Friendships Ch. 05

Daisy loved working on children's animals, she often had them help her. The animals felt more relaxed when their owners were there soothing them. Today, it was a young boy with a Guinea pig who needed a pedicure. The boy had lots of fun helping Daisy, and plenty of new stories to tell his friends.

The next day looked very odd in town; four crates sat in front of three consecutive houses. All had dinner that night at the largest home for the unveiling.

The hostess was so excited, "OK, I want this to be a relaxed, fun affair so we can stretch things out. After dinner, we will have tea and dessert while we open our crates. The youngest couple will start."

With bated breath the first crate was opened. The first husband looked at some photos and started passing them around the room.

"Hello from Orlando."

"Picture number one is Anna and Elsa. Picture number two is the seamstresses who started making clothes for the bears and picture number three are of the other craftsmen who worked on pieces."

"Welcome to Northfield and to the 'Bear Family'."

"You are the beginning of the healing generation for the town. They are still healing from a flood that happened a generation ago. Joy, Dawn, Daisy, Molly and Sarah are the lifeblood of the town. Most everyone left because lack of a school system Northfield had. Back in Molly's time there was about fifty kids, each picked Molly as leader, one you couldn't disappoint, if you did, you rectified the problem and proved to Molly you did so without her ever asking."

"Joy is the most special of the whole lot, both schools got their skulls out to find her. At that point, she was Northfield. Almost 35,000 people signed petitions to adopt Joy and to always protect her and her friends."

"We think that is why the town is so tight knit. They are hoping you all will get along so all your kids will play with each other and form a new core."

"We hope you like your surprises."

First out was a brown boy bear, all nice and cuddly, followed by a pair of red, white and blue pajamas came next then several bags

The 'ranch bag' had: stylish cowboy boots, belts, chaps, gloves, flannel and cotton shirts and flip flops and sneakers for indoors. A nice straw hat with ear holes to keep it in place topped everything off.

The 'church bag' had: a wool and cotton suit, several colors of bow ties (because they are cool), several handkerchiefs for the top pocket in the suits plus some dress shoes.

The 'formal wear bag' had: both a tux and an amazing topcoat with a grand walking stick, a gold pocket watch and a silk top hat.

Finally, at the bottom, was a telescope that worked.

The girl dolls got a whole bag just marked 'shoes': Boots, pumps, flats, flip flops and spikes that gave some wiggle to their hips and sneakers.

They got yoga pants and a mat, running shorts, reflector vest and some pepper spray.

Some extra-long tee-shirts and lounging clothes. Make-up would be given later.

For church, they got silk blouses and nice skirts and a Bible.

For formal wear: a little black dress and a little red dress with opal earrings and a necklace. They need to get a jump start to find the King of the prom. They also got some nice bracelets with their birth stones in them.

The girl bears got much the same clothes as the boy bears. The father gave a warning to the boy bear, "No hibernating with my daughter's bear!"

They all had fun voting on the two best combo sets for each doll or bear.

The skirts and blouses were voted best for church and formal, unless it was important or real fun things like the Opera, then the LBD with necklace and earrings won.

The bears were considered more down to earth, the ranch clothing would be used best, unless they went to a line dance party.

When the manager got the letter, she broke down in tears. "Girls you have the next two days off, I have to see my sister."

As the letter and pictures were being passed around many of the girls were crying, "Ma'am with all due respect, let me take over. You know we're the best around here. Take as long as you want, see as many relatives as you need to see."

"I can't afford to do that!"

The seamstress pulled out a credit card and said, "Now you can, we all love you and we want you to feel better," the woman nodded and handed her the keys.

"OK girls, here is the backstory. She just lost her niece in a helicopter accident over the ocean; there was no body to bury. She is very close to her sister. I am going to call the others and see what they can do. No military items of any kind! Is that clear? The closest I want are cowboy boots.

'Dog' now lives on 'Image of God', the deer, mares, dogs and humans have formed an alliance. 'Dog' can relate to humans best, so he is the go-between.

"These are human lives we are talking about. This has to be the best you have ever done, better than 'Beauty'. We need to make one for ma'am as well."

You could hear something was wrong from the ranch; Dawn and 'Apache' went up to check things out. The fire was just one of the problems. Dawn came back yelling, "All hands-on deck," Dawn went over to a steed, "Tell him boy, tell him 'Dog'." Soon all the steeds and cowhands were following Dawn, except one steed.

Daisy drove up the driveway.

Sarah yelled, "Daisy, no time to explain, ride bareback on the steed." Daisy had never ridden bareback before, she just tried to think of her jumping positions and to hold onto his mane.

There were jumps, the steed was so strong she almost fell off.

Dawn went in with her ropes, the horses could drag faster. 'Apache' was directing the steeds, some of the steeds were grabbing shirts and jackets and pulling people away from the fire. Sadly, none of the adults survived.

When the sheriff got there, he organized the police, he yelled, "All police grab shovels and axes, we need to make multiple fire lines.

There was explosive material all around the house, not to mention, if one ember caught on the trees the whole mountain could burn down.

Two kegs blew up, this upset the deer, but they felt safe with the mares.

Sarah was having an animated discussion with a deputy, Sarah was beyond pissed. She did not want to do it, but she rode 'Beauty' into that hellhole. 'Apache' pushed 'Beauty' away from the flames.

Daisy started kicking the barrels, the horses copied which made them roll into the creek.

A hand said, "Throw the barrels into the creek.

Dawn learned there were two babies on the third floor, it could collapse at any time.

The steed that brought Daisy up went to help Dawn, he could sense her distress. With flames all around him, and a rope around his neck the steed held his ground. The sheriff yelled up, "Tell us when to pull."

" Pull."

That moved the cribs out into the hall, the bedroom was engulfed.

The sheriff yelled up, "Dawn the stairs are unsafe, you need a window."

Dawn was hoping her aim was true. She threw the rope down and yelled, "Use the horse for an anchor."

As Dawn started down to the people she yelled, "Get the hell out of there sheriff."

After the main danger was over, water drops had started. Dawn walked to the horse with a smile in her face, carrying both babies. "You saved these two young babies at the risk of yourself." She gave the babies to the sheriff and gave the steed a big hug.

Dawn led the steeds to the meadow, the mares raced to their side.

Sarah was walking next to the sheriff when he saw one of the deputies sitting on the porch drinking coffee while everyone else was fighting the fire.

The sheriff walked over to the deputy, but before the deputy could say a word, the sheriff took his badge and had his hand out for his gun.

"You wanted to stay here, so Miss Sarah took your place, digging trenches and felling trees. You are a disgrace to the uniform, so get your things and get out of my police station."

Dawn said, "Sheriff, what are we going to do with these two?"

"Probably child care services, then foster care."

Dawn said, "You know, some people call Sarah's place a home. Take us before a judge, we do not want these two in the system, and it might do Mama a good deal of healing; she knows a thing or two about raising kids. Penny is there to help. I don't think any of us are afraid of a little poop."

At the hearing, Dawn was anxious.

The judge said, "So none of you are married?"

Sarah said, "No, 'Your Honor', but you can't find a more stable family. Mama has raised a son and a grandson. Penny will be with her to assist her. We have had children be in our care before. One is one of the town's vets and the other is manager for the farm side of my ranch to help reduce costs.

If we can't find relatives, we will raise them. You can learn an awful lot on a ranch, and of course they must keep up with their schoolwork. As time goes on, they will have to do responsible things, we don't care what it is if they do it. It could be setting the table, making your bed, watering the flowers. We don't force them to pick a certain one, they should do the job, so they pick.

"'Your Honor', both parents of the children we helped asked me to be their guardian. I felt honored to be asked. If you decide against us, I just ask you to let Dawn say goodbye to them. She saved them from the blaze."

"Miss Dawn, did you save these two babies?"

"Yes, 'Your Honor', from a fire up on the mountain, they were on the third floor. One steed not only pulled the cribs into the hall, but he also stood his ground, even when flames were all around him to serve as an anchor as I went out the window. The sheriff was there directing him and told me the stairs were unsafe."

The judge said, "I have noticed they have not made a peep all this time. They must feel safe in your arms. My kids would be screaming."

Dawn said, "I don't know about that, but they live at the ranch now where safety is our number one concern; they are defenseless. We would baby proof certain areas if you give us permission 'Your Honor'."

"Miss Dawn, babies have a certain person they go to for safety, usually the mother, who has the bond that is created in the womb. Who do they go to if they want to cuddle?"

"Me 'Your Honor', but they also like Mama, who would be taking care of them during the day.

"'Your Honor', Mama is part of a double 'Gold Star' family; it may help her grief to get back to normalcy of raising children. Her grandson should have not been allowed to join, as he was an only son."

The judge said, "I have to be frank with you Miss Sarah, from the outset, not being married is a red flag. However, we have that condition because it signals a stable family. Somehow, you took a multitude of strangers from all walks of life to make one huge family.

"These children have bonds with several people, which the court deems well. To sum up my decision, the court decides in your favor. There will be the initial inspection by child services and random unannounced visits."

"Thank you, 'Your Honor'."

When Penny and Mama saw Dawn carrying the two children out, they knew the decision went in their favor. They wanted to rejoice, but the babies were sleeping.

Everyone was nervous when the inspector came. One of the hands cut a barrel in two and cleaned it out and put rockers on it.

The inspector looked at both cribs, "These far outclass anything on the market today and are much safer."

"Ma'am the play area is like a box because we did not want to hurt the babies with rails; we welcome your suggestions."

Dawn said, "Ma'am, what kinds of things can or can't be put in the play pen or cradles?"

"Well mobiles for cradles, they help with motor skills. Nothing hard or sharp or might have something small that might pop off and they would eat. Fluffy toys and blocks are great, just not too small. Perhaps some mesh for the play pen so you can see the babies, like what they have on the market today. I am sure you can improve upon the design."

"Get the five-point baby seats and learn how to install them right, get some good baby monitors."

A hand was writing furiously. The guys would do all the things like mobiles and fencing. The women were going to sew and knit.

Down in Orlando, the women gave their manager's job to the other craftsmen. They were just too close to her.

'Buddie' and 'Dog' got hand towels and booties so they did not make a mess inside the house. They also got raincoats and rain hats plus even a small bowl that came with a water bottle. The dog harness came next. They loved making things for both 'Buddie' and 'Dog'.

On the other side of town, it was decided that a bear would be good as she loved making them. The jeweler claimed the heart. The Goldsmith asked the senior seamstress to make some shirts and pants so we can have gold and silver snaps, gold cuff links and a silver belt buckle.

Other friends came in to help with other items; they loved the manager as well. It took a week for 'Dog' and 'Buddie' and two weeks for the manager. The night before the manager was to fly in, the senior seamstress put the bear right behind the cash register waiting for the next customer.

The bear had Velcro on its front paws so it could give the manager a real bear hug.

After the manager turned the lights on and turned around, she stopped dead in her tracks. All the girls were there now, some with cameras. The manager raced over and grabbed the bear and gave it a big hug.

The head seamstress said, "Open the shirt."

Everyone was dazzled, it was a work of fine art. It was a ruby heart made out small and very small chips. They were positioned so each beam of light danced over another chip. In the center section, also made in a heart shape, were ruby chips underneath ruby chips so as the light penetrated the ruby's it looked like the heart was beating.

Mama got her box. When they noticed there were things for 'Buddie' and 'Dog' they called Joy and told her to bring 'Buddie'.

There was a letter:

"We know that 'Cap' is now retired so he needs civilian clothes and 'Dog' deserves them also." The hand towels and booties were cute. Some of the other things weren't practical. Betsy and Mama put their animals on the mantel.

It was a bright sunny day. 'Dog' knew exactly where he was going to go. He headed to his 'Favorite spot', the great big window in the front of the house.

"Maybe I will start with a few stretches, followed by rolling on my back to find that 'Right spot', then curl up and get some sleep," 'Dog' thought.

"Hey, what is this? What are all those people doing? Mama is holding those interlopers."

"Why can't I go to 'My Spot'?"

Daisy said, "Sarah, are you good with explanations? You better have a good one. You took 'His spot'."

Sarah said, "Oh my, I forgot about that."

Daisy said, "Can't we change the fencing so they can share?"

'Dog' thought, "Go Dr. Daisy, you are the only one who cares, my human is not even here."

Moe made some changes and Daisy showed 'Dog' the new way to get to 'His spot'. 'Dog.' licked her hand, she scratched his ears.

'Dog' curled up and fell asleep, 'Optimum sunshine time' had passed.

It was decided that the minivan would be best for the babies. They may even make a semi-circle for the van so it always could get out quickly. Betsy went to a host of stores, the most important thing was to learn how to put the baby in the car seat. The storage area of the van was full. She bought a changing area because of the height and because of the extra storage.

The guys were having a blast; almost every piece of furniture they improved structurally and sometimes practically.

After the fire, the babies were being checked out at the Dr.'s office to confirm some things. They were twin brothers who were about one-year old. They were very healthy boys. Dawn made it just in time. Sarah decided the last name for the babies would be that of the last name on record for the cabin.

The women were sitting around the table saying, since they are boys, the guys should name them. Wide laughter ensued.

Moe said, "Come on guys, let's go to the bunkhouse away from these cackling hens."

After everyone sat down Floyd said, "I think one of them should be named Adam." There was wide agreement.

Moe said, "Any input from our non-Christian friends? We value your opinion."

The guys came back in five minutes. Moe said, "I wanted to be fair, so we have one Christian and one non-Christian name. Floyd first, you were the first to give a name."

The women did not like having a non-Christian, but Moe had always been fair and always valued everyone's opinion."

Floyd went over and picked up one of the babies, "This is Adam."

Then one of the Arabs said, "Thank you, Mr. Moe, for including us in such an honor, a name is a very important thing," He picked up the baby and said, "This is Mashal, it means 'Light'."

"So how are we going to tell them apart?"

"Well, would you like a carving or a branding on the cradles?"

Sarah said, "A branding would be so horse ranch like."

Penny said, "Us girls, will figure something out for the clothes."

A week later the inspector came and was not pleased when she heard Mashal was an Arabic name.

Sarah was pissed, "Here at the ranch, we are open to other people's race and religion. That baby's name is spelt 'M-A-S-H-A-L' so you get it right for your report. The Judge ruled in our favor so Dawn and I are guardians of these two babies."

"If you try to do any harm to these to two little ones, I will see you in court. I am sure your bosses would wonder why you are going to court so much and not proving your case.

"We have Saint Luke's a few miles away; a friend of the family is a surgeon that works there. As you see we have gating to keep them confined."

"I am guessing, you have families that are abusive. Would you like me to take off their shirts to see if you see any abusive marks?"

The woman left in a huff.

The Arab walked up to Miss Sarah, "Thank you for defending us Miss Sarah."

Sarah said, "I hate bigots. There is a huge 'M' on the cradle. Now I want you to know, you come to me if you have a problem, we will come to a resolution or an understanding."

"If I must, we can get the case transferred. They will know, people on a horse ranch don't take any bullshit."

Daisy was checking on 'Spirit' daily. Today was the day. Daisy begged for Dawn to talk her through the foaling.

Molly talked to 'Spirit' first, "Hey girl, this will be real painful. You will have a fine son and you will be a great Mama. Your son will have 'Apache' blood in him. I will be right here by your side the whole time. Daisy is going to get the baby out of you."

This was very taxing on Daisy. Dawn wanted to help her, but this was a vet's job, Daisy had to do it solo. It took five hours before the foal came out, but it wasn't breathing. Daisy was crying inconsolably.

Molly brought 'Spirit' to her son, "'Spirit' this is your son, he needs your help quickly, he is not breathing.". 'Spirit' nuzzled her son until he flipped causing him to breath slowly. 'Spirit' kicked her son until the fluid came out of mouth and nose.

Dawn pulled Daisy aside, "You did a wonderful job for your first time out and you did it for your best friend," Daisy looked over just as the foal was lifting his head.

The next day, a woman came into Daisy's clinic in tears.

Daisy came up to the woman and said, "Hello, I am Dr. Daisy, one of the vet's here. I can see you are upset, can I help you?"

"I just got transferred and there is not a stable within two hours of work. 'Sky' is a three-year-old filly 'Rocky Mountain Horse', she is just outside. Can you check her health and maybe Miss Sarah can help? Here are some pictures you can post."

The pictures just did not do justice to this beautiful animal. The kids flooded the parking lot petting 'Sky'. As Daisy was checking 'Sky' out, the woman was talking to Sarah on the phone, and the adults were watching the interaction of the kids.