Dead of Night (23 page)

We walked from the pier to the lot on one side of the docks, where Jesse kept his car. As he went to open the passenger door for me, Sheriff Yamah's patrol car entered the lot and pulled alongside us. For once he seemed too agitated to notice that I was with Jesse. “Miss Youngblood, is your brother on his way back to the farm?”

“Yes, sir, he is.” I frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“Your brother Gray called the station,” he said. “One of your mares is having trouble foaling, and Dr. Marks is tied up at another farm.” He finally saw Jesse was with me. “Maybe I should take you home.”

“It's okay, Sheriff. Patrick asked him to drive me back.” To Jesse, I said, “None of us have ever foaled a mare, and Rika's in trouble. Can you help?”

“Of course.” He glanced over at Yamah. “If you will escort us, James, I will not have to adhere to the speed limit.”

The sheriff nodded. “Let's not make this a habit. Come on.”

With his lights flashing, Sheriff Yamah led the way out of town and back to the farm. Once we were in the drive, I saw all the lights in the barn blazing, and every horse we owned except Rika standing watch at the fence around the back pasture.

“I'd offer to help, but I don't know a blessed thing about horses, and I'd just be in the way,” Yamah said to me from his window. “Jesse, watch the time, and don't make your parents worry.” He touched the brim of his hat and then backed out of the drive.

“How many mares have you foaled?” I asked my dark boy as we hurried to the barn.

“More than I bothered to count.” He stopped me just outside the door. “This will be a messy business, and if the trouble is too great you could lose the mare or the foal.”

“I won't freak out.” I hoped.

We went into the barn, and as we passed the lights hung by the stalls Jesse began switching them off. “Too much light disturbs the mare,” he explained.

Both of my brothers were in the stall with Rika, who lay on her side in the bedding. She was rocking back and forth and making a low, distressing sound, but it wasn't because of Gray or Trick. Since we'd rescued the girls Rika had undergone a dramatic personality change, as if Julian's death had freed her, too. She'd been gentle and calm around my brothers ever since.

Gray, who was kneeling behind her, looked up at us. “What is he doing here?”

“I can help.” Jesse crouched down next to Rika, placing his hand on her shoulder and rubbing it in a soothing motion. “How long ago did her water break?”

Gray's mouth tightened before he said, “I'm not sure. Maybe half an hour ago.”

Jesse leaned over to where Gray had bound up Rika's tail in a clean towel wrap. An opaque white bulge protruded from the mare's birth canal. “That is the foal's sac.”

I saw two tiny hooves but no nose. “Why isn't she pushing?”

“The foal is in the wrong position.” Jesse rolled up his sleeves. “If she stands it will retreat and perhaps shift. Have you tried to get her up?”

“Twice.” Trick came into the stall. “She won't budge.”

“Then we must help her deliver, or the foal will drown inside her.” Jesse moved behind her. “We must do this quickly, on the next contraction. Catlyn, go to her head and reassure her. Patrick, I will need toweling, baling twine and some elastic bands. Gray, you will have to pull the foal.”

“All the books say not to pull,” my brother argued.

“In a normal delivery, that is correct. But this foal is presenting back feet first,” Jesse told him. “In this position the umbilical cord will break inside the womb, which is when the foal begins breathing. There is no air inside her, only fluid.” He stood and backed away from Rika.

“Where are you going?” Gray asked as he shuffled around the mare.

“Your horse does not know me,” Jesse told him as he moved out of the stall. He gazed at me. “You and your sister can do this.”

I stroked Rika's neck. “It's okay, girl.” I moved my hand down to the front of her belly, and felt her muscles tighten. “She's starting to strain again.”

“Take hold of the foal's legs, in the pastern just above the hooves,” Jesse told Gray. “Pull steadily and firmly, down toward her hocks.” He watched as more of the sac emerged. “The foal's shoulders are the widest and most difficult to pass, and sometimes they can catch. She will stop and rest for a moment, but you must maintain your hold so the foal does not slip back inside. When she strains again, you must bring it out completely.”

Several tense minutes passed as Rika struggled to push out more of her foal. Just as Jesse had predicted, she stopped to rest halfway through, and then seemed to tense all over.

“Here we go,” I said to Gray.

His jaw set as he pulled on the foal, and then wriggled the sac as Rika pushed harder. The foal's shoulders bulged out, and then the rest of the sac spilled onto the bedding in a gush of fluids.

“The sac is still intact,” Jesse said. “You must break it, Gray, so the foal can breathe. Poke your fingers through the membrane and pull it away from the face.”

Gray exposed the foal's head, and then used a towel to wipe mucus from the little nose and eyes. “It's not breathing.”

Jesse smiled. “The umbilical cord is still attached and intact, which is very good. Use a piece of straw to tickle the nose.”

“Tickle it?” Gray echoed, even as he picked up a piece of straw.

“An old trick. It always works.”

The foal snorted, and then began breathing on its own as it struggled against the sac.

Rika lifted her head and nickered to the foal before she began rolling back into the position to stand.

“Catlyn, move clear of her, she will be uncomfortable for a few more minutes.” Jesse turned to Trick and took one of the towels, handing it over the stall to Gray. “Rub down the foal's whole body, it will help stimulate circulation and breathing.”

As I moved over to the wall, Rika suddenly stood, shaking herself and turning toward the foal. Gray got a little more spattered as the umbilical cord broke, but he was focused on the foal.

I finally took a look at the little wonder we'd worked so hard to bring into the world. “Do we have a filly or a colt?”

“Filly,” Gray said as he opened a small container of prepared Nolvasan solution and dipped the foal's navel stump in it. He glanced at the membranes still hanging around Rika's hind legs. “She hasn't expelled the placenta.”

“That will take another hour.” To Trick, Jesse said, “Use the baling twine to tie up the membranes so she doesn't step on them. Catlyn, you must wash her udder before the foal tries to nurse.”

I took the warm water and soap Jesse handed over to me and carefully washed away the bedding, dirt and fluids from Rika's udder and hindquarters. She mostly ignored me while she nuzzled and licked the little filly.

Gray stayed with the foal as she bonded with her dam and then tried to get up, her long legs awkward and wobbly. As soon as she was steady, she began nuzzling Rika's belly.

“She's hungry,” Trick said, smiling.

The filly had no problem latching on, and after nursing for a few minutes settled back down in the straw for a nap. Trick went in to tie up Rika's membranes and help Gray remove the soiled bedding and spread fresh straw, and then we all left the stall to give the new mother and baby some time alone.

Trick and Jesse faced each other, and Gray came to stand beside Trick. I did the same at Jesse's side.

My older brother looked as stern as I'd ever seen him as he stepped forward. “Thank you for your help.”

Jesse inclined his head. “I am happy I could be of assistance.”

After another moment, my big brother held out his hand, and Jesse shook it.

That was when I knew we were going to be okay.

Epilogue

W
hen Mrs. Frost came back to town, I met her at the bookstore to go over the results of the inventory. I managed to keep a straight face when she complimented me on the excellent job I'd done, although I couldn't help shuddering a little as I showed her the folder with tally sheets for Julian Hargraves's collection.

She picked up on that, too. “I felt rather guilty for giving you this responsibility. I know some of those books must have seemed a little disturbing.”

“I think he was looking for answers in the wrong places,” I said. After talking with Jesse about the letter Julian had left for Mrs. Frost, we'd decided to destroy it. “He might have had a happier life if he'd collected friends instead of books.”

“That's a wise thing for such a young person to say.” Mrs. Frost put the file back with the others on her desk. “Poor Julian, he was so unhappy. Perhaps now he'll rest in peace.”

Once we'd gone over everything and I received my last paycheck, Mrs. Frost surprised me with a small wrapped package.

“I know it's too late to serve as a Christmas gift,” she said, “but when I saw this I thought immediately of you.”

The little box held an enameled pin of a black cat with emerald eyes sitting atop a wee book. On the spine of the book golden script spelled out
9 Lives
.

“It's beautiful.” I took it out and slipped it onto my blouse. “Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure.” She gave me a fond hug before she said, “I hope you'll also consider working for me again. Perhaps when school lets out for the summer?”

I grinned. “That would be awesome.”

That weekend Trick took me to the Driver License Bureau, where I passed the written test for my restricted permit with a perfect score. It would be another year before I could test for my regular license, but as long as he or Gray was with me I could drive my new convertible. Then it was back to school, and a whole new schedule of classes, which included some of the girls we'd found in the maze. No one paid any attention to me except Lissa Wayne in 3-D Art, and she only gave me a brief, puzzled glance before she went back to talking to one of her friends sitting next to her.

I thought I'd be sitting alone again during lunch period, but Sunny Johnson and a tanned, dark-haired boy came over and sat on either side of me.

“Hey. I'm Sunny, and this is my boyfriend, Nick,” Sunny said, loud enough for everyone around us to hear. “He's re-enrolled and he has to repeat his sophomore year.” Before I could answer she added in a lower voice, “It's okay to talk in front of Nick. He knows everything.”

“Sunny.” Dread turned me into a statue. “You're not supposed to … ”

“Talk about what happened? I didn't.” She took out a spiral-bound notebook and handed it to me. “Special edition of the Lost Ledger. Seek didn't name Jesse, or old man Hargraves, but most of the story's in there. Nick filled in the blanks from stuff my mom and dad told him.”

“Great.” I shoved the notebook under my tray before the lunch monitor saw it, and then I looked at Sunny's boyfriend. “Are you going to tell anyone?”

“Who would believe me? Besides, I owe you.” His expression grew serious. “If not for you and Jesse and your brother, Sunny wouldn't be here. So you don't have to worry about us, girl. We've got your back.”

“Exactly.” Sunny handed me a black marker and pulled back her sleeve from her cast. “But I do want an autograph.”

After I signed my name we sat and talked about teachers and classes and normal stuff. Some of Sunny's friends joined us, and by the time lunch period ended I'd been invited to a 4-H meeting, a trail ride and a barbecue.

After school Gray stood waiting by the truck with Mena, who was talking with him about the foal. From the sound of the conversation she was doing all the talking and he just stood there staring down at her.

“Hey, Cat.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Gray on the cheek before she winked at me and took off.

“Hey, Mena.” I watched her practically skip to her bus. “Uh, when did you two become boyfriend-girlfriend?”

“We didn't.” He unlocked my door and trudged around the truck. When we were inside, he stared at the steering wheel as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. “Why does she keep doing that?”

“Talking to you?” I shrugged. “She must like the sound of her own voice.”

“No. I mean. Why does she.” He blew out some air. “The kissing thing. Why kiss me?”

“Same reason she entered us into the contest for the Christmas dinner.” I laughed at the look he gave me. “Come on, Grim. If the girl were any more obvious they could take pictures of it from the International Space Station.”

“I couldn't. She's just … and I'm too … I can't.” He propped his brow against the steering wheel before he gave me a sideways look. “She'll get over it, right?”

I made a seesaw gesture with my hand.

He sat up and started the engine. “She will. Eventually.”

I wasn't fooled. If his cheeks turned any redder they'd stop traffic.

At home Gray went to check on Rika and the foal while I picked up the mail and went in the house. I found Trick in his bedroom, where I handed over the bundle of bills and advertisements.

“I've got some forms for you to sign for my new classes, and tomorrow I need five dollars for my art class supply fee.” I glanced at his computer monitor. “How goes the telecommuting thing?”

“I'm building a web site for a freelance musician.” He rolled his eyes. “He wants to call it ‘Slow Lazy Sax.'”

“Talk him out of it,” I advised.

“Hang on,” Trick said as I started to head out, and offered me an envelope. “This is addressed to you.”

It looked like a card of some kind, but the sender hadn't included their return address. I opened it and took out an elegant card with the words “Happy Birthday” printed in fancy script above two entwined roses on the front. I opened it to read the message inside.

May your sixteenth birthday bring you as much
happiness as finding you at last has brought to us.
We look forward to meeting you very soon.

Abraham and Maria Van Helsing