by Lucy Daniels
‘Okay,’ said Mandy.
‘The staff at the hospital showed me how to give him the injection,’ James said miserably, ‘but I just can’t do it. I’m frightened I’ll hurt him or inject into the muscle by mistake.’
‘And you want me to help?’ Mandy guessed.
‘Please.’ It was Paul’s turn to speak, though he sounded breathless. ‘I don’t want my husband to do anything on his wedding day that makes him unhappy.’ James was holding Paul’s hand and Mandy watched as the sick man’s fingers tightened.
‘Where’s the injection?’ said Mandy. James handed her a tiny syringe. ‘Watch closely,’ she said as she took a small pinch of Paul’s skin between her fingers and inserted the needle. ‘They maybe didn’t show you this, but because Paul is so slim now, you might need to put the needle in at an angle to get properly under the skin.’
James nodded, his eyes relieved. ‘Thanks, Mandy,’ he said. ‘I don’t know how you can be a vet. I would have been much too squeamish.’
‘I don’t think that’s true at all,’ she said, looking at James. ‘You are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You could do anything you wanted. Next time you have to give the injection, you’ll manage fine.’
James smiled at her. He opened his mouth to speak but his face crumpled and his eyes filled with tears.
Paul reached out and took both James’s hands in his. ‘Mandy’s right,’ he said. ‘You are indeed the most amazing man in the world, and I am so happy I met you. This is, without doubt, the best day of my life.’
Mandy felt tears prickling behind her own eyes, and for the first time that day, she did nothing to stop them.
Chapter Two
‘What a glorious day.’ Adam Hope lowered himself into his favourite armchair. Mandy spotted a new clock on the mantelpiece, and DVDs lined the shelves where there had once been videos, but her father’s wing-back chair still occupied the corner where it had always stood. ‘Sit down, Simon, make yourself at home.’
‘Thank you, Mr Hope.’
‘I’ve told you before, young man. Call me Adam.’ Mandy’s dad beamed. ‘Tell me, Simon, do you like whisky?’ He reached out and took a bottle from a cabinet that was close by his seat. ‘I have a wonderful malt here, ten years old …’
Mandy raised her eyebrows at Simon. ‘Don’t let him get started on his malts,’ she advised, ‘or you’ll never hear the end of it,’ but Simon was already leaning towards Adam to have a look at the bottle.
‘Bladnoch,’ he said, nodding appreciatively. ‘Flora and fauna edition. Very appropriate.’ He sat back. ‘I wouldn’t say no.’
Adam’s eyes twinkled. ‘Mandy?’
‘No, thanks, Dad. You know I think whisky tastes like disinfectant.’ To her relief, her mother appeared.
‘I’m just going to have a look at the in-patients,’ Emily said.
‘I’ll give you a hand.’ Mandy stood up, glad to have an excuse not to get involved in the whisky discussion. Together, she and Emily made their way through to the modern veterinary unit attached to the back of the cottage.
‘There are only a couple of residents,’ said her mum, ‘but I thought you’d like to take a peek at them.’
‘Of course I would,’ said Mandy.
‘This is Trundle.’ Emily opened the door to the first cage and gently stroked the Jack Russell terrier inside. ‘She came in this morning with a huge pyo. I had to operate as soon as she arrived. That’s why we only got to the wedding at the last minute.’ She checked the little dog’s drip-line and membranes. ‘She’s doing fine,’ she said with satisfaction.
Mandy reached into the kennel when her mum had finished and scratched Trundle behind the ear. The brown and white dog swivelled her head to lick Mandy’s hand. ‘She’s a lovely little thing.’
‘She really is,’ her mother agreed. ‘Our other patient isn’t quite so peaceful.’
Mandy half expected to be shown a fractious cat, so she was surprised when her mum led her into the wildlife section and closed the door carefully. Emily opened the only occupied cage and a gull with a chocolate-brown head gave a loud squawk before flapping out onto the floor. Mandy dropped to her knees to take a closer look and the bird stood still, regarding her with its ringed eye.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she said, grinning up at her mum. ‘What’s it in for?’
‘Seb Conway, the animal welfare officer in Walton, brought it in,’ Emily said. ‘Apparently, there are lots of black-headed gulls nesting near the gravel-pit. Someone reported this one because its wing was hurt.’
‘Oh.’ Mandy looked sadly at the bird. ‘I hope it wasn’t looking after any chicks.’
‘Seb says he watched it for a while,’ Emily told her. ‘It didn’t seem to be nesting and it was too badly injured to fly so he picked it up. It’s been eating cat food and exercising its wings and we’ve set up a water bath which it uses every day. I think we should be able to release it next week.’
Mandy resisted the temptation to reach out and stroke the bird. It was better not to handle wildlife too much, though she would have loved to feel the warmth of the muscular body beneath the smooth feathers. It would be good to get the bird some fresh fish, she thought, to make a change from cat food. She hoped they would be able to let it go before she returned to Leeds. It would be great to see it fly off, back to its flock.
‘Would you like something to drink before bed?’ her mum asked as she used a towel to guide the bird back into the cage.
Mandy thought for a moment. ‘I know it’s warm,’ she said, ‘but would it be too much hassle to make some hot chocolate?’
‘Of course not.’ Emily looked pleased. ‘It’s lovely to have you back,’ she said, reaching out to give Mandy an impulsive hug. Mandy hugged her back and tried to ignore how thin and fragile her mum felt. I’ll be able to do some of the cooking when I come back, too. She needs fattening up as much as this gull!
Despite the hot chocolate, a few hours later Mandy found herself tossing and turning. It felt strange being home but not sleeping in her own room. She climbed out of the double bed, where Simon was snoring after his evening of whisky tasting. On tiptoes, Mandy made her way to her old bedroom at the back of the house. Everything felt comforting and familiar, though the animal posters were gone and a new sewing table had been set in the corner. She sat on the single bed, wedged the pillow behind her back, and gazed out of the window.
A faint wash of moonlight illuminated the orchard beyond the cottage’s lawn and flower-filled borders. Beyond the branches, Mandy could just make out the low barn where Adam stored his tools and the dry-stone walls that climbed the fell. She would sleep in here, she decided, once Simon had gone back to Leeds.
Still restless, she decided to go downstairs to check on Trundle. She was glad she did, as the little dog had twisted herself around the drip-line and the infusion pump was beeping.
‘Don’t worry,’ Mandy whispered. ‘I’ll soon have you sorted out.’ For a while, she knelt beside the kennel, stroking Trundle and talking to her quietly. There was no doubt the little animal was well on the way to recovery. Mandy shifted position so that she was sitting more comfortably against the cage and rested her hand on Trundle’s furry flank. Her thoughts drifted back to the wedding, and the joy and excitement that had filled the air, in spite of everything.
After a while, the sound of a cock crowing roused her. She had better get back to bed, she thought. It was starting to get light and she didn’t want Simon to think she had run away. Later, they would go to the church and help James and Paul celebrate the final prayers of their wedding weekend, but for now, she should return to Simon’s side.
As usual for a Monday morning, the Animal Ark appointment list was full. Mandy had waved Simon off the day before, promising to call every day. Although she would be returning to Leeds for two more weeks before moving back to Welford, she had booked a few days’ holiday when James had told her his wedding date and she intended to make the most of it. Despite having a
ccompanied her parents on farm calls in the past, she hadn’t worked with large animals since qualifying and was looking forward to brushing up her skills.
Mandy was sitting at the computer admiring the photos and information on the clinic’s website when the door opened. A young woman with long brown hair burst in, wrestling with a bulging leather satchel. A glossy black flatcoat retriever trotted beside her, ducking out of the way when the satchel lunged towards the floor. Mandy smiled. She recognised Helen Steer, the clinic’s veterinary nurse, but she hadn’t seen the retriever before.
‘What a gorgeous dog!’
‘She is, isn’t she? She’s called Lucy.’ Helen kicked her satchel under the desk and patted Lucy. ‘How’s Trundle doing?’ she asked as she pulled off her jacket. Without pausing for the answer, she dropped a plastic tub of home-made biscuits on the desk, leaned over to check the answerphone and then straightened up, heading for the kennels.
‘She’s doing really well.’ Mandy scooted after Helen, feeling slightly breathless.
Trundle stood up in her cage and greeted them with a wagging tail and a small bark.
‘She looks much better,’ Helen said with satisfaction. ‘I think we can take her off her drip now, and I can give her a proper pain assessment before we send her home.’ Mandy watched as the girl switched off the machine that was controlling the fluid running into the vein. ‘Does that sound okay?’ Helen looked up at Mandy, who smiled.
‘Of course,’ she replied. Helen seemed to be as competent as she was confident.
‘How about Kehaar?’
‘Is that what you call the gull?’ Mandy asked.
‘Yes. After the one in …’
‘… Watership Down.’ Mandy finished the sentence for her.
‘Exactly.’ Helen’s eyes were sparkling. ‘Seb brought him in.’
‘Him? Is he male?’ Mandy was impressed. ‘I didn’t know it was possible to tell.’
‘Seb thought so,’ said Helen, ‘based on the size of his beak. Not that it makes any difference to his care plan.’
The sound of the main door opening and footsteps on the tiled floor alerted them to the arrival of a customer.
‘I’ll go,’ Mandy told Helen. She was pleasantly surprised to see Bill Ward, their postman, standing at the reception desk with a cat in a wicker basket.
‘Hello, Mandy.’ He seemed equally pleased to see her. ‘Is that you coming back all grown up and ready to get stuck in? It seems no time at all since you were at school.’
‘I’m just here for a week this time, but I’ll be back for longer at the end of the month.’
Bill grinned. ‘Your mum and dad must be over the moon. They talk about you all the time, you know!’ He reached down and poked a finger through the wire door of the basket. Inside, a furry black shape clawed the side of the carrier and let out a hiss. ‘Now then, Sable,’ said Bill. ‘Best behaviour for young Mandy! We’re actually here to see your dad today,’ he said. ‘Sable’s been under his care for a while.’
Mandy smiled. ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Dad’ll be through in a minute. If you take a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here.’
Mandy sat back down behind the reception desk an hour and a half later, warming her hands on a mug of tea. Morning surgery was over, and at times it had felt like a This Is Your Life-style return to her childhood. Two of the clients had been people she hadn’t met before, but there had been lots of faces she knew. Old Mrs Jackson had brought two cats to be vaccinated. She was as interested in wildlife as she had ever been, and Mandy had taken her through to see Kehaar once the cats were finished. Hannah Burgess had been in with one of her huskies, Tanika, who had hurt her front paw. Hannah had been delighted to see Mandy and introduce her to the beautiful dog. Tanika was the daughter of Aspen, who Mandy had taken care of as a puppy years ago. Mandy felt as if she had fallen into a photo album of her past life.
She took a sip of her tea and wondered if she should go and find Helen for a chat. She had been impressed by the nurse’s whirlwind energy and wanted to get to know her better. Before she could make up her mind, the door to the clinic swung open again and Susan Collins rushed in carrying Jack with one hand and a cat basket with the other.
‘Mandy,’ she said with relief in her voice. ‘I’m so glad to see you. It’s my cat Marmalade. I don’t know if it’s an infection, but his ear has suddenly blown up. It’s enormous and seems ever so sore. I know I don’t have an appointment, but do you think you could take a quick look at him for me, please?’
‘Of course I could,’ Mandy said. ‘Bring him through.’ She led Susan to the consulting room and opened the door of the cat basket, waiting until Marmalade walked out of the cage before reaching out to him. The problem ear was impossible to miss, swollen to several times its usual thickness, and the diagnosis was equally unmistakeable.
‘It’s an aural haematoma,’ Mandy told Susan. ‘It happens when they shake their head or scratch their ear and a blood vessel bursts between the skin and cartilage. It’s good you brought him in so quickly. It’s very painful because there isn’t much space for the blood.’
Susan’s gaze darted from Mandy to Jack, who was peering over the edge of the table, his small fingers reaching for Marmalade. Mandy took a plastic syringe from its packet, as she had seen her mother do many times before, and handed it to the small boy to play with. Jack regarded it with awe as he pulled the plunger in and out.
‘Can it be treated?’ Susan looked worriedly at Mandy.
‘Absolutely,’ Mandy said. ‘We’ll need to sedate him, but we can drain it right now. I’ll just give Helen a shout.’ She stuck her head into the waiting-room, where she was relieved to see the nurse sitting behind the desk.
‘Can you give me a hand, please?’ she said. ‘I’ve got Susan Collins’s cat here with an aural haematoma.’
‘Poor Marmalade!’ Helen exclaimed when she saw the hugely swollen ear. She took the ginger-striped cat from Susan as Mandy drew up some sedative into a new syringe. Holding him close to her body, Helen kept him steady while Mandy gave him the injection.
‘Just a few minutes and he’ll be asleep,’ Mandy said as Helen let Marmalade walk back into his carrier.
Once the little cat was sedated, Helen lifted him back out and placed him on a warmed towel before shaving and cleaning his ear. Mandy opened and closed several drawers before she found the instruments she would need.
‘I’m going to make two small incisions in Marmalade’s ear,’ she explained to Susan. ‘Then we’ll place a small drain through so that the blood doesn’t build back up. Without the drain, the blood is likely to come straight back. I’ll also need to take a sample from his ear canal to see if there’s any infection.’
‘Thanks.’ Susan stood well back, holding Jack in her arms.
‘Are you sure the two of you want to stay?’ Mandy nodded towards Jack, whose unblinking eyes were fixed on his pet. ‘It’s a bit on the messy side.’
Susan smiled. ‘He’ll be all right,’ she said. ‘He always likes to know everything that’s going on.’
‘Marmalade okay, Mummy?’ the little boy asked.
‘He’s fine,’ Susan told him. ‘Mandy is a vet. A doctor for animals. She’s going to make his sore ear better.’
Mandy sutured the drain in place and then took a swab from inside the ear canal. ‘He has a fungal ear infection as well, poor chap,’ she explained after peering down the microscope for a few moments. ‘That’s probably what caused the haematoma in the first place. Was he scratching before the swelling appeared?’
Susan nodded.
‘We’ll treat that with some eardrops. He’ll need a bandage over the wound for a few days, so we can clean his ear and put them in when he comes in to have that changed.’
Susan looked relieved. ‘I’m really grateful you were here,’ she said to Mandy as Helen took Marmalade through to the recovery area.
‘I’m glad you came,’ said Mandy. She thought for a moment. ‘Would you like some tea?�
� she offered. ‘Marmalade will be asleep for a little while yet and if there are things you need to do, you can come back to collect him later. But if you’d like to wait here, it would be nice to get to know Jack better.’
She looked at Susan, who nodded. ‘That would be lovely.’
‘It’s strange,’ said Mandy as they sat outside in the sunshine. ‘I thought of you almost as soon as I came back yesterday. I was thinking about the Christmas Eve party in the village hall. Do you remember?’
‘Yes, of course!’ Susan laughed. ‘With Prince. He couldn’t come inside, but he put his head through the window, wearing that crazy hat. It seems so long ago.’ She looked at Mandy over the rim of her mug. ‘And now you’re a proper qualified vet, just like you always wanted to be.’
Mandy nodded. ‘I’ve been really lucky,’ she admitted. ‘What about you? Do you work? Around looking after Jack, I mean,’ she added, hoping she didn’t sound as if she was interrogating Susan.
‘I’m a nursery nurse,’ Susan replied. ‘I’m the assistant manager at the village nursery school.’
Mandy raised her eyebrows. ‘I didn’t know Welford had a nursery school.’
‘My boss has converted one of the houses on the other side of the church. It’s really lovely, with rooms for different age groups and loads of space to play outside.’ Susan’s cheeks went pink. ‘Sorry, I sound like I’m trying to sign you up! I guess you’re too busy for babies just yet.’
Mandy smiled. ‘I am. But the nursery sounds great.’
‘It is. You should come and have a look around. The older children would love to hear about what a vet does.’
Mandy watched as Jack ran around the garden chasing the butterflies that were fluttering to and from the lavender bush under the window. The scent from her father’s climbing roses filled the garden. Susan showed Jack a ladybird that had landed on her arm and, boosted by her earlier success with the syringe, Mandy spoke to him.
‘Do you like ladybirds?’ she asked, but Jack just stared at her then turned and hid his face against his mother.