I was sharing about Peaches chasing a bear in an earlier post.

The saga continues.

I had seen a beautiful small bear crossing the back road on the way to our daily hike. A few days later on our hike, Peaches and i were startled to see a dark shape heading into the woods on the far side of the meadow. Before I knew it, she headed after it.

To my relief, Peaches returned quickly.

Afterwards, I noticed that she seemed to be walking more tentatively but iI thought she was looking out for more surprise encounters along the way. Later she seemed reluctant to even walk out the door for our usual kayak ride, but … maybe she was mistaking the timing for the swim time, when she was normally cautious.

That afternoon, when she had been singularly inactive and then when she did go outside, began walked in an awkward way, I got concerned that it might be Lyme. It was 4 o’clock on a Friday afternoon, so I called my vet and left a message. A short while later, I saw Peaches licking the inside of her back leg and … there was an open wound.

I immediately made an appointment at the E R vet hospital in the nearby town of Meredith – for 6 oclock.

Of course it was busy when I got there. I knew it would be a long wait. Even thought I assured her I was okay, my dear friend Jan, dropped in to come sit with me. She’s a blessing anytime but this moment will always be remembered.

At some time after 7, before 8 (who knows when), the vet sent me (and Jan) home: they would keep Peaches and call me when the sutures were done later that night.

I drove home to Holderness, got ready for bed and fell fast asleep. The phone rang at 10:15. I drove along pitch black NH highways then through the quiet town to reach the vet hospital.

Peaches had 3 wounds! These had required 15 stitches. The injuries, thank goodness, were not deep – which meant they were caused by a sharp object (stump, broken branches?) that she scraped herself on while chasing the bear.

Fearless Peaches. I wonder now, will she connect the two: pain and bear? Or will she stay foolishly fearless?

But also, I notice: my fear didn’t come at the moment the bear appeared. It came when I saw that Peaches was not herself afterwards. As the day wore on and I hadn’t determined why she was so listless… then my fear started to surface.

Love.

It makes us so vulnerable.

We want all our loved ones to “bloom” forever.