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was hers. Really and truly hers!

Eight
    Lily spent the next afternoon helping Dr. Tison care for Astra. The mare was awake, but very weak. By eight o’clock that evening, when her dad insisted she come home, the vet declared that Astra would make it through the night. Lily felt horrible having to leave her, but she had confidence in Dr. Tison’s diagnosis.
    Two important battles had been won today: Astra had survived and Lily’s dad had agreed to let her keep the mare. A double miracle , she thought as she watched Dr. Tison work.
    A car horn sounded outside the barn.
    â€œThere’s your ride,” Dr. Tison said. He removed the last IV bottle and helped Astra roll into an upright position with her legs tucked under her. “Congratulations, Lily. I’m not sure how things are going to work out for you and this horse, but you saved her life today. Your mother would be very proud.”
    Lily smiled broadly. “ We saved her life today, Dr. Tison. It took both of us.” She shoved her hands deep into her pockets and stared at the ground. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to pay you back for all this.” She nodded toward Astra. “I’ll work hard, and it might take me until I’m twenty, but I’ll get it done.”
    The vet laughed. “How about if you start by calling me Dr. Dale? That’s what your mother used to do. After everything we’ve gone through today, I think we can do with a little less formality.”
    Lily grinned. “Okay, Dr. Dale.”
    The vet finished with Astra and let himself out of the stall. “I meant what I told your father earlier, Lily. I’ll donate today’s vet work, and the medication she’ll need in the coming weeks.”
    â€œI can’t let you do that,” Lily protested. She also knew her father’s pride wouldn’t allow him to accept so much charity. “We had a vet come to our school to talk on Career Day. He told us about all the school loans he had to take out to get his degree, and that it would take him forever to pay them back.”
    The vet chuckled. “Sounds like he wanted to scare you kids off,” he said, “instead of encouraging you to go into veterinary medicine.”
    The car horn sounded again. This time it was a double beep.
    â€œBetter get going,” Dr. Dale said. “Don’t worry about the money, Lily. This one horse won’t break me. But I want you to make me a promise.”
    Lily listened intently. The vet’s serious tone told her that this was important.
    â€œIn the next few days, we’ll be doing more blood tests on Astra to see how all her organs are functioning,” Dr. Dale went on. “If the tests come back saying she has permanent liver damage, or something equally bad, you need to promise that you’ll let me put her to sleep—no matter how much you love her. I know it hurts to lose a pet you love, but there comes a time when you need to think of the animal’s welfare and what’s best for them.”
    He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and steered her toward the barn door. “It’s the adult thing to do, and it’s the right thing to do. Do you understand me on this?”
    Lily kept her head down, but nodded. She didn’t really want to think about it, but she realized she might have to in the near future. “I promise,” Lily said, swallowing hard.
    â€œGet a good night’s sleep,” the vet said as he waved to her father in the pickup truck. “We’ll take good care of Astra and she’ll be here waiting for you in the morning.”
    The short ride home was quiet. Lily had the feeling her dad already regretted his decision to let her keep Astra. When she got home, she quickly laid out her clothes for school, then brushed her teeth and prepared for bed. She didn’t want to give her father a chance to back out of the deal, so she quickly kissed him and her