Tyson kisses Jaelyn's cheek before hopping out and jogging around to her side of his pickup.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here while you have a shift?" She asks him as she slides out and onto the ground beside him.

He grins. "I'm as positive as they come. You can meet my boss, he's been dying to meet you, and if you get bored of gazing at the little dogs you can take my wheels and go do something."

She narrows her eyes at him. "You know how I feel about that idea."

He shakes his head and takes her hand. "I still don't understand why you don't like driving."

"You should. How many times have I told you the story?"

He shrugs. "Obviously not enough."

"I'm not telling you again."

He puts on his sad face and uses his baby voice. "Please, my little cactus, please, just one more time?" She glares at him, he sticks out his bottom lip. "Please?"

She sighs. "Fine. I was thirteen and driving Gary's pickup around the pasture. I was parking it in under the big oak tree on the south side of the barn, but instead of easy my foot on the brake I hit the gas on accident. I almost ran into the tree."

He chuckles until she slaps him in the gut. "Sorry, sorry, it's just funny."

"How the heck is that funny? It traumatized me for life."

"I can see that. I just don't get how you still think that is going to happen when it has almost been ten years and you are a excellent driver."

She shakes her head. "Only to you. Karl is the only one of my brothers that lets me drive, not that I mind."

He holds the door open for her with a grin. "I still think you should drive all the time," he whispers as he takes her hand and leads her back to the kennels. He can tell she is nervous and squeezes her hand. "Hey boss!"

In a minute a tall, broad shouldered man with a close cut beard appears from around the corner. He looks to be in his early fifties. "Tyson! And you must be Jaelyn? Tyson has told me so much about you, nice to meet you."

She smiles and shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

Tyson kisses her cheek. "I'm going to check the new files real quick, okay my little cactus?" He adds the last part at a whisper.

She smiles and nods again. "Okay, Superman."

Nathan offers to give her a full tour of the entire clinic. She giggles when he folds his elbow and starts to speak in a British accent. First he shows her the lobby that is decorated in red and blue with Tim Cox paintings hanging on the walls. She stops to admire them all and runs her fingers over the ones that used to hang in her grandparents house when she was a little girl.

One in particular causes the world around her to fade. Her mind drifts back to when she and Cane had been no more than ten and eight. They stood in the dim light hall and stared at the picture of a man walking towards a young colt with a saddle in hand. The colt's hind leg was tide up with a rope that lay around his neck so that he couldn't kick anyone on that side.

"When I grow up I'm going to do that, but no ropes," she announces her hands planted firmly on her little hips.

Cane stared at her and shakes his head. "You can't do that, not as little as you are and not without ropes."

A smile slips to her lips as she thinks about all the colts she had started since then, with no ropes. Suddenly realizing how long she has been standing there she smiles apologetically to Nathan and nods to continue. They continue the tour ending in the surgery room that Tyson is restocking.

"How was the tour?"

She smiles trying to hide the memory that plays in her head. "It was great. Never knew there was so much to see in a little vet clinic."

He laughs. "Unless he showed you every cabinet and what everything in them does you haven't seen nothing."

"I'm sure that takes hours."

Nathan joins the conversation with a laugh. "Indeed it does. Tyson, Martha will be in to man the front desk in a couple of minutes. I am going to head out if you got it covered."

Tyson nods. "Yeah, you going out of town?"

"I'm surprising Grace with a night in a hotel about an hour from here, for our anniversary."

Tyson smiles and shakes his hand. "That's great. Yeah, I got everything covered and will tell Martha to forward me the calls tonight."

Nathan grins and claps Tyson's shoulder. "Thank you, y'all have a good day."
***

Tyson takes Jaelyn's hand and leads her out the door to his pickup. "Time to go home."

She giggles and climbs in the door he holds open for her. "Pizza and a movie?"

He shakes his head. "You and your movies. Yeah we can watch a movie with pizza. You pick the movie, I pick the kind of pizza?"

"Yeah, but no peppers on it, okay?"

"Okay my little cactus."

When they arrive at the apartment he calls in a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Inn. She finds a movie and instructs him to find blankets. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but obeys. Just as he throws the blankets at her his phone rings with a forward from the vet office. She nods for him to take it.

"N's Vet's office, this is Tyson Reed. How can I help you?" He recites the message without thinking twice. As he listens to the situation he pulls on his boots and checks his bag for everything he needs. "No problem I'll be there as soon as possible."

"House call?"

He nods and sees the eagerness in her eyes. "You want to come?"

Her eyes light up and she scrambles off the bed to her boots. "I would love to."

"Great I may need your help. Three year old mare, at a stable not far away, sounds like colic."

She nods knowing that colic is one of the most serious medical situations for a horse. Quickly she grabs her hat and follows him out the door. The pizza delivery guy almost runs into them as they speed to his pickup. Tyson pays for the pizza while Jaelyn takes it and slips into the cab.

As soon as they arrive at the destination both doors swing open then quickly slam closed as soon as the two are out of the cab. If the weight of the mare wasn't hanging over their heads the flying run to the barn would have been fun and full of laughter. Tyson swings the door open and holds it for Jaelyn. As they make their way to the rows and rows of stalls they slow their steps as not to frighten the horses. 

A man steps from one of the stalls. "May I help you?"

"I'm Tyson Reed, from N's vet's office."

The man instantly nods and starts to walk rapidly with them fallowing close behind. "Of course you are. Lady is right in here."

Jaelyn can feel Tyson tense as the man motions to the last stall on the end. They both know what to expect, but neither want to see it. As the stall door swings open they are met with the scene every vet, and horse owner dread. The young mare lays on her side in the seemingly small stall all the while in agony. Tyson meets Jaelyn's gaze and nods.

"We have to get her up," he announces to the man. He then turns to Jaelyn. "You grab the halter rope there and pull on her head. We will get behind her and support her. Be sure you stand in the gate way so if she lurches when she gets up you don't get crushed, okay?"

She smiles to herself and nods. "Okay."

The next few minutes of endless pulling, cooing, pushing, clucking and more pulling are a blur to everyone. Nothing seems to help, all that happens is she lifts her head and struggles to try and stand, but never does.

Tyson wipes the sweat from his forehead. "Alright one more time. On three. One, two, three." With one big lunge the sorrel mare is on her feet. Smiles shine brightly on all of their faces even though they know their work is not done. Step two, the determining step, is still ahead of them.

"I'll walk her first," Jaelyn offers.

Tyson agrees and sinks onto the floor just outside the stall. He takes off his hat and rests his head on the wall as his gaze follows her up and down the alley. Every time he watches her with a horse he can't help, but marvel at the patience and gentleness that flows from her.

For what seems like hours on end the three take turns walking Lady up and down the alley and around past all the other rows. Finally Tyson decides there is nothing else left to do except wait it out. In the process of waiting Jaelyn falls asleep with her head on Tyson's shoulder and Tyson falls asleep with his head resting against the wall.

A soft nicker wakes them the next morning. Jaelyn quickly jumps up and peeks in the stall. "Tyson! Superman, she's better."

Tyson smiles and slides the door open. He takes his stethoscope and checks the mare's abdomen before nodding. "Yeah, she's all better. Watch how much she eats and drinks for the next couple of days and call me if anything gets worse."