The horse was in a small pen behind the house. He kept pacing back and forth, his eyes and ears swivelling.
"Dad, why don't you back the trailer into the pen? That way we can just get him straight in," Amy suggested.
Tim nodded and started to walk back to his truck.
"Amy, are you sure you should be getting into that pen?" Ty asked.
"Ty. I'll be careful," Amy sighed.
This was the one thing that Ty and Amy couldn't agree on: whether Amy should still work with horses and how much. Ty didn't want Amy to work with horses she didn't know, especially now that she was nine months pregnant. Amy, however, wanted to continue her work, just cut it back and only take on a few horses.
"Amy, look at him. He's erratic. I really don't think you should be getting in the pen with him. What if something happens?" But it was no use. Amy was already walking into the pen.
Ty sighed and leaned on the fence.
"Hey, fella. It's okay; we're here to help you." He snorted as Amy rubbed his forehead doing t-touch. He just seemed to be starting to relax when something spooked him and he turned and bolted to the edge of the pen. Amy made her way to the gate. She had gone through it and was in the process of closing it when the horse barged into it and swung it wide open once more. Before anyone could move to it, the horse was already out and running towards the trees.
Ty hurried over. "Amy are you okay?"
"I'm fine. He ran out the gate and into the trees," Amy said slightly breathless.
"Come on. Hop into the truck. We'll drive to the edge of the woods and search on foot." Tim started the engine.
When they reached the fringe of the tress, Tim parked the truck.
"We should split up. That way we can cover more ground," Amy suggested.
"Amy I don't think you should head out alone. What if something happens?" Ty argued.
"I'll go with her," Tim announced.
The three set out their separate ways into the woods.
"You know, once or twice I helped Marion save horses," Tim said quietly.
"I never knew that," Amy admitted.
"Your mom did amazing work with horses," Tim said. "She loved to teach you all she knew about horses. You were on a horse before you were even one."
Amy smiled. "How did Mom manage being a mom and working with horses?"
"At first she found it hard to balance, but then she managed. She loved to take you girls out to the barn. You had the horse gene, and she wanted to teach you all about horses. Sometimes Lyndy or Jack or I would watch you two so Marion could work," Tim explained.
Amy stopped and grabbed Tim's arm. "Dad, I think I heard something. It sounds like the horse." Amy began to walk off in the direction of the sound.
"Wait up, Amy!" Tim called out. He glanced up at the sky. It was already late afternoon.
Tim heard the sound of rocks and glanced up at the cliff. There was a pile a rocks tumbling down the side. Rockslide! He glanced back at Amy and noticed that she was right in the path. Without giving a second thought, he rushed forward and pushed Amy out of the way.
Amy stumbled. She heard the sound of rocks crashing and turned around.
"Dad?" she called out.
There was no response. Dust filled the air.
"Dad!" Amy repeated.
He was nowhere to be seen. Slowly the dust began to clear, and Amy noticed her Dad's prone form lying on the rocks.
"Dad!" she yelled, running to him. He was trapped under a large group of rocks.
"Amy, I can't feel my legs," Tim said quietly. There was also a large gash on the side of his head, and blood was trickling down his face.
Amy tried to lift the rocks, but they were all large and heavy, most were too big for Amy to move by herself.
Tim let out a groan of pain. "Amy, stop. It's making the pain worse. You need to be careful," Tim croaked
Amy stood and tried to make a call, but there was no service. She walked around, trying to find a signal, but there was none. Her heart rate started to speed up, and she began to panic. What if no one found them? What would happen to her dad?
"Help! PLEASE! ANYONE?" Amy screamed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "TY?' Amy yelled again.
The only response was the silence of the forest and Tim's groans. Tim said something and she rushed back to him. "Your mom was very special. You remind me a lot of her," Tim told Amy. He went on to talk to Amy about Marion and why things went downhill after his accident. "I was a changed man after that accident. I was mean, and I went off the wagon." Tim whispered.
Tim went on but this time he was talking about Casey. "Casey is the first women I think I've truly loved since Marion. I just wish we'd worked things out earlier. I love her a lot, Amy. I don't want to screw this up. I don't want to lose her like I lost Marion…" he trailed.
"It'll be okay, Dad. It'll work out," Amy said.
Tim sighed. His eyes flickered and then they closed.
"Come on, Dad. Stay with me. Please!" Amy begged.
Tim tried to keep his eyes open until his eyes slid closed and he didn't have the strength to open them once more. More tears fell out of Amy's eyes and soaked into the ground.
"Please hold on, Dad. Please," Amy cried. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It was sharper than any Braxton hicks she had experienced. "Arghhh." Amy doubled over in pain.
Then she realized, she was in labour. She started to panic. "TY! ANYONE! HELP, PLEASE!" Amy screamed.
But just like before, there wasn't a response.
