"Tess. Robbie. Not the time," Mike said, perhaps more sternly than he intended. For once, the two elder children ceased their argument.
Kimmy sat with the shoebox on her lap, trying not to cry. Billie sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders with the awkwardness of an 8-year-old.
Mike pulled into the carpark outside the TF clinic. "I'll go get a ticket. How long do you think we'll be here for?"
"Not long," Debbie said pointedly, shooting him a look.
He sloshed across the rainy asphalt, grumbling. Debbie was still angry at him, even after he'd admitted it had been a mistake to tell Kimmy about the clinic. Yes, every child has to learn about mortality eventually. But why did it have to be from a beloved pet? Why couldn't it be a politician or a celebrity-
He looked up from the ticket machine as the car door opened and Kimmy ran into the clinic, clutching the shoebox to her chest.
He caught up with her in the clinic waiting room, standing on tiptoes in front of the reception desk. The shoebox was on the desk, with the lid off, though she still clung to it with one hand. With the other, she was digging her entire piggy bank savings from her trouser pocket. Coins rolled across the surface.
The receptionist wrinkled her nose at the small, dead thing in the shoebox, but her expression softened when she said, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm afraid your little pet is in heaven. We can't bring him back."
Mike felt silently grateful that he hadn't had to be the one to explain that. "See, honey. I'm sorry I got your hopes up, but there's nothing they can do," he said sadly, crouching and placing his arm around his daughter as she looked utterly defeated.
"Oh, that's not true, sir. It's only legally that we can't bring pets back to life." the receptionist said, suddenly cheerful. "Of course there are plenty of alternatives."
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