"Hey, do you guys want to go to dinner tonight? Like a double date?" Autumn asks me in chemistry a couple of weeks later. "It's been forever since the four of us really did anything together."
"We hung out this weekend," I laugh.
"At the barn, it's not the same thing," Autumn says matter-of-factly. Truthfully, I do know exactly what she means, it's not the same as a real date night, we're always focused on the horses and Andy and Oliver are just sort of hanging out.
"Personally, I'm in," I say as I turn to motion to Andy from across the classroom. Mr. Witt made Andy and Justin move tables after he caught us all talking one too many times. I point at Autumn then mime eating, it's nonsense, but he seems to get the idea and nods.
"Do you think he has any idea what he just said yes to?" Autumn asks with a raised eyebrow.
"He doesn't have a clue," I laugh. "But he'll want to go. What time were you thinking?"
"Doesn't matter, I don't have anything after school. Well, I should be studying for exams, but I'm pretty sure I don't actually have to take any this year."
"I know, how exciting is that? The only one I'm waiting find out about is my statistics class, but I'm pretty sure I'm exempt. I found out this morning I don't have to take one in ASL. It's amazing what happens when you go to class and you study," I laugh.
Our school has a pretty easy system, you can be exempt from any exam in which you have an A or B grade as long as you haven't missed more than a certain number of days, the better your grade the more days you can miss. You can also be exempt if you pass your standardize test if there is one for the class. Luckily I have A's in both of my classes that didn't have standardize tests since I've missed a few days of school horse showing this year.
"I'll check with Oliver and we'll let you know," Autumn says as the bell rings.
Andy walks over to our desk, "So you're having lunch with Autumn? How?"
"No," I laugh. "Autumn and Oliver want to go on a double date tonight, for dinner."
"Ohh," Andy laughs. "That's not what it looked like you were saying at all."
"I knew he didn't know what you were saying," Autumn laughs as we head out of the classroom.
"Well, I'm in not like I have anything to do tonight. But, Sawyer you have to ride Vera right?" Andy asks.
"That Little Black Dress pony? You're still having to ride her?" Autumn asks.
"Yeah, she's been completely perfect and I've tried everything. I think you could tie and actual bomb to that pony's tail and she wouldn't care. I was expecting her to be a nightmare," I shrug.
"Ha! Nightmare..." Autumn laughs. When we both just stare at her she says, "It's funny, you know, because she's black like night and also a mare."
"Nope, that's dumb," I can't help but smile at how much she's laughing about it though. "Well, Vera shouldn't take long, and it's Thursday so it's the twins' night to feed. How about six o'clock at Anna's?"
"Sounds good," Autumn says before heading off to study hall.
"You're still coming out to the barn with me today right?" I ask Andy before he follows Autumn. I make it a point to never ride a training horse without someone else there, even the mellow ones like Vera.
"Yeah, of course," Andy smiles, giving me a quick kiss before dashing into the art room.
"She looks great," Andy says as I trot the medium black pony past him.
"I really can't find any issues with her. She's been awesome every time I've ridden her. I think I need to see Hailey ride her to figure out what they are struggling with," I say as I break Vera back down to a walk then halt by Andy. "Mom said she was lazy and stubborn, but she moves right along when I ask her, even if all I do is use my voice. Watch," I says.
I drop my reins to the buckle so they are loose and floppy, and I drop my stirrups and let my legs hang. "Walk," I tell the pony with a click of my tongue. Vera walks off content, ears relaxed. "Canter," I give a small kiss and the pony canters right off just as relaxed and mellow. I pick my legs up and find my stirrup irons as Vera gently canters around the ring then I gather my reins too.
BAM!
Vera startles, her head shooting up at the loud sound of metal against metal. I break her down to a walk, looking around, "What was that?" I ask Andy, but then I see it. It's Mark. He's working on his Blazer in the yard by the front porch and he just hit the side of the car with a wrench. He looks exasperated as he paces around the hood of the old vehicle. I can't hear what he's saying but I can hear the tone, he sounds mad.
"Can you just go ask him to wait another ten minutes? I'm almost done and I just want her to focus," I tell Andy.
"Sure," Andy says as he turns and walks towards Mark.
Vera seems to have gone right back to being bored with her job, so I send the pony back to work picking up a quiet canter and pop her over the small 2' jumps I'd set up before our ride. This pony is perfect and so much fun.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see Andy gesturing towards the Vera as Mark walks back to the drivers seat. It doesn't really matter now that he's not throwing things, Vera barely even spooked earlier. I shouldn't have bothered to send Andy over there. I canter Vera into the small line, a 2' vertical to a 2'3 oxer.
She jumps in great and I ask her to lengthen her canter stride just a little to make it down the line in the correct number of stride. Vera obliges stretching her step out just a little to make it down to the oxer which comes up in a comfortable six steps. As her front feet touch back down I hear a loud noise.
It cracks the air like a shot and Vera kicks out with her hind legs on the landing which unseats me. The next moment the pony is bucking like crazy. You've got this just sit up and pull her up, but in a split second the pony drops her shoulder and spins.
Shit, is all I can think as I hit the ground.
It takes a minute for me to move, she really knocked the wind right out of me. I lay there just doing that mental assessment, everything is okay, right? It wasn't even a bad fall, suck it up and breathe Sawyer. I prop myself up on my elbow and that's when I see it. My left thigh has an unnatural arch to it.
My mind races as I try to take in what I'm seeing, I've never even broken a bone before. I didn't just break my... I search for the name of that bone, femur. Yeah, that's my femur.
"Andy?" I call, I'm feeling oddly calm.
It takes a second but he finally answers, "Holy crap! Are you okay?"
I can hear foot steps as he runs over. "Can you just catch her please? And take her to the barn," I call before he can get to me. All I can think about is getting the pony out of her before she runs me over or hurts herself.
I hear Andy change his direction just as he's reaching the ring, jogging to Vera instead. Once he's left the ring with the pony I yell to Mark. "Mark? Can you come help me please?"
After a minute Mark comes to the edge of the ring, "What?" he asks dismissively.
"Can you call an ambulance? I think I've broken my leg," I ask him.
"Just have that guy take you," Mark says.
"No, like I think I broke my femur," I point at my leg which is still laying at an awkward angle. I'm afraid to move even an inch.
"Fine," Mark says, his voice retreating.
After what feels like a lifetime I feel a gentle buzzing in my pocket. Oh right, I forgot I had my phone, I carefully pull my phone from my back pocket and see Mom is calling me.
"Mom?" I say as I answer the phone.
"Mark just called. He said you fell of the Jameson's pony? Is everything okay?" she sound like she's driving.
"Well, I broke my leg," I say casually.
"Very funny Sawyer," Mom says and I swear I can hear her roll her eyes.
"No, really Mom," I tell her. "It's broken."
"Well, I'm heading home from your Gran's. I'll be home shortly," Mom says.
"Mom? I don't think you understand," I say calmly. "My leg. Is broken. I'm waiting for an ambulance. Don't come home, go to the hospital."
"Okay honey, I'll see you there," Mom says as she hangs up.
What just happened? Did I not make myself clear?
Andy comes running back up to the ring, "Sawyer?" he says as he slows to a jog. "Why are you still on the ground? Are you okay?"
"Well, that's a matter of opinion," I say as I hear his foot steps approach.
"Holy shit," Andy says as he breaks back into a run. "Why didn't you tell me you're hurt? Damn it Sawyer, I was untacking that stupid pony while you were just laying out here."
"I'm okay, there's nothing you could do about it anyway. Mark called the ambulance for me," I tell him as he sits down next to me, taking my hand.
Just then Andy's phone rings and he looks at it, "It's your mom, hang on," he says pressing the answer button. "Hello?"
"What? No, Sawyer is laying here with a broken," he pauses.
"Femur," I offer.
"Femur," Andy nods. "No, it looks really bad! What? Why? Are you serious?" Andy hangs up the phone with a look of disgust.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Mark didn't call the ambulance. He called your mother and told her you 'claimed' you broke your leg. Then she called you and you sounded really calm, probably because you're in shock, so she didn't believe you. Now SHE is calling the ambulance," Andy is seething. "Here, do you want to take your helmet off, you might be more comfortable," he says reaching up and helping me remove it. Andy sits there with me for the next fifteen minutes while we wait for the ambulance to arrive.
The next hour is a blur as the medics remove my half chaps, after a lot of yelling by me not to cut them off. I mean, really guys they have side zippers and they are expensive. After they remove my half chaps they cut my jeans off, but I refuse to look, I just stare up at Andy's worried face and breathe.
I'm fine until they start trying to move me; that's when the calm evaporates, fear and pain replacing it.
"We should really fly her," one of the paramedics says quietly from a few feet away.
"Fly me?" I interject. "You can't fly me."
"I don't think you get it, there isn't an orthopedic surgeon on call here. You need to be flown somewhere," the woman says patiently.
"No, you don't get it. Look around you, you are on a horse farm. Horses are afraid of plastic bags. This," I gesture at my leg, "happened because a car backfired. You aren't landing a helicopter here. If you want to fly me you'd better drive me to town."
"We'll land it right there," a male paramedic continues.
"You will not! You can drive me to town and they can pick me up there, or you can drive me to the hospital and fly me from there. You can't land a helicopter here!" I argue. "You guys going to pay the vet bills for twenty horses when they all try to kill themselves?" I ask.
I see them glancing around trying to come up with the best plan of action. Then I spy someone I know, Brad who was friends with my dad. "Brad, you've met my mother. Do you want to be the one to call Lisa Finch and explain to her that not only her children's high dollar horses but also all of her client's expensive horses have killed themselves because you landed a helicopter here?"
Brad's face sinks, "Guys her mom is crazy when it comes to these horses. Let's regroup there has to be a better way." They retreat to the truck to come up with a plan too far away for me to be able to argue.
After a few minutes Brad comes back, "Here's the deal Sawyer, you win. But only because dispatch received a second call from your mother telling them that you needed to go to the local hospital because some client's father is an ortho surgeon who's been called in just for you. Otherwise you would be flying."
The team of paramedics works quietly and efficiently to get me on the stretcher and walks me slowly to the ambulance, every movement is excruciating. The ride to the hospital is impossibly long and although they give me all the pain meds they can even the slightest motion sends fresh tears down my cheeks.
When we arrive at the hospital Mom, Jacey, and Grant are waiting for us. Autumn comes sprinting up just as they're wheeling me through the doors. I can hear a lot of people talking at once, but while the pain meds haven't really helped with the pain, they have made the whole world go fuzzy.