Angels Fall Sometimes – Josh Turner

My chances weren't good she was way out of my reach

How could she ever fall for some Ol' boy like me?

But here she lies asleep tonight in these arms of mine

And that goes to show angels fall sometimes

Jasper hung up his phone and started to rub his temples in frustration. He never (even when he was a kid) has seen a horse get that sick that fast. He lay down on his bed and was brought out of his thinking when his mother knocked on his door.

"Jasper is everything okay?" she asked trough the door.

"No mama it's not?" he replied getting up to open the door and let his mother in.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Jasmine is sick. Deathly sick from what Dr. McCarty says."

"Did you call your brother?"

"I just got off the phone with him." Jasper replied.

"I guess I will leave you alone now." she replied before leaving the room.

Jasper listened as his mothers footsteps faded down the hallway. He got off his bed and went to move the healthy horses to another barn rather than risk them getting sick.

Jasper stopped by Bella's door on the way out to let her know he was moving the other horses. They had their five to move and another six that people boarded with them to move.

When jasper got to the barn the held Jasmine later that night to make sure he was okay considering the condition he was in. He had just gotten done with moving the eleven other horses to a new barn and making sure they were good for the night. He turned off the office lights before making his way to the stall that held Jasmine. He got an eerie feeling walking past the empty stalls. He came to Jasmine's stall and walked in.

Colin was not in the stall watching Jasmine like jasper had told him to. He left the stall to find the boy who was supposed to watch him. He couldn't find him anywhere. He looked at his watch and it said six o'clock and Colin had to be home at five. After not finding Colin anywhere Jasper went back to the barn to sit with Jasmine himself waiting for Peter to arrive. He was there for ten minutes when Colin came walking back in with a bucket.

"Where where you?" Jasper asked.

"I was out getting water for Jasmine. I was gonna try and get her to drink it," Collin replied.

"You can go home now." Jasper said dismissing him. The boy placed the bucket on the ground and left.

Jasper sat down in the stall and had been in the stall for an hour when Peter came in. Peter said nothing and sat down by his brother. An hour had passed before they said anything and it was Peter who spoke first.

"At least Katelyn will have her horse back." Peter had said causing Jasper to smile.

"We better get going Mama gonna tan our hide if we don't get going and wash up for dinner." Jasper said hopping up on to his feet.

"How is your arm?"

"Fine it hurts a little from moving the horses but aspirin can take care of that."

The two men washed their hands after listening to their Mother's lecture about being late to dinner. Bella and Charlotte who had been watching from a corner with Ellen and Allen (who had just gotten out of the hospital) where laughing at them openly.

~!~

Bella had finished dinner early saying that she had to go for her weekly call with her dad which she did do. She had talked with him about Jasmine the horse she had come to love as her own. She had hung up the phone telling him that she had school in the morning.

She put on her jacket and boots and walked out of the barn to see Jasmine. She knew the horse had belonged to Kaitlin Whitlock Peter and Jasper's younger sister who had died five years earlier at the age of thirteen from cancer.

She turned on three lights leading to Jasmine's stall so she didn't have to walk in the dark. She sat down on a stool in the corner of the room she could see the horses head her eyes were open but had little life left in them. She looked at her watch and it said ten pm. Guess I was on the phone longer than I thought Bella thought to herself. She began talking to the horse out of boredom telling her everyone has been hoping that she would get better.

Bella tried to fight off the sleep she knew was coming. She said one last thing to the horse before her eyes drooped closed.

~!~

The family dinner had ended. Jasper and his mother had seen his brother and his wife out the door. Watching as his nephew and nice were put safely into their new car.

"Now jasper when am I going to be seeing you off like that?" she asked.

"Maybe when god wants it to happen," He replied.

He turned around and made his way back up stairs to get his hat and jacket and headed out back into the rain. He noticed that more than the one light he left on where shining brightly. It had him nervous that someone had broken into the barn. He was glad that he had moved the other horses into another barn.

Once he got into the barn himself he was soaked from the rain. He noticed a few spots in the roof that where leaking. He ignored them and looked around the barn after finding no one in the empty stalls or office he turned off the lights and walked into Jasmine's stall.

Collin wasn't there but Bella was. She was snuggled into the corner of the room on one of the old stools placed in it. Jasper could see her shivering underneath the small jacket she brought to keep her warm.

He leaned over Bella she was breathing but very slowly. He kneeled down and picked Bella up and walked her to the house. Both of their clothes were soaked by the time he got back to the house. He put her down on her bed and let his mother know that Bella's clothes were wet and needed to be changed and he was not about to do it. After talking to his mom he went and changed his own soaked clothes for warmer ones. He checked on Bella who was now in warmer clothes and tucked in under her blankets.

"She looks peaceful."

"Like angel" his mother replied.

"I know."

"Jasper, get yourself in bed." His mother called from her room down stairs.

He smiled at his mother and did as he was told and went to his own room.