Nitro ( final chapter)

Nitro did a lot of thinking during the night. He knew his cancer had spread and he was only going to get weaker. He wanted to leave his kingdom as he had arrived. On his own 4 legs. He didn't want his kingdom to see him dying. He wanted them to remember him as a strong caring and loving king. Nitro didn't meet mom the next morning for breakfast. Mom went over and helped him up so he could eat. Nitro and mom looked at each other and they both understood. Mom finished her morning chores with tears and sadness. She got her camera and took some last photos of her precious Nitro. Mom tried to take Nitro for one last walk down the road so he could nibble on the leaves and they could have some time alone. Nitro didn't want that. He jerked the leash from mom's hand and ran back to his goat family. Nitro wanted to spend every minute he could with Diva before he left Hidden Haven for the last time. Through tears mom told Nitro that she would be taking him to Southern Oaks Animal Hospital at noon. She gave him a good brushing and told him how much she loved him. She told him how proud she was of the way he took care of all the animals in Hidden Haven Kingdom. She told him she was so sorry she couldn't make him all better. She told him how he would always be in her heart and that his life would always be wonderful memories never to be forgotten. Nitro understood when it was time to go. He hated to leave his sweet Diva. He wanted so badly to stay strong and brave but couldn't help but cry out as he left Diva for the last time. Mom wanted to be able to talk with him on the way so fixed a place for him in her van. She took the seats out of the back and made a bed of straw for him to rest on. As they went down the road away from Nitros kingdom both of them were crying. Nitro leaned over moms shoulder and she scratched his head while telling him again how sorry she was. She started sharing some of her best Nitro stories with him. Reminding him of the fun times they had had together. Of how caring he was when he would watch over the babies at night for Diva. How she knew he didn't like wearing her funny hats but he did just for her. Mom told Nitro that out of all of Hidden Haven animals he was the strongest, most loving, most caring, most gentle and told him thank you. The trip seemed to go quickly. When they arrived mom had to leave Nitro alone for just a few minutes. She went inside to find out where to take him. Mom came back out and opened the door so Nitro could get out. Together they walked inside and down the hall with their heads held high. Some of those people didn't know they were in the presence of a king. As mom and Nitro waited for the doctor she scratched his head for the last time and told him again how sorry she was and how much she loved him. When the doctor came in mom put Nitros head in her lap, gave him a kiss goodbye and rubbed his check as he took his last breath. She removed his collar, thanked the doctor and went back to Nitro's kingdom. There will never ever be anyone that can take Nitro's place. Though mom's heart is breaking she knows Nitro has crossed over rainbow bridge and is with Sweet Pea. They are well and happy now and they are watching over Hidden Haven. Nitro knows his kingdom is sad but he wants the memories of him to make smiles not tears. He wants his human family to remember the pushing games and funny hats. He wants that whenever someone thinks of him a smile will come on their face. He ruled over Hidden Haven with happiness and always made sure to bring a smile to everyone.

Nitro (part 7)

After his walk around the kingdom Nitro really just wanted to rest. He was very tired, very hot, and knew his time on Hidden Haven would be ending sooner than he hoped. When he got back he saw the royal goat family waiting for him. Nitro stood tall and put on a smile so they wouldn't see how tired he was.He knew they wanted to spend time and talk to him too.

DiDi wanted Nitro to know how much she appreciated him making her part of the family when she moved to Hidden Haven.

Sonya had a hard time keeping back the tears. She had always had a crush on Nitro and had dreamed of someday having his kids.

BossyToes wanted her dad in law to know how much she loved him and that she and Brown Robyn would make sure their kids knew how much their granddad loved them. And she hoped to name one of their kids after Nitro.

Blanche had always been shy around Nitro but she came out to tell him how proud she was to be part of his kingdom. That she felt safe knowing Nitro was watching over all of them.

ViVi was very sad. She and Frosty Dan had really looked forward to having Nitro there when they had their kids. ViVi promised Nitro she would raise their kids to be loving and peaceful like their granddad.

Bridey was scared. Nitro had always made sure the other goats didn't pick on her or call her airplane ears. He was always nice to her and shared his food with her. She didn't want to say goodbye to Nitro.

Blinkin came over to tell Nitro thank you. She, Leonard and the girls had traveled many miles from the far away land of Tennessee. Nitro had made them welcome and feel like part of the family. He made sure Blinkin kept her position as head of her family and for that Blinkin was thankful.

Mandy hadn't been in the kingdom very long but thanks to Nitro she already felt like she had always been a part of the family. Mandy wanted Nitro to know she,Baby, Huey, Duey, and Louie would never forget his kindness. She would always think of him as the kind, loving king of Hidden Haven.

Sammi was having a really hard time. Nitro was like a brother to her. He was always there when she was scared or one of the others tried to bother her. She didn't want to think of there ever being a time when Nitro wouldn't be there. She couldn't hold back her tears.

Diva saw how tired and weak Nitro was. She got mom to give the family cookies and treats so she could sneak Nitro away to rest.

She just wanted to spend time with her sweet Nitro. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

Diva wanted to make sure Nitro heard and understood how much she loved him. How she would always love and keep him in her heart, forever.

Nitro listened and understood every word. Diva was his queen. Diva was his love. Nitro knew Diva would stay right there with him and that helped him relax. He was so tired. He knew this might be his last night with his sweet Diva. This might be his last night in his beloved kingdom....... to be continued

Nitro (part6)

After the heartbreaking goodbye to his dad Nitro went back to talk to Diva. He finally got her to eat a little while they talked. For just a moment Diva was angry with her human mom. She looked at mom wanting her to do something. She had always taken care of them before. Why couldn't she do something for Nitro? But Nitro talked and comforted Diva. He explained that there was nothing anyone could do. They needed to enjoy the short time they had together. They needed to decide who would watch over the kingdom when he was no longer there. Of course Diva would still be the queen. She had held that position from day one and doing a fantastic job. After Nitro, Diva and Sammi had a long sad talk it was decided that Brown Robyn would take over when his dad was gone. Nitro ask Leonard to be Brown Robyn's mentor. With Leonard, and Frosty Dan there to help Brown Robyn, Nitro knew his kingdom would be just fine. Nitro was feeling really tired. The heat was taking a lot out of him. His coughing was getting worse and he was even coughing up blood. His time at Hidden Haven was soon going to end. He had so much he wanted to do. So much he wanted to say to his kids and grandkids. He wanted to take one more walk over all his kingdom.

So Nitro started out by walking by the chicken pen. It had been a long time since he had checked on everyone there.John Henry and the other roosters crowed with pride announcing the kings arrival at chicken land. Fred seemed to know that Nitro was visiting him for the last time. He spread his feathers as a proud salute to the king of Hidden Haven.
The chickens all tried to get as close to the king as they could. They were sad but honoured he came to say goodbye.
The geese and ducks were in awe of King Nitro

Nitro felt so proud of Hidden Haven. His kingdom was filled with love for each. That was the one thing Nitro wanted to accomplish as king, love for one another no matter what species they were. He was so glad he had taken this last walk around the kingdom. He wanted to stop by the nursery.
The kids were excited. Nitro took time to speak to his kids, grandkids and the 3 little dwarfs. He made sure to give a nuzzle to each one as he tried to keep a smile on his face. He didn't want the little ones to know he was sick. Nitro was getting very tired but he wanted to see Brown Robyn, Frosty Dan and Leonard before he rested.
The 3 of them knew Nitro was very sick. They listened to what he had to say. Frosty Dan and Leonard made sure he understood they would be there to help Brown Robyn as he ruled Hidden Haven. Frosty Dan told his dad he loved him and was sad Nitro wouldn't be there to see his and ViVi's babies. He promised to tell the kids all about their grandpa and the stories he had of growing up as Nitro's son. Brown Robyn waited till the others were finished talking before speaking to his dad.
Brown Robyn told his dad he was honoured to be chosen to watch over Hidden Haven. He also told him he would give that and everything else up if it would keep Nitro there with them. Robyn told his dad how much he loved and respected him. That he hoped he could be half the ruler that Nitro was. Nitro thanked his son and told him how proud he was of him and Frosty Dan. That he would always watch over them. As Nitro walked away he turned for one last look at his sons and best friend. He felt good knowing they would be there to watch over the kingdom and keep his memory alive.To be continued.....

Nitro (part 5)

Nitro was worried when mom and dad loaded him into the truck. He was afraid they might be taking him away from Hidden Haven for good and he didn't want to leave his kingdom. But he was only a little worried for he trusted his human family. They had always been honest and good to him. If they said he was only going to the doctor and back then he would just lay down, enjoy the scenery and maybe take a nap. Once they got to the hospital things moved so quickly Nitro didn't have time to worry. Dr. Foster was very nice and gentle while he checked him out. Nitro did give mom a wild look when the doctor was checking his backend! Overall the exam wasn't so bad and Nitro was beginning to relax. After talking with Nitro's human family the doctor wanted to run some tests. Mom and dad promised Nitro they would be back very soon and left so the doctor could run his tests. Nitro was given a shot that made him very very sleepy. He was relaxed he didn't even noticed them shaving part of his leg so they could find a vein to draw blood. He slept through the big machine coming in to take xrays of his head. He didn't even wake up when they shaved the side of his face and stuck needles in for a biopsy. Nitro was in dreamland and enjoying every minute. Mom and dad had came back and were in the waiting room talking with a nice lady that had a horse in surgery. She was crying so they started talking to her about Hidden Haven and dad showed her pictures on his laptop. Soon she was smiling and talking about her horse and how special he is. Mom told her about Nitro and that there was a very very small chance it was cancer but that the doctor thought it might be a bone infection. Dr. Foster came in and said he had bad news. Mom knew right away what the news was. Dad put his arm around mom and listened to Dr. Foster. He told them Nitro had lymphosarcoma, a very rare thing in goats and there was no cure. He told them he could go ahead and put Nitro down or they could take him home. Of course Nitro was going back to his kingdom. They had promised him he would be going back home. Dr. Foster gave them enough medication for 2 weeks. He said Nitro would continue to get weaker as the cancer spread. The lady came over and gave mom a hug. She told her that even though she didn't know her personally she knew mom loved Nitro and was hurting over the news. Dr. Foster took mom back to Nitro while dad went to move the truck so Nitro could get in and go home. Dr. Foster told mom they had only given Nitro a mild sedative but he was having a hard time waking up. The doctor tried talking to Nitro while rubbing his head but Nitro slept and drooled on. Mom said wake up Nitro we are going home and Nitro opened his eyes and tried to stand up. The doctor and mom had to help him. Nitro was still a little out of it but he saw the tears in moms eyes and heard the sadness in her voice. He tried to pay attention to what the doctor and mom were saying but it was hard. The doctor said something about the cancer could have been there for years, there wasn't anything mom could have done to prevent it, that Nitro's kids were fine. There was so much talking but all Nitro could focus on was mom was crying. The doctor gave Nitro a shot and said that would perk him up and make him hungry all the time. He told mom to give Nitro anything he wanted to eat anytime he wanted to eat. Now Nitro heard that and thought that was the best thing he had heard all day. Dad and the doctor helped Nitro get back in the truck and they headed back to Hidden Haven. Nitro was going home! When they arrived back at the kingdom Mom told Nitro about the cancer. She told Nitro that though there was no cure for the cancer they would do everything they could to keep him happy and painfree. This was alot for Nitro to take in. He needed some time alone to think.

He walked off by the brushpile to be alone. Now he understood why he kept losing weight. Why he was tired all the time. Why he no longer wanted to run with the boys and play. Who would watch over Hidden Haven now? Who would watch over all the little kids and teach them to be prince and princesses? He wasn't going to be here for Frosty Dan's first kids. He wasn't going to be around to grow old with Diva. His sweet Diva. Who was going to be there for her? What was his human family going to do without him? Nitro decided to talk with Diva and Sammi. He knew that they would help him get things in order and decide who would take over his caring for his kingdom. He knew Diva was already wondering why the side of his face was shaved. He might as well talk to them while they were eating so the others wouldn't overhear.

Diva had known there was something not quite right with Nitro before he went to the doctor. She never expected it to be this bad! The three of them talked and Diva told them she needed time to take all this in and went to be alone for a few minutes.

Of course its hard to keep everyone from knowing something is going on. All the other goats came over after hearing the news. Nitro ask them to please just go back to what they were doing. He wanted things to be as normal as possible.

There was one more thing Nitro needed to do that day that was going to be very very hard. His human dad was having to leave for a trip. Nitro knew he wouldn't be here when dad returned. He needed to say goodbye. He needed to let him know how much he loved him and he needed to feel the love his dad had for him one last time.
To be continued.

Nitro (part 4)

Poor Nitro was in shock. First Diva told him he was going to be a daddy again, then Brown Robyn told him that he was going to be a granddad. Brown Robyn and Sammi were going to be parents. Nitro had a talk with Sammi about going after younger guys but in the end he gave them his blessing. He had just gotten use to the ideal of having more kids and his son becoming a dad when Frosty Dan gave him his news. Frosty Dan and ViVi had been courting for a little while but Nitro didn't think it was serious. Well, he was wrong cause Frosty Dan and ViVi are going to be parents too! Nitro just couldn't seem to take all this in. For the longest time it was only him, Diva and Sammi. Then the boys came and he really loved and helped take care of them. Even after they grew up he spent time teaching and playing with them. Then mom brought 8 more goats to the kingdom and things got really busy. Nitro was just going to have to do some thinking and planning on the best way to be King of this ever growing kingdom. And was it ever growing! Diva surprised him with 4 babies at once!
Nitro couldn't believe he had 2 more boys and 2 girls. He was very proud but worried about taking care of his even bigger family. He was also trying to teach Brown Robyn how to be a good, loving, responsible dad. Nitro's days were getting to be very long and busy. Just when he thought things were under control and he could rest Brown Robyn and Sammi had 4 babies too!
Sammi had a rough pregnancy and hard labor. She was going to need time to recoup. Nitro told Brown Robyn he was going to have to step it up and take care of all his babies till Sammi was better. Nitro even made sure to check in on Sammi each day to see how she was doing. Having 8 babies in the kingdom meant 8 more mouths to feed and 8 more to watch over and care for. Nitro was starting to feel tired from all the added responsibilities. He still had Frosty Dan and ViVi's baby/babies to look forward to July 6th. Nitro never dreamed his kingdom would become so populated. Sometimes he missed the days when there was only 5 goats in the kingdom. But then when he thought about all his goat family now he wouldn't have it any other way. Each one was special in their own way. He could count on Leonard to watch over the boys and help guide them. He could count on Blinkin to keep an eye on and mother the young does. DiDi and Sonya were like sisters to him and were always there willing to help him. Bridie,BossyToes, and Blanche made him smile as he watched them run and play. They could outclimb any of the boys and he loved them like they were his own kids. They were real good about listening and obeying him. Yes, Nitro was very blessed to have such a wonderful happy kingdom. He was going to stop worrying about every little thing. He was going to relax and enjoy life. He was going to play with his kids and grandkids. That is if they would stay awake long enough

Nitro would dream about all the fun adventures waiting for him and his family. Life was going to be busy but fun he just knew it. Seems the kingdom was going to be even bigger! Blinkin and Leonard were going to be parents again and Brown Robyn decided to find a younger woman and courted BossyToes. Blinkin and BossyToes were going to have babies in July. Nitro decided he had better start training the boys to help rule the kingdom. It was getting way too much for him to handle alone.

The winter was cold and wet. Nitro thought he had a cold and he felt so tired. Mom thought he had pneumonia so she started treating him with penicillin. He lost weight and wasn't eating right but soon it seemed the treatments were working and he started to feel better. Nitro just couldn't seem to bounce back quickly. Mom gave him extra feed, vitamins, medicines and soon he started eating better. Everyone thought Nitro was getting well. They were all so happy! He started to play a little and want to be scratched again. Mom was so glad Nitro was feeling better. Spring was arriving and the cold weather was gone. Now Nitro could lay in the sun and just rest and watch over his kingdom. Dad showed mom a spot on Nitro's check that was swollen. They thought he might have a impacted tooth or jaw problems. After talking it over they decided to make a appointment for Nitro at the NC State Vet Hospital/School. They wanted the best care possible for Nitro and they knew if anyone could find out what was wrong and fix it that hospital could. Mom kept Nitro on another round of penicillin and the swelling seemed to go down. She had high hopes it was a impacted tooth and even told Nitro that. Nitro just wanted to be scratched and talked to. He was worried what the next adventure was bringing his way.... to be continued.

Nitro (part 3)

Being the king of Hidden Haven wasn't all fun and games. There was a lot of responsibility that came with the title. Nitro didn't mind though. He was very proud and happy to do whatever was ask of him. He did have to have a long talk with Diva about one task. And it took a lot of talking on his part to get Diva to understand it was not for pleasure but really was his job. Seems mom got a call from a young lady asking her if she could bring her goat here to be bred. Mom wanted one of the boys to bred the goat but the young lady wanted Nitro. So Nitro had to explain to Diva why there was another doe moving into the honeymoon cottage. Thank goodness it was only for a month but took Diva longer than that to forgive Nitro! After all Belle was a pretty redhead.

Whenever there were visitors at Hidden Haven Nitro being the king of the kingdom needed to make a royal appearance. He always greeted the guests gently. He loved posing for photos with them and getting his head scratched. He also loved when the visitors gave him cookies though mom always kept a eye out so he wouldn't get too many.
There was a very special visitor coming to Hidden Haven. Nitro was so happy about this visitor. He use to watch this visitor every day as she sat on her porch. Sometimes she would call out to him and he would answer her. She always ask about him when mom went to visit her. This visitor was Ms. Fran. She was a special friend to mom and very special to Nitro. When Nitro didn't see Ms. Fran on her porch anymore mom told him Ms. Fran was sick. He felt sad because he missed her sparkling eyes and pretty smile. But one day mom told Nitro to be on his best behavior as Ms. Fran was coming. Nitro made sure he was nice and clean and standing close to the fence so Ms. Fran could get a good look at him and so he could see her pretty smile and sparkling eyes.

Nitro felt very honored that Ms. Fran came to see him. Mom told him later that Ms. Fran went to be a special angel in heaven. That she was watching and smiling down on him and everyone at Hidden Haven.

Nitro and the girls stayed busy keeping things cleaned up around the kingdom. There was no way he was going to let things grow up around there if he had to eat 24 hours a day!

Nitro was also staying busy helping Diva with the boys. They were getting to be very big and very self centered. He decided it would be best if he took the boys and moved to the cabin in the front woods. That way he could spend some "man" time with them and teach them how to behave like young prince instead of rowdy goats.

And of course we can't forget holidays. Halloween had mom dressing the girls up as witches with green hair. Nitro was hoping for a king costume but got devil horns instead.
Needless to say he wasn't overly thrilled to celebrate Halloween that year! Before he knew it mom came out with the Christmas hats to get a photo for Christmas cards. Nitro feels this lady has way too much time on her hands. She needs a hobby so she doesn't have time to think of these silly hats!
Nitro found it hard to believe he had only been at Hidden Haven a year. He felt like this had always been his home. He loved reigning over the kingdom of Hidden Haven. He even didn't mind sharing his kingdom with another old goat.
His human dad wasn't really a old goat but Nitro loved teasing him. Dad was actually fun to play with. He would almost match him in strength when they played the push game. Yes, life was wonderful at Hidden Haven. Things couldn't get any better or could they?..... to be continued