Page 8 of Sweet Beginnings

“Can I do anything to help?” Heaven knew what she could do. The last few years of her life had been spent with mostly four-legged friends.

“I hoped you’d say that. We’ll be at the house in about five minutes.”

“On my way.” She wasn’t her father, but she could at least grab some extra first aid products just in case. Hurrying around her dad’s office, she tossed everything and anything that made sense into a bag and bolted out the front door. The entire distance from her door to the Sweets she said her prayers. If Ms. Alice was in as bad shape as it sounded from Preston, there was one thing Sarah could be sure of: she knew just enough about medicine to know that most likely under these circumstances, she wouldn’t know nearly enough.

From the second they pulled up in front of the house, everything seemed to happen in high speed. Jillian stood at the front door, her expression grim and anxious. Carson and Preston shot orders back and forth on the most efficient way to get their mom upstairs, and every time their mother winced in pain, Brady looked at the two brothers and growled softly under his breath. Neither feared he would hurt them, but the pup was making it very clear he wanted them to be more careful with his mistress. They’d barely gotten their mother out of the Jeep when Sarah Sue’s car could be heard crunching the driveway gravel beneath its tires.

Parked and out the door like a shot, she hurried to the porch and followed everyone inside. “I came right over. How ya doin’, Ms. Alice?”

“I’ve had… better days.” Preston’s mom tried to smile, but it wasn’t quite working. She hadn’t said much in the short ride back to the house; only not till this moment did he consider her silence wasn’t a mere lack of something to say but a sign she’d grown weaker.

From the sideways glance Sarah tossed in his direction, clearly she was thinking the same thing.

“Where we going?” Sarah looked to Jillian at the head of the line.

“Her room,” three voices echoed.

They’d inched their way to the upstairs room and paused at the foot of the bed.

“How are we going to do this?” Carson asked.

“We have to clean the wounds on her back.” Jillian stood at the head of the bed.

While all the others mutely stared at their sister, as if unsure what to do next, Sarah focused on their mom. “Maybe set her down on her right side, then Jillian and I can clean the wounds. By then she might be more comfortable on her tummy.”

All heads bobbed, but Preston was worried about the blood-soaked bandage on his mom’s arm. “I’m not a doctor but I’m afraid that arm is going to need stitches.”

Sarah nodded. “Might, but based on when Ms. Alice thinks she fell, we’ve got maybe twenty more hours.”

“What do you mean?” At her mom’s side, Jillian stood with her nose crinkled.

“After twenty-four hours it’s too late to stitch up a wound. So, let’s get her out of these clothes. We’ll need a good pair of scissors.”

“These are my favorite jeans!” his mom exclaimed with more energy than she’d showed all evening.

“Trust me,” Sarah smiled, “cutting them off will be much easier on you.”

“That’s what you think,” the head of the Sweet family muttered and rolled ever so slightly on her side until she looked to be as comfortable as she was going to get.

Scissors in hand, Sarah looked up at Carson and Preston. “You two just going to stand there?”

“Oh.” Preston took a step in retreat. “I guess we’ll wait outside.”

Carson nodded and followed his brother into the hall.

Preston leaned his head back against the wall. “Any of us have spent enough time on this ranch to know how to do basic doctoring.”

“Yeah.” Carson nodded. “But none of those animals were our mother.”

“Exactly.”

“What are y’all doing lined up like first graders waiting for the restroom?” Rachel came strutting down the hall.

“Jill and Sarah are stripping Mom to treat the wounds.”

Rachel nodded. Her hand on the doorknob, she turned the handle and pushed her way inside.

From where they stood they could hear their mother hollering through the once again closed door, “What is this, a sideshow?”

---