I didn't want to believe what I'd just heard. Squidge couldn't die. He was clever, loyal, fun. A disasterous mistake, that's what it was. The vet would apologise and we'd have a fit and active Squidge to take home.
Death is for ever.
But memories won't fade. The wait at the Pets' Hospital was agonising, but eventually we were shuffled into a room and the Vet explained that he'd died due to fluid on his lungs. At this point it wasn't apparent what had caused the fluid build up. The possibility of having been kicked or hit by a car were likely causes. Hard to swallow, hard to accept.