"Annie, no. I'm not wearing this dress."
"Britta, come on. It's a beautiful bridesmaids dress. Just try it on."
"I like it," Shirley happily said as she did a little twirl in hers. "I didn't think I'd look this good in turquoise, but this dress really brings out something in me."
"Oh, I'm glad you like it, because I hate it," Britta said. "If I have to wear a bridesmaids dress then it should be black, since marriage is basically the death of being an independent woman."
Annie ignored that comment as Shirley looked at Britta with sympathy. "Is this because Troy hasn't asked you yet?"
"Troy knows better than to ask me Shirley. We both know that you can be committed to someone without assigning archaic titles of ownership to one another."
"Yea, I'm sure that's exactly what he's thinking," Shirley said under her breath.
"Britta, I spent a lot of time picking out the perfect bridesmaids dresses. And you only have to wear it for one day. So can you please just try it on and, FUR BALL NO!" She quickly grabbed the dress as the dog pulled on it. "DROP IT FUR BALL! DROP IT RIGHT NOW!" Instead the dog pulled at it harder, thinking they were playing a game. They both pulled the dress as hard as they could before an ominously ripping sound was heard. Annie yelled as Fur Ball ran away with a large piece of fabric in his mouth. "BAD DOG! VERY BAD DOG!"
"Good boy Fur Ball." Annie shot daggers at Britta as the blond smiled back. "What? He gets what I'm saying."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Jeff took a deep breath as he checked himself one more time in the mirror, making sure his hair looked just right. He'd like to look back at his and Annie's wedding pictures in twenty years and not regret how his hair looked back then.
"Hey Boy, come here." He squatted down as Fur Ball came over. "Stand still." He took the two rings out of his pocket and tied them tightly to a ribbon before securing it to the dog's collar. "There you go. You're all ready for the big day."
Jeff stood up as he heard a knock at the door. "Jeff, it's me."
"Come in."
The door opened as Britta stepped in. "It's time to get out there Winger. Or are you having second thoughts."
"None whatsoever."
"Good. Cause even though I don't personally believe in marriage, I'll still destroy you if you run out on Annie."
"Trust me, there's a better chance I'll embarrass myself on the dance floor then me running out on Annie." Jeff grinned as he handed Britta Fur Ball's leash. "So the woman who didn't even want to be a bridesmaid is now being walked down the aisle by two groomsmen."
"Shut up. Wait, so is the dog a groomsman or the ring bearer?"
"Technically he's both."
"Aren't you afraid he'll do something to mess this up?"
"I think I'm more worried about Troy, Abed or Pierce pulling something then Fur Ball."
Britta scoffed before nodding her head in reluctant agreement. "Well come on, let's get this show on the road.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Fur Ball missed his Mommy and Daddy. They had been gone for several days now. The last time he had seen them was at that weird ceremony they brought him to. He had to walk down a long aisle with the light haired woman and the man who cried a lot. Then everyone stood up as Mommy walked down the same aisle while wearing a fancy white dress. There was a lot of talking before the other guy he used to live with removed the shiny medal circles that were tied to his collar. After that everyone cheered once Mommy and Daddy kissed (he didn't see what the big deal was since he saw them kiss all the time). Then there was a party with a lot of dancing and music that was played too loud for his ears. He spent most of the party playing with the children of the woman who always brought over yummy smelling food.
After the ceremony ended Mommy and Daddy went away and left him with the two he had walked down the aisle with, after they assured him they would be back in a week. At first he had been nervous when he realized he would be staying with the two of them. He remembered when he used to live with the crying man and how he would forget to feed him. But luckily the light haired woman made sure he had food and water. She even took him on walks, even though she would mutter about how she never had to walk her cats.
At first Fur Ball had been nervous of those skulking creatures. He had only seen people and other dogs before. But for the most part they weren't that bad. A few didn't like him. Like Daniel, a really old one eyed cat that hissed if he got too close to him. But he managed to get along with most of them. He even made friends with one, a black and white cat named Chelsea. They would run around together and she even shared her food with him.
But he still missed his Mommy and Daddy. He had never been away from both of them for so long. Even when Mommy went away for a really long time he at least had Daddy. But now both of them were gone. And he missed them.
XXXXXXXXXXX
When Fur Ball woke up that morning he just somehow knew his parents were coming back today. His suspicions were confirmed when they arrived that afternoon. As soon as the light haired woman and the crying man answered the door he bounded right over to them, joyfully barking as he stood on his hind legs. They were both tanner then they had been when they left, and Mommy had a strand of beads threaded through a lock of her hair. He yipped impatiently as they hugged the light haired woman and the crying man before they finally tended to him.
"Oh, I missed you so much." Mommy said as she picked him up. "I hope you were a good boy for your Aunt Britta and Uncle Troy."
"He was fine," the light haired woman said. "I think he even made friends with Chelsea. How was Hawaii?"
They both glanced at each other slyly. "Um…it was good. Really good. Really really good."
"You stayed in your hotel room pretty much the entire time hu?" the light haired woman said with a mischievous grin.
Fur Ball looked at his parents curiously as Mommy blushed and Daddy chuckled. "We did…other stuff. We did spend half a day seeing where they filmed Lost."
"Nice!" the crying man said. "Please tell me you took pictures."
"I'll post them on-line so everyone can see him."
The four of them chatted some more before his parents decided to head home. As they walked to the car Fur Ball couldn't help licking Mommy's face.
"Fur Ball stop."
"I'll take him," Daddy said. He took hold Fur Ball and held him, not even minding when he licked his face.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Damn it," Annie lightly swore. She glanced down at her stomach, feeling guilty that she had sworn. But it was just so frustrating. Shirley made knitting seem so easy. But even after a month of practice Annie still had difficulty mastering it. She looked at the half completed baby blanket. I still have a couple months before it has to be finished, she thought. I still have time.
She looked over as Fur Ball wandered into the living room. Glad for any excuse to stall off the unwelcome task, Annie put down her knitting supplies and called the dog over. "Come here boy." She bent down, which had been far easier to do before she became pregnant, and picked him up. Rather than sit the dog in her lap she carefully draped him over her stomach. The dog laid down on his own stomach, spreading his paws around the expanded area.
He placed his head over Annie's heart as she petted him. "How are you doing? Just wait. In about two months your baby sister will be born. You're going to be a big brother to little Leslie." She smiled as he looked up at her. "Listen. When the baby arrives we're going to be very busy taken care of her. And you might think you're being neglected because of how much attention she'll be receiving. But no matter what happens, I want you to know that Jeff and I love you very much. And that will never change." As she petted the dog Fur Ball looked up at her, seeming to grasp what she was saying.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
This is definitely one of the stranger couples I've shown houses to, the realtor thought. Actually, in retrospect they weren't that strange. Not like one couple she once showed houses to that had specifically asked for a finished basement that could be turned into a sex dungeon. These two were a perfectly lovely pair. But she did find it strange that they would go house hunting with a dog and a four month old baby. Maybe not so much the baby, but it was certainly odd that they'd bring their dog.
"Ok, so that house wasn't to your liking. I do have one more in this neighborhood that I think you'll like."
The Winger family got in their car and followed Suzy the realtor through the neighborhood. "That last house wasn't that bad Annie."
"It wasn't a bad house. It just wasn't us. Plus Fur Ball kept sneezing in there. So I'm sure that meant something. I'll know when we find our home."
They continued down the long suburban streets before the realtor slowed to a stop in front of a modest sized house with a picket fence. They parked next to her and got out, Jeff putting Leslie in the portable basinet while Annie kept a firm hand on Fur Ball's leash. As they followed Suzy Annie took in all the details. The white picket fence, the large oak tree off to the side in the front, the friendly looking red brick on the lower half of the house, the white siding on the top half, the red wood stained door with just a hint of fuschia coloring, the white stone walkway that led to the back. The closer they got to the house the bigger the smile on Annie's face got.
"Here we are," Suzy said as she opened the door and led them in. Annie gasped as she and Jeff looked at the large airy living room. "This really is a lovely home Mr. and Mrs. Winger. Light blue walls in this room. I believe it was recently painted. White crown molding." She gestured to a door to their left. "Closet right in the foyer to put your coats in."
"How many floors are there?" Jeff asked.
"Three main floors, plus a basement and an attic. The main ground floor has the living room, a connecting dining room, and the kitchen. The second floor has the master bedroom, three additional bedrooms, and a full bathroom. And in the kitchen there's a staircase that leads down to the den, which also had another full bathroom your children or guests can use. Let's continue, shell we."
"I like this place," Annie whispered to Jeff.
"Here's the kitchen. It has garnet top counters, an island, wooden cabinets. And over there is the door that leads to the backyard.
Annie practically sprinted over as she opened the door, gasping at the large backyard. "Jeff, look!" Jeff looked over Annie's shoulder as she took in the sight before her. "Can you imagine Leslie playing out here? We can get a swing set for her and she and Fur Ball can run around."
"I could probably build a tree fort in that low one over there," Jeff said as he pointed it out. "Though if we did that Troy and Abed would probably use it more than our children would."
Annie giggled giddily as she turned to Suzy. "Can we see the rest of the house?"
They followed the realtor to the second floor. She showed them the master bedroom (with both Jeff and Annie being impressed with the ample closet space), the other bedrooms and the bathroom. They then saw the den, with Jeff whispering to Annie that they could put a billiards table and a big flat screen TV down there.
"Well Mr. and Mrs. Winger," Suzy asked as they went back to the kitchen. "What do you think?"
Jeff took hold of Annie's hand to try and keep her from revealing her excitement. "It's definitely a very nice house. But I do have to remind you we have a pretty fixed price range."
Suzy shifted through the papers in her hand before she found the one for that particular house. "Well Mr. Winger." She took out a small pad of paper and scribbled something on it before folding it up and handing it to Jeff. "This is how much the previous owners are asking for."
Jeff opened the paper and looked at. He kept his face passive as he refolded it. "Do you mind if we discuss this outside."
"Of course, take your time."
Jeff led his wife out into the backyard. "Well," Annie asked apprehensively.
Jeff carefully put the bassinet down before handing Annie the slip of paper. He waited for her to start jumping up and down. Instead she looked up at him as a slow disbelieving smile started forming on her face. "It's within our price range."
"It's within our price range."
She let go of the leash as she hugged Jeff tightly, squealing in joy. They pulled away once they heard emphatic barking. They started laughing as they saw Fur Ball laying on his back, wiggling around in the grass.
"I guess that's the final endorsement we need," Jeff said.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Even after all this time Jeff still sometimes heard that little voice in his head that scoffed at how happily domesticated he had become. Like now when he was videotaping home movies.
"And here we have Annie," Jeff said as he excitedly focused on his wife. "Say hi Annie."
"Hi," she said good naturally as she waved to the camera. "You are going to put that down eventually and help me with dinner, right?"
"Hey, I'm capturing our precious family moments. And at least I just film them as they are. Whenever Abed does this he tried to recreate classic family sitcom moments."
She laughed as Jeff moved downstairs to the den. "Now let's see what little Leslie is up to." As he went over to the baby blanket he saw his daughter roughly petting Fur Ball, who seemed to be stoically taking in the baby's affection/abuse. "Oh Leslie, no." He turned off the camera and sat down next to the baby and the dog. "That's too rough sweetie. You have to be gentle. Like this." He took Leslie's hand and guided it so she was gently stroking Fur Ball's fur. "See, that's better. Now you try."
He watched as Leslie petted Fur Ball more gently then she was doing before. "There you go." He smiled as Fur Ball wiggled his body. "See, the doggy likes it."
"Dob, dobby."
"Yes sweetie, doggy."
Leslie laughed joyously as Fur Ball sat up and started licking her face. "Aw, you two are becoming friends." Jeff carefully got up to get the camera as he filmed the interaction between his daughter and the dog.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Annie opened her eyes and looked over at the clock on the bedside table. 1:58am. As she wondered why she was awake she heard faint barking outside the bedroom door. It was hard to hear due to the air conditioner, but there was no mistaking that it was Fur Ball. She started to lay back down when the barking grew louder, followed by scratching at the door.
She turned to Jeff and shook his shoulder. "Jeff, wake up. Fur Ball's barking."
"Good for him," Jeff said sleepily.
Annie scoffed as she got out of bed and opened the door, revealing Fur Ball barking and anxiously moving from side to side. "Fur Ball-."
Before she could continue the dog bit the cuff of her pajama pants and pulled as hard as he could. As she took a few steps into the hallway to shake him off she was able to hear something she hadn't heard before; someone faintly crying 'Mommy'.
Fur Ball let go of her pants and bounded over to Leslie's bedroom, with Annie following him. As soon as she walked in the stench of vomit unexpectedly filled her nose, causing her to almost throw up herself. She walked over to Leslie's bed and switched on a light. Her daughter was curled into the corner of her bed, staying far away from the puddle of vomit on the center of her sheets.
She looked up at her mother, a look of shame in her eyes. "I threw up."
"Oh Honey." Annie bent down and picked up her daughter, not even caring that bits of vomit were getting on her. "It's ok. Don't worry about the bed. What happened, you have a stomach ache?"
As the little girl nodded Annie called out to Jeff. "Jeff!"
"WHAT!"
"Our daughter threw up!"
A few moments later Jeff walked in the room as he just finished putting on a t-shirt. "Hey," he said in a soft soothing voice. "You're not feeling good?"
As she nodded her head Annie turned to Jeff. "Can you get the thermometer?"
"Sure."
They took her temperature, luckily finding that she didn't have a fever. Annie cleaned up Leslie and put her in fresh pajamas while Jeff stripped the bed and threw the dirty linins in the washing machine. And while they tended to Leslie Fur Ball stood near the little girl, quietly watching over her like a little furry protector.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"I don't wanna go!" Leslie screamed.
"Leslie, you have to go!"
"I DON'T WANNA!"
Annie groaned as she looked at the clock, seeing that she had fifteen minutes to get Leslie to school or else she'd be late. Oh sure, I can take her by myself, she hysterically thought as she remembered what she had told Jeff that morning. Now Jeff's safe and snug on his way to work and I have to deal with this.
"Leslie, you'll like kindergarten. Trust me. You'll color and learn about numbers and the alphabet. And you'll meet a lot of other kids to play with."
Annie sighed impatiently as Leslie closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. I blame Jeff and his school hating genes on this, Annie thought. Because that's the only way a child of MINE could not be excited about starting school.
Just as she was about to lose her patience she heard Fur Ball enter the kitchen. Suddenly getting an idea Annie picked up the dog and held him in front of her daughter. "Leslie, listen. If you don't want to go to school that's fine."
"Really?" she said as she opened her eyes.
"Yes. But if you don't go you'll be disappointing Fur Ball."
"He's a dog. He doesn't care about school."
"Actually, he does. When he was a puppy he went to doggy school."
"Really?" Leslie asked as she petted Fur Ball.
"Yes he did. And by going to school he learned a lot and become the good smart dog he is right now. Don't you also want to be a smart girl who learns stuff?"
"I guess," she said apprehensively.
"I know Fur Ball would be upset if you didn't go."
She looked at Fur Ball before nodding her head. "Ok Mommy, I'll go. For Fur Ball." She grinned as she shook her butt, imitating a dog wagging its tail.
"Fur Ball will be really happy. Now go get your stuff so we can go." As Leslie ran out of the room to get her backpack Annie held the dog close to her. "What would I do without you?" She involuntarily giggled as Fur Ball licked the skin just below her neck.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Come on Fur Ball. We have to save Jack from the evil Captain Ruthie."
Leslie dramatically looked around the living room before cautiously skulking forward, with Fur Ball following right beside her. The seven year old carefully stepped over pretend booby traps before gasping loudly as she approached Annie's stuffed kangaroo Ruthie and Jack. "Oh Captain Ruthie! I come with my faithful dog to ask for my baby brother back. Please give him back to me!"
Just then Fur Ball ran forward and started sniffing Jack. The two year old starting laughing as the dog licking him.
"Fur Ball!" Leslie grabbed the dog and pulled him back over to her. Fur Ball wagged his tail before wiggling out of Leslie's grip and bounding back over to Jack.
"No! You're not, MOM!"
"What is it?" Annie asked as she stepped out into the hallway.
"Fur Ball's not playing Island Adventure right. He keeps going over to Jack."
"Leslie, Fur Ball's a dog. He doesn't understand that he has to stand still for Island Adventure."
"Toto doesn't run away."
Annie sighed as she nodded her head. "Yes. But Toto's a movie dog. He was trained for that kind of stuff. Fur Ball's a pet dog. He likes to spend time with you and your brother."
"But I want to play Island Adventure right," Leslie whined.
"Leslie, just figure this out for yourself," Annie said as she went back in the home office to finish up some work.
Leslie sighed dramatically as she sat down next to Fur Ball and Jack. She grabbed hold of Fur Ball and cupped his face with her hands. "You have to stand next to me until we fight Ruthie. You're not playing right."
The frown on her face disappeared as Fur Ball started licking her face. "That tickles. I love you too. Even if you don't listen to me when we play."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR FUR BALL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"
Everyone cheered as Jeff gave Fur Ball a doggy treat. "Good boy."
Annie tousled the fur on Fur Ball's head before she picked up the gift bag next to the kitchen table. "Look what we got you Fur Ball." She reached in and pulled out the gift. "A new doggy bed. It had cotton stuffing so it's extra comfy."
"I want it. I want it!" Jack excitedly cried.
"Jack, this is a doggy bed. You have your own big boy bed," Annie said. "I'm going to see if there are any more vegetables in the garden."
"Can I come?" Jack asked.
"Of course." Annie took hold of her son's hand as they walked out into the backyard.
Leslie petted Fur Ball before looking up at her father. "How old is Fur Ball?"
"He's…" Jeff paused as he thought of the answer. "I think he's thirteen."
"You think?"
"Well, mom had him first when she used to live with Uncle Troy and Uncle Abed. She'd know better than I would."
"Is thirteen old for a dog?"
Jeff was quiet for a moment as he reflected on the question. "Yea. Thirteen is old for a dog."
As Leslie went outside to find her mother Jeff looked down at Fur Ball. "Hey little guy." He brushed the grey hair in the dog's muzzle. "Looks like we're both going grey. Least that's better than the alternative hair wise. Though I don't think dogs usually worry about going bald." Fur Ball sat down and looked up at Jeff, who petted him for a little longer than usual before he went to start making dinner.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Somehow Jeff just knew that something terrible was going to happen as soon as he woke up that morning. It was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake. He tried to brush it aside as he did his daily morning routine. Like he did every morning he quietly got out of bed, making sure not to disturb Annie as he put on his running clothes. As he walked to the kitchen he looked over at Fur Ball lying in his doggy bed. He smiled as he remembered taking the dog on light jogs when the weather was nice. But unfortunately he hadn't been able to do that in some time. In the past couple years Fur Ball had developed arthritis, and it had become harder for him to walk then it used to.
"Hey little guy." As Jeff went over he knew something was wrong. The dog was panting and he had his hindquarters plopped over the side of his bed. "Fur Ball?" As Jeff touched his backside the dog let out a terrible howl of pain. It was then that Jeff saw a protruding lump near his tail.
"It's ok boy. It's ok. I'll be back in a minute." He quickly marched upstairs and shook his wife awake. "Annie wake up."
"Jeff? What is it?" she said sleepily.
"It's Fur Ball. Something's wrong."
The sleepiness immediately left her as she sat up in a panic. "What's wrong?"
"There's a lump near his tail. And when I felt it he cried in pain."
Annie bolted out of bed and ran to the kitchen to look at the dog, with Jeff following behind her. After she saw the dog's condition she grabbed hold of the phone and called the vet. "This is Annie Winger. I need to see Dr. Adleman immediately…my dog's in pain and he had a lump near his tail…I don't care if he's busy, this is an emergency…you…oh thank you, thank you. We'll leave right away." She hung up and turned to Jeff. "They said they can squeeze us in at 8:30 before they officially open at 9."
"Mom?" They both looked over as Leslie came into the kitchen. "Is something wrong?"
Annie went over to Leslie, not wanting to upset the ten year old. "Leslie, we have to take Fur Ball to the vet."
"Is something wrong with him?"
Annie desperately tried to keep her face from crumpling as she looked into her daughter's eyes. "We don't know yet. That's why we're taking him to the vet. Listen, I need you to be a big girl for me today. I'm going to call Aunt Shirley and ask her to take you and Jack to school this morning. I need you make sure he doesn't get upset, ok. I need you to look out for your brother."
Leslie nodded her head before she hugged her mother. She then timidly walked over to the doggy bed and sat down next to it. "Hey Fur Ball." She carefully reached her hand out as the dog whimpered and licked her fingers. As she whispered something in his ear Jeff swallowed down the large lump in his throat.
As soon as Shirley came over Jeff and Annie put Fur Ball in the car and drove over to the vet. Once they got there the nurse took the doggy bed and carried Fur Ball into the exam room. Jeff and Annie sat in the waiting room, both of them a nervous wreck. Neither of them said anything as they waited for the outcome. Jeff took hold of Annie's trembling hand as he nervously bobbed his own leg.
"Mr. and Mrs. Winger." They looked up as Dr. Adleman stuck his head in the waiting room. "You can follow me."
They followed the veterinarian into his office. He closed the door before turning to Jeff and Annie. "I wish I had better news to tell you then this. Your dog had a tumor, which has formed on the base of his spine near his tail."
Annie sniffed as tears flowed down her face. Jeff laced his fingers through hers as he tried to keep his own tears from spilling out. "So what can we…what are our options?"
"We can always try surgically removing the tumor. But with the advanced age of the dog, that would at best give him maybe a few months. And with his arthritis the surgery would greatly reduce his ability to be able to move his hind legs. It's possible he would have to drag his hindquarters in order to get around. The only other option is putting him to sleep. I know this is a big decision, so I'll go outside and give you a few moments to discuss how you want to proceed."
As Dr. Adleman walked outside Annie turned to Jeff. "What do you think?"
"I don't know. I don't want to make this decision." He sniffed loudly as he rubbed his eyes. "Maybe, maybe he could get bet-." Before he could finish his voice caught and he hung his head in his hands. "I thought it was bad when I was a kid and Bueller got hit by a car. But this is so much worse."
Jeff brought his head up as Annie gently lifted it out of his hands. "Jeff, listen. We both love Fur Ball. And we want him to be around as long as possible. But it wouldn't be fair to keep him around if he'd spend that extra time suffering in pain. Neither of us want that."
Tears flowed freely down both their faces as Jeff nodded his head, the two of them having made one of the hardest decisions they've ever had to make. Jeff hugged Annie tightly before they stepped out into the hallway and approached Dr. Adleman. "We talked about it. And we decided to put Fur Ball to sleep."
"I am sorry. I know how difficult this must be for you. If you would like you can say goodbye while I sign out the drugs and get everything prepared."
"Thank you."
Dr. Adleman led them to the exam room before leaving to get what he needed. They approached Fur Ball, who was laying in the doggy bed on the exam table. He looked like he hadn't moved since he had laid down in that bed. As Annie gently stroked his face she thought back to the day she got him fifteen years ago. How she didn't want him and felt his unexpected presence threw off her plans. But like many things in her life, it had just proved that going off course had been for the best. That dog had given her so much love and happiness. She couldn't imagine not having had him in her life.
"Hey." She fought back her tears as she crouched down so she was eye level with the dog. "I…I know you're in a lot of pain. But we're going to make sure you don't suffer anymore. I just want to tell you how much I love you. You were more than just a dog. You were a member of the family. And I will always love and remember you." As she kissed his forehead Fur Ball inched up and licked her face, causing her to sob in sadness.
As she stood up Jeff placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before pulling a stool over and sitting beside Fur Ball. As he gently petted the dog he truly realized how grateful he was for him. That dog was the reason he and Annie had eventually gotten together. He had helped Jeff coup when Annie had gone away to grad school, and played a part in his decision to ask Annie to marry him. He had been a watchful companion to their children and a constant force of love and joy in the life of him and his wife.
"Thank you," he softly said. As he said it Fur Ball looked up at Jeff, the two of them sharing something that words could not express. Jeff continued petting the dog, irrationally hoping he'd never have to stop.
"Mr. and Mrs. Winger." They looked over as Dr. Adleman came in the room. "It's time."
"Will it hurt?" Annie asked.
"He won't feel a thing. If you would like you can stay here while it happens. It's completely up to you, but most people feel better when they can see for themselves that their pet leaves here gently and pain free."
Jeff looked over at Annie as she nodded her head. They stood beside Fur Ball and placed a hand on him while Dr. Adleman inserted the needle and injected the drugs. Without moving his head Fur Ball looked up at his parents. He licked their hands one more time before he closed his eyes and was gone.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Jeff fought back the fresh round of tears as he finished filling in the grave. He knew Leslie and Jack were upset enough with Fur Ball dying, and he didn't want to aggravate them any more so.
As he wiped his eyes Jeff placed the wooden grave marker he and Annie had made by the front of the grave. He looked down as he reread it.
Here Lies Fur Ball
Dog, Family Member, Beloved Companion
He put the shovel away before going into the kitchen, where Annie and the children were sitting around the table. "It's, we're ready."
Annie nodded her head as she brushed some hair out of Jack's face. She took hold of Jeff's hand as the Winger family went out to the backyard to pay their final respects to their beloved pet.
"Fur Ball," Jeff said. "You were more than a dog. You brought me and Annie together. You were there for me when I got married, when my children were born. You…"
Jeff hung his head as deep sadness took over him. Just then he felt someone take hold of his other hand. He looked over and saw that Leslie was holding it. While she also looked sad, she squeezed her father's hand in comfort before stepping forward.
"Fur Ball. You were a very good dog. You were there for me for as long as I can remember. And no matter what I will always remember you. I love you." She reached in her pocket and pulled out a doggy treat, placing in on top of the grave. "Goodbye Fur Ball."
Jeff and Annie looked over at their daughter, impressed and touched with the level of maturity she was showing. As she hung her head Jeff placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. They looked at each other, both of them gaining strength from each of them.
Little Jack stepped forward, looking down at the grave. "Bye Fur Ball." He looked back over at his mom. "I don't know what to say?"
"Say whatever you want Honey."
He nodded his head as he looked back at the grave marker. "I'll miss you very much."
He stepped back as Annie stepped forward. "Fur Ball. You were the first pet I ever had. But you were more than a pet. You were a member of the family. You were a wealth of love and kindness, and I'm grateful to have had you in my life. No matter what I will never forget you. And I know you'll still be with us, watching over us."
Jeff stood behind Annie and placed his arms around her, wiping away her tears. She turned into him and buried her face in his shoulder. The Winger family stood there for several minutes before they all headed inside. As the children walked in the house Jeff and Annie took one last look at the grave, both grateful for the little bundle of love that had came into their lives.