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Authors: Inglath Cooper
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he
gave me a ride out
here.
“Nice to meet
you, Harry said, his hands tucked
inside bib overal s, his weathered
face concerned.
“It's nice to
meet you, too, Ian said.
“Would you like a
pair of coveral s to put on over those
clothes?
Ian looked down at his pants, the
bottoms of which were
now rimmed in mud. “Oh,
no, that's al right. It'l come out
in the wash.
Ian watched while Colby pul ed on
two plastic gloves
that reached al the way to her
shoulder.
The cow's straining ceased, and she
lay stil . “Is she
okay? he asked.
“She's taking a
breather. Let's see what we have here,
she said, reaching her right arm
inside the cow. A few
seconds passed before she said,
“There's the tail.
Definitely a breech, Harry.
Ian watched as a frown crossed her
face. “Uh-oh.
There's a nose, she said. “We've
got a second one on
board.
Just then, the cow began straining
again. Colby went
still. She looked up at him and
said, “When she's working,
I rest. When I'm working, she rests.
“Oh. I see.
79
INGLATH COOPER
“Have you ever
seen a delivery? she asked.
He'd never even been around a cow,
and certainly not
one in this condition. The closest
he'd gotten was a city
petting zoo, and that had been years
ago, when Luke was five
or six. “Ah, no,
I haven't. Is there something I can do?
“If she tries to
get up, Harry said, “I might need your
help getting her back down.
“Sure, Ian said,
tempted to ask how they could possibly
get what looked like an
eight-hundred-pound cow to lie
down if she decided to get up. But
he didn't, not wanting to
sound like any more of a greenhorn
than he felt.
When the cow stopped straining
again, Colby said,
“Okay, my turn.
She wedged her left hand inside the
cow and began to
push forward. Without looking up,
she said, “What I'll try
to do is push this little guy up
enough that I can straighten
his hind legs out. In a normal birth
he would have come
out front hooves first.
Ian watched in amazement as she
slowly pushed the calf
forward. As the cow began to strain
again, she stopped and
held the position. It was a long,
slow process. He couldn't take
his eyes off the scene. He'd never
witnessed anything like it
in his life. Colby, up to her
shoulders in work a lot of men
wouldn't have the fortitude to do.
She approached the effort
matter-of-factly, when she
spoke, her voice low and soothing.
He saw that she, too,
sympathized with the cow's pain.
80
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
Her coveral s had been splattered
with blood, and a
strand of her hair clung to the side
of her face. He subdued
an unexpected urge to smooth it back
for her.
After what seemed like forever, she
said, “Okay. I've
got the back hooves out. We're on
the right track now.
Ian stood to the side of the cow,
his arms folded across
his chest, the drama of the
situation making him tense. The
process went on for a good while
longer, with the cow
pushing and Colby helping to pul the
calf forward until it
final y slid onto the straw in a
heap.
“There you go,
Colby said, smiling. “You were doing
your best not to join us out here,
weren't you?
Harry picked up the calf and moved
it close to its
mother, placing it back on the
straw. Wonder assaulted Ian.
He thought about his own son's birth
and how incredible it
had been to hold the tiny body in
his arms. He recal ed the
instantaneous love he'd felt for
him, and his chest ached
with the memory of it and a yearning
for things to be right
with Luke again.
“Let's get the
other one, Colby said, reaching back
inside the cow.
When the second calf emerged onto
the straw with
Colby's help, the same sense of
wonder washed over him.
This one was noticeably smal er, its
eyes round and startled.
Ian's heart contracted.
“Okay, girl.
We're almost there, Colby said to the
mother cow, looking up at Ian and
adding, “I just need
gave me a ride out
here.
“Nice to meet
you, Harry said, his hands tucked
inside bib overal s, his weathered
face concerned.
“It's nice to
meet you, too, Ian said.
“Would you like a
pair of coveral s to put on over those
clothes?
Ian looked down at his pants, the
bottoms of which were
now rimmed in mud. “Oh,
no, that's al right. It'l come out
in the wash.
Ian watched while Colby pul ed on
two plastic gloves
that reached al the way to her
shoulder.
The cow's straining ceased, and she
lay stil . “Is she
okay? he asked.
“She's taking a
breather. Let's see what we have here,
she said, reaching her right arm
inside the cow. A few
seconds passed before she said,
“There's the tail.
Definitely a breech, Harry.
Ian watched as a frown crossed her
face. “Uh-oh.
There's a nose, she said. “We've
got a second one on
board.
Just then, the cow began straining
again. Colby went
still. She looked up at him and
said, “When she's working,
I rest. When I'm working, she rests.
“Oh. I see.
79
INGLATH COOPER
“Have you ever
seen a delivery? she asked.
He'd never even been around a cow,
and certainly not
one in this condition. The closest
he'd gotten was a city
petting zoo, and that had been years
ago, when Luke was five
or six. “Ah, no,
I haven't. Is there something I can do?
“If she tries to
get up, Harry said, “I might need your
help getting her back down.
“Sure, Ian said,
tempted to ask how they could possibly
get what looked like an
eight-hundred-pound cow to lie
down if she decided to get up. But
he didn't, not wanting to
sound like any more of a greenhorn
than he felt.
When the cow stopped straining
again, Colby said,
“Okay, my turn.
She wedged her left hand inside the
cow and began to
push forward. Without looking up,
she said, “What I'll try
to do is push this little guy up
enough that I can straighten
his hind legs out. In a normal birth
he would have come
out front hooves first.
Ian watched in amazement as she
slowly pushed the calf
forward. As the cow began to strain
again, she stopped and
held the position. It was a long,
slow process. He couldn't take
his eyes off the scene. He'd never
witnessed anything like it
in his life. Colby, up to her
shoulders in work a lot of men
wouldn't have the fortitude to do.
She approached the effort
matter-of-factly, when she
spoke, her voice low and soothing.
He saw that she, too,
sympathized with the cow's pain.
80
GOOD GUYS LOVE DOGS
Her coveral s had been splattered
with blood, and a
strand of her hair clung to the side
of her face. He subdued
an unexpected urge to smooth it back
for her.
After what seemed like forever, she
said, “Okay. I've
got the back hooves out. We're on
the right track now.
Ian stood to the side of the cow,
his arms folded across
his chest, the drama of the
situation making him tense. The
process went on for a good while
longer, with the cow
pushing and Colby helping to pul the
calf forward until it
final y slid onto the straw in a
heap.
“There you go,
Colby said, smiling. “You were doing
your best not to join us out here,
weren't you?
Harry picked up the calf and moved
it close to its
mother, placing it back on the
straw. Wonder assaulted Ian.
He thought about his own son's birth
and how incredible it
had been to hold the tiny body in
his arms. He recal ed the
instantaneous love he'd felt for
him, and his chest ached
with the memory of it and a yearning
for things to be right
with Luke again.
“Let's get the
other one, Colby said, reaching back
inside the cow.
When the second calf emerged onto
the straw with
Colby's help, the same sense of
wonder washed over him.
This one was noticeably smal er, its
eyes round and startled.
Ian's heart contracted.
“Okay, girl.
We're almost there, Colby said to the
mother cow, looking up at Ian and
adding, “I just need
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