CHAPTER FOUR
(chapter title – Revealing Hope's Past)
"Courfrayac, I'm going to the house – I don't feel good!" Ella announced one morning as she watched Courfrayac work with Hope.
"Okay. Joly's up at the house, if you need anything." Courfrayac told Ella. Marius and Cosette were out of town visiting Marius' grandfather and Cosette's adopted father. They would be out of town until the following day. Cosette assured her daughter that the trip would be long and boring. Marius said that Ella would have more fun with Courfrayac and Joly.
Ella ran up to the house and made a beeline for the bathroom. Joly looked up from paying bills when he heard vomiting. He stood up and walked to the bathroom door, gently knocking on it.
"Ella? Are you all right?" Joly asked, entering the bathroom. The young girl had tears streaming down her cheeks as she heaved into the toilet. He sat next to her and stroked her long hair.
A few minutes later, she finished getting sick to her stomach. She flushed the toilet, brushed her teeth and washed her face before going to her room.
Joly got her some crackers and orange juice. He carefully carried it to the guest room and placed it on the bedside table. Ella was on her side facing away from Joly. He put the back of his hand to her forehead and drew it away – she felt warm to him.
"Ella, sweetie, can I take your temperature?" Joly asked in a soothing voice. Ella nodded and followed him back to the kitchen. She sat on a barstool as Joly found the thermometer and had Ella put it under her tongue for five minutes.
Five minutes later, the timer went off and Joly looked at the thermometer and frowned – Ella had a little bit of a temperature. Her temperature was 100 degrees.
"Let's get you cozy and comfortable, okay?" Joly told Ella. She nodded and made herself comfortable on the couch. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
Ella shook her head and looked like she was going to be sick again. Joly got her a bucket and he was glad, too. She barfed into it. Joly rubbed Ella's back and held her hair back just as Courfrayac entered the house.
"I need to run an errand for a friend. I'll be back later," he told Joly, tenderly kissing him. He turned to Ella, "how are you feeling?"
She shrugged her shoulders as she laid down on the couch. Joly went to empty the barf bucket into the tub and rinsed it out. He then got her a blanket and pillow from the guest room.
"I got it here, sweetie. I'll call Marius if anything happens, like we have to take her to the hospital." Joly told Courfrayac, kissing his cheek.
"I love you both so dearly." Courfrayac said as he exited the house.
"What movie do you want to watch, princess?" Joly asked, going over to their movie collection. "We have – 101 Dalmatians, Robin Hood, Tangled, The Lion King, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Brave, The Lion King, Peter Pan, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Aristocats, Alice In Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Mulan-"
"Beauty and the Beast, please." Ella croaked. Joly nodded and put the movie in for Ella. As they watched the movie, he stroked her hair and got her whatever she wanted.
Ella was asleep on the couch and Joly was watching the news when Courfrayac entered the house later that night. He kissed Joly's cheek, which startled him.
"Sorry," Courfrayac apologized, looking at Ella, "How is she?"
"She's all right. I think she has the stomach flu. I got her to drink three bottles of water and a few crackers. She hasn't vomited yet, which is good." Joly answered, stroking Ella's hair. Ella continued to sleep.
"Do you want me to put her to bed?" Courfrayac asked, starting to gather Ella in his arms.
"Don't pick her up – she's very content like that." Joly whispered. Courfrayac stopped what he was doing and looked down at Ella. Joly was right – she was content. He stroked some hair out of her face, kissed Joly's forehead and went to their bedroom.
"I was going to call Enjolras to see if he wants Sara to come here for a sleep over." Courfrayac told Joly as he entered the bedroom.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, sweetie. I don't know what Ella has is contagious or not, so I think we better wait." Joly said, laughing when Courfrayac pulled him on top of him.
"Ella sleeps like a rock, you notice that?" Courfrayac noted as he undressed Joly.
"I have noticed," Joly moaned as Courfrayac put a hand down his jeans. Courfrayac looked into Joly's eyes as he took off his jeans and rubbed his manhood against Joly's. "That feels so good!"
Joly was about to kiss Courfrayac back when a noise in the front room made him sit up. He banged his head on Courfrayac's chin, starling his best friend and lover.
"I'm so sorry! I'll check out the damage when I get back." Joly said, throwing some clothes on. He then went out to the front room and saw Ella struggling to breathe. "Ella, sweetie. Breathe, okay? It's all right."
He realized she was having a panic attack. She had these twice a year and they were scary when they happened. They started when Ella was five and Marius and Cosette didn't know what started them.
"Can't…breathe!" Ella choked out.
"Shh, I know. It's all right. I'm right here." Joly soothed, rubbing Ella's back just as Courfrayac joined them.
"What's going on?" Courfrayac asked, joining Joly on the couch.
"She's having a panic attack," Joly answered, rubbing Ella's back. "Shh, shh, shh, sweetie. It's okay."
"What should I do?" Courfrayac asked.
"Call Marius and see what he and Cosette do to calm her down." Joly answered, not taking his eyes off Ella.
"Courfrayac? What the bloody hell are you doing calling at-" Marius looked over at the time. "10:30 at night?"
"Ella's having a panic attack. Joly and I don't know what to do." Courfrayac told Marius.
"Have her take deep breaths and keep her calm." Marius answered.
"Thank you, Marius." Courfrayac thanked his friend before hanging up the phone. He then went back over to Joly and Ella. "He said to have her take deep breaths and keep her calm."
"Did you hear that, Ella? Can you take some deep breaths for me?" Joly asked. Courfrayac sat on the other side of Ella and took her hand in his.
Ella took a lot of deep breaths and eventually calmed down. Courfrayac gave her some water as Joly rubbed her back.
"Are you all right if Joly and I go back to bed?" Courfrayac asked, kissing the top of Ella's head.
"No! Stay with me!" Ella pleaded, taking Courfrayac's hand in hers.
"It's all right. We'll all camp out here. It'll be fun!" Joly remarked as he retrieved some blankets and pillows for him and Courfrayac to sleep on.
Courfrayac and Ella shared the couch while Joly spread out on the floor. Courfrayac stroked Ella's hair as she slept, hoping that she would be all right.
The following day, Ella was eating breakfast when Courfrayac joined her, carrying an armful of papers. He dropped them on the table and started going through them.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Joly asked as he gave Ella some more pancakes.
"I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you," Ella thanked him as Courfrayac mumbled and muttered to himself. "Uncle Courfrayac, what are you doing?"
"This is all of Hope's paperwork – vet bills, auction slips, registration papers, breeding records, everything – I'm trying to find out more about her former owners." Courfrayac explained.
"And why are you doing that exactly?" Ella asked as she dug into her fourth pancake. Joly noted she was eating and took that as a sign she was getting better.
"I want to know why she went to auction in the first place." Courfrayac stated. Ella had gone to change into some barn clothes and pack her overnight bag. Marius would be coming for Ella around one that afternoon.
"Maybe the owners couldn't afford to keep her anymore. Maybe she got sick and the vet bills got too high. There's a thousand reasons that people put horses on the auction block," Joly told Courfrayac as he massaged the other man's shoulders. "Baby, you're so tense!"
Ella exited her room and headed to the barn to check on Hope. The elegant mare had her head over the top half of her stall door. Ella smiled and stroked the spot under Hope's forelock.
Courfrayac entered the barn and watched Ella with Hope.
"Can I talk to you about something before your dad comes?" Courfrayac asked. Ella nodded and turned her attention away from Hope.
"What is it? Am I in trouble?" Ella questioned.
"No, sweet girl, you didn't do anything wrong. It's about Hope," Courfrayac started. "I found out who her former owner was. Do you remember that day when Hope went missing because of the storm and the man named Javert found her?"
Ella nodded and swallowed back tears.
"It turns out that Javert was Hope's former owner. I contacted him and he shows no interest in taking Hope back – he wants you to have her." Courfrayac told Ella.
"Why did he get rid of her? Didn't he want her anymore?" Ella asked.
"He's coming over next week to talk about it with you." Courfrayac told Ella, hugging her close. Ella nodded and waved to Marius as he pulled in the driveway. She turned to hug Courfrayac before getting in the car.
"I'm so happy to see you, El." Marius told his daughter as she got in the front seat.
"How's mom doing?" Ella asked, waving goodbye to Joly as they passed the house.
"She's anxiously waiting your arrival," Marius said, adjusting his sunglasses. "I know I don't have to ask this, but were you good for uncles Courfrayac and Joly?"
"I was on my best behavior, dad, although yesterday, I was sick all morning and into the afternoon. In the evening, I had a panic attack." Ella answered.
"How are you feeling right now?" Marius asked, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. She didn't feel warm to him.
"I'm fine, but the panic attack really scared me," Ella said, staring out the window. Marius nodded and tugged at his daughter's ponytail. "Oh, Javert is going to talk to me next Wednesday about Hope. Uncle Courfrayac found out that Hope originally belonged to Javert. He's going to talk to me about why he gave her up."
"Does he want her back?" Marius asked as he pulled the car into the driveway. Ella shook her head and took off her seat belt. "What time on Wednesday?"
"Around 12:20." Ella answered.
"I can get you there, sweetie. Right now, your mom really wants to see you." Marius told his eldest, placing a kiss on her forehead. Ella smiled and entered the house.
Cosette was lying on the couch, but sat up when Ella came over to her. Cosette was six and a half months pregnant and couldn't wait to have her baby.
"Don't get up, mom." Ella told Cosette as she hugged her from behind.
"It's so good to see you, sweet pea." Cosette told her daughter, placing a hand on her arm.
"It's good to see you, too," Ella said, looking at her mom's stomach. "I can't wait to meet my new brother or sister."
"Actually, we went to the doctor today – you're going to have a little brother." Marius spoke up. Ella's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"I can't wait to meet him!" Ella exclaimed. Marius and Cosette laughed as Ella skipped to her room.
The three of them ended up doing their own things that afternoon – Ella and Marius went over what the baby's nursery should look like while Cosette slept in the master bedroom.
Marius and Ella ended up ordering Italian food that night. Cosette said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest.
The following Wednesday at exactly 12:20, Javert and Ella sat at Courfrayac and Joly's kitchen table. Javert sipped coffee while Ella had some water. Courfrayac, Joly and Marius stayed in the living area, just in case Ella needed help with anything.
"I wasn't the first owner of Hope," Javert started. "I got her from my brother, Damian. He had liver cancer and when the treatments got too expensive, he gave me Hope. I became fully responsible for Hope, then a two-year-old. She was quite high-strung and loved to run. I had another horse, Timber, that I would race her against," he paused, smiling at the memory. "I then started having health issues. I sold Timber to a riding school and Hope, who was now ten months pregnant with Quimby, was getting harder to take care of. She gave birth to Quimby and right away, she started having health issues, like myself. She would nurse and play with Quimby, but other than that, she would keep her leg elevated, just a little bit.
Quimby was weaned when he was six months old, just like any other foal. I sold him to a friend of mine. Hope was now three and ran in the Preakness and Belmont, both of which she won.
I had enough money from her earnings to get the medical help I needed, but it wasn't enough to keep Hope. I got these severe headaches that made me dizzy. I spent four days in the hospital because of one. I couldn't pay the bills on time, so the bank took Hope and put her in the auction." Javert told Ella, tears in his eyes. Ella reached across the table and took one of Javert's hands in hers.
"I'm so sorry about what you have gone through," Ella apologized. Javert smiled at this young girl, "is there anything I can do to help?"
"I would like it, if it's okay with your dad, your uncles, and you, of course, if I could ride Hope." Javert said.
"She hasn't been trained to be ridden yet. Every time my uncle Courfrayac tries to get on her, she crow hops and bucks him off." Ella said.
"I had her for four years. When she wasn't expecting Quimby, I would ride her. She's very gentle and smooth." Javert said.
"Wait a minute – if she raced at three, then she's not seven – she's eight!" Ella realized. Javert looked at Ella as if she had sprung another head.
"What are you talking about?" Javert asked. Ella went over and got Hope's papers of registration.
"See – right there, it says HOPE FOR TOMORROW, born in 2005. She didn't race until 2007 and in 2006, she had Quimby, right?"
"That's correct."
"I did a little research one night when I couldn't sleep. It turns out Hope was born in 2004, NOT 2005, like her papers say she is." Ella said.
"What are you saying, Ella?"
"What I'm trying to say is that all of her paperwork is wrong," Ella said, getting out the research she had found on Hope For Tomorrow, "all Thoroughbreds turn a year old on January 1st, regardless of when their actual birthday is. So, if she's eight on May 4th, which is her actual birthday, and all Thoroughbreds turn one year older on January 1st, that means that Hope isn't seven, like everybody says she is. She's really-" Ella stopped when she felt herself hyperventilate. Javert called for Marius, who came running.
"What happened?" Marius asked Javert.
"We were talking about Hope when she started hyperventilating." Javert explained. Marius sat next to Ella and tried to get her to calm down.
"Shh, Ella. Calm down, sweet girl. It's all right," Marius soothed, gently rubbing Ella's back. He turned to Javert, "she gets these twice a year and they're scary when they happen."
"Should I be doing something?" Javert asked. Marius shook his head as Joly and Courfrayac came into the kitchen.
After a while, Ella calmed down and was asleep on the couch. Marius, Courfrayac, Joly and Javert were talking quietly.
Marius took Ella home, hoping that she would be all right.