Read Online Coming Home by Leslie Kelly - Free Book Online

anguished voice and long pause that whatever had happened, it was serious.
    "Will you come? There's an emergency clinic in Ocala, but I don't want to drive her all the way up there. I know you specialize in large animals...."
    Not hesitating, she replied, "Of course I'll come.”
     
    When Nicole reached the Four C, she noticed the porch light was on, and the front door open. She parked, grabbed her father's medical bag and hurried up the outside steps. Not even knocking, Nicole entered the house and followed the sound of a soft voice toward the kitchen.
    "Oh, baby, you'll be all right. I'm so sorry, Winnie, I know it hurts. Please just hang on."
    Entering the kitchen, Nicole realized two things. First, Wyatt was utterly terrified, and second, he had reason to be.
    The golden retriever looked more like a red Irish setter, she was covered with so much blood. So was her owner.
    Wyatt sat on a chair next to the kitchen table, and had the large dog cradled in his lap. He was murmuring soft words into the frightened animal's ear as he gently pressed a bath towel, once white but now a bright crimson, against the dog's stomach. Nicole saw the glazed look of pain in Winnie's eyes, and the answering sorrow in her owner's.
    "What happened?" Nicole asked as she entered the kitchen. Wyatt immediately glanced up and she saw relief cross his face. He looked like he expected a miracle. She hoped she would be able to give it to him.
    "I don't know. She was running around out back, just like most evenings, but when I whistled for her, she didn't come. I heard her crying on the front porch just a little while ago, after I'd gone to bed, and found her like this right outside. She made her way home looking for help."
    Wyatt continued to ever so gently rub his cheek against the dog's soft head, calming her.
    "It would be best if we put her on the table," Nicole said. "Do you have a sheet or something to protect it?"
    "To hell with that," Wyatt said as he gently lifted the dog higher and slid her on top of the huge, immaculately clean surface.
    Nicole set the medical bag down on a chair, and retrieved some disinfectant. She quickly washed her hands in the sink, and then ordered Wyatt to do the same thing. After they'd finished, they returned to the wounded dog.
    "Has the bleeding slowed down?"
    Wyatt nodded and gingerly peeled the blood-soaked towel away from the dog's belly. Several long gashes were visible in the soft flesh. Nicole bit her lip. "Poor baby. I'm going to have to give her a local," she told Wyatt. "I'll need you to hold her down. Once the anesthetic kicks in, she won't be in pain, but she'll still be very frightened. You've got to keep her steady."
    "Can't you put her under?"
    She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Wyatt, I don't have the drugs for that, and I wouldn't want to do it outside a surgical suite. She'll be all right, as long as you help me keep her calm."
    Wyatt nodded grimly and slid his arms around the dog's shaggy neck. He leaned his face in toward Winnie's, staring into her eye as one might a child, and explained to her what Nicole was doing. It helped. The dog remained calm, her brown eyes trusting, though Nicole knew she was in pain.
    As Nicole cleaned the wounds, she studied them carefully. Most of the cuts across the dog's stomach were superficial, but one was a little deep. All of them bled profusely. Winnie also had gashes on her legs, sides, and neck.
    "She'll need stitches. But none of these cuts are deep enough to warrant surgery. The big danger here is infection."
    "Whatever it takes."
    Nicole nodded and got to work tending the dog's cuts. Wyatt remained calm, though she saw the concern in his green eyes. She couldn't say she was surprised. Wyatt had always been crazy about dogs. And he'd never been able to stand seeing anyone in pain.
    "You know, an animal didn't do this," Nicole said with a frown as she concentrated on the task at hand. "There's no jagged tearing, no chunks of flesh missing like there would be