"At first, I didn't think I needed to see the doctor for him. I didn't know! But then…" she trailed off, a tear glistening on her cheek. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over to the doctor. "Can you help him, please?"
The doctor voice was sympathetic, but firm. "I'm sorry." He knew that there was no help already; the best thing he could do was to…
Being quiet until now, the tiny girl's voice cut into his thoughts. "Are you sure? Isn't there anything left to do?" Rising to a wail, she cried, "You can't just let him die!"
The doctor tried again. "I'm so sorry. The cancer has already spread too fast. There isn't any hope. The only thing I can do for him is to put him to sleep."
Silence engulfed the room, so quiet the only thing you could hear was the muffled crying of the young girl. The woman's face was a mask of shock and sadness, and in there, also a bit of understanding and concern. "Can… can you give us a few minutes, alone?"
A hint of a smile played on the doctor's lips, and he nodded, disappearing out the door.
Just as the door closed, the girl ran towards her beloved pet, and started sobbing into his chocolate fur. The small rise and fall of his fur indicated that he was only sleeping. "No, Choco! You can't leave!"
Her mother gazed at her with such deep sadness and put a hand onto her shoulder. "You have to let him go, Jasmine."
"But I can't! Don't you love him, mom?" she cried, turning her tear-streaked gaze onto her mother, plain bewilderment showing in her brown eyes.
"Yes, I do. That's why we can't resist it any longer. Letting him stay here will just prolong him suffering."
Realization suddenly dawned onto her. Jasmine unlatched herself from Choco, and stroked his fur with her hand. " Goodbye, Choco. I'll miss you."
Suddenly, Choco blinked his eyes open. With a pang, Jasmine remembered how they sparkled with excitement before, not like this milky, dull brown that colored them now. He locked his weary eyes onto Jasmine's. Struggling to lift his head from the table, he licked her face with his wet, sandpaper tongue and lay back down, his gaze never leaving her beloved master.
The door slowly creaked open, and the doctor came back in. Jasmine tore her gaze away from Choco and stared at the tiny needle that would end his life forever. Her mother's gentle but firm hands clasped around her shoulders, steering her away from the dog.
The doctor stepped forward, his long, billowing cloak blocking her view from the needle inserting itself into her pet.
"Choco…" her voice failed her, and Jasmine could only look on. Choco shuddered, and with a final heaving breath, she closed her eyes, and her chest fell still forever.
The tears that had already threatened to spill again came pouring out. Never again would that gentle giant sitting faithfully beside her when she was doing homework; never would she whisper all her secrets into one of his big, floppy ears in the dark of the night; never again would she even see him waiting at the door for her bus to arrive, his long tail wagging expectantly.
Jasmine reached a feeble hand out towards that mound of chocolate fur looking so out of place in the room.
"Goodbye. I love you, Choco."