“Calm will help the exam,” I said as I continued grooming him. I wanted the doctors to find what was ailing Linus without getting distracted by his unease after the long drive.
“Absolutely.” Jude nodded his agreement as he moved toward the stall opening. “You keep working with him, and I’llsee if the medical team can start with RC to give Linus a little more time.”
“Sounds good.” I continued soothing Linus, getting lost in the task as Jude made his way to the office. He returned with a coffee refill for us both and confirmation that RC would be first up.
As we finished the coffee, a male tech with a closely cropped fade summoned us to bring RC to an exam room. Like the rest of the facility, the room was spacious and pristine. It had a narrow stall with room around all four sides to house RC for his exam, and a variety of medical equipment lining both walls.
After we got RC situated, the medical team, consisting of an internal medicine attending doctor, a resident, and two vet students, joined the tech. Suddenly, the large room seemed much smaller. Beside me, Jude went unusually tense, back stiffening and mouth thinning out to a narrow line.
“Jude.” The attending doctor was around Jude’s age, or perhaps in his early forties, with silver temples and a pompous attitude I immediately didn’t like.
“Scott.” Jude offered the same sort of terse greeting.
Scott gestured at the resident, a small woman with short dark hair. “Doctor Song will run the exam.”
Jude stayed tense throughout the exam. I hung back at the corner of the room and let him handle the medical questions, but I tried to radiate some invisible support in his direction. After the team conferred with the attending, Dr. Song announced that they would perform a biopsy with the hope of removing the lump if it was benign. While they prepared the local anesthetic for the biopsy, the tech directed us to bring Linus to a different exam room, so he could be seen after the team finished with RC.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Jude as soon as we were walking back to Linus’s stall alone.
“Nothing.” Jude’s mouth twisted. I gave him a firm stare until he sighed. “Okay, it’s notnothing, but it’s trivial. The attending is a former classmate of mine. And a…friend.”
“I see.” The slight pause beforefriendtold me everything I needed to know. Scott must have been one of those friends with benefits Jude had mentioned. I had no claim on Jude, but nevertheless, my hands clenched with an unfamiliar sort of possessiveness.
“We didn’t exactly part on great terms, so it’s…” Jude gave a vague wave.
“Awkward.” I finished the thought for him, enjoying that rarity more than I should.
“Yeah, that.” Jude paused with his hand on the door to Linus’s stall. His eyes remained dark and cloudy. I glanced down the line of stalls. No one else was nearby, so I gave in to the urge to pat his meaty bicep.
“That sucks.” I had to use considerable willpower to release Jude’s arm. Touching him felt far too natural, going beyond reassurance to something deeper.
“I’ll be all right.” Jude held my gaze as warmth flickered between us.
“Burger and beer later?” I suggested, wishing I could offer more than the briefest of touches and the distraction of dinner.
“Definitely.” Jude’s tone went from morose to grateful before we shifted our attention to Linus. The horse was his usual hard-to-lead self with some residual anxiety despite my earlier efforts. Linus was more familiar with me, so Jude let me take point in bringing him into the exam room the tech had indicated.
“I’m letting the team finish up the biopsy. Dr. Song is more than capable.” Scott bustled into the room as I coaxed Linus into the narrow stall. Scott brought all his overbearing energy with him, making the room feel like the AC had kicked on.Swiveling my direction, Scott narrowed his eyes as if he’d only now registered my presence. “Is this your assistant?”
“This is Carson. He’s a hand on the ranch that owns the two horses.” Jude’s voice was a hair too bright. Scott might not be able to tell he was forcing the positive tone, but I could. “He’s been working closely with Linus and volunteered to make the trip along with me.”
“Howdy.” I offered a hand as I stared Scott down. Ordinarily, I wasn’t one for power games, but I put a little extra strength in my grip nonetheless, taking petty pleasure that Scott was the first to pull away.
However, he kept the majority of his attention on Jude. “Should have known you wouldn’t have an actual assistant. You always were a lone ranger.”
“Eh. I don’t need one for most of the field work I do.” Jude shrugged, but his eyes stayed cloudy and his posture on edge.
“You’re stuck in the last century.” Scott took on the long-suffering air of someone who’d made the same point a dozen times prior. I glared at him, not that Scott seemed inclined to pay me any mind. Scott’s team of students filtered into the room as he added, “Hence why you need us.”
“A consult seemed like a prudent idea given the complex neurological symptoms.” Jude kept his tone even and his attention directed mainly at Dr. Song and the other students.
“Looks like EPM.” One of the students looked up from a tablet where she’d evidently been reviewing case notes.
“I ruled that out.” Jude continued to expound on his findings, but Scott gave a skeptical huff as Jude finished his report.
“Make a note to re-run the blood work,” Scott directed Dr. Song. “I’m also not sure we can rule out temperament. You never know with rescue horses.”
“It’s not temperament.” Jude’s voice finally showed a hint of frustration. “Let’s see what the neurologist and the MRI say.”
