“Mom! Come quick, Keith’s dog just took a big chunk out of a newborn fawn! Hurry, you’ve got to help it!”

I starting running out the door before my frantic son, Brian, could even finish his desperate pleas for my assistance.

“Where am I even going, Brian? Where’s the fawn? Where’s the dog?”

“Travis is carrying him. Keith’s dog got it over by his house. The dog’s in his garage. Here comes David…” Brian was running out of breath “Hurry up Travis!”

My older son, Travis, was doing his best to remain calm and to soothe the fawn’s fragile nerves.

“Bring him up to Grandma’s front porch and sit down so I can have a good look at him, Travis.”

Travis solemnly obeyed and nearly through tears pointed out the good sized gash in the fawn’s hip.

“That’s going to need stitches for sure. Brian, go get a towel to put over the fawn while I gather up the stuff I’m going to need.”

“You’re going to give him stitches right here?!” Brian looked at me in udder shock

Brian couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to wave my magic wand and create an instant sterile atmosphere and vet’s office while I was at it. Way out here in the boonies on a Sunday, I couldn’t conjure up one of those with my car, either.

I quickly ran home which was right next door to get my tool case where I kept all my emergency supplies for our livestock and dogs. Between being raised on a farm and having tended to many wildlife orphans in the past, I had enough experience to be confident that I could help this innocent fawn who couldn’t have been more than a month old.

After a good hair trim and cleaning, I had my brother, Jim hold onto the fawn while I proceeded to stitch up the wound. “There, now with some good antibiotics, he should be good as new, if the stress doesn’t kill him.”

Jim was pretty quiet the whole time but when I was done simply stated “Funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

We were all at my Mom’s house spending as much time with my Dad as possible before his terminal illness could whisk him away from us. He had cirrhosis of the liver caused by a heart medication he was given several years ago. It was so unfair. We all needed him. He was the rock of the family. The one everyone headed for when advice was needed. I was a Daddy’s girl through and through and it was painful to see my super hero lying in his death bed. He had become unable to talk, sit up or even eat.