Chapter 12: The Twelfth Year
Passing ten years old, DongDong was already considered an old cat, two-three years ago his actions started becoming sluggish, even four-five years before that there were no more feelings of lust, ever-growing, only having uncontrollable attachment and love towards Hai Ruo.
"DongDong......already had heart disease before." Doctor Wang put down the stethoscope, recording it on the medical record in his hands, "I've always prescribed some medicine for arrhythmia, now there seem to be some symptoms of bradycardia, the good thing is that it doesn't seem too serious."
This pet hospital located on a street near the college town has been opened for more than 10 years, Doctor Wang has had a few expansions, the place becoming quite large now, two years ago he welcomed a few more doctors over, he doesn't see much patients anymore. Today Hai Ruo called in early, so Doctor Wang especially came out to diagnose DongDong——after all he has also been the doctor for this small black cat for ten years already.
"Really." Hai Ruo caressed DongDong's fur, her eyebrows frowning. His fur now also wasn't as glossy and bright as it was during his childhood, having signs of dullness.
"You also know, that year you brought DongDong over he was facing a severe cold, after even though you took care of him super thorough, his constitution is still weaker than the normal cat's." Doctor Wang himself was also aging, his hair turning grey, without reading glasses he couldn't see too clearly. "Also......there might have been some changes, I suggest drawing some blood, then doing some scans to see."
"What do you mean?" Hai Ruo's eyebrows were frowning even harder now, an ominous feeling rose in her heart.
"I also can't really say, let's see after the examination first." Doctor Wang waved his hands, and DongDong stood up on the veterinary examination table, rubbing at Hai Ruo's side, making some grunting noises to soothe her.
It's nothing, it's nothing, I will always be with you, don't be scared.
"The examination result is......" Doctor Wang regretfully let out a sigh, "Intestinal lymphoma, for cats, this is a common incurable disease."
Hai Ruo's hand that was stroking DongDong stopped instantly, closing her eyes tightly.
"Two months before, DongDong had some signs of vomiting, I thought it had something to do with the food. After he started getting skinner......but the amount of food he's eating was still the same as before, I thought it wouldn't be anything serious......"
"It's going to be winter soon, make sure to keep him warm, if it's not anything serious don't let him out the house, make sure the things around the house are sterilized, and come over regularly for antibiotic shots. For most cats that have this disease they usually don't have much of an appetite, digesting food for them is also quite painful, if he's eating the same amount as usual then......this little guy is distressed looking out for you so that you can be at ease." DongDong is the one cat that Doctor Wang has seen that understoods human nature the most, "So when it's time you shouldn't be too upset, he also doesn't want you to be sad."
Hai Ruo was silent, nodding back.
Actually earlier this year DongDong had already known where his body wasn't right, after all this was his own body, eating and sleeping all those feelings are his own, sensing that there was something not right, really not right.
At first it was only subtle dull pain, every time eating a meal would become something tormenting, even his favorite cooked dishes weren't luscious anymore, the tongue's taste buds were slowly fading.
But he must finish eating these meals, because that would allow him to live on, allowing him to continue being with Hai Ruo.
He has constantly been maintaining a healthy and lively image, every time that Hai Ruo would caress him, he would still let out noises, because he doesn't want his situation to be revealed, when Hai Ruo wasn't home, he would exert great effort climbing onto the computer desk, searching through webpages on his symptom.
See, a few years before he would only need a little effort to jump up, and now, he had to exert great effort just to climb up.
Typing some keywords, browsing through some forums and webpages, he had the general idea about his symptom, also receiving the general idea......that he probably didn't have much time left.
Birth, old age, illness, and death are inevitable natural law, especially for a cat, it's even more so.
Besides, originally he didn't even have the opportunity nor qualifications to keep on living, getting rescued by Hai Ruo these past ten years and more, it was already enough.
But it was still saddening, really saddening. DongDong carefully deleted the history records, thanking heaven and earth that she wasn't proficient in programming and the like, easily covering it up like this and she won't be able to notice anything wrong.
Just being like how he was previously for more than ten years already.
He tried his best appearing like before radiating power and vitality, trying his best to follow Hai Ruo around, accompanying her to class, accompanying her to shop, accompanying her to watch bloody romantic dramas.
Now he especially likes it when Hai Ruo reads him poems, words really are a great medium, every time Hai Ruo reads out ancient texts containing lingering friendship, he would always immerse himself and Hai Ruo into it, thinking that it was Hai Ruo who was confessing to him, expressing affections.
At those times, during the endless pain, he would always feel moisture and comfort like being at a clear spring, still feeling like he had a lot of energy to fight through it.
Until the morning a few days ago, when it was time to get up, Hai Ruo had already left the house for class, DongDong laid where she slept, opening his eyes.
Propping up the front limbs, then propping up the back limbs, when Hai Ruo wasn't there, he could be a little weak.
But when he jumped off the bed, some kind of piercing heart pain made it that he could only lay on the ground, not getting up for half the day.
After a long while, he used his front paw to wipe his eye corners, wiping away the physiological tears.
Really, it was hurting a bit now.
He tried walking a few steps, feeling that it could be tolerated, he took his steps slowly, walking all the way over to his food bowl, eating it up one bite at a time.
Afterward, he looked at the computer that hasn't been opened in a few days, and made a decision.
"DongDong, are you feeling bad?" Coming home, Hai Ruo hugged him, hugging him the like a crystal ball that had been shattered and pieced back together, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Hai Ruo complained, and complained, then cried out, these few years she became a bit emotional, even crying when watching a bit of television, DongDong looked at her red eyes, he gathered up all his strength to call out loudly and clearly.
"Why is it always like this, always like this." Hai Ruo put her chin on DongDong's back, so softly that it felt weightless, "Never telling me anything, aren't you really smart, why are you so considerate of me, why are you holding back."
Sorry. Sorry. DongDong meowed out, his ears moving a few times brushing Hai Ruo's neck, trying to make her smile.
Hai Ruo couldn't smile.
It will be winter really soon, thinking about how in the near future DongDong will be stripped away from her life, like falling into an ice cave, feeling suffocated, and stabbing pain.
Awww
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