We could hear the ambulance siren coming from the highway.

Within minutes the paramedics were there attending to Sam, and then another ambulance and a sheriff arrived. All of them administered first aid to us and then loaded Sam into the first ambulance and us into the second. We found ourselves being sped to the county hospital in Houma.

The paramedics were checking our vitals and a nurse was holding Layla at the end of Maggie’s gurney. Layla had not uttered a sound during the entire ordeal.

“How’s my baby?” Maggie said, obviously now in pain.

The nurse said, “She’s fine. I can’t find a single sting on her!”

“A real miracle!” one of the paramedics said.

“You can say that again!” the nurse said.

Suddenly I remembered Strider, and I asked, “Did anyone check out that old dog? His name is Strider.”

The paramedic said, “Sheriff Brady took him in his car to the vet. But he didn’t look too bad to me.”

Finally beginning to relax, I realized I’d been stung at least a dozen times. The medics had given me a shot of Benadryl and another shot that was probably a pain med.