by Anne Chase
Tears threatened. "Rebecca was my great-grandmother's name. I'm named after her."
"You don't mind?"
"I'm honored," Becca said, getting a little choked up. "This little lady here in my arms is the sweetest thing ever."
24
They heard the kitchen door open and Nicked stepped in, a gust of winter air pushing in behind him. He took a bottle of mother's milk from inside his coat and handed it to Marianne, then stepped up to the sink next to Becca and checked the baby llama's temperature. "Good," he said. "She's warming up nicely."
He took the bottle from Marianne. "Let's see if this little gal is ready to drink." He rubbed a bit of the colostrum on the nipple of the bottle, then brought the bottle to the baby's mouth. The baby, reacting instinctively to the smell and taste, took the nipple into her mouth and started sucking down the colostrum.
Becca gasped. "She's drinking it."
"She sure is," Nick said.
"How's Daisy?" Marianne asked.
"Back on her feet," Nick said.
"No afterbirth?"
"Not yet. Fingers crossed, sometime soon."
Marianne looked out the window. "I just realized your snowmobile is out in the snow. I'll run it into the garage."
"I can do that," Nick said.
"No, let me," she said. "You stay here with Becca and Rebecca."
He nodded, reached into his pocket and handed her the keys. Then he realized what Marianne had said. "Rebecca?"
Marianne gave him a smile. "Nice name, isn't it?" Without another word, she headed out to take care of the snowmobile.
In Becca's arms, the baby llama was suckling ferociously on the bottle.
Nick turned toward her, a grin on his face. "Rebecca?"
"Could have knocked me over with a feather," Becca said. "She named her out of the blue."
From outside, they heard the roar of the snowmobile's engine.
"What's next for Daisy and Rebecca?" Becca asked.
Nick's expression became serious. "Daisy needs to pass her afterbirth. After that happens, she needs to let Rebecca start nursing."
"Is any of that difficult?"
"Not usually. Natural instinct kicks in most of the time. But these two have just been through a rough birth. We'll have to keep a close eye."
The baby shifted in her arms. The colostrum in the bottle was almost gone.
"You've done really well tonight," he said. "You didn't hesitate to jump right in."
"I'm glad I was able to help."
She gazed up into his deep brown eyes. There was an intensity there. She saw appreciation and respect and fondness, along with — her heart leaped —
At that second the kitchen door whipped open and Marianne dashed back in. A cold gust of air filled the room. "Got the snowmobile into the garage," she said as she shut the door tight. "Boy, this storm's a doozy."
"Thanks," Nick said, shifting back into veterinarian mode. "Rebecca's taking the colostrum well."
"Good," Marianne said.
"When she's done with the bottle, we'll bring her back to the barn."
"And then?"
"We wait."
"The bottle's almost empty," Becca said.
"Excellent," Nick said. He watched the baby finish off the last drops, then put the bottle back into his coat pocket. "I can carry her out there, if you want."
"No, I'll take her," Becca said.
"Hold your horses, young lady," Marianne said. "Your arm is soaked. Before you go outside, let's get you into something warm and dry."
Becca gave Nick a smile as Marianne hustled out of the kitchen. "Marianne's really great."
"She sure is," Nick said. He looked at her like he wanted to say something — like he wanted to return to the moment they'd had before Marianne burst in — but he heard Marianne's footsteps returning and held off.
Marianne carried in a towel, long-sleeved undershirt, and red sweater. "Doc and I can get Rebecca out of the water while you dry off. You can step into the other room to change into these dry clothes."
Becca paused, instinctively rebelling about letting go of the baby llama.
"We've got her," Nick said gently. "Scoot."
Becca sighed. "Okay." Slowly, she removed her arm from the sink and let Nick and Marianne move in to support baby Rebecca. Arm dripping, she grabbed the towel and dried herself off, then picked up the undershirt and sweater and headed into the next room, which turned out to be the dining room.
Quickly, she changed into the long undershirt, then shrugged into the red sweater. From where she stood next to the dining table, she could hear Marianne and Nick talking, though she couldn't make out the words.
She stepped back into the kitchen, picked up her heavy winter coat, and slipped into it. "Ready to go," she said.
Marianne nodded and, with Nick's help, took the baby llama out of the warm sink. Quickly, they dried the plastic bag covering the baby's body and wrapped her in a fresh towel.
"Here we go," Marianne said as she placed the baby in Becca's arms.
"Hey, girl," Becca cooed to her little namesake.
"You two are so adorable together. Don't you agree, Doc?"
"Completely adorable," Nick said immediately. When Becca's gaze met his, he blushed and shifted back into vet mode. "Let's get going."
Together, they returned to the barn. When Becca reached the stall, she saw that Daisy was back on her feet, with Angus next to her, whispering softly in her ear. "Look who's back," he said to her. "Your brand-new baby girl."
Nick said, "Okay, I'll take her from here." Becca handed him the baby. He stepped into the stall, set the baby llama on the hay, carefully removed her from the plastic bag, then stood back.
"Okay, little gal," he said, "time to stand up."
Baby Rebecca looked at Nick quizzically before turning her head toward her mother. Daisy looked at her baby with interest, then stepped forward to nuzzle her.
The baby llama bleated and her little legs moved. Guided by instinct, she twisted her legs into position and, wobbling and shaking, rose from the hay.
Or least tried to. With a bleat of surprise, the baby llama stumbled and fell back into the hay.
"Oh no!" Becca said.
"It happens," Marianne said. "She'll try again."
Becca's eyes filled again with tears as the baby llama recovered from her tumble. She bleated again, then moved her legs into position and —
Stood up!
Wobbling wildly, Baby Rebecca lurched sideways, her legs moving awkwardly beneath her as she tried to remain standing. She turned her head to look at her mother, then stumbled into Daisy's front legs.
Becca's heart jumped with concern. What if Baby Rebecca fell again?
But falling again didn't appear to be in the cards — not if this little gal had anything to say about it. Almost by the second, the baby's sense of balance seemed to improve.
Angus thumped Nick on the back. "Look at her, Doc," he said. "She's doing great."
Marianne said, "Now for her mama."
"Daisy needs to start nursing, right?" Becca asked.
"That's right," Marianne said, "but first she needs to pass her afterbirth."
"How soon before that happens?"
"Hopefully soon," Marianne said. She turned to Angus. "How about I get us some of that Christmas Eve dinner we were about to enjoy when Daisy decided to interrupt us?"
"You read my mind."
Marianne turned to Becca. "Becca, you want to help?"
"Of course!" Becca said.
"Back to the farmhouse we go."
25
It ended up being the most unusual Christmas Eve dinner that Becca had ever had. Back in the kitchen, she and Marianne used the microwave to reheat hearty helpings of cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, along with thick slices of homemade bread and honeyed ham.
"We were supposed to go to my daughter's place across town for dinner," Marianne explained, "but when the storm hit, we realized we wer
e stuck, so I started getting dinner ready for just the two of us. Angus went out to check on Daisy, and that's when our plans for a nice quiet Christmas Eve dinner went out the window."
Becca breathed in the aroma of the homemade food. "Everything smells so delicious."
Marianne smiled, then set a basket on the kitchen table. "Let's get everything into the basket. I'll get plates and napkins and utensils."
Becca added the containers of hot food to the basket.
"One more thing, and we're ready," Marianne said as she slipped a thermos into the basket, along with four mugs.
"What's that's?" Becca asked, curious.
"A Christmas surprise," Marianne said with a smile.
Becca grinned. "I love Christmas surprises." She picked up the basket. "I'll carry."
"You sure? It's heavy."
"I got it."
With Marianne leading the way, they made their way back to the barn. When they returned to Daisy's stall, Becca saw the mama llama and her new baby nuzzling each other.
"Any nursing yet?" Marianne asked.
"Not yet," Angus said. "No afterbirth yet."
"So we ... wait?" Becca said.
"We wait," Angus said, eyeing the basket of food. "Doc, let's wash up."
The two men went to the barn's sink and soaped up while Becca knelt next to the basket. She took out the plates and set them and utensils on top of paper towels on a bale of hay.
Nick and Angus returned, and the four of them, using bales of hay as seating, dug into the hot food, filling their plates with the delicious Christmas dinner.
"Mmmm," Nick said, his mouth full of stuffing. "This is amazing, Marianne."
"Oh, my," Becca said as delicious mashed potatoes tingled her taste buds, "this is so good!"
"I'm a lucky man to be married to this woman," Angus said as he tore into the honeyed ham.
Marianne smiled with pleasure. "I'm just happy we're all here to celebrate a joyous occasion." She picked up the thermos and opened it, then poured the drink inside into the four mugs. One by one, she handed them a mug.
Becca brought hers close to her nose and breathed in. Heated air scented with cinnamon and spice filled her lungs. Hot apple cider — so heavenly!
"A toast," Marianne said, "to Dr. Nick."
"To the doc!" Angus said.
With a modest nod, Nick accepted the toast, and together the four of them drank.
Warmth rushed through Becca as the cider did its magic. What a perfect treat to have in this hay-filled barn, after a long evening of caring for a wonderful pair of animals. The barn creaked from a gust of wind, a reminder of the storm still swirling outside.
Angus set his mug down and looked at Nick. With a quick glance at Becca and a twinkle in his eye, he said, "Sorry we interrupted your date, Doc."
Nick blinked with surprise. "Oh," he said quickly. "We weren't on a date."
"No, not a date," Becca said, rushing to agree with him, her heart suddenly racing.
"Becca and Bowzer were caught in the snowstorm," Nick explained to Marianne and Angus.
"We were a bit lost, to be honest," Becca added right away.
"I was out chopping wood."
"And Bowzer caught his scent."
"Suddenly, Bowzer came bounding up."
"He got off the leash."
"He took me by surprise."
"But I was so grateful Nick was there," Becca said.
"I knew they needed to be out of the storm."
"And Nick offered us shelter in his cabin."
"I was happy to help out."
"And I was grateful."
"We were making hot cocoa when you radioed," Nick said.
"His grandmother's recipe. So delicious."
"Just hanging out by the fire."
"Bowzer was getting to know Nick's cat, Divina."
"So it wasn't a date," Nick said.
"Nope, not a date at all," Becca agreed.
She and Nick stopped their rushed explanations and waited for Angus and Marianne to respond. For a long second, the farming couple didn't move a muscle.
Then they both laughed!
"Not a date?" Angus said, and laughed some more.
"Oh, you two," Marianne added.
A perplexed-but-pleased look appeared on Nick's face, like he was confused about why his story was being challenged but at the same time was enjoying it.
As for herself, Becca knew her face was flaming red. Her cheeks always betrayed her when she was feeling self-conscious. And she was certainly feeling self-conscious right now!
Marianne noticed and chuckled some more, but mercifully decided to back off. "Okay, Angus and I will stop teasing. You two are new friends — that's all. Message received, loud and clear."
Becca glanced at her "new friend" and found him already looking at her. Their eyes locked for a long second before Becca tore her gaze away. "Marianne," she said briskly, "this hot apple cider is delicious. Would you mind sharing the recipe?"
Marianne gave her a knowing look but merely said, "Of course."
Angus was about to add something when a moan from the stall diverted him. He rose to his feet and looked in. "Good news — the afterbirth's here."
Nick stood and followed his gaze. "And it's looking normal," he said after a moment. "A good sign."
Curious about what it looked like, Becca walked up the stall and saw a big red gloppy mess protruding from Daisy's backside. A bit gross, if she was being honest, but also fascinating. "What comes next?"
"Fingers crossed," Nick said, "what comes next is that Daisy allows baby Rebecca to nurse."
26
Marianne began gathering up the plates, and Becca moved to help her.
"No, young lady," Angus said, "you stay here with Doc."
"You sure?" Becca said.
Angus nodded, so Becca returned her attention to the stall. Daisy moaned softly and took several steps forward.
"Do she need our help?" Becca asked Nick, gesturing toward the afterbirth that was still not yet fully expelled.
"No," Nick said. "It's best if she expels it on her own."
Next to her mother, baby Rebecca was gaining confidence in her newfound walking skills. With every awkward step, she seemed to be getting stronger and more surefooted.
"How about the baby llama?" Becca asked. "She doing okay?"
Nick nodded. "She's doing great. Looks like the colostrum went down well."
"So the only remaining big step is ... nursing?"
"That's right. As soon as the afterbirth is expelled, Daisy should allow Rebecca to nurse."
She heard the barn door open and shut as Marianne and Angus took what was left of the Christmas Eve dinner back to the farmhouse. For the first time since arriving at the farm, she and Nick were alone.
She felt it then — a hint of the self-consciousness that had hit her before. The feeling intensified as his focus turned toward her. "Thank you for everything you've done here tonight," he said. "You've been a huge help."
"Oh, I was happy to pitch in. I've never done anything like this before — I'm grateful I had the opportunity."
Daisy chose that moment to moan softly again. Nick gestured to the two llamas. "I'm relieved these two gals are doing as well as they are. They've had a rough day."
"If you had asked me yesterday about what I'd be doing on Christmas Eve, never in a million years would I guessed I'd be in a hay-filled barn with a mama llama and her brand-new baby."
Nick grinned. "What did you expect you'd be doing?"
"Oh, that's easy. I thought I'd be in my cottage in front of a roaring fire, decorating a gingerbread house to bring to Hettie Mae's tomorrow."
"You're going to Hettie Mae's for Christmas Day dinner?"
"She wanted to make sure I didn't spend Christmas Day alone."
"I'm glad to hear that. I wouldn't want you to spend Christmas alone either."
She was about to ask Nick about his plans for Christmas Day when she heard the barn door open. Maria
nne and Angus were back.
"Storm's passing," Angus said.
"How's Daisy?" Marianne said.
All of them turned toward the mama llama. At that very moment, the afterbirth fell onto the hay.
Becca's gasped, and Marianne let loose with a pleased "Hurrah!"
Nick put on a pair of gloves. "Do you have another plastic bag?"
"Sure thing," Marianne said. She turned toward the basket of supplies that she and Becca had gathered earlier that evening. Nick took a bag from and stepped into the stall and quickly gathered the afterbirth.
"Did I read somewhere that some animals eat their afterbirth?" Becca asked.
Nick nodded. "Some do, but not llamas. We'll get this out of here to make sure it doesn't attract foxes or coyotes." He tied up the bag and handed it to Angus, then turned back toward Daisy and gave her a quick examination.
Satisfied, he said, "Let's see if she's ready to nurse." He turned around and gently guided baby Rebecca to her mother's belly, then stood back.
Baby Rebecca didn't need any help after that. Instinctively, the little lady seemed to know exactly what to do. Her snout and mouth zeroed in on her mother's tender teats and —
She began nursing!
Daisy's head whipped around to look at her new baby and —
She allowed her baby to nurse!
"Oh my!" Becca gasped.
Angus laughed with relief. Marianne sighed and clasped her hands. Together, the four of them watched mom and daughter bond as the little one drank more of the life-affirming goodness of her mother's milk.
"You did it, Doc!" Marianne said.
Angus was beaming. "These two wouldn't have made it without you. Thanks so much for coming out through this storm."
"Just doing my job," Nick said.
"Oh, what a relief," Marianne said.
Nick stepped out of the stall. "Looks like these two are going to be okay. No more need for us to stand vigil out here." He bent down to repack his duffel bags and vet kit. "Maybe you could check on them before you go to bed?"
"Sure thing," Marianne said.
While Nick finished packing, Becca stepped closer to the nursing baby. "Bye bye, little Rebecca. I'll come see you soon."
