The sun was shining brightly through the loft windows and the weather had turned warmer as spring time arrived at Heartland ranch. Now that she was through her first trimester, Amy was feeling good. She hadn't had any more morning sickness, and her dizziness had subsided. The only problem she had now was all her clothes were getting too tight as her belly had started to fill out. If she kept wearing her jeans much longer she would be squashing the baby. She decided it was time to go shopping for some more comfortable clothes.
As she was standing at the sink planning her day, she felt Ty's arms wrap around her waist. He nuzzled her neck, giving her a soft kiss. She leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes, just enjoying being in his arms.
"Morning. What are you thinking about?"
Amy turned in his arms, kissing his cheek. "How much I love you."
"I love you too, but I'm guessing by the look on your face there's more to it than that," Ty said.
"Okay, you caught me," Amy admitted as she smiled up at him. "Actually I was thinking I need to go shopping for some new clothes since baby Borden is growing and my jeans aren't."
Ty's hand caressed her expanding belly, as he bent down and started talking to the baby.
"Morning, little one. How you doing today?" He planted a kiss on her belly before standing and planting a kiss on Amy's lips. The kiss started out innocently enough but then turned more passionate as Ty drew Amy into him. When they both came up for air, she smiled at him and said, "Dr. Borden, you will be late for work if you keep that up."
Ty gave Amy his sad puppy eyes, and smiled. "Okay, you have a point. I have to be at the clinic by 9, so I can give you a lift into town."
Amy looked at him and said, "Thank you, but I have a client coming over this morning, so I think I'll call Lou and see what her plans are for the day."
Ty was ready to leave for work and followed Amy down to the office. His phone rang so he answered the call in the office. Amy continued into the barn to check on the horses. She heard Georgie yelling out front and headed out to the driveway.
Just as she stepped out of the barn, she was hit by a runaway horse. The force slammed her up against the side of the barn and she fell to the ground in a heap, curling up in pain.
Georgie screamed. "Amy!"
Ty heard the scream and came running out to find Amy curled up on the ground, her arms holding her stomach. He bent down next to her and asked, his voice shaky, "Amy, are you okay?"
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and whispered, "Ty, the baby." Pain was etched across her face.
Ty slowly picked her up, carrying her up to the loft and laying her on the bed. He reached for his phone and dialed Dr. Virani's number.
Amy could hear Ty telling Dr. Virani what had happened and could see the concern on his face. She was scared but was trying not to let it show. Ty hung up and walked over to the bed, where he reached for her hand and smiled at her. "Amy, Dr. Virani will be her shortly. How are you feeling?"
She couldn't respond as another pain doubled her over. The tears were rolling down her checks as she was trying to breathe. Ty didn't know what to do, but he couldn't let her see the fear in his eyes. Georgie came running up the stairs with Lou right behind her.
"Ty is Amy all right?" Lou asked.
Ty said, "I don't know. Dr. Virani is on her way over. Could you go down and meet her, please?"
Lou shook her head and told Georgie to come with her. She could see her sister was hurting and she didn't want Georgie to see that. When they reached the barn, she wrapped her arms around Georgie and assured her that everything was going to be okay, trying not to let her feelings show just how concerned she was for her sister and the baby.
Jack and Tim were in the field moving the cattle and heard the sound of the siren. Both looked at one another and then headed off to the ranch at a gallop. They arrived just as the ambulance was leaving.
"Lou, what happen? Who's in the ambulance?" Jack asked. Lou explained what had happened and said she wanted to head to the hospital. Tim told her to go; he would stay with the girls. Jack decided to go with Lou as he didn't want her to go alone. When they arrived at the hospital, they found Ty sitting in the waiting room with his head in his hands. He didn't hear them walk up and he jumped when Lou touched his arm.
"Oh Ty, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. Any news on Amy?"
"That's okay, Lou. I'm waiting on the doctor." He explained that Amy had several contractions on the way to the hospital and they had started an IV with a drug that hopefully would stop them. The doctor was in with her now, doing an examination.
A short time later Dr. Virani came out to the waiting room and told everyone, "Amy is resting. The contractions have slowed with the help of the medicine we're giving her. There has been some minor bleeding, but the baby seems to be fine and has a very strong heartbeat. We just have to wait now; the next few hours will be critical."
"Can I go back in and sit with Amy?" Ty asked.
Dr. Virani said, "Yes, I think it might help Amy to relax if she hears a familiar voice."
When Ty walked into her room, the memories of the time Amy had been kicked in the head came flooding back. There was no breathing tube this time, and he could see her resting peacefully. But she was pale and hooked up to the heart monitor, her blood pressure was being monitored, and there was another machine as well. It was monitoring their baby's heartbeat.
He walked over to the bed, taking hold of Amy's hand. "Amy, I'm here, right here!"
Her eyes shot open, full of tears and so much fear. He bent down, wrapping her in his arms. She held him tight, sobbing into his chest. She needed his strength and reassurance that everything was going to be fine and that their baby was going to be fine.
After a while Ty started talking to her about all the plans they had made together for when baby Borden would arrive and change their lives forever. He told her again he didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, just as long as it was healthy and had ten fingers and ten toes. He wanted it to look like her if it was a girl and have her bright blue eyes and infectious smile-which he knew he would never be able to say no to, but he was okay with that. He didn't know it was possible to love two people as much as he did, but he loved his wife and, although he hadn't met it yet, the baby more than life itself.
Amy listened to Ty's voice, his calm tone reassuring her. She could hear his heart beating next to her ear, and she focused on the even rhythm and the warmth of his arms holding her close, not allowing herself to think of anything else. She slowly relaxed against his body.
Ty could feel her body relax as he kept talking and he slowly lowered her to the bed. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was back to normal. He heard Dr. Virani's voice asking him if he needed anything. He shook his head no and sat down in the chair. Taking Amy's hand in his, he closed his eyes, not allowing the tears to fall. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. What if they lost the baby? No, he told himself, he was not going to allow his mind to wander to those places. He needed to stay strong for Amy.
The room was dimly lit when Amy woke up. She was confused, trying to remember why she was in the hospital. She heard voices in the distance but didn't recognize any of them until she heard a very familiar one say, "Hello, beautiful."
Her head turned to the sound of Ty's voice, and she saw his bright green eyes looking down at her with a big smile.
"How are you feeling?"
She responded, "I feel like I have been hit by a horse."
Ty sighed and laughed. "Well, I'm glad you haven't lost your since of humor." He watched her face turn serious and asked, "Amy, what's wrong?"
"Ty, is the baby ok?"
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek, assuring her that the baby was doing fine. He explained that the medicine had helped stop the contractions and the baby's heartbeat was strong.
Amy sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired and hurting but relived that the baby was okay. She squeezed Ty's hand and said, "Please sit with me," and patted the bed.
Ty raised his eyebrow but lay down beside Amy and wrapped his arms around her as she drifted off to sleep. He heard her whisper, "I love you."
Ty lay there listening to the gentle breathing of his wife and thinking some changes would be made when he brought her home. He knew this was not her fault but decided he would have to be the one to keep her out of harm's way from now on. He would enlist the help of the family to ensure his wife and baby stayed safe. He had started to drift off to sleep when he heard the door open and someone enter the room.
A familiar voice said, "Ty". He looked up to see Dr. Virani standing there with a smile on her face. He smiled a sheepish grin and told her Amy had requested him to stay and hold her until she fell asleep.
Dr. Virani smiled. "That's fine as long as she stays quiet." She looked at Ty. "You could probably use a little rest yourself."
Ty couldn't argue that point. He was exhausted, and it felt really good to be lying down.
Dr. Virani said, "You can stay for the night. I'll let the nurses know not to disturb you two unless necessary." Then she left the room.
Ty rolled over on his side and pulled Amy gently into him, keeping her close and warm. His head fell back on the pillow and he was asleep in a second.
However, it was not a restful night for Ty as hospitals are not the quietest place. He made sure he was out of the bed before the doctors made their morning rounds. Amy had slept through the night and was looking more alert and refreshed than he'd seen her in days. She was still experiencing pain from being slammed into the barn, but Dr. Virani stated she could probably go home later as long as she agreed to bed rest for the next few days. The family was relieved and happy to hear she and the baby were doing so well. Jack convinced Ty to go home for a while; he would stay with Amy so Ty could take a shower and eat a good meal. Ty didn't argue with him.
When Ty arrived at Heartland, he noticed Lou standing on the porch waving him over to the house. He pulled up and got out of his truck and said, "Hey, what's up Lou"?
She smiled at the tired young man walking toward her. "I have breakfast waiting for you inside."
Ty said, "Okay, that sounds good," and walked into the house.
They were both sitting at the table when Ty started to tell Lou about his plan to keep Amy safe when he brought her home. Lou agreed and said she would help in any way she could and would let the others know as well. Before he left for the loft, he asked Lou for one more favor. She told him she would take care of it.
Ty arrived at the hospital several hours later looking refreshed and ready to bring his wife and unborn baby home. Lou met him there, handing him a bag, and told him to send Jack down; she would take him home with her. When Ty reached the floor, Jack was in the hall stretching his legs, so Ty thanked him and sent him down to Lou.
He walked into Amy's room to find her sitting on the bed in tears. He rushed to her side and asked, "What's wrong, Amy? Are you okay?"
She looked up at him and said, "The nurse said I could get dressed and I realized I didn't get to go shopping for clothes so I have nothing to wear home."
Ty smiled, bending down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Not to worry, my beautiful wife, I took care of that little problem for you." He handed her a bag and told her to look inside. There was a pretty pink top and a pair of jeans with the stretchy panel in the front and even a pair of new socks so she could wear her boots home.
Her face lit up, and she hugged Ty tightly. "Thank you. I love you so much."
Ty winked at her. "I love you too. Now hurry and get dressed so we can leave."
When they left the hospital later, Amy was looking every bit the picture of the beautiful young cowgirl who had stolen his heart all those years ago. He had even remembered to bring her a hat.