32. Chapter 32
Quint
My second flight in as many days is nothing like the first. Frantic, running to catch the plane. I’m out of breath as I slide into my seat, and the panic doesn’t settle for the entire plane ride.
When I finally arrive back at the ranch, the sun is already shining, I throw my truck in park and leap out beside the vet’s truck. The breeding barn is bustling with activity. Caleb, Shayla, Doc Val, and a handful of ranch workers are all milling about.
Shayla’s eyes are red, her hair is a mess, and she’s still wearing flannel pajama pants with horseshoes scattered over them.
Chipper was my first foal. All of us kids got one foal when we turned thirteen to care for, raise, train. The entire process was ours, from foaling to saddle training. It was to teach us responsibility, but Mom always said it was also to teach us how important it is to care for another creature.
So Chipper is basically an extension of me.
And while she had a short barrel career with Shayla, we retired her to the breeding program after an injury to her hock.
This seemed like the best thing for her.
She loves being a mom. She’s had one beautiful foal already, who is shaping up to be a barrel star.
But as I look over the stall door to see her standing there, hooked up to an IV with her head low and a bandage wrapped around her abdomen, a wave of guilt fills me. I should have been here.
The stall has been draped in sterile drapes and there’s a tarp on the floor.
I wrap my arms around my sister. “What happened?”
Shayla buries her head in my chest. “She seemed okay at first, but it was taking too long. It seemed like she was in more pain than she should be, so we called Val in.”
Caleb steps over to us. “The filly was positioned wrong. We all tried to help, but time was running out. The doc tried to reposition her but couldn’t.
A C-section was the last resort when we were out of time and other options.
There wouldn’t have been time to get her to the closest hospital.
Both Chipper and the foal would have been at risk. ”
I pull away from my sister, wanting to take a look at my girl.
Doc Val steps out of the stall. “Please tell me she’s going to be okay?” I ask the vet.
“She’s stable right now.” I want to hope, but the look on her face advises caution.
“But performing a C-section outside of a clinic carries a lot of risks. There’s still a risk of infection, she could reopen her wound or twist something up.
So as of right now, she’s doing good. But you’re going to have to keep a close eye on her over the next few days.
The next couple of weeks. She can get through this, but there are no guarantees. ”
This is not how I was planning on this weekend ending, and it’s all too much. Finally getting some sort of hope with Aura, only to get brought back for this. My chest aches and my head is fuzzy.
“What about her foal?” I brace myself for the worst, but Caleb gives me a tired smile.
“She’s doing good. Going to be a bruiser,” he says.
“We temporarily moved her to get her cleaned up and fed,” the vet tells me, “but now that Chipper’s up on her feet, you’re going to want to get her baby back in there to nurse.
She needs the colostrum for her immune system.
And we’re going to have to keep a close eye on the two of them to make sure they’re bonding and the foal doesn’t accidentally hurt her mom. ”
Her words are reassuring, but I’m still on edge. It’s hard to let go of the panic that’s been riding me all night. “Where is she?”
Caleb points to the stall across from us and I push past him to get there.
Dean looks up at me from inside the stall when I peer in.
The foal is wobbling on her spindly legs, nosing about at my friend.
My heart twists. She’s the spitting image of her mom.
From the chestnut coat to the perfect diamond in the middle of her forehead that runs into a thin white line down her face.
It twists to the right when it hits her muzzle.
I step inside to give her a pat and she butts me with her delicate little muzzle.
“Nice suit,” Dean says.
Great. I grabbed the first thing off the floor on my way out, so I’m wearing the borrowed tuxedo pants and shirt. “Thanks, I think it’s mine now. Whether I can afford it or not.” And the answer is likely not.
I sink down beside him, propping my elbows on my knees.
I’m still worried, but seeing the baby in front of me fills me with resolution.
No matter what happens, we have to keep this baby safe and healthy.
For her mom and for mine. She was my baby, but my mom helped me through every step of the first year of her life, so I can still feel her with me any time I’m with the mare.
“Sorry you had to come home to this.”
I shake my head. “Me too, but I’m glad Caleb called. I needed to be here.”
It makes me think about my priorities. This is my home and where I want to be, but I also want to be with Aura. Maybe she was right about us. Is it possible for us to make this relationship work, when I need to be here and she’s always having to jet off to some movie star thing?
But there’s not going to be a lot of time to think that through over the next few days. Looking after Chipper and the foal is my number one priority until they’re both out of danger.
Dean drops a hand to my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “They’re going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it.”
“Thanks.” I only hope it’s true.
I keep my eyes locked on the filly as she wanders around the stall, exploring every corner, snuffling at the ground and snorting.
All the struggle, the difficult birth, and she’s still up and ready to go.
A fighter, just like her mom. It gives me a little more hope that my girl is going to get through this.
Shayla pokes her head over the stall door. “Shall we get that baby to her mom?”
I nod, pushing up from the floor. “Let’s do it.”
My sister opens the stall door while me and Dean start to herd the baby. She protests, zigging and zagging around, and it takes the two of us plus Shayla to guide her across the hall to her mama’s stall. Caleb’s got the door open.
Chipper looks up and lets out a low, throaty nicker as soon as she spots her baby. She shifts on her feet to move closer.
“Easy girl. We’ll bring her to you. Don’t stress yourself out, we got this covered.”
She seems to respond to my voice, settling down as we bring her baby closer.
We guide her over to her mom’s front end first and the two touch noses. Chipper lets out a more excited call and starts licking her already-clean baby. Clearly unimpressed with the job my family did.
After they have their bonding time, we try to guide the foal back, so she can nurse. She snuffles around, taking her time, but finally manages to latch on under our careful watch. Don’t want her mom to tear anything open.
And then I step away, slipping to the floor to keep an eye on the pair.
That’s when I can finally let myself relax.
The tension slowly seeps out of me and I’m able to experience the wonder of the moment.
The beautiful baby horse and her mom. A pair of survivors.
Proof that you can get through anything.