[15: Exhilaration]

The first lamb was born quickly. Dick moved surely, it was obvious he had done this before.  He looked rediculous, Meera thought, wearing the elbow-length black rubber gloves, like a doctor or scientist out of a bad science fiction movie. She was sure that there were supposed to be electric arcs and flashing lights that went with them.

"Hand me the suction bulb?"

Meera did, and he sucked at the nose of the little, slimy creature. She wasn't sure whether it was disgusting or fascinating, but either way, it was thrilling. 

"Grab a towel, will you?"

She did, a ratty and dingy grey rag, and handed it to Dick. He wrapped the lamb in it and started to rub when another ewe in the pen started to bleat. He quickly dumped the little creature in her arms. 

"Here. Rub it dry."

She squealed and almost dropped it, the warm, wet bundle, starting to squirm in her arms. She knelt to keep herself from dropping it, and started to dry it off.  She thought it looked a little alien, and that maybe it fit into the half science fiction spectacle of Dick in his elbow-length gloves.

"What now?" She asked.

"Let that one goe. Help me here. This one's caught."

"What do I do?"

"Hold on to the ewe."

The sheep bucked and thrashed, well aware that something was going wrong, but not wanting the two humans to help at all.  Meera caught it by the wool, and grimaced as she realized that it wasn't smooth and fluffy, but gritty and greasy and dirty. 

"Just hold on to her there. Keep her from moving so much."

Dick did something, and dodged a hoof swinging past his head, and with a deft movement, the lamb came free of its mother, and the ewe relaxed. 

Dick was covered in slime and mud, the gloves not even coming close to being enough, and he'd managed to get a big smudge of mud straight across his face.  Meera laughed, thinking of the movies still, with the scientist's project blowing up in his face, leaving a streak of soot or mud or whatever right down the middle in the most embarassing way possible. Dick made the same sort of face, and brushed at his face with the sleeve of his jacket. It only succeeded in smearing it, and Meera laughed more. 

He laughed and shrugged, too, and then another ewe started bleating.

"Dry that one too?"

Meera grabbed the towel and started in on the next lamb.