These Sorrows We See

by Schultz, Tamsen

“So, cleanup will start tomorrow?” she asked.

  Dash nodded. “Yes, but we should try to get as much sleep as possible now. If any animals were hurt, I’ll have some calls coming in tonight.”

  Matty hadn’t really thought of a vet being on call like other doctors, but of course it made sense, especially in an emergency situation. They finished their meal in companionable quiet and then, even though the storm was over, opted to be safe and head back downstairs to the most protected part of the house. After curling up in bed, they didn’t talk much more; the first call came not long after they’d finally fallen asleep.

  Dash was already up and moving toward his now-dry clothes, even as he answered his phone. Half asleep, Matty listened to his side of the conversation. She woke more each second as it became clear through Dash’s questions that something had happened up at Trudy’s farm. Knowing how close a tornado had come to them and the number of horses they had, she couldn’t even begin to fathom how spooked the animals must have been and what they might have done. At least she hoped it was something like that, rather than any injuries resulting from a direct hit of the storm.

  Thinking of Trudy and her daughter Mara, Matty pulled back the covers and made to rise just as Dash finished the call.

  “You don’t need to come,” he said, buttoning his shirt.

  “What happened? It wasn’t Mara’s little foal, was it?”

  Dash had disappeared into the bathroom to splash cold water over his face but popped back out to answer her question as he dried himself off with a small hand towel. “No, both Trudy and Mara are fine, as are the barn help they have and Mara’s foal. Two of the broodmares are in distress and Trudy’s afraid they are going to miscarry.”

  Matty frowned, she’d never heard of a horse miscarrying before. Then again, everything she knew about horses she’d learned in the last few weeks.

  “What does that mean?” she asked, her feet hanging off the bed.

  Dash came back into the room and sat at the end of the bed to pull his shoes on. “Well, for the owner it could mean a huge financial loss. The mares are top producers for him and the babies come from stallions that the owner paid well into the six figures to breed to the mares. But more importantly, if the mares lose the babies, they may also lose their own lives, which is what we really want to prevent. Hopefully, if we can get them stabilized, we can save both; but if things go bad, we’ll be focusing on saving the mares.”

  “I’ll come with you. Trudy may need help with Mara or something,” she said, rising.

  Dash walked over to her with a smile curving his lips. “I appreciate it, I really do. But I suspect this will be the first of many, many calls tonight. I’ll probably even call in some favors from some out-of-area vets that don’t usually serve this region but will at a time like this. You should stay here and sleep,” he added.

  She frowned. “And be useless? I’m not very good at ‘useless,’ Dash.”

  That made him chuckle. “I hadn’t noticed,” was his sardonic reply. “But seriously, if you want to help, and I know you do, there will be tons of cleanup tomorrow. And neighbors will be checking on neighbors—people may need help getting to doctor appointments, that kind of thing.”

  “Things where I can actually be useful,” she said, still not loving the idea of sending Dash out into the night, but seeing his point.

  He nodded. “Yes, things you’d be very good at. I have no doubt my mom will be in the thick of it. Why don’t you get some rest? When you wake up, text me and I’ll call my mom, or you can call her directly.”

  Matty thought this over for about a second then nodded. It just made more sense to go where she would be the most useful; and keeping Dash company, as appealing as it was, probably wasn’t the best use of her energies.

  Dash bent down and kissed her. “Thanks, now get some rest. Or actually—before you get some rest—do you happen to know if Brad had a chain saw?”

  She blinked at Dash. “A chain saw?”

  Dash nodded. “I keep a small handsaw in my truck, but if there are trees down on the roads, I’ll need something more powerful.”

  Matty thought for a moment. “I’m not sure if there is a chain saw, but he does have a lot of tools in the garage.”

  Dash motioned for her to stay in bed, saying he’d check the garage on his own, then gave her one more kiss before heading up the stairs. She heard his boot-clad feet on the floor above her and the kitchen door opening then closing. When she heard the key turn in the lock, she lay back down, pulled the covers up, and thought about just how much her life had changed since she’d answered her half brother’s call.

  A few minutes later, she heard a chain saw rev, run a minute or so, and then go off. Figuring Dash must have been testing it to make sure it worked, she smiled, imagining him wielding the tool. Then it really hit her what he might encounter out there—not just downed trees, but possibly downed power lines and flooding, as well. And if the rest of the area had lost power, too, there would be no streetlights in town, no working traffic lights. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and, not wanting to distract Dash but not wanting to keep silent, she texted him a short message telling him to be safe.

  His reply, “Always. Go to sleep,” made her smile. After a few moments, she cuddled down into the blankets and let the warmth lull her back to sleep.

  CHAPTER 19

  MATTY WOKE UP JUST BEFORE DAWN. Even though her body was still sleepy, she roused herself—she knew the day would be long and, depending on the destruction from the storm, emotionally difficult. The dogs jumped up as soon as she threw the covers off and she remembered that they hadn’t been out since the evening before. They were probably both hungry and in need of a bathroom break. Lucy, who’d jumped onto the bed sometime after Dash had left, cocked her head and started to bounce from side to side.

  Although Lucy put on a good show, Matty went to check on the rabbits first. They seemed content to be hanging out in the tub, but she knew they too would need food and water soon. She pulled on her clothes from the day before figuring she could shower and change into something clean once she’d taken care of the animals and done a check of the property. At some point in the night the power had come back on and when she walked into the kitchen the clocks were all blinking at her.

  Not wanting to let the dogs out without first checking things outside, she pushed past them and locked them inside as she stepped out into what looked like just another beautiful summer day. If branches hadn’t littered the fields behind the house or mud caked the gravel driveway, there would have been no indication of what had happened less than twelve hours before.

  As she headed for the chickens, she pulled out her phone to text Dash, then called his mom to arrange for a time to meet. Her plans were set by the time she reached the chicken coop and the chickens, in all their chicken glory, looked completely oblivious to everything that had happened. They sat on their perches in their coop and looked at her as if to ask what she was doing up so early. Their vacant little stares made her laugh as she opened the coop to let them out into their garden area. One by one, they rose, made a few clucking noises, and ambled down the ramp.

  Matty collected the eggs to add to her ever-replenished stock, then swung by the rabbit hutches to make sure the cages were in good condition before she brought the animals back out. The gardens looked beaten down, but nothing seemed to have been pulled from its roots and the cows were already back to grazing in the field—assuming they’d ever stopped. With everything looking a little worse for wear but safe and in decent repair, she headed back to the house and let the dogs out.

  All five went tearing in different directions. She watched them for a moment before stepping back inside and filling their food bowls. At the sound of kibble hitting metal, all the dogs were back inside within seconds and in such an ecstatic rush that they nearly knocked her over, even as she laughed at their behavior.

  Once all the animals were taken care of and back in their rightful places, including the cats w
ho had each made an appearance at feeding time, Matty grabbed her own quick breakfast, showered, and changed into jeans, sturdy shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt, then climbed into her car and made her way into town to meet Mary Kent.

  The roads weren’t too bad. A couple of large, downed branches had turned two-lane roads into one-lane roads in some places, but the few drivers she encountered between her house and downtown Windsor were cautious and conscientious—no one wanted to cause any more problems than the community was already faced with.

  As she pulled into town, she grabbed a parking spot in front of Spin-A-Yarn and walked the rest of the way to the central meeting place of the cleanup volunteers. Mary had given her directions and told Matty she would meet her there. She wasn’t sure what to expect, had never been involved in anything like cleaning up after a tornado, but Mary had assured her she would be much needed.

  When she reached the meeting spot, a parking lot on the north end of Main Street a few doors south of the police station, she was momentarily taken aback by all the activity.

  A large tent had been erected, giving shade and shelter to the volunteers and coordinators. A generator was running and she saw both Rob, from The Tavern, and the infamous Frank, handing out coffee and bagels to anyone who asked. A few firemen were partaking of the donations at tables scattered throughout the space.

  Matty knew that the firemen had probably been on the job for hours, and though she could see fatigue showing through in a few of them, most of them looked more interested in wolfing down their breakfasts and getting back to work than taking a break.

  “Matty.”

  She turned to her right and saw Dash’s mom coming toward her. To Matty’s surprise, Mary enveloped her in a hug then stepped back.

  “I’m glad you’re okay and made it through the night,” the older woman said.

  “And you too,” Matty responded. “Now, tell me what I can do,” she said with a sweeping gesture of her hand encompassing the tent. There were a number of people on phones, some bent over what looked like maps, and several going through boxes.

  “We’re pretty covered here, but I was hoping you might be able to head out and check on some of our seniors that live alone? All the churches in town have given us lists of the seniors they provide services to and we’ve all added anyone else we might know that probably should be checked up on. You’ll have to be in the car most of the day, but it would be really helpful.”

  “And I can help, too, Mrs. Kent, if you like.”

  Matty spun at the voice and saw Kit Forrester, the author Vivi had introduced her to, walking toward them. Matty smiled. “Kit, it’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Matty,” Kit answered as she, too, stepped forward and gave Matty a hug. “I’m glad you all are okay.”

  “Kit, dear,” Mary said, also greeting her with a hug, “it would be lovely if the two of you could go together. It’s always better to travel in pairs. Now, come with me,” she said, directing them to a table.

  After reviewing the list with Mary, Kit and Matty spent some time looking at the map of the county and selecting a route. Once they felt fairly confident in how they should proceed, Matty followed Kit to her Land Rover and they plugged the first address into the GPS.

  Thankfully, the weather that day was cooperative. The heat of the previous few weeks hadn’t returned, and though the storm had cooled things off, it wasn’t too cold either. Which was good because most of the people they visited still didn’t have power. Several of the folks were just fine and happy for the visit, but not in need of anything. Some were in need of food and a few needed their prescriptions filled. To the best of their ability, Kit and Matty worked with Mary over the phone to get everything done that needed to get done. They also made notes on property conditions so that later, when all the vital recovery work was finished—fallen trees removed from roads and power restored—volunteers would be able to go back and help clean up yards and gardens and make minor repairs.

  They’d reached everyone on the list by about one o’clock, so Matty and Kit returned to the volunteer tent to help Frank and Rob serve food and coffee. Vivi and Ian stopped by in the late afternoon to check in and Matty and Kit shared a cup of coffee with Carly just as the sun was starting to set. It was a long day, but people were buoyed by the fact that there were no fatalities. Everything else they could deal with.

  She and Dash had touched base several times. One of the two pregnant mares at Trudy’s farm had miscarried but he’d managed to save the mother. The other mare had settled down and looked to be holding on to her foal. As for other calls, there were several animals that had gotten caught in fences when they’d panicked, a few dogs and cats with cuts and scrapes, and the worst was a partial barn collapse at one of the local dairy farms. The farmer had lost several cattle, but Dash had joined in with the farm hands to clear the rubble and had been able to save most of those left trapped.

  As she headed back home, looking forward to a hot shower and long night’s sleep, she dialed Dash’s number on her Bluetooth.

  “Matty.” She could hear the fatigue in his voice.

  “Hey, how are you?” she asked.

  It took him a second to answer. “Tired, really tired. A lot of good people have been through a lot today.”

  “I know. Is there anything I can do?” She turned left and crossed over the railroad bridge.

  “Thanks, but no. I think I’m good. I have one more call I need to get to, then I want to check in with my folks.”

  “Want me to have dinner ready?”

  He sighed. “I wish I could come over tonight, I really do. Believe me, very little sounds better than that right now. But I need to restock the truck with supplies. Most of the things are at the clinic, but I also have some stuff at home. I’m tempted to let it be, but if I don’t get to it this evening and I get another call tonight and I’m not ready . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “You do what you need to do, Dash,” Matty said. She’d miss him tonight, but she understood that he needed to be stocked up on supplies. He sounded so tired that she would rather he just stay home once he got there and get a few more minutes of sleep. “Just let me know if I can do anything to help.”

  “Thanks, Matty, I appreciate it, I really do. I wish—”

  “I know what you wish, but go take care of yourself,” she said, cutting him off. He didn’t need to feel guilty for not spending one night at her house. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll probably be back at the volunteer center, so just give me a call when you wake up.”

  He paused then let out a long breath again. “Okay, will do.”

  She smiled to herself. “And be safe,” she added.

  She heard the answering smile in his voice. “Always, and you too. Sleep tight.”

  They ended the call just as she pulled onto the road that led to her house. As she drove past her neighbor’s house she was relieved to see the lights on and Elise moving around inside. The yard looked picked up already, and though Matty knew it would be neighborly to stop by and check, she decided that Elise looked safe and well enough that tomorrow would do.

  She drove on and pulled to a stop in front of her house. Her house. It was weird to think of it like that now. It really was hers. Not just a place she was staying.

  With that thought bringing back memories of her half brother, she climbed out of the car and let the dogs out. As they foraged and gallivanted, she called Douglas. She knew from Rob that her father had weathered the night just fine, but Douglas had called earlier in the day to check on her. She hadn’t answered the phone, but rather texted him that she was fine.

  She kept the conversation short then called the dogs in. Phoning both her mom and Charlotte as she took care of the evening feeding for all the animals, she was done with everything she needed to do in a short amount of time. Showering and crawling into bed, she thought about her day; she thought about what it was like to help the community recover, about the senior citizens she’d met, about her conversations
with Kit and Carly. It had been the long, exhausting day she’d known it would be, but when she finally closed her eyes, a feeling of contentment rested easily on her shoulders.

  ***

  Dash was beyond exhausted when he walked into Frank’s Café. He’d stopped by the volunteer tent, and though it was still buzzing with activity, his mom had gone home and Frank had moved operations back to his regular location after the power had been restored. Dash called and checked in with his folks as he walked the short distance to the café. He was pretty sure Frank was suspending the no-cell-phone rule, but Dash didn’t want to take the risk since he desperately needed a cup of coffee, so he hung up before opening the door to the empty café.

  “Dash,” Frank said, looking up from cleaning the espresso machine.

  “Frank, I’m glad you’re still open,” Dash said as he approached the counter.

  “I’ll be open for a while,” Frank said with a shrug. Dash eyed the man. Despite his surliness, Frank was committed to his community.

  “Have any coffee left?” Dash asked.

  “For here or to go?”

  “For here, if you don’t mind. I’d like to sit down for a while before I go by the clinic to restock.”

  Frank poured a big cup as they talked about the injuries to the animals Dash had seen throughout the day, but by the time Dash sat down at one of the tables for two, Frank had disappeared into the back, leaving him to sit alone in the quiet café.

  He was almost done with his coffee when a man he didn’t recognize walked in. It wasn’t as though Dash knew everyone in town, but this man, with his pressed khakis, button-down shirt opened just so, and sports jacket, just didn’t look like he fit in. Not today, especially. Dash frowned and wondered if he was a reporter. He knew a few had been in town throughout the day, but while the tornados were big news to people who lived in Windsor, with no fatalities, most of the media had wandered off by early afternoon.

  “Excuse me,” the man called, stepping up to the counter. Frank came out from the back of the café, wiping his hands on a dishcloth.