CHAPTER EIGHT

THE PLASTIC BAG is like the IV Gran had in the hospital. It holds a saline solution, salt and minerals in water. “Since she won’t drink, we’ll just get this fluid inside her,” Dr. Brand says. “That might perk her up and get things moving in her gut.”

It is dark inside Beware’s stall. The light from the aisle slants in over the door, on Dr. Brand’s wet shoulders. What made her come back? Lily wonders. What made her decide to try something else?

“Oh!” Lily remembers. “Can I give her cough drops? This kind.” She finds a cough drop in her pocket and shows it to Dr. Brand.

“Does she like them?” Dr. Brand asks.

Beware’s nose reaches between them, and Lily closes her fingers around the cough drop. “Beware, wait! I have to take the wrapper off!”

Dr. Brand laughs. “Well! Anything she takes that much interest in has to be good.”

“Hurry up, Lily!” Gramp says over her shoulder.

Beware is poking Lily’s hand. Her eyes look brighter than they have all day.

Dr. Brand hangs the plastic bag on a nail high in the wall of Beware’s stall. Now she takes out a shaver and shaves a patch on Beware’s neck. “Bring the twitch, Woody.”

Beware snorts and backs up when she sees the twitch. But she must stand still while the fluid goes in, and that will take awhile. Gramp twists the twitch around Beware’s lip and holds it.

Carefully Dr. Brand finds a big vein. With a quick motion she sticks in a needle. Nothing is attached to the back of the needle. Blood squeezes slowly out of it. Then Dr. Brand fits the tube from the plastic bag onto the needle. Slowly, slowly the clear fluid starts to flow into Beware’s vein. It seems strange to see the plastic bag hanging from a nail in the barn, instead of in a hospital. It’s scary, too. But at least they are doing everything they can.

In the quiet stall Beware’s breath sounds loud. She stands still, the fluid bubbles down, and they all wait. Dr. Brand yawns.

“Hope we don’t have to wake you up tonight,” Gramp says.

“Me, too! You’ll have a long night, though. You’ve got to keep walking her.” Dr. Brand yawns again and flicks the flowered shower curtain with one finger. “Funny!”

Finally the plastic bag is empty. Dr. Brand takes the needle out of Beware’s neck. “Okay, Woody, you can let go.” Gramp releases the twitch, and Beware backs away. She won’t come near Gramp or Dr. Brand even when Lily unwraps the last cough drop. But when Lily brings the cough drop to her, Beware crunches it.

“She looks tired,” Dr. Brand says. They are all tired. Lily and Gramp help Dr. Brand pack her things and carry them up to the truck.

“If she comes through the night in good shape,” Dr. Brand says, “if she passes manure and seems to feel better, call me in the morning.” She climbs into the high cab of her truck. The windshield wipers slap back and forth. The headlights make two dim cones out into the night and sleet. Dr. Brand drives away.

Gramp squeezes Lily’s shoulder. “She’s a good one,” he says.