by A. J. Wells
Steve was engaged once, but she was offered a job with a band and she wanted to be a singer. Steve was orphaned while he was away at college so he stayed with Miss Lili ‘til he knew what he wanted to do and after college and his training, took the job of fireman here to be close to her. A simple explanation for the guys lives.
They’re distant cousins but have always been as close as brothers. Bob’s grandfather was Miss Lili’s Uncle. They decided, separately, to become firemen and went to college two years apart. Bob’s two years older than Steve. She adds, the guys are excited about taking us to the mud races. They haven’t dated much in the last two years.
Maria and I look at each other. We don’t see this as a date, do the guys, or is it just Miss Lili?
The guys come in a little after five and we talk about the mud races while we get ready to close. Maria asks a lotta questions and finally tells them her concern about the heat and Shay. Bob and Steve agree to leave anytime she feels Shay needs to. Steve asks Miss Lili “Did you tell ‘em yet?”
“No, I haven’t “asked” them yet. Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you Sunday. I love to watch the mud splatter.” She chuckles. Maria and I jump on the idea, assuring her we’d love to have her along. We hope the guys will understand this isn’t a date. She wants to pack a picnic for Sunday lunch. We offer to help, but she insists she’ll do it with the guys help. We’ll all meet at her house and leave from there.
The arrangements for Sunday settled, the guys leave to put out the posters for this week. Miss Lili tells us the attendance for last weekend was up at all the events. We’re happy to hear it. The guys return, and Miss Lili’s tricycle is put in the bed of Bob’s truck and they’re off to wherever and we close the office.
I have supper with Mom and Dad and talk about the mud races. They’re excited about it and might join us. I tell them I don’t know where it’s held. Dad knows, has always known, where to find it. I wonder why they’ve never mentioned it before.
Maria and I find out that Bob and Steve, being full time, work one week on days and one week on nights, but the volunteer firemen take turns on the weekends. So the four full time firemen have the weekends off, but are on call incase of a fire. The shifts are twelve hours long and start at five a.m. and p.m. The schedules are arranged that way so the men with families have time with them and some time for socializing.
Sunday, after church, we go to Maria’s and change out of our “Sunday go to meetin’” clothes and go to Miss Lili’s to meet everyone. Soon after our arrival, we’re on our way in Bob’s extended cab truck. Shay’s thrilled to be riding in a big truck. Bob and Steve say the races can’t be held without firemen there, because of the fire hazard.
We park away from the edge of the mud puddle. Shay’s excited when Bob takes him down for a closer look at the ”mud buggies” entered in the race. Maria and I follow with Miss Lili. She admits to having been here before and how she’s enjoyed the foolishness and the competition. She says the last time she got mud in her lap so she wants to sit a little further away this time. We don’t mention it, but Maria and I are surprised Miss Lili is in jeans, a Dallas Cowboys’ t-shirt, a blue jean jacket, her big floppy hat and sneakers. We’ve only seen her in slacks or a skirt, nice blouse or sweater, a light over blouse, pumps and a floppy garden hat.
Lili picks the place and the guys come back with Shay. They go to the truck to get the rest of the chairs, the umbrellas, and the coolers. We sat down to watch the preparations. They have races with smaller trucks, and mud buggies first. Bob says they’re first because the bigger trucks need the mud “conditioned,” whatever that means.
Mom and Dad come over to sit with us. They already know everyone so introductions aren’t necessary. They brought their own drinks and lunch. Shay’s jumping up and down with the excitement of the crowd. He starts to run over to one of the buggies and Bob runs after him, scooping him up and taking him to where he can see the buggies that are so full of mud, it’s dripping off everything, even the driver. When he brings him back he tells Shay to apologize to “his Mommy” for scaring her and not to run off like that anymore. He’s to ask someone to take him down for a closer look. Shay apologizes to Maria and gives her a big hug and starts asking for a closer look when he wants one, which is often.
Bob loves taking him down to look at the muddy buggies and trucks. Steve and Dad go with them several times. Once they were talking to the drivers, not noticing the next race starting and come back splattered with mud, all four of them. Shay starts to cry, but the men start laughing when the shock of being hit wears off, so Shay’s laughing, too. Maria isn’t as sure about the mud as the guys are, but she doesn’t say anything. Bob apologizes for not watching and getting out of the way. Shay’s smearing the mud trying to get it off before he gets scolded. Maria, coolly, gets out the baby wipes and cleans what she can off. She notices he’s getting sunburned and wants Shay to stay outta the sun for a while. Before she knows it, he’s asleep in her lap and she’s almost as muddy as he is.
The afternoon’s fun and interesting. We meet most of the drivers and their families, talking to them for a while. One of the drivers insists on taking Bob and Shay for a ride in a buggy that’s been washed down inside. Maria takes some convincing, but Bob and the driver insists it’ll be a slow ride through the mud puddle. She finally gives in, figuring Shay can’t get much dirtier, and watches as Shay goes through the puddle at a safe two miles an hour. When Bob puts him down on the ground Shay’s jumping up and down and running around in circles with excitement. Everyone’s laughing and giving him a high five, Maria too.
The race over, we go back to Miss Lili’s, Mom and Dad, too. She’d left a roast with all the fixin’s in the roaster for dinner. We have dinner after we clean up from the race. We sit and talk for a while after dinner and the kitchen is cleaned. Shay’s full of stories and sound effects from the race and entertains us all. We all leave when it’s Shay’s bed time.
Maria calls me later and we laugh as we talk about the race and Shay. Of course, the subject of Bob and his interaction with Shay comes up. I tell Maria’s going to be seeing a lot of Bob. Shay and Bob have formed a hard and fast friendship, with mutual interests. Steve and I talked some but, I think, we’ll just be friends.
Monday is our busiest day. This week the guys are on nights, but they come by before they go on shift. We got smart and called everyone to ask them for their schedules two weeks in advance. The newsletter starting next week is ready, so they work on the poster for the events this weekend. It takes a few days, but they’re out Thursday morning and the little collapsible billboards look great sitting along the main street on the sidewalk and at the park.
Friday, Maria brings Shay to work, her mother has a doctor’s appointment. Bob and Steve come in about one and the guys are glad to see Shay. They keep him entertained while Maria and I work on the clinic. Tonight’s the guys last night on duty and they ask us out to a dance Saturday night. We accept since we’re all more comfortable together now. They go to work and we clean the office and go home.
At two in the morning I get a call from the Highway Patrol. There’s been an accident that involved a trailer full of dogs. They suspect it’s a puppy mill’s animals. They want to put the dogs in my care and kennels at the clinic. I get dressed, drive in and open the office. I call Maria and Dad, explain what’s happened and ask for some help. They both come over and Bob, Steve and the firemen come in with the dogs. They’d been called out because of the nature of the accident and the possibility of a fire.
We get the dogs settled and Maria and I start examining them. Some are injured so we put them in the front, upper kennels. They all need a bath. We leave the female dogs out so the puppies can locate their mothers and we can kennel them properly. Then we start washing them. At seven Lili arrives and starts drying the dogs with my dryer. Maria and I are through with the injured dogs, a few sprains and one broken leg. The guys take over washing the dogs after we wash the injured ones take t
hem back to put bandages, splints and a cast them. It’s a long night.
By noon we’re satisfied the dogs are settled, fed and watered. Miss Lili insists I come to her place for some rest since I have to be back in about four hours to check on the injured. I take her up on it. I tell Maria I’ll call her if I need her, otherwise, she should get some sleep. Dad’s going to stay on the cot I have in the office for such an occasion, ‘til he’s had a nap, then he’s going home.
I get a shower and a nightgown at Miss Lili’s and some sleep. Steve knocks on the door but I don’t hear him, I’m so tired, so he comes in to wake me. I wake to his face and his shaking my shoulders, rather roughly. He smiles at me and starts to say something, but I drift back to sleep. He shakes me again and I open my eyes to his face and his smile, again. “Mmmmm, nice.” I start back to sleep when he shakes me, telling me to “rise and shine, I’m needed at the office.”
“Sher, they found another dog, in serious condition. They’re bringing him in on a back board.” That gets my attention and I sit up. “He must’ve been in the cab of the truck, looks like he was thrown out the window. They found him about noon when the tow truck came to clear the wreckage. It took them forever to get him on the board so they could bring him in.” I’m scrambling outta bed when Steve hands me a bundle of clothes. “Your Dad told your Mom and she dropped these off.”
Without thinking I’m pulling a pair of panties out and putting them over my feet, when Steve backs outta the room and shuts the door. I finish dressing and run down the stairs slightly disoriented. Steve meets me at the front door with a cup of coffee and leads me to his truck. We get to the office just before the fire truck arrives. I get the x-ray machine turned on and start to prepare the room. Steve’s right there with me, helping when he can. He hears the office door open and brings them in. I prepare the dog for the x-rays so I can see what’s wrong and fix it, maybe.
While I’m checking the dog by feeling for lumps and bumps, he licks my hand. I look at his eyes and, instantly, fall in love. I have to help him is all I’m feeling. Steve offers to help me, or call Maria if I want him to. I have him put on a shield and keep the dog’s attention just to be sure he doesn’t move. I take several shots and find the dog has a broken rib very close to puncturing a lung, but definitely pressing against it and a concussion. His spine’s fine and his neck is okay. I decide to operate to move the rib away from the lung so the dog can breathe easier.
Steve helps me move the dog to the operating room. That’s when I see Miss Lili in the waiting room. She offers her help so I ask her to pass me instruments. I have to clean spots on the dog so I can give him a couple of shots and shave the incision area. I hope a local pain kill will do the job because with the concussion, I’m afraid to put him to sleep. I need to make a two inch incision so I can move the rib. I explain all this to Steve and Miss Lili and that the dog may move or snap when I do the procedure. They’re prepared, but the dog’s so weak that it whimpers, but is unable to move. I get him stitched up and onto a board built for animals and move him to the room with the cot in it, putting him on the floor. I need to stay with this one. I want to keep him comfortable, but I can’t give him a shot for pain yet.
I stand to go to the meds closet, I want to give the dog a shot to help with the swelling from the concussion, and stagger. Steve catches me and pulls me into a hug. I sob, hearing it for the first time. He holds me ‘til I gain my composure, then loosens his hold, kissing my head as he moves. “You did great.” I see his shirt’s really wet.
Miss Lili comes in with a cup of coffee and makes me take a few sips. She’s been crying, too. “I didn’t know if you would make through the whole process, crying as hard as you were,” she says.
“How long have I been crying?” I take a sip of the coffee, she’d sweetened it. It tastes good.
“Since the first whimper the dog made, almost two hours ago.” Steve helps me to a chair. “What else do you need to do?” he asks.
“I’ve got to give the dog a shot for the swelling from the concussion. About two hours after that, I have to check the swelling and if I can, I want to give him something for the pain.”
“I hope the owner is put before a firing squad for this.” Miss Lili is really upset about the dogs.
“The driver was D.O.A. (dead on arrival)” Steve says. “He fell asleep at the wheel, as best the H.P. (Highway Patrol) can tell. There were no skid marks on the highway.”
“That was too good for him.” Miss Lili is really mad.
I get up after a few more sips, get the supplies and medication and give the dog the shot.
Bob comes in and Maria arrives a few minutes later. Steve tells them why we’re here and Bob and Maria want me to go to Miss Lili’s for some sleep. I refuse because I have to give the other shot shortly, so they insist I stretch out on the cot. Someone will wake me in two hours.
While I sleep, Steve sleeps on the floor with a blanket Bob gave him. Miss Lili, Maria and Bob check the other dogs and start charts on them, giving them numbers and collar with a tag for identification. Maria takes the vitals of the dog I’d operated on and starts a chart on him. She wakes me right on time, letting Steve sleep. Maria has covered the dog with a heated blanket, his temperature was low. I check his eyes and have Bob help me move the dog to the x-ray room. The pictures show the brain swelling’s down, so I give him a shot for pain.
I ask Maria to call the H.P. to see if there were any papers on the dogs in the wreckage. They call back two hours later saying there’s nothing. I vaccinate all the adult dogs and give the older puppies their distemper shots. I examine them closer to place their ages and breeds to add to their charts. All the dogs are pure bred but there are various breeds in the kennels. Maria counts the dogs, thirty, counting the puppies. They’re puppy mill animals, can’t be anything else, with that count.
Now, I need to get some fluids into the shepherd in the other room. I offer him water, but he can’t drink, so I hook up an I.V. Maria tells me to go back to bed, she’ll watch the dogs, and wake me again in two hours. Steve’s still asleep and the dog is back on the floor next to the cot. I’m asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
When Maria wakes me in two hours, Steve isn’t on the floor. I get a cup of coffee, noticing Bob isn’t here, either. I ask Maria about them. She says they’ve gone out to the site of the wreck to see if there’re anymore injured dogs that were overlooked. Half of the volunteer firemen went with them. Lili has gone to get something for us to eat.
I check on the shepherd. His temperature’s fine and Maria and I carry him in to be x-rayed again. The fluids haven’t caused any swelling of the brain and the dog seems to be doing better now he has fluids in him. The dogs were out for a run before everyone left. Miss Lili took the one with a broken leg out and sat in the grass while he, a Chihuahua, did his business, hopping around on three legs and dragging his cast. Maria says some of the puppies are weaned so she fed them soft puppy chow, not knowing how they’d react to hard food. The dogs that weren’t injured were allowed to stay out longer for exercise. She did the right thing, I tell her.
Miss Lili comes in with enough food in her tricycle basket to feed us and the guys when they get back. The phone rings as we finish eating. Maria answers and speaks to the fireman at the station for a few minutes. The guys are on their way in with three more injured dogs. They took pictures of the four dead for the H.P. and buried them. I can’t believe the injured dogs were overlooked. I start cleaning up the exam rooms and getting things set up for the new patients.
Steve, Bob and six others arrive, crowding into the waiting room, wanting to help in any way they can. I’m surprised to see two of the volunteer firemen are women. Maria takes charge, sending three of them to the back yard to watch the uninjured dogs while they get some exercise. The others are put to work cleaning the kennels.
Steve, Maria and I take over the new arrivals. Two of them are puppies and suffering from exposure. So we clean them up and put them under heat la
mps. The last, a pregnant dog, is barely alive. An x-ray tells me there’s no way to save her. Her vitals are very low, she’s coughing up blood and both lungs are punctured. One puppy’s alive, inside her, and from the looks only about a week from being born. Steve asks if I’m going to save the puppy. I explain I can’t guarantee the puppy will live if I do go in after it. Miss Lili comes in and wants the puppy. She’ll take care of it after its birth. Taking care of it isn’t the problem, I say. Since the others were killed I can’t guarantee the puppy isn’t injured and won’t die anyway. She asks me to save the puppy for her.
The puppy’s fine, after I get it out, so she goes under a heat lamp and formula’s started. Miss Lili claims her as soon as I bring her out. The mother died during the operation. I make up a report for the Highway Patrol, though I’m not sure why. The driver’s dead so no charges are expected to be pressed.
The others come in with the rest of the dogs and want to claim some of them. I can’t let them take them home, yet. The H.P. has legal custody--evidence. They’re investigating and aren’t sure where it will lead and they need the dogs held ‘til they’re released.
The firemen offer to come by to help out when they can and I accept. This is too many dogs for Maria and me to handle alone. We’ll take care of the injured and they’ll help out with the other dogs ‘til the dogs can be claimed. I tell them that could be months, because of the search for the owners and charges once they’re found. They stay, having coffee and talking about the wreck. They were all there, helping with the wreckage this morning. The story was detailed and almost gory.
Maria has to go home, its supper time and she hasn’t seen Shay all day. Steve, Bob and the others leave, too. Miss Lili is sending supper over and asks if I can handle the puppy through the night. Of course, I can, I have to be up to check the shepherd every two hours anyway. I can feed the puppy while I’m up. Maria’s called the appointments for Monday to reschedule over the other mornings of the week. Most of them were nice about the change, but one or two of them insisted on keeping the appointment Monday. I’m exhausted, so I go back to the cot as soon as everyone leaves.