“You can accompany me,” Jacob says in a tone meant to humor me. Could you be more obvious that he doesn’t think I’m capable of doing anything around here on my own?
I don’t have socks on but yet I shove my feet inside my sweaty boots and hurry down the porch steps after Jacob.
“Look,” I say as we step into the barn. “I'm not totally incompetent. If something looks off, I will call you.”
“When did I say you were incompetent?” Jacob turns, looking at me incredulously. He holds my gaze for a moment and then undoes the latch to open Thor’s door, stepping in. Thor is still groggy, head hanging down and eyes half closed. “Don't give him any hay or grain until he's completely perked back up,” Jacob tells me. “He should start seeming normal again in about an hour. But to play it safe, wait two hours before you give him anything.”
“Okay.” Part of me is very grateful to Jacob this is this thorough, but I also don't want to get charged for a second that vet exam. “But everything else looks good?”
“From what I can see, yes. I will confirm with the x-ray when I get back to the clinic.” He gently pets Thor’s neck, softly talking to the pony. Thor's ears perk up and nudges Jacob, wanting more attention. It's hard not to find this charming. In all my time as a horse girl, I found it hard to find a decent guy who shares the same love of horses as I do.
Let's not get ahead of myself now. I can't say Jake is a decent guy. A good vet? Yes, but who he is as a person… I don't know.
He steps out of the store closing the door behind him, and starts to walk out of the barn, but slows at Freya’s stall, tipping head, looking at the mare.
“What's wrong?” I ask.
“She came from the auction, right?” Jacob opens her stall door.
“Yes,” I tell him. “The same one Pongo came from.”
“Then there's a good chance she's been exposed to a stallion.” Jacob goes into her stall and my heart starts to speed up. There's no way this poor horse is pregnant. She's young and skinny and struggling on her own right now. Could she even carry a foal to term? My mind races with all the things that could go wrong.
I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Not until I know for sure she’s pregnant. I step into the doorway, watching Jacob interact with her. He’s patient and gentle and the fact that Freya isn’t shying away is impressively annoying. Shouldn’t you be on my team, Freya?
“I haven't seen her in over a week,” Jacob says, and I'm not sure if he's talking to me or just talking out loud to himself. “But she's definitely filling out in her belly and not so much up top.”
I watch him for a minute as he continues talking to Freya, keeping her calm, and slowly gaining her trust. He's been here before, but whatever interactions they’ve were probably brief. Still, she seems to inherently trust him. Horses can be a good judge of character, though someone being good with animals and being good with people are two entirely different things.
I'm starting to think Jacob is lacking in the latter.
“Do you think she's pregnant?” I ask, taking another step into the stall.
“She starting to look that way,” Jacob tells me. “She hasn't bagged up yet so we could have caught her earlier in the gestation period. I can give her a more thorough exam with an ultrasound to see just how far along she is.”
“Is she going to be okay? I ask, voice hitching. “I mean, she's not in the best condition herself.”
“Unfortunately, that's not something I can call right now. Only time will tell, but first I need to confirm that she is actually pregnant.” He runs his hands down her neck and Freya's eyes start to close. She's relaxed around Jacob, though she is underweight and possibly pregnant, so the poor girl is probably exhausted. That’s why she’s falling asleep. It’s not like she instantly bonded with Jacob and I’ve been trying to bond with her for over a week now.
“I going see where my tech is,” Jacob tells me. “If she’s close by and available, I’ll have her come here so we can do the ultrasound. Because Freya’s body score is so low, we will have to closely monitor her during her pregnancy. Her course of treatment will change. It won’t be the same it’s just taking care of her as you have been.”
Great, more time spent with doctor asshole. “I would assume so.”
“Have you ever taken care of a pregnant mare before?”
“No.”
Jacob pulls his phone from his pocket and fires off a text. He looks at the screen for a minute probably waiting for his tech to respond and then put his phone back. Freya noses Jacob’s hand, wanting treats. I suppose that’s a bad habit I could be blamed for, but who can blame me? Using treats to gain her trust has worked so far and she definitely could use the extra calories.