The First Year

By Brenda Hamilton

This is the story of a young woman graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in the year 1980. There is still a very strong old boys club atmosphere for young women in the field of large animal medicine. Gene, our heroine is hired at a vet. hospital situated in a fictional small town in north eastern Ontario. (I have a very real small agricultural valley in mind). There are four main characters developed in this story. They are all four professionals and must work hard to maintain a high level standard of work while balancing their lives with friendships outside their work environments. There is humor, some mystery, actual veterinary situations, and lots of fun. Come and meet the characters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brenda Hamilton
• Release date: Mar 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370864133

Brenda Hamilton

Brenda grew up near Oxford Mills, Ontario. After high school she went to Guelph University and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1977. She moved to the Rainy River District where she ran her large animal practice until the year 2000. Since then, her arthritis and fibromyalgia which had bothered her for years, has finally convinced Brenda to retire. After moving to Oliver with her husband, she has began to write down some of the many story ideas she has had in her head for yearsHope you enjoy reading these tales.

Book preview

The picture on the cover of the book was painted by Brenda in the winter of 2017. I am proud to be able to produce a unique picture of the valley that is in my head where Gene will learn her trade in large animal medicine.

The First Year

by Brenda Breitkreutz

The First Year

Published by Brenda Hamilton

Copyright 2017 Brenda Hamilton

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did

not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your

favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard

work of this author.

Dedication

This novel is dedicated to those Large Animal Veterinarians who believed that my abilities in vet. medicine were as good or better than the young men who graduated with me. They gave me my chance just as these professionals at Gene’s school give my young heroine her’s. Their confidence in me, gave me confidence in myself.

Thanks‼

Brenda

Table of Contents

Characters let’s meet the characters

Chapter1thebeginning,

Chapter 15

Chapter 20

End

Biography come and get to know me

Book 2 what happens now

Other books

Connect with me

Characters

Dr. Genesis, (Gene) Black is a new grad from the Ontario Veterinary College. (approx. Year 1980) She is fairly tall especially for a woman - 5’9" or so, with long black hair - usually worn in braids, and often tucked under ball cap

Dr. Daniel Crossman - owner of the Crossman Veterinary Hospital, a 1970 grad - an chauvinist - married to school teacher - grad 2- Cathy C. He is about 2 inches shorter than Gene. (interesting enough)

Cathy Crossman. - blond haired, and all that usually entails (sorry for the profiling)

Marion Crossman. Dr. Crossman`s mother and the receptionist at the vet. hospital. She prefers to be referred to as Mrs. Crossman, although Gene calls her Whitie

Evie -Evelyn Edwards - vet tech at the hospital. Close to Gene`s age, and soon to become her best friend.

Mitch LeBlanc- tall, dark and handsome, carpenter, great grandmother French-Canadian. Owns a small farm just outside of town.

David Smyth - new OPP sergeant stationed at neighbouring town

Edith and Bill Anderson - Anderson Hereford Farm

Gloria Blockman - owner min poodle Susie - holy terrer. - terrier

Gene (pronounced Jean, never spelt that way) arrived at the Crossman Vet Clinic, eight a.m. sharp, to wait five minutes patiently on the front stoop along with a Mrs. Blockman, and Mr. Shepherd, neither of which were a patient.

The door was opened seemingly reluctantly by a sixtyish woman in nurses’ white scrubs, and a clip board. The woman looked like she habitually wore a scowl looking at the lines around her pinched mouth. She had short grey hair, streaked with blond and red high-lights (yes, and I mean RED, not auburn), and the white of her uniform burned Gene’s retinas. The lady stood about five and a half feet tall, which is average for many women, except for the fact that her shape tended bring one’s eyes to her rather rounded mid-section. Gene figured correctly that walking or jogging were not words which entered the woman’s vocabulary too often.

‘Which one of you are Shepherd?’

‘You know perfectly well who I am Marion. Does that good for nothing son of your’s got the vaccines for those cows of mine waiting?’ growled none other than the man who wore the rubber boots and coveralls.

‘Well if that’s how you want to play it Mitchell, just pull up a chair over there in the corner, why don’t you? Oh Gloria, is that Susie in that kennel? Oh, bring that doll in here and get her out of there. I will let Dr. Crossman know you are here.’

With that the two women disappeared down a long hallway, and Mr. Shepherd paced.

‘Hi Mitchell or would you rather Mitch, I’m doctor Black. This is my first morning here, but if I can find the pharmacy, you wouldn’t know behind which door I should look first, now do you? no matter I will follow my nose. Did you know that every pharmacy seems to smell just about the same, even from two doors down. Oh here it is Mr. Shepherd. Could you come down here and tell me which vaccines they were getting ready for you?’

‘It’s Mitch, doc and since you are new, I will let you in on a secret. No one is allowed back there unless they are invited by Mrs. Crossman.’

‘Who’s that?’

‘The lady in white, who happens to be Doctor Crossman’s mom.’

‘Really. Well anyway Mitch instead of us yelling at each other like two old married folks, ``come on back``, and help me out here. Will that do as an invite?`

Mitchell laughed uproariously, and hurried down the hall and into the pharmacy, before closing the door softly.

`Scared of someone?`

`Yupp`

`Can I ask who?`

`Best not.` Mitch had been carefully looking blankly into the frig when Gene looked up at him, smiling and pointed at a cardboard box with a stickie note attached reading M. Shepherd, then lead their procession of two back down the hall.`

`Our luck is turning. Look there is a bill inside. Paying or charging?`

`Charge doctor.`

With that he scribbled his signature across the bottom of the bill and Gene gave him the top copy and stuck the rest of the paperwork in the centre of Mrs. Crossman`s desk. She then calmly took a seat in the waiting room. She heard voices briefly while a