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Two weeks later, I had another run-in with Lori. Jack was out with a pinched nerve in his lower back. Usually he’d just let me hold down the fort by myself if nothing major was going on. However, one of the competition horses required emergency colic surgery, and Lori arrived immediately to take care of it.
I offered to assist her with it—it would have been my first of that type—but she refused. She actually called another doctor to perform the surgery with her, so while they went to work on Rolls Royce, I decided to saddle up Bad Whiskey and go for a ride.
Even so, I stuck close to the stables—just in case I was miraculously called upon. I figured Lori would bring in a dozen strangers before she’d call me, but I worked Whiskey in the arena while silently plotting my revenge. I knew I would do nothing to retaliate, though. It wasn’t in my nature. But whatever was going on with Lori was affecting my job. She didn’t affect my job performance, but she affected how much I enjoyed working at Harmony Acres when she was there. I didn’t like someone having that kind of control over my happiness, so I was uncertain what to do about it.
Austin was in Iowa that weekend. We’d come to an agreement about racing, and although I still had a hard time with his choice of career, I decided to support him anyway. Now that he was racing again, I actually saw him more than I did before. He was usually gone for races on the weekends now, but he was home Monday through Thursday. He sometimes called me several times a day when he was gone, and he even left me funny text messages now and then. It was nice to have that contact with him on a regular basis, but it really did make me miss him even more when he was out of the state and not just south in Irwindale.
I was walking Whiskey to the tack room when Dave passed me. He smiled and said hello, and then gave Whiskey a pat.
“Get a good workout, little girl?” he asked her. Then his expression changed when he returned his attention to me. “How come you’re not in surgery with Lori? I think that would be a good experience for you.”
I was instantly embarrassed, even though I knew I shouldn’t be. Maybe it was because I felt like I was being viewed as a slacker. “Well, I offered, and I expected to be there, but Lori wouldn’t allow me to help.”
“What?” He glanced back to Jack’s office with puzzlement. “Why wouldn’t she accept help?”
“She has another doctor in there. Dr. Tibbets.”
It was apparent he wasn’t happy with that answer. I didn’t know if it had to do with Lori, Dr. Tibbets, or me, but his jaw visibly tensed. Finally, he somewhat nodded, but just walked away.
Austin was like his dad in that aspect, and I knew Dave either needed to think or take care of something before he said anything. It made me anxious; I didn’t want any drama to occur because of me. I quickly undressed Whiskey, brushed her down, and led her back to Field Four.
Thank God Jack returned to the ranch the next day, but I could tell he was still in a lot of pain, just by the way he moved.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. I was just returning to his office from a round of dispensing medication, and he was there, looking over paperwork. “Jack, you should still be resting.”
“Ah, it hurts no matter what, so I’d rather be moving.”
“Want me to tranquilize you?”
“I’ve seriously considered it.” He set the papers down and then looked over some photos. I could tell they were pictures of Rolls Royce’s surgery. “So, you missed out on colic surgery, huh?” It was basically a statement, not a question.
I chose silence as my response since I could feel my anger return. I was afraid I would call Lori a lot of names I might regret.
Jack motioned for me to sit while he made some points about the photos. Then he placed a disk in the DVD player and turned on the TV monitor. I scooted my stool closer so I could watch the surgery better, and Jack stood next to me.
“The colon,” he pointed. “The gas was removed...emptying the large colon of ingesta...” He fast-forwarded the video some more and added, “The obstruction being removed...”
I listened to Jack explain the surgery in-depth. He’d forward the video, rewind it, and pause—whatever he needed to do to teach me all he could. I absorbed everything. Jack was an amazing teacher and I was entranced with learning.
We spent over an hour viewing and discussing the procedure, and when we were done, Jack walked me to Rolls Royce’s stall to talk about his recovery. The horse looked good as new, and Jack was pleased he was bouncing back so quickly.
He turned to me and said, “I’m sorry you weren’t able to assist with the surgery.”
I shrugged, not sure what to say. Truthfully, I wanted to cry. It sounds stupid, but just watching the surgery on video made me feel like I’d really missed out on something crucial.
We were walking back to his office when he asked, “Did you notice which set of hands performed most of the work?”
I had noticed that, and I nodded.
“I think Lori is having trouble with her eyesight,” Jack continued. “She doesn’t feel comfortable performing surgery by herself anymore, and she’s known Edgar—Dr. Tibbets—for many years. I’m sure she chose Edgar to help out instead of you so she didn’t have to show weakness.”
“She could have just said so—”
“Nah, you know Lori—very prideful. She’s an extremely knowledgeable vet, but she can’t perform her job fully anymore and she knows that. I think she also knows you’re her replacement.”
“What?”
He shrugged when we stopped in front of his office. “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? You’re a perfect fit here, Nova. Even if you just finished your basic studies and wanted a job here, you would get it. I know you want that piece of paper, and I can understand that, but if you decided to just take your tech exam for now, you could be an assistant and get the pay for it.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It’s just an idea. I don’t know what your plans are otherwise—you know, on a personal level—but it’s something you can think about.”
“Are you talking about Austin?”
“I suppose. He is the only other thing you focus on, isn’t it?”
I smiled shyly. “Yeah, I guess so. But we both have plans going on that could change things, you know?”
“Yes, I understand that. Which is why I’m giving you another option to think about. It’s all a matter of what you want the most, Nova. I can’t decide that for you, and Austin can’t decide that for you. So, just take all of your options and study them carefully.” He cringed and put a hand against his lower back. “Right now, my only option is seeing a professional.”
“Yes, you really should if it’s gotten so bad. You want me to stand on your back to see if it helps?” I joked.
He laughed, but I was surprised when he replied, “Actually, I would do anything at this point. I’d like to try it if you don’t mind?”
“Not if that’s what you want.”
He dropped onto the floor right by the counter, so I removed my shoes and stepped onto his back. He groaned, so I stepped off.
“No, that was great,” he exhaled. “It just takes a second for the pain to adjust.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s your sciatic nerve?”
“Yes.”
I placed one foot on his lower back and the other in the middle, and held onto the counter just in case it was too much weight.
He moaned again, but it sounded like a good moan.
“That’s okay?” I asked.
“Yes, that feels so good.”
“I feel like I’m too heavy for this, though.”
“Uh, it’s not bad...”
I stepped off. “What if I make it worse?”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Well, I can do the same thing without all of that weight. I mean, if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll take any help I can get.”
I knelt over him so I could hold his lower body with my knees and pressed my hands against his back so it stretched his upper half from his lower half.
I was basically straddling his body.
“Oh, God,” he moaned again. “That feels so good. Keep doing it.”
“Just hold it there?”
“Yeah, if you can.”
I loosened my hold to get better grip, and then stretched his joints once again.
“Oh, my God, that feels so good.”
I heard a sound at the office door, so I peeked over the counter to see Austin standing there with a confused smile on his face. I knew he couldn’t see me straddling Jack on the other side of the counter, but Austin tilted his head to the side to see Jack’s shoes sticking out from the edge.
“Jack? What are you doing with my girlfriend, pal?”
Jack chuckled uncomfortably. “She’s putting me in a euphoric state. Hope you don’t mind.”
Austin walked around the counter to get a look at what we were up to.
“Oh, please don’t leave, Nova,” Jack pleaded when I was about to get up. “Just one more time.”
“You know my boyfriend is here and I’d rather kiss him right now than straddle you, right?”
He barely laughed again but said, “I know, but please? Austin, give a guy a break.”
“You have ten more seconds,” Austin told him.
Jack thanked him like it was his last wish on earth, so I relieved the compression in his lower back one more time, and then stood.
“I don’t think I want to get up now,” he said.
“Good, stay there so we can make out in your office,” Austin told him.
Jack laughed, but he did lie there for a few more seconds while Austin kissed me, and then he rolled onto his back. “All I need is a yoga mat and I can just stay here and tell Nova what to do.” He pulled himself into a sitting position, and paused. “Wow, I think that feels a lot better.” He stood and stretched himself out. “Ten times better. I think I should go for a run.”
“I think you should continue to lie down and rest it,” I scolded him. “Take some ibuprofen.
“Ibuprofen didn’t work.”
“It might’ve been so bad that it didn’t have a chance to work. Now that the nerve might be released, it can have a chance to relax. Go lie down.”
“Okay, Miss Smarty Pants.” He playfully scowled. He murmured something about getting bossed around by everyone, but he eventually left the office.
I glanced at Austin, and with a smile, he said, “That was odd.”
“Hearing Jack moan behind the counter?” I laughed.
“That, and seeing your face pop up with surprise.”
“Pssh, you didn’t honestly think...?”
“No, it was just weird, I guess. You know, when you see something that looks one way, but you know in your head that’s not what it is?”
“Ha, yeah, I understand.” I paused to look him over, and then wrapped my arms around him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Thought about you every second I could.”
“Same. So how did you do?”
“Mmm, fifth. But I led 41 laps. It was a learning experience.”
“That’s good. I think?”
He nodded, but seemed to hesitate before saying, “I race at Irwindale next weekend...”
I didn’t respond immediately, even though I knew he was basically asking if I would go. Instead, I took his hand and we left the office to walk to the hammock. Once we were lying in it, barely swinging, he did ask, “So I take it that means no?”
With a sigh, I replied, “Yeah, that’s a no.”
He didn’t react, but I knew he was disappointed. I did feel bad, but I was also annoyed that we were back on the subject again when he had promised he wouldn’t pester me about it. But I guess he kept his word because he didn’t mention anything further, and we began talking about other things instead.
I got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that night. I knew it wouldn’t be the last of the racing issue looming between us.