I Can Do Better Than This

I got a greeting card, with a Five hundred dollar debit card in it a few weeks later. She wrote a few words of thanks and less than effusive praise, but I could tell she was grateful for my help and that I'd not called her folks. Beyond that, I wondered if she felt she had 'done better' after me, after all. But, I never brought it up.

My practice was booming, I was busy in surgery several days of each week. Horses and cattle, large animal surgery; that was my specialty.

The Colorado Game and Fish Department showed up in my office one day several months later. They were a man and a woman, in ranger uniforms with side arms and badges on their chests and rank displayed on their collars.

"We need to see Dr. Collins," the lady told Sheila, my assistant.

"He's in surgery at the moment, but I expect him to be finished within 15 to 20 minutes. Could I get you coffee or tea while you wait?" Sheila offered.

I finished my surgery and Sheila told me I had Game and Fish Department officials in the outer office wanting to see me. I told her to show them into my personal office.

"Dr. Collins, I am Gayle Sharp and this is Ben Hradeky. We are directors of the Colorado Wildlife Department. We know that you perform large animal surgery of all types. We're facing a problem with our elk herd in the South Park area down in Southern Colorado in the San Juan Mountain range. There is a, or, some disease that has infected the main herd and we are desperately seeking advice and counsel to keep it from spreading to the other herds throughout

Colorado and other states. It seems isolated right now, but we do not know what we are facing. We could use, actually we need, your skills to perform autopsies, maybe even general exploratory surgery on some of the live animals. We need to find out what is happening and get it stopped." Officer Sharp relayed.

"Well, director, my basic knowledge and practice is on cattle and horses. I've had some training in wildlife health, but I'm not really practiced or knowledgeable most game animals." I replied.

"I guess surgery on cattle and horses wouldn't be too different than surgery on elk, I'd need a bit to make sure procedures, intricate information that is different between the species could be accounted and safely performed." I said. "What is it you want me to do exactly?"

"First we need to have you look at our procedures, look at the population of infected animals and see if we're missing something. Next, it would help if you could autopsy some of the freshly dead carcasses, identify the cause of death, and then help us develop a plan to cure it, stop it from spreading or come up with some solutions." She begged.

She continued, "The state wildlife fund is paid for by licenses and fees charged to the users in the state, and operates separately from the general legislative budget. Therefore we have separate rules than spending taxpayer money only, and we can absolutely reimburse you for losses in your business when engaged in state interests as well as pay you our top rates for state Veterinarians while occupied with our agency." "You've come highly recommended by everyone we've tried to enlist and you seem to be a last hope here. We'll have to destroy the whole herd if we can't get a handle on this right away."

The phone rang on my desk. That was unusual because Sheila would normally screen my calls. I asked the officers for a minute while I answered the phone. They remained sitting and I picked the receiver up, "Dr. Collins", I spoke.

"Bill, help me. I'm in trouble can you come get me? I'm in Salina and I don't have transportation or money to get back to Wichita, but I've lost my job anyhow, so I need to come back to Colorado. Can you come get me?" Audrey pleaded.

"Salina is 350 miles. I'm very busy right now. Is this an emergency Annie?" I asked.

"I'm just broke and can't get back. I'm afraid to hitchhike and don't have the money for a room. Can't you help me, Bill?"

"Annie, where are you right now?" I asked.

"Salina Knight's Inn right off exit 125 in Salina. I'm using the pay phone in the lobby," She explained.

"See if you can get a manager," I growled.

"Hello, this is Robin Scout speaking, can I help you" came a young, perky female voice over the phone after a minute.

I gave her a credit card number, asked her to put the young lady up in a room and feed her through their restaurant, putting the charges on my card until I could pick her up. She agreed to do what I asked, she was helpful.

"Oh, thanks Bill. How soon can you get here?" It was Audrey back on the phone.

"I don't know. I'll call and let you know. For now, sit tight until I can work this out." I told Audrey. "It might be a few days, I have lots cooking right now."

I hung up and told the two Wildlife officers that I would do what I could, that I was at their service for a few days, at least.

I told Sheila I'd be out of the office for the rest of the week, that If anything came in that was pressing, to call me on my cell; and to reschedule the rest of this week's surgeries until one or two weeks down the road. I knew some of the critters that were scheduled for surgery may not make it until I got back, but I was torn three ways here. I may not be making the best decisions. But, I had to make them.

The Game and Fish officers drove us to the regional Adams County Airport in Brighton and we flew in their twin engine plane to South Park.

I needed to have a look at the situation. I spent the entire flight on my laptop, studying this different species that I'd be dealing with, updating my own training and knowledge of things I would need to watch for as I operated on these creatures. I referred back to google search and my medical journals online many times during the next 48 hours.

I spent two days there, after half a dozen autopsies on the infected elk. With lab results in hand, I felt like I knew the problems they faced. I gave them my medical opinion and advice for treatment. It was a parasite and the animals could pass it from one to another in feces and drinking the water that had been fouled with feces.

I'd worked 48 hours straight, without sleeping or stopping to rest. I ate on the run while doing my research, performed the autopsies, and I put my whole effort into finding the problem, then suggesting a solution.

They'd be able to take it from there. They were so appreciative. They offered me a huge consulting fee for my services, for saving the whole herd of thousands of elk there in South Park. They'd expected me to be on the job for much longer, so they did not have my compensation thought through yet.

"I'll tell you what, director Hradeky, if you'll fly me back to Brighton then send this plane out to Salina Kansas and pick up a passenger, bring her back here, I'll settle for half of what you've offered." I said.

"You've got yourself a plane and a plan, there doc., with our grateful thanks., Said Director Hradeky.

I slipped between the sheets and the next thing I know someone was pounding on my door, "Bill, it's Audrey let me in...Bill!"

There I was, in my Jockeys, holding the door open for Audrey once again. This time she wasn't beaten and bruised but she was crying, crying hard. She did notice my piss hard-on as she walked past me coming into my condo. I saw her eyes take it in through the tears she was shedding.

"What happened this time, Annie?"

"Can I just come in and stay a while? I'll tell you all about it, I just need to know I can stay for a few days and get my feet on the ground again. I'm not doing too well, Bill." Audrey cried.

"This will be the Last time, Annie. This is not how I'm going to live my life. You wanted out of it and you cannot keep uprooting me every time you find out you actually couldn't do better than me."

She looked at me, stunned. She remembered saying it. It was a pivotal moment for her in our 4 month old marriage back then. It was at that moment she had decided to ditch me, back one month before graduation. It was when I, the average, the lackluster, the less than perfect; who came wading into that office dripping with cowshit and blood that she'd finally made her choice. "She could do better than this."

"Annie, it appears you can't do better. But, you don't seem to realize it. So, one week. You stay one week and you are out. You have a week, you hear me?"

"Oh, thanks Bill. I'll find something by then."

"What happened this time, anyhow? You lost your job? What happened to the girlfriend beater from the last time you were here? How did you get so low, Annie?"

"He lives in Wichita. He tried to get at me when I got back to Wichita, but I finally did have to call the police. They got him right away. He's been charged with Heroin and Cocaine Possession, distribution, sale and operating a meth lab," She said.

"He never had charges of beating me brought, because all I could prove was the beating here in Colorado last Christmas. He did hit me when we were living in Wichita, but I couldn't prove it because I never went to the cops when my bruises were fresh. I waited until this last time to tell them. But, anyhow, he's out of my life now for good." She said.

"They raided his house. He had all sorts of drugs and guns and cash. It made a splash in southeastern Kansas," she added.

"Then, when it all came out that I was with him and he was so loaded with drugs, they, my company, by association deemed me guilty of drug possession and use and fired me." She added again.

"Are you using?" I asked.

"I have some, a little, but I'm not doing anything now." She answered.

"Can't get it, can't afford it, can't fuck for it?" I sneered.

With shock, she said, "No, Bill. I don't want to use I want to be clean. I only went along with it because he was always high and it made for such great sex."

"Right; I'm not going there Audrey. Take the room down the hall on the right. 7 days, that's it."

I knew what it was instantly. I felt the bed gently move. I was awakened with the sensation of warm lips on my cock, not just the tip but my whole cock was enveloped in warm and wet. She'd acquired new skills, it seemed. My cock grew instantly. The bedside clock said 3:23 am. It did feel so good and I'd been neglected sexually for so long. But, this was Audrey. This was the woman who hurt me and who I did not trust. This is the woman who left me feeling alone in the world after having let me think I had a chance at love. This is the woman who rejected me, now, sucking my dick.

I pulled the covers back, exposing her as she lay between my legs lathing and slurping on my hard-as-nails cock.

I pulled my dick from her mouth and brushed her hands off my thighs, "Knock it off Audrey. I can do better than this!"

I pushed her out of my room and locked the door.

"Yep, I can do better than this. And, I'm going to" I resolved as I leaned on the door listening to her sobs on the other side.

Audrey was gone, not in seven days but in four.

I sent her off with a stern admonition not to contact me again. I told her, "I do not want to be your go-to guy; you are on your own, finally. Leave me out of your life. Find whatever you think is better than this, but don't involve me in the search again."

I had told her to reconnect with her folks; they would be the logical ones to help her now.

She said she wouldn't bother me anymore and walked out the door, into the night. She left three days early, because she could tell how annoyed I'd become with her.

No, my love had dissipated. My compassion had run its' course. My patience with her treatment of me was at an end, there'd be no more Audrey for me.

She was still a package to watch. She's tall, thin and has a perfect body. She has a great smile and most men would crawl across broken glass just for the privilege of sniffing the last dick that had fucked her.

Just remember guys, "No matter how good she looks, how hot she is, how she tempts your basal instincts; there is some guy, somewhere who is sick of her shit. You can do better than this."

Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate your participation by voting. It's been a while since I wrote anything.

Comments from other authors, willing to identify themselves especially, are solicited.

Angry, anonymous diatribes will be dispatched appropriately. Even many other than angry diatribes will meet the same fate if they're anonymous.

I had no outside editor for this piece. I have written, rewritten and edited it many times. That doesn't mean grammar, punctuation or spelling mistakes aren't prescient, I mean (present).

I make no claims of medical or educational level accuracy. The story doesn't really revolve around medical, educational degrees or animal science facts. It uses them as a vehicle for the overall premise for the storyline.

Those with trust fund, legal or adoptive issues, please just know I only wrote a story and needed certain things to be the way I wrote them. It may not accurately reflect what you know is not real.

How's that last sentence for double speak?

Best regards,

-Pultoy