Lori Burbank was dying.          

Everybody in the room knew it, and everyone studiously avoided speaking about it.

But there it was, the unwanted guest at the party.

Let me back up a bit.  Indy and I had been making weekly visits to Bethesda Gardens Retirement home for over a year, and had made many friends, including Lorri.  But Lorri's health started failing, and she was sent to a hospice for care.  Lorri asked last week to be returned to Bethesda from the hospice.  She knew she was going to die, and wanted to be in familiar surroundings.

Last week, when Indy and I got there, we were asked by a member of the staff if we would go visit a resident in her room.  It was Lorri, come back from the hospice to die.

In the room were Lorri's son, her daughter-in-law, and lying on the sofa was Lorri.  She looked pale and drawn, a mere husk of the Lorri we knew.  Her breathing was labored, and when she spoke it was no more than a husky whisper.

But she smiled when Indy went up to her, and gave a faint laugh as thanks for his kiss.  The presence of the dog in the room lightened the burden for everyone.

As we were leaving, it occurred to me that the family was probably maintaining a deathwatch, and would be staying at their mother's side until the end.  I asked the son if he would like us to visit every day.  He thought it over and then said "Yes, that would be nice."  And each time we visited, it was possible to feel the gloom lift from those present.  Indy was providing therapy for everyone there.

Yesterday when we knocked on the door, we were greeted by the son with the news that his mother had passed away early that morning.

He invited us into the room, where food was laid out, and the entire family gathered.  They asked to take a picture of Indy, to place in the scrapbook of people who had visited with Lorri to ease her passing.

Indy is starting to show his age (He's 7½).  His mask is mostly grey, and his hips are getting weak.  I know that Indy will meet the same fate as Lorri all too soon.

And I know that when Indy gets to the Rainbow Bridge, he won't have to wait to cross.  There will be someone at the bridge to meet him and ease his passage.