A/N: I hope this chapter answers a lot of questions you guys had.
Thanks to Steph for everything!!!
As always Stephenie Meyers owns all that is Twilight.
Enjoy!
Chapter 15
Phoenix
EPOV
"Edward, how do you know Phoenix? Did you treat her in Texas? I know the previous owner was Tanya Denali. I believe she lived in Stephenville, do you know her…"
I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. Right before the "accident" that led me here to Arizona, Tanya and I had gotten into an argument about the mare standing in front of me; it was the beginning of the end for us. Something sure didn't add up with the story Tanya told me about Phoenix.
I look back at Bella, who is running her fingers through Phoenix's forelock. The way Bella looks at her I can tell she loves the mare. She deserves to know everything about her horse.
"Bella I think that maybe you should tie Phoenix up and we should go for a walk." I take her small hand into mine stroking it gently. Bella just nods steps back and walks Phoenix to an empty stall, leading her in and removing her halter.
We walk out the back of the barn into a beautiful green pasture with a pond. I take her hand once again in mine as I start to recount the story. "Bella I used to date Tanya Denali." I look over towards her, her head snaps up.
"Edward, I had no idea! Emmett and Jasper both said you dated a girl on their college rodeo team but couldn't remember her name." She is biting her bottom lip again, "Um…Edward please tell me you had nothing to do with Phoenix being on a meater's truck."
I am shocked that she would even think that but considering what she has heard about Tanya it is a valid question. "No Bella I didn't even know she was still alive until I saw her today. I'm just as disgusted as you are that Tanya could do this." I sigh and continue to rub circles into Bella's palm. "Bella she lied…she lied about everything. I guess I need to start with how Phoenix got her scar. Almost 2 years ago Phoenix was involved in a trailer wreck. Tanya was having her shipped out to her in California. She was running the circuit there but her first string horse had pulled a muscle. She called me in a panic and asked if I could have Phoenix shipped to her, she had made it back to the short go at the Cow Palace and needed her in four days. I made the necessary arrangements; the shipper was at Tanya's place within the hour. The transport I was able to find on such short notice was not our normal one but he came with excellent references. I felt comfortable putting Phoenix on the trailer.
"Later that night around one in the morning I get a call from Dr. Sisson, he was one of the vets at the practice I was working. He informed me that there had been an accident involving a horse transport headed to California. My heart stopped, it couldn't be the same one I loaded Phoenix on hours before. I jumped out of bed, ran to the kitchen where I had written the emergency contact information for the company, someone answered on the third ring verifying what I felt in my gut to be true. I dressed quickly and was in my car within minutes, it took me about 2 hours to get to the scene of the wreck. The transport had been hauling eight horses to various destinations on its way to California.
"I had not fully grasped the situation before me until I walked to the twisted piece of aluminum that had once been the trailer." I have tried not to think of the wreck. Glancing over at Bella her eyes are expectant and wondering.
Be strong Edward, as painful as this is, she needs to know.
I turn my head so that I am not looking at Bella, I am not sure if I can get through this if I see the hurt in her eyes that is surely to come when she learns the truth. I take a deep breath before continuing, "Apparently an eighteen wheeler did not break in time slamming into the rear of the trailer; the two horses on the end were killed on impact.
"I looked frantically for Phoenix among the other six. I did not see her anywhere. Spotting and officer I walked over and identified my self as one of the owner's of a horse on the transport and an equine veterinarian." I start rubbing my hand that is not holding Bella's on my blue jeans. I can feel the pain welling up in my chest as I continue…
"The officer informed me that one horse was still trapped inside; animal control, fire and rescue were working hard to free her, my heart dropped as I ran over to where they were working. It was far worse then I ever imagined. Bella…Standing in the first slant of the trailer was Phoenix, her left back leg was bleeding profusely; it was still impaled on a piece of aluminum. The rescue workers were trying to cut the piece free so her leg could be removed." I hear Bella gasp as the reality of what Phoenix went through hits her. I put my arm around her pulling her closer to me, not just for her, but I need to feel her closer so that I can get through this with out breaking down.
"I walked over identifying myself once again to the workers. They allowed me to go inside to assess Phoenix's condition. She was dehydrated and appeared to be going into shock from the blood loss. I knew we had to get her out quickly. I heard the jaws of life start back up, Phoenix flicked her ear towards the noise, I tried my best to comfort her, but honestly there was not much I could do until they got her free, and just like that I heard the noise stop I looked down, she was free. She instinctively held her leg up, and hobbled three legged out of the makeshift door the firemen had made." Pausing I look at Bella again, tears are streaming down her beautiful face. I feel a pain shoot through my heart at the thought of her crying, but she needs to know this. I lean over and kiss her on the forehead.
"Immediately I started to place a tourniquet around her back leg to slow the bleeding. I ran over to my car, grabbed my vet bag and went back to the median that Phoenix was standing on. She would need massive amounts of staples and stitches. I made arrangements for her to be trailered to my clinic in Stephenville. Bella, it was a long year of healing and physical therapy before Phoenix was fully recovered, as you know she will always have a nasty scar on the outside of her leg and her suspensory tendon had been nicked leaving scar tissue there as well, but at least she was alive." I instinctively raise my hand to pinch the bridge of my nose, I know I need to tell Bella about Tanya, this is not really a conversation I wanted to have so early in our relationship.
"Tanya of course blamed me for putting her on a strange transport, she never took into consideration that the accident was not the driver's fault. Once I released Phoenix, Tanya immediately wanted to start conditioning her; she wanted to make some rodeos on her. It then became evident that even though Phoenix was healed physically, emotionally she was not. She was never the same. She was skittish of everything and everyone, Phoenix would get extremely nervous when ever Tanya would work the barrel pattern on her.
"I had to leave for a week to attend an equine veterinarian conference in New Orleans. Upon returning I went to Tanya's to check on Phoenix, she was not there. Fearing the worse I called Tanya, she was on her way to a PRCA rodeo in Oklahoma City. She answered the phone immediately telling me that Phoenix had severely coliced while I was away. Tanya had said she found her dead in the pasture when she went out to feed. I couldn't believe it. I had fought so hard to heal Phoenix only to lose her to something like colic. It just did not make sense.
"I questioned Tanya extensively about what exactly happened. The vet in me knew it took hours of a horse thrashing around to get a twisted gut. She got defensive, throwing everything back at me. Telling me if I would have been there none of this would have happened. She even threw the transport accident back at me, so I just let it go. Thinking she was just destroyed from losing her mare. I now know that was not the case. Tanya had once again lied to me.
"Bella…I know this is a lot to take in but I felt that you needed to know what all Phoenix has been through." I glance over at Bella her eyes are still full of tears. I reach over wiping them from her cheek.
She slowly draws in a breath, almost whispering "Edward…I can't imagine. I am so sorry you had to go through all of that." I stop walking and pull her to me, placing my hand under her chin to angle her face up to me.
"Bella, I am fine now… really. I am just so happy that Phoenix is alive and she has found someone as great as you to care for her. I can see how much you love her, and for that I am grateful. She needs someone like you." I lean down, I can feel her breathing hitch as my thumb caresses her face. I hesitate making sure she is as receptive to this as I am. Bella's lips are slightly parted and her eyes are closed waiting on me. I gently place my lips on hers there was no awkwardness in this kiss, it was as if we knew exactly what the other wanted our tongues started off soft and slow. Exploring each others mouths I feel Bella's hand make its way up to my neck pulling me closer to her, deepening the kiss. Our tongues are moving more frantically now. She tastes so good, I never want this to end, but I know that if it doesn't end now things will spiral out of control. I slowly pull away, placing a chastise kiss on the side of her mouth, she whimpers at the loss of contact. I smile as I lean back to look at her face. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
I smile smugly at her "So Bella, how about that date?"
~*~*~*~*~
End Note:
Definition of Colic - Colic basically is abdominal pain, but in the worst case scenarios, various parts of the horse's gastrointestinal tract may twist upon themselves. It is most likely to be either the small intestine or part of the colon. Occlusion of the blood supply means that it is a painful condition causing rapid deterioration and requiring emergency surgery. Horses cannot burp or vomit so while most other animals (& humans) could rectify any problems this way, horses aren't able to.
So there it is…tell me what you think about Phoenix's journey. She has had a heck of ride so far.
