The end of the week couldn't come fast enough for Amy. She had cleaned her room and brought an extra mattress up from the basement. Since Ty had the only spare room, Amy decided to give her bed to Carey, she only hoped the older girl wouldn't mind sharing a room. Amy mused over what Carey would have to tell her on the visit. Amy remembered that she had been itching to get away from her home and see the world; Amy couldn't wait to hear what she had been up to!

Amy finished making her bed on the spare mattress in her room and she headed down stairs to join her grandpa in the kitchen. The smell of supper wafting up the stairs was making her mouth water; lunch in the school cafeteria seemed ages ago.

As she reached the middle of the stairs she saw Ty in his room with his back to the door. She paused. She watched as Ty pushed himself out of his wheelchair onto his feet. He looked unsteady, but held onto the chair's handles for support.

Amy started down the stairs again to offer to help him when she saw the wheelchair slip from its place and bolt to the opposite wall. Ty fell to the floor almost immediately, his head bouncing off the corner of the bedside table. He landed on the wrist he had sprained on the ride.

Amy was beside him in an instant.

"Ty, are you ok?" she demanded, kneeling beside him.

Ty groaned as he pulled himself off his arm and into a sitting position. He put his hand to the back of his head; his eyes were squeezed shut.

"Ah," He inhaled sharply. There was blood on his fingertips from the back of his head.

"What happened?" Amy's grandpa asked from the doorway.

"Ty fell," Amy answered quickly, helping Ty as he pulled himself up to sit on the bed.

Her grandpa disappeared and was back in a moment with the first aid kit from the kitchen.

"Are you alright Ty?" Jack asked, looking at the back of Ty's head, gingerly pushing his dark hair away from his scalp.

"I just fell," Ty said quietly.

"Its only a scratch," Jack said, pulling a cotton swab and antiseptic from the first aid kit.

Amy sat down on the bed beside Ty and with her elbows on her knees, she leaned forward, her palms pressed hard against her eyes.

"Amy, you can't," Ty said gently, putting his hand on her back.

"I'm know," She whispered. "I'm trying."

"Amy?" Came a voice from the door.

Amy looked up and saw Carey standing in the doorway.

"Lou let me in," Carey said offhandedly waving her hand towards the kitchen. "What happened?"

Amy realized that she hadn't told Carey about the ride. As her grandpa retreated to the kitchen with the first aid kit, Amy (with Ty's help) explained the events that led up to Ty being in the wheelchair. After the account, Amy found herself more composed though, she thought that would probably be partly due to the fact that Ty's hand was now covering her own, in addition to the hand that was still on her back.

"I guess I'm coming at a bad time…" Carey's voice trailed wistfully.

"Oh, no!" Amy said quickly, "Now's just as good a time as any."

"Are you sure?" Carey didn't look convinced; "You seem to have a lot on the go right now."

"We'll manage," Ty said warmly as his hand squeezed Amy's lightly.

"He's completely different," Carey said appreciatively, then added; "Well, different from when you brought him to Ten Beeches."

&

Amy and Carey stood on either side of Ty, outside Mercury's stall and watched as the horse affectionately pulled at the collar of Ty's shirt with his lips.

Ty explained Jack's theory on the gelding's behavior to Carey while she gently rubbed Mercury's ears.

"That makes sense," Carey mused thoughtfully, "He seems really attached to you, I'll bet you can't wait to get riding again."

"You can say that again," Ty said, reaching out and playing with the Mercury's lips, the horse playfully lipped Ty's fingers.

Amy and Ty introduced Carey to the other horses and showed her the collection of Bach flower remedies, aromatherapy essential oils and stacks of notebooks brimming with alternative methods that Amy's mother had either written, or accumulated.

"There's Honeysuckle for getting over the past and Pine for guilt in Mercury's water bucket right now," my explained, handing the small brown vial with the mall peeling label Pine on it. "Obviously they haven't started working yet if Mercury's still that attached to Ty," Amy added the last part with a small smirk in Ty's direction.

Ty reached out and playfully pushed Amy.

Carey looked thoughtfully at the bottle in her hand and then put it back on its shelf. She stood a moment looking up at the essential oils before her stomach growled very audibly.

"What's for supper?" She asked.

As Amy led the way back to the house she reflected on the older girl walking between her and Ty who was chatting animatedly and easily with the latter. She was such an open-minded and charismatic person, that's what Amy liked about her; she was so easy to get along with.

&

After supper Carey took the cordless phone outside to call her mom while Amy washed the dishes. Ty was drying them.

"How's your wrist?" Amy asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible. She could hear Carey's muffled voice carry from the porch.

"A bit stiff," Ty admitted, twisting it slightly. "But it's getting better now."

"I saw you standing," Amy said in a small voice.

"If you can call it that," Ty muttered after a small humorless chuckle. He took a plate from Amy and began drying it, keeping his eyes on his work.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Amy said softly with a small frown. She touched Ty's shoulder briefly before thrusting her hands back into the soapy water, scrubbing the inside of a cup.

They worked in silence for a minute, the sound of the television in the adjacent room drifting in, but it was too quiet to be understood.

"So," Ty paused, taking another plate. He raised his eyes momentarily. "What did you think of my standing?"

Amy paused for a minute, her hands stationary in the water before she spoke. "I wish you would let me help you," She said carefully. She noted that Ty's face fell slightly. "I don't know what kind of help I could offer," She continued. "But I really would like to be there for you, to support you."

Ty was silent as they finished the dishes. Amy put the plates and cups away in the cupboards while Ty moved to the table and watched Amy's movements.

"It's hard," He spoke finally. His voice caused Amy to stop her actions and – after quietly closing the cupboard door – turn to face Ty. "Not being able to do things. I know I couldn't last year, but this isn't the same."

Amy moved to the table and sat in the chair beside Ty.

"It seems almost insignificant compared to last year," Ty continued. "But I wasn't in the chair for as long last year and I just feel like after doing this once, I should be getting better faster, instead I'm stuck in this chair for more than double the time I was last time."

Amy listened as he ended on a frustrated note. She reached out and took one of his hands in both of her own. "You're going to get through this," She firmly reassured, lightly tracing her thumbs over his hand. "When you're recovered this'll all be forgotten. You just have to wait it out."

Ty fell silent again and Amy waited, knowing that he was searching for words to express what he wanted to say.

Carey reentered the house, put the phone on the table and yawned with a stretch. By the look in her eyes, she had without a doubt realized the situation she'd walked in on.

"Well Amy, I'm sure you're going to be putting me to work mucking out stalls tomorrow, so I think I'm going to head up to sleep," Carey said and after smiling briefly to Ty she went to the stairs, poking her head into the living room to say good night to Jack and Lou.

"I guess I should go to sleep too," Amy said, moving to rise but Ty held her hand fast so she sank back to her chair.

His eyes bore into hers intensely. "I'd really like your help, more than you know."

"Of course," Amy said, shocked to find that she heard doubt in Ty's tone. She leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "Of course," She repeated, pressing a kiss to his collarbone as he gingerly held the back of her neck.