Page 16 of Coiled Tight
“I don’t know,” Saúl groaned. Not knowing had to be killing him. “I think there’s time, but I’m scared of moving her—that’s why I’m calling instead of dumping her in my truck.”
This place had way too many trucks, but I heard what he was saying.
“I’ll get the basics, and we’ll go from there.”
On the inside, I was trying to remember everything I knew about birthing. It had been ages since we’d had one of the animals pregnant in the zoo, and usually, we had months to get ready for it and brush up on knowledge.
There was the fact that I hadn’t worked with dogs since the end of vet school, but that part didn’t worry me that much. I mean, it was a mammal and a carnivore. And a descendant of wolves, which I did know how to work with, thank you very much.
All these thoughts coursed through my head as I ransacked the vet lair for a first aid kit, blankets, and a stretcher. I wasn’t too hopeful she’d let me lift her so that I could get her here where I could give her bloodwork and X-rays and everything else that would actually ensure she lived to tell the tale, but… Hey.
Today might be my lucky day, after all.
“Fuck, I can’t give her apples, can I?”
Shit.
I’d forgotten he was still on the phone. I’d left it discarded on the seat of the truck while I ran around grabbing everything. I was going to stay positive and think he hadn’t asked me anything or said anything important while I wasn’t there to listen.
“If she’s that close to whelping, no food. In case she needs surgery, I need her stomach empty. Just wait till I get there.”
I’d worry about what to feed a malnourished dog later. Right now, I was just crossing fingers I wouldn’t have to go with a C-section on my own.
“Keep an eye on her breathing and try to keep her from moving around too much. But, um, don’t get yourself bitten.”
The sanctuary enforced that all the staff be rabies bolstered, but that didn’t mean we wanted to be exposed.
How good was Saúl in an emergency? He looked like thedependable type—fantasies that might be too far from reality aside—but no one really knew how true that was until push came to shove. Like, no one expected me to be good in an emergency, but I was. Maybe the opposite stood with him. It would be fine, of course. Valid.
But that would leave this birth as a one-person job, and my limited experience with births always involved a full team assisting, ideally one staff member per puppy.
Shit.
Saúl’s other truck came into sight quickly enough. One unexpected advantage of living here was that there were no speed limits to respect. We just drove slowly when we were close to the habitats, but that was common sense, and thankfully, the ride from the facilities to the front gate was a pretty straightforward one that didn’t intersect with any.
I grabbed one of the blankets and the first aid kit as soon as I hopped out of the truck and headed toward his. I imagined Saúl and the dog were behind it, and every instinct was telling me to run, but level-headed me said that running would only spook the dog.
The poor thing had to be terrified. Between being about to give birth, the unfamiliar place and person, and the fact that she had to be sensing the apex predators we had roaming their habitats freely, I’d bet on anything that her heartbeat was through the roof.
As expected, when the two of them came to view, she was panting heavily and wild-eyed.
And she was alert enough that she noticed me before the man did, or before I could alert to the fact that I was approaching.
Her ears flicked back, but her mouth stayed the same, no teeth bared.
She didn’t look in good shape. Definitelymalnourished. Might need an X-ray for her tail, and maybe one of her hind legs.
I could see scars beneath matted fur, but those looked old enough that they shouldn’t be a problem right now. The leg might, though. And the ripple of contractions tightening her belly said yes, she definitely was in labor.
I didn’t have enough here for a C-section. The first-aid kit had some sedatives and basic supplies, but no sterile surgical pack.
Shit.
This was not going to be good.
“It’s okay, pretty girl.”
The second he saw me, Saúl slumped against the wheel well of the truck. “Why do I have to be around for all the births?”
