Page 19 of Unyielding (Poplar Springs #3)

NINETEEN

DECLAN

I stood in the middle of the pasture surrounded by grumbling emus, questioning my life choices.

Tory and Chad were friends of my parents and owned an emu farm just east of Beaumont.

They bred them with the intent of renting or selling them to use as guard animals, and Chad had lined up a buyer for the meat and oil along with the other parts of the birds.

Unfortunately, Tory had had a bit of a health scare recently and had chosen to switch to veganism, which also meant he was now against selling the birds for meat.

“Ow! Would you stop it?” I pushed at the emu who was far too interested in the stranger standing in his enclosure.

“Look, I just need to get these samples so I can figure out what’s wrong with you, and then I’ll be on my way.

” He tilted his head at me and lunged quickly and I snapped my hand up taking the brunt of his peck on the palm of my glove instead of my head this time.

“Seriously, little dude. One sample, and I’m out of here. ”

“There you are. Chad said you were here. How are my babies?” Tory shouted.

His voice was shrill and the watch bird immediately took off, running to the older man while making happy little grunting noises as if Tory were his mama and he was a chick.

I shook my head as Tory fawned over the smelly bird. “There you are, sweet boy.”

“He used to call me that, but now he saves all his pet names for those damn birds. I regret ever agreeing to buy this farm,” Chad said as he joined me. “So, what do you think?”

“Have you ever thought about counseling?” I shouldn’t have said that, but thankfully, Chad only chuckled.

“Funny, your father said the same thing while your mother sided with Tory.”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t surprise me.

” Another one of the curious birds pecked at me and I stuck my arm up to stop him from nicking my face.

“As to what’s wrong with them… judging by the smell and color of their stools, I’d say that it’s an infection of some sort, but I want to get a few samples from the ones who are noticeably sick to be sure.

” I managed to step over a particularly stinky pile instead of stepping in it this time.

“And we need to get the birds separated—sick and appearing healthy—until we can get this under control.”

“Do you think it’s bird flu? Oh, I hope it isn’t that. Tory would be devastated,” Chad said. The worry in his voice indicated how much he cared for his husband.

I grimaced. Bird flu was always worrisome.

If this was an outbreak, I’d be forced to call the department of public health, and they would most likely want to see the birds euthanized to avoid spread.

I’d had to assist with euthanizing all the birds at an egg ranch when I was in school and it had been devastating.

Having to put down an animal, any animal, was always an emotional experience, and the farm had had about a thousand birds.

It’d taken hours. In the aftermath, once I’d taken three scalding showers, I’d pounded shots with the other students who’d helped until my brain and body were numb.

“I’m not seeing any discharge from their eyes or nose, so I’m hoping that it isn’t avian flu.”

“Oh, thank God. Honey! The cute little vet doesn’t think it’s the bird flu,” Chad shouted and I waved my hands to stop him.

“I said I didn’t know yet, but… never mind.

” Chad was already jogging across the pasture to a sobbing Tory.

That was another part about dealing with folks who were new to raising animals.

They tended to jump to conclusions, and usually assumed the worst. I grabbed a few more stool samples as I walked toward them.

Far too many hours later, I loaded all the samples into my truck and peeled off the oversized coveralls that Chad had thoughtfully given me to wear.

The man outweighed me by at least sixty pounds, but the gear did its job.

I would need to pick up a few more of them if I was going to make any more house calls like this.

It definitely saved my clothes and probably kept those powerful beaks from breaking my skin.

“Thank you again, Dr. Morris,” Chad said. Tory had run out of steam long before we’d finished separating the birds and had gone inside to lay down. I didn’t blame him. I wanted a nap too after the day I’d had.

“I’ll get the samples sent out and call you with the results.

Once we figure out what it is, I’ll be back with the right meds to treat them.

In the meantime, keep them as stress-free as possible and make sure they have access to lots of water.

I gave you a list of food suggestions that should help to keep the diarrhea down.

If things get worse, call me immediately. ”

“Got it. Please send your parents our regards and tell Linda that we still use those lovely dishes she made as a wedding present every day.” Before I could answer, Chad pulled me into a hug. “Thank you,” he said again.

I patted him awkwardly on the shoulder for a beat before I finally managed to extricate myself from him. The older man managed to keep himself far cleaner than I had and I didn’t want to get anything on him. “I will. I better get going.”

On the way back to town, my phone rang. It was Ruth. I put her on speaker.

“Hey, Dr. Wilcox. I’m on my way back to town now.”

“Is it the flu?” Always straight to the point.

“It’s presenting more like a bacterial infection, but I won’t know for sure until the samples are analyzed. I’ve already notified the lab that they’re coming and asked that they put a rush on the processing,” I told her.

“Good, good. I’m glad you were available to take the call or I’d have had to reach out to the university for assistance.”

“I left them with instructions and what to look out for. They know to call me if there’s any sort of change. I should be back to the office in about an hour and I’ll get all my notes typed up.”

“Do that. I just sent you tomorrow’s schedule. You’re going to have a full day. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“All right. Good chat,” I said to no one because she’d already hung up.

My phone rang again and I answered it, assuming it was Ruth.

“Declan? Your mother wants to know how the birds are doing.”

“Hey, Dad. Some of the emus are definitely sick but I don’t know what it is yet. Why don’t you call Chad and he can fill you in?”

“I was hoping to get the answer from you. Those two talk more than we do.”

I laughed at that, and we caught up for another minute or two before wrapping up the conversation.

As I crested the hill into town, I slowed my speed.

The sun was going down and it lit up the area in a reddish-orange glow.

The view was gorgeous and I pulled over so I could take a picture.

Views like that were why I loved the area so much.

It looked like a living painting. On a whim, I texted it to Shannon, wishing she were here to share the moment.

She’d been continuously on my mind ever since that kiss in the barn and I couldn’t wait to see her again.