Page 125 of Family Jewels

“Mary!” I said in a panic as Zeus collapsed onto his belly, his feet sticking out on his sides. “A dog is dying!”

I must have sounded halfway convincing because she called out, “Dr. Romano. I think this is a real emergency.”

Seconds later, Levi picked up the phone. Sounding like a consummate professional, he said, “This is Dr. Romano. What’s the problem?”

I put the phone on speaker. “Levi, this is Rose Gardner. I’m at Mable Dyer’s home, and her dog Zeus was choking on a chicken bone. Neely Kate tried to give him the Heimlich. It sounded like it almost cleared, but now he’s layin’ on the ground making weird wheezing noises.”

“How far are you from here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Too far to get here in time. Has she tried the Heimlich since it got worse?”

“Yeah, it sounds like it’s stuck.”

“Okay, try lookin’ in his mouth.”

“We can’t look into his mouth,” I said, glancing over at Neely Kate. “He’s vicious.”

“He’s not right now,” Neely Kate said as she pulled her hands free.

Levi continued, “You could try hitting his back with the palm of your hand.”

Neely Kate maneuvered in front of Zeus, whose eyes looked unfocused, and pried his mouth open.

“Be careful, Neely Kate,” I said.

“What’s she doing?” Levi asked.

“Zeus is practically passed out, so she’s checkin’ in his open mouth.”

“Tell her if he starts to revive to back up and put something between her and the dog,” Levi said.

I held up the broom, ready to act.

Neely Kate tipped his jaw up and looked in his open mouth. “I see something.”

“Can you put your hand in his mouth and pull it out?” Levi asked.

“I’ll try.” She jammed her hand into his mouth. “Oh, my lord.” She cringed and turned her head to the side. “I think I’ve got it, but it seems kind of stuck.”

“Give it a good yank,” Levi told her.

She got a look of concentration on her face and pulled hard, then fell backward and landed on her butt with her hand full of something that didn’t look like a chicken bone.

“What in the world is that?” I asked.

She held it closer and her face turned a pale green. She made a gagging sound as she tossed it to the ground in disgust. “It’s a slimy tube sock.”

“Where’s the cotton pickin’ chicken bone?” I asked.

Neely Kate’s eyes grew wide, and she started crab-walking backward. Now that the sock wasn’t blocking his airway, Zeus was coming to.

I stuffed my phone in my pocket, wielding the broom with one hand as I reached for Neely Kate’s arm, pulling her back as the dog started to get to his feet.

He shook his head, sending his spit flying all over us, and released a warning growl.

“Neely Kate!” I shouted. “Move!”