Many have asked about want happened. She was hit by a reckless driver in front of our house. It all happened so fast. It was like a bad nightmare. The man in the car lives down the street. He has been warned numerous times by several neighbors about driving too fast in our neighborhood. He pays no mind of those warnings. Last night he was going extraordinarily fast. There is not much traffic on our street, so when someone comes flying down the road at 80mph in our 25 zone, It's not hard to notice. Bella would never step foot in that street unless i authorized her to do so. I trust her 110% And yet there she was. I cannot explain it. Only a feeling of helplessness, a flash of terror. The unthinkable had happened. Not Bella! She is the good one. The perfect dog. Completely obedient and intelligent. Overcome by some force beyond her control. Beyond my control. Instinct maybe? Fear? Did something startle her? She was siting by my side, just like always and in a flash she was gone. The car seemed to appear out of thin air. The screech of tires. The violent impact. The sound of Bella scream. All in an instant. The picture and sound forever etched in my mind. My poor girl. Her back leg was broken and pinned under the front tire. I screamed at the driver to back off of her. He backed up and she screamed again. I picked her up in my arms. She was terrified. Not herself. Blood. The smell of death.
The sound alerted the neighbors and they appeared instantly, the verbal hostility was immediate. After all, this man has been warned. There are children living here. He was getting it from every angle. I screamed at him to leave before i lost my mind. I ran in the house with Bella. I laid her down on the couch. Bleeding. Dying. I didn't know what to do. Why don't we have a plan for this? Where are the emergency numbers? We don't have any numbers? It's Saturday at 11pm. Where do we get help? Can we get help? Steve, my neighbor, cousin, and police officer, pointed us toward the emergency vet clinic.
I picked Bella up an carried her to the car. She was not doing well. Her breathing was heavy. Labored. Every ounce of her strength, used just to keep breathing. Meg drove us to the clinic. As i sat in the back seat with Bella I began to cry. She was not going to make it. I could hear her lungs filling with fluid, like she was breathing underwater. Megan, driving. Shaking. The drive seemed to take hours. My baby girl was going to die in my arms. I told her that i loved her. I comforted her the best our knew how. Each moment could be our last together. We pulled into the clinic. I picked her up and ran her inside. Nobody there. I laid her on the bench in the lobby. Was anybody working here? They said they would be ready for us. Someone finally appeared and went to get a gurney. We laid her on the gurney. She was so strong. Now she seems so fragile and delicate. Then they took her away. I thought that was the last time i would see her alive.
Then it seemed like all anyone wanted to talk about was money. What a time to talk about money? They want the money now? We don't have that much money available to us unexpectedly late Saturday night. They won't treat her if we don't pay now? No, I do not want to apply for an emergency pet credit card. This is ridiculous! My dog is dying! Please help her! The doctor called us in. Of course she said Bella was not doing well. Her lungs were collapsed, her leg broken, puncture wounds and head trauma, broken teeth. They might be able to help her, but her condition was critical. It was likely that she would not survive. I asked them do everything they can for her. I would figure out to a way to pay. I convinced them to take all the money we had available to us as a deposit. And agreed to pay the rest on Monday. They reluctantly accepted my offer. Then we waited. And cried. And prayed. And waited.
I'm not sure what they did for her after that. Whatever they did, i am thankful for it. At the moment she seems to be recovering well. Considering her injuries, that is a miracle. Only time will tell what Bella's future holds.
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