Clouds and Rain

now he could only hear the big guy chuckle shyly.
    “You know I prefer to be in control,” Hunter replied.
    Gable looked at Grant briefly and then at Flynn, but he averted his look almost immediately, stifling a laugh.
    “Looks like the lad is right,” Bill intervened. “She‟s showing signs of being in labor so let‟s give her some privacy.” He directed the men back to the entrance of the barn. “Since I‟m here anyway, I‟ll keep an eye on her in case she can‟t manage herself.”
    “No way,” Hunter was quick to reply. “That‟s my foal and I want to see it be born.”
    “And it‟s my mare, sired by my stallion, so you‟re not keeping me away either,” Gable said, siding with Hunter.
    Grant kept himself suspiciously quiet. He exchanged looks with Hunter, but didn‟t speak and stayed in the background, while Hunter and Gable leaned on the side of the box stall to peer at the restless mare.
    Flynn knew what needed to be done and he figured three curious men was more than enough for the young mother. He‟d cranked up the heater in the back of the barn so they had some warm water and he‟d taken out the foaling box he‟d put together as soon as he knew the mares were expecting. He had some antiseptic in there and fishing wire he‟d use if the birth was too quick and the umbilical cord ruptured before its time. He had a sharp knife to cut the birthing sac if they needed to grab the front legs to help the birth along and a piece of soft, clean cloth to help them grip the slippery foal. With any luck, they wouldn‟t need any of it.
    Flynn managed to keep away from the mare until he heard Hunter say the horse was settling down and he could see her water break. Just when he got ready to squeeze in between all the broad-shouldered men, 177

    Zahra Owens

    the barn door opened again and Calley walked in carrying a large thermos of coffee.
    “How‟s it going, boys?” She threw a quick look into the stall and then stood to the side, where Bill was leaning against the wall.
    “Not long now. She‟s doing well,” Bill updated her.
    “Thought you could all use come coffee, but we‟ll leave that for the celebration afterward, okay?” Calley suggested.
    At that moment a well-developed hoof popped out of the back end of the mare.
    “Damn,” Bill cursed. “It‟s a breech. Not something we need for a first time.”
    Hunter became nervous and Flynn managed to spot the very fleeting but still calming touch Grant bestowed on Hunter. He didn‟t miss Hunter‟s thankful look either.
    Flynn put his arm around Gable‟s waist and let his hand rest possessively on Gable‟s hip, in full view of Grant. “They‟ll be okay,” Flynn assured the others, but he had to admit he was happy that Bill was there in case something didn‟t go exactly according to plan. He‟d seen breech births before, both natural ones and the kind that needed a helping hand, and knew that a calm mare was a godsend. For now, this little lady was doing a superb job.
    “We can‟t see properly,” Hunter said. “Can we move to the other side?”
    “No way,” Bill waved him off. “We can‟t choose how she gets down and we‟re not moving her. Give her some space, guys. You can‟t crowd a lady, but then I can‟t blame you all for not knowing that.” Gable chuckled, but neither Hunter nor Grant did. The tension in the barn was thick enough to cut with a knife and nobody spoke. The mare grunted from time to time, but remained fairly calm, lying down on the fresh straw that Flynn had put in her stable.
    “It‟s taking too long,” Bill suddenly said, walking outside to get his bag out of his car. He returned almost immediately, moving to the back to wash his hands and then walking into the stall, shutting the half-door behind him and thereby effectively barring entry to the rest of them.

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    Clouds and Rain

    “Can I help?” Flynn dared to ask.
    “Not now,” Bill barked. “You‟ll just get in the way.” Flynn fidgeted, but didn‟t give in to his urge to step in and “get in the way.”
    They watched how Bill carefully cut the sac further and wet his hand with some of the amniotic fluid before sliding it into the horse to extract the other hoof. “Cloth?” he asked curtly, and Calley was quickest to hand it to him. He wrapped it around the hooves to get a better grasp and pulled gently. The foal didn‟t move. Bill muttered something that sounded like “damn” and then tugged again.
    This time, Flynn didn‟t