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Shit. Crystal had to act fast. “Angie, let go of him so he can breathe. We need to keep him calm. Look at me.”
The girl released her hold and bobbed her head. “Okay. What do we do?”
“I’ll call for help.” When Crystal tried to reach Zach, the call went right to voicemail.
Double shit. Murphy panted harder, and his tongue was bleeding more.
Crystal glanced up the hill to their car. “Are the keys to that here?”
“Yeah, I know where they are.”
Great. If she drove him to the vet, it would save time calling around trying to find someone else to help. “Call your parents and grab the keys. Ask if I can use the car to take him to the vet.”
“Got it.” Angie raced up the hill, and Crystal ran into the tent and grabbed a bottle of water. She doused Murphy’s tongue with it and steeled her back. She had this. No way this dog was going to die after saving her life.
Angie came back breathless, clutching the keys. “You can use our car. They’re heading back and said not to wait.”
“Okay.” Crystal forced a deep breath. “Stay with him and listen to me.”
“Wh-what?”
“You have a job, and it’s to remain calm. If he thinks you’re upset, things will be harder for him. Can you sing him a song or something?”
“Sing?” Angie’s eyes clouded, then cleared, shining bright. “Yeah, I can sing. I mean, I haven’t for a long time, but yes, I can.”
Crystal ran to the car, shocked to hear Angie singing in a beautiful, sweet voice to the dog she’d only pretended not to love.
Every second mattered with a rattlesnake bite, and Crystal’s fingers shook as she searched on her phone for an emergency vet clinic. The closest one was thirty minutes away. That was pushing the time limit on getting the shot, but it’s all she could hope for after hours. Between her and Angie, they hauled Murphy into the car.
Angie sat in the back with him, still singing sweetly and stroking his head.
“I need you to call the clinic and let them know we’re coming with a rattlesnake bite injury to a dog. Can you please do that?” Crystal asked.
“Um…Yes. What’s the number?”
“I’m using the GPS on my phone. Can you look it up on yours?”
“I’m scared. I don’t—”
“Angie?” Crystal glanced in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah?”
“We’re in this together. Remember, no freaking out. Search for Meyer’s Animal Hospital. It should be about a half hour from here.”
“Right.” Angie’s head dipped and a second later she said, “I got it.”
Crystal nodded. “Great. Give them a call.”
Twenty-five minutes and counting to the center. He had to be okay. She couldn’t see him from the back seat, but his labored breathing tore at her heart. How had she ever cared that the dog had shaken water on her? Like so many things in life, she’d been in a bubble, never seeing how much people and even dogs loved each other.
“I…umm…my dog might be dying…we’re on the way…”
Good God, the clinic would have no idea what to prepare for with Angie’s description. Poor girl was an emotional mess. Who could blame her? When had Crystal ever had to deal with something this important? Huh, maybe just now. “Put on speaker phone, please.”
“Okay. I’ll hold the phone closer to you.”
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Crystal called out.
