I call the emergency vet, explain what I’m seeing, and get instructions while Denise runs for the medication. We dose Ranger, keep him walking, and wait for the pain to ease enough that he stops trying to throw himself down.
Fifteen minutes later, Ranger passes gas so loudly that Livy cheers from inside the SUV.
I close my eyes.
Thank You, Jesus.
Denise bursts into tears all over again, this time from relief.
“He’s not out of the woods,” I warn her. “He still needs the vet. He may need to go to the clinic. But that bought him time.”
She throws her arms around me.
I hug her back even though I’m sweaty, dirty, and still shaking with leftover adrenaline.
“Thank you,” she sobs. “Thank you, thank you.”
“Keep him walking until the vet arrives. No food. Small sips of water. If he goes down again, call me if the vet hasn’t arrived.”
She nods frantically.
By the time I climb back into the SUV, my hands are trembling.
Livy is buckled in now, face pale from guilt.
“Is Ranger going to live?” she asks quietly.
“I hope so.”
“You saved him?”
“I helped him.”
“That’s good.”
I turn to look at her. “You and I are going to have a very serious conversation when we get home.”
“I know.”
“No screens for a week.”
Her mouth drops open.
“Maybe two. And that’s not counting Maverick’s punishment. Or Steffy’s. Or Rosa’s. All the people you betrayed.”
My voice shakes, but I don’t let it soften. “Because that’s what this was, Olivia Marie. You betrayed the trust of every person trying to keep you safe. I told you no. Rosa trusted you to stay inside. Stefano trusted that you would listen so he wouldn’t have to worry about you. Maverick trusted all of us to follow the rules he put in place to protect us.”
Her mouth closes.
Smart girl.
Stefano starts the SUV, his expression grim.
“I sent Maverick another message.”
I groan. “How bad?”
“He’s not happy,” he tells me. “With any of us.”
