(Two Years Later)
Around half past twelve, I wake up. I get up, but find it hard to because I feel a lot heavier than usual. I walk around, trying to find Splash, but I don’t see him. I walk the fence line of the pasture looking for him. I hear him, but I can’t see him. He walks up behind me and nips me on the bottom. I kick out, not intentionally trying to hit him. He just laughs and walks up beside me. We walk the fence line for a while, talking about different things.
I lie down, and let Splash watch over. I feel a sharp pain in my stomach, almost like pins and needles. I don’t think anything of it, until the pain keeps getting worse and worse.
“Splash, get John, now!!”
“What? Why what’s wrong darling, are you okay?!”
“Please don’t ask questions! Just go get him! I’ll tell you once you get him.”
Splash takes off at a mad gallop back to the gate of the pasture. He screams for John, and John comes running out of the house. Splash paces, waiting for John to reach the gate. John comes in, but he doesn’t see me. He hops on Splash bareback and grabs onto Splash’s mane. He takes off through the pasture and comes to an abrupt stop next to me. John gets off and runs over to me, stroking my face, and moves his way down my body. He gets to my stomach, and I cringe in pain. I scream out, letting him know it hurts. Splash backs away, a worried look in his eyes. John reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his cell phone. He calls Mike, hoping he can get out as quick as he can. John runs back to the barn to get blankets to throw over me. The temperature is dropping fast, and lying on this cold ground could give me hypothermia and make me lethargic.
John comes back, stumbling and tripping on the blankets. I lift my head, but the pain is too severe.
“Splash, I can’t be going into labor yet! It’s too early!”
“Darling, if you are, I’m here for you. Don’t worry, once Mike gets here he will find out. Please stay calm darling, I am right here.”
Splash lies down next to me and rests his head over my neck. Mike pulls in the drive and comes running into the pasture. He brings his bag, and sets it down at my head.
“John, what was the last thing she ate?”
“I gave her the usual feed rations, and hay rations. Nothing has changed.”
Mike talks to me, asking what’s wrong, trying to figure out what’s going on. Like he is going to understand what I say…
My stomach hurts, man. What don’t you understand about that? I’m telling you it hurts, but you don’t listen! I sometimes wonder if you even have a brain. They always say horses don’t have brains that they aren’t smart or they don’t have feelings, well hello?! Excuse me, mare lying in pain here?! We don’t have feelings, what a bunch of crap. We feel it if you hurt us, we feel pain when you verbally abuse us, so you don’t have a right to say we don’t feel anything.
Mike was talking to John, so I lifted my head and reached and nipped at the piece of paper in his back pocket. I grabbed it and strained to get it on my stomach, so he can see what is really wrong. I lay my head back down, and sigh, thankfully my stomach quit hurting for now. Mike, who was still talking to John turned around and noticed the paper on my stomach. He came over and picked it up, and knelt down by my rear, looking at something, I don’t know what though. He calls to John, but his tone is very worried and almost shocking at the same time.
“John, she’s pregnant!! She’s in labor now, but we can’t let her foal on this cold ground!”
“Oh crap. None of my stalls are big enough, though to home a mare and foal. What if I set up a pen big enough in the indoor arena? That way it’s temporary until I can build a stall that will be big enough for her and her foal?”
“That’ll do, but hurry, I’m going to try and get her up and bring her in. Rain is supposed to be coming in and should be here anytime soon, and I don’t want her out when she does foal.”
John ran off, leaving Splash, Mike and I outside. I wasn’t going anywhere so I don’t know what she is talking about getting me up and bringing me inside. Splash is standing by Mike, worry written all over his face. He steps back, as Mike stands up and clips a lead rope onto to my halter. He lifts my face, but the pain is so severe in my stomach I can barely move. If only he gave me something to take the pain away…
I spoke to soon; Mike reaches around and grabs a syringe from his bag. He takes the cap off and sticks me in my neck. I don’t feel anything after a few minutes.
“Please dear, get up. You have to get inside, before you foal just so it doesn’t risk the lives of you two. Please, darling I’m asking you to please get up.”
“Splash, I don’t want to leave! My water has already broken and I’m due-…”
I couldn’t get the last bit out. A major contraction sweeps over me, almost like it paralyzes me. It hurts to move, and there is no way I’m moving now.
I scream in pain, wishing there was a better way to deliver rather than outside. Maybe Mike was right, going inside would be easier, and Splash was right, it would save possibly both mine and the foal’s life. It doesn’t hurt to try.
I manage to lift myself up, and prop up on my front legs. I strain to pull my body up, but I manage with Mike’ help. We walk at my pace back to the barn and into the covered arena. The trek up the hill from the pasture took us a while. It was hard, but I got to the indoor arena and collapsed. Splash was put in his stall, by Mike’s request. He goes wild, wanting to be with me. John second guesses putting him up but Mike just ignores the noisy Splash.
I feel a contraction coming, and the urge to push so I do. After 3 hard long hours, I finally deliver my child. I didn’t get up for the longest time, I was only recovering. I had trouble delivering the foal, and Splash wasn’t there to comfort me. Mike made me get up eventually, and I had had a colt. A boy, just what Splash had wanted and so did I.
******~******
Four weeks after I gave birth, John and Sarah had come up with a name for my boy. They call him Luke, but I prefer Lucas. It’s what he will go by, but his nickname can be Luke. I get separated from him 10 weeks later. Lucas gets in his own stall and Splash joins me in the little pen. It’s barely big enough for me to lie down and I need to lie down. Splash gets annoyed with the small pen and starts kicking at the fence. It doesn’t budge and Splash gives up. I haven’t had sleep in a while and I need rest badly. John had training duty for Lucas and Sarah was in charge of taking care of us and the other horses. She didn’t do a very good job. If we got let out, it was only for a few minutes.
I finally collapsed, exhausted and starved. Splash went berserk, kicking and pawing like crazy. Sarah didn’t bother to come over; she just laughed at us and walked away. Lucas’s training session wasn’t over so John came in the indoor arena and worked him. Well, not for long let’s say that. At the sight of his son and John, Splash went crazy, trying everything to get John’s attention. It worked.
“Hang in there darling, please. John is coming, and so is Lucas. Darling, please hang on!”
“Splash, I’m tired and weak and starving. I don’t know if I’ll make it. Sarah hasn’t fed us in over four days! No food or water, barely let out for more than five minutes, we are trapped!”
“John is coming darling, just calm down, please.”
John came running over, with Lucas not far behind. John opened the gate, and Splash stepped out and ran to Lucas, trying to distract him.
“Hey girl, shh it’s going to be okay, you are going to be okay, girl. I’ll get Mike out, he’ll be here as quick as he can girl. Hang in there girlie, it’ll be okay.”
“Mommy, please get up mommy, please!! You have to get up momma!” Lucas bobbed and weaved, trying to get past Splash. He was persistent at it, and so was Splash, blocking Lucas’s way.
“Come on, son. Let John and Mike work this out. I’m sure mommy will be fine son. Come on, let’s go.”
“But-…But I don’t want to daddy! I want to stay with mommy!” Lucas begged and begged to stay. He eventually gave up.
He wanted to be with me, and did everything to try and stay. Splash finally managed to get Lucas away, and herded him into an empty stall and closed the stall door. Mike arrives, and first gets everything out of the way. He takes the halter off, and disassembles the make shift pen. John was told to keep Splash away, but I doubt he could keep Splash away from me. We were “married”, and were inseparable. John finally got Splash in a stall.
Mike gave me an IV, and I got some energy but not a lot. During that energy boost, Mike and John tried desperately to get me up. It worked, but I was feeling woozy and was sure I would collapse again soon. John made a warm mash for me to eat, and I did. I scarfed it down in a matter of minutes and was feeling better already. I just needed exercise. I needed to run.
Sarah walked in and was asking what went wrong. John told her that I haven’t been fed in a while and I was dehydrated. John didn’t suspect it was Sarah that didn’t feed me. I pawed the ground four times, showing how long it was since I was fed.
“How long has it been since she was fed, Sarah?”
“I fed her last night but not this morning. I was getting around to it.”
I pawed the ground four times again, and saw John watching. “One, two, three, four, four days Sarah and she don’t lie. Why four days Sarah, did you just not feel like feeding them?!”
“I’m sorry! She doesn’t deserve to be here, she has cost us a boat load in vet bills, and we can barely afford it John.”
“Okay, Sarah that doesn’t give you a right to not feed her! This is not your say whether or not you have to feed the horses, this isn't your place. She has to eat to survive, just like you. Would you like it if I took your food away and didn’t feed you for four days straight?” Mike fired back.
Yeah, you go Mike!
“No, I wouldn’t. But-…why-…This isn’t about me, it’s about that stupid mare!!”
“No if’s, and’s or but’s about it Sarah. You could have starved this mare to death. Luckily Splash was able to get John’s attention soon enough cause if not, she wouldn’t be doing well at all.” Mike, obviously irritated dismissed Sarah and finished talking to John. In the meantime, I walked around the fence of the indoor arena, counting my steps as I went.
Splash was kicking at the stall door, and Lucas was pacing and screaming his heart out. I picked up the pace and trotted the fence line back and forth calling to Splash and Lucas.
“Lucas, honey I’m alright! Splash, darling, I’m better now, Mike has helped me!”
“Mommy, let me out! I want to be with you!”
“Lucas, if you keep it up John will come and get you, I promise. Then you can be with me. Splash, can you get John?”
“I can try darling. Lucas, just please calm down, son.”
I run over to John and nip at him and take off around the ring. He turns around, and before he could do anything I was already running around the fence line. John decided not to pay attention to me, and turned and talked to Mike. I ran into the middle and started nipping at his hair. He turned around and stroked my face for the longest time. I let him, the turned to where my back was even with his face. He looked at Mike and he nodded in approval. John got on me bareback and no bridle. He used the four natural aids to send me forward, backwards and in either direction.
We were cantering and when we got to the gate, I stopped. I turned and looked at Lucas and Splash and knelt down on my knees, letting John get off. Well, supposedly not. John kicked me, hard in the side and sent me scrambling for my feet. I lunged forward, and made John grab some of my mane. He got me to slow down and go at a pace he wanted. I listened and stopped at the gate again. I knelt down and did it again. John kicked me again, and I took off.
Why do you keep doing that? It hurts! I want Splash and Lucas in here with me!! Why don’t you understand that’s why I keep stopping at the gate? If only you understood John…if only you understood.
John keeps me going at a steady canter for at least 30 minutes. I am dripping in sweat and breathing hard, and finally John stops me. He cools me off and puts me in my stall. It’s supposed to be cold tonight, but I didn’t get any sheets or blankets. The temperature dropped to 20 below. I was cold with a teeth rattling shiver. Splash and Lucas both had their blankets but I didn’t.
I don’t see why and how he forgot to put my blanket on me. He never forgets those things like that. I just can’t figure out why he forgot. Does he not care anymore? Is he to fed up with Sarah that it just didn’t cross his mind? Maybe, I hope that’s what it is. I hope he didn’t forget completely about me.
I pace back and forth, trying to keep warm, but it seems I just get colder and colder. I lay down near the back of my stall underneath the hay, wishing it would keep me warm. It does only a little bit. I manage to get still and stay warm a little, enough to keep me from freezing.
A/N: 6-1-14: Edited. No major changes, spelling and grammar errors were fixed.