Home is a feeling

Chapter 11 Andrew Moore

My heart is pounding . My face blanched when I sawZeus collapsed , his ear and head swollen. I grabbedhim and rushed to take him to the vet across the street.As soon as I stepped out I was met with tons ofpaparazzi flashes and sounds but that was a problem Iwould deal with later. I covered Zeus as much asphysically possible and ran .Zeus went into theemergency room .It felt like he was in there forever. If he died saving me, I would never ever be able to forgive myself. Hejumped in front of me . He doesn't even know me andhe was ready to sacrifice himself for me.The vets came out and told me that Zeus was going tobe alright and I breathed a sigh of relief."80 percent of dogs get through snake bites withprompt care. Thankfully Zeus is one of them . Therewas no serious tissue damage but there was a lot ofvenom and the snake was pretty poisonous. We willhave to keep him under observation for 48 hours. Afterthat he will be ready to leave."I paid for his medical fees and waited outside the roomtill I could see him. My phone rang and I saw anunknown number. I took a chance and picked it up.

"Hi, I'm calling from the animal foster and care centerfor a dog named Zeus. Is this Andrew Moore"
'Hi , yes this is him'
"I have just spoken to Zeus's old family and they wantnothing to do with him. Apparently they only adoptedhim because they were given a dare by their group .They loved him in the beginning but soon they realizedthat he was too much work for them. They abandonedhim near the center they got him from and thought hewould find his way. We will re enroll Zeus in theadoption center unless you are keeping him. If you arekeeping him there is some paperwork for you to fillout for him."
'I'm not keeping him.'
 I wanted to keep him really badly. But even if I didn'thave to travel all the time , or have a ton of work , orhave parents who think animals are useless . Zeusneeds a good owner, not someone who got him to anemergency room.
 "If you're not then when will you be dropping himhere?"
'Actually , he will be staying in the emergency roomfor 48 hours. He protected me from a snake and got bitin the process but the doctor's say he will be fine.'

"That's alright , we can send our people to take himfrom the hospital once he is out . "
 'Alright. I will get my assistant to share the details.'
 Once the call is done. My heart feels like it's a hundredtimes heavier. I don't want to leave Zeus .I go visit him and see that the part of his face wherethe snake bit him is still swollen. Tears streamed downmy face at the idea that I was the reason he got thishurt.Zeus woke up and looked at me. He saw me sad andgot up and started giving me a hug but he was stillweak so he went back down . I grabbed him andhugged him tight. I don't wanna say goodbye.I hug him and decide to explain the situation to him.
"I want you but I could never keep you. You deserve agood home, a proper place and a kennel . If I keep you,nothing in your life would be constant. I know that Ipromised you I would help you find your old familyback but I won't be able to do that now. Don't worry,you won't be alone. You'll make tons of friends in theshelter."He starts whimpering and whining and I hug himtighter. I need to say this even if he doesn't understanda word.

"Thank You so much for saving my life. I will neverforget you. I don't know if I will see you again but I amglad you were a part of my life." 

He looks at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seenand I hate the fact that I am the reason. I take one lastlook and my heart shatters as I walk out the door notlooking back again.I rush to the washroom and recompose myself. Assoon as I leave the place to go back to the room I amswarmed by paparazzi. I hide my face as I rush back.When I reached back to the hotel and went into myroom I saw that the flower pot had been moved and Isaw all of the things I had bought for Zeus and myheart shattered all over again.I just went to bed and crashed. I thought that I wouldtry my best to just fall asleep but I kept looking up atthe ceiling , missing Zeus. Maybe it would be easier ifhe didn't want me too but I just knew that he wouldgladly accept me as a companion.With a heavy heart I place a call to get all his stuffcleared out.