Gem

by Jane B. Mason

  “I know,” Morgan agreed. “But it could have happened before she came here. It says symptoms might not show up for a few weeks.” She sighed and closed the computer. “There’s no point in worrying, June,” she said for both of them. “Dr. Jessica will be able to tell what’s going on after she runs some tests. In the meantime, let’s go check on our golden girl. I want to see if Sally’s recovered from the lake trip, too.”

  Juniper slid off her stool, suddenly overcome with the desire to see Gem again. She just felt better when they were together. “I’ll see you later, Twig,” she said, scooching the cat off her lap.

  When they got back to the pavilion, Gem was already in the exam room with Dr. Jessica. Morgan leashed up Sally and took her out to the training grounds, while a nervous Juniper scooped up Bud, who was sitting patiently outside the exam room door. The two of them paced, and Juniper fretted. She tried to hold on to hope as tightly as she was holding on to her squirming cat. She and Morgan had to be wrong!

  Dr. Jessica emerged just as Roxanne and Morgan and Sally returned. The doctor wasn’t smiling, and Juniper squeezed Bud so hard he yowled and leaped to the ground. “Is it Lyme disease?” Juniper blurted.

  Dr. Jessica looked surprised for a moment, then gave Juniper a pitying look … the kind Juniper hated more than anything. The kind that made her feel like a baby. “That’s a very good guess,” Dr. Jessica told them all. “But we won’t know for sure until I get results back from the lab.”

  “Will it …” Juniper swallowed hard. “… kill her?”

  Dr. Jessica’s expression turned grave, and she inhaled deeply. “Let’s wait and see what the results are before we start worrying,” she replied.

  Juniper felt her stomach tighten. Too late for that.

  The smell of sautéing onions and mushrooms and celery drifted into Juniper’s snoozing nose, making her open her eyes. Her mother was making stuffing! Juniper loved everything about Thanksgiving dinner, but her mother’s stuffing was her absolute favorite—she liked it even more than her mom’s amazing pumpkin pie or famous lasagna. Her mouth started to water, and then she remembered.

  Gem was sick. Gem wasn’t going to be feeling thankful today … she was going to be feeling awful. Juniper lay in bed feeling awful herself, then began trying to talk herself out of it. Maybe there was some new information … maybe Dr. Jessica’s test results were in. She threw off the covers and got dressed in a hurry. The pull to find out how Gem was doing was so strong that she almost didn’t bother going to the bathroom or brushing her teeth. Almost.

  She knew her mother would want her to eat something, so on her dash through the kitchen she announced, “I’ll be back in a few!” Georgia did not try to stop her, and Juniper suspected that her mother might know the test results already and could probably tell her, but she wanted to be with Gem when she heard them.

  Inside her kennel, Gem could smell Juniper coming. She struggled to get to her feet as the door to the pavilion opened, but her body ached all over and didn’t work quite right. It took a long time just to stand up. Her legs wobbled. And the worst part was that the pains and the wobbles kept moving around inside her body. She never knew what was going to hurt.

  “Hey, girl,” Juniper crooned as she opened the door to the enclosure and watched the pup approach. Gem was limping on her left side, which was different from the day before. She called her back to her bed, sat down beside her, and rested the pup’s head in her lap while a displaced Bud groomed himself near Gem’s water bowl. “Good dog,” Juniper crooned. “Best dog.”

  “Hey there, Juniper.” Roxanne came out of the little office off the main section of the pavilion. She held a bottle of pills in her hand and wore a serious expression as she joined them in Gem’s kennel. She took a breath. “Okay, I don’t want you to freak out. That won’t help anyone.” Roxanne placed a hand on Juniper’s shoulder, a clear sign that the news was bad. Juniper took a deep breath, too, to steel herself.

  “Gem does have Lyme disease.”

  Juniper shuddered and swallowed a sob.

  “That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is medicine for Lyme.” She shook the bottle in her hand lightly. “She’s probably going to be just fine!”

  Juniper swallowed back her tears. “Probably?” she croaked out. “Probably?” That really didn’t seem like enough.

  Roxanne pressed her hand into Juniper’s shoulder, as if physically trying to ground her. “She needs to take antibiotics for six weeks. They should start to work on her symptoms almost immediately.”

  “But what about kidney failure and heart damage?” Juniper asked in a panic. She spotted Bud, still grooming himself. He’d spent the last few days snuggled up with Gem. “Is it contagious?” she practically wailed.

  Roxanne was beginning to feel out of her Juniper-calming depth when the door to the pavilion opened and Georgia appeared. The mother of four did indeed know what Gem’s diagnosis was, and also that the news would hit her youngest hard. Full meltdown mode was, somewhat unfortunately, one of Juniper’s go-tos.

  “It’s Lyme disease!” Juniper cried, jumping up and running to her mom for a hug. Georgia smoothed Juniper’s hair and let her cry it out. When her sobs subsided, she tilted Juniper’s head upward and looked her in the eye. “I think you are the perfect person to give Gem her medicine,” she said. “She knows how much you love her, and it might help her get better.”

  Juniper wiped the tears from her face and nodded. “Okay,” she said. “If you think it will help …”

  “I think it will definitely help,” Georgia confirmed.

  Roxanne nodded her agreement. “Your mom needs to get back to making our Thanksgiving feast.” The trainer’s plans had changed with a sick dog in the house. She was disappointed not to be going to her sister’s for the holiday after all, but the Sterling family feast she’d get to attend instead was a delicious consolation prize. “How about I show you how to tuck the pills in peanut butter?”

  Juniper sniffled and nodded, following Roxanne over to the kitchen-like area of the pavilion, complete with cupboards. It turned out that the pill wrapping was pretty simple—you just covered the capsule in peanut butter and that was it. She fed the pill to Gem, who actually seemed to enjoy it! Juniper smiled for the first time since she’d arrived in the pavilion that morning. She let the pup—and Bud—lick the remaining peanut butter off her fingers, which tickled.

  “Excellent work,” Roxanne said, smiling at the threesome. “I know this is hard, Juniper. But we’re just going to have to—”

  “I know, I know,” Juniper interrupted with a heavy sigh. “Be patient,” she said before anyone else could say the awful words out loud.

  Pedro sat in the skid loader watching Martin lean over the engine, tinkering. The digger had been finicky all fall—slow to turn over and sputtery—and just the other day refused to start altogether. Martin had been working on it a little every day, with Pedro helping out whenever he had time. Martin prided himself on being able to fix things, and was not giving up … not even on a holiday.

  Pedro admired the way Martin, who had a busy schedule to begin with, jumped in to try to teach himself whatever skills he needed to keep things running at the Sterling Center—and there were a lot of them. From buildings to water to electricity to machinery to landscaping … something always needed attention on the ranch, and often many things at once! Martin was a jack-of-all-trades and so good at his behind-the-scenes occupation that his work was almost invisible to others. The ranch was lucky to have him.

  “Pedro!” Martin called, and Pedro realized with a jolt that he hadn’t been watching for the sign that he should try the engine. He quickly leaned forward and turned the key, which yielded a turnover but no start.

  “Okay, turn it back off,” Martin said, wiping his brow and leaning in again. “I’ve got one more idea.”

  Pedro went back to his thoughts. He’d been distracted all morning … distracted and worried about not telling Laurel that Gem had Lyme d
isease the second he’d heard the news. He’d been going back and forth in his mind for hours now. Was it worse to keep Laurel’s hopes up, or dash them before any of them knew how it was all going to turn out? Gem would have been ready to start training with a handler in a few weeks, and now it would be a month at the bare minimum, maybe more. And that was if she didn’t suffer any of the lingering effects of the illness. He just wasn’t sure whether keeping it to himself was the right thing or not. He popped a Sour Patch Kid into his mouth and chewed furiously.

  “Okay, try again,” Martin called.

  This time Pedro was ready. He leaned forward and turned the key, listening as the skid loader engine sputtered once and then roared to life. The two men smiled at each other, savoring their moment of success. That was something!

  Laurel Leon buzzed with energy. She started every day with a run on the beach, but today she felt like she could run forever. She hit her usual six-mile mark and slowed to a walk, and eventually a stop. Shielding her eyes, she looked out at the Pacific Ocean. The water was a steely blue, relatively calm, and glinted in the early morning sunlight. Yes. This morning she had both energy and time, and it seemed like an excellent way to start this new chapter of her life.

  Smiling to herself, Laurel pulled off her sneakers, stashed her house key inside one toe, and placed them next to the leg of one of the light blue lifeguard stands that dotted the long beach. Taking a breath, she charged into the waves in her running shorts and workout top. When she’d made it past the break, she turned and swam parallel to the shore, kicking and slicing through the salt water with her arms, her long limbs propelling her forward. Laurel loved all kinds of water, but salt water always made her body feel particularly buoyant, almost like she didn’t have to do anything to keep herself on the surface. It was a wonderful, freeing floating sensation.

  She swam along the shore for a long while, her mind moving as fast as her body. Today was the day she’d leave to meet Pedro Sundal, the Sterling Center staff, and possibly her next four-legged partner. It was all a bit hard to believe.

  Just thinking about getting a new partner turned her mind to her last canine companion, her sweet Bluto. Though he’d been gone for almost two years, the enormous Lab-and-Newfoundland mix had been her partner and her best friend for a long time before his unexpected illness. If he were still with her, he would be either swimming a few yards away or watching her from the sand, ready to pull her to safety if he noticed anything amiss. Both Labs and Newfoundlands were well-established water dogs, and Newfoundlands had been known to accompany sailors and fishermen on long sea voyages. There were many tales of the large, well-suited-to-swimming dogs saving men from sinking ships in freezing waters. It was just what they did.

  Laurel turned to swim back to her starting point and slowed her stroke. She told herself that this new dog wasn’t Bluto, that Bluto was gone and could not be replaced. Comparing any dog to him could throw off the process of partnering with a new animal. She turned her head slowly, looking out over the sparkling blue of the ocean, and reminded herself to stay open. The whole reason she’d been without a dog for so long was to give herself time to mourn so she could embrace a new dog and a new relationship.

  When she reached her starting point, Laurel put her feet down onto the sand and shuffled out of the water, keeping her feet on the bottom so she wouldn’t step on any stingrays that could be hanging out near the shore. She shook out her short, dark curls—rather like a dog—and dripped back to her shoes. As she stood there getting the sand under her feet wet, she realized that she’d forgotten a towel and laughed aloud. She was usually an extremely prepared person! It was one of the characteristics that made her good at her job. Today, though, she clearly had other things on her mind.

  She sat on a nearby driftwood log for a few minutes until she wasn’t sopping, then let the sun and the breeze dry her the rest of the way on the walk home. After a quick shower, she checked her list, finished packing, and loaded up her Prius for the drive up the coast toward her future.

  Georgia walked through the handlers’ quarters after lunch on the first day of the new year, making sure everything was ready. It had been a challenging several weeks for her clan, what with holiday activities, Gem being sick, and Martin struggling more than usual with equipment problems. But things had finally settled, and she was looking forward to getting back to a regular routine and the upcoming arrival of some new potential handlers … starting this afternoon. She liked it best when the center was full of both dogs and people.

  The dorm-like rooms in the handlers’ lodge sported clean sheets and towels, and had been vacuumed and dusted. The kitchen had been recently restocked and wiped down. The whole space was comfortable and efficient—more like a home than a hotel. It reminded Georgia of the hostels where she and her friends used to stay when they traveled around Europe as teenagers. She hoped the arriving handlers would experience the same welcoming feeling. She also hoped that the handler Pedro had in mind for Gem, who’d be arriving first, was the right match. Their resident human trainer seemed stressed about it in a way that worried Georgia—Pedro was not anxious by nature.

  The door opened, and Georgia’s eldest, Shelby, appeared holding an armful of blankets. “Here are the extras you asked for,” she said, handing them over. Georgia took them and carried them to a linen closet in the hall. “I have to get back to the office. Grandma is so deep in her crossword puzzle,” Shelby chuckled, “I’m not sure she’d notice a ringing phone!”

  Georgia smiled. “I’ll be over in a minute.” Frances, her mother-in-law, was sharp as a tack but had earned the right to be fully retired. Let her lose herself in a crossword! “Have you seen Juniper lately?” Georgia asked before Shelby disappeared out the door.

  “I think she’s with Gem and Roxanne. They’re taking her through some drills.”

  Georgia nodded. She was a little worried about Juniper and this next transition … about Gem working with someone else. She fluffed the couch cushions in the common room, anxious to find a moment to talk to her most dramatic child. Juniper was passionate about everything she did and was more than just bonded to the charismatic golden pup. She was superglued.

  By the time she’d finished giving the space her finishing touches and walked to the welcome center, a silver Prius with a young woman inside was pulling into the parking lot. Georgia watched as a tall brunette unfolded herself from behind the wheel, stretched, and took in her surroundings. The new arrival appeared to be fit and no-nonsense, and Georgia liked both qualities right away. But there was something else … something behind her strong exterior. She looked vulnerable, too. Georgia was the only person on the ranch who could read people as well as Pedro could, and as she watched the woman hoist her backpack, take a breath, and start toward the door of the welcome center, Georgia had another fleeting thought. The young woman looked … lonely.

  “You must be Laurel,” Georgia said, her smile wide as she reached to take the newcomer’s hand. Laurel smiled back warmly.

  “That’s me,” she said. After making eye contact with Georgia, her gaze traveled the walls of the room, taking in the pictures and awards. It already felt like she’d landed in the right place. “I’ve heard so much about your ranch. It’s really a dream to come and meet you all and to have a chance to work with your dogs.”

  “We’re excited to have you,” Georgia replied. She’d barely gotten the sentence out when her whirling-dervish daughter marched in through the back door and stuck out her hand.

  “Juniper Sterling,” she announced, unsmiling. “I’ll show you where to put your bags.”

  Georgia raised an eyebrow at Juniper’s less-than-warm introduction. Walking over to Shelby, she very quietly suggested that she accompany her littlest sister on her “tour” and try to buffer her brusqueness.

  “I’ll try,” Shelby replied, shaking her head slightly. She had the feeling Juniper would be grilling Ms. Leon on just about everything. It wasn’t going to be easy to live up to Juniper Mich
elle Sterling’s standards!

  “Thanks, Liebling,” Georgia said, turning back to Juniper and Laurel. “Shelby can help show you around,” she explained. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Juniper nodded but looked less than pleased as her mother went into her office to answer a ringing phone. A moment later, the other line rang.

  “Just give me a second to take this call,” Shelby said.

  Laurel nodded and smiled.

  Juniper tapped her foot impatiently. She was perfectly capable of leading a ranch tour without Shelby’s help! She let out a puff of air and listened to her sister on the phone, and when it became clear that the call was going to take more than a couple of minutes, she took advantage of the opportunity.

  “Let’s go and let Shelby catch up,” she said, leading Laurel toward the door. “The ranch is so cool! You’re going to love it …”

  Gem stretched out on her bed, enjoying an afternoon nap and feeling the renewed strength in her limbs. Lately she had been feeling so much better! Gone were her aches and pains and limps—the horrible feeling of not wanting to do anything. She was working with Roxanne and Juniper and Morgan again, training a little bit every day. Her tail thumped at the happy thought. She never wanted to feel weak and achy again.

  Lifting her head off the bed, she got to work licking the gray tabby kitty, who had become her almost-constant kennel companion. She loved the way the small cat’s ears tasted like buttered fish. She loved the soothing sound he made when they were curled up together. The rumble filled Gem with the warm feeling she remembered from when she and Lexa would snuggle together in the girl’s bed long ago.

  Through the time of being sick and feeling awful, Bud’s company had helped Gem get through the long, difficult days. It was so nice not to have to lie aching in her kennel by herself. And now that her legs and neck and back didn’t hurt and food tasted delicious again (thank goodness—not wanting to eat made her tail hang low), she liked having Bud around just as much.