I received a call around 3:45am from the ER doc about Ginny. While she initially had gotten a little better having IV fluids and several medicines administered, she hadn’t shown any signs of improvement since the evening. She said they would continue to monitor, and that she’d call me back around 5 or 5:30.
I put the phone down, and explained what the doctor had said to Jayme. Obviously, not getting any better was not great news. But we hugged each other and began to brace for what that next phone call could bring. And it brought into relief just how each of us handle situations like this.
Jayme laid down and feverishly searched the Internet. “What are the signs your dog is dying?” “How to tell if your dog is letting go”. “What are the options for your dog after they pass?” “Can dogs come back from being extremely dehydrated?” Etc. Etc.
Meanwhile, I laid there almost completely still. Running through every scenario in my head. Trying to figure out next steps depending on what the doctor called back to say. Who should we reach out to? How are we going to tell the kids? Can we be with her if it’s bad news? Could we bring her home if it’s good news? Etc. Etc.
Because that’s what we do.
