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A piercing cry breaks the quiet of the early morning, and my legs move quicker than my brain can. I reach my girls and find Lucy crying and holding her leg.
“Did she fall?” I pick her up in my arms and try to see in the darkness.
“No, she was waiting for me to finish and then just screamed.” Mercy tries to move Lucy’s hand away, but that’s when I hear it.
A rattle.
“Mercy, back away slowly.” I grab her arm and step back.
When we move, the headlights break through the shadows our bodies are making, and I catch the snake a second before it goes for my leg.
I jump back, pulling Mercy with me, and don’t stop until we’re in front of the truck. Lucy is wailing, and I look at her leg in better lighting, and fear paralyzes me.
“No,” I whisper and look up at Viper.
“Shit, is that a rattlesnake bite?” Viper takes Lucy from me and goes to the bed of the truck.
He sits her down, and Mercy hugs her while Viper grabs a big black duffle bag. He opens it and pulls out a box that looks like it’s for fishing tackle.
“We need to get her to a hospital!” I try to grab her, but he stops me with a hand on my chest.
“I have a snake bite kit,” I nod, and he pulls the vial out of the box.
“When you live in this area, it’s smart to have this around just in case.” He places a syringe on the bite marks and pulls back on the stopper.
Lucy sobs as I watch him suck the venom out of her little leg.
“Ok, let’s move. The hospital isn’t far.” We get into the truck, and Viper floors it.
“Shh, you’re going to be okay.” Mercy tries to soothe her.
“Hurt’s mommy!” My heart breaks at her voice.
“The doctors will make it better.” Lucy shakes her head.
“NO! They give me needles!” She becomes hysterical, and I frown at Mercy.
The trauma this child has endured while she was separated from her mother is going to be a minefield to navigate.
“Yea, lass, they might. But this needle is to make you feel better. It’ll hurt a little, but then the big pain will go away. So I need you to be a strong little lass for me, alright?” I reach for her hand and squeeze it softly.
She sniffles but nods at me.
“That’s my girl.” Viper brakes at the emergency room doors, and I’m out of the truck and taking her in my arms in seconds.
“How can I help you?” A lady at a desk calls out into an empty room.
Thank fuck.
“A rattlesnake bit my daughter,” I yell at her.
She immediately stands and pushes a button that opens a set of doors.
“Take to room three.” I nod and walk into the hallway, finding the room and laying Lucy on the bed.
Her leg is an angry red color, swollen and oozing from the bite marks. There’s a bruise forming, but I can’t tell if it’s from the bite or the syringe Viper used to draw the venom out.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Espinosa. Oh my, that doesn’t look funny, little lady. What happened?” He moves over to Lucy and immediately starts examining her leg.
