‘You realise we’re going to have to cut that trailer open?’ Justin interrupted. ‘Metal saws, sparks. All that.’
‘Yes. We don’t want him to hurt himself even more,’ said Anna.
‘Him to hurt himself?’ Ben’s voice was loud with shock. ‘What about you? Us?’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Anna tried to reassure him.
‘Is that what you said last time?’
Anna’s breath stopped as Ben pointed at the scar on her face.
‘Ben!’ Justin grabbed his brother by the arm. ‘That’s enough.’
‘No, it’s not, big brother. What did I tell you?’ His voice had turned into a furious hiss. ‘She’s no different from our mother.’
Anna watched Justin drag his brother away, his face like thunder. Their swift, fierce conversation near their vehicle was mostly too quiet to hear, but she caught the words ‘unprofessional’ and ‘apology’. Then Justin turned his back on Ben and rejoined Anna, Ken and Rick.
‘Shall we do this?’
After a moment’s awkward silence, Ken and Rick nodded.
‘He’s been around, this old boy,’ said Rick. ‘He’s pretty placid really. He’ll be okay once we get some drugs in him.’
Another series of crashes from the back of the trailer made Anna doubt that. ‘Can you do something with that nose ring he’s got?’
‘Yeah. Sure. He’s good with that too.’
Anna took a deep breath, reminding herself again that this was not a rodeo bull, it was a stud bull, used to human handling and enclosures. He could be led around a show ring safely. She ran a hand up her left arm to her shoulder, feeling the ridge of the scar hidden by her long-sleeved shirt. She took hold of her fear, shoved it deep inside and slammed a door on it.
‘All right.’
Anna and Rick went to prepare a tranquilliser and painkiller. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ken walk back to his car. He returned with a rifle. She didn’t need to be told what that was for. Much as she hated the thought, she was grateful Ken and the rifle were there.
When Anna and Rick returned to the trailer, the bull’s struggles were getting weaker and there was a lot more blood smeared on the walls and pooling on the floor. Anna stood back while Rick took aim and fired the dart into the animal’s flanks. That prompted another burst of thrashing and kicking. The bull bellowed and tossed its head, wildly at first. Then the bull lowered its head, saliva dribbling from its mouth.
‘I think he’s nearly there,’ Anna said.
‘Are you sure you’ll be safe in there?’ Justin was standing by her side. He touched her hand briefly and their fingers entwined.
‘I’m not going in there,’ she said quietly. ‘Rick will manage him until you get him out.’
‘I’ll be all right.’ Rick climbed up the side of the trailer to a gap big enough to let him through. Ken lifted his rifle and moved closer. Anna was torn between looking away and watching with horror as the boy did almost exactly what she had done on that terrible day. She closed her eyes as her mind and body recoiled from the memories of the fear and the pain and the blood—
‘I’ve got him. Get to work, guys.’
When she opened her eyes, Ben had returned and was sullenly helping Justin with the cutting tools. Rick had hold of the bull’s halter and he kept its head twisted back and his body braced to keep both their eyes away from the rain of sparks as the cutter bit into the twisted metal.
The firefighters were fast and efficient, and before long, enough of the metal trailer had been bent back to allow Rick to cautiously lead the injured bull forward by the rope looped through its nose ring. The animal slipped on the wet blood on the smooth metal and went down on his knees, head weaving from side to side. Then Justin was beside him and with Justin pushing from behind, the bull staggered to its feet. As it emerged from the trailer, Anna saw a long gash down its side. Her fear was overpowered by the animal’s need and her own desire to do what she had trained to do.
‘That needs stitching as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘Can you get him straight into the other trailer? My clinic isn’t far. We can get him in the crush and get him sorted before the sedation wears off.’
‘Right-oh.’ Rick nodded. ‘Let’s get you on board, big boy.’
Freed from the wreck, the bull was surprisingly cooperative. He stepped onto the new trailer as he had no doubt done many times before and the ramp was safely closed behind him.
Justin laid a hand on Anna’s arm. ‘I should stay here until the wreck is cleared. It’s going to take the tow truck a while to get here. Will you be all right? I could send Ben with you.’
‘Thanks, but I think we’ll be fine. I don’t do cattle, but I do have a good crush built by the previous vet. Between the two of us, we’ll get it done. And my assistant Shea will be there too. No mere bull is going to get the better of her.’ Anna swallowed the bitterness in her words. ‘Thanks for your help here.’
