Chapter 306 - Abigail Earns Her Wings
Abigail looked down from above. She was still adjusting to the perspective of being a bunny angel when Clarence, one of the senior angels, came by and asked, “How are you doing, Abigail? Are you adjusting to life as a bunny angel?”
Abigail replied, “I’m OK. I wish I didn’t have to leave my Dad, though. I’m worried about him. He’s so sad.” Clarence explained, “You helped a lot of rabbits when you were on earth. We thought you could help even more rabbits as an angel.”
Abigail wondered, “What do you mean?” Clarence explained, “As bunny angels, we try and help bunnies in need. We try and steer them towards humans who can help them. You probably don’t know this, but we sent a lot of bunnies who needed help to your Dad, like your housemates Enzo, Bentley, and Merlot. Your Dad is one of our go-to humans.”
Clarence went on, “Abigail, how would you like to earn your angel wings by saving a rabbit and help your Dad at the same time?” Abigail liked helping other rabbits, but more than anything, she wanted to help her Dad, so she immediately replied, “Sure! What do I have to do?”
Clarence said, “Do you see that little baby rabbit down there named Chestnut? He was just born, but he lost his mommy. He’s going to need a lot of help to survive. We sent him to Auntie Heather, another one of our go-to humans, but she has her hands full with other bunnies she’s saving. Wish really hard to get her to call your Dad and ask for help. You know your Dad won’t say no.”
Abigail nodded. That was true. Abigail began wishing with all her heart, just like she did when she wished she was out of that cage when she was just a baby herself.
Dad was on the floor with Enzo and Merlot when the phone rang. He dragged himself up off the floor and answered it. The voice on the other end said, “Hi, this is Auntie Heather. I just took in a newborn rabbit. He needs 24/7 care if he’s going to survive. I have my hands full right now with other rabbits. I know you just lost Abigail, but could you help take care of him for awhile?”
Dad replied, “I’ve never taken care of a newborn. They seem so fragile.” Auntie Heather explained to him, “Well, I won’t kid you. They are fragile. It’s a bit of a long shot, but, you can do it. You just need to keep him warm and feed him two or three times a day with a syringe, just like you were doing with Abigail.” It was true, taking care Abigail was good training to care for a newborn. Dad agreed, “OK, I’ll do my best.”
Dad set up his bed just the way he had for Abigail. He placed a cuddle pod on top of the electric blanket to give him a warm place to sleep. He already had Wambaroo baby rabbit formula on hand, in case of emergencies. He just needed some miracle nipples for the baby’s tiny mouth and some colostrum to help build his immune system, which he got from some fellow rescuers.
Over the next few days, Abigail watched over Dad as he learned to mix formula and gently nurse the tiny baby, whose eyes hadn’t even opened yet. The first three days were critical, but miracle of miracles, Chestnut survived!
To Abigail’s surprise, during the process, another miracle occurred. Dad had turned the corner and his heart began to heal as he focused on helping this tiny rabbit live. Even though the baby was hidden inside the cuddle pod under the covers to stay warm, it made Dad happy just to have him there. Dad noticed he could think about Abigail without tears.
Clarence stopped by to check on Abigail. He said, “Congratulations! You’ve earned your bunny angel wings by saving Chestnut!” Abigail was happy that she could help save Chestnut, but what made her even more happy was to see Dad smiling again. “You’ll be OK, Dad,” she thought, “I’ll always watch over you and the House of Buns.”
A Message From "Dad"
My thanks to all of you for your words of support and comfort during this difficult time. Abigail was a special rabbit, and I always knew losing her would be one of the hardest things I’d have to face in life. I was right. Thank you for sharing your stories and feelings. It’s been heartwarming to see how many lives she touched around the world and how she became part of your families.
A big thank you to all of you who made donations in memory of her. Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $6000 for The Rabbit Haven as well as a couple of other rescues. The Rabbit Haven will use the funds to help rabbits who need medical care. Auntie Heather was the first person who offered encouragement when Abigail got head tilt, and told us not to give up. Abigail was forever grateful.
Many of you have encouraged us to keep her stories from the House of Buns going. Since she’s the one who started the House of Buns, in memory of her, I am renaming the series “Abigail’s House of Buns.” We will continue to share our stories, experiences, and lessons in hopes of inspiring, educating, and entertaining people about life with house rabbits. I’m sure she’d approve.
Rescuing a baby rabbit helps Dad's heart begin to heal.
Would you like to read more of Abigail's blogs? See them all HERE.
