by Wesley Banks
“Kyle, what’s wrong?”
As much as he may not have wanted her there, she could tell from the look in his eye that he needed her help. “I don’t have time to explain. But if you are going to stay, you need to do exactly as I say. Understood?”
Katie didn't say a word, just nodded and followed Kyle to the other end of the barn, where Belle lay dying.
Chapter 13
For what it was worth, Katie tried to listen to Kyle. She tried to follow his detailed instructions, each one crafted as if today her note was simply verbal, not written. But from the moment she saw Belle, she froze.
The dog lay in the corner of the stall near the same recessed hole that Katie had seen her in for the past few days. Only this time, Belle looked different. She lay on her side, breathing hard. White foam had formed around her lips. She tried to lift her head off the dirt floor to look towards Katie, but Kyle gently pushed it back down.
"Calm, girl. Calm."
His voice broke her trance and Katie knelt next to Kyle. "What's wrong with her?"
Kyle didn't respond. "There's another black medical bag on top of the bench, by the tools," he said, motioning to the other end of the barn. She knew exactly where it was, since she was the one who’d put it there.
Katie stood immediately, but before she could turn she saw something lying just a few feet from Belle. There were three small, dark objects curled up in the hay. Motionless. She took a step forward and suddenly realized what they were. Puppies.
She had never seen puppies so small in her entire life. Curled up that way, they could easily fit in one of her hands.
"Are they..." Katie started, but Kyle cut her off.
"The bag. Now."
Katie came running back with the bag seconds later. Kyle was still on his hands and knees. He had pulled on a pair of latex gloves and felt softly up and down Belle’s side.
Kyle immediately unlatched the bag as Katie set it down. He handed her a bottle of antiseptic surgical hand wash. “Wash both hands and put these on,” he said, passing her a pair of clear latex gloves.
By the time she’d finished, he had pulled out what looked like a small turkey baster and several towels. He looked at her intently and spoke slow and clear. “Belle was not able to clean the first three pups. Wipe them down gently with a little bit of water and the towels. Check their noses and mouths for any excess placenta. If they’re showing any difficulty breathing, use the small suction tube to clear the airways.”
Katie nodded her head in understanding, but she didn’t move.
“Do it now.”
It took less than two minutes to check the pups. They were cleaned and appeared to be breathing normally, every now and then making small subtle movements in the hay. Katie breathed a sigh of relief. But as she turned back to Kyle, she knew there were still problems with Belle.
Kyle had lifted Belle’s tail and was applying some type of clear gel-like substance.
Katie knelt beside him, leaving the puppies to wriggle in the hay several feet from her. She looked down at Belle and stroked the patch of tan fur above her eyes.
“It’s okay, Belle. Your puppies are okay. You’re going to be okay.”
But as Katie ran her hand several more times over Belle’s soft fur, she realized something was very wrong. Belle wasn’t panting anymore.
Katie leaned in closer to her mouth, but she heard nothing. Belle was not breathing.
“I need you to keep talking to her, Miss Price. Keep her calm.”
“She’s not breathing,” Katie said urgently. She turned to Kyle and inadvertently grabbed his shoulder. “Kyle, I don’t think she’s breathing.”
Kyle ignored her for a moment. He had placed a small flashlight in his mouth and was looking just below Belle’s tail.
Katie turned her head sideways and placed her ear close to Belle’s mouth again. No sound. She barely noticed the tears streaming down her own face. The only friend she’d had over the last few days now lay motionless in front of her. This was not the kind of story Katie wanted. Then, two large hands wrapped themselves around her shoulders and Doc lifted her to her feet.
It all felt like it was happening so slowly. Like everything was still, when it should be chaotic. People should be running around frantically like they did in the movies when someone was rushed to the emergency room. But in front of her were just two men. There was no army of doctors. No fancy machines beeping out signals and information. Just two men.
And then, suddenly it was like someone had flipped a switch and the world around her was moving faster than she could keep up with.
The last puppy had breached during birth. Usually a puppy would be born tail first or head first, but the fourth—and final puppy—was facing head first with both of its paws pushed forward. Katie later learned this wasn’t uncommon, but had caused dystocia. Basically, Belle couldn’t push the puppy out during birth because of its position in the birth canal.
When Doc arrived, after he had pulled Katie to the side, he lifted Belle’s tail and pulled the puppy out in a matter of seconds. He cut the umbilical cord and cleaned it just as Kyle had instructed Katie, and then sat it with the others. It was fine.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.
Kyle had done everything with such care earlier, but once the puppy was out Katie noticed an increased urgency in his movements. He pushed Belle onto her right side and pressed two fingers about halfway up the inside of her left hind leg.
He quickly moved around to the front side of Belle and straightened her body so her neck wasn’t bent up. Then he leaned in closely.
“I’ve got a pulse, but she’s not breathing,” he said to Doc, the tension audible in his voice.
He moved to Belle’s mouth, opened it, and pulled her tongue forward, looking to clear anything that might be obstructing her airway. There was nothing. He moved one hand under the lower jaw and closed it, placing the thumb of the same hand on top of the muzzle to keep the mouth shut. He cupped his other hand around the muzzle and placed his mouth over the dog’s nose and mouth and blew several quick breaths. He paused and Doc pressed several times on Belle’s stomach, allowing the air to exhale, and then repeated.
What actually took seconds, felt like hours to Katie. And then he stopped.
Katie rushed back over, frantic. “Why are you stopping? You can’t give up—you can’t.”
Doc tried to calm her, but it wasn’t until Kyle said her name that she actually heard anything.
“Katie,” Kyle said. He took her hand and placed it on Belle’s stomach. Katie felt the gentle rise and fall of the dog’s breathing. “Belle is going to be fine.”
Chapter 14
Katie sat on the barn floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, her back against one of the timber poles as she watched Kyle. He inspected each puppy thoroughly, as Doc continued to monitor Belle’s vitals off and on for several hours. There was a small leather-bound notebook tucked away inside the medical box. Kyle gave each puppy a separate page and recorded their temperatures, weight, colors, length, and so on.
He checked their heart rate, inspected their mouths and noses as much as possible, gently toweled them off one last time, and then encouraged them to nurse by placing them close to Belle. Kyle spoke to Katie as he worked through the exercises, explaining what he was doing.
“Nose, eyes, ears,” Kyle said as he put the notebook back in the box and walked over to Katie. He knelt down in front of her and held his hand towards her, palm down.
Katie wiped her eyes and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears. The intimacy of his movement surprised her—up until now, it seemed Kyle went out of his way to avoid her as much as possible. “What does that mean?”
“It’s how you greet a dog. They’re born with only a sense of smell and touch. They can’t open their eyes for seven to ten days, and then their ears won’t start fully functioning until around fifteen days. They’re brought into the world in a specific order. They smell their mothe
r, they see their mother, and then they hear their mother. But when most people greet dogs you’ll notice they make eye contact, say something, and reach for the animal. The dog may respond, but ultimately this type of greeting may startle a pup. When you greet any of the dogs here I want you to remember ‘nose, eyes, ears.’”
Katie nodded and forced a smile as Kyle finished cleaning up. Lot of good that’s going to do, since you don’t even let me around the dogs.
Her eyes were red and itchy from crying, and she felt foolish for breaking down. After several more minutes, she finally stood and went to Belle’s stall, resting her forearms on the top board. Doc was kneeling beside Belle with a stethoscope, gently moving it around her body as she breathed. The puppies lay nearly motionless, except for the subtle rise and fall of their chests as they slept. Occasionally, one of them would twitch.
“Are they dreaming?” Katie asked, motioning towards one of the puppy’s legs as it extended and pulled back quickly several times.
“It is possible,” Doc replied. “But, not probable.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, what would they be dreaming about?”
Katie thought about it for a moment. She recalled what Kyle had said about their eyes and ears not even being opened yet.
“I…I’m not sure.”
Doc tucked the stethoscope back in the black medical bag and shifted his weight to his other knee so he was crouched in front of the puppies. He pointed to the puppy’s leg that was twitching slightly. “These are like brand new bodies for these little guys. They’ve been cooped up inside their momma for several months and their muscles aren’t developed. So, they subconsciously twitch and shake in their sleep. But what they’re really doing is preparing their bodies to walk, and crawl, and scratch, and what have you.”
“That’s actually kind of amazing.”
“Yes, indeed it is.”
Katie watched Doc for several more minutes and realized where Kyle’s attention to detail came from. His hands moved with a natural precision as he re-packed the medical bag with the last of his tools and gently patted Belle on her side.
He groaned slightly as he stood, rubbing the joint around his left knee, and broke the silence that resonated through the barn. Katie looked around for Kyle as Doc closed the door to Belle’s pen, but he was still out with a few of the dogs. She turned back to Belle. “It’s just you and me, girl. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
Chapter 15
Kyle finished with the dogs for the day and walked over to his work bench, which sat a few feet into the barn. The late-afternoon sun cast his shadow lengthwise down the barn floor, where he saw Katie sitting in front of Belle’s pen. She was turned to the side looking in on Belle.
He was surprised to still see her there, especially sitting on the ground. He figured she’d have headed back to the cottage for a shower before dinner. She always smelled of lavender when they sat down to eat, something he had come to like.
She must have heard him enter the barn or toss the broken harness on the table, but if she did, she made no sign of it.
He lifted the two latches on his Craftsman toolbox and opened and slid out the third tray. He pulled out a pair of needle-nose pliers and shut the drawer, looking back down towards Katie. She still hadn’t even looked over his way. He noticed her sweater was caught on a splinter in the timber, revealing her trim, tanned back.
Looking back at the harness on the table, he realized he’d forgotten what he’d come in here to do. He stared down at the harness, an old x-back. His eyes followed the curving lines of the nylon webbing, but his mind was still focused on Katie.
It was odd seeing her sit so quietly. Usually she’d be with her computer, or in the corner with her notebook. Or asking him a thousand pointless questions. I don’t understand why Doc let her stay here. She’s not going to learn anything. Even as he thought the words, though, he realized they weren’t true. To be honest, it was nice to see her like this—sitting with Belle for no reason related to her story. Just kind of being a part of things. Wasn’t this what he had tried to tell her from the beginning?
His eyes continued tracing along the harness until they landed on a silver latch ring that had torn through the material. Flipping the harness over, he saw that the seam had ripped through the backside. There was no way to fix this.
He put the pliers back in the toolbox, shut the tray firmly, and flipped down both latches. Katie had hardly moved. Before he could stop himself, he walked towards her. I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s like an invitation for more questions.
“She looks good,” Kyle said, the dirt and hay crunching lightly under his boots as he stopped next to Belle’s pen. He rested his arms on the top board, and looked down at Belle.
“She’s worried,” Katie said.
He looked at her, surprised. “Worried?”
“Yeah. She’s worried about Hope.”
“Hope?”
“Well, you didn’t tell me her name, so that’s what I’ve been calling her,” Katie said. She motioned to the puppy curled up by Belle’s neck. The same one that had caused the complications earlier today.
Kyle smiled.
“Why is that so funny?” she said with a serious expression.
“I’m not laughing.”
“Then what are you…”
Kyle interrupted her. “I’m just happy that you’re finally starting to see the dogs.”
Chapter 16
Kyle finished cleaning up near his work bench and exited the barn towards the house. Katie watched as he left, leaving her to a moonlit barn full of dogs. She stood up and stretched her legs for the first time in a couple hours, brushing a few pieces of loose hay off the back of her jeans. Dinner would be ready soon, and she’d have to leave Belle.
The barn door creaked and Katie turned to see Kyle sliding it shut. She took that as a hint that it was time to leave.
“Don’t worry, girl, I’ll be back in the morning,” Katie whispered. But as Katie turned to leave she saw Kyle walking towards her carrying a large basket.
When he reached her, he set the basket down and unfolded a large gray towel in front of Belle’s pen.
Katie stood silently and watched as he unpacked two plates covered in tinfoil, a thermos, some silverware, and two glasses.
When he was finished arranging everything he poured the two glasses full of water and sat down on the towel, his back leaning against Belle’s pen and his feet stretched out in front of him.
Kyle started to peel back the foil on his plate and looked up at Katie still standing there. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Did you just make me a picnic?”
Kyle folded the tinfoil twice into a square and set it back in the basket. “Do they not have picnics in California?”
He looked right at her as he asked, holding her gaze. Why is he is so hard to read?
“Of course we have picnics.” She sat down on the towel next to her plate of food. “I’ve just never been on one,” she said under her breath. She pulled the foil off her plate and started to crumble it into a little ball, but stopped and instead folded it neatly as she had watched Kyle do.
Underneath the foil sat a considerable portion of baked beans alongside a large cheeseburger. The sauce from the baked beans was inching towards the burger. Katie moved the burger towards the side of her plate and pulled off the top bun. There was lettuce, what looked and smelled like Thousand Island dressing, and a dark orange cheese with red flecks.
“Pimiento cheese,” Kyle said.
“What?”
“The orange stuff you’re staring at. It’s pimiento cheese. It’s good southern food.”
Katie looked back at Kyle.
“Trust me.”
She picked up her burger and took a huge bite. The cool lettuce crunched against the warm meat and a mixture of the dressing and cheese spilled out the side of the bun and back onto her plate.
As she began to chew, a
piece of lettuce fell out of her mouth. She turned to pick it up off her jeans and found Kyle grinning at her. “What?” she tried to say with a full mouth.
“Sometimes you surprise me,” he said.
Katie finished chewing. “How so?”
Before Kyle could answer, King came trotting in. He sniffed around Katie’s feet and then laid down next to Kyle.
Katie watched King as the dog laid his head across Kyle’s feet. Then she looked around at some of the other dogs watching from their pen. Dixie was sitting directly across the barn with her pitch-black head and amber eyes resting on the toe board of her pen. Spirit was in the adjacent pen, one of her white paws draped over a board, also silently staring back at Katie.
“Will you tell me something about the dogs?” Katie asked.
Kyle scooped up a forkful of baked beans, poured them over the edge of his burger, and took a bite.
From behind her Katie heard the familiar rustle of hay, as Belle shifted her weight over her makeshift paillasse. Shards and bits of stems and leaves poked through the cloth sack.
“Often times when a person looks at a dog they forget that the dog doesn’t look back at them the same way.”
“What do you mean?”
Kyle looked over at Dixie, still laying at the front of the pen. He motioned with his hand. “When she sees you she doesn’t see a pretty brunette girl that loves to write.”
Katie blushed, and tried to focus on something on than the fact that he just called her pretty.
“She sees the way your shoulders are slightly angled towards her. She notices the few strands of hair not tucked behind your ear. She watches the subtle part in your lips.
“The dogs see everything. The way you walk, the lightness or heaviness of a single step. The way you look at things, with curiosity or insecurity. Even the way you breathe. They take the time to notice the details that we often take for granted. All their decisions are based on these details.”
