Hey guys! This chapter is the longest one yet! Hopefully it doesn't drag on too much but I had to get a lot to happen because plot advancement and crap. Thank you fro all of your lovely reviews. I really do appreciate every one. If you do have a spare second or two then a quick sentence on what you thought of the chapter is amazingly helpful. Like, you don't even know. Anyway, thank you so much for staying with me this far! I never thought I would get any audience at all so I am just so grateful. But, with all that aside, let's get on with the chapter! Hope you enjoy! :)
Jack could read the expression on the doctor's face. It was an expression he had grown to know much better than he would've liked to. Her eyes were directed at her feet, her lips curled inside her mouth. It was the face that a person would wear when they were the bringer of bad news. The doctor took a deep sigh, "Jack," her thick London accent filled the room as he braced himself for the blow, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but..." she took another breath, "Well, Gizmo's condition is worsening. I've never seen anything this bad in my life." Jack's heart skipped a beat. His insides twisted into a knot. All the blood and warmth were drained from his face.
"There is still hope though!" The doctor was leaning towards Jack as if to reassure him. She had said it hastily and messily as though she had to say it immediately. Only then did Jack notice the cold tear that had escaped from his eye. It felt so cold it challenged that of his already frosty body. Embarrassed, Jack wiped the unwanted thing away and focused on the doctor.
"Scientists are working on a new treatment for dogs with brain cancer in Los Angles. They're looking for people to test it on." This struck Jack. He thought over what she had just told him. New treatment. Dogs with brain cancer. LA. LA? But that was half way across the world!
"Unfortunately, your current pet insurance won't cover the flight. But if you're willing to go, it might be Gizmo's last hope." Last hope.
Jack didn't have to think twice about it, "Alright, what do I do?"
"First we have to sign you up for the program, I've got some papers that'll need signatures. Then you'll have to book a flight," she paused for a moment and turned to her computer, "do you have travel insurance?"
"Yes,"
"Who are you with?"
"Eight-Ite-Flight," she typed something on her computer. Jack was surprised that she was helping him out this much. Most doctors he knew would hand him a flyer and be done with it.
"Good news! They cover accommodation if the total cost is under €1000." How convenient, it seemed too good to be true.
"Hang on, I'll print the paper work and then I can get you some appointments." She stood up and marched out of the room to collect them from the printer.
A few minutes passed. She had brought in the papers, he had signed what he could and they had booked some times to get signatures.
"Alright, that's all I can do for you unfortunately," she said, a sad expression plastered on her pretty face.
"Right! Well I'd better go pack my bags." Jack stood up immediately. He grasped Gizmo's carrier, being sure not to wake the sleeping pup.
"Wait!" The doctor practically shouted. She then retreated as though she were embarrassed, "Don't forget to give Gizmo her regular medication." Was that all? Jack felt like she was keeping something from him. Perhaps not though. Perhaps he was being delusional.
"I won't." The words had a sharp edge to them. Jack hadn't intended for that to happen. "Thank you for all your help!" He said cheerily in hopes of cancelling out the edge of his previous sentence. The doctor gave him a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement.
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Yes...Go...Don't stop...
"What?" Jack yanked his head from his keyboard to find that he was back in his cabin. He had fallen asleep at the computer; again. What had he just heard? It sounded like a snake, perhaps a husky voice. What did it say though? Go? Stop? It was probably nothing. It was just a dream.
He must've pushed a key when he woke up because when Jack looked in front of him, the screen on his computer was lit up as bright as the sun. The light was piercing at first but after a second or two, his eyes adjusted. Google Chrome was open. Ah yes, he was booking a flight. LA.
As he glanced around the room he spotted to his right, his cozy, warm bed, with the soft, moulding duvet. Jack wanted to sink into it and never come out again. The only thing stopping him was the open suitcase that lay on top. It was half packed with a few sets of clothes, his toothbrush and toothpaste, his laptop and an assortment of extra thingamabobs. Around it, in neat little piles, Jack had sorted various items.
By golly, did his bed look comfortable. He desperately tried not to imagine himself in it. Lying, relaxed, face first into the cotton pillow. Oh wow, am I that tired? Jack shook himself out of the trance. It suddenly came to Jack's attention that there was a mysterious absence of light being emitted from behind the curtains of the one window in the room. Of course, he hadn't noticed it at once, the natural light never really made much of a difference in this part of the country. It appeared to be dark outside. Eyes still droopy, Jack stared in the corner of his computer screen to read four numbers printed out plainly, 06:17.
6am? When had he fallen asleep? Why did he wake up now of all times? Oh yes, the dream. What had that voice been saying?
Oow! Oow! Canine whines were accompanied by the rhythmic clash of Gizmo's claws with the kitchen floor. Guess she's dreaming. Hoping for something to wake him up a little more, Jack picked himself up and forcefully carried his still sleeping body to the kitchen to observe Gizmo, and comfort her, if needed.
Having entered the kitchen, Jack was presented with an adorable brown and white puppy, running through fields or chasing a cat in her sleep. Her legs flailed from back to front, attempting to make it through whatever landscape she was traversing in her endeavour. It was an interesting experience, watching someone dream. It was like seeing them in another world even though they were still present in this one.
Gizmo's eyes flew open in a panic. Her pupils were small and then grew big as they adjusted to the light. Her entire body froze. Except her chest. It was heaving in and out, in and out, in and out. It continued in this fashion for a few seconds. Her pupils then returned to their regular size and they fell onto Jack who was also, still as a wall. She was whining the saddest of whines Jack had ever heard.
Without a thought Jack reached for his puppy to console her, hushing her whimpering. It was heart breaking to see her like this, especially in this state of her health. The moment Jack's warm hand pressed against Gizmo's skin, she was at ease. "It's okay girl! It was just a dream!" He said, slowly stroking her soft fur.
Jack released a breath he didn't know he was holding in. With new relief in him, he curled up next to Gizmo, clutching her paw like she was a small child. In mere seconds, her eyes were sealed and she was sleeping again. She breathed long and slow breaths into Jack's face, causing his hair to flap about in small motions. Her breath wasn't the most delightful smell, but considering the circumstances, he was glad there was breath there at all.
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Jack awoke to untrimmed claws and leathery paws clambering over his face. He squeezed his eyes shut as if the simple gesture would protect them. "Oi! Gizmo!" He let out a belly laugh at her ignorance. Probably frightened, she bounded of off his face, almost piercing his skin. "Ah-ha-how!" He whined through bright laughter. Gizmo seemed to think it was a game of sorts and placed her front paws on Jack's chest the leaped of off him again. "Oi! Just what do you think you're doing?" The sentence was still muffled through laughter as he sat up, rubbing his eyes free of the morning gunk.
When he opened them again, a playful pup had her bum high in the air, a hyperactive tail flailing on the end. She began to bound around mockingly and then sped off at the speed of light. Halfway down the hall, she peered behind her to check if Jack was coming. "Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" He huffed. With a newly found energy, Jack pushed himself up and ran after Gizmo who continued to run towards the end of the hall.
She stopped at the front door and waited for Jack to catch up. When he appeared by her side, she held her tongue out and wagged her tail at a steady pace, all the while staring up at Jack.
Jack understood the request immediately and glanced out the nearest window to discover it was raining cats and dogs. "Sorry girl, it's raining." The smart pup read his face like a book and her tail ceased its waggling. She glanced down at the floor, saddened. "Oh, don't be like that." Jack squatted down to her size to talk to her. "We'll have fun inside, hey?" The note of happiness in his voice make her head perk up slightly as if thinking about his suggestion. She apparently concluded her thoughts and trotted back down the hall to the kitchen.
Jack hated to be the one to end the fun like that but the doctors had told him not to let her out in the rain. He wasn't going to take a risk. It had to be done.
Jack took the opportunity to continue planning the trip to LA while Gizmo was occupied and made his way to his bedroom where his computer sat, waiting. The screen was dark but the tiny LED underneath it was bright blue, indicating the computer was still on. He slumped down into his chair and wiggled the mouse. The screen lit up, full of energy and the mindless search resumed.
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Jack presented the pass that had been given to him to the lady checking his passport. It showed that he was allowed to take Gizmo with him onto the plane. Of course, there were restrictions. She had to be in her carrier at all times, excrements had to be disposed of in the bathroom and she had to be quiet. This was the hardest part. He had of course, practiced being quiet with Gizmo, but it was no easy task to keep her that way. Especially for long periods of time. He had taken a test to earn the pass, to show that Gizmo was well behaved enough to accompany him on the plane. She had passed the test but it had only lasted a few minutes, ten at most. Jack could only hope that she might fall asleep or something to make it easier for him.
"It's all good! You go right on in sir!" She said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Jack was let through the gate and into the waiting room. He wasn't surprised that there were so many people. It was LA after all. LA. He wasn't sure if he was terrifically excited or terrifically terrified.
"Here we are Gizmo! We're one step closer to curing you!" Jack peered down into her carrier to find her fast asleep. He sighed and looked up at the huge window-wall in front of him. It was one of those lucky autumn days, the ones that were sunny. The warm light radiated onto his skin and he relished the feeling. The window opened out to the runways where he saw four, maybe five planes. One of them was taking off, speeding down the runway getting ready to leap off the ground into the air. A couple were docked into the building and there was one that apparently just landed.
Jack's eyes scanned the room for an empty seat. He spotted two near the small Starbucks that was at the end of the room. I could use some caffeine right now. Jack recalled the many sleepless nights he'd had in the past week or so. With that in mind, he made his way towards the seats and plonked his carry-on down in the one on the left, marking the seat as his own and placed Gizmo carefully on the one next to it. Jack reluctantly stepped away from the dog towards the Starbucks to buy himself a coffee.
Perhaps thirty minutes later, Jack heard a woman's voice echoing throughout the airport announcing it was time for him to board his plane. With hope dancing in his eyes, he grabbed his carry-on and gently handled Gizmo's carrier. She started to stir. Jack peered inside to talk to her, "You ready girl? We gotta be quiet now." He emphasised the word 'quite' as that was the prompt word they had practiced together. It was no easy fete but they got there eventually.
Jack, a little disoriented, followed the crowd of people that were now hustling and bustling to get to a ramp which lead to the portal, as he called it, because when he went through the 'portal' and onto the air bridge, it was like entering another dimension. Once you went through the 'portal' there was no going back, you were going on that plane whether you wanted to or not.
After making his way down the ramp, Jack was hardly able to walk through the portal himself. The crowds basically pushed him through. It was unbelievably claustrophobic in there, especially with all those people. But still, he glided along with the rest of the crowd, eventually entering the plane where he was greeted by a flight attendant with a huge smile pasted on her face, "Welcome aboard! We hope you enjoy your flight!" It sounded rehearsed and fake but he knew how hard it must be to remain content after possibly full minutes of greeting new passengers so he nodded with a smile and continued down the isle to find his seat.
Jack had a few stares aimed at him when people saw what was in the pet carrier. He wasn't surprised, it was an unusual thing to find a dog in a plane. He found his seat close to the middle of the plane and saw that thankfully there was a free one next to it. He put Gizmo in the window seat and sat himself in the outside one.
A few moments passed and so did a few people. Gizmo had not made a sound since they boarded the plane. Jack bent forward and whispered to Gizmo through the bars, "You're doing great!" He said with his right thumb poked up. Gizmo stood up with her tongue hanging out and tail waggling as much as it would in such a small space. Jack laughed softly and gestured for her to lie down again, giving her the prompt as she did so, "We still have to be quiet though," and as though it was all meant to be, she fell into a deep sleep right then and there.
"Welcome aboard everyone! This is your captain speaking," a man's voice filled the plane, "We are about to take off, please fasten your seatbelt and pay attention to the safety video being played on the monitor in front of you." The screen on the back of the chair in front of Jack lit up and, as the captain had said, a safety video played informing him of the three emergency exits, the oxygen masks above him and and the life jacket in his seat. When the video was over the captain continued, "Thank you everybody for joining us this afternoon and enjoy your flight, we will take off momentarily." A clicking sound could heard, indicating that the captain's microphone had been turned off.
With that, the plane started slowly moving forwards around the airport, gaining speed as it went. After what felt like hours, the plane drove to the end of the runway and sped down the long road until Jack felt a lurching in his stomach. The plane had leapt off the ground and was on its way to California.
As the ground grew further and further away, Jack stared out the window and muttered to himself, "Goodbye Ireland."
PHEW! That was a lot to take in! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you did, then feedback really helps. Thank you and see you in Chapter V! :D