It had been a week since the accident. Ty's cracked ribs were causing him some pain when he moved, and laughing was something he tried to avoid at all cost. He had a cast on his wrist and stiches in his leg, but for the most part he was doing okay. He had been released from the hospital two days ago, but the staff was allowing him to stay with Amy.
Amy was still very pale from the loss of blood and slept a lot. The doctor had assured Ty it would take a while before she regained her strength; he just needed to be patient. If everything checked out, they would release her in the morning. He had spent several nights sleeping or at least trying to sleep in the chair next to her bed. It was not really comfortable with good ribs, let alone cracked ribs. Jack had come to the hospital and pretty much booted him out, telling him he would stay with Amy for the night and would not take no for an answer. Ty left, driving Jack's truck back to Heartland—seems he had no truck of his own anymore. He was looking forward to taking a nice hot shower and lying flat on a bed for a few good hours of sleep.
It was dusk when Ty started back to the ranch. The sun was setting over the mountains as he turned onto the road to Heartland. An eerie feeling came over him as he neared the site of the accident. His memory went back to that night and the fear that had gripped him. His breath caught in his throat at the thought. He slowed down and finally stopped. Sitting there looking into the darkness, he felt his eyes becoming moist with tears as he relived the accident. Where would he be today if he had lost Amy?
Maybe it was the fact he was tried and hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, but he couldn't shake the feeling that if Amy had died that night, he would have lost everything he'd come to love. Amy, the love of his life, the family that had taken him in and accepted him, and Heartland, the place he'd called home for years now. There in the darkness he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He put his head against the steering wheel and cried.
Amy had a restless night. She could not get comfortable. Her body ached from the blunt force of the accident not to mention the surgery. She knew Grandpa was there, but she missed Ty. He made her feel safe, but she knew he needed his rest too so his body could heal. Her mind wandered to the ranch and the client horses waiting for her. She wasn't sure how she was going to work with the horses. It hurt to move, so how was she going to stand in the round pen for hours or even saddle or ride? It was going to be a problem, but she wasn't going to let on to Ty. She would work through the pain. They needed her income now more than ever since they would have to buy a new truck.
The sun was shining through the loft windows when Ty woke up. He slowly rolled over, expecting to put his arm around his wife, only to remember she was not there. He missed her lying next to him, even if she did hog the better part of the bed. His thoughts went to how nice it would be to finally have her home, where the both of them could just rest and recuperate together. He looked at the clock and sighed. It was early, so he had some time before he had to get back to the hospital. He lay there thinking of how he was going to keep Amy from trying to do too much before she should. He had been through the same surgery after his bike accident, and he knew how sore and tired he'd gotten just moving. It was going to be tough keeping his wife quiet and resting, but that was what she needed to do right now.
Ty was standing at the sink rinsing his coffee mug when Tim yelled up the stairs.
"Ty, you decent? Okay if I come up?" Ty said sure and walked over to greet Tim.
"How are you doing?" asked Tim.
Ty responded "I'm okay, anxious to get Amy home and be done with the hospital."
Tim shook his head in agreement. He knew it had been tough on both of them with the accident and the injuries, not to mention Amy's surgery. He had a plan to help make things a little easier. "Ty, I need you to come with me for a while this morning, okay?"
Ty gave him an are-you-serious look. "Tim, I need to go to the hospital and pick up Amy and Jack."
Tim nodded and told him he knew that but this was important and they needed to do it now rather than later. Ty sighed and nodded. Whatever it was that Tim needed him right now for he guessed he could do and get it out of the way.
They went down to the driveway and Tim motioned for Ty to get in the truck. Ty looked confused and told Tim he would follow him to wherever they were going so he could pick up Amy afterward. Tim just smiled and told him to get in the truck. Ty showed his displeasure but got in. They headed into Hudson not speaking. Ty was getting more upset the closer they got to Hudson, thinking he should have driven Jack's truck since they were going to be so close to the hospital. But there was nothing he could do about it now, so he just sat back and waited to see where Tim was taking him. Tim pulled into the big truck dealership on the outskirts of Hudson. Ty turned to Tim with a questioning look on his face.
"What are we doing here, Tim? I need to get to the hospital to pick up Amy."
"Ty, trust me, okay?"
They walked in and were greeted by a salesman, Bruce. He smiled and asked Ty a few questions about his job and family life. Ty explained he was a partner at the Hudson vet clinic and he had a wife but no kids just yet. The salesman nodded and started walking toward the door to the new truck lot.
Ty was about to protest again when Tim said, "So, Bruce, what do you have in mind for Ty and Amy?"
Ty looked at Tim, and it clicked. Tim had already been there and had this all planned out. Bruce took them out to show Ty two new trucks—one black, one red. Both had all the options anyone could ever want, and both had a sticker price that made Ty gasp. He shook his head, and said, "What are you up to, Tim? You know I can't afford a new truck like this."
Tim smiled and said, "Ty, you did all the hard work to become a vet. You are my daughter's husband, a member of the family, and I want to help you and Amy get started on that dream of yours. So which one is it going to be?"
Ty could not believe his ears. His father-in-law was going to buy them a new truck! He looked at the trucks and suddenly heard Amy's voice in his head, "Do you know what it's like to drive around town in a big red truck with flames on the side?" Ty smiled to himself and said, "We'll take the black one. Thank you, Tim, or should I say Pops!"
An hour later Ty was on his way to the hospital to pick up his wife and bring her home. He was so excited that she was well enough to come home and that he could pick her up in a brand new truck. Hopefully it would help them both deal with the loss of the old GMC and to put the accident behind them and move on.
Amy was getting impatient. Where was Ty? Didn't he know how much she wanted to get out of there? She could not wait to get home to the loft and the horses and to have some time alone with her husband.
Ty walked into the room with Amy's clean clothes and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Morning! How you feeling today?" he asked with a smile that went from ear to ear.
"Morning, what do you mean morning? It's almost noon. Where have you been? I've been waiting forever," she retorted.
Ty stepped back, the smile fading from his face. Oh boy, he could see he had some explaining to do to his wife, thanks to his father-in-law. But he figured all would be forgiven when she saw their new ride. He let out a sigh as the doctor walked into the room right then.
"Hi, Ty, Amy. Are you ready to blow this Popsicle stand?" he asked with a smile. Amy responded with a resounding yes, and everyone laughed. The doctor went through the discharge orders with them and made it very clear to Amy she was restricted to no work whatsoever, no riding, nothing to do with a horse for four weeks. He would see her in the office in two weeks and would reassess her medical restriction at that point. He then asked Amy, "Do you understand the restriction, Amy?"
She was quiet for a minute and then nodded. Ty knew she wasn't happy and had a feeling he would hear about it on the way home. The paperwork was completed and a prescription for pain meds was filled while Amy dressed. The nurse came in a short time later and handed Amy a pill and a glass of water. Amy said she didn't need it, and the nurse smiled and told her, "You'll thank me later with all the moving you're doing today." Ty knew exactly what she was talking about.
Ty was pushing the wheelchair as they headed to the elevator. When they reached the parking lot, the new truck was front and center and Amy looked confused when Ty opened the door.
"Your chariot awaits, my lady." Ty held his hand out to help her up.
Amy looked up at him with questioning eyes. "What's this?"
"This is our new ride," Ty responded. "I'll explain everything later, when we get home."
The ride home was quiet for both of them. Ty made sure to take the long way home, not going by the site of the accident. He knew they would eventually, but not today. The thoughts of what happen that night still haunted him. He knew Amy would be tired and sore by the time they reached Heartland, and he didn't want to upset her. It had been a rough week for both of them, and they needed time to relax and recuperate. Spending some quality time alone together was just what the doctor ordered.
"So, what do you think of the new truck?" Ty asked.
His voice startled her, and she jerked, causing her to wince in pain. "It's nice. I miss the old one, though," Amy said through clenched teeth.
Ty reached for her hand. "Hey, you okay?"
Amy smiled and reassured him she was fine. She was happy to be going home, but being in a truck again made her think of the accident. Her memory was sparse about that night but what she did remember did not make sense and it hadn't gone unnoticed that Ty hadn't driven home on that stretch of road either. She knew they would need to talk about it at some point.
The next week went by uneventfully. Amy had a few visitors that stopped in to see her, but for the most part she slept. She never mentioned work, which Ty was thankful for. He knew at some point she would, but he could tell she wasn't ready for any physical activity just yet. She seemed to be content to lie in bed cuddling with him, taking long soaks in the tub ,and spending quiet evenings at home with just the two of them. She hadn't even wanted to have dinner with the family yet. Lou had been great about bring them dinner, so Ty didn't have to worry about cooking. He was feeling better every day and was going to get his cast off next week if everything checked out okay. Everything seemed to be good, but something was off. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he knew Amy and she was not acting like herself.
One evening when they were sitting on the couch enjoying some tea and each other, Amy brought up the accident.
"Ty, I don't remember much of what happened that night. Can you tell me, please?"
Ty didn't know how to answer her and wasn't sure he wanted to. Talking about it would bring back all those emotions he was trying to forget. He had thought it best to leave that night in the past.
"Amy, why are you asking? What is it you want to know?"
She explained what she remembered: going out to the movies, running into Cass and Caleb, and being disgusted with the make-out session from the two of them. She remembered the movie was bad, not really something that either of them had enjoyed, and the ride home when Ty swerved to avoid hitting an animal. But then there were a few images that didn't make sense, and then waking up in the hospital after her surgery.
Ty shook his head and asked her, "What images? What did you see?"
She took a minute and then let out a breath. "Ty, I know this sounds weird, but I saw my mom. She was there with me."
Ty's breath caught in his throat. Amy seeing her mom meant only one thing to Ty. He understood now why that night still haunted him. He couldn't talk; he was so choked up.
"Ty, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just don't understand why I saw my Mon and remember her talking to me." Ty tried to regain his composer so he could talk.
"Amy, your injuries were severe; you were bleeding internally. You could have died that night, and from what you're telling me . . . "He stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say it. "Ever since that night I've had this feeling I couldn't shake, and now I know why."
Slowly his words sank in. Amy realized what seeing her mom met and how close she'd come to dying. It hadn't crossed her mind until now, and she started to understand why the accident had impacted Ty so much.
Ty was in shock. He suddenly understood why he couldn't shake the feeling he had about the accident. Hearing Amy talk about seeing her mom brought back all the fear of that night. He'd come closer to losing Amy than he'd known, and the feeling was overwhelming. All he could manage to do was breathe.
He heard Amy ask, "Ty, are you all right?"
The sound of her voice brought him back to the present. He shook his head. Amy placed her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. She could see the fear. Without a word spoken, they knew how the other was feeling, both realizing how close they had come to losing each other.
The next day they decided to take the new truck out for a ride. They rode for a while in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When they came to the road that led up to the ridge, Ty stopped the truck and looked over at Amy. She nodded and he turned on to the road. When they reached the cemetery, he put the truck in park and shut it off. He watched his wife through the corner of his eye waiting for a sign. Amy didn't say anything but reached for the door handle. Ty grabbed her hand and said, "Wait." He climbed out and came over to help her out. They walked over to Marion's grave and stood there in silence.
After a while Ty spoke. "Amy, I never had the chance to meet your mom, but she continues to be a presence in my life. She brought me to Heartland and you, and I will always be thankful for that." He wrapped his arms around her drawing her close. "I love you."
Amy was crying as she looked up at Ty. "She told me to go back to you, Ty. That we had a lifetime to spend together. I wasn't sure what she meant then, but I do now. I love you too."
They never spoke of the accident again.