Resolutions Part 1
Chapter 6
Ty sat motionless staring at the wall in his favorite chair; the chair Amy had given not long ago for his Birthday. Replaying the events in his head from the morning over and over, he tortured himself with what he may have done wrong.
All Spartan's symptoms indicated Colic and considering his condition, adrenaline was the right thing to do. But it didn't work; he died and now Amy blames me. Was it my fault?
"Ty, you up there?"
Scott's voice snapped Ty out of the endless loop playing in his mind bringing back to the present.
"Yeah, come on up Scott."
Scott's footsteps echoed in the stairwell until he reached the loft and saw Ty in his chair. He immediately noted the despair etched across Ty's face.
"You okay?" Scott asked.
"Not really." Ty replied.
"I'm sorry man. Let's get this over with and examine Spartan."
Nodding, Ty hesitantly followed Scott down the stairs and towards Spartan's stall.
"Get away from him!" came a screeching yell from outside the barn.
Ty and Scott looked up simultaneously to see an incensed Amy storming into the barn.
"I don't want you anywhere near Spartan; you killed him," shouted Amy her sole attention focused on Ty.
"Amy, please I just…"
"NO! Scott can examine him; but not you!"
Ty looked pleadingly at Amy who stared defiantly back.
"NO," she exclaimed again.
Ty paused for another moment before pivoting to slowly climb the stairs back up to the loft.
"Amy, don't you think you're being a little hard…"
"Scott stop! I don't want to talk about Ty. Just do whatever you need to with Spartan."
"Alright."
Without another word, Amy stalked back to the house.
…
"Amy, are Scott and Ty examining Spartan?" Jack inquired as Amy entered the living room.
"Scott is; not Ty" Amy spat with a look of unbridled resentment towards her Grandfather.
"Why not Ty?" answered Jack taking note of Amy's attitude.
"Because he's responsible for Spartan's death and I don't want him near my horse…or you."
Jack glared intently at his defiant Granddaughter before deciding not to respond to Amy's stinging, thinly veiled accusation.
"Lisa, will you walk outside with me for a minute?" Jack asked.
"Where are you going?" Amy demanded.
Jack assertively rose from the couch to this time, accept Amy's challenge. Losing patience with his youngest Granddaughter's behavior and attitude, Jack purposefully stated, "last time I checked, I own this house and property. That gives me the right to go where I please on it without first checking with or asking permission from you. I'm sorry about Spartan, we all are but you know as well as anyone animals on a farm eventually die. Furthermore, don't ever speak to me with that tone and attitude again. Is that understood?"
"Jack," Lisa softly interrupted while taking his hand, "let's go outside."
"Just don't go to the barn near Spartan" a still defiant Amy ordered.
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. Is the barn on this property?"
Amy slowly nodded her head in acknowledgment.
"Then don't tell me where I can and cannot go. I'll go to the barn whenever I damn well please."
"Fine," Amy countered before turning and marching to her room.
Staring in bewilderment at Amy, Jack allowed Lisa to lead him outside.
"Lisa, I don't know what's come over her, but I'm worried. Even when her mother died, she wasn't like this. Something's wrong with her…very wrong."
…
Entering the barn, Jack and Lisa observed Scott examining Spartan.
"How goes it Scott?" asked Jack.
"Well Jack, I can think of better circumstances than this to visit Heartland."
Before Jack could respond, Lisa brushed Jack's arm and said, "I think I'll go upstairs to check on Ty."
Jack nodded in agreement followed by, "that's a good idea."
As Lisa's steps faded toward the top of the stairs, Jack turned back to Scott.
"So, do you have an opinion yet on what happened to Spartan?"
"Only an autopsy would give a definitive answer, but I would have to agree with Ty, it was colic. And Jack, I would have done the same thing Ty did; give him a shot of adrenaline.
Jack again nodded his head in agreement, this time at Scott.
"Thanks Scott. So you don't think Ty's at all to blame for what happened to Spartan?"
"No, not at all Jack. Given the circumstances, Spartans grave condition, the symptoms, the need for immediate action, Ty did exactly the right thing in my opinion."
"I don't believe you, came a voice from the barn entrance. You're just covering for Ty and him."
Together, Jack and Scott swung their heads to see Amy several feet away.
"Amy, how long have you been here?" inquired Jack.
Long enough to hear the horseshit Scott was trying to spread.
"Amy, that's enough," Jack bellowed as Scott looked at Amy in amazement.
"It's true Grandpa, no matter what you or Scott say." With that, Amy spun violently around and stomped back to the house.
Jack turned to look at Scott; "Something's wrong with her; very wrong.