The Imperfect Truth of Diamond Hearts {Kellin Quinn Sequel}

13 - The Story

    I walked into the clinic, the familiar scent of sanitation and horse drifting into my nostrils; a wave of comfort flowed through me, the faint memory of panic now leaving me as I shook off the image of my body in a hospital cot.  I was just tired from working too hard and fighting with Kellin.  Today I had work to do so that I could make it to the kids’ school in time to pick them up this afternoon since Kellin was on a flight to some big city so that he could play big shot again.  As jealous as I was, I couldn’t help being slightly proud of my man.  He still had it in him to go out and save people with his lyrical magic; that alone was enough to make him being gone a little less painful.  I wasn’t sure how many tours he would get in once the two of us turned forty and that was only a few years away; as mad as I had been at him, once he came to the play I was all sunshine and butterflies.

    That didn’t negate the fact that I sorely missed him.  I hadn’t slept alone in my own bed in six years and ended up having to invite one of the dogs to come cuddle with me.  I wasn’t sure if Hunter or Kiera would be too keen on sleeping next to Mom now that they were big bad sixth graders.  It would be nice just to have another body in bed with me though…guess the dog wasn’t the worst sleeping partner I could have at this point.

    A sigh escaped me as I continued on my stroll, checking charts and making sure the horses that were under observation were eating.  Surprisingly enough, things were going well this morning.  The horse I had stitched back together in an emergency call a few nights back showed no signs of infection nor a lapse in his appetite; Gunther hung his chestnut colored head over his stall door, waiting for me to come see him.  The sizable slice in his chest, however, was enough to make anyone cringe.  When he had come in, I was shocked that I couldn’t see his heart beating and was even more surprised that I had been able to put him back together well enough.  I smiled and pet him on the forehead; he had a soft spot in my heart.

    The next on the list of emergencies was a rambunctious bay colt with a leg injury that I had managed to fix, but the extent of the wound had forced me to keep him here for a few days observation.  I was afraid that too much activity would cause a fracture in the weakened bone; the stupid youngster had gotten caught in a fence.  Jaeger whinnied and trotted in his tiny pen, still as energetic as ever.  That injury hadn’t slowed him down one bit and he didn’t seem to be showing many signs of pain to my relief.  He would be going home this evening or in the morning, depending on how the changing of his bandages went.

    The last was a mare, Sara, in her final days of pregnancy who I had suspected might have a difficult delivery.  As precaution, I had the owners bring her here so that I could take the reins if need be.  She was in obvious signs of distress when I reached her pen, legs carrying her in circles around the stall as she sweat profusely.  I cursed and opened the stall door, making sure to grab the hanging halter to restrain her so I could check to see how far along she was.  I didn’t even bother to grab gloves, tying her to the side of the barn and lifting her tail.  She was already showing signs of dilation.

    “Fuck.”  I was alone and delivering a foal by yourself was never a good idea.  I patted her on the hip, trying to think of who I could call.  My other vet was sure to be home by now, her house settled at least an hour from here.  I figured she could make it but if I needed someone sooner, then that wouldn’t be feasible.  The techs were gone too, their homes respectively the same distance away.

    I whipped out my cellular and dialed Oliver, one of the few male technicians who worked for me.  He would have the muscle and tact to help me with this.

    “Come on Oliver,” I whispered into the receiver, begging him to answer.  It rang and rang until finally the answering machine picked up.  “Dammit.”  I hung up and dialed Allie, finding the same result with her.  Jenny, Josh, Sally, and Maria all went to voice mail; guess I shouldn’t have been surprised since it was ten o’clock and I had had them all here at three a.m. this morning for a violent stallion and to help me with another colic.  Even my partner didn’t answer but I left a message on all their machines anyway in hopes that someone would eventually show up.