Chapter Sixteen

 

Saturday, November 30th, 1:30 p.m.

 

As I started to come back, I felt as if I was floating. Water dripped on my face. Had it started to rain? Somehow, I heard Jack’s voice. Did I smell his spicy aftershave? I drifted a bit and just listened.

“You’re all right, baby. I’ve got you. Baby, it’s okay.”

I must be dreaming. He never gushed. I forced open my eyes. He was really here, really with me. Not my crazy imagination. He held me tight against him, carrying me. “I fell.”

“Got thrown,” Jack corrected. He stopped walking. “How do you feel?”

I saw tears on his cheeks. One slid down splashing onto my face. My head spun. For a minute, I tasted my turkey sandwich again. I gagged. “Put me down.”

“No.”

I managed to turn my head when I puked. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He stepped around the puddle of my sandwich and pumpkin pie. “Robin, go get her a bottle of water. Then find the first aid kit.”

I closed my eyes. The next time I opened them I was in the office, slumped in a chair. Kevin brought over the wastebasket and put it next to me. “What’s this for?”

“Jack says if you hurl again, you won’t want to make a mess.” Kevin wiped at his face and sniffled. “I’m sorry, Vicky. Dad said to run and get you.”

“It was an accident.” I tried to touch him, but my hand felt too heavy to lift. “Remember that you never run on a horse farm or yell. Deal?”

“Yeah.” Kevin gulped back a sob. “I’m real sorry. He said run when you didn’t come after he honked the horn. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said again. “You didn’t mean it.”

He walked away, crying. I should go after him, but I didn’t want to move. It seemed like too much trouble.

Robin came with a bottle of water and knelt by me. She twisted off the cap and held the bottle to my mouth. “Sip. Swish. Spit.”

I did, rinsing my mouth. “The kids. Are they okay?”

“Don’t worry about them. Autumn has four of them, and she’s holding a ‘Shamrock Stable way’ meeting. Kevin’s helping us with you.”

“Is Aladdin okay?”

“He’s fine. He’s having an intervention with Rocky. She’s explaining the facts of horsy life here to him. This is a kids’ barn. He’s going to have to deal with beginners and the silly things they do for the next thirty years or he can go to Canada and be meat.”

“It wasn’t all his fault,” I said.

“No, but nobody knows what people may do around horses. He needs to wake up and smell the oats if he wants to stay here,” Robin told me. “Only Rocky would feed him for two years and wait for him to get it together. Anyone else would have shipped him a long time ago.”

She had a point, but it seemed too hard to tell her that. I closed my eyes again.

I opened them when Jack showed up with the first-aid kit, tucking his phone into his pocket. “I called your mom. She’s meeting us at the hospital. I’m taking off your helmet, and we’re cleaning you up before the paramedics get here.”

“I don’t need them.”

“Baby, when you fall like that and lose consciousness, I don’t care what you need. You’re going to the hospital.”

I looked at Robin when she choked with laughter. “What’s wrong?”

“Him. We have to drag him to the doctor when he gets hurt. Mr. Macho is right, Vick. You need to get checked out.”

“I don’t…” I lifted my chin so Jack could unbuckle the strap. Everything spun like my head was on a merry-go-round by itself while my body waited outside. My stomach clenched. I choked and tasted water. I bent over. Kevin held up the wastebasket. I hurled again.

Jack put my helmet on the table beside me. I saw big cracks running through the plastic. “Oh crap. It’s toast. I’m going to have to buy a new one.”

“Better the helmet than your head.” Robin told me.

I leaned back and closed my eyes while Jack wiped my face with a warm cloth. I didn’t wear much makeup to the barn. I heard heavy clumping steps and opened my eyes to see two firefighters, a guy and a gal, carrying a bunch of equipment. “I don’t need you. I’m okay.”

“You look fine to me,” the man said. “What do we have here?”

“Her horse spooked. She fell.” Robin took over, describing the impact, how I passed out, and how many times I threw up. She was going to be a great doctor, I thought dizzily. Too much was going on here, and I leaned back, shutting my eyes. That was better.

* * * *

Saturday, November 30th, 4:15 p.m.

 

At the hospital, the doctor, a young guy in blue scrubs, fussed around me. He’d had me X-rayed and CT scanned and ran a bunch of tests. I told him that I felt better now. Okay, I was a bit stiff, but I’d been hurt worse at cheerleading. I was super grateful that Rocky insisted on the protective vest and equestrian helmet. My head ached, especially when Mom started complaining about the cost of everything the doctor did.

He ignored her and studied the X-rays. “Okay, let’s talk about you, Vicky. No broken bones or cracked ribs. That’s good considering how far you fell and how hard you landed. How tall is the horse?”

“Fifteen hands,” I said. “Barely a horse, size-wise, and he’s doing really well. It wasn’t his fault. Any horse could have spooked when a bunch of kids ran screaming at him.”

“Typical of you horse-people,” the doctor said. “Nothing is ever the horse’s fault. What are you going to do with him?”

I heaved a sigh, and my head throbbed. “Start over with more ground work which is a major pain in the tush. We’d just gotten to where I could ride him.”

“You’re never riding there again,” Mom interrupted. “I can’t afford to have you hurt. Do you know what this is going to cost?”

“Not that much, only the copay,” I said. “You have me on your insurance from work. Rick pays the insurance for his kids. And really, you should go harass him. If he hadn’t sent the five of them screaming at my horse, I wouldn’t have fallen.”

“I had to take time off work to come here,” Mom said. “This is a big weekend. I need to get back to the casino.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said. “Blah, blah, blah. Could you just shut up? My head already aches. When can I have an aspirin?”

The doctor turned back to the lighted screen, his shoulders shaking in his blue scrub shirt. “Well, you’ve got some clarity of thought. The concussion might not be as bad as I thought. Mrs. Miller, who is going to take care of her if I let her go home tonight?”

“What?” Mom asked. “You have to release her. She needs to be at home to take care of the kids. I’ve got to get back to work.”

“And who will take care of this kid? I’m talking about Vicky. She has a concussion. No lifting, no straining, no riding, no school, and no cheerleading until I see her on Tuesday.”

“Now, if you say no vacuuming, no cooking, no laundry, and no changing diapers, you’ll be my hero forever, just like Jack,” I said. “No walking the kids to daycare in the rain or picking them up at the elementary school to walk them home. No pushing Chrissy in the stroller.”

“How long have you been practicing medicine? That sounds like a good prescription to me. Do I need to write it down?”

Mom glared at both of us. “You two aren’t funny.”

“I’m not laughing,” the doctor said. “I’m as serious as the long-term effects this child could suffer if someone doesn’t take care of her. We’re talking vertigo, lightheadedness, nausea, fainting, and even a coma. I’m not ruling out the possibility of a heart attack or stroke either.”

“You’re just trying to scare me,” Mom said, folding her arms. “It’s not working.”

“I wish something worked. I don’t know how to convince you that Vicky is hurt and needs care, Mrs. Miller.”

Lifting a hand to my aching head, I told him, “Don’t waste any more time on Cleopatra, Doctor. Just let me go home with my mother-in-law.”

“What mother-in-law?” Mom squawked.

The doctor came back, pulling a mini-flashlight out of his shirt pocket. “Sounds like you’re worse off than I thought. Let me check your pupils. I didn’t know you were married, Vicky.”

“I’m not, yet.” I blinked when he shone the little light in my eye. “I’m marrying Jack.”

“Really? Does he know?” The doctor asked.

“Of course he knows. It was his idea. I was good with us just living together. We’ll get married in six or seven years after I finish college and we open our own training stable. His mom likes me. She’s bound to be outside in the waiting room with him.”

“Sounds good. I’ll go talk to them.”

He disappeared out of the examining room. Mom gave me an evil look. She stalked toward me, a total demon in a teal tuxedo shirt and black slacks. “You’re milking this, Vicky. Don’t you think I know when you play sick by now?”

“Considering how my head feels, I’m not playing,” I said. “Granted, if I had an ice pack and a ton of pain relievers, I’d feel better. But, I don’t think you should make me babysit today. If I had to run after Chrissy, I’d be puking my guts out. And if I pass out in your house, who would look after the kids or call 9-1-1? That’s a lot of responsibility to lay on Kevin. In case you forgot, he’s only ten.”

Before she could answer, the doctor returned with Jack’s mom. She didn’t look much like him or Robin. Instead, she was an older version of Felicia, strawberry blonde, blue-eyed with a propensity for wearing cowgirl clothes.

She came across to me and rested a hand on my forehead. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“I’m sorry, Maura.” Tears sprang to my eyes and streamed down my face before I could stop them. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” She stroked my hair and hugged me, letting me bury my face against her and cry into her shirt. “For falling off your horse? Honey, it happens to the best of us. Do you know how many times I’ve gone splat when Singer erupts on the trail? Granted, I usually land on my butt, which saves me on the cost of a new helmet.”

“Need a pillow?” I managed a weak laugh.

“That might come in handy,” Maura agreed. When I straightened, she framed my face with her hands. “So, you’re going to be my daughter-in-law? When do I have to worry about being a grandma?”

“Ooh, gross.” I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know if Jack and I will ever have kids after raising my brothers and sisters. Considering how much work they are, you may have to wait until Robin or Felicia get married and give you some grandkids.”

“Right answer.” Maura kissed my forehead. “I’ll take you home with me to rest up. Felicia is down at your house looking after your brothers and sisters. So, they’re fine.”

“Oh, that’s great,” I said, and I meant it. “The accident wasn’t their fault. Rick told them to run and get me like a half-dozen times. So they did, and it freaked out Aladdin.”

“Understandably.” Maura turned to look at my mom. “Felicia is driving back to school tomorrow morning, Gretchen. That will give you time to arrange for another babysitter.”

“By then, Vicky…”

“No, don’t go there.” Maura held up her hand. “I’ve been through this before, Gretchen. You haven’t. I have three very active teenagers who manage to hurt themselves doing sports and horseback riding on a regular basis. Take my word for it. Vicky needs constant supervision so she can be taken to the hospital if she collapses. I can handle that. You focus on your job and the younger set.”

As the doctor and I watched, Maura urged Mom out to the waiting room. The doctor eyed me. “Wow, Mrs. Gibson is something. I think I want her for a mama-in-law too.”

I giggled. “Well, I have Jack, and his sister, my best friend, already has a guy. I think Felicia could be available. She dumped her last boyfriend when he suggested she sell her horse to go to college.”

“What was he thinking?”

“I know. Go figure. Like a girl would give up the unconditional love of her horse,” I paused, “except I’m pretty sure that Aladdin’s is connected to all the carrots I feed him.”

* * * *

Sunday, December 1st, 10:15 a.m.

 

I heard someone moving around and opened my eyes to see Felicia rummaging in her closet. “Morning,” I said. “How are the kids?”

“They’re fine.” Felicia tucked two shirts into her suitcase. “How are you?”

“Okay. Your mom came in and woke me up about six times last night, asking me all sorts of questions. My name, age, birthday, stuff like that.”

“All the things the doctor told her to do to check on brain function.” Felicia kept packing. “Dad’s making French toast. He’ll have Mom or Robin bring in a tray for you.”

“He doesn’t need to do that. I can come to the kitchen table.”

“Before you try doing that, Vicky, why not sit up?”

“Good idea.” I eased up in bed. My head swirled, and I took a couple deep breaths until everything settled back down again. “Okay, maybe not. I’ve never had breakfast in bed.”

“You’ll love it,” Felicia said. “Want some help getting to the bathroom first? You can brush your teeth and hair, not with the same brush. I’ll get my robe for you.”

“Okay.” I waited for a moment or two. I pushed the covers off my legs. Slowly, I shifted on the bed till my feet were on the floor. “Why are you guys being so nice to me?”

“We’re not.” Felicia came over with her robe and wrapped it around my shoulders. “This is the same way my folks and Robin and Jack treat me when I go corral surfing off Vinnie.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Felicia put an arm around my waist and helped me stand. “Nobody’s treating you special, Vick. We’re just doing what we’d do for each other. Feel better now?”

“Yes. I could so get used to this.” It felt like I was being spoiled even if she didn’t admit it. Nobody in my family ever helped me dress or go to the bathroom or brought me food. “Did you mean it when you said I could borrow your room for longer than a couple days?”

“You can stay as long as you want.”

Forever, I thought. I want to stay forever!