A stormy night #4
“Can you help him?” Shona asked with tears in her eyes and a heartbreaking plea in her voice. Kristy and Hailey looked at him with the same expression.
Kendrick shook his head. He didn’t even need to examine the pony to judge the situation, and the three women knew it too. The only thing he could do was to put the old pony out of its misery.
As he prepared the syringes and anaesthetic infusion, Hailey crouched down and placed Spikey’s head on her knees.
Kristy and Shona sat beside her, stroking the pony and murmuring words of comfort in its ear.
Kendrick first administered the tranquilliser, though that was probably not even necessary.
Then he connected the anaesthetic infusion to a vein.
It didn’t take long for Spikey’s eyes to close and Kendrick injected the high-dose anaesthetic.
Within a matter of minutes, it was over.
He could no longer feel a pulse or make out a heartbeat or breathing noises with the stethoscope.
The three women held each other tightly and wept uncontrollably for the pony on which they had all learnt to ride, the faithful friend to generations of children.
Kendrick felt the urge to comfort Shona, but she was clinging to her cousins as for dear life, and he didn’t want to get between them.
This was about more than shared mourning for their childhood friend for these three.
So he quietly returned to Rupert, who was standing close by at the edge of the hollow with Minnie Mouse, giving him a questioning look.
“I think what happened is that most of the horses jumped the fence when they panicked,” Kendrick began.
“Spikey probably tried that too but couldn’t make it.
No surprise there. I reckon he and Minnie Mouse jumped at the same time and she crashed into him and the fence and it collapsed.
That would explain all these injuries.” He shook his head.
“We should definitely get her to the animal hospital. I can’t say if there are internal injuries or broken ribs.
” He checked her breathing and heartbeat.
“But she seems to be in okay shape, given everything.”
“What about Spikey?” Rupert asked in a gruff voice.
“There was nothing I could do, except make his last minutes easier,” Kendrick replied. “How old was he?”
“Almost thirty-five. Hailey and Isla were the first of our bunch to ride him, and half the village after them.” Rupert shook his head sadly. “He had a good life, but to end like this ...”
“I know,” Kendrick replied quietly and suddenly felt someone by his side. He turned and pulled Shona into his arms. As sad as the situation was, he was glad to feel her by his side, to know she was with him. “I am so sorry,” he whispered into her rain-soaked hair.
“Me too. But I’m glad you’re here,” she sobbed, huddled against his chest.
“I’ll always be here when you need me,” he promised. It was strange how close happy and sad moments could be at times, he thought, and resolved to truly cherish the happy moments from here on out. Always.
A short while later, Alex and Marlin returned with the last missing horse, which they had discovered unharmed in Alice’s vegetable garden.
The storm had finally subsided, but Rupert didn’t trust the horses in the open pasture until the fence was repaired.
So they brought all the animals to the indoor arena, where the lighting was strong enough for Kendrick to examine them all.
Most of them had nothing more than a scare or a few scratches, only Minnie Mouse and a pony gelding appeared to be more seriously injured.
When their owners arrived, Kendrick arranged for a thorough examination at the animal hospital and Marlin volunteered to take the horses and their owners to Inverness.
By six o’clock in the morning, the situation was under control and Kendrick felt he could breathe freely again.
Now that it was over, he was surprised that there had been no other emergency calls the entire time.
Apparently, the storm had only been this bad right around Kirkby while other areas had hardly been affected.
He watched Shona bid a fond farewell to Kristy, who needed to get to the bakery.
It looked like things between the cousins were back to normal.
“Shall we check on the alpacas and Azzedine before we head?” he asked her when she rejoined him.
“I was about to suggest that.”
They entered the calm and quiet stable where the three circus alpacas – Petunia, Hamish and Alvarez – rested comfortably in their box, chewing their cud.
Next door, Azzedine and Nessie were lying in the straw and seemed unfazed by the night’s excitement.
“I’m so glad they are okay,” muttered Kendrick, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.
Azzedine and Nessie were so relaxed that they didn’t even get up when Shona slipped into the box and knelt down between them, feeling the need to hug and pet them both.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she echoed Kendrick.
“Me too.” He yawned heartily. “I reckon they can do with some more rest. Shall we go home and see how the dogs are getting on? And maybe catch a bit of sleep ourselves?”