Chapter 6
Lou follows Amy to her room. "Amy, talk to me! What's going on? Why do they think you're involved with Ahmed? You aren't are you?...or does this have to do with those stories?"
Ignoring Lou's questions, Amy grabs her laptop from the dresser and her tablet on the nightstand.
"I know you haven't said a word about Ahmed since that day and you've avoided even the vaguest conversation about him. Amy, say something! Answer me please!"
With both items under her arm, Amy heads for her bedroom door. Frustrated by her sister's silence, Lou grabs her by the arm. Amy turns to her and defiantly pulls away, angrily asking, "What do you want me to say? What Lou?...that I've secretly had a thing for Ahmed? Or would you rather I say I've been having an affair with him all along! How about, I let him screw me so he could finally have his conquest and I could get on with my life? Tell me, Lou...what do you want to hear!?"
Amy turns away and walks quickly down the hall with Lou following. Shocked by Amy's sudden outburst she yells, "Amy! Wait! Where's this coming from? What makes you think I would want to hear something like that?"
Peter steps into the hall from his and Lou's bedroom. "What's going on now?" He asks as he watches Amy disappear towards the kitchen and then hears the front door slam shut.
"That's what I was trying to find out and then she just blew up. I don't know how much of that the girls might have heard...maybe you should take them into town for awhile until things settle down."
"You're right, I probably should. I wouldn't worry much about katie and I checked on Georgie a few minutes ago. She was watching something on her laptop with her headphones on, so maybe she didn't hear anything."
...
Jack and Lisa return to the house and see Lou sitting in the kitchen. She's hunched over, elbows on the table, and her face in her hands. She sits up quickly when Jack announces that they're back.
"I see the police have left and your truck is gone, so where is everyone?"
Lou turns towards Jack and it suddenly occurs to him, by the look on her face, that something is wrong.
"I had Peter take the girls into town and Amy is in the loft."
"The loft?"
"What happened while we were gone? I thought..."
"Lou interrupts, "It's fine...no, it's not fine...I mean, I told Peter to take the girls into town." Lou sighs. "Maybe I should start from the beginning."
"Start somewhere and tell us what happened." He replies with a look of concern as he and Lisa take a seat at the table...
...
"...so after the police left and she didn't come back to the house, I went to the barn looking for her. I found her in the loft curled up on the bed."
Concerned about Amy, Lisa says, "Jack, I'm really worried. That outburst..what she said...that doesn't sound anything like her. The poor girl must feel terrible and so alone right now."
"I don't believe for a moment there's anything between Amy and Ahmed." Lou states with certainty.
Glancing first over at Lisa, Jack agrees, "We feel the same way. Those damn stories messed with her head and then having the police question her honesty really did a number on her."
"Lou adds, "It's going to get worse. Amy doesn't know it yet. Marnie called to tell me that Amy is all over Twitter because of those stories. Some of the things written about her are horrible. After what Marnie told me I checked Amy's website and the websites for Heartland, the dude ranch, and Maggie's. Some of the comments left there were disgusting. I took all the comment sections down and completely took down Amy's website. I'm going to have to suggest she takes her Facebook account down too."
Lou notices Jack rubbing the back of one hand with the other while staring down at the table. "What are you thinking about grandpa?"
"Tim. He can be a loose cannon and if he gets word of this...well, there's no telling what he'll do."
Lisa agrees, "Yeah, but I don't see how we can stop him from finding out. Someone's bound to say something to him."
"I'll talk to him and make him understand or else."
"Thank you." Lou continues, "Lisa, maybe you and I should see about Amy and make sure she's okay."
Jack disagrees, "I think we should let her be for now. Forcing her to talk before she's ready...I don't think any one of us wants to hear another outburst from her."
...
It's early the next morning. No one has seen or heard from Amy since Lou snuck up to the loft to check on her late the previous evening. She saw Amy, then covered in a quilt, still curled up on the and bed sleeping. Lisa and Lou are fixing breakfast when Jack walks into the house holding the morning papers. He throws them down on the kitchen table. "That's it! I told Tim not to talk to anyone! I've had it and this time I'm really going to kill him!"
Lisa and Lou come to the table from opposite sides of the kitchen. Each looking at the papers lying on the table. "What did he say?" Lou asks.
"He's only quoted in the Calgary Herald. The Hudson Times just has a shorter version of yesterday's story with a statement from the police about the investigation continuing and a line stating that we haven't yet responded to their request for a comment. The good thing is it seems he only spoke to a reported from the Herald."
Jack puts on his reading glasses and picks up the Calgary newspaper which is folded so the article is prominently displayed. "Listen to what he says about Ty!" He reads the passages aloud. "'According to family spokesperson Tim Fleming, the father of Amy Fleming, Ty Borden has a checkered history.' He's the Spokesperson for the family? Tim is the one with a checkered history!" Jack reads on, "'As a juvenile and a condition of his probation he came to Heartland to work as a ranch hand.'" He continues reading passages, "'He brought his troubled past with him, having several scrapes with the law over the years.'" Searching further through the article he continues, "'on occasion associating with those who have an equally dubious background.' and finally here it says, 'Given Mr. Borden's background, he wouldn't be surprised if the suspect in his attempted murder was someone from his past whom he many have crossed.' Apparently he gave an interview only about Ty and had the nerve to claim to be the spokesperson for the family! Him?...the spokesperson?!"
Lou takes the paper from Jack's hand to read it for herself. "I can't believe dad would say something like that! It sounds like he threw Ty under the bus!"
"I can...and I know what he was doing, even though I specifically told that S.O.B. not to talk to anyone. He probably thought he was being smart by only talking about Ty in order to take the spotlight off of Amy...figuring she was carrying some of the blame for what happened to him. I have faith Ty will recover but I can guarantee Tim will not!"
Lou adds, "Wait until Amy reads this. I wouldn't be surprised if she says she's finished with him. He's done a lot of really dumb things over the years but this, by far, crosses the line. Its going to blow back at him. Ty has a lot of friends...people who know and like him who I'm sure aren't going to like what dad said."
Lisa speaks up, "Aren't we forgetting something...has anyone seen Amy yet this morning?"
Lou responds, "Lisa, would you mind getting breakfast on the table while I check on her? Peter and the girls should be filing in pretty soon."
"No problem...I'll take care of it. Go and make sure she's okay."
...
Amy grabs one of her hats and an extra jacket she leaves in the barn office, then walks over and leans against Harley's stall door. He immediately walks over to her. "Hey Harley, how about an early morning ride?" Harley snorts and his ears turn forward. "I'll take that as a definite yes." Amy opens the stall door, letting Harley out, and saddles him. While rubbing his neck and ear, she says to him. "I guess you miss Ty. I do too. He'll be back though...I promise." After leading Harley out of the barn, she mounts and rides him across the field above Heartland. Once the ranch house is out of view, she stops and leans forward in the saddle. "Okay Harley, where do you want to go? I know...how about the old jumping course?" Harley snorts and nods his head. Amy grins slightly wondering if it was a question Harley was use to hearing from Ty. "Okay then, the old jumping course it is."
While slowly navigating the trail to the jumping course, Amy tells Harley, "You know, when I go on a trail ride alone with Spartan, we like to talk. Actually I talk and he listens. Its an opportunity to clear my head and It helps to talk things out. Sometimes things you think don't sound the same when you say them out loud and there's no judgement. Does Ty do that with you? I know he likes to talk to animals. I mean like actual conversations. Of course they don't answer but he acts like they do. I think it's a secret of his that he likes to carry on a conversation when he thinks no ones around that can hear. I did overhear him a couple of times though at the clinic when he thought no one was there. One time he was having a conversation with a cat named Fuzzy. It was kinda cute actually and the another time it was with a rabbit. He was asking the rabbit about his family and how they were doing. I had to turn around and leave quickly before he heard me laugh. I guess we all have secrets. I sometimes tell Spartan mine. Does Ty tell you his? I know, how about you tell me some of the things Ty tells you?" A few moments later Harley snorts and Amy responds, pretending it's his answer. "You won't tell me. I can understand that. I wouldn't want Spartan to share anything I tell him either."
A while later the trail turns and ends in a clearing amongst the trees. Its overgrown but there's still visible remnants of the jumping course. Amy dismounts and allows Harley to graze while she takes a seat on a thick fallen tree branch. Looking around she has a vision of herself navigating the course while riding Spartan and Ty watching her with a smile. She's sadden by the thought she may not ever see that smile again. Harley wanders over to her and lowers his head as if asking her to pat his head and rub his ears. She does while taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I messed up, Harley. What should I do? What do you think Ty would tell me? Harley lifts his head and snorts. "I think you're right...that's exactly what Ty would tell me to do. C'mon, I think it's time to head back."
...
Lou hurriedly returns from the barn and bursting into the kitchen she announces, "Amy's not here and Harley is missing!"
While refreshing his cup of coffee Jack replies, "Don't get excited Lou, she probably took him for a trail ride."
"But she always takes Spartan."
Jack brings his cup to the table. "And this time she took Harley. She probably thought he needed to be ridden. I wouldn't worry."
Lisa adds, "Lou, think about it. She went up to the loft where Ty lived for years and slept in the bed he slept in. Don't you think it makes sense that she might also take his horse out for a ride?"
"I suppose you're right, but I'm still worried."
"Okay, I can hear the girls stirring around so it's going to get crowded in here pretty fast. I'll tell you what Lou, I'll finish what's left of my coffee in the barn and if she's not back by then I'll go out and look for her."
"Here Jack, hand me your coffee and I'll put it in a travel cup for you."
"Thanks Lisa."
"Thank you, grandpa and take those newspapers with you. I don't want them lying around for Georgie to see. She doesn't need to see that stuff dad said about Ty, at least not yet. You know how she can be sometimes."
"How much does she know?" Jack asks.
"Peter and I talked to her about what's going on and most of what she already knew she read on the internet. There's no way we can keep anything from her unless we take her phone and laptop...and then lock her in her room. Fortunately she understands that almost everything she's read isn't true."
...
Jack has finished his coffee and is ready to saddle Paint when Amy leads Harley into the barn. "Out kinda early for a ride don't you think."
"Couldn't sleep any longer, so Harley and I decided to go for a ride right after day break. We had a nice talk too."
"You and Harley talked?"
"Are you going to tell me you don't talk to Paint?"
"I suppose so I do. What did you two talk about?"
"Something I should have talked about months ago."
"Want to tell me about it?"
"I will, but I need to tell everyone...well, maybe not everyone. I should shower and change my clothes first, then have something to eat. After, I want to go back to the hospital."
Amy accepts Jack's offer to untack Harley and return him to his stall then heads to the house. She walks into the kitchen where everyone is having breakfast. To avoid any type of a scene in front of the girls, Lou simply says, "Good morning, Amy."
"Good morning." She replies. To preempt any questions from Lou, Amy continues nonchalantly, "Say Lou, if you have a few minutes later there's something I would like to talk to you about."
Lou and Lisa give each other a knowing look before Lou replies, "Sure. Are you hungry? There's still plenty to eat."
Lisa adds, "Yeah, I kinda went overboard this morning and then Jack decided he only wanted coffee."
Amy casually replies, "That sounds good...I am hungry. I went for an early morning trail ride so I'd like to shower and clean up first."
"Okay, I'll heat it up for you when you're ready."
"Thank you, Lisa. I shouldn't be too long."
...
Having untacked Harley and returned him to his stall, Jack walks from the barn to the house. He hears the sound of a diesel truck engine and tires kicking up gravel. He turns and sees Tim's truck racing down the road, leaving behind it a trail of dust. Jack stops and watches as Tim pulls up next to him in front of the house. As Tim gets out of his truck he recognizes the angry look on Jack's face.
"What did I tell you about talking to reporters?!"
"I know...I already got an ear full from Casey and Caleb."
Immediately after Tim shuts the truck door, Jack grabs him by the front of his jacket and pushes Tim back against it.
"Now wait a minute, Jack. I can explain!"
"Don't bother. Get back in your truck and go...you're no longer welcome here! Ever!"
"What they wrote isn't what I said! I can fix this...I can, but I have to talk to Amy first."
"No!" Jack releases his grip on Tim's Jacket. "I'm going to fix this once and for all! Stay right here..I'm going to get my rifle."
Jack storms off into the house. Walking into the kitchen, he asks Lisa "Where are the girls?"
She answers while noticing the look of determination on Jack's face, "Katie's in her room and I think Georgie went to Amy's room to talk to her. Why?" She asks as Jack starts walking towards their bedroom. "Where are you going?"
"To get my rifle." He replies.
"Looking back over her shoulder and out the window, she says. "Don't bother, Tim's leaving."
...
Amy hears a knock on her door followed by Georgie calling out, "Amy?"
"Come on in, Georgie."
Georgie enters, closing the door behind her. "I just want to know if you're okay and tell you I'm sorry."
"I'm okay, Georgie...or I'm trying trying to be. It's hard. Thank you for asking. Listen to me, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. I told you once before, this is on me. Remember, you warned me that video was out there for anyone to find. I should have done something about it right then. I should have let everyone know about it and what had happened, but I didn't. Everything that's being said is my fault. It's on me...no one else...just me."
"What about Ty and that Ahmed? And what's being said about you on the internet. I've read what they're saying on Twitter."
"On the internet and Twitter? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. There's really nothing I can do except ignore it and you should too. I remember Mallory almost having a meltdown over some of the things she read on Twitter. It can be toxic. I understand you're worried about Ty, so am I, but I'm sure he'll will be okay. It'll just take some time and I'm going to talk to him. I promise I'll try. As for Ahmed...if he's involved, I'm sure the police will find out and he'll be dealt with."
"Okay. Do you think I can go see Ty in the hospital?"
"I'm not sure they'll let you see him just yet. Besides, I think it'll be better to wait until he's awake because I'm sure he'd like to see you too. Now that your here, can I ask a favor of you?"
"Sure."
"Would you mind doing my chores again this morning along with yours...there's something I need to do and then I want to get to the hospital as soon as I can. Maybe you can take Spartan out for a ride too."
"Okay, I would like that."
...
Lou is washing the morning's dishes while Lou dries. Peter's sitting at the kitchen table finishing his coffee and reading email on his phone. Jack walks into the kitchen from the dining room not aware Amy is behind him.
"Grandpa?"
He turns. "Oh, sorry...I didn't know you were there." He says as Amy steps around and past him."
"Amy, let me warm something up for you."
"Thanks Lisa, but I think I'll just have some fruit. First though I want to talk to all of you. There's something I need to tell you while I...well, I just need to tell you. It shouldn't take long. Maybe we can all sit in the dining room."
"Sure...that's be fine." Lou replies.
"Yeah, of course. Katie's in her room playing so she'll be occupied for a while." Lisa adds.
Peter suggests, "Maybe I should give Georgie a hand with her chores."
"No, Peter, I want you to hear what I have to say too. I need to do this for all of you."
While everyone files into the dining room, Jack asks Amy, "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"
"Not really, but I need to. It should have been done it a long time ago."
Amy reaches for Jack's chair at the end of the table. "Sorry grandpa but I think I should sit here."
Jack and Lisa sit to Amy's right. Lou and Peter on her left.
It's obvious that Amy is struggling to begin. She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath, followed by Jack stating, "Take your time."
In an admonishing tone, Lisa says, "Jack."
"Sorry."
With all eyes on her, Amy starts, "I'm not sure what everyone expects to hear me say, but first I need to apologize to everyone for what you've had to put up with." Amy looks over to her left. "Lou, I'm sorry about what I said to you yesterday. I was angry and needed to vent. Unfortunately you were there and the only one I could take my frustration out on." Turning her attention back to everyone at the table she continues while rubbing her finger where her engagement ring once was. "I guess everyone already knows what happened with the police...that I gave them my phone and computers..."
Lou silently repeats to herself, 'Gave them my phone and computers?'. Surprised by Amy's vague description of the event, she immediately interrupts, "Amy, I'm sorry...but you didn't just give it to them. They had a warrant."
Lou ignores Lisa's look of disapproval for interrupting.
Frustrated by Lou's interruption and trying to keep her composure, Amy replies, "Lou, please let me finish."
Addressing everyone again, Amy continues, "In case you don't already know, Lou is right. They did have a warrant. When the detectives interviewed me they didn't believe I was being completely honest and interpreted some of my answers as an effort by me to protect Ahmed...that I was purposely trying to divert suspicion from him. Because of that, they weren't sure I would cooperated if they had only asked to see my phone and computers, so they requested a warrant. The truth is..." Amy pauses and takes a breath. The truth is...I was actually protecting myself."...
...
To be continued...