Chapter Thirteen

Chicken Soup

When they arrived back on the farm, Ed carried Billy from the Jeep into the farm house in his arms, as Kaye held the kitchen door for him. Dodger and Benny were barking long before they had come through the door, they both stopped barking and started hopping up to have a better look at what Ed had in his arms. Benny began to growl then Dodger joined in.

“Get down you two!” Ed snapped. The dogs backed away a little but wanted to sniff Billy that was in his arms, The barking went from an excited greeting to more protective. Kaye shooed them away. She took a moment to greet them which also gave Ed time to travel through the house with the limp Collie. 

“Where are we going to put him?” Ed asked as he went through the kitchen to the family room of the old farmhouse. “I'm not sure,” Kaye said. “Just give me a sec and I will be right with you.”

The dogs began to get anxious about what was taking place. Kaye grabbed their collars and pulled them back again, before they became too excited, closed the door from the kitchen to the family room. She scooped out equal portions dropped it in their food bowls for her dogs. The two stopped barking and went to Kaye for their late dinner, their tails wagging almost impatient for her to feed them.

She decided to move Billy in their bedroom, at least for the night, then took an old blanket from the hall closet unfolded the duvet out at the foot of their bed. Ed laid the dog down gently. Billy looked up at him licked his fingers then laid his head back down again closed his eyes letting out soft moans. Billy's eyes followed Kaye, then back to Ed as he left the room. She spoke softly petting his head calling his name. Ed returned shortly with a bowl, passed it to Kaye, then went from the room once more. Billy's copper eyes followed the woman, as she dipped her fingers into the bowl. Billy sniffed the water on her fingers. It didn't smell foul like it had at the place he had just left. He licked her fingers cleaning off the moisture. Encouraged, Kaye dipped them again, and he repeated the action. The cool liquid felt good on his dry tongue and throat. Billy lifted his head wanting more. He began to move his feet trying again to get them under his body but failed to get upright. With help from Kaye, Billy rolled to his belly, now able to lay upright. She held the dish of water. He began to lap at it slowly at first then a bit faster. Kaye called out for Ed. Her loud voice startled Billy. He stopped for a second, looked up at Kaye for reassurance that he was still allowed the water then continued cautiously. His eyes were looking into the dish of water then back at Kaye. It was good to have something wet and fresh and good in his system again.

Billy licked the sides of his jaws and the end of his nose when he had had enough cleaning off the water droplets then looked up at Kaye. She whispered soft words to him. His tail wagged to her voice and felt comfort for the first time in ages. He rested his head on her knee, wanting to stay close to her. She smelt clean, and there was a peace about her. He enjoyed being near the woman. They both seemed to be calm it made him relax.

Ed came in with another bowl and handed it to Kaye “What did you want? I couldn't hear you I was in the kitchen mixing this up for him.” 

“He had a huge drink, Ed, isn't that great.” 

“It's hopeful sign for sure,” he said. 

They both knew the little guy was a long way from being healthy. Billy looked up at Ed. The end of his nose flexed. The dog's keen senses decoded the many odor mixtures that Ed carried. He could smell the other dogs, cattle, and there was a sweet smell of hay and mash feed. The machine smells were on him as well. It reassured Billy; it was a scent that he had grown up around. Billy watched as the bowl handed to Kaye this had an odor of food. Billy tried to get to his feet once again his legs would not respond, he wasn't sure why. He tried harder; it felt like he was being held down. Ed straddled the dog lifting the weak animal to his feet. Billy's legs trembled, but finally they regained some balance. He looked up at the man, opened his mouth and panted a little. With his mouth open and his tongue out, it looked like he had a sad smile. Happy to be upright once more and felt a little less vulnerable.

“Try this,” he said handing her a small bowl of food. “I opened a can of tuna left the oil in, and then some of the puppy chow and added the Omega supplement. He needs to take it slow Kaye,” Ed said.

She loved him for taking more time out of his busy day to help her. Ed deep down was a kind man. She took it from him; she appreciated everything Ed did to help. She knew he held no real love of dogs. When he was a child, their family's farm dog attacked him. He was playing where their cattle dog was eating that morning in the kitchen. Ed was playing with a sponge ball he had received from his aunt for his 4th birthday in the family's kitchen. Ed tripped and fell on the dog's head while the dog was eating. Ed remembers only some of that morning, his mother's screams, laying face down looking at his red and blue ball with its white stripe around the ball's center rolling out of his grasp trying to reach for it. Screams, a broom being broken over the dogs head and back, white teeth, the smell of canned dog food and blood stinging his eyes. He recalls bits of memories about the day at the hospital, the needles and having to have stitches on his cheek.

By the time, his mother had freed him from the animal. Both Ed and his mom still carry the marks of that attack. Ed's on his right cheek arms and fingers, his mother on her legs and arms.

Ed's father shot the dog shortly after getting back from the hospital. Ed was in the hospital for several days. The family never got another dog or allowed one back into their home. Ed holds no fear of dogs but has very little use for one. But Kaye wanted them, so he had given in to her wishes.

She set the dish down just out of Billy's reach. With her fingers, she took some of the food Ed had prepared. She rolled it up into marble sized balls. She held it to the trembling collie standing in front of her. 

The end of Billy's nose took on a life of its own. Kaye felt the breeze from the dogs nose flow over her outstretched fingers. Billy could smell the fish, the meal from the dog chow. Saliva began to drip from his tongue from the smell of the tuna. Billy was processing the odors. Then the odd scent from the supplements, it puzzled him. He didn't take it from Kaye's fingers quickly. He tasted it on his tongue then took the small ball of food from Kaye's fingers. Billy held it in his mouth and began to process the flavors. There was that strange taste. It might have been the lack of food for days, or this strange flavor that overwhelmed his senses. He became unsure what to do. To swallow or not, he spat it out of his mouth rolled it off the end of his tongue back into Kaye's hand, looking up at Kaye.

She looked worried that he may refuse any food. She had been so encouraged that he drank the water and wanted to get to his feet.

“What are we going to do if he won't eat Ed?” Kay asked. 

“I think he will eat Kaye. Just give him time. We will find something I'm sure.” Ed reassured her. 

Billy laid back down, losing control over his legs. He collapsed, then rested his head on Kaye's lap. She patted the dog's head, ran her fingers through the soft hair around the dogs ear amazed at how soft it felt and pulled it through her fingers and thumb. Kaye looked down and saw the dog had fallen back to sleep. She leaned down to the dog's head and kissed him softly. Ed frowned.

“I wish you wouldn't kiss dogs, Kaye.”

She looked up at Ed; she knew it bothered him. Kaye wished she had not done that in front of him. Ed had been so great today and hoped what she had just done wouldn't spoil the mood of the day. But she loved dogs and giving this form of affection just seemed a natural thing for her to do. She looked up at him, ran her fingers through Billy's coat, patting the side of his head.

“I'm sorry, Ed. I know it bothers you, but I can't help it. He needs so much love right now. They give so much back and ask so little in return. I hope someday you will feel a little of how I do about them. I think they add to my life. It could add to yours as well if you would open up to it,” She said. Not wanting it to sound like a sermon Kaye stopped talking just looked back down at the dog combing her fingers once again though the dog's coat. Ed had been leaning in the doorway looking down at her and Billy. 

“Maybe you're right, but I'm not going to start kissing a dog. When one starts depositing money in our bank account or saving my life, maybe then; but so far that hasn't happened. But if it does I will think about dog smooching then,” Ed said. Kaye smiled back at him. 

“Thank you for being here today, I think he likes you.”

“I like him to, as long as he keeps his distance from me, we will get along just fine,” Ed said. 

Kaye continued stroking Billy picking out burrs from his coat then looked up at Ed. 

“Sometimes it doesn't work that way, Ed. Sometimes they just know who they can trust, If he bonds to you, and I think he will, then you might understand. He hasn't taken his eyes off you since you came back into the room. All I ask is give him a chance,” Kaye said.

“I noticed that he's starting to creep me out a little.” Ed Said. Kaye smiled up at him and ran her fingers through the dog's coat one last time before laying Billy's head on the duvet gently, got to her feet and left the room holding Ed's hand.

Ed left the farm house to tend the livestock leaving Kaye in the kitchen. She was thinking about what Billy might eat. He needed to be feed. She had leftover chicken broth in the refrigerator and some cooked chicken breast. She heated the broth and cubed the pieces of white meat. Kaye made a small slit in one, inserted an omega three capsule inside it. Then repeated the action and inserted a penicillin tablet. The cubed breast meat placed into the heated broth. Kaye set it down in front of the dog and waited to see if it would be accepted. 

Billy's nose smelled the broth struggled to his feet wanting it. He was unaided this time. He looked up at Kaye then smelled the bowl, tasted the meal then began eating, his tongue began gaining momentum. As his apatite returned, Billy began wolfing down the small bits of the chicken scraps capsule, tablet and all. In a very short time, his tongue movements were pushing the empty bowl across the floor. He looked up at her opened his mouth and gave what looked to be a very weary smile of thanks to her. He drank a little more water, stopped, looked at Kaye a second time, then cautiously walked over to her and laid down across her lap. Kaye praised him, holding his head with one hand and stroking him around the ears.

“I think you're going to be okay if you keep that up,” She said. 

Kaye went to the kitchen and got her dog brush and began the long, careful process of untangling the burdocks from his tail, separating the hair from the stubborn prickly heads. She would talk to him telling him how pretty he was going to be very soon. Billy's recovery was underway. His tail movement moving slowly back and forth stopping when a tangle caused the brush to stop then the tail would wag once again with the next easy brush stroke.