“I can’t believe he left…” Sam said, looking down at his box of food. “I genuinely didn’t think that anyone would try and leave…” The tiger briefly looked up at everyone in the room, examining the solemn looks on their faces.
He and Todd had been quick to get food for everyone as soon as Sam had received the text from Milo explaining what was going on. They got to Ollie’s room a few minutes after Shro has arrived and gave everyone their food before sitting down. Todd had chosen to sit down next to Curtis on the floor while Milo sat on the other side of the dog. Milo had opened his box of food and started to eat, but he stopped when he noticed Curtis wasn’t eating. “Hey Curtis…are you going to eat anything?” he asked, a concerned look on his face.
The dog simply stared at his box of food and shook his head. “I’m not hungry…” He pushed the box away before wrapping himself in a ball and beginning to sob again. Todd was surprisingly quick to wrap his arms around Curtis and hug him the best he could. It was a bit awkward, but the wolf seemed determined to make it work.
“Don’t cry C-Curtis…” the wolf said softly. “It’s g-going to be okay…All of us are here to h-help you feel better.”
“I-I don’t…I don’t think I’ll ever feel better…” Curtis choked on his words as he cried.
“Hey, don’t say that man,” Shro spoke up, looking down at the dog as he sat on Barton’s, or rather Bethany’s, bed. “I know that it looks bad right now, but things’ll get better soon.”
“How?!” Curtis sobbed, his fur dampened by his tears. “H-How can things get better?! Ollie…Ollie is the reason that I came out of my shell! He…he was the reason that I-I’ve been feeling happier than I have in years! He’s the…the whole reason that…that I…that I stopped feeling like I had to pretend to be someone I’m not!”
Shro looked away and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Shit…I’m not good with this kinda stuff…”
Milo took his turn to hug the sobbing canine. “I don’t mean for this to sound harsh, but you did the right thing, Curt,” the boar said softly. “If you’re truly happy, you shouldn’t just throw that happiness away to be with a guy so he can be happy. Sometimes…it’s best to focus on your own happiness.”
Ollie was his happiness
Curtis shook his head. “I can’t…I can’t be happy without him…I’m an Australian Shepard…he was my sheep…and once he crosses over, he…he’ll…” More tears began to flow as Curtis thought about what would happen when Ollie crossed over. “It…It’s not fair!”
“What’s not fair?” Dare asked. The skunk had been trying to think of something to say to help Curtis feel better, but he kept drawing a blank.
“It’s not fair that he’ll forget everything about this place!” Curtis sobbed. “Why…why do I have to suffer through this heartbreak?!”
Todd shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at Sam. He felt rather guilty for being here…it felt wrong to be here with his boyfriend while Curtis was dealing with the breakup between him and Ollie. Seeing his friend in such a funk…it was really beginning to mess with him. Without thinking, Todd began to gently run his claws through the fur on Curtis’ back in an attempt to try and calm his heartbroken friend. To his surprise, however, Curtis’ sobbing began to slow down. The shepherd turned his head and looked at Todd.
“My…my mom would always do that…when I felt sad…” Curtis sniffed. “How did…how did you know that’s how she calmed me down?”
“I-I…uh…i-i-it’s s-something that m-my mom always did to c-calm me…” Todd stuttered nervously, still a bit shocked that it had worked. “M-Maybe it’s a c-canine thing?”
Curtis wiped his nose on his arm. “Yeah…a canine thing…”
“S-Something else my m-mom would always do when I felt sad was t-taking me outside to play fetch…I mean c-catch. It might help you g-get your mind off th-things.” Curtis sighed and shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not in the mood right now…maybe later? I appreciate the thought though.”
“Y-Yeah, of course! It’ll be f-fun, you know? We canines…we g-gotta help each other out, you k-know?”
Curtis laughed a little, his eyes still a little puffy from crying so much. “Yeah…like Canine Companions, right?”
“Yeah, C-Canine Companions,” Todd replied, feeling happy that he’d, at least for a little while, managed to get Curtis to think about something other than Ollie. He knew that this wouldn’t last for long, but he was relieved to see Curtis’ eyes not filled with tears.