Chapter Eleven
Life Has Its Way
A/N – Well and then there is that. I was planning on a dramatic interlude and Wyatt's injury came from ideas submitted by you the readers. I will spend the next chapter or two walking through this but then, I need to move to some happy stuff. The early months of the year have been challenging for the Borden's as well as for me to, as I write the story. I have some really cool storylines that lean toward fun for the family coming soon. So, I will see how it goes for our soon to be vet and his love. I have seen in my life that challenges make you stronger and with the Borden's there are no exceptions. I am confident that in the end everyone will be Ok and their love for each other will be even stronger. I also hope to put some closure on several unfinished storylines over the next 8-10 chapters and then move forward with some exciting stuff. I really have no idea how long I will go with the sequel but right now I am just rolling with the flow. Thanks as always for your support for this story and the continuing involvement with my first one. I am excited to see that people are still enjoying it and even more about the attention this story is getting. These stories are my way to move on with the Borden family many of us envisioned. Keep providing me your feedback, it is sincerely appreciated. Mature Content – Enjoy!
Lyndy sat totally focused on her fiancé as the ambulance headed toward Calgary. She held his hand tightly as she willed him to open his eyes and come back to her. He was her entire life, best friend, lover and her future husband. They talked all of the time about being married, raising a family and working together. She heard nothing around her but did feel the comfort of her mom's hand rubbing her back. Amy quietly spoke with the paramedics asking how he was. The female paramedic assure her he was stable, due to the great work that her husband and his friend did before they got here. She smiled, "Based on what your husband said, after the seizure they immediately realized he had stopped breathing and started CPR. It was only a few minutes and as we arrived he was breathing on his own. He is a very strong young man and that definitely helped. His wrist might be fractured from the lead rope he was holding, he has a lots of cuts, scrapes and bruises and his lower back is already swelling up from the hoof contact. His limbs are responsive to touch and that is very good. As the swelling increases, there may be some issues with that but the real concern is what caused the seizure. That is what the doctors will determine." Amy smiled thanking her, "We know a lot of the team at the University hospital and Ty, my husband is calling ahead. We are actually both adjunct professors and do some guest lecturing and also host student every year who are completing their clinical work." Amy felt it good to talk as inside she was blaming herself for not looking over the horse before Lyndy and Wyatt started working with him. Seeing her start to be a little quiet, the other paramedic spoke smiling. "I don't know if you remember but years ago you helped me with my son's horse, Mosby. He was having issues with his jumping. You fixed him and they had a great career together. My son actually jumped for the university team." Amy smiled, "His name was Matt and the horse was a beautiful Blue Roan. He was a feisty one but we finally got him in line." The man sat dumbfounded wondering how she could remember that. Out of the blue Lyndy looked over to him and smiled, "My mom remembers almost all of her horses and as you can imagine that is a lot. It's kind of crazy." Lyndy leaned into her mom and shakily whispered, "Mom, he has to be Ok." The female paramedic smiled, "Sweetie he is doing really well and he seems to be a strong young man. I hear he is your fiancé?" Lyndy smiled shaking her head yes. The paramedic giggled, "Well aren't you a lucky one, he is a good looking man." Lyndy smiled appreciatively, "He is my everything." They all smiled as Lyndy's attention when back to Wyatt and the other's sat quietly. The next interruption was 15 minutes later when the driver called back, "Five minutes out." The paramedics started preparing him to be taken into the hospital. The female paramedic smiled grabbing Lyndy's hand. "Now, Lyndy, its gonna be kind of crazy when we pull into emergency. And they are going to take him from you so they can check him out. Remember this, he is strong and you need to be strong also letting them do their thing, Ok?" Lyndy smiled dreading the fact that they would be separated. The ambulance pulled in and stopped. The doors opened and as promised Lyndy's world went out of control.
As the group arrived from home they noticed that Wyatt was already being wheeled in with Amy and a distraught Lyndy. Ty came with the kids as Katie, Clay, Georgie and Steven followed. Caleb and Cass, who came from the clinic promised to hang around the ranch while Soraya, her girls and Mallory came to relieve Lou who had all 6 of her grandkids. Once they arrived she headed home to Heartland to fill everyone in there. They all parked and headed into the ER waiting room. Amy and Lyndy went into the exam area but the doctor told them they needed to go to the waiting room, "Miss Borden, we need to look him over and you can't be here. It may be disturbing for you but trust me he will be treated with care. Once we look him over and stabilize the wrist and lower back, we will come and see you. I know it is hard but we need to be alone with him." He noticed the young girl's concerned look. "Ok, I'll tell you what, Mrs. Borden, I understand your husband is the vet Ty Borden correct and he stabilized Wyatt right after the accident." Amy smiled, "Yes, he is and he was amazing." He put his hand on Lyndy's shoulder as she went to kiss Wyatt's cheek, "How about you send your dad in and he can consult us on what he did for you fiancé. Would that be Ok?" Lyndy's shoulders relaxed as her smile gave him the answer. Amy and Lyndy headed into the waiting room to hugs and kisses. JT immediately went to his big sister and hugged her tightly asking, "How is he?" Amy smiled, "He is stable and they are going to look him over. He is still unconscious but seemed settled." They all smiled as Lyndy spoke quickly, "Dad the ER doctor asked if you could go back. He wants to hear what happened when you and Caleb went to help him." She began to tear up, "Daddy please make sure he is Ok." Ty pulled his oldest daughter into a big hug kissing her forehead, "Don't worry honey, I will. We will get through this and all of us will be strong for him." He headed in as the group settled in. The nurse walked Ty back to the exam room and had him put on a mask, gloves and a gown. As he entered the lead doctor greeted him, "Dr. Borden, I am Dr. Taft, the lead on young Wyatt's evaluation. Since you called ahead and spoke with Dean Molder, I also have Dr. Sloane, the lead neurologist here as well to look over the lower back injury. We invited you since you were first on scene after the accident and I think it will help your daughter feel better. She is pretty upset." Ty smiled, "Thanks and please call me Ty. When we got to him, while I was doing a quick assessment, he had a mild seizure and then stopped breathing. My lead foreman, who is a retired rodeo cowboy, began compressions and I administered breaths. After less than 2 minutes he began to breathe on his own so I looked him over again. His wrist is obviously broken as he was holding the horse with a lead and as you see he was banged around pretty good." Dr. Sloane spoke up, "Ty, did you see the kick in the back." He shook his head, "No, and actually my niece Georgie Weber, said he actually came down on him twice but the second one grazed him and got more of the dirt. The first one was just at the base of the back. I definitely saw the marks but there was no break in the skin but it was beginning to bruise up. At that point, the paramedics showed up and took over. I let them know everything we had done up until then." Dr. Taft asked, "Your foreman, is he trained in CPR?" Ty smiled, "Caleb was a rodeo champion for many years and a friend longer than that. Along with a lot of our staff we are all trained in CPR and recertify every year. We also have portable defibrillators at all of our facilities with several people certified on how to use them." One nurse spoke up, "Is your niece the Georgie Weber from the Olympics." Ty laughed, "Yes one in the same. And actually one of my other daughters is in a qualifier next weekend and has a good chance to go this year as well." After some silence, Dr. Taft spoke again, "Well Ty, the work you and your friend did performing CPR and stabilize Wyatt was amazing. He is very lucky you guys were there so quickly." Ty took a moment and answered, "Thank you, my wife and I actually took legal guardianship of Wyatt since his parents died when he was a baby and his Grandma passed. He also lives with us. Oh, and he will be my son-in-law too once he finishes vet school in June." The doctor smiled, "Well let's get to it and help this young man, he seems to have a lot of people who care for him, based on the crowd in the waiting room."
The Ranch was still buzzing about the accident and some staff came in on their off day to help, not just at the Miracle Ranch but at Heartland too. But it was more about support for the Bordens and being there if anything was needed or any news came to them. Lou smiled as she headed over to Heartland to fill Jack and Lisa in. "I can't believe all of the people who have come in to help. I love these people." She hugged Soraya and Mallory and headed out, concerned about her next conversation. She called Scott on the way and asked him to meet her there for support. She smiled when she told him he was already there. At the hospital, as mentioned, the waiting room was filled with family to support Lyndy and Wyatt. JT continued to sit close to his sister as the other girls huddled together with their mom. The Webers and Fosters made sure they had anything they needed and looked up when Haley and Ellory showed up as well. Haley was there for Lyndy and Ellory for Amy as their bonds were strong. Georgie, Katie and Amy were updated about what was going on at the Ranch as Clay talked to Caleb a few times. Steven kept Cass, Ellie and Mandy updated as well. The sat and waited for any news with one thing in mind, making sure Lyndy was Ok and had their support. She sat quietly, staring off and rubbing JT's back. He leaned into her acknowledging her touch and holding her hand. They sat and waited until they were startled when a nurse came out to them. "Hi, I am Rachel one of the ER nurses. You are Wyatt's family, correct?" They all smiled yes and Lyndy moved her attention to the visitor. "So, the initial evaluation has begun and Dr. Borden is filling the team in on what transpired up until the paramedics arrival. I have to say what he did with his friend was crucial and really helped stabilize him before the ambulance arrived. Wyatt is stable, and doing as well as we could expect. It seems he has broken his wrist and has numerous cuts and bruises from his initial accident. We have brought in the lead neurologist, thanks to Dr. Borden's call ahead." Amy smiled and spoke to everyone, "Ty called the head to the Equine program and I believe he called in reinforcements." She looked over to the nurse, ""Ty, is a graduate, Wyatt and Lyndy are seniors and my twins are enrolled here as well. Also we are Adjunct Professors here and lecture here several times a year." The nurse smiled, "I know, I am a horsey girl and attended several of your programs while I was in nursing school. What you do is spectacular and I can see why your husband did such a great job." She hesitated a little, "It is going to be a while but the two doctors and your husband should be out to speak to you once we get Wyatt diagnosed and set up in the ICU. No matter what, until he wakes up, he will need to be kept in a induced coma." Lyndy gasped and breathlessly whispered, "A coma?" The nurse grabbed her hands, "Honey, I know it sounds scary, but it is all good. This gives us a chance to evaluate him in a way that is comfortable for him." Lyndy smiled tearily as Amy thanked her for coming out. The group sat quietly and waited for any news talking quietly, wondering how things were going just inside the hallway door.
The exam was going well as the doctors were methodical and looking over all of the injuries. The wrist, which was only fractured not broken, had been splinted and stabilized. The variety of cuts, rope burns a bruises were addressed and taken care of for now but some will need follow up. Several of the cuts were deep enough for stitches so they were applied and bandaged up. The lower back was x-rayed from several angles and he was scheduled for an MRI along with his head to make sure he was not concussed. The MRI results for his lower back were inconclusive since there was too much swelling and the brain scan showed a little swelling but nothing that alarmed them. Arrangements were made to move him to the ICU as Ty and The two doctors got ready to go see everyone. They chatted as they walked down the hall. Maddie was the first to see them yelling, "Daddy," and running toward him. The group huddled together around the set of couches where Amy and Lyndy sat with JT, Haley, Katie and Georgie. Amy got up and received a kiss from her as he sat down next to Lyndy who leaned into him shaking as she spoke, "Dad, how is Wyatt?" Ty clutched her closer, "Well he I doing as well as he can be but I want to introduce Dr. Taft, who is the lead on the case and Dr. Sloane, the head of Neurology. I am going to let them go through everything and then you can ask questions. After that, Lyndy, you can see him but we need to keep the groups small. The ICU is not like a regular hospital room. Everyone quietly understood as Dr. Taft began to go through what they found and what initial treatments they had administered. He talked about everything except the lower back which he said Dr. Sloane would address. "So overall the wrist, cuts and bruises will heal in time and we are not concerned about a concussion as the MRI only showed minor bruising." A few people asked questions about the wrist and some of the cuts that needed stitches and Dr. Taft answered them with the detail they needed. He smiled, "Ok, now Dr. Sloane and if he would like your dad can talk as well, Dr. Sloane?" The older gentlemen spoke up, "Well, first off, for what happened, Wyatt is really doing well. He has sensation is his arms and legs and his eyes are also responsive. Not to alarm you but we want to keep him in a coma for a little longer to help him heal and to get the swelling to go down a bit in his lower back. The first strike hit him squarely at the base of the spine and the second glanced off of his left hip. The second strike cause a cut but that is it and it has been treated. We have him on antibiotics to stave off any infection. Along with his head, we did a complete scan of the area to look for any abnormalities. Unfortunately, the swelling prohibited us from getting a good look so after that goes down we can determine what is going on down there. When he wakes up he is going to be one sore man and will be a little disorientated. Don't worry, he will recover quickly and gain an awareness of where he is." Dr. Sloane took a breath as Lyndy spoke up, "Is he in pain now." He smiled, "Well no and thus the reason for the coma. A lot of people look at comas as a bad thing but in this case, it is actually good for the patient. An awake patient is fidgety and sometimes slows down the progress of healing." Ty stepped in, "But you guys, we need to wake him soon. Even a good coma needs to expire and the patient, Wyatt, needs to regain consciousness." Dr. Taft smiled, "Your dad is right, I expect we will let him sleep through the night and then bring him out of it in the morning." The group sat quietly when Dr. Taft spoke up again, "I expect that you Lyndy will spend the night and we can accommodate that. After you all see him, I would suggest you all go home and come back in the morning to a awake patient who I expect will be happy to see you. Before you come, we will give your mom and dad and update." Everyone smiled as Lyndy spoke up, "Mom, Dad, can JT stay too?" Amy smiled, Camilla is on the way with clothes for both of you."
After a quick visit by the family, the group headed home leaving Lyndy and JT to stay. Amy was the last to say goodbye and hugged her little boy, telling him to be strong. She went to Lyndy as they collapsed into each other in tears, "Lyndy, you need to be strong for Wyatt. He is going to be Ok, but he will need you more than ever now. And don't forget you have all of us." She smiled as their parents left and she settled next to Wyatt, holding his hand. JT sat beside her holding hers. The group from the hospital arrived at the Miracle Ranch to awaiting kids, Jack, Lisa, Scott and Lou. It was a little after dinner but food was ready so everyone ate talking quietly. Ty gave the others a brief recap of his status and what they had and will be doing. Caleb interacted, "I am no doctor but I have seen a lot of people get kicked and where the hoof mark was might be Ok." Jack spoke up, "Well I don't always agree with you but I agree and let's not forget, Wyatt is a strong kid. He will be fine, I know it." Lisa asked how Lyndy and JT were doing. Amy smiled, "Well as usual JT is calm and collected, but I know he is hurting. It is good for him to be there, not just for himself but for Lyndy. Lyndy is obviously shaken but I think when the team came out to fill us in she felt a little better. She just wants him to wake up and talk to him. She is strong but until then, I expect she will be a wreck." Cass chuckled, "Amy she is a Borden woman and you know they are resilient and tough, trust me I have seen it for a long time." Everyone smiled in agreement. Amy continued as the finished eating. Well, kids, we have a ranch to take care of. Dad and I will check on him in the morning and when we get our report, we will decide what to do. We have had a lot of help today but tomorrow let's make sure you guys get our horses tended to and do any homework we have." Annie smiled, "Mom, we got it and telling us to get our homework done, what are we 10?" Everyone laughed as dinner was cleaned up and the girls headed out to the barn. When they got there they were surprised, as Desi, Jeremy, Ricky and Gwen were taking care of the horses. Maddie ran up to Ricky and Gwen giving them hugs. Annie and Addie kissed their boyfriends and hugged them for a while. All three Borden girls were in tears as they broke from their hugs. Once settled they headed back. Amy and Ty were finishing cleaning up as everyone had left. The visitors stayed overnight as Amy felt the support would be needed. They were more than fine that Jeremy and Desi stayed with the twins since they knew it was happening at the apartment. With Ricky and Gwen, they laughed, when Gwen was in bed with Maddie and Ricky was on a cot in her room when they checked. Amy and Ty settled in getting ready for bed. Ty was looking over some schedules on the I-Pad as Amy sat and combed out her hair. Over all the years of being together, his happiest place was watching her get ready to bed. He marveled at her beauty and how she cared for her body, applying lotion to her face, arms, legs and the rest of her body. But watching her combing out her beautiful long brownish blonde hair was his ultimate favorite. He through back of how it flew in the air as she rode a horse, how good it looked under a cowboy hat and how it laid out on the bed or hung over him when they made love. She was his everything and now they both needed each other. Wyatt's accident had shook both of them as he was their son and soon to be Lyndy's husband. She nestled into his arms as the pulled the covers up. They needed each other's warmth and love that night as they prepared for whatever was to come. After a gentle kiss, they fell into a fitful sleep and their minds were on a hospital room in Calgary.
Amy was up well before sunrise and headed downstairs to get coffee ready and thinking about what to get for breakfast for the kids and their guest. As she drank her coffee her thoughts were of her daughter, son and Wyatt. Her memory recalled the few times that Ty had been hurt and how it affected her. It was just 5:30 but she wanted to text Lyndy but realized it was way too early. She was startled when her phone buzzed and she saw her daughter's name come up. "Hi, I bet you are up. I really haven't slept and needed to talk to someone. Wyatt is unchanged, although the nurse says that first thing this morning they are going to reduce the drugs keeping him in the coma and wake him up." Amy sent a note back, "Sweetie, go out into the hall and call me, I need to hear your voice." She got up and was startled again as Ty was standing there to take her into his arms. He had a blanket and whispered, "Let's go out on the front porch." The sat for a moment quietly when Amy's phone buzzed. She picked it up, "Hey sweetie, how's it going? I am going to put it on speaker, dad is here with me too. Seems everyone slept light last night. She spoke quietly, "Well not much has changed, JT insisted that we stay awake in shifts, just in case and he is out like a light. Wyatt seems so peaceful, but I need him to be awake so I can talk to him and tell him how much I love him. Mom, I just kept replaying what happened over and over in my head. Maybe there was something I could have done so this wouldn't have happened. He was protecting me and got hurt, I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive myself." She was in tears as Ty spoke up, "Lyndy, listen to me, there was nothing at all you could have done. The horse was a little skittish, but to do what he did was a surprise to everyone. And, I would have done the same thing for your mom or any one of you." They were quiet and inside all three girls were up and saw their parents heads outside the kitchen window. Fearing the worst, they hurried out to see what was wrong. Maddie was the first to get to them with wide eyes, "What's wrong." Lyndy laughed, "Well it seems my sisters are here to, it's like a family thing, JT just jumped in my lap." "Hi mom and dad, sorry I had the shift right before this one and was tired," JT proclaimed proudly. Lyndy took a second to fill them in and what the plans were for later that morning. As they finished the call, Amy and Ty told her they would be there right after breakfast and asked if she needed anything. JT yelled out pancakes so Annie and Addie made sure they had a to go order. After breakfast, Amy and Ty left and the rest of the kids and their guest did morning check and went for a quick trail ride. They were going to wait for a call before they headed over. Jeremy and Desi made sure that the other two kids got home as the girls waited. They handled calls from a lot of people concerned and the Heartland group came over to sit with them. At the hospital, the doctor came in to talk to Lyndy and JT. They were going to start weaning him off the meds that put him into the coma and said it should be an hour or two before he wakes up. As he finished Amy and Ty walked in. JT screamed, "Mom, he is going to wake up in a couple for hours they said." She smiled, "That's good honey. Hey why don't you Lyndy come with me to the waiting room to eat these pancakes." She hesitated and Ty hugged her, "I can stay with him honey, it will just be a little bit." She agreed kissing Wyatt's cheek before she left.
Ty called home and Addie answered immediately. He smiled, "Did you have the phone in your ear already?" No, when can we come daddy?" He chuckled, "Well why don't you head out in a few minutes. Can you let the Heartland crew know - GG, Lisa, Lou and Scott. Let Georgie, Katie and Haley know too and tell them they can come when they get someone to watch the kids. We hope he wakes up in a couple of hours and I don't know If you will be able to see him yet but we can see how it goes. I know Lyndy would want you to be here." Even before they hung up, they were getting ready to leave and calling people. Lisa and Lou told them to go and they would handle everything else. Annie, who was the calmest of the three, decided to drive and they got to the hospital pretty quickly. Ty met them in the lobby and brought them back to the ICU to see Wyatt. When they walked in they hugged Lyndy tightly and then each gave Wyatt kiss on the cheek. Amy and Ty smiled warmly as JT spoke up, "Hey, what about me?" They all giggled and tickled him into a fit. As they settled a gravelly voice spoke up, "Can you guys keep it down, I'm supposed to be resting." Lyndy screamed so loud that several of the nursing staff ran into the room thinking something was terribly wrong. Amy and Ty cleared out the kids after they said hi to Wyatt, but his eyes were focused on only one person. She gingerly leaned into him for a kiss and he grimaced as things were kind of hurting. He smiled, "Hey beautiful, did I miss a party?" She smiled as a tear formed, "No, we just have an amazing family and I am so happy you came back to me. I was so scared." He pulled her in, disregarding the pain and whispered in her ear, "I am Ok and can't wait to marry you." She spent some time telling him what had happened and as she finished the doctors came in. Amy got her mom, dad and siblings while they went over the plans for the next couple of days. They scheduled another scan of his lower back and the results were good. A lot of bruising but no permanent damage. With some physical therapy and rest he would be able to go home by mid-week and back to school a few weeks after that. Dr. Sloane warned, "Wyatt, you need to take it easy. You were very lucky but you need to let everything completely heal." Maddie jumped in, "Don't worry doc we got this. He will have four nurses and JT to keep him in line. Trust me he doesn't have a chance." Wyatt looked at him and mouthed, "Help me." They all laughed as the doctors left and they celebrated. Wyatt was tired but wanted to see everyone else, so the kids left less Lyndy and let the others come in in small groups. The nurse laughed, "Young man you sure have a lot for people who care about you." He smiled, "I know, my family is amazing." The visits went well and everyone went home except Lyndy what had a fresh set of clothes brought as well. Amy and Ty stayed for dinner and left to make sure everyone was getting ready for school. Lyndy had emailed Wyatt and her instructors and told them that she would be back as soon as possible and Wyatt would have to do virtual learning for a while. They responded quickly and were more than happy to do as each of them were excellent students. The next few day went quickly as the Borden kids less Lyndy went back to their routine. Amy and Ty visited when they could along with Katie and Haley. Wyatt was progressing very well and the doctors were amazed at his recovery telling him how lucky he was. Dr. Taft decided to let him go home Wednesday with a set of instructions and pain scripts if he needed them. He was to relax and recuperate at home with limitations on what he could do, but he could resume virtual school work. He looked at Lyndy, "Young lady, keep him focused on recovery and a week after he is home we will take a look and decide if he can go back to school. Other strenuous activity can slowly be resumed as well." Wyatt frowned, "Man I am in trouble. Between Lyndy and her sisters I am doomed." They all laughed as Lyndy called home with the news.
With the relief that Wyatt was going to be Ok, Annie refocused on her prep for the Olympic qualifier the following weekend. Lyndy even took a break to come to a couple of her practice sessions that Georgie and Katie led he through. Georgie was demanding and pushed Annie to perform at the level she know she would need. The Borden/Fleming flair came up several times as instructions were yelled out but in the end Annnie was confident and although Theo was a little old he was in amazing shape. Annie also had another horse, called Bolt, she had been working with is she needed to use him. Due to the stress the plan was to use that one if she made the Olympics which was 6 months away and it was too much for Theo. Bolt was an amazing horse that Amy and Ty had bought from the Ridgeways and had amazing jumping bloodlines. Annie wanted to use Theo but loved Bolt as well. She would do what Georgie, Katie and her mom thought would be best come Olympic time and in the meantime work with both. What made it bearable was that Bolt and Theo became great buddies and Boone liked him as well. But for now, everyone was focused on getting Wyatt home. Since he had limited mobility, they decided to move them to the downstairs guest room for a while, so Maddie and JT got some of their stuff moved and made sure the bathroom had everything it needed. Ty picked up a shower chair and some grab bars to help him, although based on his progress, he wouldn't need them long. It looked like he would be released midafternoon, so Annie and Addie made sure they were going to be home for dinner. They planned a quiet welcome home with just the family along with some other close family. Lyndy had gone to campus a few times to sit in on a few classes but Wednesday morning, after an early class she headed over to the hospital in Wyatt's truck, which was a smooth ride. She walked in the room late morning just before lunch and found Wyatt with a therapist standing and taking steps on his own. He smiled, "Look at me," After wobbling a little the PT razzed him, "Slow down there man." She smiled as he did and made it to the wheelchair on the other side of the room with assist and a support belt on. The therapist smiled, "Great work Wyatt, you won't need this stuff in a week or less, but don't push it." He smiled and on cue he spoke up, "So lunch with my fiancé?" He laughed, "Yes, you two can go to lunch, but you need to be back by 1:00 for final check off." Wyatt gave a thumbs up and they headed to the cafeteria. They picked out their lunch and found a table. They talked happily about home, school and Annie's progress. He smiled, "I really want to go, let's make sure we ask Dr. Taft." Lyndy smiled and got very solemn prompting him to ask if she was Ok. She smiled, "Less than a week ago I thought I lost you. I can't believe we are here already going home. It's just really overwhelming for me." She leaned into him with tears forming and he held her. They finished their lunch and headed back to room just on time. Dr. Taft and Sloane spent some time looking him over and checking him out. The reiterated the need for him to take it easy and decided to allow him to go to the Olympic Qualifier. They were pleased when Lyndy told them they would be sleeping on the first floor for a while with access to a bathroom. Dr. Taft smiled, "Wyatt and Lyndy, your family is something else. We will see you next week so make sure you set an appointment with the checkout nurse when you go over the final paperwork" As they left Lyndy jumped up on the bed with him for a hug. She smiled and enjoyed being in his arms. She went to kiss him but he grimaced a little as he turned the wrong way. She pulled back, "Sorry, I just really wanted to hug you. Are you Ok?" He smiled putting his head down, "I am Ok. I was just so scared when that horse reared up on you. I had to protect you." They got quiet and just held each other both relieved that they were going home. They had dozed off when a nurse entered and cleared her throat. "Hey you guys. Wyatt you need to get dressed so we can get you out of this place." Wyatt rubbed his eyes and smiled, "We will be in a few minutes." The nurse returned, went over the final paperwork and the two young lovers headed home, with smiles on their faces.
The drive home was arduous as Lyndy made sure she missed every bump in road, constantly asking Wyatt is he was Ok. As they pulled off the highway on the road to home, Wyatt spoke up quickly, "Lyndy pull over." Her eyes were wide open as she found a safe place to pull off the road. She looked at him, "Baby, what's wrong?" He smiled, "Nothing, except you drive like my grandma used to. I am not fragile Lyndy. And I just wanted to kiss you." He maneuvered a little to kiss her as she realized she needed to move a little more to help. She basically climbed onto his lap as they kissed passionately for longer than they should of on the side of the road. They leaned back and took a breath as Wyatt whispered, "Umm we probably need to limit the PDA and get home for the not big dinner." She giggled gave him a peck and hopped back in the driver's seat. As they pulled up as expected the over the top family and close friends were all on the porch under a big welcome home banner. Lyndy pulled up and got the walker he had to use for a few days out for him. He had more help than he needed to get out of the truck and was overwhelmed with hugs and kisses. Lyndy watched him like a hawk, committed to her role taking care of him. As they settled, Wyatt asked, "Lyndy I want to see Spitfire." Lyndy's breath left he lungs and she couldn't respond. Amy smiled and took her arm, "Ok, we will go see him with you. I think Star is missing you too." The group walked into the family barn and the horses were excited to see their human partners. Wyatt spent a few minutes with Star and then they headed to the barn where Spitfire was. Wyatt approached him with Amy and Lyndy on his sides. The horse backed up as Amy called him over." I have been working with him and he seems to be improving. Wyatt, I am so sorry that I didn't check him out better." He voice went down a little, "Maybe if I did you wouldn't have been hurt." Wyatt turned to her and looked into the eyes of a woman he admired and loved like a mother. "Please don't blame yourself. No one could have seen this coming. He panicked and I had to protect Lyndy." He hugged her and Lyndy joined them. Spitfire came over and nuzzled onto Amy's touch. She motioned for Wyatt to come over and the horse seemed to be sorry for what he did. He pulled his head up in greeting and leaned into Wyatt's hand as her reached out. It seemed that all was well as he spoke softly to him telling him everything was Ok. The headed back and Wyatt we tiring quickly and needed to sit down. Clay ran ahead and got his wheelchair and he gladly took a ride the rest of the way. They settled for the not so small family dinner welcoming Wyatt home. Lyndy and Wyatt were overwhelmed with the support and love from everyone. JT showed them their temporary room, proud of what they had done for them. As they were enjoying desert and coffee, Wyatt got everyone's attention. "I just want to thank you all for this and being there for Lyndy and me. I am really feeling good and if all goes well, I will be back to normal soon. By the way, the medical staff at the hospital said that I would have no choice with the Borden girls and JT looking over me." He took a breath, "I love my life with all of you, I love Lyndy and I am excited about becoming a vet and a husband. But I really need to say this." Again he hesitated as everyone sat silently. "I really want to thank Ty and Caleb for saving me. The doctors told me that their quick work saved my life and I will be in debt to them forever. Thanks you guys and I love you both so much." Caleb, not able to speak for the first time ever came over and bro-hugged him. Ty came over and hugged him as tight as he could and smiled, "Thanks Wyatt. As Jack always says we do anything for family and you are a part of our family and I am proud to call you my son." Everyone smiled as tears flowed and hugging commenced. He laughed, "Oh and you are marrying my daughter so there's that." Laughs and hoots followed as they all went back to their desert. Ty sat down next to Amy and she grabbed his hand smiling up at him with a love they only shared. She leaned up and kissed his lips as Maddie yelled, "Oh great here they go." Everyone burst out laughing as Amy stuck her tongue out at her.
As everyone settled in for the night Amy and Ty stayed up a bit to make sure Wyatt got settled Ok. As they walked toward the guest room, Lyndy was stepping out of the bathroom. Amy hugged her, ""How is he doing?" She smiled, "Well he is a little sore, actually a lot sore. It was a big day but a happy one. Before he left they gave him a pain pill and we came home with a prescription. He didn't want to but he took one and has basically passed out. We have seen some friends go to bad places with them and he doesn't want to be that way. And I have heard the stories about Grandpa and Caleb and I want to make sure I am there for him." She put her head down as Ty put his hand on her shoulder, "Honey, he is going to need them and I understand your concerns but we will all be there for him." Amy added, "And you." She told them good night and went inside the room gently closing the door. The house was full, which was a rare occurrence in today's world. They smiled as they peeked into every room, even their other college age daughters. Ty whispered in her ear, "They will always be our babies." As they got in bed they held each other in silence. Amy spoke up, "It is amazing how he is doing less than a week after the accident. I can see how determined he is, but I hope he takes his time to heal." He smiled, "Coming from the person who had no idea how to do that." She poked him in the ribs and went to kiss him settling back into his chest. He sighed and spoke quietly, "Lyndy is really worried about the pills, I just hope she doesn't get too in his face. That is the last thing he needs right now." She smiled really happy how protective he was of everyone he loved and marveled at how amazing he was. She moved to face him and kissed him deeply as they both felt the familiar surge of passion. Their might was full of comforting and loving each other. They fell asleep with thoughts of the weeks ahead as Wyatt recovered. The next morning saw the family scatter to college and off to school. After a bit of an heated debate, Lyndy agreed to go back to school as she only had a couple of classes and was going to visit Wyatt's instructors to get some work for him. As promised, he would attend classes virtually and had a nice setup in the dining room of the house. He could come to the barn but he had to call Clay or Rusty to help him, a concession that Lyndy or Amy would not give in to. He complained a little but Lyndy reasoned, "Well maybe we will have Mallory help you." He readily agreed after that option. The rest of the week went well for the family and Annie was ready, having her last practice the day before the qualifying event. For the most part, Wyatt had a good rest of the week but he was still having trouble sleeping at night as he still tended to push himself, especially when the physical therapist was there. He was limiting the pain pills to one in the morning and one before bedtime, making sure he controlled his use. Dinner on Friday was a lot of fun as everyone was excited for the event the next day at the Calgary Stampede indoor arena. As usual, the crowd to cheer her on would be pretty impressive and they were able to get almost an entire section for them to use.
The next morning started early as a group of people went with Annie to get signed in and get the horses ready. Clay and Katie pulled the new Miracle Ranch trailer as the horses were the first to use it. Georgie, Addie, Lyndy, Wyatt, Maddie and Amy came as well and the rest were going to follow. With family and friends the group was pushing 50 so they would defiantly be heard. Ty had called ahead to get some special seating for Wyatt and he decided that he and JT would sit with him, so Lyndy could be with her sister. He had noticed that Wyatt had been slow in his recovery and wanted to make sure all of the precautions were taken and he felt that he and JT could make him feel better about the special arrangements. Each rider could bring two horses, so of course Annie brought Theo and Bolt. She had trained with both but preferred to use Theo for the qualifier. Ty and Steven had checked him over and he seemed ready and for an older horse was in amazing condition. As the start of the competition was close, everyone got seated except for Amy, Georgie, Katie and Lyndy, who all stayed with Annie in the paddock area. The family and friend group were ready as the announcer welcomed everyone. There would be three rounds each and Annie was in different positions each time, most notable, last for round three. It would be a best time competition so being last was definitely an advantage. As the first round began, Annie was mounted and ready to go. Theo was really excited, holding his head up high as he loved competitions. Amy leaned up to her daughter grabbing her leg, "Baby girl you got this. We are so proud of you so go out there and have fun." She smiled and said she loved her. Georgie leaned over to Amy, Lyndy and Katie, "I remember when you told me that once and I won. Annie has this in the bag." The four women hugged as she began her first run. After the second round there was an intermission. Annie had done well and was just behind the leader. Three riders would go to the Olympics so she sat in a good position. Deep down she wanted to win but she was happy with what she had done so far. She came up to see the family and made sure she gave Jermey and her dad big hugs. She leaned over to hug Wyatt to, "I am so happy you came, you are my inspiration." He smiled a little confused and whispered, "Well than you need to go out and kick butt, like all of you Bordens do." She giggled and hugged him tightly and he grimaced a little but didn't let her know. JT did and went to him, "You Ok?" He smiled and gave the thumbs up. The riders were called for the last round. Annie was ready and it seemed that Theo knew what was going on. He was prancing and bobbing his head up and down as the rest of the riders completed their runs. It was Annie's turn and she knew what she wanted to do. Theo exploded out of the starting line and flew over the jumps like he had wings. Amy and Georgie watched with their mouths open and they flew through the course. As they landed after the final hurdle the crowd went wild, knowing that she had done it. After a few seconds, her time came up and she had set the lowest time of the day by over .03 seconds. Everyone one was on the feet applauding and screaming for joy. Annie went around for a victory lap and at the awards presentation received first place honors and along with two others were recognized as Olympic competitors. As things settled, Addie, Jeremy and Desi settled the horses. Annie came over to the family for more hugs and congratulations. She looked over at Wyatt as Lyndy was next to him all smiles. She looked right at him and said thank you. He smiled and gave her a big thumbs up. Lyndy whispered in his ear, "What's up with that?" He smiled with a tear in his eye, "It's noting, but you know what, I love this family, but most of all, I love you." They all got packed up and headed home for a celebration of their new Olympic Champion to be.