by Abby Deuel
They moved onto the next cow. She had major lacerations along her abdomen. Someone in the assembly line had tried to shave and clean the wound. However, it was in a location that made it difficult to prep correctly. Gillian placed a halter on the cow's head and tied her to the nearest post. This would keep it in a small area while they figured out what to do. Ideally, they would have stanchion to restrain each cow as they worked on it. Unfortunately, there was only one in the sale yard but it was in an inconvenient location for this particular cow that they were treating. It would put unnecessary exertion on some of the more wounded cows to move them to the stanchion. Instead, they were making do with what they could find. Mandy administered a slight sedative to the cow, relaying the information to Rhonda to record.
The cow immediately showed a sense of relief. Now calm, Mandy could inspect the wound. Amazingly, the laceration had penetrated the cow right into the abdomen. Her breathing was slowing from the sedation. With each breath, her rumen could be seen ebbing and flowing. Despite the wound, there was minimal blood involved. She had managed to avoid the enormous arteries along the lower abdomen.
Gillian helped Mandy prep the area as best they could. She flushed the open abdomen with saline. No punctures were seen and the fluid they emptied from the abdomen after flushing was nice and clear.
"You are one lucky girl. We are going to suture you up and get you back on track lickety split," said Mandy.
Gillian stepped up with an open surgical pack while Mandy put gloves on. Without speaking, they read each other's thoughts, suturing the laceration with remarkable speed. The cow was given a few more injections for pain and to prevent infection and was untied from the post.
"You need to come quickly, Dr. Bell," Mr. Crowley said. "One of the cows outside is calving. I don't know how. None of these are supposed to be that close to calving. I checked their records myself."
"Be right there," Mandy said. She was applying an antibacterial spray to the sutures on another laceration.
Mandy and Gillian joined Mr. Crowley outside. Sure enough, one of the cows was on her side, moaning with every contraction. Gillian brought a bucket of water over and Mandy cleaned her arms before checking to see how the calf was presenting. It was stuck with its neck extended backwards and front legs pointing upside down.
"She is ready to calve. I'm going to have to re-adjust the calf inside of her to get it to come out. Luckily, it's fairly small so we should manage fine without any complications," Mandy said.
"Do what you need to do," said Mr Crowley.
Mandy used a bucket of clear lube and a large pump to inject plenty of lubrication into the cow. Even though the calf was small, it would be quicker and easier if there was lube to help the readjustment. She applied a rope to each front leg and handed the ends to Gillian to apply steady pressure when Mandy said so. Then, Mandy attempted to push everything back inside to give her arms plenty of room to bring the head into the right position. It took several attempts. She finally had the head facing forward between the front legs. Gillian applied pressure on the legs and Mandy held the head in the correct position. They pulled together with the cow's pushing. In an instant, the calf was propelled into the sunshine. Gillian got to work helping the calf breathe while Mandy checked inside the cow.
"You're not going to believe this," Mandy said.
"What?" said Mr. Crowley.
"Twins."
"Oh my. What a day," said Mr. Crowley.
Mandy used the ropes to secure the front legs of the second calf. It was smaller and much easier to direct to the proper presentation. The cow gave one good push and there was a second calf for Gillian to wipe off. It started breathing quickly, having not had any trouble in the birth canal like the first one.
Mandy cleaned off her arms and prepared to check the cow a final time.
"You don't think there's another one in there?" Mr. Crowley asked.
"Unlikely. I just want to check for that and tears or anything else," said Mandy.
"Fair enough," said Mr Crowley. "Good call."
Mandy was relieved to report that everything was well with the cow. She administered a bolus of a cow's equivalent of an energy drink. It was thick and smelled of molasses, one of the main ingredients. The cow seemed content with the boost of calories. She began to lick both calves, taking over Gillian's job.
"That was an unexpected and pleasant surprise," Mandy said. "That gave me just what I needed to rally for the last few cows."
"True," said Gillian. "It's hard to resist the energy buzz for a live and healthy calving."
Gillian and Mandy gathered their portable crash cart and went back into the sale barn. The remaining injuries were minor. They sewed up a few more lacerations, treated superficial abrasions, and administered fluids to a few cows in shock. They surveyed the area and saw cows in various stages of recovery. It looked more like a war-torn town than the quaint village it was. Mandy felt like they had accomplished so much in such a short period of time. As they treated the last cow, people started to gather around them.
"I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who jumped in this morning to help with this tragedy," said Mr. Crowley. "I couldn't imagine a better town for this to have happened in, if it had to happen at all."
"Definitely, Mr. Crowley. This could have been a big disaster. Thanks everybody for jumping in. I'm proud to say that we haven't lost a single cow today, and we gained two calves!" Mandy said, chuckling with a smirk.
"Good job, Crestview," said Larry. "Let's show Mr. Crowley some hospitality. He may be here a while until these cows can travel again."
"Oh, Mr. Crowley. Do let me put you up in my house. I have plenty of room and would love to be your tour guide," said Mrs. Bouvier.
"My son will be arriving later today. We wouldn't want to put you out," said Mr. Crowley.
"Do her the favor. She is our town mother hen. She keeps tabs on all of us. It would save us time if you just stayed with her. Otherwise, she'll be checking on you every few minutes," said Gerry. "It's all in good humor, of course."
"Settled. We will stay with you. Thanks, Mrs. Bouvier," said Mr. Crowley. The crowd started to dissipate. Everyone was still keeping busy, cleaning up the carnage from the morning. "Can I have the honor of taking you and your assistant out to dinner?" Mr. Crowley asked Mandy. "And please, Larry and Gerry, join us."
"That would be lovely," said Mandy.
"I'm in," said Gillian.
"Count me in," said Gerry. "I will find out from the chief if he can come. Let's say seven tonight at the Inn?"
"That should give my son plenty of time to settle in," said Mr. Crowley. Mandy and Gillian nodded in acceptance.
Mandy and Gillian made the rounds to check on all of their patients. All seemed fine. They would check on them later this afternoon. Luckily, Ginny had been checking on the baby bobcat, feeding him every few hours while Mandy was unavailable. Ginny reported that he had eaten well and was resting comfortably. Ginny was another member of the animal-loving club of Crestview. She had become close to Mandy since her arrival. Ginny's two home schooled kids took every opportunity to learn science hands on with Mandy at the clinic. Mandy was all too happy to help encourage the next generation of scientists.
"I guess we better head back to the clinic to start cleaning up these instruments," said Mandy.
"At least the whole town was here so there shouldn't be any messages," said Gillian.
Chapter 4
They loaded up all of the gear from the morning into the Jeep. Lyle was making her rounds, checking on the cows. She was such a diligent nurse. She could not resist a hurt animal. If they allowed, she had even been known to lick an animal, lovingly providing comfort.
"Lyle, load up," said Mandy. Lyle's ears perked up. She raced from the end of the yards to Mandy, hopping in the Jeep. Although an ailing animal was attractive to her, nothing could compare with a ride in the Jeep.
They arrived back to the clinic. Before they started the clean-up process,
Gillian made cups of tea.
"I feel so under-caffeinated today. I never did get that cup of coffee. What a morning," said Mandy.
"Indeed. It won't take us long to unpack and clean up. Nobody said we couldn't take a little breather, though," said Gillian. Mandy gave Lyle a snack of kibble to recharge her batteries. They all sat in silence, replaying the morning in their heads.
"Did that really just happen?" asked Mandy.
"Sure did," said Gillian. "A train hit a stock truck and dumped out a whole herd of cows. What are the odds?"
"Slim, I would say. We handled it elegantly. You are the perfect nurse in a crisis. Anna would be proud."
"Thanks, Dr. Bell," Gillian said. "You check on the bobcat, I will start unloading from the Jeep." Mandy went to her RV to check on the little guy. She forgot that she had moved him into the clinic since the RV had been flooded in the night. The fans were too much on the infant feline. There was still the RV mess to clean up. Sometimes, when it rains, it pours, Mandy thought.
She went back into the clinic office where the bobcat was set up in the corner. She mixed a new bottle of formula and donned the gloves to handle him. Even though he was the size of a teacup chihuahua, his well-developed claws were already able to inflict significant wounds to the un-gloved handler. They are built to be efficient weapons from birth. Their paws seem to cling to whatever they come in contact with, like four little pads of Velcro. He ate well and was nodding off while she cleaned him. Finished with that task, Mandy went out to join Gillian in the effort to clean up from the morning's events.
"What are all of these towels from?" asked Gillian, pointing to the pile by the washing machine.
"Something burst in the RV last night. Lyle woke me up to tell me the whole place was flooding. I mopped up what I could and went back to bed. I shut the water off until I can get back to it to fix it," said Mandy.
"Whoa. You had a flood and then fixed a couple dozen cows?" asked Gillian. Mandy nodded her head.
"Why don't you stay at Anna's house for a few days? There's no sense leaving that house empty and sleeping in a flooded RV. We can work on fixing it," said Gillian.
"I guess I could while it dries out. I forgot about that house, to be honest. We've been so busy with the clinic," Mandy said.
"Makes sense to me to use what's there. Sometimes you are not the most logical person, Dr. Bell," Gillian said. They worked together to soak, scrub, and wash every piece of gear that they had used for the morning. With two people on the task, it really didn't take long. Once they were finished, it was time to start getting ready for dinner. Gillian decided to go home and change, checking on Hamish while she was home. Mandy, on the other hand, had to gather her things to make Anna's place home base for a while.
Lyle sat in the middle of the RV, looking confused about Mandy's packing activities.
"It's OK. You are coming with me. It will just be for a few days until we get this place cleaned up," Mandy told Lyle, who didn't look any further comforted. Lyle had always lived in the RV. She had never even spent a night anywhere else the entire time she had been in Mandy's life. True, the RV had changed location frequently. It just hadn't dawned on Lyle that there was anywhere else she could sleep.
The final straw was when Mandy collected Lyle's things and put them in a bag. Lyle sat in front of the bag, snuffling through the items. She removed her bowl and put it back in its place in the kitchen. The hippo that Lyle had grown attached to since she was a puppy was in the bag as well. Lyle pulled it out and hopped up on the bed in the back of the RV, sucking on one of its feet.
Mandy had been preoccupied with packing and finally saw Lyle's behavior. She knew she needed to make the departure quickly. It was like removing a band-aid, the quicker it took place, the less time to think about how it might hurt. She gathered everything and loaded it in the Jeep. Lyle jumped in the Jeep next to her bag. They traveled out to Anna's house and started unloading. Mandy unpacked Lyle's bag first, placing the bowl in the kitchen and filling it with kibble for Lyle. Lyle started nibbling but looked perplexed.
"It's only for a few days, Lyle. I need to get ready for dinner and clean my filthy self up. You make yourself at home," Mandy said.
Lyle sniffed around. She found a few cat toys and gathered them on the couch. It was as if she was surveying her new queendom. She seemed to settle down after a while. Mandy was running a towel through her hair upstairs when Lyle joined her. Lyle hopped in the still-wet shower, taking a little spit bath herself.
"You OK now?" asked Mandy. Lyle laid down and sighed. "We are going to the Inn. You get to come along." Lyle's ears perked up at the mention of the Inn. Myrna and Merv had become accustomed to Lyle as a patron. They often had a side dish set out just for her.
Mandy got dressed and decided to have a little cup of coffee. The day had taken its toll on her so there was no risk of the late cup of coffee keeping her up. Without it, there would be a risk of her not being a good dinner date. They had to feed the bobcat a few more times before the night would close.
Chapter 5
Mandy and Lyle were ready to join the civilized world, now that they had washed the hectic day away. They had to drive to the Inn since Anna's house was a little further out of town than the RV. They were the first to arrive so they got a table large enough for the people who were expected to join them. Gillian was the next to arrive.
"Impressive. We are the only females and we spent all day saving lives, and yet we are here before the others," said Gillian.
"Touche," said Mandy. "Everything all good at home?" asked Mandy.
"Yes. I am passed the stage where I cringe when I get home, expecting Hamish to have gotten into some kind of mischief. He is maturing into a very dependable young man. Makes his mama proud," said Gillian. "How about you? Anna's house OK for you?"
"Yes indeed. Lyle took a little adjusting. She is not used to anywhere but the RV for living. We have traveled all over the country together so you'd think she could adjust to anything. And yet, she seemed frazzled." Lyle licked Mandy's hand, in response to her name being mentioned.
"Maybe she is just tired after a long night and then a crazy day," said Gillian.
Gerry walked in and sat down at their table. Before he could say anything, Mr. Crowley and a younger man joined them.
"Folks, this is my son, Barth. He just arrived. Barth, this is Dr. Mandy Bell, Gillian, and Gerry. Where is Larry?" asked Mr. Crowley.
"He had some paperwork and business to attend to. It's just us tonight. He sends his apologies," said Gerry. "Welcome to Crestview," he said, extending a warm handshake to Barth.
"Thanks. And thanks to the whole town of Crestview, including most importantly, those present at this table. Without you guys, we would have surely lost a few cows. They were en route to my place from Dad's. They are the key to expanding my farm to include more Crowley genetics. I can't tell you how much it means to us to know that they were in good hands today," said Barth.
"Our pleasure," said Gerry. Lyle peeked her head above the table as if to acknowledge the thanks given.
Myrna came over to the table to obtain drink orders. Everyone agreed that they had worked up an appetite and would like a little starter before the meal. Myrna suggested her cheese ball platter which interested the table's occupants and their appetites.
"So, tell us more about this little town," Mr. Crowley said, looking at Mandy.
"Oh, I don't know as much as everyone else at this table. I am an import. I came here to help run the clinic since my friend, Anna, passed away. She left it in my care since she had no heirs. My plan was to prep it to sell but these two had different plans. So, here I still sit," said Mandy.
"I can see why they would have sunk their talons into your talent. You are a wonderful addition to this town," said Mr. Crowley.
"Very true. And, to answer your question, Crestview is a town full of people who are interested in keeping traditions alive. We have a large farming community, with crops at the center of our ec
onomy. Several people also have livestock but grain farming is our major industry. We work hard so we like to play hard, too. We have a few festivals throughout the year to bring community together and celebrate our town. The Halloween Hoedown was the last one. The next one is the Christmas Mingler. You should come back for that," said Gerry.
"Yes, you guys should. We have delicious winter treats, ice skating, and a lovely Christmas tree. This year we are hosting a German shorthaired pointer meet, too," said Gillian.
Myrna delivered the appetizer and drinks. The cheese ball was surrounded by tastefully arranged Ritz crackers. The ball itself was rolled in toasted nuts. There was homemade venison salami arranged intermittently with freshly cut pears.
"This is not the cheese ball platter I had in my head. Myrna has stepped it up a notch," said Mandy. She cut into it and smeared it on a cracker. "Oh my gosh, this is delicious. What do you put in it?" asked Mandy to Myrna.
"That is a secret. Cheese balls are a cornerstone of Midwest kitchens. We can have a friendly bake-off in this town no problem. Cheese balls are another story. They have been eliminated as a dish from all potlucks and events. There was an incident at a church function a few years back. Someone was trying to crack the code of someone else's cheese ball. It was not taken as a compliment, if you catch my drift. You have not witnessed a more ridiculous scene than a food fight among pearl-clad, apron-wearing house wives. As a result, the etiquette in Crestview is to enjoy a cheese ball and not ask anything about it," Myrna explained.
"Duly noted. Who knew that a cheese ball could be this town's deep dark underbelly?" Mandy said, laughing.
"Quite entertaining," said Mr. Crowley.
"Not to change the subject. What would we all like this evening for the main meal?" asked Myrna. "Our special is Turkey Manhattans with..."
Before she could tantalize the taste buds of her listeners, everyone chimed in that they would have the special. Myrna hardly ever had the chance to explain her specials. In fact, there wasn't much point in having a menu at all. Almost everyone ordered the special, whether it was for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Myrna and Merv put on wholesome, home-cooked food that pleased the entire town.
