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I take a few breaks, allowing the mama all the time she needs to reposition herself. The goal is to avoid hip lock, which could potentially lead to death for both animals.
Jeffery watches from afar, which makes me nervous, considering Connor already told me they were close friends. The pressure’s on, and I refuse to mess this up. Maize offers positive reinforcements and cheers for me like I’m in a dance competition. “You’re doing good! This is why you’ll have Dr. in front of your name soon.”
“You’ve got this,” Rowan encourages. “Bet you could do this in your sleep.”
All I can do is laugh. My cousins have always been my biggest fans, but I’m not complaining. It’s actually nice to hear for once, considering I don’t get many compliments on the job. Sometimes I wonder what I did to Connor to annoy him so much.
“Imma need your help to pull once we see those hooves. Put on the extra gloves in my bag,” I say over my shoulder, blowing loose strands of hair out of my face. Considering I’m elbow-deep in the placenta, there’s nothing I can do. Next time, I’m wearing a hat.
“You’re doing good, mama,” I softly say to the heifer. It takes about thirty minutes before I can ease the calf through the pelvic opening and make sure to keep the head upward. While I’m paying extra attention to the baby and repositioning the calf puller tool, I think about what Rowan said earlier and smile. I could do this with my eyes closed.
As soon as I see hooves, I speak up. “Come on, I’m gonna need some strength,” I tell my cousins. They don’t hesitate and grab on to each leg as I help assist the baby out. We gently set it on the ground, and I clear the mucus from the nose and mouth, then pat hard to make sure the passageway is open. It’s an emotional moment when the mama turns around and sees her baby looking up at us like we’re aliens.
“It’s a boy,” I say. “Who’s perfectly healthy, just a little stubborn,” I say with amusement. The mama licks and cleans him up, and I feel a burst of happiness. Moments like this are so special and a reminder of why I work so damn hard. I love this job and can’t wait to graduate with my doctorate and be a licensed vet.
Jeffery approaches, wearing a big grin. “Ma’am, you’ve got a knack for delivering. Shoulda called you earlier.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I take off my gloves and glance over to see Rowan and Maize enamored by the sweet new baby. “I’m gonna check the heifer and make sure she’s good to go. Probably want to keep her in the delivery stall until tomorrow.”
“Will do,” Jeffery says.
“If you see her actin’ strange or if she has a loss of appetite, please don’t hesitate to give the office a call, and we’ll come right out.”
“Thank ya. I’m glad Dr. Wallen sent you.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply, hoping he tells Connor how much of a badass I am. “It was my pleasure.”
“I’ve never wanted to adopt a baby cow so much in my life,” Maize squeals as I do my routine checks.
“Same,” Rowan admits. “Maybe I shoulda gone to vet school too.” She laughs. “Nah. Too many gross things to deal with.”
“You’re right about that. Some of the stories I could tell you—”
“Don’t,” Maize interjects, holding up her hand. “No nasty details before I’ve had breakfast. I’m way too hungover for that.”
Before we leave, I snap a quick selfie next to the little black and white calf.
When we climb in the truck, Rowan groans. “I think I’m gonna need another shower.”
I chuckle. “Probably a good idea.”
Pulling out my phone, I text the picture to Connor with a message that everything went perfectly.
As I’m backing out of the driveway, he responds.
Connor: Great.
His lack of appreciation infuriates me.
“What’s that face for?” Rowan asks as I suck in a deep breath.
“Look what Connor sent,” I say, handing her my phone.
Maize leans forward and reads it.
“Oh, keep scrolling. They’re all like that.” I groan, turning onto the main road and heading toward the B&B.
“Okay, that’s pretty douchey,” Maize finally says. “Even though he’s hot as hell, he could use some manners.”
“Right,” I tell her. “Guess I should expect it at this point.”
“Maybe he missed communications class.” Rowan giggles, handing me back my phone. Luckily, she changes the subject and talks about the bar, but I’m too lost in my thoughts to listen.
As long as I’ve worked with Connor, it’s always been the same. Over a year of short responses and work-only conversations. He never talks about anything personal and keeps to himself ninety-nine percent of the time. He’s all business, and I often wonder why he even hired me in the first place. Knowing Grandma Bishop, she had something to do with it because I’d mentioned needing hands-on experience.
