I take the calf’s hoof from her and feel up to its ankle as Mary slumps back against the railing. She raises her hand to wipe her face, then pauses and makes a disgusted face at the hay and blood covering it.
“Tony said he was going to get you and he just left me here,” she says, her voice shaking in time with her trembling fingers. “He’s been gone forever. What do I…how do I help?”
I almost want to laugh for a moment, the absurdity of the situation catching up to me. The first time she’d seen a calving, she looked like she was on the verge of throwing up and passing out in quick succession. I never thought I’d see the day where she’d be willingly offering to help with something like this.
“Just… keep talking to her,” I say.
I flex the ankle in my hand, grimacing when I confirm my suspicion that I’m holding the calf’s back leg. It’s not an impossible position, depending on where the other legs are, but it’s certainly not the easiest. I could really use another pair ofhands here, and even if Mary’s willing, she just doesn’t have the experience to do this safely.
It’s yet another uncomfortable reminder of Al’s glaring absence. I try not to think about the fact that I’m going to have to get used to doing this without him soon enough.
Right now, I need to focus.
“What’s your name?” she asks softly, shifting up to stroke soothingly over the heifer’s shoulders. “You look like a Moolissa.”
I can’t help but snort at the name, shaking my head. I just can’t get away from the awful nicknames from anyone, can I? I refocus my attention on the spindly leg in my hand. The heifer is pushing, whether it’s intentional or not, and I really need her to stop. If she makes much more progress, the calf could be in serious danger, and so could she.
Thankfully, Tony comes running around the corner with Katie in tow moments later. They both bustle through the gate, Katie yanking birthing gloves up to her shoulders as she kneels down next to me.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a back leg,” I say, handing the limb off to Katie. “She’s only made a few inches of progress since I got here, but I don’t know where the other limbs are.”
“Got it,” she says, already starting to work her hand beside the leg.
I’ve birthed plenty of calves, and I’m sure I could stumble my way through this blindly, but Katie’s got a way with the cows. I’ve never seen her lose a single calf, no matter how hard the birth was. I stand and step back to give her room and let Tony take my place to keep the heifer’s legs as still as he can.
“What’s this young lady’s name?” Katie asks, brows furrowed in concentration as she feels around in the pelvic canal for the other limbs.
Tony leans up to read off her ear tag, but Mary responds before he gets a chance.
“I’ve been calling her Moolissa,” she says.
“Moolissa,” Katie says with a chuckle. “I like it.”
Tony glances up at me with a look of pure confusion, but I just shake my head, grinning a little. Even if I could explain, I’d sound so damn fond of the nickname that I’d make myself nauseous.
Mary keeps crooning sweet nothings to the heifer as Katie slowly works the other rear leg free. A breach birth for this heifer’s first season will be rough, but Katie is gentle as she works the calf into a better position. It almost feels calm, although the situation is pretty high-stress.
It’s moments like these that I think I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from Mary no matter how hard I tried.
She’s an unstoppable ray of sunshine, positive and kind and helpful no matter what’s going on. From the very beginning, she’s been the same. I don’t want to lose that. I want Mary to stay, even after the contract is finished. I’ll have to put some real work into making sure her efforts don’t go to waste, but if I get to keep her smile in my life, it’ll be more than worth it.
If I can keep Mary and Jenny in my life, give them both the lives of happiness they deserve, maybe I won’t feel so much like I’m drowning anymore. If I can help Al in any way, I might even manage to breathe easy again.
Maybe I’ll be able to tread water one of these days.
MARY
Being shaky and anxious isn’t going to do me any favors, so I square my jaw and tighten my grip on my tablet. I’ve been intentionally avoiding both Everett and Jenny for the past few days, but that’s not going to help me in the long run.
Jenny’s shoulders stiffen when I step into the kitchen, and she looks thoroughly unimpressed as she meets my eyes, but I don’t let it stop me.
“Good morning,” I say brightly, forcing a smile to my face and hoping she can’t see how unsettled I am.
Jenny lifts her cup to her lips and takes a long sip of coffee, staring at me like she’s trying to decide whether to ignore me or make an attempt at being civil.
“Morning,” she says.
Civility it is, then. Thank fuck.
