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“Ask Hank what he wants me to do with Cuervo!” she screamed after Trina. “I gotta break out this stall and get Gypsy moving!”
“I’m takin’ him over to Ditch’s trailer!” Kelsey called, dropping the ramp and grabbing a lead line.
Trina came up, calmly handing Daisy her phone. “It’s the clinic, Daisy. Texas A&M.”
Daisy rattled off Gypsy’s age and weight and symptoms, taking her temperature and checking her gums for refill. “About a two-second delay. Do you think she’s bleeding internally?” she asked, consumed by fear. But no one could tell her anything, not until they saw the mare and got an ultrasound on her belly.
Becky was already backing her truck to the trailer. Leaving Gypsy, Daisy ran out to lower Hank’s gooseneck trailer hitch into the bed of Becky’s truck, not trusting anyone else to do it right.
*****
Once he got on the highway, Hank spotted Becky’s old tan GMC pulling his trailer, and sped up to catch it.The ride was only an hour and a half, but it felt like forever as his mind raced through the details of every move Gypsy had made that day.
She’d looked fine in the morning and after the race. It hadn’t even been a warm day by Texas standards. He’d put a hand to both horses’ chests before he fed them; both were dry. From her texts, he knew Daisy was in back with her mare, and it worried him; a bad colic case could be a terror, made worse in a moving trailer.
Based on what Trina had described, Gypsy might not make it to the clinic. He kept thinking of the mare down in back, thrashing around kicking, or worse, seizing up, taking her last breaths with Daisy a helpless witness.
Daisy can’t lose Gypsy, not now, not on top of the pain she’s in still missing Buck.
He exited behind Becky, clicking his blinker and following them down Raymond Stoltzer Parkway, unable to imagine Daisy without her mare.
It was reassuring to find Gypsy standing when he dropped the trailer’s ramp. Both she and Daisy were white-eyed with panic, the mare lathered with sweat. The attendants were right there, checking her vitals. He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the mare walk freely, led into the clinic and surgery.
Motioning to the ultrasound screen, the veterinary surgeon explained the diagnosis as he was gloving up. Sometime during the race or shortly after, a loop of Gypsy’s small intestine had managed to catch between the powerful bands of muscle in her abdomen. Pinched off, the intestine had shut down, causing colic.
“This surgery is a rather simple procedure,” he assured them. “There’s no sign of internal bleeding, so once I get the intestine released, I’ll remove any necrotic tissue and suture the good ends together. We see equine colic here regularly. Barring complications, you’ll be able to start riding this mare again after a month or so.” Tearfully, Daisy nodded her head, running her fingers down Gypsy’s neck. The surgical assistant put an anesthetic mask on the mare, and she left the surgery.
Out in the hall, Becky and Trina and Kelsey hugged her. “We made it in time,” Kelsey said. Numb with shock, Daisy nodded, beyond tears.
An hour and a half later, Gypsy was in recovery, still woozy but on her feet. An IV dangled from her jugular. Confident that the worst had passed, Daisy’s friends made plans to head back to Hillsboro.
“You need anything else?” Kelsey asked as Hank lifted the gooseneck and Becky pulled her truck forward. “You’re stayin’ with her, right, Hank?”
He nodded. “I’ll be here ‘til Daisy’s certain Gypsy’s fine. There’s no hurry, we’ll be here as long as she wants. Ditch can take Cuervo back to his place, if needs be.” When he got back inside, Daisy was with her mare. Hank watched through the glass as she ran her hands over Gypsy’s belly, speaking soothingly, inspecting the sutures. Then she buried her face in the mare’s neck, collapsing into tears, letting her fingers tangle in chestnut mane. His eyes welled as he watched them.
The first night they’d been together, Daisy had told him how Buck had chosen the mare for her, buying the horse with the last of his savings. It was a little while before Daisy raised her head. Collecting herself, she stroked Gypsy’s nose and promised to be back in the morning.
As the attendant led Gypsy down the hall towards the observation barn, tears began to flow down Daisy’s cheeks all over again. Hank held her as the mare disappeared through the double doors, then led her gently back to the truck. Once outside, he ran his hands through her hair, trying to soothe her.
“Don’t touch me,” she said tearfully, pulling away.
He put an arm around her shoulder. “Aw, Daisy, you don’t really mean that. I’ve never seen a girl, needs a kiss like you do.”
He touched his lips to her forehead and swallowed her in his arms, holding her close, wanting to keep her safe. “Oh, Hank,” she sobbed, burying her head into his chest.“What am I gonna do? It’s not just the lost season. What about Gypsy Girl?”
He stroked her back. “Shh-h, Daize, you got her here in plenty of time. It’s just one of those freak things, but the worst is over. Gypsy’s already on the mend.”
“Yeah, but this is gonna cost me—big time,” she wailed, covering her face with her hands. “The money I put aside was for Gone’s gelding. How the hell am I going to swing this?”
Hank took a long moment, debating what to tell her, deciding he’d risk her anger to put her out of panic and misery. “I signed for the bill, Daisy Mae,” he whispered, letting his lips roam her hair. She stayed close in his arms, not pulling away, and he was glad. “Don’t you worry about anything, hear?”
Straightening up, Daisy met his eye. “You can’t be serious.”
“Sure, I am. I won’t have you worrying about the mare your Daddy bought you. Gypsy was Buck’s gift, and it’s you and me now. I care about you, Daisy, and you’ve gotta let me take care of things every once in a while. You’ve been through enough.”
“Oh, really?” she half-laughed, still in shock. “You think so?”
“C’mon, it’s late,” he said, helping her into the truck. Climbing in, he turned the key in the ignition. “I got us a hotel room. Ditch is lookin’ out for Cuervo. I’ll bring you back first thing in the morning to see Gypsy. She’s gonna be fine.”
