City

Chapter 7

As he expected, every mother cow needed two bottles of calcium. Thankfully they weren't all at the same time or even the same day, but it kept him busy. Plus, Rick had puppies that needed shots. He didn't mind that so much. Who didn't like puppies?

All the puppies were healthy. Then, the next day, he had to give kittens their shots and do health checks. He had twenty newborn calves that were just too cute, and now he had puppies and kittens. He overdosed on the cuteness.

Kate helped him hook up the cows to the milker, and after that she fed the pigs and checked out the piglets that were growing up fast. She tried not to think that she would someday be eating those piglets. Chicks turning into chickens that she would someday eat, she didn't mind so much. She was willing to admit that the newborn calves were kind of cute. Thankfully only half of them were beef cows. So someday, she would be eating them too.

Kate brushed some hair away from her face."Now what?"

"About two weeks after they give birth, they're ready to be pregnant again. The bull has its work cut out for him. Thankfully not all of the calves are female. I got one bull out of the lot of them." Rick shrugged a shoulder. "So in a couple of years, who knows."

Kate checked the time. "I'm going to work. Are you coming later?"

"I don't think so. I have twenty new calves to keep my eyes on, not to mention all the cows, pigs, horses, and chickens. And all the dogs and cats I keep track of. Sorry, lovely lady. You're on your own for a while."

"It's your loss. I love you." Kate kissed him. She worried about him. He still looked so tired.

"I love you too," Rick said to her back as he watched her leave. He sighed and turned back to the animals.

~oo0oo~

"I hear you want to be a vet." Rick waited for her to say something. She was just a teenager, but that was a good age to start.

"Yes, sir. I've been taking classes to be a veterinarian, but they're so limited. I thought about it and figured if I could learn from you…" Her voice trailed off, "Sir."

"There's no time like the present. I'm going to throw you in the pool and see if you can swim. Follow me." Rick looked at her. "What's your name again?"

"April, Sir."

"Okay, ladies, you know the drill," Rick told the cows, who, one at a time, moved in and got into place. "We're going to do pregnancy checks on these cows. They had calves recently, but cows can get pregnant two weeks later.

"Put this on your arm." He handed her what looked like a very long plastic bag that had fingers on one end. Rick put on his and slowly inserted his arm up the cow's butt.

"This first one is open, meaning she's not pregnant. Now I want you to stick your arm in and feel around." Rick stood off to one side.

"You want me to put my arm in there?" The cow chose just then to poop. "She pooped!" April was so grossed out.

"It happens. Put your arm in there. That's what the bag is for." Rick watched her put her arm up the cow's backside.

"I don't feel anything." Intent on what she was doing, her forehead creased as she kept feeling around.

"That's because she's open," Rick told her. As she watched, he put his arm in the next cow. "This one is pregnant." He waited for her to put her arm inside the cow.

"Ooo." This cow decided to poop too. April swallowed hard, trying not to throw up, and she backed away. "I don't think I can. It's just too gross."

Rick frowned. "It's just cow dung. It happens. If you can't take this, you can't take the pigs."

"Pigs! I can't, I just can't. How do you take this off?" She meant the bag on her arm, which was covered in dung.

"You grab it at the shoulder and turn it inside out." Rick did it for her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," April told him. "But I just can't."

"It's all not just puppies and kittens, but at least now you know." Rick helped her make it outside, and he walked away. "Back to work," he told himself. Rick had a pregnancy check to complete. He had eighteen more cows to look at.

~oo0oo~

"I had an apprentice stop by. She lasted all of about an hour, maybe less." It was the first thing Rick told Kate when she got home.

"An apprentice? What happened?" Kate asked him. She was curious.

"I took her to the cows to do pregnancy checks. It was sink or swim."

"Ooh, I remember those days. What. Happened?" Kate asked again.

"The cows pooped before she could stick her arm in and check to see if that cow was pregnant. It freaked her out, and she left. She was a teenager; it was understandable."

"Teenager. Those years can be hard. Did you try to stop her?" Kate inquired.

"Not really. The girl sort of ran out of here." Rick shrugged. "I mean, it was just cow dung."

"Not to her, it wasn't." Kate frowned at him. "Well, it was, but it wasn't."

"She said she took classes but that those classes were limited." Rick shrugged again. It was what it was. The teenager had made her decision.

"Maybe I should go talk to her. What was her name?" Kate asked.

"April. April Codosa. I didn't ask how old she was, but she looked like 16, maybe."

"I'll find her." Kate kissed him. "Hi, Sally. Bye, Sally!"

~oo0oo~

Kate found her and talked with her. She told April about her time in the Stockyards. She listened to the young woman tell her what occurred. Her parents were involved in the conversation.

April ultimately agreed to try it again, provided she didn't have to stick her arm up the cow's butt first thing. She had to work her way up to it gradually.

~oo0oo~

"I found her and talked to her with her parents. She agreed to come back and try again. This time, I'll be here to help her through it. Your sink-or-swim idea didn't help her any. She couldn't take sticking her hand up the cow's butt after she had just pooped."

Kate tilted her head and studied him. "Why did you need to stick your arm up the cows' butts anyway?"

"Pregnancy tests. This time eighteen of twenty cows are pregnant," Rick told her.

"Already?" Kate was surprised. She knew it could happen but didn't realize it was that soon.

"Two weeks after giving birth, they're ready to be pregnant again," Rick reminded her patiently. "And we need them to be pregnant if we're going to to keep up with the slaughter."

"I suppose." Kate could see that. They had a lot of people to feed, and to do that, they needed a lot of animals. Which meant the cows needed to be pregnant. "What about the pigs?"

"Those get checked tomorrow. Don't worry. I won't ask April to do it. I'll break her in nice and slow."

"Good." Kate kissed him. "I love you. Now what's for dinner?"

~oo0oo~

Kate came downstairs ahead of Rick and Sally. She saw the teenager right away and smiled. "April! You're with me today. No pregnancy checks, though you will have to do those at some point." Kate put an arm around her and took her over to feed the pigs.

Then they fed the beef cows and the horses. April looked a little disappointed. "I knew you had horses. I had hoped you would have puppies and kittens."

"Oh, we do, but you won't see them today or maybe not next week even, but you will," Kate told her. "Come on, I think it's time to unhook the milk cows from the milker."

"When were the calves born?" April asked.

Rick spoke up. "About a month ago, more or less. I take it today is going better?"

April nodded and her face turned red. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. It was just having the poop come out of the same place I was going to put my arm was too much to take. I'll do better next time."

"Perhaps my idea of letting you sink or swim wasn't the right approach. I've never had an apprentice before," Rick admitted.

Kate translated for him. "He's sorry."

"Have you checked on the chickens yet?" Rick asked. He headed for the chickens after he saw both women shake their heads.

"This is easy," April said in surprise as she watched how automatic it was. "It's great!"

"Everything else is hands-on, which isn't so bad, really," Rick said as he continued. "And the cow dung is gone. We're up to full power, and the robots can clean it up now. Took them a while, but it's all gone."

"I didn't even notice." April was amazed.

"Come on, let's join Sally at the horses. I know she's there." Kate headed for the horses with Rick and April walking along with her. And sure enough, there was Sally. "She's taken a shine to Ginger."

Rick watched the teenager. "There's still a lot to learn, though."

"I know, and I'm ready. I think," April told him with just a touch of nerves.

"We'll see on your first LDA," Rick said.

"Left Displaced Abomasum," April said and saw the look of surprise on his face. "They taught us in school, but I've never done one."

"Ahh," Rick nodded. "You'll get your chance sooner or later."

~oo0oo~

Rick and Kate were eating in the cafeteria later. "You know what I miss? I miss the seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter. Oh, and I miss the rain and snow." Rick sighed. "Not to mention sunshine. It never varies here by more than three degrees. It never rains, never snows, and where is the sun?"

Kate studied the man she loved more than anyone else. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that about covers it. There is one thing I'd miss – making love. You have the most perfect breasts." Rick smiled at her.

Kate smiled back at him. "You say the sweetest things. But you have a point. Though, I don't miss shoveling the snow." She shuddered just thinking about it. "It was always so hot out from early spring to late fall."

"It was due to Climate Change," Rick replied.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I know that. But did it have to be everywhere?"

"That was kinda the point, Kate. The Colorado River dries up, Lake Powell and Lake Mead Dry up and all they can do is argue about whose fault it was. Phoenix, las Vegas became ghost towns without water. It makes me glad I was on the east coast, more or less."

"So was I, sort of more or less," Kate asserted. Then she smiled at him. "Now, tell me more about how perfect my breasts are."

"I'll do more than that, I'll show you once we get home," Rick promised.

~oo0oo~

In the morning, Kate kissed Rick goodbye and told him she loved him.

Rick went downstairs with Sally and met April. "Ready to start your day?"

"I'm ready," April replied, hoping she was.

"UH-OH!" The first thing Rick saw was a downed cow. "What's your problem?" He pulled out his stethoscope and began thumping the cow's side. "Listen to that." Rick stepped back so April could listen.

April listened intently and heard a pinging sound. "LDA?"

"Very good. You know what this means?" Rick questioned her.

"We need to roll the cow?" April guessed.

"That's right. We get to roll the cow on its back right after I get what we'll need when we do." Rick strode off, leaving her standing there, looking at the cow.

It didn't take long for him to get what he needed. "Help me push this cow over," Rick told her and started pushing. "PUSH!"

"I. AM. PUSHING!" April said, her jaw clenched. "This cow has to weigh what, 1500 pounds?"

"Grab that leg and pull." Rick watched her while he pushed. "Stop." They had her on her back. He thumped her to locate the displaced stomach. "Watch and learn." He stuck the needle in her hide and pushed it in. Then he looped it back out. "Her hide is thick, so you need to really push," Rick told her as he tied the first stitch. "The trick is to tie the stomach to her side." He did it again and again.

"There, that should do it. Let her up." Rick stepped back, as did April. Once she was up, he listened to her side to be sure he got it. "Listen." He moved away and let April listen. She looked up at him. "I don't hear it anymore."

"Congratulations, you've completed your first LDA." Granted, Rick did the sewing, but she listened. "Ladies, you know the drill," he said over their mooing, and they moved into position, one by one. "I'll hook up the first cow to the milker, and you get to do the rest." Rick attached it to the first cow's udders and stepped back to watch April do it nine times.

He smiled approvingly. "Good job. Next up is feeding the pigs. There isn't any trick to feeding them. You simply move this chute into position, open it, and dump the food into the trough." Rick demonstrated for her.

"Are those piglets?" April asked and looked at him for an answer.

Rick nodded. "They are. They're just over a month old and weigh around 15 pounds. A little older than the calves. Next, we feed the horses, which gives us just enough time for the cows to finish milking. Today's a grain day, so I'll add some water to the mix." Rick decided to challenge her. "Can you tell me why I do that?"

April thought about it. "It will prevent the grain from putting up dust."

"Correct. I do that to prevent choke. Choke can kill a horse," Rick told her and fed them, having added just a little water.

He checked the time. "We need to go back to the cows."

After taking care of the milk cows, it was time to feed the beef cows. "These cows are more wild. You never, ever turn your back on one, April. Ever or you'll be sorry."

Pale, April nodded without saying a word, her eyes huge.

"We need to weed out a pair of them for slaughter," Rick continued. They moved two to a holding pen where they awaited pickup. "Now that's done, we move on to the chickens. We need to weed out some for slaughter."

"What happens at slaughter? I mean, who picks them up?" April asked.

"A truck rolls around, picks them up, and takes them to the slaughterhouse," Rick replied. "Fortunately, the slaughter process is all automatic. It's such a dirty job."

"I noticed there aren't many beef cows considering how many people are on the ship," April commented.

"True, that's why much of our diet is chicken-based. The birds grow faster, and we have a lot of them. The calves won't be ready for a couple of years. But since all our beef cows are pregnant, we'll have calves again about a year from now.

"Some of the beef cows were calves just last year. They'll be ready for slaughter in a year or so. I'll tell you what worries me. It's that we'll find a planet and send down a team who comes back with a bacteria that affects the cows and kills them before I can find a cure. That's what worries me.

"Or worse, it kills the chickens. That would devastate us."

"I hope that doesn't come true." April really hoped his nightmare scenario would never become a reality.

"Time for a pregnancy check on a pig," Rick said, smiling at her.

"Great." April wasn't looking forward to that at all.

~oo0oo~

"Guess what we get to do today?" Rick asked April. Then he backtracked. "Well, you get to do it after I show it to you."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," April said with some dread.

Rick watched for her reaction. "You get to dehorn some cows."

April sighed and just looked at him. "Swell."

"I'm going to do the first one, and you get to do the rest." Rick saw the look on her face. "Relax, it's only nine cows."

~oo0oo~

"First, we get the cow into the chute," Rick told her and was able to get the first one into the chute. "Now you use this device to cut its horn off. You have to dig deep. There'll be some blood but try not to worry about it."

Rick demonstrated how it was done and cut off two horns. Afterward, he applied a powder to help heal the wounds. "Your turn." He handed the device to April. "Dig deep."

April tried to cut off the horn. Rick saw she was struggling and gave her some encouragement. "Use your muscles." She cut both horns off, put the powder on the animal, and stepped back. It took a lot, but she managed. April wiped the sweat off her face and glanced at Rick.

He smiled. "That's one nicely done. Eight more to go."

"Oh boy." April wasn't looking forward to it, but it was vet work. It took her a while, but she dehorned all nine of them.

"You did a great job!" Rick was proud of her. "As a reward, you get to spay and neuter puppies."

April's eyes sparkled. "Finally, something I CAN do!"

~oo0oo~

It was two months later.

They all heard the whistle telling them to expect a message from the Captain.

"This is the Captain speaking. We have entered the orbit of a Class M planet. Next, we survey the planet to determine its suitability for a mining operation. We must do this carefully to avoid any contagion that might affect anyone or anything.

"The planet appears to be in the early stages of development. Volcanoes are present on the surface, and there is no sign of a spaceship. We will be deploying our two cruisers just in case.

"We will keep you informed of developments. That is all." She ended the communication.

The whistle sounded throughout the ship, ending the announcement.

~oo0oo~

"What do you think?" Kate asked Rick after she got home.

"Volcanoes. If there are too many of them, that will make a mining operation difficult. It also means the contagions will be more prevalent, which really has me worried. If even one of them reaches the animals, we could lose the entire lot."