Laurie Salzer - A Kiss Before Dawn

by Laurie Salzer

  Somehow, the horse that should have been in the stall nearest the ground was on top of the other. She couldn’t tell which legs belonged to which animal. The horse underneath the other extended its head forward in an attempt to breathe. Mary Jo carefully reached in, intent on assessing his level of shock. She lifted the horse’s upper lip and pressed her thumb against his gum to create a white mark. In a healthy animal, the mark would return to pink in a few seconds. Her hand came away sticky with blood. She couldn’t see anything.

  The horse’s eyes were closed, and he moaned with every breath. It clearly took a tremendous amount of concentration for him to inhale and exhale through the greatly flared nostrils.

  “Easy guys, we’ll get you out of here,” she murmured.

  The horse on top looked at her with eyes wide with fear and nickered.

  As she turned to get off the trailer, she realized Jerry was standing near the wheels.

  “Jerry, would you run and get my vet bag? It’s on the passenger side floor.” She wiped her hands on her jeans and checked the other horse’s gums. Again, her hand came away bloody. “Damn it. I can’t see anything with all this blood.”

  Jerry darted away before she finished her sentence and promptly returned with her bag.

  “Thanks. One more thing,” she said. “In the left side of my box, there should be a couple bags of lactated Ringer’s. In the drawer to the right, you’ll find IV tubing. Would you bring two sets of each?”

  “On it, Doc.”

  He was back in a few minutes, breathing hard from the effort.

  “Great, thanks. Ever think about becoming a vet’s assistant?” Mary Jo opened an IV set and inserted one end into the fluid bag. She repeated the same procedure on the other.

  “I think I’ll stay with police work, Doc. If I had to see stuff like this every day, I’d cry like a baby.”

  Mary Jo glanced at him. “You’re the kind of people we like to have.”

  Jerry stood nearby while Mary Jo carefully inserted an IV into each horse’s neck. After securing the fluid bags onto their halters with vet wrap and surgical tape, she wasn’t sure how much of the Ringer’s would run through the lines, so she let them run wide open, hoping that it would be enough to prevent the horses from going further into shock.

  She pushed her upper body back out of the trailer. Sweating from the effort, she wiped her brow. Her bloody hand left a stickiness on her forehead. She looked at Jerry and said, “I’m going to tranquilize these guys, and then we’ll need a Sawzall to cut through the side of the trailer. I also need some blankets to cover the horses’ eyes to protect them from the shrapnel and sparks.”

  “You got it, Doc.” Jerry turned and quickly disappeared.

  While holding the pen light in her mouth, Mary Jo prepared the injections. She put one syringe in her mouth next to the pen light, leaned in, and injected the top horse, switched syringes, and injected the other. They were going to have to work fast and efficiently to get the horse on top out; otherwise the one on the bottom was in danger of suffocating from the combined effects of the tranquilizer and the additional weight.

  Mary Jo put the syringes and pen light back in the bag, took the blankets Jerry handed her, and gently laid them over the horses’ heads. Still bent over, she did a quick check of the vitals she could reach and got out of the way of the fireman with the saw.

  While a crew worked to saw a flap and peel back the side of the trailer, Mary Jo arranged for assistance from the tow truck. The only way to get the first horse out would be to drag it by its back legs until it was free of the wreckage. She hoped the horse’s back and legs weren’t broken.

  She pulled her coat tighter around her body to stop the chill that had invaded her while she stood by waiting.

  She gave the okay to proceed, and they went to work. Within minutes, the top horse was out of the trailer on its side. The slickness of blood made the dragging easier, she found. Assessment of its right front leg confirmed the bone was indeed broken, and she immediately applied an air splint which slowly filled with the horse’s blood. The big bay tried to get up, and assisted by a few well-built firemen, it soon stood on shaky legs.

  “Doctor Cavanaugh.”

  She turned toward the voice, surprised to see a former professor from Cornell veterinary school. “Doctor Myers, can you assist with the extraction of the other horse?” she asked. “I’ve got my hands full with this one.”

  “Of course, you’re in charge.” Dr. Cheryl Myers hurried over to the trailer.

  An hour later, she and Myers had stabilized both horses enough to load them into the big horse ambulance. They agreed to each monitor a horse on the way to Cornell. The owners would follow in their truck after the wrecked trailer was righted and hauled away.

  Mary Jo left her truck at a nearby service area and rode in the ambulance. She called Doc Hall on the way to let him know what was going on and that she was continuing on to Cornell with the injured horses.

  Upon arrival, both horses were triaged and underwent emergency surgery. Mary Jo volunteered to assist as needed. It was late morning before the veterinary staff moved the patients into their respective recovery stalls.

  Mary Jo walked on leaden feet to the break room and plopped down at an empty table. Cheryl Myers joined her a few minutes later.

  “Nice job in there, Mary Jo,” Myers said.

  Mary Jo barely stifled a yawn. “Thanks. I hope they do okay.”

  “Your excellent field work probably kept them alive. It was a good idea to start IVs on them before you extracted them. Good thing you aren’t any bigger. You would never have fit through that window.”

  “The horse on the bottom was going into shock so I figured I’d better stick both of them.”

  “Why don’t you stay for a few days and help with the monitoring? We have some other cool cases in here that you’d be interested in.”

  “Really? All right, let me clear it with my boss, and I’ll let you know. Thanks.”

  When Mary Jo spoke with Doc later, he assured her he’d be able to handle the clinic’s caseload himself. Wasn’t that what he’d already been doing for years?

  After she finished talking business with him, she asked Doc if he would give Chris a call and let her know she’d be gone a couple days and would get in touch with her when she got back. She and Chris needed to talk, but it shouldn’t be over the phone. Still, she considered it polite to let Chris know she wouldn’t be able to resume their training tomorrow as promised. Assuring her that he would do as asked, Doc hung up. Mary Jo went to the on-call room to catch a few hours of sleep.

  As tired as she was, the much-needed shut-eye eluded her. She couldn’t keep the story Chris had told her out of her mind. How could a parent inflict such cruelty on a child they’d conceived and given birth to? And sacrifice the lives of two innocent animals just to inflict another wound? What kind of people would do such a thing?

  Although shocked and saddened by Chris’s past, Mary Jo continued to be in awe at the strength and determination it must have taken to heal from those terrible experiences. The Chris Martel she knew was compassionate and loving toward her animals. She wondered if Chris would ever transfer some of that affection to a human.

  “Oh, my God, I kissed her!” Mary Jo’s eyes flew wide open. How could I have forgotten? The memory of Chris’s soft lips against hers, no matter how brief, brought a smile to her face. Despite her resolve not to make the first move for fear of endangering any kind of deeper friendship, she’d done it. She’d kissed Chris. At least Chris didn’t slap her. She was sure Chris’s defenses were down because of all the wine, but she didn’t slap her.

  Mary Jo couldn’t and wouldn’t deny she was attracted to Chris. God knows, who wouldn’t be attracted to a body like that? But the more she considered it, the more she was convinced that she was just as drawn to Chris’s personality.

  One part of her said her feelings were a reaction to the things she’d learned about Chris’s past, but another part argu
ed it was the right time and the right move. When Mary Jo got home, they should talk about it face-to-face.

  Her mind finally shut down as she drifted into a fitful sleep.

  Over the next few days, Myers involved Mary Jo in several other critical cases and kept her so busy that every night she dropped exhausted onto a cot in the on-call room. She had arrived at the school with just the clothes on her back, so she had to wear borrowed scrubs the entire time.

  Although the horses from the overturned trailer had a long road to recovery ahead of them, both responded well to their surgeries and subsequent treatments. Mary Jo and Myers met with the owners on a daily basis to keep them updated on the progress.

  On Wednesday night, Mary Jo hitched a ride back to the truck stop with one of the vet students and drove home. She didn’t want to miss breakfast with Frances or the opportunity to spend more time with Chris. Despite the fact that she was older than Chris by a few years, she admired her so much that it often felt like she was the youngster in their relationship.

  She missed Chris, plain and simple. While she’d never deny the physical attraction she felt, neither could she ignore her increasing affection.

  Chapter 17

  By Wednesday evening, Chris realized that almost a week had passed since Mary Jo had been over, and she hadn’t called. Her heart grew heavy every time she thought about it. The last time she had seen Mary Jo, she’d ridden an incredible emotional roller coaster. Between trying to ignore her growing attraction to Mary Jo and opening up about her past, she felt mentally exhausted.

  Pride, and her ingrained guardedness and intense sense of privacy, prevented her from calling the clinic and asking for Mary Jo.

  Chris recalled how she had nearly run to the house after the incident in the round pen. She’d flung the door open and leaned against it after it closed behind her as unfamiliar feelings scorched her body. Oh sure, she had felt arousal plenty of times, but arousal alone wasn’t what she felt that day. She felt an emotion unlike anything she’d previously experienced.

  She’d downed a beer and had let the alcohol course through her system, thankfully numbing her heightened senses.

  She hoped Mary Jo still wasn’t aware of how close she’d been to losing all restraint. How she’d barely refrained from turning her around in her arms and kissing her madly. Chris groaned. She’d have to be dead not to feel it. Maybe she was just paranoid. Maybe Mary Jo remained ignorant. Right. Keep telling yourself that, Martel.

  After working Stetson, Chris took the dogs for another walk up the mountain. Sure enough, snow had fallen and covered all the trees with a blanket of white. On her way up, she paused long enough to listen to the call of a Barred Owl. Shortly afterward, another owl answered. Probably looking for a mate, she thought. The idea of a mate was foreign to her, but she couldn’t deny her growing feelings for Mary Jo.

  She and the dogs didn’t stay up top very long. The wind had a nasty cold bite to it. On the way down, she took her time winding back and forth in the protection of the trees.

  To her amusement, Sadie apparently hadn’t been able to find any rabbits, so she stuck close to the Labs in case they found something interesting. Chris noticed plenty of deer and squirrel tracks, but nothing worth the dogs’ while to chase.

  As she trudged through the snow, she decided she would head into Rochester after finishing her evening chores. It couldn’t hurt, and God knew she could use the distraction. She was tired of trying to figure out why she felt calm and at ease one minute and unsettled and restless the next. It had to be Mary Jo’s influence, she thought, although she’d never experienced such intense feelings for another human being, let alone another woman.

  Chris was used to pouring all of her love, trust, hopes, and dreams into the dogs and horses. Was it possible she could actually be falling for Mary Jo? She had never been in an actual relationship with another woman. She wasn’t even sure what that might be like. The sexual play she enjoyed at the bar was enough to satisfy her body’s needs, but admitting the truth to herself, she knew no one had ever touched her heart until now. Nor had she ever wanted anybody to.

  Later, she revisited those same thoughts as she drove to Rochester. Mary Jo’s kiss that night had surprised her, yes, but it also felt so right. Mary Jo’s lips had conveyed nothing but caring, and looking into the depths of those brown eyes made Chris feel right at home.

  When she reached her destination, she parked the car and entered Angie’s through the rear door as usual. Threading her way around to the bar, she thought she caught a glimpse of Sky in the back. She took a seat at the bar and noticed Angie pouring shots for a group on the end.

  Angie caught sight of Chris and hurried down to her. “Hey, doll, what’re you having, the usual?”

  “Yeah, a draft sounds good.” Chris couldn’t believe how loud it was inside the bar. “Crowded in here tonight.”

  “Yup, big birthday party down there.” Angie pointed with her chin at the group she’d just left. “I think this crazy weather has everybody in a funk, so they all come here to unwind.” She winked at Chris. “How’re you doing, C-Breeze? Is something bothering you?” When Chris shook her head, Angie added, “Those gorgeous eyes of yours don’t have the wild blue spark in them I’m accustomed to seeing.”

  Chris sighed. She took a mouthful of beer and swallowed hard. She knew she could unload on Angie. Everybody did. The bar owner usually listened and gave sound advice, as past experience had shown her. “I’m trying to figure some stuff out, is all.”

  “Uh-huh. Sounds like girl troubles. Are you with anybody now?”

  “No, I’m not even sure what that means, to tell you the truth.”

  “Listen,” Angie said sincerely, “I’m going to give you some advice that I, myself, should have followed a long time ago.”

  Chris raised her eyebrows.

  “Follow your heart, C-Breeze. It knows what’s good for you.”

  Before Chris could respond, Sky stood close behind her. Sky wrapped her arms around Chris’s waist and leaned in close to her ear. “Your turn, babe. I saw you come in, but I couldn’t get that girl in the bathroom to get off any quicker.” Her breath reeked of beer and sex.

  Glancing at Angie, Chris saw her shake her head once and walk away to the other end of the bar. Chris spun her stool around and sat facing Sky.

  As Sky ran her hands up and down her arms, Chris found it curious that her body wasn’t responding as it had in the past. Suddenly the stark contrast between Mary Jo and Sky became obvious. Sky wasn’t the woman of her dreams. Sky didn’t care about what Chris thought, how she felt inside, what made her tick. Mary Jo was that woman.

  Realization dawned. This was what her heart had been trying to tell her for weeks, while the truth was blatantly staring her in the face. Who had been occupying her every thought? Mary Jo, not Sky. Now everything was so clear.

  Sky’s hands were wandering seductively down her thighs. Chris grabbed them. “No,” she said.

  “What? Don’t play me like that, Breeze.” Sky pouted her lips for obvious effect. She tried to free her hands, but Chris held them firm.

  “Sky, listen to me. You’ve been good to me. God knows you’ve been good. But you and I would never work. Other than sex, we have nothing in common.”

  “Aw, Breeze, honey, we could give it a shot.”

  “No, Sky. We can’t. What I’m trying to tell you is that I’m falling in love with someone else.”

  “What?” The muscles in Sky’s jaws worked as she clenched her teeth.

  “It’s true. And I hope you find someone who’ll love you, too.” Unable to stop herself, Chris grinned and repeated, “I’m falling in love with someone.” It felt so good to admit it and say the words aloud. She released Sky’s hands and turned away for a moment to take a swallow of her beer.

  She swiveled back around on her stool and heard Sky’s cry of rage, but she didn’t have time to avoid the fist that hit her square in the face and split her lip. The momentum of the blow cau
sed her to lose her balance.

  Chris fell off the stool, landed hard on her back, and had the wind knocked out of her. She tasted blood and barely heard Angie’s yell as Sky kicked her in the ribs over and over, screaming, “You fucking bitch!”

  Chris rolled into a ball to protect herself.

  “You used me, you cunt.” Sky kicked Chris again and connected with her cheek.

  Her teeth clacked shut. Light sparked behind her eyes with every vicious blow. Every kick hurt like hell. Blood, hot and metallic, ran down her throat. Chris grunted through the pain and sat up, supporting herself on an elbow, to clear the flow of blood that threatened to gag her. Sky landed a blow to her thigh, but she already hurt so badly, she barely noticed.

  The bar had grown silent. Chris caught a momentary glimpse of Angie coming around the side of the bar carrying the baseball bat she kept hidden by the beer taps. Chris closed her eyes against Sky’s incessant blows. Suddenly the kicking stopped, and she dared open her eyes.

  Angie jabbed Sky in the chest with the bat and pushed her forcefully away. She stood guard over Chris with the bat raised threateningly. She said to Sky in a low voice, “Touch her again, and I’ll knock your fucking block off.”

  Three women suddenly surrounded the group. One of them, a bouncer, roughly yanked Sky’s arms behind her and pulled her away from Chris and Angie.

  “I’ll fucking kill you if I ever see you again!” Sky yelled as the bouncer dragged her away. “You haven’t seen the last of me, bitch.”

  “Get her the hell out of here, and don’t ever let her back in,” Angie called to the bouncer. After resting the bat against the bar, she squatted down to look at Chris. “Somebody, get me some ice.” She pulled Chris over onto her back and carefully propped her up against her chest. “C-Breeze, honey, are you with me?”

  Chris’s lip was bloody and already swollen. Her eye wasn’t far behind. Her ribs hurt like hell, but she didn’t think any were broken. “Yeah,” she said faintly. “Help me up, will you?” She rubbed the ache from her jaw and checked to see if any teeth were loose or broken.