The drive to the hospital took an eternity. Amy sat on the small seat beside Ty's stretcher as the paramedics examined him. As soon as the doors had closed, they began attaching a maze of tubes to his left arm. The right was stabilized, the make-shift splint was switched for a real one. An oxygen mask was placed over Ty's face, and Amy was told that he had fallen unconscious. She watched, and heard one say to the other that there were 11 punctures, 7 shot gun BBs were still in him, but 4 had exited through his back. Amy was given a blanket and a sport drink; she assumed that they were treating her for mild shock.
When they reached the hospital, Ty was rushed into the operating room, leaving Amy in the waiting area. She stood staring at the white doors for a while until the lady at the reception desk walked over and reassuringly led her to one of the couches. She sat, and stared at the clock. 4:57...5:05... 5:08...5:19...
"Amy!" Lou rushed over; Amy hadn't even noticed they had arrived. Lou wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulder. "Where's Ty?" Amy threw a glance at the big white double doors of the OR. Lou's eyes widened.
"What did they say?" Grandpa asked gently, sitting on the couch beside Amy.
"He has... 11 punctures," Amy said her voice not sounding like it belonged to her. "Seven are still in him, and 4 exited through his back, someone mentioned lead poisoning?" Lou gasped.
Grandpa went over to the front desk, and read the lady the information he had on a small card he kept in his wallet. This scene was all too familiar to Amy, and a tear slid down her cheek.
"He'll be alright." Lou said reassuringly, reading her thoughts.
"What if he -" Lou cut Amy off.
"He won't go into a coma again." She said firmly.
The three sat there for an hour, mainly in silence, Grandpa and Lou talking every now and then in low voices. At quarter after six Amy looked up from her daze as the two white doors opened.
She jumped up, and the nurse pushing the bed stopped in front of Amy and spoke to the woman behind the reception counter. For a moment Amy almost couldn't recognize Ty. He was still very pale, but his skin had thankfully lost its bluish tint. He had no shirt on, but instead was covered in a bandage reaching from his armpits to where the blanket over him ended at this waist. The nurse began pushing Ty away, down the opposite hall and Amy made to follow when she was stopped.
"Miss Fleming," A doctor pulled her aside, "My name's Dr. Derek Carson." The young doctor extended his hand and firmly shook Amy's. "Would you mind coming for a small walk with me?"
"W-what about Ty?" Amy stuttered looking after the nurse.
"He's fine, the anesthetics should wear off in about an hour, I'll take you to his room before then." The doctor said sounding brisk, but kind at the same time, Amy marveled at his ability to do so.
Amy looked at Lou and grandpa. "Go on," Her grandpa said.
Amy nodded and, rather reluctantly, followed the doctor. He lead her through a maze of bright white painted corridors, and finally to an office with a large window extending across an entire wall. Amy looked out it before she sat down; it held a beautiful view of the parking lot.
"Would you mind telling me exactly what happened today Amy?" The doctor asked, sitting behind his desk, and taking out some papers and a pen.
As Amy described the eventful portion of the ride, the doctor asked several questions, and wrote things on his papers.
"This Scott Trewin, he's a doctor?" He asked after Amy had finished.
"He's the veterinarian for our horse sanctuary," Amy answered. The doctor wrote more on his paper.
"Well," Dr. Carson began after a moment. "This Scott's medical knowledge, be it for animals or people saved Mr. Baldwin's life today. He lost a lot of blood. I'll explain the extent of his injuries to you and your family after I've confirmed my notes with the other doctors."
"That's alright," Amy nodded. "Can I go see Ty now?"
"Of course, I'll take you there myself. He should come around in ten or fifteen minutes," The doctor stood up, and led Amy down the hall. They took the elevator back down to the main level, and went down the hall just past the front desk. Amy was thankful that it wasn't the same, take the elevator up to the third floor, and walk halfway down the hall to your right, as had been the route when Ty had been in the hospital last time.
Dr. Carson left Amy at the door, and excused him self back in the same direction they had come. Amy entered the room.
The scene was horribly familiar and Amy felt hot tears sting her eyes.
Ty lay on a bed, an IV attached to his left arm, and a splint on his right. Amy whimpered slightly at the memory of a similar scene. Ty had been lying in a coma for several months, not yet a year ago. She had visited him almost every day, wishing for a sign of improvement, but it took a long time for that to come. She knew that the circumstances were not the same, but she couldn't help the wave of emotions brought upon her by the scene before her eyes.
Lou moved from her seat at Ty's side, and offered the chair to Amy. She shook her head, and knelt beside his bed, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath. She reached out and curled her fingers around Ty's now warm hand.
Amy told Grandpa and Lou what the doctor said, and they were soon joined by Soraya, Matt and Scott.
"Nancy and Joni stayed behind to watch the horses," Scott explained, squeezing Amy's shoulder reassuringly, and standing behind Lou's chair.
Amy talked with Soraya, but was startled when Ty's hand shifted under her own fingers. She looked up, and watched his eyes flutter several times and then, finally open.
"I'll go get the nurse," Lou said after she had noticed. She, Scott and Grandpa left.
Amy squeezed Ty's hand slightly and he looked down at her, a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth, he stretched his fingers out and twisted them through Amy's.
"Do you two want to be alone for a bit?" Matt asked.
"Nah, that's alright, the doctor should be here in a minute anyway," Amy shrugged, her eyes intent on Ty's face.
Ty looked around the room, registering his surroundings silently. He then cleared his throat.
"Not back here again," He said with a small smile and a dramatic sigh.
The three smiled back. "But you're coming home sooner," Soraya reassured quickly.
Within minutes Lou and Grandpa came in. Lou explained that Scott and Doctor Carson were in the hall talking, but those two followed shortly.
They all assembled around the bed, Doctor Carson introduced himself to Ty.
"I assume you are all waiting for the diagnosis," Doctor Carson said, examining his clipboard. " Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that you don't have blood poisoning Mr. Baldwin, and none of the shots hit any main arteries or bones, though three were within an inch of your liver. We will be monitoring your condition over the next week, and you should be able to go home after that."
Ty along with several of the others nodded. Amy got up from her kneeling position, and sat on the edge of the bed, she took Ty's hand, he squeezed hers.
"But like I said, I do have some bad news, and that is that due to heavy loss of blood and therefore lack of oxygen to your lower extremities, coupled with the stain placed on them with you being transported in your condition, you will be unable to walk for the next six to eight weeks." The doctor continued in a rather brisk tone. "When you are discharged, in about a week, you will be given a wheel chair, and some exercises to bring you back to strength. I encourage you to stay in the wheel chair until you are fit enough, so you don't run the risk of doing further damage to your legs."
Ty looked blank for a moment, but nodded.
"There will be scarring on your front from the entrance wounds, and there were four exit wounds on your back, those will produce some quite nasty scars as well." He nodded and looked around the room a bit uncomfortably at all the shocked faces. He looked back at his clip board, and said sympathetically. "That said, I'll leave you all alone," The doctor excused himself, leaving the room in silence.
"Well, Ty," Grandpa cleared his throat, breaking the stillness. "You're welcome to stay at Heartland until your parents get back." Ty nodded and choked out a 'thanks'.
"Amy," The girl looked up, and saw Scott, Matt and Soraya standing, her best friend talking to her. "We're going back to take care of the horses."
Amy stood up and hugged Soraya. "Thanks."
She then turned to Scott and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank-you." She whispered her voice thick with tears. "Thank-you so much," She repeated. Scott rubbed her back knowingly. When she had composed herself and pulled back, he smiled warmly at her and put his hand on her shoulder momentarily, reassuringly.
The three left, and Amy returned her seat.
"Amy, we should get back too. You've got school tomorrow," Lou said pointedly, after the three had been gone for five minutes, and Amy hadn't uttered a word.
"Could I have another five minutes?" Amy asked. Lou nodded and she and Grandpa left Amy and Ty alone.
"Amy, they're right. You should probably get back," Ty said after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes.
"How does this happen?" Amy asked Ty her voice came again as a thick whisper.
"Amy, I don't understand. What do you mean?" Ty asked rubbing her arm.
"This is the second time I've come so close to losing you," She responded, turning to him. "And now you can't walk for a month, maybe two." Tears formed in her eyes, a small sob escaping her lips. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"Sh," Ty soothed. He moved to sit up, paused at the pain he found in his torso and arm as he put pressure on it, but sat straight up and wrapped his arms around Amy, regardless. He rocked her gently as her tears fell.
"I'm fine," Ty said. Amy looked up at him through her glassy eyes, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Well ok, it hurts a bit, but you heard the doctor, I'm not going to die."
"You'd better not," Amy said firmly. She put her arms around Ty, resting her cheek on his chest, Ty's chin resting on the top of her head. He squirmed uncomfortably after a while and Amy pulled back.
"Does that hurt?" She asked in concern.
"A bit," Ty tried to smile.
Amy reached out and touched the bandage covered area lightly, her hand venturing up higher on the concealed space. Ty flinched slightly when she passed a point. Amy quickly pulled back.
"Ty, did that hurt?" She asked alarmed, her eyes wide. The memory of the look on Ty's face when she had to put pressure on his wound flashed in front of her eyes, causing them to well up again.
"A bit," Ty said again, but added, at a tear that fell from Amy's eye. "Only a little, like a pin prick," Ty caught her tears, and wiped them away. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm fine, it'll get better." But again Amy could feel a slight tremble in his muscles.
"Lie back down," Amy instructed, pulling from his embrace.
Ty obeyed her, and lay back on the bed, lowering himself gently to the mattress. Amy pulled up the covers, and smoothed them over him.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Amy said softly, getting up and bending to kiss him. "I promise." She walked to the door, and turned to look at Ty before she left. She saw that he had drifted off to sleep.