Well, I was back in the emergency room last night.  I haven’t been there in a very long time — for awhile, I was going just about once every six months between breaking legs, allergic reactions, frozen shoulders, etc.  But that all came to an end last night when I decided to try a gelato.  A few seconds later and I realized that it was a pistachio gelato.  And for those reading that don’t know, I’m very allergic to tree nuts.

We were in the city, so we decided to take a cab to a hospital since I felt myself gradually becoming worse.  It certainly wasn’t as severe as when I had my major allergic reaction when I was 20, but I still didn’t want to risk becoming worse.  The emergency room quickly hooked me up to some fluids, gave me some benadryl, and capped everything off with a shot of adrenaline.  Within minutes I was feeling back to normal, and after an hour or so, I was released.

I was pretty set on not taking my medical bracelet off until my shot at love was over, but that didn’t last too long once I got annoyed by it in the shower.

Our place has been very different without Sunny around. Sunny is typically a very quiet cat — so quiet that you forget he’s around half the time. But the last week or so, while he’s been in the hospital, has been very different. It’s almost too quiet. I keep waiting for that little face, with his ears back, to come trotting down the hallway. I know it will come soon enough; Sunny just has to fight very hard and pull through. But I sure do miss him.

His bed has remained untouched since we brought him into the emergency room. Prior to these events, Macky would sleep in Sunny’s bed from time to time. Macky hasn’t touched it. He doesn’t even go near it. We have this area above our kitchen that Macky and Sunny climb up into — it’s their little “eagles nest” that they’re always sleeping in. We put a blanket up there to make it comfortable for them, and they would spend hours up there. Unfortunately, Macky hasn’t been up there since Sunny has been in the hospital. I used to love coming home from work, opening the door and looking up to see their little sleepy faces hanging over. I miss those faces together; I’m sure Macky misses his brother, too.

I think I feel for Macky the most. He doesn’t seem depressed, but you can tell he misses Sunny. As crazy as it sounds, I think Macky and I are dealing with this in a very similar manner. I’ve continually looked to Macky for comfort these last few days, and I feel as if he definitely knows why. I’ve noticed he’s done the same with me, too — actually sleeping on my lap the other day. The other morning, when we were expecting the worse, I was crying in the bathroom when I looked over and there was Macky. He was standing on the toilet, his head tilted slightly, and being ever so curious about my emotions. But he knew exactly why I was crying; he was just as concerned for Sunny as I was.

Rebecca and I held Sunny the other afternoon while at the hospital. He was too weak to move, but Rebecca was able to get him to purr. We’ve been so afraid he would think that we abandoned him. But hearing him purr confirmed otherwise. He knew who we were, and showed us his happiness of seeing us by purring. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.

And it was at that moment, too, that I realized I loved Rebecca even more than I thought I did (I mean, I love her a lot, but at that moment, I realized I loved her a lot a lot — if that’s possible). I’m so happy we’re both very animal crazy, and that we’ll do anything and everything to give Sunny the support he needs.

I’m heading to the hospital tomorrow to see Sunny. I cannot wait to see that little bundle of sunshine.