Chapter 11
Balto stood on the kitchen table of the house. He glanced around the room at the pots and pans hanging from the wall. An old cook stove sat on the side of the room away from the kitchen cupboards. There was a black cast iron pot sitting on the stove slowly letting out steam to humidify the dry air of the north. Balto glanced down at the table he was standing on. A white sheet had been laid across the table under Balto's feet. The frozen blood that stuck to his sides was melting off in the heat of the house and beginning to pool on the sheet.
After having the harness literally 'cut' off of him, Balto was taken back home by Rosy's father, But Balto struggled against him. He had wanted to go with Jenna to the hospital to see how Kodi was doing, but Rosy's father was very persistent. As Balto was nearly being drug away he told Jenna that he would get over to the hospital as soon as he could. Then Balto watched as Jenna took off around the corner of a building on her way to the hospital.
Balto was led into the house where rosy began to freak about all the blood on Balto. She began scream and crying that Balto was dying, and that they had to take him to the hospital. Rosy's mother instantly tried to calm rosy. Telling her that, "Balto's going to be just fine." it did little to calm her, and Rosy's father had to lead her into another room so she could calm down.
Rosy's mother then went to work on Balto. She stepped out of the room real fast and returned with a large white sheet. She took the eating implements off the table and set them on the counter top. She then unfurled the sheet with a quick snapping wave and set it out across the table to soak up the blood. Rosy's mother then patted the table twice real fast, while saying the words. "Hup hup." Balto bound onto the table with a single leap.
By this time rosy felt good enough to come back into the kitchen with her father. They both walked up to the side of the table and began to examine Balto.
"He's got a lot of cut." rosy said turning and looking up at her father, a hint of fear still in her voice.
"It doesn't look like very many cuts." Rosy's father said reaching his hand behind Balto's ear and giving him a quick three second scratch.
"So what are we going to do mommy? Are we going to take Balto to the hospital?" rosy said looking over Balto at her mother on the opposite side of the table.
"Oh, I don't think we'll need to take Balto to the hospital…there aren't many cuts on him…well there are some small ones, but none that require him to go to the hospital." Rosy's mother finished her search for serious injuries and conceded that there were none.
"Were going to half to clean these wounds out though." Rosy's mother said walking across the kitchen to a cupboard. She opened the upper cupboard door and grabbed several old white linens that had been turned into rags. On the very top shelf there was a brown bottle which she reached out as far as she could for and managed to grab it with a small hop. She then quietly closed the kitchen cupboard and returned to the table, items In hand.
She handed one rag to each of them, then set the pile of extras on the table next to Balto. She set the brown bottle down on the table and popped the cork off the top. "Ok hold out your rags." she said and watched as they both did as they were told. She reached the bottle out and poured a heft amount onto the rags, some of it dripping off and spilling on the floor. She then did it to her own and set the bottle down next to the pile of extra rags.
"Ok now, we half to get this disinfectant into all of his wounds so none of them become infected." She reached up with the wet rag and put it on a wound across Balto's chest.
Balto lurched backwards with pain. He had never felt something so painful in all his life. It felt as though someone had taken a red hot iron and started beating him with it. Balto called out in pain and Rosy's mother removed the rag from his chest. "I'm sorry Balto, but it has to be done." she pushed the rag back up into Balto's chest, and Balto could feel the iron burning him. Rosy's father came in from the other side and did the same thing, except on the back of Balto's rib cage. Balto tried to move away from this one, it felt worse then the one on his chest. He barked out in pain at both of these red hot iron pains, but tried not to. Rosy jumped up and jammed her rag into Balto's side right next to her father. This one hurt the worst because she had literally punched him with the rag of fire. Balto couldn't help but let out a low growl when she did it. Balto could feel them moving around from cut, to cut; making sure the fire liquid was in each wound. Within moments they had finished, walking away from the table to dispose of there rags. They never needing more than the one rag in there hand.
Balto jumped off the table, it hurt so bad still he twisted around and began to lick the wounds on his side clean of the liquid. But Balto had no time to lick his wounds clean; he had to get to the hospital to find out about Kodi.
Balto walked towards the kitchen door. He stopped at the door and began to whimper, but Rosy's parents didn't seem to notice him. Balto glanced back to see what they were doing. They were hunched over the table Balto was just on, cleaning the blood that had soaked through the sheet onto the table. Balto jumped up onto the door, scratching at the doorknob, but they didn't seem to notice him. Balto did it again and turned around to see if they got the message.
"Daddy, I think Balto wants to go out." rosy said tugging at her fathers pants and looking up at him.
Rosy's father turned to see what rosy was talking about. Balto jumped up one more time and scratched at the doorknob.
"Balto I don't think you should go outside." but Balto wouldn't listen. He jumped back up and scratched the doorknob and wouldn't stop until he was outside.
"Ok, ok Balto, I'll let you out." Rosy's father stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob. He twisted it, and opened it just enough for Balto to squeeze out. He then slammed it shut so no cold air could get inside.
Balto took off down the dark alleyway on his way to the hospital. He ran as fast as he could, snow flying out from under his feet in his flight to make it to the hospital in time; But in time for what. All Balto could think about was Kodi. He had to know if Kodi was alright, if he was awake. Or if the worst would happen, Balto gulped, if Kodi would lose his foot.
Balto rounded the corner to the small alley which was right next to the hospital. Balto half slipped around the corner, his feet stopped but his body in motion. He pushed out of his tail spin and moved up the alley to the boiler room door. The door was left slight ajar most likely from Jenna. From Inside the door came a warm and loving glow. From outside the door Balto could already feel the heat of the boiler.
Balto peaked through the door and could see jail like bars which were plastered across the ceiling. The bars moving and wiggling with the burning fire behind them. Balto peaked around the corner of the door and could see the metal, grate like door of the boiler, a fire burning behind it.
Balto stepped through the door into the nice warm room. Balto stood a little too close to the furnace and could feel the blood melting off of his left side. Balto glanced back and could see it starting to pool on the wood floor, but he couldn't sit any longer. He had to find Jenna. Balto walked back over to the small door which led down under the hospital.
Balto looked down through the opening and could see spider webs hanging down from the floor joists. There were a few areas where he could see light coming down through the metal grates that were on the floor of the hospital.
"Jenna?" Balto called out talking just a little higher than a whisper.
"Over here Balto." Balto turned his head and could see Jenna sitting back behind a post in the light of a metal grate. She was sitting down letting the light cascade down on her worried face.
Balto crouched down and made his way under the boards towards Jenna. When he got to Jenna he sat up next to her. "Is he ok?" the stress in his voice clearly evident. "What has the doctor said?" Balto said looking at Jenna.
"Well nothing much has happened." she paused to glance at Balto then back up through the grate. "Kris had just brought Kodi in. then she told the doctor what had happened and how she bought Kodi. The doctor wasn't too pleased with her purchase, but said he would look at him in a few minutes; and nothing else has happened."
Balto looked up through the grate and could see Kodi's tale hanging off a table with a white sheet under him.
Just then Balto turned his head back behind him and looked up at the floorboards, as did Jenna. The boards bent and creaked under the weight of what sounded to be two humans walking into the room.
"Now tell me, why you bought this dog?" the doctor said stepping into the room, hands out in front of him in a questioning manner.
"My brother was about to kill this fine lead dog and I believed that you could save him." Kris said walking into the room after her husband, the doctor.
"But why did you pay fifty dollars for him." the doctor walked over to the table that Kodi was on, turned and looked at his wife.
She sighed. "It was a spur of the moment purchase." she paused for a moment, waiting for her husband to say something but he didn't speak. She stepped forward over the metal grate and grabbed her husbands left arm. "So what can you do for him?"
"We'll see what I can do" the doctor reached over with his right hand and touched the side of her face.
The doctor leaned over the table Kodi was on and began to examine him. He started with Kodi's head and began to poke and prod into several of the laceration there. But none of the wounds were ripped where major veins were so he moved on down his neck. He instantly went for the large wound on his shoulder. The doctor spread the wound open to see inside. Inside the wound the blood had frozen solid clotting a major artery. "Were going to half to sew that up here pretty soon." he said moving on down Kodi's side
"His foot." Kris said pointing at the frozen foot. "His foot's frozen."
The doctor skipped over the rest of his body and went straight for the foot. He held Kodi's foot from the ankle down, squeezing lightly on it to find out just how much was frozen. He felt up and down the leg several times, each time having a more and more dissatisfied look.
"This isn't good." he said finally letting the leg go. "No good at all."
"Well can you save it?" Kris said grabbing her husband's left hand in a loving move.
Her husband sighed. "I can't guarantee I can save It." he turned his gaze away from his wife and back at Kodi.
Kris squeezed tighter. "What are the chances that he'll lose it?"
"Fifty fifty, it's the best I can give him." the entire sentence seemed to be one long sigh. His eyes were hung low, his glare directly on Kodi's foot, and his right hand on the table near Kodi's foot.
"Ok, lets get to work." the doctor said waiting for his wife to let go of his arm. "First, I'm going to stitch this up. I want you to go get three, or four inches of warm water in the tub in the back. Ok?"
"sure." she ran from the room on a mission to get a metal five gallon bucket full of snow to melt on the stove.
As soon as his wife left the doctor turned back and began to pet Kodi. He ran his hand down Kodi's side. "Poor creature." he paused and petted Kodi a few more times then brought his voice down to a whisper. "I hope I can save your foot, but truthfully, I don't think I'm going to be able to save it."
Jenna gasped back in shock; a true medical man had just said that he didn't think he was going to be able to save their sons leg. Balto could see that she dare not weep, less she reveal their location and get them kicked out, but he could see the tears in her eyes. Balto moved closer until he was side by side with her. He nuzzled up to her, his head on the top of hers. She brought her head into his chest and for a moment they stayed that way, Balto beginning to have tears well up in his eyes. He couldn't imagine what his son would be like if he lost his foot. Balto knew that his son's life would be over; there would be nothing for him. He would never be able to run on the beach, with the team, or challenge his old man to a race. It would be over. Balto then heard someone walking up the hall and turn into the room
"Doctor, there's a musher with a dog in the back room. The dogs bleeding from the mouth pretty bad and he wants to know if there's any chance that you could save him?"
The doctor gave a smile at the slightly over weight nurse in the door way. "What! Does it look like I'm running a veterinarians office here?"
The nurse smiled at his humor. "Oh doctor." she turned out of the room and walked down the hall. The doctor sighed and walked out of the room.
Balto turned to Jenna. "I half to find out who it is."
"Go, I'll stay here and tell you if anything happens." she looked back up at the table Kodi was on.
Balto moved around Jenna and began to fallow the footsteps which fell heavy above him. Dust was knocked down from the floorboards as he walked creating a trail for him to fallow. The dust from the floorboards and cobwebs clouded and clogged his nose and eyes. The floor began to get lower and Balto found himself, at times, dragging his body against the ground, but only for a few feet. The doctor footsteps turned towards a metal grate.
"Hey doc." came a very familiar voice. Balto moved over to the grate and looked up. He could see Sam sitting on the edge of a table; Kaltag sat next to him, blood covering his chin.
"Hey Sam, so what's the problem with your dog here?" the doctor put his hands into his coat pocket and waited for an answer.
"Well. You've heard about the attack haven't you?"
"Yes."
"Well after the attack there was some blood coming out of his mouth, but it wasn't that much and I figured he would be ok. But after we finished the run he began to bleed even more, and I began to worry about him. So I figured that maybe you could decide if he's going to be ok, or if it would be easier to put him down."
The doctor's right hand had moved from his pocket to his chin. He shook his head with agreement, taking in all the symptoms that Sam's dog was having. "ok." he said walking up to the table that Kaltag was on. He put his bare fingers into the dogs' mouth and opened it. He squinted his eyes as he stared down Kaltag's throat, searching for the source of the bleeding. He pulled his hands out of the dog's mouth and walked to a table across the room. He returned with a stethoscope in his ears. He put the listening end up to Kaltag's chest, then moved it around to Kaltag's back. He then stood back, finally having an idea of what was wrong with him.
"Don't worry Sam; it's just some lacerations in the back of his throat…"
"Yeah but he bleeding so bad!" Sam yelled, almost shocked by the doctors diagnosis of a 'little laceration.'
"All he needs is a little rest and some water to keep the lacerations clean."
Sam leaned back and scratched his balding head. "Well I guess that's good news." Sam stood up "so how much do I owe you?" Sam said reaching into his pocket for his billfold.
The doctor grew a long smile across his face. He knew that Sam had a fifty burning a hole in his pocket and he planned to get it back. He put his hands back into his pockets and let the smile manifest Sam. "That'll be fifty dollars." the doctor said reaching out with his palm up, waiting for money.
"Fifty dollars?" Sam yelled. "But you just told me he was just fine and that in a few days he'll be on his feet."
"That I did." the doctor wiggled his finger indicating that he wanted money.
Sam grew a grim, slightly angry, look on his face. He threw his hand into his pocket and grabbed the fifty that lay loose among some ammo. He came forth with the bill and slapped it down into the doctor's hand. Then after loosing the money Sam seemed to cheer up. A smile grew across his face. "This is for the dog I sold your wife, isn't it?"
The doctor raised one of his eyebrows. "Maybe?"
"Doc you're a clever man…I take it you didn't like your wife's purchase?" Sam smiled evilly.
"Yeah, it's just what I need, another dog to lay around the house. Between him and clover, a dog my wife just couldn't live without." he stressed. "I'm going to be broke on dog food."
There was a tense moment of silence where both of them waited for the other to say something. Then Sam moved over to the table. "Well I guess I better get going." Sam lifted Kaltag up to his chest. He then turned and walked out of the room, the doctor fallowed.
Balto hurried back through the maze and tangle of webs and floor joists. He rejoined Jenna by her side. "Anything happen?" Balto said seating himself.
"No. no ones even entered the room." she didn't even bother to look at Balto.
The doctor came walking in, quickly fallowed by Kris. The doctor walked over to the table where Kodi was. He turned and looked at Kris who was at his side. "I think we'll put him in the bath before we sew his wounds up." she agreed with a simple head node. The doctor then reached his arms under Kodi's body and lifted him. Kodi lay limp in his arms as he was carried out of the room.
Jenna and Balto watched the doctor, fallowed by Kris, walk out of the room. For a moment Balto and Jenna stood still in the dark, watching where the footsteps went by the little bits of dust that fell from the floor boards. The thumping footsteps stopped near a back wall near yet another metal floor grate.
Balto and Jenna made there way as fast as they could over to it. They looked up through the grate and could see a white porcelain bath tub. It stood just away from the grate, below a glowing lantern. Next to the tub was a table with several stacks of white towels.
Bent over the tub were the doctor and Kris. Kodi lay in about six inches of water, his head held up by several of the folded towels that had been laid down under him. Kris and the doctor each held a towel. They filled the towel with water and rubbed it over his fur, melting the frozen blood over his body, trying to clean the wounds with the semi clean water. The water had turned from clear to a dark red, red enough that Kodi's leg couldn't be seen just under the water.
They both made quick work of Kodi, then laid there towels over the edge of the bath. The doctor then took off his lab coat and rolled up the sleeves of his long sleeve shirt. He leaned down into the tub and picked Kodi up under his arms. His wife threw several towels over Kodi and rubbed franticly. When she was satisfied with her work she removed the towels and fallowed her husband to the first room they were in, as did Balto and Jenna.
The doctor stepped into the room and set Kodi onto the table. His wife fallowed him into the room carrying his coat and several more towels. The doctor threw his coat on in a breeze and went to work checking Kodi's leg. He grabbed the foot in both hands and tried to bend it. The foot still wouldn't bend fully; they would half to get some more hot water and let his foot soak in it. The doctor turned to Kris. "Would you get a shallow dish and some more hot water?"
"Sure." Kris turned and left the room without a second thought.
As soon as his wife had vanished around the corner of the door the doctor moved to a cabinet across the room. He opened the wooden door of the cabinet and came forth with two syringes. The doctor then reached to a lower shelf and grabbed two vials, one being clear, and the other being slightly browned. He stuck one needle into the brown vial, held the vial upside down, and pulled the syringe fully of the liquid. He then repeated it with the other needle, and other vial of fluid.
The doctor walked back across the room and bellied up to the table. He took the needle into his right hand. He held it like a knife, ready to bring it down. He stabbed the needle into Kodi's thigh. As he did he pushed the plunger down with his thumb, pushing the fluid into his thigh. Kodi's leg twitched lightly as he did it.
Kris came walking back into the room carrying a low rimmed dish and metal teapot. She walked to the table and set the dish down, then took the pot in her right hand and poured it into the dish. When the dish reached a depth she liked she pushed it closer to the doctor.
"Ok honey." the doctor began. "Now put his foot down in that and start massaging it."
She lifted Kodi's foot up and slid the dish down under his foot. She then set the foot back down into the warm fluid. She then began to massage the foot with both her hands.
"I gave him a sedative and some antibiotics to fight against gang green." the doctor stated even though he didn't half to. The doctor then walked over to a drawer and grabbed a needle with some clean thread. He threaded the needle with a quick motion of his arm. He then set to work sewing the wound up. He worked painstakingly on the wound, stretching the skin together till it was touching, then making a quick x shaped stitch. He then repeated the process over again. For minutes they both worked almost feverously over Kodi, Kris massaging the leg and the doctor making the stitches.
After nearly four minutes the work they were done. They both stood back, arm around one another examining their work.
"Well, that's all we can do for him." the doctor stated looking over at his wife. "Now it's up to him." the doctor took his hand off of his wife. "Now why don't you go home and get some dinner ready for me. I'll bring him home when works over."
"Ok" she turned and walked out of the small room, fallowed by her husband. But the doctor stopped in the doorway. He reached over to a small lamp on the edge of the door, slowly turned the knob, and let the light go out.
