Not Over Yet by Barbara Elsborg

Author:Barbara Elsborg [Elsborg, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: MM paranormal
Publisher: self-pubbed
Published: 2020-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Six

They pulled into the farmyard, and a woman hurried out to them before they’d come to a halt. Maric climbed from the Land Rover and waited as Phin spoke to her.

“Morning, Amy.”

“They’re in the red barn. Please do what you can.”

“I’ll do my best. Would you get me a bucket of warm water, please?”

Phin beckoned Maric and they made their way across a slushy yard to a large barn. Inside, Maric could smell the coppery tang of blood and he pressed his lips together—hard.

“Over here, Phin.” A guy stood up in a stall. He was in his forties and wore a thick woollen sweater with alpacas dancing across the front.

“Morning, Fred. This is Maric. So let’s have a look at him.”

Maric followed Phin over to the stall and went inside. I will not freak out. I will not freak out.

Phin put down his bag and knelt near the alpaca’s rear end.

“I cleaned the wound, put pressure on it. That was the best I could do,” Fred said. “It’s a bad gash.”

“You did the right thing,” Phin said. “We need to get him off his side as soon as we can.”

He opened his bag, removed a plastic sheet and laid equipment out on it.

Maric dropped down at the alpaca’s head. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“He’s called Loki,” Fred said. “He’s a good boy, but he has his moments so be careful. He might spit if he gets stressed.”

“Hi, Loki. Phin’s going to do his best to make you better so you have to be good and lie still.” Maric smiled at the alpaca. “Wow, you have beautiful eyelashes.”

“Almost as long as yours,” Phin said quietly.

Maric swallowed hard.

The water arrived and Phin washed his hands. Maric made the mistake of glancing at Loki’s stomach, gasped when he saw the deep wound and quickly looked back at the alpaca’s face.

“Don’t look, Loki. Not a good idea.”

Maric heard a soft humming sound and glanced up to see an alpaca looking down at him from the next stall. “Are you Loki’s friend?”

The alpaca twitched its ears.

“That’s Thor,” Fred said. “Seeing him should keep Loki calm. They’re social animals and those two are good friends.”

“Once I’ve cleaned the wound, I’m going to give him a local anaesthetic and stitch him up. He’s lucky. Nothing major’s been damaged.”

“Thank God.” Fred heaved a sigh of relief. “He’s my daughter’s favourite.”

“Dad!”

A young girl stood at the barn door. She didn’t look more than seven.

“Is Loki going to be okay?” she asked.

“I hope so,” Phin said. “But I need to work quickly. Alpacas are not meant to lie on their sides for extended periods. The weight of the rumen puts pressure on the heart and lungs, and makes it difficult for them to breathe.”

“What’s the rumen?” she asked.

“Don’t bother him, Jen,” her father said. “She wants to be a vet.”

“It’s okay. She’s not bothering me,” Phin said. “I can work and talk. The rumen is the first stomach of a ruminant, that’s an animal who grazes. It’s for fermentation, which is the chemical breakdown of what’s been swallowed.

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