Chapter 7

Ellery pressedon Cash’s abdominal area, and the horse groaned.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how similar that sounds to a human,” Lori said and continued to stroke his neck.

“If only they could talk like one. That would make my job a lot easier.” Ellery moved around to Cash’s other side and repeated the pressure, which elicited more moaning from the horse.

Lori smiled. “You’re amazing with them. It’s like you’re speaking their language.”

Ellery looked up at Lori. “That’s kind of you to say, but Cash is being tight-lipped about what’s bothering him. He’s exhibiting signs of colic, but I’m not sure that’s all there is to it. The antibiotics we gave him last week don’t seem to have made much difference.”

She went to her bag and came back with a stethoscope, then she pressed the acoustic cup just behind Cash’s left elbow and listened intently. When Ellery shook her head, Lori’s heart raced. She’d worked with animals all her life but losing one never got easier.

“What’s going on, Ellery?” She was pretty sure she hadn’t managed to keep the fear from her voice. Beth would be destroyed if there was anything seriously wrong with Cash.

Beth rounded the corner of the stable block before Ellery responded to Lori’s question, and the concern in her expression was clear.

“You must’ve been early.” Beth pressed her forehead to his muzzle, and Cash made a snorting snore. She stroked his forelock and whispered, “It’s okay, boy. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Ellery returned the stethoscope to her bag and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Lori concentrated on trying to stay calm and relaxed so she didn’t spook Cash—or Beth—while Ellery performed a rectal exam. And it wasn’t something she liked to watch anyway.

“His small intestine is distended.” Ellery came back around and paused at Beth’s side. “May I?” After Beth stepped aside, she stood in front of Cash, bending slightly to stare at his muzzle. “How has his temperament been lately?”

“I think he’s been about the same, but Beth has been with him the most this week.”

Beth’s head snapped up, and she looked at Lori. “What?”

“Ellery asked how Cash has been all week. Have you noticed anything different about him?” She stepped closer to Beth and rubbed her arm gently. In the two years Beth had been working at the Sanctuary, they’d lost a few animals, and each one hit Beth harder than the one before. Lori sometimes wondered how many it might take before it became too much for Beth to handle.

Beth leaned into Lori’s touch. “He’s been a lot quieter than usual. And he didn’t want to come out for any of the school tours.”

“Mm.” Ellery nodded. “You said you had a fresh stool sample?”

“Over there.” Lori pointed to the Blue Bell ice cream tub on the tack table.

“Rocky Road? I’m hoping not,” Ellery said and opened the container.

Lori pinched her nostrils when a waft of the poop’s scent filled the air.

Ellery dipped her hand into the tub and messed around in there like she was mixing cake batter. “There’s a lot of mucus… Is he eating well?”

Beth shook her head. “Maybe about half of what he normally puts away.”

Lori noticed an escaped tear and offered Beth a tissue. “What are we looking at, Ellery?” she asked again, hoping that the reason Ellery hadn’t answered the first time was just because she needed more information.

“I think it might be proximal enteritis,” she said, peeling off her latex gloves. “My next step will be nasogastric intubation to remove some fluid. Depending on what comes out, we’ll have to do that every couple of hours. And I want to run some tests: blood count, chemistry profile, and an ultrasonography.” Ellery closed her bag and looked at them both, her expression serious. “I’ll need to get some fluids inside him too. Are you good to bring him to my clinic, or do you want me to call Mark?”

“I’ll bring him,” Beth said and put her arms around Cash’s neck. “He’ll be more relaxed that way.”

Ellery looked to Lori for her confirmation, and she nodded. Drugs, tests, possible surgery… It was beginning to sound like it would warrant a funding drive, but Gabe Jackson had already inadvertently run one for them, which vastly reduced the ongoing pressure right now. She thought again about Gabe’s offer to restore the lawyer’s old project. There was no good reason not to let her do it. Lori was running a non-profit, and generous offers like that couldn’t be declined. And it wasn’t about being beholden to Gabe; they’d hardly spent any time together, but she seemed like good people. That said, the lawyer had seemed like good people too when she helped Lori secure this property. When she really thought about it, Lori was most concerned that it might mean she’d see Gabe even more, and that felt like self-flagellation.

“Lori?”

“Yes? Sorry, I was just thinking?—”

“About how we’re going to afford this?” Beth’s eyes were wide, like a startled rabbit.

Of course. Beth hadn’t been at work since Friday, so Lori hadn’t had a chance to tell her about the money Gabe’s comment had raised. “No. Not that.”

Beth frowned. “We always have to think about that.”

Lori smiled. “I have some news to share, but we’ll talk later. Get the horse trailer so we can get Cash off to Ellery’s.” She tapped the radio on her belt. “And call Fran to help; I think she’s over with the dogs at the moment.”

Beth looked considerably brighter, and she scampered out of the stables, calling Fran as she moved.

“You have good news?” Ellery asked.

Lori turned back to her and grinned. “I have great news,” she said and regaled the amazing story to Ellery as they prepared Cash for transport.

“That’s wonderful, Lori. I don’t suppose Gabe would be interested in somehow fixing my financial worries too, do you?”

Lori dropped onto a hay bale and patted the space beside her. “What’s going on with you?”

Ellery sighed deeply and joined Lori. “My landlord is raising the rent on my building again. It seems that everyone is trying to scrape back every cent that they lost during COVID. He owns a lot of real estate, but over seventy percent of his tenants had to close down during the pandemic, and they’ve been unable to reopen. He’s suing most of them for breach of contract, but I think they’ve all filed for bankruptcy, and he knows he probably won’t get anything from them.” She pulled out a piece of hay and began to twirl it. “So his next move is to squeeze the businesses he has left?—”

“Until they’re dry? But then he’ll end with no rental income at all. Seems short-sighted.”

“I’m not sure he has any other choice,” Ellery said. “Which means I have no choice but to raise my fees too.” She shook her head. “But like you usually are, all my clients are struggling to afford to keep their animals healthy. I’m worried that if I increase my prices too much, people will stop bringing their animals to me, and then they’ll suffer. And lots of them might die too.”

Lori put her arm around Ellery’s shoulder and was about to say something she hoped would be comforting when she was struck by an idea that might work out well for them both. “The building that you’re in at the moment, is it too big, too small, or the perfect size?”

Ellery shrugged. “It works really well. I could always use more space, but it’s been fine for over ten years.”

“Do you want to stay where you are, or would you consider moving somewhere a little out of town?” Lori asked.

“You’re being very cryptic.” Ellery narrowed her eyes. “I like where I am because it is in town, and that makes it easy for people to get to me, but it’s not so easy for clients like you. I don’t know though; everyone is raising rents, and I don’t have the capital to buy my own building, so I don’t have much choice.” She smiled ruefully. “Like I said, I need a Sergeant Gabe Jackson too.”

“Well, Gabe might have inadvertently helped you by giving me a kick in the pants. I’ve got a large brick building on the far east side of the property, and nothing much has ever been made of its potential. Right now, I’m not using it for anything other than storage.” She was storing more than just physical things; there were memories too. “And Gabe has offered to help with that particular problem. It’s time I did something with it, and that something could be that you move in and make it your new place of business.”

Ellery shifted to face Lori. “Are you talking about the large two-story brick building half a mile down the main road up to your house?”

“I am,” she said, getting more excited with the idea as it continued to form in her mind. “It’s around 3,000 square feet.” The exact measurement eluded her for now. She’d put it out of her mind after all the arguments that building had caused. “I’m sure it’s at least the same size as your current clinic. All the plumbing and utilities are already in place. You’d probably want to make different sized rooms, but that’s just some drywalling work.”

It was clear from Ellery’s expression that she could see the potential too. “I pay my landlord $90,000 a year for 3,000 square feet, but I was only paying $78k before COVID hit. Would you be willing to split the difference and lease the building for $84,000?”

“How much would you say the Sanctuary paid you in fees and treatments last financial year?” Lori asked, though she was running through her own numbers in her head.

Ellery laughed. “I filed my taxes over four months ago, Lori. You can’t honestly expect me to remember that.”

“Fair enough, but I think it was easily fifty thousand.”

Ellery cocked her head and wrinkled her nose. “That sounds feasible, but I honestly couldn’t say.”

“What if you took care of all the utilities and fees, paid $2,000 a month to lease the building, and treated our animals free of charge? And you could probably class your time as a charitable donation, which would be tax deductible. We could see how it balanced out at the end of the year and reassess if we need to shift anything either way.”

“Wow,” Ellery said. “How long have you been sitting on this?”

“I haven’t. It’s only just occurred to me.” Lori held up her hands. “Gabe and I were walking the grounds with Max on Sunday, and she got very excited about the rusty old car in there.” She swallowed, trying to push away all the building’s underlying nonsense and focus on what good she could do in the here and now. She could parse out the bad stuff in the privacy of her house at night. And much later. “If I let Gabe undertake that project, then she’ll pick up the car, and the building will be empty because she can take all the tools too.”

Ellery shook her head slowly. “This is a lot to think about. And it’s an incredibly generous and selfless offer?—”

“Not totally selfless; my dogs and horses get a great deal too.”

“Still,” Ellery said, “it’s hard to process. You could make a lot more money for the Sanctuary if you put the property on the commercial market. Why wouldn’t you? I’m just your vet.”

Lori took Ellery’s hand. “You’re not just my vet; you’re my friend. And you’ve gone above and beyond for our animals for years, giving us extra time and cutting bills whenever you could. And I’ll never forget that you gave me eight months grace on Cash’s treatment when he first got here, and you built that amazing body sling and pool contraption so he could exercise without bearing weight or getting body sores.”

Ellery’s cheeks pinked, and she glanced away. “I don’t think Beth would’ve let me back on the property if I hadn’t done something drastic to help him.”

“Exactly. You care deeply, as much as we do, and that matters more than a few extra dollars.” Lori hoped her mom would agree when she talked to her about the plan later. “Look, I’ll run it past my mom—she’s the financial whizz—and you talk to your lawyer. Okay?”

The diesel engine of their horse trailer rumbled closer, and Lori stood. She went over to the storage box at the rear of the stable and pulled out some travel boots for Cash. “Beth won’t be impressed that we’ve been chatting instead of getting him ready to go.” She put the boots on the floor beside Cash and began strapping one on.

“I’ll call Mark and tell him to get ready to receive him,” Ellery said.

Lori had only gotten halfway through the process when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I can do this,” Beth said.

Lori looked up and saw the distress in her eyes. “Okay, thank you,” she said and rejoined Ellery on the hay bale.

Ellery hung up on her call and pocketed her phone. “He’s getting prepared.”

As caring as Ellery was, she was always careful not to give an early prognosis or indication of the outcome unless she was one hundred percent sure. Lori had read a recent article in The Horse about the survival rates and complications which could arise if the horse wasn’t successfully treated. Right now, she didn’t want to think about the worst-case scenario for Cash, so she kept the burning question off her lips and simmering in the background.

“Do you have to go?” Lori asked when Ellery checked the time.

“Not yet. I was just seeing if I had enough time for you to tell me about Gabe’s project.” Ellery tapped her watch. “I do.”

Ellery, like most of Lori’s close circle, knew about the lawyer and their acrimonious split, but Rosie was the only one with whom she’d shared details of their marriage during and after. The trouble with Gabe’s project was that it involved a lot of personal stuff Lori wasn’t ready to share with anyone else. She didn’t like gossip, and she definitely didn’t like being the subject of it. She figured that the less people she told about the whole mess, the quicker the overall story might fade from people’s memories.

“An old rust bucket of a car came with the property, and I’ve never had the time or inclination to do anything about it,” she said, deciding to stick with elements of the truth. “Gabe has settled in Chicago, and she’s starting an auto repair and restoration garage with some Army friends. Like I said, she got very excited when she saw it, and she had the idea of restoring it and then auctioning it to raise funds for the Sanctuary.”

“That does sound exciting,” Ellery said. “I follow a grisly old trucker who goes around the country finding abandoned vehicles like that. How long will it take you to raise funds for all the parts and paint? And I bet it’ll take them hundreds of hours to complete the restoration.”

Hundreds of hours?Gabe’s offer had blown Lori away even before she knew the actual time commitment. What had seemed generous was now almost unbelievably altruistic. She accepted charitable donations daily, but time was the most precious donation of all. “Really? It takes that long?” She’d had a feeling Gabe was good people, but this proved it beyond any doubt. And Lori would get to be lucky enough to call her a friend. She decided to text her new friend to discuss the car project when she got back to the house.

“Close to a thousand for some restorations, but the finished project can sell for hundreds of thousands. There was an Aston Martin found in some woods in Massachusetts after forty years, and it sold for half a million dollars.” Ellery nudged her gently. “It’s not an Aston Martin, is it?”

“That doesn’t sound familiar,” she said. “Gabe did say, but she could’ve said blueberry marshmallow truck bike for all I know. She did seem unreasonably animated about it though.” Lori thought about how adorable Gabe’s excitement had been and smiled. “I’m only interested in cars that can get me from A to B, and they mostly look alike to me.”

Ellery stood and pulled Lori to her feet. “Could you take me down so I can have a quick look?”

“Sure. I’ll follow you on the ATV. I had no idea you were into this stuff.”

“That’s because when we talk, it’s usually about your animals,” Ellery said.

There was no judgment in her tone, but her expression said more than a few words could: Lori was married to her work, which left little time for anything else. It mirrored the lawyer’s constant accusation, but Lori was sure it hadn’t always been that way, and that she only buried herself in the Sanctuary when the lawyer’s occasional late nights turned into every night and all weekend. She sighed deeply. One year on, and she still couldn’t rid herself of self-doubt and recriminations.

Lori walked across to her horse. “Are you and Fran okay to handle Cash from here?”

Beth smiled and nodded, the sadness still clear in her eyes. “We’ve got him.” She looked over Lori’s shoulder to Ellery. “Will you be at the clinic when we get there?”

“I have a farm visit to make, but Mark knows you’re coming, and he’ll get Cash on some intravenous fluids. As soon as I return, we’ll begin the fluid removal and start some tests.” She wandered over to the tack bench and retrieved the ice cream carton. “Starting with this.”

Beth’s jaw clenched repeatedly, and she looked up to the stable ceiling, blinking.

Ellery patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll keep Lori apprised of the situation. You know I’ll do everything I can.”

Beth nodded. “I know,” she managed to say before turning away abruptly to busy herself with Cash’s preparations.

“Remember that horses are very attuned to the people they’re close to, Beth.” Ellery picked up her vet bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Don’t give him anything else to cope with.”

Lori leaned close to Cash’s ear. “Don’t forget you’re a fighter.”

The horse groaned quietly and pushed his head against her. She rubbed his neck and walked away, praying that it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him.