A Grief Shared
by
Owlcroft

Lydia was not in her room, where Beetlejuice appeared by habit when she Called. When he found the room empty he used his juice to search for her and went to her in the woods beside the house – the woods where he'd first met her and they'd become immediate friends. She was sitting on a patch of grass under an elm tree, quiet and still.

"Lyds?" he asked softly. When she lifted her face to him, he saw a small brightness under one eye and, without thinking, bent down and touched it gently. His finger came away damp and he sat down next to her at once. He put his other hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of grave sorrow. "Babes? Please don't cry."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Not really, I mean. It's just that –" she paused to clear her throat. "I still miss him so much. It's been four days already. I guess I thought it would be easier by now. But when I got home, I saw –" She had to stop again and swallowed hard. "I think I expected to see his bed in its usual place, and his bowls, and his toys. And when I didn't, it . . . hurt. It hurt so much."

Beetlejuice's arm went around her shoulders then, pulling her close to him. "I know," he said.

"Today it was just such a sharp pain that I guess I ran away from it, or tried to. It didn't work." She wiped her eyes. "Oh, Beej. I thought it wasn't supposed to hurt this much after a while."

He considered that, hugging her with one arm and holding the other carefully away from him. "You know I don't really understand this stuff, babes. Maybe it just hasn't been long enough?" He finally produced a handkerchief, draped it over his damp finger and let it sit there for an instant. Then he carefully placed the hanky in his pocket as if to keep her tear forever.

Lydia sniffled, then wiped her eyes again and leaned back against his encircling arm. "Everyone is trying to help but . . . nothing they say does any good. Mother said I should look at some of my photos of Percy and remember playing with him. But that just makes it worse. Bertha said I should get a kitten, but –" she shook her head violently, "that's just so wrong. And Miss Shannon said I have to realize I'll be sad for a while but that it'll pass." She turned her face into his shoulder and sighed. "Nothing helps, nothing. Except this."

Beetlejuice cuddled her carefully, trying to think of the right thing to say. Finally, he gave her a little squeeze and said, "Any time you need me, babes. And anything I can do, right?"

"Uh-huh," she said and sighed.

"Nobody will miss him as much as you do, but you're not the only one to miss him. You're not alone. And you never will be alone." He paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he held her as gently as he could. "You know what I mean. I'll always be here. Whenever you need me."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, pulling his arm tighter around her. "I do know. Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Lydia spoke again. "I know he was pretty old, for a cat anyway. And he hadn't been eating that much lately. But it was still so sudden." She sniffled again. "You know the vet said it was probably a heart attack, right?" When her friend nodded, she continued. "He said we'd taken the best care we could of him and that there wasn't anything we could have done better."

"That has to help, right? Knowing that?" Beetlejuice was trying his best to be comforting but wasn't at all sure he was doing it right. Still, he had to try. "You always did the best you could, the best anybody could. And Percy knew that."

"I just wish I could have been there. Been with him." She blinked back tears and shook her head. "He was all alone, in a cage in the back, waiting for me to get there."

Beetlejuice sighed, then reluctantly told her, "He wasn't alone, babes. I was there." When she looked at him in surprise, he went on. "I knew he wasn't doing so well that morning so I didn't go back when you went to school. I sort of hung around just in case, you know? And when Deels took him to the vet and Chuckie went to get you, I just . . . went along with Percy. To keep him company, make sure he knew somebody was there with him. So he wouldn't feel alone. I mean, I wasn't his favorite person, but he did know me and I think . . . he was glad I was there."

"Oh, Beej," she said brokenly, then threw her arms around him and cried.

He looked down at her in horror. "He wasn't scared, babes, really! He didn't mind. I thought he would . . . you know, like to have somebody –"

"Thank you," she choked out. As he sat, holding her, surprised and still a little apprehensive, she managed to add, "Thank you for being there. I'm so glad he wasn't alone."

They sat there for a long time, until dusk was deepening. Beetlejuice still wasn't entirely sure he understood what Lydia was feeling, but her sincere and repeated thanks convinced him of her whole-hearted gratitude and affection. He was uncertain that he was offering her the comfort she needed, but finally realized that her pain was diminished when she shared it, and so he took all she gave him.

A/N: Give your animal friends an extra hug tonight, and please consider adopting from your local shelter.