All I heard was the latch that kept my stall door closed unlatch and the vet came in with Roy and Gretchen. I looked around and wondered why so many people where in my stall. The sting from my hoof rose slightly as I felt the vet's cold hand go down my leg.
"I don't think there is much more to be done. He'll never fully heal."
Roy sighed heavily. What could that have meant? "Alright. I guess we have no other choice then." Roy came over and petted my face lightly and looked into my eyes. I could tell what he was thinking--he was going to have me die!! Gretchen came over and I whinnied sadly.
"I know Bob, I'm so sorry that we have to do this to you. You will be much more comfortable after the shot though. You'll be in a better place." She petted my muzzle lightly then went out of the stall and again I heard the door slam closed. I looked at my leg, wrapped in a cast. Damn leg, this is all that legs' fault. Now I'll never get to see Traffic race, teach him to run, race him against the fenceline….or see ….Tay.
I neighed loudly at the thought of Tay. I missed her so much. She cared about me more than anything. All those times we had together. Before I knew it, I was back in my paddock.
---------------------------------------------------
"Bob, is that you?" I heard a voice call. I was so comfy in the lush, tall green grass I did not want to get up and see who it was. Whoever it was sensed I did not want to get up and came to where I could see them. I looked up slightly, but the bright sun made the figure of another horse hard to distinguish. I sniffed the air and looked harder.
"What's wrong?" The horse standing over me asked. I knew that voice anywhere!! It was Tay!! I got up quickly, forgetting about my bad leg and then once I was all the way up I suddenly remembered it and looked to make sure the cast was out of site--but there was no cast there!! How could that be?? When I fell asleep there was one there, and now its gone??
"Bob?" Tay asked once again, stretching her neck out to sniff me. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Yeah, fine, I think…" I looked at my leg again, and it looked as normal as my other three did. It felt normal too, no annoying sting or shots of pain every so often. I was healthy as the day I was born!!
"Bob, your mother had another foal!! His name is Nicanor."
"How do you know that?" I questioned.
"I watched her from here in Rainbow Bridge."
A wave of panic came over me. "Where am I??"
"Relax, you're perfectly safe here. You've been put down and you now live in Rainbow Bridge. It's very nice here and you will be here until Roy and Gretchen come and get you and take you to heaven with them."
I calmed down a little. I was with Tay, and that was heaven enough for now. I looked down and saw my lifeless body be transported under a blue tarp out of the vet hospital where I had lived ever since my accident. Then I had the strangest feeling everything was going to be alright, no more doctors, no more nasty tasting medicine, no more operations, just being a normal horse.