A New Beginning

Injuries

The last few months of sophomore year flew by, and once again, it was summertime. Shania's heart jumped with excitement as she sat on her horse's back and waited. Once again, she was participating in the annual horsemanship competition, in which a rider was judged on his or her ability to ride their horse. Shania had been participating in this competition since she was ten years old, and ever since it had been a big highlight of her year. Her entire family had come to support her; they were in the stands cheering with the rest of the spectators.

All year long, Shania practiced her riding skills with Blue Jeans, her beloved horse, to prepare for the competition. She was determined to win first place; last year, she had gotten second place after a very close score and that disappointed her greatly.

Now Shania was waiting anxiously for her turn at last task, which was hurdle jumping. It was one of the hardest tasks; however, Shania felt fairly confident. She had practiced this with Blue Jeans many times by jumping over logs and fences.

Blue Jeans stamped his foot and snorted impatiently. "I know, boy. I'm anxious for this one too," Shania soothed, patting her tan, speckled horse on the nose. "But we're gonna kill it, right?" Her eyes scanned the row of riders on their horses in front of her.

One by one, the competitors' numbers were called off, signaling it was their turn. As Shania slowly moved up in line, she became more apprehensive. Although she had performed this task in the previous years, she still worried a little each time.

"Number 57," the judge announced over the microphone. That's my number! Shania thought to herself. She guided Blue Jeans to the entry to the horse arena. From previous experience, she knew that she would have to jump three hurdles of various heights, with the shortest being the first, and the tallest being the last.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Blue Jeans took off at a gallop, with Shania guiding him with the reins. The wind blew through her dark brown hair as she approached the first hurdle. "Jump, Blue Jeans!" Shania commanded, digging her heels into the horse's sides. Blue Jeans obeyed, jumping over the first hurdle with ease.

The second hurdle was slightly taller; but Blue Jeans gave a giant leap, barely making it over. As the horse headed towards the third hurdle, Shania took a deep breath. "Come on, Blue Jeans. We can do this!" she encouraged her horse.

Blue Jeans galloped with confidence towards the last hurdle. However, as the horse jumped, fear gripped Shania. Oh no! He jumped too soon! she panicked. As Blue Jeans made his landing, his hind leg caught on the hurdle, causing him to collapse on the dirt floor. Shania was thrown off her horse; she flew through the air, and before she knew what happened, she landed on the ground with a crash. After hitting her head on the ground, Shania was submerged into unconsciousness.

When Shania woke up, she found herself in a small hospital room, surrounded by her family. "Where—where am I?" she stammered. "What happened?" She was dressed in a hospital gown and her right arm was in a sling. She also felt like she had to go to the bathroom.

"Dear, you're in the hospital," Mrs. Reynolds tried to calm her daughter down. She proceeded to explain what happened to her out on the arena. "You fractured your hip and dislocated your shoulder," she finished. "Boys, don't mess with the computer!" she turned around, scolding her two sons, Eric and Will, who were playing around with the nurses' computer that was in Shania's room.

"Is Blue Jeans okay?" Shania worried.

Shania's parents exchanged glances. After a brief hesitation, her mom answered her question. "Well, he did suffer some injuries, but I don't know the extent of them. The vet was checking them out when we left."

Shania sighed. She was very concerned about Blue Jeans. What had she done to him? Tears filled her eyes as she pictured the tan, speckled horse lying on the ground, injured and distressed.

Mrs. Reynolds put a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, Blue Jeans will be fine," she comforted her daughter.

"I hope so," Shania sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Just then, a nurse entered the room. "Hello, there," she greeted Shania, making her way around the three youngest girls, Megan, Molly, and Christina, who were playing on the floor. "My name is Kara, and I'll be your nurse today."

"Sorry about the crowded room," Mrs. Reynolds apologized. "As you can see, we have a big family." She turned to her husband. "Maybe you can take the kids and find something to eat?" she suggested.

Mr. Reynolds obeyed, and rounded up all of Shania's siblings, herding them out the door. The nurse proceeded to wheel a portable vitals machine in the room and took Shania's vitals.

"How are you feeling right now?" Kara asked. "Any pain?"

"A little," Shania answered, indicating her right hip. "But I have to go to the bathroom too."

"Well, you have a catheter in right now," Kara answered. "So it will drain in there. Where are you having pain at?"

"My hip," Shania answered.

"Mind if I take a look?" Kara asked as she pulled down the blankets and lifted up Shania's gown. There were several small incisions in her leg where the surgeons had gone in and stabilized the hip with metal screws and rods. "The incisions look good," she told Shania. "But I'll get you something for pain." She covered Shania up again and walked out of the room, taking the vitals machine with her.

"How long am I going to stay here?" Shania wondered.

"I don't know, honey," her mom answered. "I'm guessing it's going to be a while. The doctor was telling me that a broken hip can take a while to heal. You'll have to work with physical therapy as well, to gain your strength back."

Shania sighed, disappointed. That was not what she wanted to hear. It was only June, which meant that she would spend a good chunk of her summer stuck in the hospital. She probably wouldn't be able to ride Blue Jeans for a long time.

Mrs. Reynolds stayed at Shania's bedside until about nine in the evening. "Well, I'd better get back home for the night," she told her daughter.

"Okay," Shania nodded. She knew that the hospital was about a half hour's drive away from her home.

Mrs. Rox stood up and gave Shania a hug. "Good night, dear," she said, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too," Shania repeated.

Mrs. Reynolds left the room, and Shania was alone. She gazed around her dimly lit hospital room. I can't believe this happened to me, she thought miserably. Will I ever be able to enjoy this summer at all?