Love Finds A Way Home
Prologue: Part 3
Tara ignores the protests of Jack, Lou, and Ty as she burst into the hospital.
*Flashback - Tara's POV*
I just sat through a funeral (the first I have ever attended) and on top of all the emotions average people go through during funerals, I had to deal with looking at my mother's coffin. I couldn't sit through it, I was sobbing and wailing so hard I got up in the middle of the service and ran away from the cemetary where my mother would be laid to rest and through myself into Lou's car. I sit there... Watching them pray and lower my mother's battered body into the ground for the rest of eternity. I see everyone crying but I can't help but want to cry for my youngest sister Amy. Only 15... It was her idea to go rescue that horse in the strong Virginia storm which lead to the accident that murdered my mother and sent my sister into a coma. If they wouldn't have gone they'd both be alive right now...
I had never been close to my sisters. Not at all. I was close to my mother however. I followed in her footsteps in the dressage and show jumping circuts. While I knew how much she missed me and Lou (Lou worked and lived in New York and never came home for the holidays) she was proud of me, of Lou. She was so very proud of us both for following our dreams. Lou and I had been close when we were young. Before our parents divorced and Amy and I came to the states while Lou begged and pleaded to continue attending her boarding school in England where she thought our father would come for her. Her and I exchanged lots of letters and phone calls after we'd moved but they slowly started to stop. Meanwhile back home, Amy and I had fought and fought. We were both stubborn and never saw eye-to-eye. We both hated each other in childhood as we were complete opposites.
As much as Amy and I fought when we were kids, I still ached for her. She doesn't even know our mother had died. And I can only imagine the guilt Amy will feel, after all it was her idea to rescue the horse.
My thoughts and memories are interrupted as Lou and Ty get into the car. The funeral is over I realize with a strong pang in the pit of my stomach. And my emotions are still not in check. One look at Lou sends me screaming out in agony and hurt; as if I've been shot. I feel as though I have. I just wish my mother would be here. Within seconds Ty is next to me in the backseat holding me.
"Ty," I sob into him as he holds me. "I wish she was here, I just want my mommy." I cry into him. Lou turns on the car and begins to drive away.
"Shh Tara, it'll be okay. I promise, it'll be okay..." His words were half full. I could feel his unsureness within his words. Not that I would have believed him anyway. No, not at all. They were words that needed to be said, not necessarily meant or believed.
"Lou... I want to see Amy please." She looks at me in her rear-view mirror as Ty releases me from his grasp. I take my hands and wipe the tears from my eyes. I watch Lou's expression. I see dubious shock, disbelief, and un-ending surprise. "Please, I can't loose her too... I can't. We can't." And despite Lou's disbelief and better judgement she makes a U-turn in the road and turns in the direction of town. To take me to see my little sister.
*End Flashback*
"Tara Fleming! Get back here!" I hear my sister Lou running after me, Ty and Grandpa probably close behind likely. I don't turn around to look. I don't think her and Grandpa forgot the mutual distempt and dislike Amy and I felt with and reguarded each other with as children and teenagers. They probably think I am going to do something to Amy because it's her fault mom died. But I'm not. And surprisingly enough, I don't blame Amy. In fact, if it were me and I had saw an abandoned horse I probably would've done the same thing. Except I would've drove alone, but Amy didn't have that option as she is not old enough to have her license. "Tara!" Lou grabs my shoulder and yanks me around. "What do you think you are doing!"
"I was going to see Amy, I need to be sure she's okay." I explain, exasperated. "She IS my sister afterall.
"Well, yes of course, but since when do you and Amy get along?" Grandpa asks curiously as he catches up and starts panting; bent over with his hands on his knees. "You two haven't spoken since you up an' left to the circut."
"As much as we were childhood enemies, she is still my sister and I still care about her well being." I explain once more; now thoroughly annoyed. "I do still love her despite our differences and inability to see eye-to-eye." Grandpa stands up straight and looks me in the eyes with a look of pride that never shined quite as bright. "And as much as I despise hospitals and can never stomach sick people... I still want to see my sister." I tell them with a detection of determination in my voice.
"Ty," I begin timidly. He comes over and loops his arm through mine.
"I'll show you where she is." he offers a small, friendly smile as his emeralds bore into my peridot green eyes which causes me relax. He pushes the door to Amy's room open and I give him an incredulous look. "It'll be fine, promise." he whispers, grabbing my arm and pulling me in. I glance around the room anxiously before Ty gestures to Amy laying pale and life-lessly on the bed, hooked up to a machine that measures her breathing. I gasp, Amy may have been my little sister but she never looked so weak before. She was always strong, stronger than even our mother.
"Oh Amy!" I whimper softly before slowly walking over to stand by her and pick up her cold, pale, lifeless hand in my own. I hold it tightly, saying a prayer she comes out of this coma unharmed. Ty goes around to the opposite side that I am on and sits down on the bed. He picks up her other hand before gently running the back of his hand down her cheek and brushing her hair lightly and carefully back from her face. The way he looks at her sends a wave of envy through me I realize with a sad smile. He must feel me watching him and turns and smiles softly.
"You can sit down, Tara... She won't bite." I giggle a bit before he continues more seriously. "Whenever I visit her, I talk to her. The doctors say she may be able to hear us." I pick up on Ty's hint to talk but I can't bring myself to find words. After all, I am pretty sure that if Amy heard me that she would be out of that coma so fast to kill me then slip right back into her coma.
"I can't talk to her Ty, we never got along much and she wouldn't like me being here I don't think..." I look away from Amy, and Ty.
"Hey now... Tara, look here." I look in his direction. His smile reaks of assurance. "I've heard alot of stories about you two not getting along in the past two days but I also heard the same thing from Jack and Lou. They both said the reason you two never got along is because you two are too much alike." I turn to Amy.
"I'll try it I suppose." I tell Ty unsure. I don't look at him, I am staring at Amy. Mesmorized by how much she doesn't look like Amy. Suddenly I miss those stormy grey/blue eyes that my mother and Amy both share.
"Amy...Hey sis, it's me. It's Tara... I miss you. Please wake up..." I feel tears welling up in my eyes. I hear a moan escape Amy. I glance to Ty, I see the same surprise he does.
"Amy, it's Ty, we're all here." her eyes open groggily.
"Ty, I'm going to get Grandpa and Lou!" I exclaim jumping up from Amy's bed to fetch Grandpa and Lou. "Nurse! Nurse!" I call out causing a nurse to stop. "Um, my sister is Amy Fleming. She's in a coma from a truck and trailer accident. She's awake. We'll likely need a doctor." I tell her but she's already in motion. I continue forward but grandpa and Lou heard me and rush by me and into Amy's room. Which leaves me in the hallway alone, I feel a ton of bricks, a large weight rather, has been lifted off of my shoulders. I sink into a large cushy chair in relief and exhaustion. I feel myself drift to sleep but I do not stop myself. I let my body rest at last.
I suddenly awake, feeling myself being grabbed. When my eyes meet the person carrying me, I find that it is Ty. "Amy!" I gasp out. Ty hushes me.
"Amy's asleep... She had to be sedated. She didn't the news of Marion as well as expected." Ty explains quietly.
"Okay, well you can put me down! I am awake and very capable of moving on my own!" I exclaim, pulling away from Ty due to being smothered against his chest.
"Well, what if I like carrying you?" he asks, I think jokingly.
"Well what if I like living?" I ask him teasingly. He fakes a wounded expression.
"Ouch Tara, that hurt me. That hurt me deep." He says jokingly. He lets go of the crook in my legs to put a hand to his chest.
"TY!" I half shriek! "Your going to drop me!" I exclaim, my legs hitting the ground. I smack his arm playfully. "Don't drop me!"
"Well, don't hurt me." he smirks at me. His other arm still wrapped around my shoulder, which I push off of me. I shove him jokingly and slap his arm. "Hey now..." he grabs me again and pulls me to him. I pull away again and start giggling. "Come on Miss Trouble, let's get going." I start to move in the opposite direction. "What are you doing Tara?" he asks.
"I am going to the elevator!" I exclaim exasperatedly which causes him to chuckle.
"Well darling, your going the wrong way." he doubles over laughing. My eyes narrow at him, wondering why he is so... humored.
"Hmph!" I cross my arms and stomp by him, but he grabs me from behind. I twirl around and our faces are inches apart from one another's and we are staring deep into each other's eyes. I feel gravitated to move towards him and apparently he feels the same. Our lips meet softly, his hands cup my face, his thumbs grazing my cheeks. My arms wrap around Ty discovering how thick and well muscled he is. After a short time we break apart, our eyes searching each other's. "Uhh, well then..." I begin, blushing and glancing away.
"Let's go home," I follow Ty to the elevator. We don't speak the whole way down and we don't speak the whole ride back to Heartland. Well except for when he drops me off. He tells me: "Good night Tara," with the most soft, seductive voice I have ever heard. I am falling fast for Ty Baldwin. But that all comes crashing down when he tells me one last thing as I jump out of his truck. "Ames is coming home tomorrow." he looks so happy, so proud. As if he finally found something he missed very much. It burns. I realize that he could never care for me, despite being the same age as him, as the way he cares for my younger sister.
"Ty, you um - you have a thing for my sister don't you?" I ask, trying to keep my tone neutral and my facial expressions from betraying my emotions. Ty looks surprised.
"Maybe..." the moonlight shines on his face and I can see a blush starting on his cheeks. "But then again, she has no feelings for me. Her and Matt Trewin have feelings for each other I'm sure. They're always together." His voice is bitter and he avoids my gaze when I laugh, remembering a recent conversation with my mom about Amy and Matt. I recall her voice saying how Amy is about ready to kill Matt if he asks her out one more time. My mother told me Amy didn't date and especially didn't want to date one of her guy friends as she didn't see Matt that way.
"I wouldn't be so sure..." I close the truck door, feeling a little down but not much. I pull out my phone to see that it is eight o'clock. I make my way out to the barn to take care of Ember and her unnamed mouse grey colt and plan on going back to the house and collapsing on the couch the first chance I get.
-Next Morning-
After a much more restful sleep, I drag myself out of bed early. It's still dark. I squint at the clock on the wall. 5:45 a.m. it reads. I groan and put a pillow over my head but relunctantly get up anyway. I pull on a sweatshirt and an old pair of jeans over my pajama shorts. I stumble sleepily to the door, yawning and wishing I would have stayed on the couch. I pull on my smelly barn boots and slip quietly outside. Ty comes at a quarter after 6 so I hope I can pitch all of the stalls out by the time he gets here to prove I'm productive and not worthless. I grab a wheelbarrow, shovel, and pitchfork and decide to make my way to the back barn first. Armed with a halter and leadrope I approach the stall at the very end on the left side. Inside is a largish gelded buckskin Pony. I open the stall and enter, bolting it behind me. I drop my eyes and avert my shoulders away from him, showing that I am not challenging him. He comes over to nudge at my pockets. I laugh and hold up my hands.
"No treats here," I tell him. He wants to smell one of my hands so I allow him but instead of smelling me... He BITES me! I quickly unbolt the stall and stumble out off balanced. I fall down with a hand thud. I don't feel like moving but I need to bolt it before the pony gets out. I half crawl, half drag myself up in enough time to bolt it before the gelding bucks and kicks it. I curse under my breath, frustrated. "Guess I won't be pitching out stalls after all..." I mumble grumpily, still cursing the horse. I look at my hand that is absolutely leaking blood. I hate blood. "Oh my God!" I say in disbelief.
"Tara?" I hear Ty's voice.
"TY! I'm back here!" I holler. "Help!" I hear his heavy footsteps running. He in the back barn momentarily.
"Where are you?" he yells the question.
"On the ground!" he looks down and sees me and comes running.
"Your bleeding! Come on we have to get you inside now! What happened?" He looks down worriedly at me and bloodied hand.
"Well, for starter's I can't walk." Ty scoops me up and throws me effortlessly over his shoulder.
"Your in shock." Ty explains, "what happened to your hand anyway?"
"I was trying to help by pitching all the stalls and well... That pony attacked me!" I exclaim. "I've always respected a horse's space and they always respect mine! That Pony sure didn't though!" Ty laughs. "It's not funny, I seriously think he took a chunk out of my hand!"
"That's Sundance. Amy's pony." Ohhh, that makes perfect sense! I remember my mom telling me about him and his attitude from time to time.
"Yeah, well Sundance is a prick!" I scream, half hysteric half laughing. Ty pushes the kitchen door open and stifles a laugh. He sits me down on the counter and goes to get supplies to fix my hand.
A/N - YAY! It's done! Now, I feel I must make an IMPORTANT announcement: DESPITE MILD TY/TARA PARINGS THIS STORY IS NOT A TY/OC STORY! IT'S AN AMY/TY STORY! I PROMISE!
Also, I would like opinions... Do all my lovely readers/reviewers perfer me writing this story in third person or first person (through Tara's mind)? I wrote this WHOLE chapter before realizing that the others were in third. SO, REVIEW, tell me what you think!
Oh and my lovely readers...
PLEEEEEEEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Love always,
MysteriousCavaliersFan