Chapter Text
Liam is just getting back to his apartment when he gets the call, and he's back out the door before he even sets his bag down. His boss's contact's cow has gone into labor, and as much as she should be able to do it on her own, if he wants to pass his farm residency requirement, Liam has to be there when she gives birth. It's probably unnecessary, but he doesn't really mind; it'll be nice to spend a bit of time on a ranch before he's got to get back to studying. The ranch is a reasonable drive, and it's a nice night out. Really, exam aside, the calf picked a beautiful time to come into the world. The bluebells are in bloom, and it's looking like they'll have a gorgeous sunset, so if they come along soon enough, their first view of the sky will be a fantastic one.
His phone's GPS takes him to the ranch gate, and he grins as he drives over the cattle guard. Something about the way his tires jolt always feels special somehow; it takes him out of a world of exams and bills and exhaustion and into the fantasy ranch of his childhood dreams. There's a big farm house, a few barns, and then open pasture as far as the eye can see, a small herd grazing against the backdrop of the setting sun.
He finds the right barn easily enough, and though he doesn't see his boss's truck, he parks outside. When he opens the door, he's hit with the unmistakable scent of a farm. Objectively, it's an awful smell, but he just grins and lets it wash over him for a second before he grabs his bag and goes into the barn, which is apparently full of nicely bedded cattle boxes. There's the buzz of an overhead electric light, the gentle lowing of cattle, and a quiet human voice cutting through the sounds of the barn.
"You're doing great; I'm so proud of you. Yeah, it's alright. Ooh, that was a big one. You're doing so well, and the doctors will be here soon, just to see if you need any help. Yes, you could do this all by yourself, because you're a big girl, but I want to make sure you're okay." It's a nice voice, and Liam tracks it down to a nice looking man, one sitting in the hay of a box with a cow's head in his lap. She's breathing heavily, her sides heaving as he pets her face. There's a calf just starting to emerge below her tail.
"I'm Liam; I'm one of the doctors coming to make sure she's doing alright. How's it been so far?" he asks, crouching beside the farmer. He looks up, and Liam registers somewhere that he's cute.
"I'm Spencer. She's doing well, from what I can tell. It's been longer than some of the other births I've been here for, but they always feel longer in the moment than they really are." The cow heaves another labored breath, and Spencer turns back to petting her face, quietly promising her that he's going to look after her and telling her that she's doing great. It's very, very sweet.
Liam turns to the cow, too, moving her tail aside gently and rubbing her back as he checks on how the calf's doing. Another push, and the calf emerges a bit more. "It looks like she's doing well," he says, and Spencer spares him a smile. Liam digs through his bag, finding gloves for when it's time to make sure the calf is alright and double checking to make sure he has what he needs in case something's wrong. In all likelihood, everything will be find and he won't have needed to be here at all, but he's supposed to see a cow birth before he becomes a full-fledged vet, and it doesn't hurt to reassure the farmer. Especially not when the farmer is as sweet as this one.
It's a tense few moments, full of quiet reassurances and gentle pats, but finally, the cow heaves a final deep breath, gives a final push, and the calf slides into the world. Liam pulls the gloves on just in case, then offers a pair to Spencer, who takes them with a smile. The cow is getting up to check her calf, so they back away a bit, Spencer giving her a last pat as they do.
"She did good," Liam says, and Spencer nods. Liam's boss comes running in just as the calf staggers to their feet, and he's just in time to see them stumble and fall. Spencer's ready to go help them immediately, but Liam holds him back, giving them a few more chances to stand and stumble before he eventually steps forward to see what's wrong. What he finds is a pair of curved front legs, bowing outward at the knee. He helps the calf to stand, and they can hold it, but when they step forward to try to suckle, they stumble. Spencer cries out and hurries to help them, and Liam can hear his boss sigh.
"Crooked calf," his boss says. Spencer wraps his arms around the slimy calf and helps them stumble forward to suckle, stepping back a bit when they latch but refusing to go far. Liam steps back, too, watching them for a moment. At a bigger farm, or one where the farmer didn't care so much, a calf whose crooked legs were this bad would be put down. But watching Spencer support them, watching him pet the mom and calm her, something twists inside Liam.
"Can I talk to you? Outside, just for a minute?" His boss nods and leads the way outside.
"You know, in a case this bad--"
"I know. But he... I've seen a calf heal from this before. Maybe not this bad, but growing up, it happened to a neighbor's calf and with splints and therapy, they got better. You'd never have known. And I think... I don't know this farmer as well as you do, but I think if there's a farmer in the world who's going to fight for a calf and give them the care they'll need to get better, I think it's this one."
"You think you can save the calf?"
"I think I can try. And I think, at a farm like this, they have a chance."
"Alright. I'll get someone else to take over your morning shift tomorrow; if you can get this calf walking you'll have done a miracle."
"Well, it's not a bad place to hang out for a bit," Liam says, eyes wandering out over the pastures that surround the barn. "Bell would love it here."
"I bet she would, all this open space."
"I'm going to get her a place like this someday; she deserves it," Liam says.
"Who?" he turns, and Spencer's standing in the door of the barn, the front of his shirt covered in gunk from the newborn calf.
"Bell; she's my baby girl. But we're here for your baby. They've got--"
"She. She's... she's a girl. And I know something's wrong with her, and I know when the vet doesn't want you there for a conversation it's not usually a good sign, but if there's anything we can do, I--"
"We're going to try," Liam says, making his mind up right then and there. "It's going to be tough, but I've seen a calf heal from this, and so we're going to fight for her, alright?"
Spencer nods, and Liam says goodbye to his boss, then leads the way back into the barn. Spencer trails him, looking anxious. "So, what she's got is called crooked calf. It's not well researched, and in a case this bad, there's a chance she won't be able to move, and at that point it would be more humane to put her down. But we're going to do our best for her. I know calves who've had it and have gotten better, so we can do our best with her."
"I'll do whatever she needs me to." Spencer's more determined than Liam could have even guessed, and he nods.
"I know. That's... honestly, that's part of why I think she can make it. Right now, we've got to get mom away from her for a bit, so we can get her legs in splints and get an idea of what exactly is going on. There's also a bigger chance that mom will bully her, so we'll have to keep an eye on that to know if we need to find her another mamma cow to spend time with." Spencer nods, and he talks to the cow gently as he leads her out of the box and away from her sleeping baby. When she's out, Liam steps into the box, sinking to his knees in the hay next to the baby and gently taking her leg in his hands, massaging her knee. He feels her muscles relax slowly, then reaches for his bag, pulling out an emergency splint. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to use this, but really, he always hopes he won't have to use his bag.
"What's that?" It's Spencer's voice behind him, and Liam turns, smiling a bit.
"A splint, so hopefully we can get her legs to straighten out a bit. We'll need to make something more permanent for her soon, but this will work for now. Do you have a band saw or a drill anywhere?"
"I think so."
"Perfect. We'll get some PVC tomorrow, and I'll show you how to make a splint before I have to go to work. But for now, come join me; I'll show you how to massage her knee muscles so we can reshape them and they'll grow right."
Spencer kneels beside him in the hay, and Liam shows him how to rub the calf's knee, gently loosening her muscles until they're ready to be shaped by the splint. He teaches Spencer to realize when he's rubbed them enough, then shows him how to fasten a makeshift splint onto her leg. Spencer watches and learns quickly, and as he ties a knot, Liam can't help but notice how easily his hands move, strong and sure even as they're gentle on the sleeping calf's leg.
"That looks great. Now, I think... If you have some calf milk; we'll maybe get her some colostrum and calcium and go from there. Did you get the navel cord?"
Spencer nods and stands, just as Liam's stomach grumbles. "I did. I'll get mom on a milker so we can make sure she stays fed, and can I get anything for you? Do you... Are you headed home right away, or you could come in and get cleaned up a bit? I should probably get cleaned up." He sounds almost sheepish, as if having helped a baby calf into the world and holding her up for her first meal is something to be embarrassed of.
"I was... she'll need her legs massaged a lot tonight, and might need another meal or two. If it's alright with you, I was actually thinking of spending the night with her? I don't need to, but I want to be able to give her the best shot I can, and tonight is going to be crucial. We won't charge you."
"Oh, of course, feel free. I had... I'm not completely sure what I have left over, but do you want to come in and see what you can find? You should probably get cleaned up a bit before you eat, anyway." Liam looks at the sleeping calf, then nods, scratching between her ears a bit before he stands and follows Spencer out of the barn.
"You've got a gorgeous farm," he says as they step outside. Spencer smiles.
"Thanks. It's been in my family four generations now. As long as it's been a working ranch, really."
"That's amazing. Anyone out here helping you look after it?”
Spencer shakes his head. "Not really. I mean, we have some staff, but in terms of family, it's just me. My parents retired last year and moved in a bit closer to town, and they’re still doing some bookkeeping and things, more of the business side, but a lot of this work… it takes a toll on you. It’s hard work, being out here in the sun and working all day. Their joints aren't what they used to be.”
"I get that. We had family friends with cattle growing up; it's rough on your body. But good on you looking after everything like this. We need more farmers like you."
Spencer smiles at him, then opens the back door of the farm house and waves Liam in ahead of him. “This is the kitchen; feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge. I’m going to go get cleaned up a bit; get the cow slime cleaned off me.”
Liam nods, pulling off his gloves and throwing them away before going to the big farm sink in the corner to wash up before he opens the refrigerator. He's met with a variety of vegetables and jugs labeled MILK FOR PEOPLE and MILK FOR COWS in big letters. He grins and rolls his eyes, poking around a bit.
“If you don’t see anything in there, I think there’s some chili mac in the freezer I could heat up,” Spencer’s voice says. Liam turns to see him in the doorway, now with clean forearms and no shirt. Objectively, he’s a very attractive man, the sort of roguish farm boy Liam grew up crushing on. And he moves confidently through the kitchen, grabbing the right container from the freezer and offering a Shiner from the fridge when Liam steps aside. But there’s a tiredness to his movements and the way he holds himself that Liam can’t ignore. He refuses the Shiner, and Spencer puts it back with a nod and a smile.
"Thank you. You don't have to do this; I have stuff in the car I could eat."
"It's the least I can do. If you're really going to be here overnight, feeding you should be a given."
"You're a saint," Liam says with a smile. "Are we planning on milking mom tonight, or should I get her formula from the fridge if she wakes up hungry?"
"I'll get mom milked and make sure you've got it handy, but I can get you a key for this door, too. But you... I can stay with her; you showed me how to massage her legs and everything. I can do it if you want to go home or stay in the house, and I can call you if something goes wrong."
“I don’t mind. I’ve slept in worse places, trust me.”
“If you’re sure. I can get things heated up and brought out in a bit if you’d rather not just wait around in a stranger’s kitchen. Or, I guess maybe it’s better than the barn? I--”
“I’ll be out there,” Liam says, saving Spencer from his floundering. Spencer smiles.
“Thank you. Seriously. You don’t have to stay.”
"I know. This is just me being overprotective and trying to prove crooked calf is curable. t’s something I’ve sort of known for a while, but there’s no research on it or anything, and if it’s alright with you, if I can record what we’re doing and write it up in a paper, it could really help other small farmers like you who have the time to dedicate to it, or it could help animal rescuers… it could save calves.”
“I don’t mind at all. Do they know what caused it?” He's clearly trying to appear nonchalant, but there's the worry in his stance and tone. He's so scared that he's somehow caused this.
"They think it's something the cow ate while she was pregnant. It happens in grazing herds sometimes; there are some plants we know cause it but it's not always predictable. It's not anything you did."
Spencer's whole body relaxes, and he smiles just a bit brighter. Liam tries not to find it endearing how much he cares about the cattle, because really, lusting after a handsome shirtless dairy farmer's care for his cows is absolutely not what Liam needs to be doing right now. "So it's just... something that happens sometimes?" Spencer asks, and Liam nods.
"Basically. I can give you a list of plants to keep an eye on, but there's a pretty low chance of it, and depending on the size of your pastures it might not make sense to try and weed the whole thing."
The microwave dings before Spencer can answer, and he pulls out the bowl of chili mac. “Here’s this; I’ll go put a shirt on, then get mom milked and find some blankets. You’re sure you won’t sleep in the house?”
Liam shakes his head. “I want to monitor her overnight. Call it part of the research process. I’m just… I’ll take some measurements now to compare to when she’s better. Maybe some video if she tries to get up. Watch The Dodo or somebody want to do a special on her.” Spencer smiles at that, and Liam pulls a fork out of the dish rack to enjoy his meal.
“Alright, well, if you insist.” Spencer digs through his pockets, then gets out a key ring and takes one off. “Here’s the key to this back door. I’ll be out in a bit; you can eat here or take the food out if you’d rather.”
“I’ll head out to the barn. Thank you for dinner.”
"Of course." Spencer turns, and Liam watches him go. He most definitely doesn’t notice that, from a purely objective standpoint, Spencer has very nice back muscles. He just takes a bite of the very delicious chili mac this beautiful farm boy prepared for him and heads out to the barn.
--
When Spencer comes out to the barn with bottles of milk and a stack of blankets, he finds Liam in the box with the calf, settled comfortably on fresh hay. There's a laptop open in front of him, and notebooks and flashcards are scattered around them. He's talking to her in a baby voice, and she's draped across one of his legs, her head nestled in his lap.
"What causes maxillary sinusitis in horses, huh?” Liam coos, scratching her forehead. “That’s easy, isn’t it, baby. Ooh, this applies to you a little bit. If a pregnant cow has bovine viral diarrhea, which neurological abnormality could the calf have?”
“Do I want to know what’s going on here?” Spencer asks, a slight smile on his face, and Liam looks up from his laptop sheepishly.
"Studying. I've got the NAVLE, the big vet exam, coming up in about a month. She's helping me study."
"Would you like any human help? I might not be as good of a cuddler or as cute as she is, but I might be better at reading flashcards."
Liam laughs a bit at that, then asks, "are you headed to bed soon? I don’t want to keep you up.”
“I don’t mind, if you’d like company out here for a bit. Aside from Annie, I guess.”
“Annie?”
“For Ms. Oakley. Figured if anyone deserves a fighting name like hers, it’s this little girl.”
Liam smiles, reaching over to rub Annie’s knee absently as he turns a page in a notebook. Somehow, he looks completely natural here, studying in the light of a laptop with a calf draped over his leg. She rubs her head against him, and he laughs, moving his hand to scratch the same spot on her forehead he’d been rubbing when Spencer came in. Spencer just watches him quietly, feeling honored just to get to see how gentle Liam is with Annie. Of all the vets in the world, this sweet, dedicated, handsome one came to his farm for this. He got the one vet who would give a calf with messed up legs all this love and support, who would look after her and help her even if her chances are slim. It feels like some kind of miracle.
He has to stop. Not only does he know next to nothing about Liam, but one of the things he does know is that Liam has a girlfriend. He wants to buy that girlfriend a ranch like this, and that means they're serious, so even if Liam is bi or pan or any variation of into guys, he's still off limits. Hell, maybe his 'baby girl' is an actual baby, and Liam's got a partner and a kid he's going to buy a ranch for. Whatever the case, he's not available, no matter how cute he is with Annie or how much Spencer likes him.
“Do you have any flashcards or anything?” Spencer asks, interrupting both the quiet scene and his own thoughts before they can go any further. “It’s been a bit since I helped someone study, but I’m more than willing to quiz you if it would help.”
“Oh, yeah, thanks.” Liam hands over the flashcards, then goes back to rubbing Annie’s ears as Spencer looks through them. He seems a bit more focused on the calf cuddling him than on the papers around him, but with the test a month away, the fact that he’s studying at all is better than Spencer would probably do.
“I’m not sure how many of these I’ll be able to pronounce, but I’ll do my best.”
Liam looks up with a grin. “Oh, yeah. Well, Latin every letter is pronounced, since they were literally carving it in stone, if that helps. Thanks for trying; it… it’s been ages since I had someone who wanted to help me.”
“Of course, And, hey, some of these things might be nice for me to know, too. If you feel like explaining them would help you make sure you’ve got them down, I’d be happy to hear it.”
“Sure. If any especially common cow issues come up, we’ll talk about them more.”
Spencer nods, and Annie licks Liam before putting her head on his leg, her eyes closing as he pets her face. The night settles in around them as Spencer stumbles over Latin words and Liam helps him get it right, explaining whatever Spencer has questions about without ever making Spencer feel inferior. They work through the flashcards twice before he’s yawning enough that Liam tells him to go to bed, insisting he’s fine in the barn. Still, in the farmhouse that night, Spencer can’t stop thinking about him.