seriously injured, and Uncle was told to consider having her put down. He told the vet to do everything they could to save her, regardless of the cost. He was told that if she made it through the next couple of nights she could make a full recovery, but her chances were low. Uncle again told the vet to do whatever is needed to save her, putting her down was not an option.

Not long after that I remembered that Sam had left here very upset, and that one of us should go talk to him. Uncle gave me directions and I headed over to see him.

His mother answered the door, and when she knew who I was she wasn't happy to see me. She told me that Sam was very upset with what I had done and was in his room. I told her that I loved cats and when I saw that dog attacking Midnight, and later when I had that woman from the SPCA going off at me about being cruel to a dog that may yet have killed Midnight, I just lost it. She didn't accept that but when I told her I was there to apologise to Sam, she let me see him.

Sam was another story. He didn't want to talk to me. I sat on his bed and told him how sorry I was that he'd seen that. He turned over and faced the wall, with his back to me. Not a word was said. After a few minutes I again told him again that I was sorry, that I loved him and didn't want to see him hurt. Still no response, so I went back to Uncle's. I stopped at a take away and got us some dinner, as I didn't expect that either of us would be up to cooking. The small amount I ordered was to much, as we weren't exactly up to eating either.

That night, I held Uncle as he talked and cried about Midnight. He'd only had her a year. She was his first cat in a long time and had become very special to him, although she treated all other humans with a level of contempt that only a cat knows how to do.

The next morning, Sam came over for a visit. He didn't once speak to me, even when I spoke to him.
Uncle said something to him about it and made it clear that he was on my side, and Sam just left. I could see the pain in my Uncle's eyes and went and gave him a hug. Shortly afterwards he went for a lie down. I went in and lay on the bed beside him and talked with him until he went to sleep.

That afternoon, the vet rang again. Uncle had gone to another meeting and would not be back till late. The vet told me that Midnight had a very low chance of making it through the night, and would not make it through the next day. He wanted to put Midnight down there and then. I told him to do whatever she could to keep Midnight alive through the night, and that Uncle and I would come in the next morning to say goodbye to her while she was still alive. The vet reluctantly agreed to this.

In tears I left the house and went round to Sam's. There was only one thing I could think of to do at that time.

Sam still wouldn't see me, so I told his mother what was going on and asked her to ask him to pray that Midnight would make it. I then went back to Uncles and rang David. We talked for a little while, and through my sobs I poured out the events of the last couple of days to him. He assured me that he would pray, and that things would be OK. It didn't do much for me though. I had seen her injuries, he hadn't. I could not see her getting through this. We talked some more as he tried to help me through my pain.

That call was the final turning point for me. I realised that no matter what was going on in our lives, no matter how we felt about each other, if I was hurt then David would be there for me to turn to, and no matter what the situation, he would always hear me out and do whatever he could for me. At that moment I was finally absolutely certain that I would go back to him.

We started to ring off when I stopped. I had to take a couple of deep breaths because it had been so long, but I managed to say it. "David, I love you". I could hear the emotion in his silence as he took a pause to let my words sink in. We ended up talking a bit more and I decided that I would stay on here a bit longer and make sure that Uncle, and Midnight, were going to be OK. David wasn't to happy about this, but he accepted it. It must have hurt him knowing that I was his again, but that I was going to be with someone else a bit longer.

Early that evening, Uncle Andrew arrived home from his meeting. I could see that it had been hard, but he did manage to deal with whatever it was. It was hard for me to tell him what the vet had said. I also told him about going to see Sam and ringing David. We spent some time in prayer, then, as we were both emotionally drained, we headed to bed.

Not long after, my mother called me back. I told her about what had happened with Midnight and that I would stay here a bit longer just to make sure that Uncle was going to be OK, and to care for Midnight if need be. She was OK with that and after we talked for a while longer, I headed back to bed.

That brings us to this morning.

The vet rang with the news on Midnight. Over night her condition had improved. The vet was surprised as he'd never seen anything like this before. Midnight was going to make a full recovery. The infection that had been going to kill her was now almost gone, and although it would take time, she would make it. With the infection gone, they could do more work on her, and her own natural healing ability would also be able to work on the rest of her injuries.

A short while later Sam was round to see me as well. He told me that he had forgiven me for what he had seen, and that although he hated it, he could understand why I had lashed out first at the dog then at the women from the SPCA. That dog had hurt someone I loved by attacking Uncle's cat. and that women had defended the dog's actions. He asked if Midnight was still alive and when we would be going in.

I'll never forget the look of awe and wonder in his eyes as Uncle told him the news on Midnight. Sam jokingly said that his prayers must have worked. My response was "No joke". I then took him out to the back yard to talk to him.

I told him about the things that had been going on in my life in the last few weeks, and about when I found the spot where we first made love. I told him that I'd asked God to prove to me that he was real, and that the next day I was thanking God (while still doubting that He existed) for bringing Sam into my life (I wish I could describe the look on his face as it sunk in that he could've been used by God as evidence of His existence!). I told Sam about other things that had happened, the dream (what is it with that dream? Sam also seemed to know something about what I was talking about, but he said that it was best left to David to explain!), and finally about Midnight's miraculous turn around in condition. I finally told him that while there was a couple of things I was unsure of, but that I would be talking to David soon about Christianity, and that I would probably be one soon. He looked quite happy as I told him all this. When we finished he gave me a hug and a kiss on the lips, before skipping inside more like a 6yo girl than a 14yo boy.

A little while later we went in to see Midnight. Sam and I had to hold Uncle as he collapsed when he first saw her at the vet's. She was bandaged from below her neck to her back legs, as well as her tail. One of her front legs was also bandaged and had an IV line running into it. She meowed when she saw him, a meow that broke his heart. I could tell that it was an expression of being happy to see him, and a request for help as well. Her bottom jaw had wires protruding from it, wires that were holding it together until the bones knit back together again. She barely responded due to still being in sedation, but she did respond as soon as she saw him.

The vet explained that she would be like that for a few more days, and that she was on morphine for the pain and also being sedated to help restrict her movement and stress. We were told that she was in no pain, and that we could visit her any time and the more time we spent on her, the faster she would heal. We gave her as much attention and affection as we were able to while we were there. She now responded quite happily to me -- I guess literally pulling her from the jaws of a large dog changed her nature, although it could be the drugs.

After a ¾ of an hour or so, we headed home. Uncle and Sam are in the bedroom doing who knows what (it's awfully quiet in there), and I am here writing this to you lot. I'll give you more in another day or two.

[Ok. Dog owners pay attention. Much of this chapter is based in fact. One day, in the late 90's, a 7yo boy appeared at my door looking for his puppy. A few minutes later, an attack much like the one described here took place. I didn't leave the dog bleeding but while the boy was taking my cat inside, I did hurt that dog as much as I could. I will never forget the screams that my cat made while she was being attacked.

Also, much like Midnight in this story, my cat was given no chance of survival but pulled through after a night of prayer by myself, the lady who owned her at the time (and had asked me to take care of her cat while she was pregnant). I would not let her be put down, but when we were told that she would die we arranged for a final goodbye the next day -- the rest you know.

The way she is described after the attack, while she is sitting under the computer table is accurate. The cat that is now mine was sitting there with a pool of blood nearly 1ft in diameter around her. I did not have access to a car, but a good friend took time off work to get her to the vet. An older BL friend was there with me when the vet was called, not a younger boy as in my story, but the test with the jaw was also done, and the response from the receptionist is a direct quote.

The way she is described at the vet is also accurate, but mixes two separate events. in her first attack, which this chapter is based on, she wasn't bandaged. However, a few months ago she was attacked again and this time her skin in her mid section was ripped open from her chest almost down to between her back legs. She spent some 3 hours like that before we got home from work and found her. Again, she had a fight for her life, and again, it is only by miracle that she is still here. This time, we are told by the vet, she pretty much died during her first bout of surgery, but she started breathing again and her heart started beating, and now she is sleeping a few feet away from me with just the tiniest of scars left.

Dog owners please keep your animals under control. If you let them run free, keep them in a well fenced yard, otherwise keep them well chained. Unless it happens to you, you may not understand what a dedicated cat lover goes through when a beloved pet gets mauled in front of their eyes. Nor will you understand the terror in the eyes of a 7yo boy as he sees this going on in front of him. Do not let your dog do this to someone. And of course, if your dog does hurt another animal or a person outside your own property, and is caught, then it is almost certain that you will loose it and have medical bills to pay -- and maybe a criminal record as well.

Cat owners -- if your cat ever does get seriously injured, do not give up to quickly. Fight for their life. My cat is happy and healthy. She had a very good 8 years from when she was first attacked to the second one, and that was proof enough for me that if she could be saved a second time round, she should be. While she is still recovering mentally and physically (she still panics when she sees a certain type of dog, can panic when she hears a dog, and only goes outside for minutes at a time instead of hours), she is happy and healthy. So please, fight for your cats life as best as you can. It is sometimes a hard decision and with my cat the 2^nd time round, I considered changing my mind a couple of times. But I knew that at that point, she was well on the way to recovery. I am sure that if she could tell me, she would thank me for letting her go through a time of pain because since then she has had a lot of time with love and affection -- most of her days since the attack have been very happy ones.

This was a hard one for me to write, as again I am dealing with some very real events in my life. I have tried to portray it as accurately as I can.

As to the boy behind Sam. My friend, I miss you so much. I long for the day when I can see your words on my screen again. My special friend, I love you more than I can say and will never forget you. You are as special to me as Sam is to Nathan. I love you and miss you -- TC]