Chapter 1
“Hold on, Doc, you got him!”
“Going good, Doc, don’t let go!”
“Don’t weaken!”
Jason hung on to the rope for dear life as the horse bucked its rage in the weathered wooden corral. The pandemonium of dust and bellowing cowboys only added to Jason’s dizziness as his world spun around and around; a feeling of drunkenness and stupidity coursed through his veins. Why was he still holding the rope connected to this beast? Would he actually feel the crushing hooves on his body, or would his death be instantaneous?
“Almost got him, Doc!”
Just as Jason’s last bit of strength dangled at the end of his proverbial rope, the horse, without any explanation, stopped dead in its tracks. Jason, out of breath, looked around with confusion, unsure of what was happening.
“Doc! Good work, man, you got him licked!”
The horse’s nostrils flared with each anxious breath as sweat drenched its exhausted body. Jason doubled over trying to catch his own breath, unwilling to drop the rope for fear the horse might get a second wind. Jason quietly reached into his pocket and pulled out the syringe; he quickly injected the horse and stepped back. The cowboy cheering section erupted as Jason finally dropped the rope and walked away.
“Doc, I think you whispered to him!”
Jason removed his hat, wiped his forehead with his shirt sleeve, and turned back to look at the horse, “No, there was no whispering, but I think we just finally wore each other out.”
“Doc, that sucker was the last of them. So now they’ve all been vaccinated—now how about deworming?”
Jason turned and smiled, “I’ll leave that to you boys, get him while he’s still trying to catch his breath.” Jason climbed the corral fence and slowly walked toward his truck. One of the cowboys approached him as Jason grabbed a towel from the vet to again wipe the sweat from his brow and Jason said, “So maybe a little working with these colts might be a good idea before we try this again.”
“You got it, Doc. I really do appreciate you helping us out with these froggies, sure owe you one!”
“Yeah, well, maybe one of these days when you are in town, come buy me lunch,” Jason said with a smile and a wink.
“You got it, Doc, but I didn’t think old Doc Keating let you take a lunch!” the man laughed and tipped his hat as Jason climbed into the truck.
Jason cranked up the A/C in the truck as he drove back to Birdie, knowing Keating would grumble about how much fuel it cost to run the air conditioning. But summer in Birdie was wearing on Jason, and after his “colt rodeo” he wasn’t in the mood to care, especially with the surprise he anxiously anticipated tonight.
As he climbed out of the truck at the clinic, he could feel his muscles stiffening, his sweat-soaked shirt was now a cooler, sticky mess. He needed a shower, and it was only 2:30 PM. The clinic was bustling; Mary was scrambling with clients at the front desk as the phone rang incessantly. She glanced with desperation in the direction of the phone as Jason reached over the counter and picked up the receiver.
“Good afternoon, Birdie Veterinary Clinic, this is Dr. Davies.”
“Dr. Davies? Why the hell they got you answering the phone? Things kind of slow over there today?” the female’s smoky voice was raspy and congested. It wasn’t a voice Jason recognized; although he thought it was a woman’s voice.
“Well, not exactly; how can I help you today?”
“I need to bring Pebbles in for an exam, I think she has a sunburn.”
Sunburn? He reached over to grab the appointment book. The afternoon looked open for the rest of the day. “Well, what is your schedule like today? Could you bring Pebbles by in about an hour?”
“I’ll be there, thanks much,” the gravelly voice replied and hung up.
As Jason set the phone down, Mary turned and asked, “Did you fill your afternoon appointment today?”
“I guess so, but not sure with whom.”
“You didn’t get their name?”
“No, but pretty sure it must be a dog with a skin issue.”
Mary penciled “unknown” into the schedule. “Not a problem, they will be here soon enough, and the mystery will be solved.”
Jason nodded and headed to his office. Dropping into his chair, he glanced at the notes and the few pieces of mail that had accumulated on his desk. “If I could get paid to just talk on the phone all day . . .” He picked up the phone and started down the list.
Finally hanging up the phone after almost two hours of marathon phone calls, he heard the familiar smoker’s voice from the reception area. Mary appeared in the doorway, “So your dog isn’t a dog, but a pig—actually a sow to be exact. I just wanted to let you know before you headed for the exam room.”
Jason gave her a questioning glance, “A sow? Well, that sounds about right for how my day has been going.” He rose from his chair and followed Mary down the hall; pausing at the exam room door he sighed dropping his head. He turned catching a glance from Mary, who was back on the phone, grinning at him. She winked as he opened the exam room door…
Excerpt from “Finding James Herriot: Monkey Bars © 2021 Michael J. Suit, DVM
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.