Untrusting (Troubled)

by A. J. Wells

  Four hours later, I wake up more rested and panic stricken. I over slept the time to check on the Shepherd and feed the puppy. Steve comes to the door, “I checked him about two hours ago. He seemed fine. I took his vitals, they’re on the chart.” I look at the chart and the dog’s vitals are fine. I thank him for the extra sleep.

  “Grams sent supper over, but you were sleeping so I put it in the refrigerator. I’ll heat it up. I fed the puppy and took its vitals and charted them, too. I was just about to feed her again. How long before the Shepherd can be left alone?”

  “Not ‘til Tuesday night…maybe. It’ll depend on how he’s doing.” The dog’s licking my hand, as I’m checking him out. His eyes are clearer, his breathing’s good, the incision is good and now that I’m more rested, I can see he’s cleaner than the other dogs. “I wonder, since this dog was in the front with the driver, if this was his dog. If so, his family might want him back.”

  “That would be nice for him, but I’d miss him. I’ve already gotten attached to him. Chaucee is crying for dinner. I’d better get moving, Grams’ll have my ears if she hears I made her wait.” He goes to the back and I follow him. He knows where everything is and mixes it perfectly. He explains Maria had told Lili and over dinner, Miss Lili had “schooled” him on the proper procedure for feeding her. I laugh when he says he had to take an oral exam before he was allowed to feed the puppy. “Grams wants this puppy and the Chihuahua with the broken leg when the time comes for the dogs to have a home. She’s grown attached to them and they’re small enough she can lift them.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. If I handle their adoptions, she’ll have her pick. By the way, thanks for the cry this morning. I don’t usually react like that and didn’t notice I was crying.” I’m watching him handle Chaucee, he’s gentle and keeps her wrapped lightly with a towel to keep her warm. I have to look away, my chest is hurting at the sight, so I pick up the chart Miss Lili had started. She catches on fast, it’s impeccable. I check out the puppy while Steve cleans up the bottle and puts things away. The puppy’s doing fine. A few more days and I’ll try to foster her to a nursing mama if Miss Lili okays it.

  Steve and I take the other dogs out for the last time tonight. They’re so frisky, we let them play a while then herd them back in and to bed. Steve goes into one of the exam rooms and comes back with a cot. He sets it up along the wall where he had slept on the floor earlier. We set the alarm and go to sleep.

  Sunday, we have more help than we can handle. Steve went home to sleep and shower, but he was back for the night shift with me. “I’ll be leaving about four, I’m on days this week. But I want you to sleep ‘til then. I’ll be going back to bed at the station but you’ll have this one,” indicating the Shepherd, ”and the puppy to contend with ‘til Maria arrives, then your work day. Grams said she’ll be by to help with the puppy and anything else you need around lunch time and she’ll bring lunch. I hope you don’t mind my staying to help.”

  “No, I don’t mind. It would be hard to handle it all without help, thanks.” We turn out the lights and go to sleep. Once during the night I hear Steve moving around. At four thirty the phone rings and I stumble to find it. “Hello.” It’s Steve calling to wake me so I can tend to Chaucee and the Shepherd. He says he’ll call me back in one and a half hours. I thank him, hang up, take care of the dogs, clean up the bottles and go back to bed.

  At six he calls again. I get up, check the Shepherd and feed the puppy. Maria arrives before I finish. We let the dogs out and clean the kennels while they’re out. Food and water is put out before the dogs are let back in and it’s devoured in a short amount of time. The dogs are re-kenneled by nine o’clock, my first appointment.

  The day goes fine. Miss Lili brings a delicious lunch and takes over the puppy’s feedings, and exercising the dogs. We heard squealing out back, once, and had to rescue Miss Lili from a puppy attack. We had to shoo the puppies off to find her, she’s a small, petit woman. She’s laughing and, except for a scratch or two, is just fine. We help her up and herd the dogs back into the kennel room, shut the door between the back and the exam rooms because we left the door to the kennels open. I collect the dogs with the sprains to check them over. Watching them get around, I wasn’t able tell them from the others if not for the bandages.

  I brought the bandaged dogs out to watch them move around. The injured animals were placed in upper kennels so we could tell who needed to be watched. The sprains are doing okay so I move them down to a bottom kennel. Only the Chihuahua remains in an upper compartment. The new puppies are put out with the rest of the dogs for exercise and find their family and now I can’t find them, except when I check all the numbered tags. Thirty three dogs are in my back room, that’s a lot for a small clinic.

  I walk toward the back of the office when I hear a whimper from the Shepherd. I check on him and he’s lifting his head. I suspect he has some pain when he moves. I look at the chart and he hasn’t had a shot for pain for four hours, so I give him one. His eyes are clear, his vitals are strong and he’s doing okay. He goes back to sleep. I’m going to have to move him around some to avoid his lungs filling with fluid. It’s going to hurt and I’m such a wimp when it comes to causing pain.

  The guys come in at closing time. We’d cleaned the kennels while the dogs were out about an hour ago. Maria’s in the back room with the dogs, who had settled into their kennels, putting out extra food for the night. Bob walks in and is immediately surrounded by puppies, unable to move. Maria goes to help him, but falls into him when she stumbles trying to miss stepping on a puppy. He caught her in a hug and held on ‘til the puppies settled down. He asks her if he can take her and Shay to dinner before he lets her go. She says yes, without hesitation, she’s too tired to cook tonight.

  Steve went directly in to check on the shepherd. I walk in on him holding the dog’s head and talking to him. He’s calling him Chief. I say hello and he looks up. He gently put the dog’s head down and gets up. “He’s looking better. He raised his head and I just held it for him for a minute. I hope that was okay.”

  “He’s been showing signs of lifting his head, so it’s okay. I need to move him so his lungs don’t fill with fluid, but I can’t do it alone. I’m not sure I can do it all. It’s gonna hurt, but I can’t have him getting’ pneumonia from lack of movement. Can you help me?” I step to the other side of the dog.

  “I’ll get Bob to help if you’d rather. How do you want him moved?” I explain I need to put a splint on his ribs to keep the rib from shifting again before we try to sit him up. “Maybe, we can take him outside to do it, he may need to go to the bathroom.”

  Bob and Maria come out of the back room and Steve gets Bob to help. They move “Chief” outside on the board after I give him a shot for pain and put the splint on him. He perks up a bit in the fresh air. I hold his head as the guys bring his body to a sitting position. He sits there for a few minutes then gets up to move around a bit and relieves himself. He’s a bit clumsy with the body splint on and his pain meds. He comes back to the guys for a little gentle praise. They help him back down on the board and carry him inside where I remove the splint. Chief licks my hand and I put my face down to hug him. Steve comes over to help me up and hands me a couple of tissues. I’m crying again, I guess. I lean the top of my head against his chest and he holds me ‘til I contain myself.

  “I’m staying again tonight. Hope you don’t mind.” He says, softly. “I’ve had a lot more sleep than you have and I can check on Chief and Chaucee while you sleep. You’re exhausted. How about some supper before you go to bed?”

  “I need a shower and some clean clothes.” Just as I say it Mom and Dad walk in with an overnight bag.

  “We’ll stay here while you get a shower at Miss Lili’s and eat. Is there anything that needs to be done while you’re gone?” I start to protest, but Mom holds up her hand with her index finger up and wags it back and forth. That means “don’t say a word, and don’t bother to refuse, it wasn’t a qu
estion, but an order.” I just nod, that’s the only acceptable answer for that gesture.

  “There’s nothing to do for about two hours and I’ll be back by then. Thanks, I love you guys.” Steve takes the bag from Dad and propels me toward the door, coming upon Maria and Bob on the way.

  “Hey, we’ll be at the drive inn for dinner, if you want to join us.” Bob says. I look up at them and they’re both beaming. “We’re going after Shay and Maria wants to shower and change from ‘Dog #5’ to…anything that smells better.”

  Maria looks at him and asks “Are you saying I smell like ‘dog’?” Maria’s pulling at her collar, trying to smell her clothes.

  He smiles at her and asks, “How could you NOT smell like ‘dog’? Luckily, I don’t mind, but over supper it might be a different story. Besides, you’ll want Shay to eat, won’t you? I’m just teasing. Now let’s go, I’m starving and unless I miss my guess, it’s going to be another hour before we eat. Meet y’all at the drive inn in about an hour.” He pushes Maria out the front door and Steve pushes me out behind them. I hear Mom and Dad chuckling behind us.

  Maria and I not only smell better, but we feel better, after our showers. Supper’s hot and, after the day we put in, satisfying, not only because it was good but we didn’t have to cook it, tired as we are. Miss Lili’s with us, she’s put in a long day, too, for a woman in her mid seventies. She livens up the meal with tales of her day with the dogs.

  Shay’s happy to be out for supper and insists Bob take him to the bathroom to wash his hands. He’s never been in a men’s room before and comes out with all sorts of tales. Maria tells him he can tell her on their way home. He wants to tell her now, but Bob tells him the men’s bathroom is like a secret club and he quiets down and eats his supper. Bob’s more attentive to Shay and Maria during supper and we all notice. But all of us at the table dote on Shay, somewhat. It’s like a family supper. The guys pay for supper and Bob takes Maria and Shay home, while we take Miss Lili home and return to the office.

  Chapter 3

  Mom and Dad took the dogs out while we were gone, but they stay to talk about the puppies and don’t seem to be able to stop. They ask about fostering the fit animals out, but I explain what the H.P. had told me, so they drop it. It’s a good idea, but I can’t ‘til I get the okay from the legal side. We talk for a while and when they leave, Steve sends me to get some sleep. I check the animals and help Steve feed Chaucee and go to bed.

  Steve brought a little TV with him and sits in the waiting room to watch it. I hear him talking to someone and then nothing. I wake up later to go to the bathroom and find him asleep in the cot. Chief had moved somewhat to get more comfortable. Steve’s sitting up when I came back to go to bed. He’s going to feed Chaucee. I tell him Chaucee’s a Scottie. He says Grams thought she might be and picked a name that might sound Scottish. I laugh, “Well, if you put a hard “Cha” on it, it might sound Scottish.”

  He laughs and shrugs, “You know Grams, she’ll say it however she wants to.” He put her back in her kennel and stands looking at her. I ask him what he thinks of putting her in with the mama that’s still nursing. We talk about the switches from bottle to nursing and the problems it might cause, but I tell him she’d be getting natural nutrition from the mama dog for a while. He wants to know the difference between mother’s milk and the formula. I tell him all the same vitamins and nutrients are in the formula, but antibodies are in mother’s milk. He considers it, asks if the antibodies could be given to her in some other way. Not really is the only answer. There are the normal shots but there’s nothing to add to the formula that would add the antibodies with the immunizing factors mother’s milk has. I feel he doesn’t want to give up the feedings.

  “How soon would she be put with the rest of the puppies?” he asks. She needs to grow a little so she won’t be trampled but in about two weeks, I answer. “I’ll have to ask Grams. She’s the one to make the decision. She loves Chaucee already and can’t wait to take her and José home. She knows about the wait and the H.P., but she wants those two ‘home’ soon than later.”

  I admit I haven’t had time to talk to Miss Lili about the dogs, but tell Steve I’ll be sure to make time. Steve says he’s going to keep tabs on the case with the H.P. and hopes to hurry it along. Grams, is upset about the whole situation, the injuries, the deaths of the dogs and the driver. Steve puts his arm around my shoulders and steers me toward my cot.

  He doesn’t wake me when he leaves for the station, but calls when it’s time to feed Chaucee. The second time he calls Maria’s coming in the front door. We start our day at seven but don’t open ‘til eight thirty. We let the dogs out for their run and clean the kennels. Then put them back inside, kennel doors open. Later that day the pregnant dog has her litter, eight more puppies and the perfect foster mother for Chaucee, if it’s okay with Miss Lili. I’ll ask her first chance I get. Then everyone can sleep.

  Chief’s been moved twice today and is doing well enough that he helped when we moved him the last time. The cast and the splint are troublesome for him but he’s getting the hang of it. He’s doing so well, I can go home tonight and not be concerned if I didn’t have Chaucee to feed. Bob and Steve arrive and I tell them the news, but they don’t seem as happy about it as I thought they would be.

  Miss Lili is with them and I speak to her about Chaucee. She likes the idea of fostering the puppy, less work, more benefit. She and I start working on getting “mama” to accept her. The mother dog knew the difference immediately and was a little put off, but as soon as her babies started nursing she didn’t seem to notice Chaucee. We stay a while to see if mama was totally okay with Chaucee being there. There’s no sign of rejection, so we leave them as they are to go to supper and check again about nine when the other dogs are let out. I can go home tonight.

  Steve catches me at my truck, “I’m kinda sorry I won’t be staying again tonight. I was getting used to sleeping with you…in the same room. I kinda liked it.” I look at him but don’t say anything. I’d been too tired to notice, but didn’t want to say so. He’s growing on me. “I know you need to get some real sleep, in your own bed. So I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” With that he turns, gets in his truck with Miss Lili and drives off, and so do I.

  My bed looks very good to me. Exhaustion takes over as soon as I step through the door. I take a shower and have some ice cream then go to bed. The bed felt so good, I don’t remember anything after getting comfortable, which took about two seconds.

  I’m up at six and running late. Maria will be there before I am and will start taking care of the dogs without me to help. I rush to get to the office, missing breakfast. Maria and I arrive at the same time and I’m thankful. We start our work day by letting the dogs out and cleaning the kennels. The newborns are left alone except for Chaucee. I check her and am reassured she’s okay and put her back with her adopted family. I go outside to check on the dogs there and find they’ve settled down and I can get a look at them today without being mobbed.

  When Maria and Miss Lili had started the charts they’d put a number on a collar that identified the dog with the chart. I notice most of the sprain injuries are doing very well since I’d taken the bandages off yesterday, but one seems to be having more trouble than the others. Number four is limping with her rear swaying to the side. I take an x-ray, find her hip’s dislocated and manipulate it to work it into place. I wrap it, an unusual thing to do, so it’ll stay in place during her normal movements. She still has pain when she puts weight on it, but she’s moving a little easier and steadier. I give her a mild shot for the pain.

  I get through the morning appointments, all routine. Miss Lili comes in with lunch and puts the food down on the desk, handing Maria something. Maria tells me, after lunch, it was a check to cover yesterday’s pharmacy and supply order of twenty five hundred dollars. I’m grateful, but upset. I find Miss Lili and talk to her about it. She wants to help with the expenses and won’t take no for an answer. I decide to talk t
o Bob and Steve before I deposit it. In a way, I hope I can keep it and, yet, I don’t want to put Miss Lili out.

  Bob and Steve come in as we’re putting the dogs out, again, and come out with us to play with the dogs. I watch them all to be sure I haven’t missed anything in my exams. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary so I go inside. I check on the newborns and Chaucee while mama’s outside taking a break. I check each one of them over. Considering their prior existence, all the puppies are healthy. Mama got another bath this morning to be sure the puppies don’t get infested with something and they can nurse from a clean abdomen. Bob comes in when he let mama in to be with her babies.

  I corner him to talk to him about Miss Lili’s check. “Isn’t it good?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t run it directly to the bank.” I resent his insinuation that I would, and come to him about it afterward. I explain to him that I don’t want to accept that much money as a donation without knowing its okay. Oh, not the check, but that Miss Lili can afford the donation. I don’t want to take advantage of her.

  Bob laughs, “Aunt Lili does as she pleases and has the money to back it. If she gave you a check to help with the dogs, then she means to help. Keep it. Use it, just as she said to. She won’t take no for an answer and you’ll hurt her feelin’s if you don’t.”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to you and Steve about it. I like Miss Lili and I don’t want to hurt her feelin’s by suggestin’ something’s wrong with her, or the check. But at the same time I don’t want to cause her any problems, either.”

  Steve came in during our conversation and from behind me says, “I used to be concerned about her donations and the amounts, but I was put in my place by her and her banker. Grams doesn’t have a money concern, and likes to contribute to things she believes in.” I turn to see Steve standing close behind me. So close I almost fall into him when I turn and he grabs me to stop my fall.