I walked through the doors of the hospital with Hershey in his carrier, stopped at the information desk, and found out which room Darcel was occupying. I took the elevator to her floor, walked with confidence through the hallway until I found room 318. I knocked on the open door and announced myself.
“Hello, Darcel, may we come in?” I asked.
“Who is we?” she asked, irritated. I stepped into the room.
“I’m Ellen, and this is Hershey. Would it be okay if we visited with you for a few minutes?”
Darcel had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. From what I heard through the grapevine, she was lucky to be alive. She had taken a pretty lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol. The authorities didn’t know who had supplied her with the pills, but I was sure I knew who it was.
“Come in,” she said.
I let Hershey out of his carrier, and asked her if I could place him on the bed next to her. She agreed. Hershey had once arched his back and hissed at her. I had once hated her. Now, Hershey snuggled his face into the crook of her elbow and started to purr. We had forgiven her.
THE END