Red didn't know when he had felt so tired before. His eyelids refused to open and everything was just a mass of swirling colors. For some reason all Red remembered was Tigra rearing and then Max carrying him and then nothing.
:::::::::::::
Max sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Red had been unconscious for almost three days now and Max hadn't left the hospital since Red had been brought in. Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't known anything about Red.
Until now. Max had already mentally cursed himself repeatedly for confronting Red about the trial and his horse. That was all he had known about Red. Red had never said anything about this, never mentioned the horse and never mentioned where he had learned to ride. Max should have known. He should have known there was a reason and he should've respected that. If he had, then they probably wouldn't be in this mess.
Red shifted in the bed, mumbling something. Max was up on his feet in an instant pressing the call button for the nurse.
:::::::::::::
Jacob. Heading straight towards that jump. Landing it, but tripping, him almost falling off. Placing third, the trainer yelling. Arguments. Loading Jacob back into the trailer, driving back. Unloading Jacob. Taking off. Coming back two hours later, the barn blazing. The screams. Jacob, his coat smoking. The vet. Jacob's eyes closing. Forever.
Red's eyelids fluttered open and he whispered 'Jacob?'
'Hey its okay. You're going to be fine' Max soothed Red as the teen's blue eyes flitted around the hospital room.
'Where am I?' asked Red groggily.
'You're in a hospital. You remember what happened?'
'Yeah. Tigra threw me and then…' Red paused, confused.
'You had a concussion' Max finished the sentence for hm.
'I-I-I-I owe you an explanation I think.'
The nurse walked in, closely followed by the doctor.
'We need to check he's okay and then you can have all the time you want with him sir' said the nurse respectively.
The doctor quickly sat on the edge of Red's bed and proceeded to do exactly what Carole had done back at Pine Hollow only getting different results.
The doctor stood up 'he's fine. I'd like to keep him here another night just to monitor him.'
Max nodded and sank back into the uncomfortable chair again.
'I owe you an explanation. I-I didn't mean to go out without a helmet. I was upset. How did you find all that out?'
Max heaved a sigh 'Deborah found all this out. It's not her fault, I asked her to. Red, you've never said where you trained, where you came from or actually anything!'
'Why do I have to tell you anything?!' Red asked angrily.
'Red. You live and work at my stable. I deserve to know at least if you have any living relatives. For the three days you've been here nobody related to you has stopped by! I tried to contact your folks but apparently you don't have any?!' Max struggled not to raise his voice.
Red turned his face away from Max. When he spoke again the pillow and tears muffled Red's voice. 'Jacob was my horse. He was incredible, he would have done anything for me. But I left. I took off and he died.'
Max sighed and said 'Red it wasn't your fault. You didn't set fire to the barn.'
Red didn't respond for a few minutes. When he rolled over again he said 'you think so?'
'No. I think it's time for you to leave the past behind' Max responded 'Jacob died. But it wasn't your fault.'
Red gave him a weak smile 'thanks.'
'Get some sleep.'
