Louise Rennison_Georgia Nicolson 09 by Stop in the Name of Pants! Page A

have a look at the poor fellow.”
    He gently felt all over Angus and lifted up his legs. They just flopped back. Angus didn’t make any more noises.
    The vet sighed. He said, “I’m afraid there will be a lot of internal injury. I think the kindest thing all round would be—”
    I just said, “No.”
    The vet looked at me. He shook his head.
    I said, “Please try, I love him.”
    And the tears started plopping out of my eyes again.
    I stroked Angus’s face and he did a bit of a growl again.
    I said to the vet, “You see?”
    After a minute or two the vet said, “Alright, I’ll try, but I’m being honest with you, cats don’t often survive this sort of thing.”
    He packed Angus in blankets and said he will give him X-rays and drips and anything he can at the surgery.
    I said, “Thank you.”
    I didn’t mean to but I gave him a hug.
    And he’s got a beard.
    vet’s surgery
    Angus has bandages everywhere, even on his tail. He has not made any noise since the little one when I stroked his face. He is on a drip, and his tongue is lolling out.
    But I am not annoyed about his tongue lolling out, I can’t imagine being ever annoyed with him again about anything. If he will live he can have anything he wants.
    I said that to Jas, who was still with me. I said, “When I get home I am going to pray for Angus to Baby Jesus, and if he will let Angus live, I will try to be a really good person.” And I included Jas’s fringe flicking in that. And my dad’s leather trousers. That is how serious it all was.
    Angus was going to stay in the surgery overnight and the vet said I could come the next day as soon as they opened.
    He looked tired and a bit sad. And now I noticed it he also looked very beardey. No, no, I don’t want the tired and sad beardey vet, I want the handsome, thrusting ER vet who says, “I’ve done it, he’s going to pull through. Have a nice day.”
    Dr. Beardey said, “I want you to know that I love animals very much, and I know what he means to you, but it doesn’t look good. If I keep him alive he will probably die in a few hours from something I can’t fix.”
    I just said, “He is not going to die, that is a fact.”
    Jas said she’d come and stay with me at my house but I said no, I wanted to do some heavy praying. She gave me a little kiss on the cheek when she left. I know it was dark and a lezzie-free zone, but it was still nice of her.
    thursday august 25th
    dawn
    I don’t think I slept. I just nodded off now and again and then woke up and for a few moments life felt normal and then I remembered. Even Gordy, not world renowned for his caring, sympathetic nature, cuddled up next to me and didn’t attack me once even when I moved my foot.
    five minutes later
    Gordy came and sat on my chest and looked at me with his yellow eyes. Well, one of his yellow eyes, the other one was glancing out of the window. Hewas looking at me, unblinking. Then he let out one of those strange croakey noises that makes him sound like he is a hundred-a-day smoking cat. And he leapt down from my bed.
    I think he knows something.
    I think he knows about Angus and he is on my side.
    Even if he is a homosexualist half-cat half-dog, it doesn’t matter. Love is all you need.
    ten minutes later
    Looking out of the window, Gordy is playing chase the bonio with the Prat brothers.
    That is not right in anyone’s book.
    To think of his father lying in a vet’s surgery whilst his son scampers around with ridiculous poodles. He has no pridenosity.
    five minutes later
    I remembered my vow to Baby Jesus. About being a jolly good egg about everything.
    Even very annoying things.
    Deep breath and—look, look at Gordy playing happily with other creatures made by God.
    Alright, curly, annoying yappy creatures, butGod’s creatures nevertheless.
    I mean, not many people like maggots, do