Mr. Green: a sad story

The other day we were asked to watch 2 pet birds for a friend of ours. He was leaving the birds with us just for the day and would pick them up before bed that night. When he arrived that morning to drop the birds off he only had one bird and explained that the other bird had been sick all night and he had dropped him off at the vet before he came over and that the bird was staying there for care. The bird we were to watch was Mr. Green, the other one at the vet being Mr. Blue. We put the big cage up on the table and the boys immediately ran over to admire him. Mr. Green had food and water and so we had to do very little for him during the day. We had a busy afternoon out of the house and returned home around dinner time. I was in the kitchen making dinner and the boys were sitting at the table talking to Mr. Green. Willow was in the living room laying on the couch and the boys soon joined her to watch a show while I finished getting the meal ready. Out of nowhere I saw Willow dart off the couch and run into the kitchen where I couldn't see her but could hear her nails scrambling all over the floor. Assuming she had got herself stuck on something and was trying to get out of it, I came around the island to see feathers flying and Mr. Green laying on the floor flapping. I shooed Willow away and scooped up the bird and returned him to his cage which was already open. I looked him carefully over and couldn't see any outward damage although it looked like he was holding one leg up and his one wing wouldn't move when the other one did. I was upset. Obviously. We were asked to watch this bird for one day and now we've crippled him. He climbed around his cage and made his way to his food and water but moved very gingerly and looked quite lame. The only thing I could deduce was that while the boys were over admiring him Rigby had opened the door to the cage and then walked away. Mr. Green had obviously made his way out of his cage, off the table, onto the floor and down the hall when Willow spotted him. I was sick with worry and guilt for injuring our friend's poor bird, all while his other pet bird was at the vet sick! When he got to our house that night I told him what had happened and begged him to take him to the vet and get Mr. Green checked over as I really didn't think he was ok, and to let me pay for the whole ordeal. He agreed he would take him in the morning as the vet wanted to look him over anyway as he had probably contracted the same sickness Mr. Blue was being cared for. I texted him in the morning but got no response. Later that morning Neil came up and told me that Mr. Green had been to the vet and that he had suffered some serious fractions and because they don't do surgery on small birds they had had to put him down. OH. MY. GOSH. Worst babysitter ever. Our friend was more than kind about it and explained it was just a $15 dollar bird he had only got a couple months ago and that it was no big deal or heartbreak to him. Seriously though. The guy trusts me with his pet and we kill it within hours. My word.

What would you do to apologize to our friend? We have taken care of the vet bill and even though our friend is over it all I feel I should do something more. I don't know that replacing the bird right now is the best plan but is a pan of brownies really the best way to say "hey, I'm sorry we killed your pet?!" 

Sigh. Help! 

I just so happened to snap a photo of sweet Mr. Green earlier in the day. 

RIP 

Mr. Green 

We're sorry.