emotional support (a short story) - sailorwrites

emotional support (a short story)

Trigger warning - cancer, death

Clover was a simple cat.

His favorite pastime was basking in the sun that flowed through the windows of the hospital. His favorite food was chicken, which he would occasionally receive from different staff members before they threw out their leftovers. He adored belly rubs, long naps, and knocking things over in the room the workers had set aside for him. And while he was a simple cat, Clover lived a life many cats did not.

Clover's home was a hospital in a town off the coast of the Pacific. It was his duty to be a support system for sick patients, as much as a cat could be one. Whenever a patient needed cheering up, doctors would carry Clover to their room in the hospital and let the sick patient pet him for a few hours. The doctors assumed giving their patients a small orange cat who wanted to lounge all day would make them feel better.

In some cases, it did. Sometimes, the patients would enjoy Clover's company, yet most of the time, they would simply want to be left alone. There were times where Clover would be ignored for far more concerning reasons. Occasionally, patients didn't like the cat's company at all.

That all changed the day Abi came.

On a particularly hot summer day, Clover was hauled to a room on the second floor of the building. Inside the room was a girl with hair so red, the cat mistook it for a fire. She was seated on the hospital bed, legs crossed, facing a boy around the same age as her in a gray chair next to the bed. Her presence was so lively that it made Clover wonder how someone so bright and young could ever be sick.

After Clover was set down on the bed, the doctors explained the cat's job and importance to the two. Then, they left, leaving Clover with the two teenagers in the room.

The girl was immediately mesmerized, her eyes lighting up when she saw the cat on her bed. "Oh my goodness! You are adorable. Keaton, do you know how much I love cats?"

With his arms crossed over his chest, Keaton replied, "They're okay."

"You like cats. I know you do."

Clover crawled onto the girl and curled up in her lap. It wasn't the most comfortable napping place; her legs were bony and didn't make good cushions. However, he already liked her, so he could make a sacrifice.

"Look! We're twins. We're both gingers!"

"Abi, he probably only sat on your lap because you're a heat source. Also, gingers suck."

"We've been dating for two years. You live for gingers."

Keaton fought back a smile. Meanwhile, Abi patted Clover's head, slowly making him fall asleep.

"It's nice that this place has an emotional support cat. It makes being in this situation a lot better," she mentioned.

"I'm here too, you know."

"I know. And I'm grateful for that."

~

When Clover woke up again, it was to the sound of the doctors reentering the hospital room. How long had he been asleep? One of them scooped him off of Abi's lap, taking him into their arms. Clover hated being carried.