Me: You’re smiling.
Nell: I know.
Me: And so is Charlie. What’s going on?
Nell: Well, you know Charlie has been getting special therapy?
Me: Yes. You said you were leaving no stone unturned.
Nell: I never mentioned stones. I said we were going to try anything and everything to give him as much time as we could.
Me: That’s what I meant.
Nell: The heart is a complex thing.
Me: Yes, in so many ways.
Nell: And since we heard that Charlie had congestive heart failure we have been taking one day at a time and enjoying each moment left to us.
Me: I know. So why are you smiling?
Nell: We went to see Charlie’s vet.
Me: Yes.
Nell: The one who said he might not make it through the summer and definitely wouldn’t make Christmas.
Me: Yes.
Nell: And the thing is. The truly wonderful thing is that Charlie no longer has any congestion around his heart so he is no longer in congestive heart failure.
Me: You mean he’s out of danger?
Nell: All his pulses are strong. He still has an arrhythmia but unless he has a prolonged intense spasm she doubts it will kill him.
Me: Oh my goodness Nell. That’s wonderful news.
Nell: Yes, it is.
Me: I’m in tears. Our darling Charlie.
Nell: So now we can celebrate his 8th birthday.
Me: It’s his birthday?
Nell: It was yesterday but we wanted to wait.
Me: Does Poppy know?
Nell: Yes, she is baking a cake as we speak. A lemon drizzle. His favourite. David is doing the icing.
Me: Where is Charlie? I need to cuddle him right now.
Nell: You will have to join the queue. Since we told everyone at Morning Thoughts the cuddles haven’t stopped.
Me: Of course. Sorry.
