Christmas Blue 2019

        Blue nosed about in the snow, invigorated, feeling the cold wetness on his face, the falling flakes melting instantly on his head. He was someplace his human, Willy, called a “Christmas Tree Farm,” someplace far enough from home to have ridden in their friend J.D.’s van to get there. A thought crossed his mind quickly, a memory really, of the cooler they used on their trips being packed with sandwiches and thermoses of something called “soup” and “hot chocolate.” There had been no scent of barbeque, his favorite, but he didn’t mind.

        It was getting late, the skies had turned the color of lead and the wind had picked up a little. That’s probably why he caught the sudden scent. He snuffed in surprise and lifted his big head into the wind. Yes, there it was again. He stood for a moment, casting about for more of the scent, then moved slowly forward, the freshness of the trees somewhat masking the smell he was following.

        The voices of his humans faded as he padded deeper into the trees. He stopped to lick at some snow, pausing to filter sounds, noticing that the scent was a little stronger. He had already identified what the origin of the scent was in his mind, but it was troubling somehow. He continued on slowly, slowly until he knew that he was very close. He peered quietly around the thick branches of a snow covered Spruce tree to see exactly what he had expected to find. It was a human, a male, and… a dog. A little dog. A very little dog, so small that it seemed to be in the man’s shirt pocket. Neither of them had noticed Blue, who sat totally still, sifting information, smelling illness and unwashed bodies. The man was sitting with his back to a cluster of trees with a thin blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The little dog was inside of his worn jacket, shaking hard against the cold, trying to stay warm against the man’s body.

        Blue felt the wrongness of the situation, felt some desperate need and knew he should help. He stood up and shook the snow from his back and walked into the open. The man noticed him immediately and fearfully, recoiled, scrabbling back into the trees. Blue stopped, confused as to why the man didn’t want to rub his head like most people did. The little dog didn’t even bark, but just continued to shake uncontrollably. 

        “Oh God…a Pit Bull…God…please, don’t kill us. Oh God…” the man moaned softly, finally sobbing, and pulling the blanket over his head, his arms wrapped tightly around the little dog.

        Blue stopped, curious, and finally understood what he was smelling. It was fear, and it seemed to be more than one kind of fear. He wondered what they were afraid of, so he smelled the wind and the ground. He caught the scent of a mouse that had passed by long ago; some birds were squabbling in a tree a few yards away, and really far away, a fox. Nothing to be afraid of. He caught the edge of another scent he knew and it dawned on him suddenly. Hunger! They were hungry!

        Blue lifted himself from where he sat, turned back into the trees and trotted back the way he had come. When he broke out of the trees, he was in an open space where the van was parked. The doors were open and some wreaths and pine boughs were stacked behind the seats. Willy, J.D. and Sam, the tree man, were standing around a big barrel with a fire in it, talking and laughing. He trotted over to Willy, who reached down to rub Blue’s head with both hands.

        “Hey there, boy. Where’ve you been? Watering all of Sam’s trees, I’ll bet. You want the rest of my oatmeal cookie?” Blue swallowed Willy’s leftover cookie and licked his lips in appreciation. Oh yeah, hunger, he thought. He licked Willy’s face and turned towards the van.

        “The lot is fenced off, right Sam?” asked Willy, watching Blue nose around the van.

        “Oh yeah, eight feet high. He’ll be fine, and we’re the only ones here, now.”

        “He never gets too far from you, anyways,” said J.D.

        Willy watched Blue jump in the van, and, thinking he was probably going to curl up on his blanket, turned back to the conversation.

        Blue pushed at the lid to the cooler until it fell off, then, leaning inside, he snagged a paper sack that smelled delicious, except it also smelled a little of J.D. He jumped out of the van, the sack dangling from his mouth and trotted back into the trees.

        The man was sitting in the same place, but clenched himself tightly about his little dog when Blue approached. The man watched, still shaking as Blue dropped the sack near him and sat down, tongue out panting.

        “What…what are you…?” the man was shaking a bit less and Blue could smell less fear. The little dog poked his head out but still didn’t bark. Blue nosed the sack closer, waiting, and the man finally reached tentatively to pull the bag to him. He opened it slowly, looked inside, then back at Blue, eyes wide in surprise.

        “You…you brought us food? How…?” the man looked at Blue for a moment, understanding, and not understanding, then closed his eyes as tears he couldn’t control streamed down his face.

         After a moment, Blue inched closer until he could lie next to the man, sharing his body heat, close enough to take a quick sniff at the little dog. The man slowly put a hand on Blue’s head and scratched behind his ears. Blue sat calmly, just being Blue.

         The man pulled a little meat out of the sandwich and gave the little dog a few bites at a time. Blue watched curiously as the little dog ate greedily, looking for more. “Not too fast now, Kip. Not too fast. We haven’t had much for awhile, so better go slow.” The man fed more to Kip and shared the rest with Blue. After finishing the sandwich the man leaned back for a moment, more relaxed but still looking haggard. The man read the tag around Blue’s neck and said, “Your name is Blue? Well, thank you Blue, thank you very much. I’m David and this is Kip. We haven’t been doing so well lately.”

          Suddenly the man leaned over and threw up. Kip stayed right where he was inside of the man’s jacket, not trying to move, as if he’d been through this before. The man used some snow to clean his mouth and chin off, settling back down beside Blue.

          “Sorry boys,” he said, “I ain’t getting any better, but I didn’t think it was going to get so bad this quick.” He sat for a moment, trying to gather himself. He looked at Blue again.

         “You’re a smart boy, Blue. You look like you live in a good home, a home where they take care of you and love you. Kip deserves a home like that.” The man started crying again, this time petting the little dog and kissing its head. The dog just licked the man’s face and snuggled closer.

         After awhile, the man pulled a leash from his pocket and clipped it onto Kip’s collar. Then he took a pencil stub from another pocket and wrote something on a piece of the sandwich bag. He stood up slowly and tied Kip’s leash to Blue’s collar, slipping the paper underneath it. He bent down to both dogs and hugged them tightly. Kip started to whine a little, but the man said, “Now, now little Kip, it’s going to be okay. Blue here will take care of you. It’ll be better this way, my darling boy. I don’t have much longer and I want you to get the love and care you deserve. Goodbye, my sweet boy. I love you, little one.” He stood up with tears in his eyes and looked at Blue. “Go home, boy. Go home.” And with that, he slipped over the fence and walked to the nearby highway. He didn’t look back.

         Blue turned, having to pull Kip a bit until the little dog understood that he would have to follow. They walked slowly back towards the van and Willy. Willy would know what to do.

         The three men were lashing a tree to the top of the van when Blue, leashed to Kip, walked into the clearing. Willy noticed him right away and stopped messing with the tree, saying, “Blue! What in the world…?” Bending down, patting Blue’s big head, he said, “What do we have here, boy?”

         The other men came over to see the odd sight of the two dogs leashed together. J.D. picked up the terrified little Chihuahua, unclipped the leash, and feeling his trembling body, held him close in his zippered jacket.

         Willy pulled the piece of paper from Blue’s collar, unfolded it, and said, “Listen to this, guys. Please take care of my dog. He is a good boy. He deserves love and a good home. God bless.”

         Sam, the tree lot owner, staring towards the snow covered evergreens, said, “Must’ve been the homeless guy I’ve seen around for a couple of days. Tried to give him some pizza once, but he wouldn’t come close enough. Seemed afraid. Probably sheltering way in the back there. He didn’t look too good, in fact, he looked pretty ill.”

         “Looks like he’s trying to save his dog,” said Willy, still kneeling, his arm around Blue’s neck. 

         “He has a tag on his collar,” said J.D. “Says his name is Kip.” Kip licked at J.D.’s fingers, still shaking against the cold. “Whew! He kinda’ smells. He needs a bath and a check up and probably some food.”

         “I guess we could take him to the shelter,” said Sam.

         “Hell no!” said J.D. firmly. “This little guy isn’t going to no damn shelter!” Sam started walking towards the rows of trees saying, “I’m just gonna’ see if that guy is still there. Back in a minute.”

         Willy got up and rummaged through the van finding a thermos of hot chicken soup. He measured a little out in one of Blue’s travel bowls and blew on it to cool it before offering some to little Kip. The tiny dog lapped up the broth quickly before settling against J.D.’s chest. Blue watched quietly, impassively, knowing that Willy would understand exactly what the little dog needed.

         Sam returned saying, “His tracks end where he went over the fence. He’s gone.”

         “Well, we better see if we can find this guy,” said Willy, pulling his coat closer about him.                    “Maybe he just needs a meal and a place to sleep tonight. We can help him with that.”

         “He must be desperate if he’s willing to give up his dog,” said J.D 

         “Sometimes people just give up,” said Willy through his scarf. 

         “Good luck, guys,” said Sam. “I’ve got to pick up the wife and kids from the Christmas play. Call me later, let me know what I can do.”

        The snow was coming down harder and swirling in big sweeping gusts over the trees and small office hut. Sam locked up the hut door but, left the strings of colored lights on to remind people that Christmas was almost there. He drove away in his truck, waving, as Blue jumped in the van with Willy taking the drivers’ seat. J.D. shut the van door and slid into his seat, cradling Kip gently against his chest. The small dog was soundly asleep, but still trembled occasionally making J.D.s heart soften even more.

         J.D. reached into the back of the van and then, a little indignantly, said, “Hey! Who ate my sandwich!” 

        Willy shrugged, pulling out onto the highway, and Blue just panted roast beef sandwich breath at him.

         The van was sliding a bit on the snowy roads as Willy drove slowly, searching the cold highway near the tree farm, looking for the man who had leashed Kip to Blue. The dark and the swirling snow made it difficult to see more than a few yards in any direction, but they scanned both sides of the road as they lumbered into the night. 

         “Man, there’s nothing out here. Where could he have gone?” questioned J.D.

         “I don’t know, but we’ve gone almost a mile on the only road. He couldn’t possibly have gotten this far on foot,” said Willy. “We’d better turn around.”

         They almost got stuck trying to turn around but finally headed back in the direction they had come. The little dog was sleeping against J.D.’s chest, inside his coat, still shivering a little. Blue sat beside Willy, looking through the front window alertly.

         “What’s that?” J.D. asked, pointing to a cluster of metal barrels and rusted machinery next to the gated fence of a junkyard. There was a figure leaning over one of the metal drums, holding on as if he had trouble standing. Willy pulled over, flipping on the flashers and opened his door with Blue following. J.D. left Kip wrapped in a blanket in the van to join them.

         “Hey mister, you okay?” asked Willy. The man looked at him and noticing Blue, said weakly, “Oh, hello Blue. You…Kip…” and then fell over in the snow.

         “J.D. call 911 and get an ambulance out here. He’s not looking too good.”

        “Kip…” the man had one shaking hand on the little dog’s head. Willy had noticed blood in the snow where the man had puked. They had lifted him into the van and covered him with several blankets, offering him some hot soup which he refused, unable to keep it down.

        “He’s right here with you, friend. He he’s been looking for you. Now you’re both together again,” said Willy softly.

        “A lady at the shelter gave him to me last year, for Christmas,” wheezed the man, thin and frail. They had been shocked at how light he had been to pick up after he had fallen. “He’s been my best friend…we’ve been through a lot together…needs a home, now.” The man told them his name was David and that he knew he was sick, and that he desperately wanted to find his little dog a home before he…got worse.

        “What’s wrong with you?” asked Willy.

        “Ain’t sure, but, it ain’t gettin’ better. Feels like I’m…dyin’.” Just then the ambulance pulled up, the EMTs taking over, moving David to their vehicle. Willy and J.D. watched them load up and start tending to the weakened man as they drove off to the hospital. After finding out where they were taking him, they decided to go home and check on David the next morning. They took little Kip to Willy’s trailer where they bathed him, cleaning his ears, even clipping his tiny nails. A little more chicken soup and a short walk seemed to be about the extent of the little dog’s stamina, so they made a little bed for him next to Blue’s rug, where he dropped into sleep almost instantly.

        The next morning, as early as the hospital would allow, Willy, Blue and J.D. entered David’s room. He was sleeping, his arms attached to fluid lines, his breathing normal, his face at peace. A doctor, poking his head into the room and seeing them, motioned them into the hall.

        “You relatives of David’s?” he asked softly.

        “No, we’re the ones who found him and called it in,” said Willy. “Is he dying?”

         “No. Not dying, but he is very, very sick. Bad form of pneumonia, severely malnourished, extremely dehydrated and seriously deficient in a lot of things, like Vitamin D. His skin is in bad shape, rashes and sores, his teeth need looking at and he needs a lot of rest, some decent food and…new clothes. Had to throw what he had on away.”

         “Did he say anything about having anyone we could call for him?”

         “Says he has no family.”

         “How will the hospital handle him,…his bills and care?”

         “I don’t really know, I guess the business office will make that determination, but usually…with no insurance…” he left it hanging, like a wet towel.

         “So, you’re telling me that with proper care, he will be okay enough to get back on his feet? He thinks he’s dying.”

         “I don’t see why not. He’s certainly not dying, though. He might feel that way, as sick as he is. He’s just been out in the elements or on the street too long. I checked to see if he’s a veteran, and he’s not, so we can’t help him there. But if he can just get enough time with proper care, he should recover well enough.”

         “How long can you keep him before...?”

         “Today, for sure, maybe I can stall until, I don’t know…another day, but it’s the holidays and we’re full, literally there’s “no room at the inn.”

         “Will that be long enough to get him out of danger, and maybe we can come up with some way to help him?”

         “Well,…I think so, if you can get him in for some more hydration, make sure he gets some proper nutrition, get something for his dermal condition…yeah, probably. I’ll give you the name of a clinic where he can get some free basic care, but he still needs a…better…lifestyle, or he could very well be in danger of…”

         “Understood, doctor. Thank you. Please tell him that his little dog is safe and being cared for. We’ll be back to see him tonight.”

         Snow was falling softly, one of those beautiful quiet snowfalls, that only adds to the holiday feel of people rushing around doing last minute shopping. The stores and houses with their decorative lights cast bright colored reflections along the streets and sidewalks, as the cars and people moved toward their destinations. In the hospital entrance, two staff members were fussing about the big star on top of the decorated Christmas tree that wouldn’t seem to come on.

          “Must be a bad bulb, Sheryl,” said a girl dressed in scrubs and a Santa hat.

          “Well, I ain’t taking any more strands of lights down to check. We’ve been doing this since lunch time,” said the other similarly dressed girl. “We still have to get those presents organized for the kids.”

          “Okay, but this tree isn’t going to look right when the kids and their parents come down to get their presents,” said the first girl, climbing down from the ladder she was using. “I remember last year we had the same problem. I don’t know what’s up with that star.”

          Willy, J.D. and Sam, all led by Blue, nodded pleasantly to the girls and walked to the elevators for a short ride to David’s floor. Getting off and passing an empty nurses station, they followed Blue to the right room to find David sitting up and awake. His eyes widened at the group as they entered and surrounded his bed. He put down his jello cup and wiped his mouth slowly, saying “I was hoping you’d come by. The doctor said you would be back.”

          “You were sleeping so we thought we’d give you a little time to rest up some. How’re you feeling?” asked Willy.

          “A little better. They been givin’ me some fluids and stuff. The doc says I’m still pretty sick, but not…as bad, as I thought.”

         “That’s good news, David. We have something for you,” said Willy, nodding at J.D. David’s eyes widened with surprise as J.D. pulled little Kip from under his jacket and placed him on the bed. The little dog yipped once happily and climbed David’s thin chest to lick him all over his face. David’s tears flowed freely as he nuzzled his little friend, whispering to him lovingly as he held the small bundle to him.

         “We thought that might make you feel a little better,” smiled J.D. as he pulled a package from behind his back. “We gave him a nice bath and got him a little something to go with it,” he said, laying the package on the bed. David’s eyes followed J.D.’s hands as he unwrapped the paper covering to reveal a new sweater vest for kip and a small carrying case that could convert into a backpack for their traveling convenience. Inside the case there were collapsible food and water bowls with a new collar and matching leash. “Got him a bag of food that fits right in the side pocket, too.” David’s tears kept flowing, unable to speak, he kept hugging Kip.

         “I didn’t think it fair that Kip was the only one to get new duds,” said Willy. “So, I got you these,” he offered, piling on the bed a new set of pants, a shirt, socks and shoes. He unwrapped the last package to show a new winter coat and gloves.

         “I…I…”said David, trying to get his emotions under control.

         “Hey, we ain’t finished, yet,” said Sam, speaking up as he pulled a small box from his pocket. The box looked like the kind that might hold a pen set, flat and rectangular. David’s hands shook as he opened the lid to look down at a single key.

         “It’s to the office at the Christmas tree farm. There’s a small room behind the front counter with a bed, a bathroom and a small kitchen. It’s only one big room but there’s plenty of space for you and little Kip. If you’ll agree to be the caretaker of the property, you can stay there for free. Mostly just have to close the gate at night and open it in the morning. Maybe help me and the wife put the trees in the cars and help with wreaths and ribbons and stuff. Been looking for someone to help out but I can’t afford to pay much. It’ll be enough to keep you and Kip in groceries, though. There’s a bike in the shed you can use too, to get you around, if you want.” David’s eyes, glistening from his tears, said, “Thank you, fella’s, thank you from the bottom of my heart, but why are you…I mean, you don’t even…” Just then, a big, stern looking nurse came into the room, frowning at the group saying, “What’s going on here? You know its’ past visiting hours and this man needs a lot of rest!”

         “My…friends…were just dropping off some presents, Nurse Lilly,” said David, weakly.

“Presents, huh? And I suppose those dogs were bringing you presents, too?”

         “They’re…uh…service dogs,” lied Sam.

         “Uh huh,” she said, rolling her eyes.

         “Look,” said Nurse Lilly, “it’s nice with the presents and all, but the dogs have to go, you need your rest and the three wise men here, need to come back during regular visiting hours tomorrow.”

         “It’s Christmas tomorrow, David. We’ll come by and bring you some real food,” said Willy.

         “No you won’t. He gets soft food and nothing else for another day,” said the big nurse, sternly.

          The men took another minute to say goodbye under the watchful eye of Nurse Lilly. David agreed to caretake Sam’s tree lot gratefully, and thanked all three for their kindness. J.D. took little Kip back, promising to bring him the next day and Blue led them back down to the entrance.

          When quiet returned to the room, David lay back, gazing at the twinkling Christmas lights of the city below him. For the first time in a long time he had something in his stomach besides hunger pangs and something in his heart besides despair. He was surprised at how good that felt. He drifted slowly off to sleep, listening to the faint sounds of a Christmas movie playing in the next room, the closing dialogue of a child’s voice, saying “God bless us one and all.”

         Downstairs, the men chatted and laughed as they walked toward the pneumatic doors. The doors opened automatically and they pulled their coats tighter to ward off the dark and the swirling snow. Blue paused in the doorway to look up at the big Christmas tree. At that moment, the star on the top came on and stayed on. Blue woofed at it once and wagged his tail before walking out into the silent night.

                                                                         The End

                                                    Blessings of the Season on us all

                                                                        Billy Lord