Wild Horses (24 page)

“It’s not good,” he allowed. “Some horses recover, some do not. It depends on the horse and on the underlying cause. The disease is caused by a microorganism that inflames various parts of the nervous system. Look at her lack of coordination—do you see the weakness in her hindquarters?”

“Is she in pain?” Lindsey’s question was but a whisper.

“Humans experience blinding headaches when affected by a similar illness, so I think she probably is.”

“Excuse me… the titer might be ready.” Dr. Murphy rushed off to his van, and Attila followed him. He could see a variety of scientific instruments through the open back door, one of them connected to a small laptop computer. Dr. Murphy typed at the keyboard for a bit, waiting between strokes. His blonde eyebrows shot up in dismay. “It’s likely the West Nile virus, Attila. That’s not good. Up to forty percent of affected horses die. Her symptoms are fairly classic, although I would be happier if her fever were a bit higher.”

“Are you saying her system isn’t fighting it very hard?”

“It’s hard to make a strong statement on that, Attila, but… with viral diseases, it’s almost better to have a fever as high as the horse can stand.”

“All the other horses have been vaccinated, as well as Tibor’s,” Attila mused. “Mona is the only one who didn’t go through with it.”

“I hope she will vaccinate the others now, while she can,” Dr. Murphy murmured. Then he turned to Attila and pierced him with a disapproving look. “That means you have stagnant water on the property. There’s got to be a place here somewhere where those suckers breed and spread the disease.”

“I know. I have looked around…. There’s a puddle by the parking lot, but that’s it, as far as I know.”

“How about the pond?”

“The pond has fish, and I have it medicated periodically.”

“I’ll test your pond water and that puddle.” Dr. Murphy sighed. “And you’ll have to hunt around and find all other sources. How are your gutters?”

“They should be fine.”

“Check them anyway.” Dr. Murphy closed the door to the van and turned back to the barn, his shoulders braced for yet another unpleasant conversation.

B
Y
FEEDING
time, Kai saw the parking lot jammed with vehicles. Every single horse owner, rider, or stable hand got the news of a serious illness, and they all came despite the fact that the advanced jumping class had been cancelled. The reasons varied. Some came to check on their own horses, even though they were already seen by Dr. Murphy in a stable-wide examination. Others came to commiserate, to provide support, or to grill Attila on the condition of his grounds.

Kai appreciated Hal and Brent’s help as they scoured the grounds in search of standing water.

“I tried to calm Lindsey down, but she won’t leave the stall,” Hal said. “It’s crowded up there and people are getting cranky. We can do more good helping you here. You know what mosquito larvae look like, right?”

They all nodded to Hal’s question and headed out to their assigned areas. There were no buckets, no water features, and the horse watering troughs in both paddocks were emptied and refilled on a regular basis and were clean. Hal eased the extension ladder down from the hayloft, and they propped it up, ready to check the gutters on all buildings.

After some arguing, Brent won the privilege of scampering up on the gently sloping roof. He took some time, checking both sides and all four downspouts. “It’s dry up here,” he called down and descended back to the ground. They moved the operation to the arena.

“What the hell are you kids doing?” Tibor hollered when he saw Brent more than halfway up the tall building.

“Shh, Dad, you want him to fall?” Hal hissed, watching his brother pause momentarily before he resumed his climb. “We’re just checking the gutters for standing water.”

“We don’t need another broken back in the family,” Tibor rumbled, eyeing his younger son as he climbed onto the roof thirty feet up from the ground. Brent was back soon, though, with no news to share. They found a small puddle by the manure pile, but Attila told them the vet had already taken a sample.

“Uncle ’Tila has fish in that pond.” Brent sighed. “Let’s go see. Maybe we can bring a rod….”

“Maybe you’re asking for trouble,” Hal rumbled behind the boy. “Those are expensive koi! Your uncle doesn’t stock the pond just so you can fish out of it!”

“Okay then,” Brent amended. “Let’s go feed the fish. I’ll get some bread.” The three of them all trooped down the hill and around the small pond to where the bank wasn’t overgrown with reeds. White water lilies sat on the placid surface. Only a small, solar-powered fountain floated to one side, spitting up a spray and letting it fall in a rain-like cascade.

Kai tossed a few bread balls into the water. He used to do the same thing way back in Tennessee; it was a good way to see if the waters were worth fishing. On a good day, the bread balls would disappear within seconds. Now, though, they just floated amid the lily pads like so much debris.

“They should be biting now,” Hal said. “It’s six o’clock and overcast. It’s not too hot anymore.”

A blue dragonfly buzzed above the pond, touching the still water surface like a helicopter. “There!” Brent cried out, pointing to the hovering insect. The dragonfly did its business and flew off; no fish jumped after it in an effort at an early dinner. Brent’s cry did produce a reaction, however: a blue heron, disturbed by the unexpected noise, rose out of the reeds. The graceful bird flapped its wings, skimmed across the water surface, and disappeared into the nearby trees.

“Now we know what happened to Uncle ’Tila’s fish,” Brent said as all three of them followed the bird with their eyes.

A
TTILA
and Kai invited Hal and Lindsey down for dinner later that night. They sat around the dining room table, making use of the extra space.

“I only got to ride her twice,” Lindsey said in a mournful voice. “She’s so beautiful. And she’s only three.”

“Did you know she likes to play soccer?” Kai asked. When he saw Lindsey’s puzzled expression, he went on to explain, but instead of making the girl feel better, he saw her eyes well up in tears.

“I… I never even thought of doing that.”

“Well… Cayenne likes to do it, so I thought Bubbles would like it too,” Kai clarified. “You were working with Zorro.”

“Shut up, Kai,” Hal snarled, wrapping his arm around Lindsey’s shoulders in a protective gesture. “We’ll be at the stables, so don’t wait up for us.”

Attila and Kai waited up anyway, sprawled in the living room, unable to sleep and not quite able to focus on what they were trying to read.

Bubbles died in the morning, right before feeding time.

T
IBOR
came to pick up Hal on his way to work. “You’re going home and getting some sleep,” he declared, looming over his adult son. “Don’t be an idiot. You can drive out here later in the afternoon, but you’ll be of no use if you don’t get some rest.” He turned to Attila and Kai. “The same goes for the two of you. I want you to eat something and have a nap.”

“I cannot possibly do that,” Attila retorted. “You know as well as I do what needs to be done every day.”

“That’s right, and that’s why I’m taking a day off. Rita will come with Brent later and help out.”

Attila’s eyes widened. “My sister is coming? Tibor… but she is terrified of horses.”

“Your sister is taking a break from lawyering so she can muck the stables clean and help with the feeding. I have reassured her that there will be no horses within kicking or biting range while she does so. Brent and I will exercise the rest of them. He says he knows who gets turned out with whom and all that.”

Attila stood speechless for a moment. “I… I don’t know what to say. What about the firm?”

“We have rescheduled our meetings and declared a family emergency. Clarisse is holding down the fort.” He frowned. “Go!” Tibor pushed Attila’s and Kai’s shoulders toward the house. “Go and rest up! You’ll need it for later.”

“Y
OU
have an awesome family,” Kai murmured into Attila’s shoulder as they settled down under a light blanket, stripped down to their underwear. The blinds had been closed to keep the light out, but even so, he never thought he would fall asleep. The image of Bubbles on the floor of her stall, her limbs straight and motionless, haunted him every time he closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Attila,” Kai whispered. “She was a wonderful horse.” He felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders.

“They are all wonderful. It doesn’t get any easier with time, you know. The worst part…” he paused, taking a deep breath. “The worst part is when you have to put them down. You know you’re doing the most humane thing possible, but deep down you just know you have failed them somehow. Maybe the jump course was too advanced and the horse broke his leg because he was ill-prepared… maybe I should have tried harder to bully Mona into vaccinating her animals like I usually do.”

“She wouldn’t have listened.”

“I could have refused to teach her.”

“You really think she would have transferred all six horses to some other place rather than spend money on extra shots?” Kai scoffed. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

Attila turned onto his back and lay still. “I should have noticed that a heron made a nest in the reeds. A heron can fish out a pond this size within weeks. I would have medicated the water more often, then.”

“Shhh….”

Attila took a deep breath and exhaled, fretting until Kai wrapped him in his arms. Sleep came upon both of them unawares, leaving them tangled and misty-eyed.

K
AI
woke first and took a shower. It was getting close to dinnertime and, figuring they would have Attila’s family over for dinner, he made up a large tray of manicotti. It was a cheat recipe: he mixed the herbed cheese filling and rolled it up in flat, no-cook lasagna noodles he had softened in warm water until they became pliable enough to be manipulated just right. He placed every roll into a layer of tomato sauce in a large baking dish and then he covered them with another jar of sauce, covered the dish, and set it to bake for thirty-five minutes.

There was a knock on the door, and Kai opened it to see a short, dark-haired woman of indeterminate age, Tibor looming behind her.

“You must be Kai,” she said, extending a hand. “I’m Rita, Attila’s sister.”

“Hi… come in.”

“The kids will be here shortly—they’re closing down the stables for the night.”

“Thanks. I put up dinner already. Attila’s still asleep, though.” Kai turned away to hide the flush that threatened to overtake his face. These people were Attila’s kin; yet to them, Kai was nothing but a hired hand and a convenient housemate. They did not know, nor did they need to know, that Kai was not using his guest room for anything but clothes storage.

“I thought we could order a pizza,” Rita said, dubious. “If there is anything I can help with, let me know.”

“Okay… so the manicotti will need a layer of cheese when the timer goes off, plus another ten minutes of baking uncovered, and… could you please make the salad? I… I don’t make a very good one, I’m afraid.”

“Sure!” Rita perked up and smiled. “I can’t sit unless I have to occupy my hands.”

Kai turned to Tibor. “So what will happen to the horse now? Bubbles, I mean.”

“A livestock hauler picked her up around noon. She’ll be cremated, and Mrs. Putney will receive her ashes in a box.”

“Oh.” Kai found he had no feelings toward the ashes, just relief that Bubbles was off the property.

“Should I wake up Attila?” Rita asked.

“No, I’ll do it,” Kai responded automatically and entered the bedroom without knocking. His thoughts were still on the concept of receiving a wooden box full of horse ashes, which he found creepy and disturbing.

“Hey, Attila.” He shook the older man’s shoulder. “Dinner’s about ready and your family is here. Rita’s making the salad.”

He saw Attila squint his eyes open, then close them again, making no effort to move.

“Listen… you still have enough time to take a shower.”

Attila propped himself up on one elbow, then flopped back down, wincing. “I don’t want a shower.”

Kai frowned, leaning over. “Are you okay?” he asked as he leaned over the older man and deposited a kiss onto his cheek. Attila’s skin felt hot beneath his lips. Alarmed, he touched his pale brow. Kai bounced off the bed and burst out the bedroom door and into the kitchen, his eyes wide with panic.

“Attila… Attila has a fever.”

“I
HAVE
already stated quite plainly that I am fine,” Attila insisted. Kai eyed him with concern. He managed to wheedle Attila to take his shower, which rendered him functional enough to sit at the table with the whole family in attendance. Kai brought the steaming baking dish to the table. “This is just a bit of a virus,” Attila said, nonchalant. “It will pass.”

Tibor frowned. “With the West Nile virus around, you could end up a lot sicker than you think you will, you know.”