CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
When the happy couples finally reached Hope Valley, a stable hand from the Livery waved them down in the middle of the street, yelling over the noise of the car, which Lee quickly brought to a halt.
"Please, Constable Grant, come quick! Something's not right, and I don't know what to do!"
Lee pulled over, and Nathan jumped out, thinking it was Newton.
But when he got inside, he could immediately see it was Sargent.
Nathan ran to his stall and started talking soothingly to him, all the while stroking his coat gently along his back, being careful not to touch his neck.
"Nathan, what's wrong?" and Nathan could feel the fear in Elizabeth's eyes, without even looking her way.
"He's choked on something. Seth, can you get all the hay and water out of here? We can't let him put anything else in his mouth." Nathan was quickly checking inside Sargent's mouth and nose, looking for any discharge. "There's no blood. That's good."
"Darling, he's choked on something, but I think we've caught it in time. Try not to worry. He needs us to remain calm. This has made him agitated, and we've got to calm him down."
"Lee, can you go get Carson and ask him to bring a muscle relaxant and the largest syringe he has? As quickly as possible!"
"Done!"
"Now, Sargent, I need you to keep standing, Boy. Do it for Elizabeth! Seth, is Newton calm right now?"
"Yes, Sir! As calm as he ever gets."
"Good, can you bring him to Sargent? Newton may help calm Sargent down."
"Certainly, Constable!"
"Elizabeth, can you just talk to Sargent from the side here? Be careful not to move back by his leg."
Nathan never once took his eyes off Sargent, watching his neck for spasms, his mouth, and nose, for food or blood.
"Thank you, Seth. Newton, what a Good Boy! Come here, Sargent isn't feeling well, and he needs you to help him stay calm. Can you stand here by him and just be gentle? Good Boy, Newton. Good Boy, Sargent. That's it. That's the way."
Elizabeth kept talking to Sargent in a soft, reassuring voice, and with Newton's presence, and Nathan's calm, soothing voice, Sargent was starting to calm down, which was the best Nathan could hope for.
Finally, Lee returned with Carson. He opened his leather medical bag and got out the vial of muscle relaxant and the largest syringe he had.
"Nathan, what size needle do you need?" asked Carson.
"18 gauge would be best if you have it."
"I think I do. Yes, here it is," and Carson began attaching an 18 gauge needle to the syringe.
"Nathan, I'm afraid I'm not much help. I've never injected a horse before," Carson admitted.
"That's okay, just thanks for bringing everything! I'll inject it. Can you just draw up a gram of relaxant, or as close as you can get to that?"
"Do you need alcohol?" queried Carson.
"No thanks, the alcohol won't work, unless we shave Sargent first, and we don't have time for that."
Nathan placed the heel of his right hand on Sargent's neck, where it joined his shoulder, about midway between the crest and the bottom of his neck. His days at the Ranch had taught him to inject the area covered by his palm.
"Elizabeth, you and the others should step out of the stall. I'm not sure how Sargent's going to react to this. Seth, please leave Newton in and get him as close to Sargent as you possibly can. I don't think Sargent will kick if Newton is closer."
Carson handed the filled syringe with the long needle attached to Nathan.
"Seth, come stand by me, please. I need you to reassure Sargent and distract him from this. Be ready to pull him back if he starts to hurt himself. Now, Sargent, you and I are going to have a little talk..."
Nathan's voice was soft and very calming.
"You have food caught right here, and it's hurting you. We have to relax these muscles, so it will go down in your stomach the way it's supposed to. Can you be real still for me? I just have to give you some medicine, and I'll be real quick about it. It's going to go right here." And Nathan placed his left hand where his right hand had been.
He reached for the one remaining clean handkerchief in his pocket and gently wiped the area, keeping the syringe sterile and speaking softly to Sargent the whole time.
"Now, you're going to feel so much better." And he applied a little pressure with his left hand as he entered the muscle with the syringe's needle. He continued to slightly rock his left hand back and forth, till he had completely removed the long needle with his right hand.
"You know, Sargent, you are a magnificent horse, and you're loved by many people, so you have to work with me to get well. You hear me? That's such a Good Boy. Sargent, you're a real trooper. So proud of you! And we're all done. He continued to apply slight pressure with his left hand, while he handed the syringe to Carson, who was reaching for it from outside the stall.
But Nathan never once stopped talking to Sargent in that soothing voice. Sargent hadn't even made a whimper. Neither had Newton.
Everyone was amazed, especially Carson.
But Nathan just motioned for everyone to stay where they were and remain quiet because he knew the smallest sound or movement could agitate Sargent all over again. During this whole time, Nathan was still checking Sargent's mouth and nose. Everything was clear so far. For which, he was very thankful.
"Now, Sargent, you're going to feel a little sleepy soon, but I need you to still stand with me. Can you do that for me? I'm right here with you. And so is Seth. Newton is here too, right by your side. We're not letting anything happen to you. You're going to feel better in just a little bit."
"Carson, can you spare another dose or two, in case we need them through the night? I can go up to 5grams, but would like to stay under."
"Of course, Nathan. I'll draw them up now. They'll be stable through the night, till you need them! I'll put a gram in each syringe. You sure did teach me something tonight! When all this is over, can you sit down and explain it all to me?"
"Absolutely, Carson. I can't thank you enough for your help! I'm not sure we would have made it without the medicine. See, a horse can still breathe when it's choking, which makes it really tricky to diagnose. But Sargent was in a bad way. I'm just so thankful for you bringing the relaxant! Thank you again!"
"Nathan, why don't Rosemary and I go get the children and bring them to our house for the night?"
"That would be wonderful, Lee. I'll stay here with Sargent. Elizabeth, why don't you go on home with Lee and Rosemary. I'll take care of everything here! I promise I won't leave Sargent's side."
"I know you won't, Nathan, but I just can't leave you alone. Lee, could you bring us some blankets and a couple of pillows. Nathan's blankets in the car will do fine. We'll just camp out here."
"But Darling, what about school tomorrow?"
"I'll ask Laura to cover. It will be good for her to have the experience. I just can't leave, not knowing what is happening."
"I understand." And Nathan gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.
"Elizabeth," and Nathan let out a deep breath, "I really do think he's going to be okay now."
"Thanks to you," she almost choked on the words, realizing had Nathan not shown up when he did, that Sargent would probably be gone.
"Well, I did say a prayer or two. I know how much Sargent means to you."
Elizabeth turned to kiss Lee and Rosemary, and Nathan hugged them and thanked them for their special day.
"We'll get the kids settled and I'll come back with the blankets and pillows!"
"Thanks, Lee!"
"Oh, Rosemary, can you let Laura know to take care of classes tomorrow, instead of coming to keep Jack?"
"Of course, my dear Elizabeth. Don't worry about a thing!"
After everyone had left, Elizabeth just looked at Nathan in amazement and gratitude.
"Nathan, how did you know what to do?"
"I've been around horses my entire life. I was raised on a Horse Ranch and had to take care of them from the time I was a young boy. You learn a lot that way, especially when there are no vets within hundreds of miles."
"You can't know how thankful I am."
"I do know, Darling. You love Sargent. He's a part of Jack. Sargent is also Little Jack's birthright, straight from his Dad. And we're going to do everything in our power to see that Little Jack learns to ride on Sargent and has him as his horse for a very long time to come. I promise."
"Nathan, you have a heart of gold. I don't even deserve you!"
"Elizabeth Thornton, you are the most perfect person I know. Don't ever think that. God has brought us together, so who are we to question that. I only know I adore you!" There was that gorgeous crooked grin, although his eyes were still on Sargent.
She nestled her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his free arm around her, although he was still standing close to Sargent, intent on watching his every move.
"Constable, boy, am I ever glad you came along when you did! We were losing him, and I just couldn't figure out what was wrong."
"Seth, I'm glad we did too. Thank you for hailing us down so quickly. Do you have any idea when Sargent's stall was last cleaned, and maybe who cleaned it?"
"The new guy cleaned this side, and I took the other. We started at about noon and finished at about one o'clock."
"Did he notice anything unusual in this stall?"
"Come to think of it, he did. He said something about a basket of sugar beets. I told him to put them in the office, someone would come back for them."
"Oh, no. How full did the basket look?"
"Well, probably about half to three fourths full."
"So neither of you actually saw Sargent eat any of the beets?"
"No, Sir. We did not, but I noticed when I went by later, that Sargent wasn't eating much of his hay. All the other horses were chowing down!"
"Thank you, Seth. That explains a lot!"
"What is it, Nathan?" asked Elizabeth worriedly.
"Sugar beets are notorious for choking horses. The beets swell rapidly after they're eaten, and they usually get lodged in the horse's esophagus. The good news is that there's nothing physically wrong with Sargent's esophagus, but I'm not sure if there's anything else we can do to help the sugar beets dissolve."
"Seth, do you mind to track Judge Avery or one of the Mounties down, and have them come here quickly. Whichever one you see first," asked Nathan.
"Consider it done, Constable!" and Seth took out of the Livery in a flash.
"What are you thinking, Nathan?"
"I need to talk with Chuck Stewart, the Vet from Brookfield, but I have to stay here with Sargent. So, I need Bill, Gabe, or Aaron to track Chuck down by phone and tell me what else I can be doing to help this process along if anything. I just don't want to take any chances, Elizabeth."
She nodded.
"I guess we just wait?"
"Wait and watch, my Love. But mostly pray. I'm just glad we now know why it happened, and that we're not looking at surgery or anything like that. I doubt Sargent will ever eat a beet again. But why were they here in the Livery in the first place? And why were they in Sargent's stall?"
"I have no idea!"
"It's just strange..."
Elizabeth had no doubt that after they were through this ordeal with Sargent, Nathan would most definitely get the answers to his questions.
"Nathan, do you think Chuck will have to come here to look at Sargent?"
"I'm not sure. I'd feel better for Chuck to come and really check Sargent out, but I honestly think we've got everything under control if he can just help us through this beet thing!"
"Well, you know, it might be a nice trip for him, now that Grace is in England. He could even bring his Mother with him, and we could take them to Dinner at the Cafe."
"Elizabeth Thornton, are you and Rosemary still matchmaking for Bill?"
"Well, we do think Tess is Bill's perfect match! And if Chuck has to come anyway, why not have something good come from this disaster?"
"But is Tess even interested in dating? We already know Bill's not!"
"Bill's not what?" Came a loud booming voice.
"Oh, Bill, it's great to see you. But don't startle him."
"What's wrong with Sargent? Seth said something about him getting choked. It's already all over town that you saved him, Nathan. What can I do?"
"I need you to track Chuck Stewart down by phone, tell him I gave Sargent 1gram of muscle relaxant by injection, as soon as we got here, about an hour ago, when I could clearly see he was choking. I have several more doses on standby in case I have to give more. I know I can go up to 5grams, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. I just now found out what he's choked on - it's sugar beets, Bill, and they immediately swell in the esophagus."
"Ask Chuck if there's anything else I need to do to help dislodge them or do I keep giving the muscle relaxant? Tell him I hate to bother him on a Sunday, but if he feels he needs to come, bring Tess and I'll buy them both Dinner at the Cafe. I know Grace is in England. Got all that, Bill?"
"Got it, Nathan. I'll get Gabe to see where I can best find Chuck. You two hang in there. Sounds like you've got everything under control, to me. I'll drop some food off for you later tonight if Chuck decides he doesn't need to come."
"Thanks, Bill, really appreciate it!" and off he sauntered. "You two hang in there."
"Nathan Grant, I love you! That was really slick!" whispered Elizabeth.
"Just don't let Bill know I know anything about it. All this is on you and Rosemary! He'll never let me live it down if he thinks I'm involved. But I can sort of see it," he laughed. "They're both tough as nails!"
"See, I knew we were right!"
"Oh, Elizabeth, what am I ever going to do with you?"
She raised her eyebrows slightly, "I can think of a few things..."
"I bet you can. And so can I..." he retorted in a voice close to exasperation. But he did notice that Sargent had gone to sleep, probably as much from exhaustion as the medicine starting to kick in.
So, Nathan turned and stole the moment to pull Elizabeth close to him and kissed her passionately, right there in Sargent's stall. But this time, he ran his right hand down her spine, while he held her with his left, and she thought she was going to faint dead away in his arms.
They heard a throat being cleared and looked over to see Lee covered with blankets and pillows.
"Here, Lee! Let me help. Let's just pile them here in this corner."
And Nathan took more than his share of the stack.
"Lee, you've got to update Rosemary for me," whispered Elizabeth.
"About what?" asked Lee innocently.
Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Oh, that! Got it! What's up?"
"Well, tell her Chuck may have to come to take a look at Sargent, and we told him to bring his Mother since Grace is gone, and we'd buy them Dinner at the Cafe!"
"Nice, now Rosemary will want to come too. How are we going to work that?"
"Well, if they get here early enough, you can bring the children, and we'll all eat together!"
"Oh, this is going to be subtle..." muttered Nathan, as he was stroking Sargent.
"Nathan, they'll never suspect a thing. Rosemary and I are pros at this."
"If you say so, Love. But Bill is not exactly dense, although he may act it at times! And we're not even sure they'll come."
"Oh, they'll come!" and Elizabeth was very definite in the way she said it.
"You sound awfully sure!"
"Lee, you of all people should know, this is going to work. It may take us a little while, but you have to start somewhere. And we're starting with Dinner tonight. We need them here anyway, so we might as well take advantage of it!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" replied Lee. "I'll go tell Rosie to get the kids ready. What time should we shoot for?"
"Let's allow a half-hour to track Chuck down, another hour for them to make it on horseback, because I know they'll both ride, and another half hour for him to take a look at Sargent. So, let's say half-past seven!"
"See you then. Do I need to have Bill save a table for nine people?"
"Yes, perfect! And tell him to fix something special, and he won't have to bring us anything here."
"Got it, Elizabeth!"
"Oh, and Lee, have Rosemary bring Little Jack's carriage because I'm sure he'll fall asleep."
"Will do!"
"Wow, a master at work! Hope it all works out..." whispered Nathan.
"Nathan, have a little faith. Tonight is just the start!"
And then they heard it.
"Seth, have you seen a basket of beets? I left it somewhere in here earlier today."
It was Lucas's voice, and he was headed straight toward Sargent's stall.
Nathan just stood there calmly, taking it all in, not showing at all that he was seething on the inside.
But for once, where Lucas was concerned, Elizabeth was firmly in charge.
She drew herself up to her full height, and her cheeks were red as fire.
"You? You left the beets in Sargent's stall? Whatever were you even doing here? You know what? It doesn't matter. You almost killed my horse, and that horse means the world to me. That horse belonged to my Husband, and someday it will be Little Jack's legacy from his Father. And you almost destroyed all of that! Get out, and don't ever come near my horse or me again!"
Nathan didn't say a word or even look at Lucas. He simply stood there quietly, with his head bent down. This was not at all what he had expected.
Lucas didn't say a word either. He just backed away and flew out of the Livery.
Nathan and Elizabeth stood silently, not even looking at each other for what seemed like an awfully long time.
Nathan busied himself by continuing to check Sargent, patting him gently, trying to soothe him. The horse could clearly tell his Mistress was distressed.
"It's okay, Sargent. It's okay. Good Boy! That's it, Boy. Nice and gentle."
Elizabeth plopped down on the pile of blankets, unable to speak.
Nathan just kept soothing Sargent, knowing Elizabeth needed to process all this.
She would work through it in her own time and in her own way.