Free Last of the Summer Tomatoes by Sherrie Henry

pasture near the barn. If it gets too bad, they can be funneled in as well.” Walt headed into his office.
    “The expectant ones okay?”
    “Yep. I think we’ll have a new calf by the end of the day.” Sam brushed the dirt off his jeans.
    Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
    “She seems to be in labor. Pops thinks the drop in barometric pressure has precipitated her labor.”
    “That really happens?”
    “Sure. The drop in pressure can affect everything, even your own blood pressure. Although it’s negligible.”
    “Is that why my grandma gets cranky when it storms?”
    “Yeah, I’ve heard it can affect arthritis.”
    “Interesting.”
    “Hey, you want to help me secure the chicken coop? Make sure that new wire is holding?”
    “Sure. Let me finish up this last one. She’s about done.”
    Once the machine sounded, Kyle unhooked the cow and herded her out to be with the rest. Sam nodded toward the side door.
    “Grab the pliers there on the wall, in case we need to fix a piece.”
    Kyle looked over at the wall, not exactly sure which piece Sam wanted.
    “The pincher looking one, top left. The red one.”
    Kyle nodded and grabbed the appropriate tool. He followed Sam out the door. Sam was kneeling down next to the coop’s door.
    “Damn, Pops was right. Look, here, these scratches. Coyotes.”
    Kyle looked at the marks in the dirt. “How can you tell?”
    “The paw prints over there? These nail marks? Too narrow to be a dog, so it’s either coyotes or fox, and since we’ve had the report of the coyotes, I’m going with them. Plus, they’re more brave around dogs; fox would be scared off by the barking, even if the dogs were caged.”
    “Is the coop safe?”
    Sam looked down one rail, then the next. “There’s one weak spot where it connects with the house. Help me secure it, will ya?”
    Kyle handed the pliers to him.
    “Okay, hold the two pieces together, let me twist them.”
    Kyle did as he was told, and Sam twisted the wire. It was right then it started to rain, and the wire slipped, slicing a nasty cut across Kyle’s thumb. “Ow!”
    “Shit, sorry.” Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. “Mom always said to carry one around. Now I know why.” He wrapped Kyle’s thumb. “Keep some pressure on it while I finish repairing this hole.” Sam gave the wire one more twist, then led Kyle into the other barn.
    This barn was a more typical barn, one that Kyle had seen while doing his research. Stalls and hay, the five expectant cows, two of the dogs lying down near the door. A barn cat jumped up onto one of the bales of hay.
    “Here, sit on the bale. Let me get the first aid kit.” Sam reached for the blue box on the wall. “You had a tetanus shot recently?”
    “What’s a tetanus shot?”
    “Damn. Sounds like we’ll be taking you to see the doc as soon as the storm passes.” Sam kneeled down in front of Kyle and took Kyle’s hand in his. He gently unwrapped the handkerchief. “Doesn’t look too deep, but as I said, you’ll need a tetanus shot.”
    “Why? What is tetanus?”
    “It’s an infection you can get from rusty metal. You should get one every ten years, well, that is if you’re going to be around rusty metal, I guess. But heck, you can step on a nail in the city, right? Preventative medicine.”
    “But if I haven’t had one, will getting one now help?”
    “Yeah, it will. It’ll knock it right out if it’s in there, and if it’s not, the shot prevents the next time.” Sam wiped the blood away and squirted some antibiotic ointment on it. He tenderly wrapped a bandage around it, careful not to jostle it too much, careful to make sure it stopped bleeding. Kyle flashed back to his mother, back BH, before Hank, back to when someone cared for him.
    He had just turned seven; he had gotten a big boy bike for his birthday, and today was the day the training wheels came off. He remembered his dad there, swearing he’d hold on as Kyle pedaled, faster