Page 34 of Puck and Prejudice

I put my medical bag in his trunk, but Jackson beats me to it and grabs it for me.

“I can carry that,” I say.

“I know you can, but I have it already. Let’s go.”

I shake my head and bite my tongue. There’s no point arguing with him about it.

Two people greet us inside the stables, and Jackson is quick with the introductions. Mickey and Dione Miller are a couple in their fifties. They manage the ranch for Jackson and live in a separate house on the property.

“How long ago did you notice the mare was in a labor?” I ask as Mickey leads me to the stable.

“Six hours or so. Fleur’s a maiden, so we know it can take longer, but not that much longer. We called our vet, Dr. Lawrence, but he is sick, and his replacement is attending to another emergency.”

Fleur is pacing in her stall, and when she turns, I see the amniotic sack poking out. “Oh, she’s close.”

“That wasn’t there before,” Mickey says.

I turn to Jackson. “My bag?”

Jackson hands it over, and when I turn my attention to Fleur, she’s already lying down flat. The more severe labor pains have started.

“All right. It’s time.” I crouch behind her, and immediately notice a problem.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks. He must have noticed my frown.

I break the membrane. “See how one whole leg is out and the other isn’t?”

“Yeah. Damn it. That’s not good, right?” He crouches next to me.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s okay. I need to get the other leg free.”

“Do you need anything from the bag?”

“Not yet.” I glove up and grab the bent back leg with both hands and apply steady traction. But after a minute or so, I realize that perhaps I’m not strong enough because it’s still stuck.

“Is it working?” Jackson asks.

“No. I need a third hand.”

When he doesn’t move, I look at him. “Yourhand.”

“Oh… okay.” He reaches over and grabs the leg just above where my hands are. “Now what?”

“Now we pull until the elbow lock loosens.”

“All right.”

With Jackson’s help, that second foot finally comes out and it’s now parallel with the first. I exhale in relief. This is my first time doing it by myself, and I was getting a bit nervous. Not that I’d let Jackson notice.

“That’s it. We’re almost there,” I say.

“I see the elbows!” Jackson blurts out, all excited.

“Yes! Keep applying traction, always down.”

“Got it.”

A moment later, the head is out, and then the hips. “We can stop helping now.”

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