Chapter Ten
Locus
Felix stopped at the shrill ringtone, a lot like the wail of a fire truck, and let me slide down his body to my feet. “I’m so sorry...I have to get this.”
Feeling very noble, and frustrated, I gave a regal nod that probably looked more like a bobbing twitch. “I understand. You’re a doctor.”
“Yeah, and afraid I know what it is.” He brushed a kiss on my hair and turned to grab his phone off the counter. “Hi, Myrtle. Is it who I think it is?”
He listened a moment.
“Okay, put him through. Although their timing is priceless.” Felix gave me a quick grimace, and I adjusted my painfully hard dick while he spoke again. “Doctor Cage here. Is it Ailis? Well, we knew it might be difficult. Just keep her calm, and I’ll be right there.” He strode into the bedroom, still talking and emerged wearing jeans and a flannel open to show a white T-shirt underneath, boots dangling from his free hand. “No worries. I already had dinner, but tell Clive we’ll all have a piece of that death-by-chocolate cake to celebrate afterward.” Disconnecting, he slipped the phone in his pocket and sat down on a chair near the front door. “If you want to come along, better get dressed. Grab some sweats with the tightening string and a sweatshirt. What size shoes do you wear?” He thrust his feet into the boots.
I tried to remember. “I think...eleven?”
He chuckled, tying the first lace. “I can see we’re going to have some interesting times while you relearn about you. I’m eleven and a half, so just grab a pair of mine and some socks. But make it quick. I need to be out the door in about a minute and a half.”
Not wanting to slow him down, I raced into the bedroom and found some clothes that while baggy, I could at least keep from falling off me. I returned to the living room to find him standing by the door, keys in hand.
“Don’t you need a bag or something?” I panted from the rush. Seemed while my fox form was in good shape from lots of woodsy exercise, the human side was not. “Like in the movies?”
“I’ve got what I need in the back of the truck. Ready?”
“Yeah. I hope I don’t shock the farmer with my taste in fashion, though.”
He gave me a look and broke into laughter. “That shirt was a gag gift. But it’s kind of appropriate.”
I trailed out to the truck after him, self-consciously buttoning the blue and teal flannel I wore over a tee with a picture of a Dino-like dinosaur lying on his back and the words, If there’d been vets, I might not be extinct. I’d thought it was kind of cute, but maybe the patient’s owners would not appreciate humor if they had a serious situation.
When we were hurtling down the road away from town, the harvest moon hanging above us, I asked, “So what’s the emergency?” I pictured a dog who’d gotten into the chocolate or maybe a bad hairball on a feline.
“Young heifer about to become a cow...that’s what we call it when they have their first calf.”
I tried not to panic as he floored it. “Umm...isn’t that something the farmers usually take care of themselves? I thought cows were pretty good at giving birth unassisted.” If I’d thought about it at all because frankly, I’d never been all that close to a cow, much less one in labor.
“Yeah, usually. But this is her first one, and she’s on the small side. So I told them to call me when the time came and not take a chance. She’s quite a valuable animal and also almost a pet.”
“A pet cow?”
“They are new dairy farmers, just moved here from the city, and have imported a few Kerry cattle from Ireland. Ailis is the first of their small herd to be ready to give birth, and they’re a little nervous.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how well they will handle it if they lose either baby or mom.” His fingers tightened on the wheel, the first sign of stress I’d seen in him, and I wanted to make it better. Didn’t like my alpha worried or unhappy.
“Then we’ll just have to make sure we’re eating cake come morning while a little baby cow drinks her mama’s milk.” Big words since I probably would faint as soon as things got real, but his smile rewarded me for my attempt.
“That’s right. By the time the sun rises, that’s just what we’ll be doing.” His grip eased, fingers relaxing as he took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s just down this road.”
The term “road” was iffy at best. The dirt track was mostly washboard, and we shimmied along, rear wheels seeming to lose purchase every few yards while I clung to the oh-shit handle and tried not to look as scared as I felt.
But my alpha had no such fears, apparently, and we slid to a stop in front of a pretty white farmhouse with green shutters. No sooner was the engine off than a man who looked in his mid-thirties slammed out the screen door, waving wildly. He wore an apron, and his black hair stuck up all over his head. “So glad you’re here, Doc. He’s out back, hurry!”
No sign of the earlier tension remained in my sexy alpha. He strolled around the front of the truck and approached the slender man who wrung his hands in the apron, shifting from foot to foot and grinding his teeth.
“We got this, Clive. How is it you’re in here and not out there?”
“Terry said I made him nervous, so I’m baking. So far, I have cookies cooling, bread rising, scones in the oven, and a quiche ready to go in next.”
“No death by…”
“I am just about to mix it. Now, go and help Terry before he loses his mind. Shoot, I smell the scones. I have to get back in there.” And with a flip of his apron, the man disappeared back into the house, and we were on our way toward the rear of the property, laden with gear.
I paced at Felix’s side, even more nervous than the farmer’s...probably. “I wanted to say hello, but I didn’t get time. I hope he doesn’t think I was rude.” Not that that was my biggest concern, but still, I didn’t want my alpha’s clients to hate me so soon.
He shook his head. “I don’t think he even saw you or if he did, he probably didn’t realize he didn’t know you. Clive is a real city boy and while he’s trying hard to make a go of it here, because his alpha, Terry, loves the country, it’s hard for him.”
“Are you worried about the cow? Like...seriously?”
Felix blew out a breath. “Not yet. It’s best not to worry until we see if there’s anything to worry about. I’ve monitored this pregnancy carefully and Ailis, other than her size, seems fine. It’s a smallish breed, but she’s on the petite side of that. So do me a favor and try to look as confident in a good outcome as I do, okay? That’s a big part of what I do.”
“You got it, alpha. What will you need me to do?”
“Hold up your hands?” I did. “I may need you to put on a pair of gloves and…”
By the time he finished, I was contemplating returning to my life as a fox. But I squared my shoulders and nodded bravely. “Is there any chance of my getting stuck, I mean, in there?”
The “little” black cow, who looked plenty big to me, was mooing in distress as we entered, and Felix went right to her head before even greeting Terry who, thank the gods, seemed more together than his omega baker. The doc spoke into the twitching ear and after a moment, the cow quieted. “Atta girl. Let’s get that baby out of you.”
Preferably without me having to reach inside for it.