“Sure. She was stable out there today,” Roxanne said, nodding. A slow smile was growing on her face. “I’m getting the feeling you have something in mind. I can see your wheels turning up there …” She pointed at Pedro’s forehead.
Pedro put a hand on his chest. “Me?” he asked innocently, and then added, “Say, can you pop the glove compartment? I stashed some Skittles in there …” Pedro was adept at changing the subject when necessary.
Roxanne got out the candy and poured a few into Pedro’s waiting hand. “You know we just started training, right? It’s going to be a while before Gem’s ready for a handler.”
“I know, I know.” Pedro transferred the Skittles from his hand to his mouth two at a time without looking at them—he liked to guess the flavor combinations. “I’m not in a hurry!” he said with an easy laugh. “I just like to make the right match.” Still, he had to admit he couldn’t wait to tell Laurel about Gem’s potential.
Back at the ranch, there was a lot to do: The trailer had to be unhitched, the Zodiac and kayak had to be hosed off and dried for stowing, the gear had to be toweled and put away, and of course the dogs needed their regular care like always.
Everyone scrambled out of the car in a heap. Morgan and Juniper were on dog detail, while the three adults and Forrest took care of the gear. Morgan took Captain and Sally, who was still sticking close to her side. Juniper watched Gem hopping out with the other dogs, and thought she saw the pup wince. Worry climbed up her spine as she led the dog into the canine pavilion and to her bed. While Morgan prepared food bowls, Juniper lingered by Gem’s kennel. She was bunking right beside Captain, and while they both looked worn out from the trip, Gem looked especially beat.
“All that water time wore you out, huh, girl?” she asked, taking Gem’s kibble-filled bowl from her sister. Gem gave a slow wag when Juniper set the dish on the floor, but didn’t get up from her bed. “Come on, you must be hungry,” Juniper encouraged her. It was not at all like Gem to be uninterested in a meal.
Gem stood slowly. Her legs were sore. Her back was sore. All of her was sore. She limped over to her bowl and nosed the kibble. She took a few bites, but all she really wanted to do was lie back down. She felt stiff and tired.
Juniper watched Gem the whole time, her eyebrows dipping lower and lower. Something was definitely off. They usually removed the bowls when the pups were done eating, but Juniper left Gem’s uneaten food in her kennel when they headed to the house for their own meal.
The Sterling kitchen smelled even better than usual with both dinner and early Thanksgiving preparations going on. Juniper smelled the cinnamon stick simmering in the cranberry sauce and detected a bit of orange, too. Layered over that was the smell of pasta carbonara in all of its garlicky, bacony goodness.
Juniper washed her hands and took her seat. She was usually chatty at meals but didn’t feel like talking tonight. When the pasta bowl came her way, she took just a small scoop.
Georgia looked at her daughter suspiciously and almost jumped up from her chair to place a hand on her forehead and check for fever. “Are you feeling okay, Juniper?” Though she was the smallest in the house, she ate as much as any of them and sometimes more. The tiny heap of noodles on her plate was unusual. And she hadn’t cruised past the stove to see if there was anything she could stick her fingers into on her way to the table, either. Something was wrong.
Juniper shrugged. “Just worried, I guess. Gem didn’t want her dinner.”
Georgia’s already-big brown eyes grew bigger with concern.
“She’s probably just tired,” Morgan offered. “We had a big day. Or maybe she drank too much lake water. She’ll eat when she’s ready.”
“Yeah,” Forrest agreed. He was tired, too, though it wasn’t keeping him from shoveling forkfuls of food into his mouth.
“Just seems like she’d be extra hungry.” Juniper tried a few bites. She could feel her mom watching her—worried the same way she was—and made an effort to finish everything on her plate. The second she was done with her dish duty, she scooped up Bud and headed back to the pavilion.
The bowl of dog food still sat untouched, and Gem didn’t stand up to say hello. Juniper’s worry spiked as she sat down inside the kennel next to Gem’s bed. She set down Bud and an old favorite book, Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, too, and pulled the bowl of food closer. While she read, she offered Gem a few bits of kibble at a time with her free hand. Gem obediently licked and crunched each piece without enthusiasm. Bud, who sat curled between Gem and Juniper, purred loudly.
When the story was finished and the bowl was empty, Juniper stood to go. Bud didn’t move—he just gazed up at Juniper and kept on purring. “Okay, Buddy, you stay here and keep an eye on her,” Juniper told the cat solemnly.
Gem watched the girl close the gate and walk away. Her stomach clenched. She had eaten the food from Juniper’s fingers because the girl had offered it, but now it felt like it wanted to come back up. She ached all over. The warm spot of cat curled beside her was a small comfort. She closed her eyes. And after a long while, she fell asleep.
Juniper was up before anyone else in the house. Usually she was the second to last out of bed on weekends and holidays. Fifteen-year-old Shelby, a champion sleeper, was last. Today, though, Juniper slipped out of bed without waking Twig and tiptoed through the quiet house. She yawned as she opened the back door. Maybe she wasn’t up early. Maybe she had never really slept!
In the pavilion, most of the dogs were still dozing. For a moment, it looked like Gem was sleeping soundly, but when Juniper got closer, her eyes opened.
Gem thumped her tail when she saw who it was. She got to her feet and walked slowly toward Juniper. Every step hurt, but she kept up her slow wag.
Juniper cringed as she watched the pup struggle forward and hurried to open the kennel. Gem didn’t seem like herself. She looked wiped out, and worse, she was definitely limping. All night in bed (while she wasn’t sleeping), Juniper had tried to convince herself that Gem was just tired out from the lake trip. And all night she lost the argument in her mind. Now, seeing Gem, it was confirmed. Something was really wrong.
In the kennel beside Gem’s, Captain was up and wagging. He stretched his front paws, dipping his head low while his rear end (and flapping tail) stayed high in the air, then scampered over to try to fit his tongue through the fencing to give Juniper a lick. He’d worn himself out the day before, too, but today he seemed fine. It was double confirmation.
Juniper let herself into Gem’s enclosure. Bud stretched and came to greet her, and she bent to run her hand over his spine. He arched his back and purred. “Thanks for taking care of my girl,” Juniper said as she let him out the kennel door.
She gave Gem a gentle pet on the way back to the dog bed. She patted the pup’s sleep cushion. Gem walked over and lowered herself gingerly. Juniper sat beside Gem’s bed and stroked her, lightly rubbing her legs. Her chest was tight with worry, and she had to fight back tears. She wasn’t sure what to do or who to tell. Luckily, Roxanne walked into the pavilion at that very moment wearing sweatpants, bedhead, and a worried expression.
“Hey, June. What’s going on?” Roxanne could immediately tell that neither Gem nor Juniper was herself. They both looked like inner tubes with the air gone out of them. Georgia had texted Roxanne last night, asking if she could please check on Gem this morning so that they could set Juniper’s mind at ease. Roxanne knew already that she couldn’t declare an all’s-well.
“Has she eaten?” Roxanne asked.
Juniper nodded, then shook her head. “I hand-fed her last night. That was the only way I could get her to eat. And I think she’s in pain. She’s limping.”
“Come, Gem!” Roxanne crouched down and called the dog. She didn’t want to torture her, but she had to see for herself. Gem got up slowly and walked toward her with a definite hobble.
As Juniper watched, a pair of tears overflowed her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
Gem let Roxanne
feel her all over to check for swelling, something that would indicate a strain or sprain or break. Even if she found a swollen limb, it wouldn’t necessarily explain the lack of appetite, and she didn’t feel anything particularly unusual, anyway. After a few minutes of standing, Gem began to tremble, and Roxanne let her lie back down.
Juniper couldn’t hold back any longer. “Does this mean she’ll never be a SAR dog?” She let out a ragged sob. She felt so responsible for this dog, for Gem. She had picked her!
Roxanne stopped petting Gem and patted Juniper’s back instead. “Let’s not panic,” she said. Juniper was known to be dramatic, but the tears on her face weren’t theatrics; they were tears of genuine concern. “We don’t know anything yet. Gem might have just eaten something funny.” She was a dog, after all. “Or she might have a virus. It could be anything. I’ll call Dr. Jessica. She can help us figure it out.”
Roxanne hoped Juniper found some comfort in her words. Meanwhile she was trying to keep her own brain train from going off the rails. Lists of illnesses and their corresponding symptoms flashed through her head—she needed to take her own advice. “Let’s not borrow trouble. Right now we need to gather the facts and get a diagnosis.”
Dr. Jessica, the ranch’s on-call vet, did not pick up her phone, so Roxanne left her a detailed message. She hung up and began to wonder if she should contact an emergency vet—it being so close to a holiday, Dr. Jessica might be away or … She didn’t have time to complete the thought. Her phone buzzed, and the veterinarian’s name appeared on the screen.
Roxanne walked away from Juniper and Gem to talk to Dr. Jessica privately. They didn’t need to hear the details of the situation. Not yet. She explained it all quietly into the phone. The vet’s “uh-huhs” and “okays” were soothing.
“I’ll be over this afternoon to take a look at her,” Dr. Jessica said when Roxanne finished.
They clicked off, and Roxanne shared the news with Juniper. The vet would be by this afternoon. “Until then, she said, Gem should just rest in her kennel, and we will have to wait.”
Juniper let out a heavy sigh. Waiting was not her favorite.
Opening the door to his trailer, Pedro took a deep breath. The morning air had a slight crispness to it, and the human trainer wished he were a dog. If he were, he’d be able catch a whiff of the pies he was certain were baking down at the Sterling house. He breathed out and smiled. Thanksgiving was one of his favorite holidays, and tomorrow could not come soon enough! Stepping back into his cozy home, Pedro picked up his phone. He located a number and hit call.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end was friendly and got even friendlier when he said his name.
“Pedro! I’ve been hoping you would call, but didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. You said this could take a long time!”
Pedro laughed. Laurel Leon sounded as he’d expected her to: confident, fun-loving, kind, and surprised. “I know, I know, but listen. The dog I have in mind is just starting her SAR training. It will still be a while before you can even meet her. I just wanted you to know that I have a great lead.”
“That’s such good news!” Laurel chirped.
“Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Pedro said, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to help it.
“I know, I know,” Laurel echoed back to him. She then repeated what he had already told her twice in email: “We won’t know until we know, and in the end it’s all up to the dog!”
Pedro hung up feeling good, located his coffee mug, and took a sip. The only thing that would make his favorite morning beverage better was a slice of pumpkin pie! Or maybe apple. He could never decide which he liked more.
His phone interrupted his pastry dreams. “Roxanne!” he answered. He hadn’t expected her to call. They were both off today, and Roxanne was supposed to be leaving to visit her sister for the holiday.
“Hey.” She sounded glum. “I’m calling about Gem. She’s sick.” Pedro felt his heart sink while Roxanne explained that she wasn’t sure what was wrong, but that Dr. Jessica was coming. “Maybe it’s nothing,” she said, but her tone spoke volumes. It said she thought it was definitely something.
When he ended the call, Pedro stood for a long moment with his phone in his hand. He could dial Laurel’s number right now and tell her that the dog he’d just told her about was sick … or he could wait. He slid the phone into his pocket. They’d have more info soon. And maybe it really was nothing. He hoped so.
“Come on, June,” Morgan coaxed. “Let’s get something to eat. Gem will be fine by herself for a little while.”
Gem’s tail thumped weakly at the sound of her name. Juniper squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head so hard her braids bobbed. “I can’t leave her!” she exclaimed. “I just can’t.” Morgan thought her little sister was going to burst into tears, but she bit her lower lip, stroked Gem’s soft golden back, and held it together.
“You’re not helping Gem by not taking care of yourself,” Morgan tried. “She wants you to be happy … and fed. I’ll make you a grilled cheese …”
Juniper’s tummy grumbled in spite of her desire to stay with Gem. She almost never skipped a meal. She loved food … and she especially loved Morgan’s grilled cheese. She looked up at her sister. “You will? Without crust?”
Morgan nodded. “Of course. We have your favorite cheddar, too. Come on. We can do some online research while we’re in the house. We might be able to find out what is going on, and figure out how to help her.”
Gem lifted her head and licked Juniper’s hand, as if giving her permission to leave. Juniper leaned over and planted a kiss on the pup’s head before getting to her feet. “Come on, Bud,” she called, patting her hip. But the gray kitten just looked up lazily and leaned back into Gem, arching her neck over one of the dog’s front paws. He clearly wasn’t going anywhere.
“Okay, Bud. You look after her some more … you’re doing a good job,” Juniper agreed, as if she’d thought of it herself.
The two girls left the pavilion, and by the time they were halfway to the house, they could smell deliciousness. Georgia was in the kitchen with her long unruly curls tied back and an apron covering her front. She was baking pies for Thanksgiving dessert, and a pot of spiced apple cider simmered on the stove.
“Hi, girls,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron. “How’s Gem doing?”
“She’s really sick,” Juniper said, sliding onto a seat at the counter. “We’re going to find out what she has after lunch.”
“We’re going to try,” Morgan corrected her. Morgan found a corner of counter space near the stove and gathered the ingredients for the grilled cheese. She buttered two pieces of bread and cut slices from the block of sharp cheddar.
“Ooh, can I get one of those?” Georgia asked. “Pretty please?” She had been in the kitchen all morning but hadn’t fed herself a bite. She slid a pumpkin pie into the oven. Then she gave Morgan’s shoulder a squeeze in thanks.
When their bellies were filled with toasted bread and cheese and warm spiced cider, Morgan got out the laptop the younger kids shared. “I think we should start with common dog illnesses.” She typed in the words and clicked through on “stiffness and pain,” which seemed closest to what Gem was dealing with. It was kind of hard to pinpoint because the symptoms had come on suddenly and Gem hadn’t lived there very long. Plus, she was a rescue. They didn’t know her history other than the medical records that came from the shelter.
Morgan typed “lameness” into the search engine and sighed. “We hardly know anything about Gem. We don’t even know if she’s a purebred.”
“We know she’s purely perfect!” Juniper said. “And why would being a purebred matter?”
“Purebreds are more likely to have genetic issues like arthritis, bad hips, or joint problems,” Morgan replied as Twig hopped up onto Juniper’s lap with a loud meow.
Juniper’s mouth hung open in dismay for several seconds while she stroked Twig’s back. Finally
she snapped it closed and brightened a little. “Maybe Dr. Jessica can tell us if she’s all golden retriever.”
Morgan nodded, but she was already on to the next search. She typed in “kennel cough,” then deleted it because she knew that Gem had already been vaccinated against that, as had all the dogs on the ranch. In fact, according to the shelter records, Gem was up to date on all her vaccines. And she’d gotten a clean bill of health from Dr. Jessica a couple of days after she arrived on the ranch.
Morgan tapped her fingers on the countertop, thinking. She knew some dog diseases were tricky. They could hide for a long time in the body and then suddenly appear.
She typed “hidden diseases in dogs” and scrolled through the page of search results hoping something would grab her attention. Finally, something did. “Here!” she said, leaning in so close she blocked Juniper’s view. Juniper pulled her back, but instead of reading what was on the screen, she watched her sister’s eyes dart back and forth. Morgan’s brow was as wrinkly and furrowed as a shar-pei’s.
“This could be it …” she whispered. “Lyme disease.”
Juniper leaned in to read the list of symptoms on the screen: lameness, loss of appetite, lethargy. “What’s lethargy?” she asked.
Morgan paused in her reading. “Being tired all the time.”
Juniper’s eyebrows shot up, and the sisters shared a knowing look. “She has that!” Juniper exclaimed.
Morgan nodded. “She sure does. It doesn’t seem like she’s been in the woods a lot, but deer and their ticks can be almost anywhere, and the ticks can really make a dog or a person sick …”
Juniper felt a little sick herself. Lyme disease looked scary. “I’ve never found a tick on her,” she mumbled after reading how the disease was usually contracted. She blinked back tears. Lyme disease could be fatal!
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