Rory woke up the morning of her first lesson with butterflies in her stomach even though she told herself there was nothing to worry about.
"You're still coming with me, right Mom?" Rory asked her mother for about the hundredth time that week.
"Of course, Honey," was Lorelai's standard response. She watched as her daughter nodded and went back into her room. Lorelai got up from the kitchen table and followed Rory into her bedroom.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rory answered quickly. "Why?"
"You just seem a little nervous, that's all."
"No, not nervous. Not really. And you'll be there with me, so I'll be fine," Rory said.
"Okay," Lorelai said. "But if you change your mind just tell me. You don't have to ride if you don't want to."
"I know. Thanks, Mom."
Lorelai pulled her Jeep into a parking space at the stables at the club and she and Rory went to meet Emily who was waiting for them.
"I didn't know Grandma was going to be here," Rory said softly to her mother.
"I didn't either," Lorelai said back. "Hi, Mom," she said to Emily when they reached her.
"Hello, girls," Emily said. "Are you all ready, Rory?"
"Yes, I think so," Rory said, still somewhat skeptical. No backing out now though. And who knows, she might like it.
"Good. You need to go over to that table and sign in," Emily pointed out the table to Rory.
Mother and daughter didn't say anything as they waited for Rory to get back. The two were still very much at odds with each other and only came together at things like this for Rory. It only took a few minutes for Rory to get signed up and she made her way back over to her mother and grandmother, this time carrying a helmet in her hands.
"I'm all set," she told him. "They gave me this to wear," she held up the helmet.
"Good," Lorelai said, taking the helmet from Rory. She placed it on the girl's head and fastened the straps securely under her chin. "You be careful," she said, sending Rory over to her instructor.
Rory took a deep breath as she approached the lady who was waiting for her.
"Hello. Rory right?" Rory nodded. "I'm Anne, you're instructor. That horse is going to be yours," she said pointing out a brown horse that waited in a stable a few yards away. "His name is Mister."
"Mister?" Rory asked. Did they forget to add another name?
"Yes, Mister," Anne said with a smile. "Let's go."
A handler brought Mister out of his stall as Rory and Anne waited. Mister was led up to a step that Rory would stand on to mount up. Rory tentatively stepped up to the top of the platform and listened as Anne showed her where to put her hands and how to mount the horse. Rory put her foot in the stirrup and swung her other leg over. Mister moved a bit and she formed a death grip on the reins.
"Whoa, Mister," Anne said.
"Yeah, whoa Mister," Rory repeated.
Once Mister was standing still, Anne adjusted the stirrups to Rory's legs and showed her how to hold her hands and how to sit in the saddle.
Lorelai and Emily watched from the side with pride. Neither noticed the fear that passed over Rory's features. She did not want to be on that horse.
Lorelai rested her arms on the top of the fence and leaned on it as she watched Rory's lesson progress. They had already taken a walk around the corral with Anne leading Mister and now Rory was going around on her own.
Mister seemed skittish and jumpy and Anne was doing her best to make him calm. She assured Rory that nothing was wrong and Rory nodded. "Is the lesson almost over?" Rory asked uneasily.
"We have about another half hour, but we can stop if you want," Anne told her. Rory looked over to her mother and grandmother who both waved at her, smiling.
"No, I'm fine," she lied.
"Good. Why don't you take him around one more time."
"Okay," Rory said, and urged Mister on. Rory wasn't doing much in way of directing the horse, she just let Mister do it on his own. Her grip on the rains was looser than when she first started and she was letting Mister walk where he wanted. As Mister neared the fence on the opposite side of her mother, a squirrel darted under the fence and startled the already skittish horse. Mister reared back on his hind legs and Rory screamed. She couldn't hang on and was thrown from the horse. She landed hard on her right shoulder and side, her head hitting the ground, hard.
Lorelai watched in horror when Mister reared back and she saw Rory falling to the ground. "Oh my God…" Lorelai stepped under the middle bar of the fence and ran towards her unmoving daughter.
Anne was already kneeling next to Rory when Lorelai got there. She was on her right side and unconscious. "Don't move her," Anne instructed.
"Rory," Lorelai said softly as tears fell down her on cheeks. Emily was by her side a few moments later. She took out her cell phone and called the paramedics.
It was only a matter of minutes before they heard the sirens of the ambulance. Lorelai had been talking to Rory the entire time, encouraging her daughter to wake up. They had to back away from her when the paramedics arrived. They stabilized her neck with a neck brace, never removing the helmet. They eased her on the backboard and strapped her down to keep her back and neck as straight as possible.
"Is her neck…?" Lorelai couldn't get it out.
"We don't know anything yet," a paramedic assured her. "Let's just get her to the hospital and let them work on her." Lorelai nodded and tried to think positive. Rory was strong.