"Would you like to take a book upstairs while I prepare lunch?" Helen asked, turning to look over her shoulder at Lucy. The young girl had followed her into the kitchen when Helen left to prepare lunch, said she could help, only now Lucy was sitting there, bored out of her mind as she fiddled around with a loose fork.
"Hm?" Lucy looked up.
Helen chuckled. "A book? Well, only if watching me make lunch is so incredibly boring"
"I don't really read." Lucy admitted before standing from where she was sitting. The girl picked up the fork and tossed it forwards into the sink of soapy washing up water, Helen having to duck out of the way. But, instead of scolding Lucy, Helen merely gave the girl a playful smile. "Off you go, you" She teased.
Lucy laughed to herself before racing upstairs. Helen simply shook her head in amusement and continued with her cooking.
Upstairs, Lucy struggled her way out of Helen's dress and back into her clothes from before, which she managed to fish out of the washing basket. There. Far more comfortable.
The girl raced downstairs, and Helen, hearing Lucy's hurried footsteps, Helen poked her head out of the kitchen door, only to see Lucy pulling open the front door to the house.
"Where are you off to?" Helen asked curiously with a smile. Children were always running off on their own little adventures, though there was still a hint of concern in her voice.
"Out" Lucy answered plainly.
"Out?" Helen asked, "Out where?" Helen paused. "And you certainly can't go out anywhere in those." She said, "You could go upstairs and put on one of my dresses again. I'll have those trousers washed right away if you would find it more comfortable." She offered kindly.
"No time Helen!" Lucy chuckled uncomfortably as she dashed out of the front door into the cold, crisp autumn air. "I'm going after James and Siegfried!" Helen leapt forwards and reached out, trying to perhaps grab hold of the young girl's sleeve. No use. Meanwhile, Lucy followed the tire tracks.
Helen sighed, watching her go. "Siegfried won't like that." She mumbled, her voice suddenly filled with dread.
Tristan poked his head out of the Surgery door quizzically. "Won't like what?" He asked with a frown.
Helen frowned and folded her arms. "Lucy went after James and Siegfried" She said flatly.
"Oh that little young thing-" Tristan muttered, shaking his head, just about to reverse back into the Surgery room, Helen rather crossly caught his attention.
"Tristan." Helen said firmly. "She is not a thing, she's a woman" She explained.
"Exactly" Tristan said heavily. "She can't go running off after those two."
And those two, in question, had just arrived at Mr Marshall's fields. Injured cows scattered over the grass, some dead, some barely alive.
"I'll do what I can but it's not looking too fabulous for the cattle-" James sighed as he pushed his way off his knees back up to standing. He set a piece of equipment back into his bag, turning his attention to Mr Marshall and Siegfried.
"Aye-" Mr Marshall nodded. "You do tha' Mr Herriot," He said.
"Yes…" Siegfried pondered to himself for a moment. "And while you're busy with that James I'll take the car round to help find this mutt-" He said, making his way back to the car. The man opened the door before he gestured helplessly towards the field where the cows lay still. "Can't afford this sort of thing with everyone's livestock." He sighed before gazing apologetically towards Mr Marshall. "I am sorry." He apologised quickly, shooting the old farmer a quick smile.
"Nay, not your fault Mr Farnon" Mr Marshall excused.
Siegfried shot over an awkward smile before he climbed into the car, just as he was about to speed off back down the dirt track, he stopped himself, leaning out of the car.
"Did you see what this canine looked like, Mr Marshall?" He called.
"Aye, well it was a big one it was. Sort of black and white" Mr Marshall answered helpfully.
Siegfried nodded, reversing down the road before making a U-Turn to speed back in the other direction in search of this dog.
Meanwhile, Lucy had done Siegfried's job for him.
As she wandered her way down the road, carefully following the fresh tire tracks, she could have sworn that she heard something rustle in the hedge that bordered the road.
At first, she shrugged it off as being some small animal like a squirrel or a bird. Well… She was partly right.
Out of the bushes emerged a large black and white dog, teeth bared and growling, the rich saliva dripping around it's jaws as it stalked towards her. "Good doggy…" Lucy tried to soothe the animal, unfortunately, that didn't help as the dog bounded towards her, malicious intent in its gleaming eyes. Lucy staggered back, arms out as a protective shield in front of her before she tripped back over a loose rock in the road. The canine immediately went right for the poor girl's leg, biting into it with such force that blood coated its teeth.
Lucy let out a horrifying cry of pain before she heard the screeching of car tires fighting against the momentum as it came to a stop. "Crap!" Lucy hissed as she heard the car engine switch off.
Siegfried didn't hesitate in jumping out of the car, muzzle and net of some kind in hand. He couldn't quite make out who the figure on the floor was but he knew that it was a young girl.
The man leapt at the dog from behind and managed to wrestle the dog off of the young girl, after he had at least fastened the muzzle around the dog's jaw, Siegfried finally got a look at the young girl he had saved the life of. "Lucy!" He exclaimed as he continued struggling with the dog before he managed to restrain the animal into the cage situated in the back of the car. It took a few long minutes though, and in that time, Lucy had started to stagger her way to standing, she didn't get far though before he had to prop herself up against the car.
After Siegfried was sure that the dog was secure and wasn't going to get out again, he approached Lucy. He took his arm and held it gently around her back, glancing briefly down at her ankle, grimacing a little bit at the deep blood that was beginning to spread into her beige trousers. "Sit down." Siegfried ordered firmly.
Lucy did so, slowly but surely. Luckily Siegfried had his bag on him… While the equipment perhaps wasn't used for humans, this was an emergency.
Lucy observed Siegfried carefully as he rummaged through his bag, he seemed to be becoming more and more distressed as he went on. "Blasted thing!" Siegfried muttered, which confirmed Lucy's suspicions. Figuring that she could help some way, she slipped her jacket off and tossed it to Siegfried. He was far too occupied with his bag to notice until the item of clothing landed in his lap.
Siegfried quickly snatched it up and pressed it against her ankle firmly before beckoning the girl forwards. "Hold it there." He ordered sharply, Lucy did so as the older man went back to his bag.
"What are you looking for?" Lucy asked curiously, if it hadn't been a bandage, what was it?
"Stitches. It's quite a nasty wound you've got. I'm afraid there's no time to get you to a Doctor." Siegfried fished a syringe out of his bag, Lucy froze at the very sight of the instrument.
"Now, it's only a little anaesthetic, don't worry." Siegfried said as he pushed up her sleeve. Lucy instinctively flinched away.
"Oh it won't hurt." Siegfried reassured Lucy didn't seem to be wanting to edge any closer. "We could count from ten if you like?" Siegfried suggested, beginning to become more and more frantic, she was losing blood quickly. To his relief, Lucy nodded.
"Ten, nine, eight… Seven, six, five, four… Three- careful-" Siegfried said softly. "Two… And, one"
"Well I am sorry Mr Marshall, I've done all that I can." James sighed as he stood from the side of one of the cattle, who had, unfortunately, lost it's life.
"Nay, it's not your fault Mr Herriot." Marshall reassured him.
James simply nodded, of course his mind was telling him that wasn't the case.
"Just let me know if any of their conditions worsen." James sighed as he packed away his equipment. "I should probably help Siegfried in finding this-"
Just then, a car came to a screeching halt up beside the farm. Out climbed Helen, followed by a less enthusiastic looking Tristan. "James!" Helen exclaimed as she trudged her way up through the thickened mud, ruining her shoes and hem of her red dress.
"Helen! Tris!" James called, "What's wrong? Something at the Surgery?" He asked, brows furrowed.
"It's Lucy!" Helen exclaimed fearfully as she fell into James' arms. "She followed after you and Siegfried, we thought she might've gotten here already" She cried. "Well, Tristan insisted that we go after her!"
"Did I?" Tristan asked tiredly from the car.
James looked over Helen's shoulder at Tristan and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's alright Helen- we'll find her, don't worry." He paused. "Did you say she was going after both of us?"
"Yes. Why?" Helen asked,
"Siegfried's only gone after that blasted dog" James hissed.
"Well then we must go after them at once." Helen exclaimed.
"Yes, you're right." James said before he made his way over towards the car in quite a hurry. "Sorry Mr Marshall, I must dash!" James exclaimed as he and Helen piled into the car, and Tristan set the thing off back down the road.
"I see them!" Helen exclaimed as she waved her arm out the side of the car. Tristan had to swerve off the road last minute to meet Lucy and Siegfried in the field. "Siegfried!" Helen cried. "LUCY!"
That one caught Siegfried's attention as he glanced up from Lucy's ankle just in time to see Helen leap out of the car just as it was coming to a stop on her knees beside Lucy and Siegfried. "Good gracious!" Helen exclaimed, horrified. "Lucy!"
"Oh she'll be quite alright Helen I assure you," Siegfried muttered, far more concentrated on the stitches.
"Good Lord-" James came rushing over next, leaving Tristan in the car. "Haven't you telephoned a Doctor?" James asked worriedly. "I think I saw a telephone bo-"
Siegfried waved a dismissive hand, the needle and thread still in his hand, not even glaring up at his partner for a second. "Oh not to worry James! There was no time, so I had to treat it quickly!" He explained hastily.
"But Siegfried-" James argued.
"Yes!" Siegfried exclaimed tiredly. "We may be vets James but as vets we must care for all" He said.
James huffed. "And she'll be alright?"
"Certainly!" Siegfried smiled proudly as he cut the last thread.
"And you got the dog didn't you?" James asked worriedly, he didn't even need to ask what had happened to Lucy, it was very clearly a vicious dog bite. Nasty things.
"Good Doggy!" Tristan soothed happily as he reached his hand forwards towards the dog in the back of the opposite car, restrained in a cage, luckily. As when Tristan reached his hand out the dog growled and leapt forwards, colliding with the metal bars of the cage.
Tristan yelped in surprise, shrinking back into the seat of the car. Helen, James and Siegfried each shared a laugh before Siegfried stood, shaking his head in amusement at his brother's idiocy. "Does that answer your question James?"