Chapter 1: Stilton and Smoked Cheddar
"Ought to be crossed out, were it not wicked to erase; for the real author is not I, but my impatient memory." - Nabokov
The second sip from her pint had barely crossed Vanessa's lips when the call came in from Paddy. Sounding somewhere between frantic and hysterical, Paddy gibbered out his usual word salad making little sense.
"Take a deep breath Paddy 'cause you're babbling. Where are you?"
Slightly more oxygenated and a smidge less stuttery, Paddy conveyed that he was at Shadwell's Stud Farm. He informed Vanessa that a fire that started in the tractor shed was in danger of jumping to the stable housing a dozen horses including a prize stallion and Paddy needed help moving them to safety.
Charity reappeared from the backroom confused to find Vanessa putting on her jacket.
"You've barely touched your pint babe. Train to catch?"
"I'm on my way to Whixley and I'll likely be late for tea. Paddy needs help on a callout at a stud farm."
Never one to pass up low hanging fruit, Charity feigned excitement. "Stud farm? Ooooh, can I come, I'm sure I'd enjoy the scenery."
Seeing her fiancée had gotten her giggles out, Vanessa shook her head and offered a dubious expression. "Really Charity?"
Grinning broadly Charity responded with a twinkle in her eye. "That one never gets old, does it babe?"
"Yeah, you're a regular Sarah Pascoe but, you might want to workshop some new material. Love you."
"Love you too."
When Vanessa arrived at Shadwell's, the fire had jumped from the tractor shed and into the feed room of the stable. Paddy was winded on account of all the running he'd been doing not to mention the smoky conditions.
"Ness, good news, bad news. I managed to unlock all the stalls and got most of the horses out but two of them are panicked and they won't budge."
"The smoke must have them spooked." The two vets stared at the stable as the fire began to make its way across the roofline. "We can't just let them burn alive Paddy, lets get in there and see if we can coax them out. I hear the sirens from fire and rescue but if they don't get here soon, that roof could collapse."
"Don't be mad Vanessa, we're vets, not members of the Fire Brigade. Besides, you know me and horses don't get along."
"Oh, Jesus Christ on a Bike, Paddy! They are terrified and just need someone to guide them out. Give me the blanket from your bag." Paddy unzipped the side compartment of his medical case and pulled out the blanket as Vanessa removed one from her own medical kit along with a handkerchief.
"What are you gonna do? You can't run into a burning building Ness. That's just stupid not to mention dumb and also, dangerous. Very dangerous," Paddy said drawing an imaginary double underline in the air for emphasis.
Ignoring him completely and taking her RCVS oath to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to her care too seriously, Vanessa ran toward the stable. The main doors were located on the side of the building that was not yet fully engulfed in flames but the fire was spreading rapidly.
Just before she ran in, she dunked her handkerchief in the water trough just outside the stable and wrapped it around her nose and mouth. Running inside, she made her way to Stilton, a palomino mare furthest from the stable doors. She quickly wrapped the blankets over the horse's head and neck and covered the mare's eyes.
"C'mon pretty lady. Just follow me," she said with a gentle tug and Stilton quickly complied walking cautiously down the aisle past the mostly empty stalls. Just before the doors, Vanessa removed the blankets and with a slap of her hand, cajoled the animal to trot out of the stable and to safety.
Once she saw the mare was safe, she looked up to find the fire swiftly spreading across the loft area where the hay was stored. With each passing second, the structure of the building was becoming more unstable. Without wasting a beat of time, Vanessa made her way back to the third stall from the stable doors where she found Cheddar. She knew she had to exit quickly but she couldn't leave without the stallion. The horse was curling his upper lip and snorting clearly signaling he was frightened. She wrapped the blankets around Cheddar's eyes and as smoke began to envelop the stall, she used the calmest voice she could muster to coax him into walking out.
"C'mon big fella, you're doing great."
The smoke had rapidly become intense and overwhelming. Unable to take a full breath, Vanessa walked Cheddar far enough to see the open doors and fresh air that awaited outside, removed the blanket from Cheddar's eyes and gave a strong tap on his hindquarters. Cheddar ran for the door, and Vanessa followed but just before she reached the exit, a ridge beam that was supporting the rafters gave way. The beam knocked down a knee wall causing the knee wall, in turn, to fall toward the ground and strike Vanessa squarely on the back of her head. The force of the blow pushed Vanessa towards the doors such that part of her body lay on the ground just outside the barn. The air was thick with smoke as she lay there, unconscious, as the fire crept its way towards her.
Outside the stable, the relative calm of the farm was disrupted as the emergency crews arrived in force. Paddy ran to the firefighters and ambulance crew and advised them of Vanessa's whereabouts.
The emergency personnel rushed to the stable and found Vanessa's seemingly lifeless body strewn across the threshold. They pulled her out from the barn completely to the safety of the sand paddock just outside the stable. Paddy was in shock to see his friend and business partner looking so pallid and still. The ghostly color of her face was offset by the bright red blood dripping out the back of her head. He stood there in shock as the medics assessed her vitals. As they transferred her to a stretcher, he overheard them say something about smoke inhalation and unconsciousness with head trauma. Within minutes, they had Vanessa secured in the ambulance with a supplemental oxygen mask over her face. The doors slammed shut and the driver rushed the patient to the hospital.
Paddy, still in shock, knew he had to get to the hospital. He thought Vanessa shouldn't be alone. He dug into his jacket pocket, then his inside vest pocket and eventually found his mobile in his pants pocket and dialed Chas.
"Hiya Paddy. Fitting in with the other studs at the farm are ya?" she joked with a wink at Charity who was filling drink orders behind the bar as Chas cleared a table.
"Paddy? Hello?... Paddy, whoa whoa Paddy now slow down. What is it love?"
Charity looked up from the register and watched and listened to Chas's side of the conversation.
"She did what? Why?... Well why didn't you stop her Paddy? ….. Hurt how Paddy? ….. Oh my God… Alright, yeah I'll let her know. … yes Paddy, I'll let everyone know and we'll meet you at the hospital."
Chas hung up and turned around towards the bar where she found Charity had been listening intently. Chas's face revealed everything Charity needed to know but she asked anyway.
"What is it Chas? Is it Vanessa? Is she the one at the hospital?"
Chas swallowed hard before answering. "I don't really have any details. I just know that Vanessa ran into the stable that was on fire to save some horses."
"So the horses had to be taken to the animal hospital then? Right?" Charity said the words but she knew as she heard them coming out of her mouth that they weren't right; that this was not what had likely happened.
"No love. It's Vanessa, she is on her way to the hospital. I didn't get the whole story as Paddy was quite broken up but…part of the building might have collapsed on her. She's unconscious."
With those words, Charity's face went from one of fear and concern to utter terror and she ran from behind the bar towards the private quarters. Chas ran to catch up to Charity who was grabbing her car keys and wallet. She had just enough time to let Charity know that she would contact Tracy and Frank.
"Try to drive carefully," Chas begged as the door shut. "I'll call Bob to cover," she added for no one in particular.