Chapter Thirteen

The Way We Do Things

A/N – I realize that some of you may have come to the realization about Trent as I had mentioned a growing concern from JT and Shawna. I hope I paid the respect this issue deserved as so many people struggle with these types of things. He is a strong young boy, has two amazing friends and a family that will always be there for him. We will address the follow up actions and move on for sure and I expect the strength of Mallory will come forward. As I hope you see, Wyatt has recovered well and if possible, their relationship is stronger than ever. All of the other Bordens are doing well and will provide good storylines as I move forward. I enjoy talking about each of them and what they mean to each other. And good news, JT got his wish and talked to Lilly. I think it was weighing on him and now that is has happened he can move forward. Not sure yet but I plan to follow up on the private discussion he had with Max. And come on, Cabo! I have a million ideas of describing the fun and adventure that awaits this amazing family. We will spend a chapter two before the trip but I expect it will be at least two chapters worth of fun in the sun. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that our foundation, Amy and Ty will always be a major part of this story. They along with this family and will continue to grow as well. Never let up on providing me feedback and story ideas. It has been welcomed and cherished. Mature Content – Enjoy!

Reader's Warning - This chapter has references to bullying, teasing and physical abuse. I will handle it with respect but will not deter from the impact this type of attack can have on someone.

RRR (Reader Review Responses) Again, thanks to M Taiawa and Guest for your reviews. Your comments and ideas are greatly appreciated and welcomed. A reminder, these are review, I cannot respond to directly.

After a difficult evening, Amy and Ty woke up in each other's arms. After they had got back home, they filled Maddie in and called Annie and Addie. Trent asked if they would let them know but not anyone else. He understood that others would eventually find out but wanted to fill them in on his own time. Amy was the first to wake up, opening her eyes to a sleeping Ty. She smiled nestling in his arms, trying not to wake him. It had been a late night talking to the girls and calling Mallory to see how they were and how JT was doing. It seemed they had settled. Amy was thinking about what she needed to move around because Trent wanted them to go to the meeting with him. He had asked that JT, Shawna, his parents as well as Amy, Ty, Lyndy, Wyatt and Maddie to be there. She also had to call the school to make sure they knew that they would net be at school today. As she was organizing this in her head she was startled when a set of lips settled on her neck. "Oh, look who is up." He smiled, "Well I could tell you were thinking, more than likely planning the day out. I actually texted Steven and Cass last night and told them I would be out this morning and maybe the afternoon too." She poked him, "Ok Mr. Organized, you are my hero." He continued to nibble on her neck and whispered, "Well since I am so amazing we have a little time before everyone gets up." She giggled sexily looking down, "Speaking of up." They made love quietly and sweetly making sure each of them were satisfied. As they calmed they headed to get ready for the day. After a romantic shower they headed downstairs and saw that Lyndy and Wyatt were already there making breakfast. Maddie plodded down and sighed, "Man I hardly slept." Lyndy smiled, I know the feeling sis, mom you look rested and happy." Realizing the possible reason, she blushed, "OMG, I do not want to know why. You two are crazy." Maddie laughed, "Way to go, you guys rock." Ty cleared his throat, "Ok, enough girlie, Lyndy, what is for breakfast." They ate and discussed the day. Maddie told them she talked with JT before she came down and he was doing Ok. Amy spoke up, "I know all of us would love to say our peace but we are only there for support. Trent and his family are the ones who have to tell the school staff what has been happening. We are all there for Trent, Mallory, Doug and Shawna." Maddie added, "And JT. He has been involved since this started and as usual, was a rock for Trent." Wyatt smiled, "Well I know for a fact, how amazing you are, especially JT, so I am all in." They finished eating and Amy's phone went off with a text from Mallory. She smiled, "Ok, the meeting is at 10:00am and will be offsite at the Administration building. They don't want to draw any attention to Trent for his own safety. The Borden's cleaned up and went out to take care of their horses. Amy and Ty checked in on some things and they headed to school in two cars. Amy and Ty drove alone and Maddie went with Lyndy and Wyatt. Amy sat close to Ty as they silently drove to school. Their minds were on Trent and JT silently making sure that no matter what, they would be there for Mallory and her family.

Annie and Addie were struggling with paying attention in class and had decided to come home right after their last class. Their group met for lunch and they quietly filled Bella and Maya in about the situation, Annie smiled, "Bella, it is so amazing that you were there for Trent. I know Mallory and Doug are really thankful for your support." Bella smiled, "Hey that is what we do and I am going to call her in few days and make sure that Maya and I are there for Trent and the rest of her family. This group we have formed at school is there for him and the rest of the family as well. We want to make sure they know that." Addie and Annie hugged them in appreciation and they finished their lunch heading off to class. As Ty and Amy pulled up to the school district main office, Lyndy, Wyatt and Maddie were getting out of his truck and walking over to JT and the Saunders. They dropped off Lexi at the day care as they felt she was a bit too young for this meeting. After hugs and support they headed in to meet with school officials. They were taken to a meeting room, since the group was a little larger than normal and waited. After about 10 minutes, the school officials entered shaking hands and grabbing seats. The superintendent laughed, "Wow quite a large group. Dr. and Mrs. Borden it is nice to see you again. And Lyndy and Wyatt, you are graduating soon, correct? And Maddeline and of course JT, it seems we are heavily Bordend today." Trent spoke up, "I hope that you don't mind, JT is my best friend and I love his entire family. They have been good to me, my parents and my sisters." The school principal smiled, "Of course not Trent, this meeting is for you." He smiled and thanked them. Also there from the school was Trent's counselor, the head of security and a parent who was the head of the Children's Protective Rights Council, a group formed by parents to protect the students in the district. As they settled the superintendent laid out the plan for the meeting, which would start with Trent talking about what had happened, not only with the abuse but the other issues he had been dealing with. He smiled and as he held Mallory and Shawna's hands. JT sat next to Shawna and smiled at his friend nodding with approval. He began to speak, "Well some time ago I was feeling different than a lot of my friends. I realized that I was gay. I am really Ok with it and JT as well as Shawna have been my rocks as they were the first to know. I really didn't tell them but they kind of figured it out. Anyway I was planning on telling my parents but before I could these three boys, who never liked me, started calling me names and bullying me." He took a breath as his counselor spoke up, "Trent opened up to me a day before the incident and told me he was going to tell his parents the next day. JT and Shawna already knew as he had told them first." Lyndy spoke up, "Trent also talked to a friend of mine, Bella. She is a lesbian and her partner Maya and her are amazing. They have joined with a bunch of their friends and with the support of the university they have formed a support group for the university students. They have events and meetings all the time and have a support number for anyone to call that is manned 24 hours a day. The program is amazing and with JT's help, Trent spoke to Bella to get some questions answered." Trent smiled and put his arm on JT's shoulder, "My friend JT is the best and Bella has been amazing." The group was silent trying to gather their thoughts. The hard part was about to begin.

The head of security spoke up, "Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, I have something I would like to share. You have to get permission since Trent is a juvenile but we have video surveillance all over the schools and I have a video of the incident where the three boys attacked your son." Mallory gasped as tears filled her eyes. She was unable to speak so Doug spoke up looking over to Trent. "It's your call buddy." Trent confidentially answered the question, "Yes, I want to see it and I am Ok with the others seeing it as well. He pulled up the video and projected onto the screen in the room. As they watched they heard the three boys surround him cornering him in an isolated area of the gym. They began calling him horrible names, even worse than the ones that he had shared. He told them to leave him alone when one of the boys yelled, "Let's beat the gay out of him." What happened next was something everyone in the room struggled with. Amy, Lyndy and Maddie had to look away several times. Ty and Wyatt had memories come back of the bullying they had been given when they were young. Ty at the hands of some of his fathers and stepfathers thug friends and Wyatt from kids that picked on him because he had no parents. Trent held on to Shawna and JT, making sure he made sure they were Ok. He had lived it but it still bothered him watching it. What bothered him more was watching his mom, who was sobbing in his stepfathers arms uncontrollably. He dreaded agreeing to have everyone look at it a little, but really wanted them to see it. As the video ended, everyone sat silently for a few moments. The principle at their school spoke up looking at the head of security, "I can't believe this happened under our roof. I just don't understand how we let this kind of stuff go on." The head of security responded, "Well I understand but we can't be everywhere, which is why we have so many cameras. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, Trent, I am so sorry this happened." Doug responded, "None of us here are at fault, but those three boys, what's the plan." The principal and superintendent made sure they knew that the boys would be expelled. It seems they were bullying several other students and had already served a suspension for one of the incidents. The principal went over the details, "First off, we are deeply sorry about what happened to you Trent. We felt these three had learned their lesson but obviously they didn't Their parents are being called as we speak and after lunch with all of us in the room, they will all be expelled from our school." There was a little quiet as Trent's counselor continued, "So Trent and Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, the next question is do you want to go further than that. Although they are juveniles they can be charged and documentation of the events will be permanently on their record. But you do have the right to file a lawsuit for reparations if you choose but that would be a civil case. They juvenile officer that is assigned to this case is available for questions if you need any answered."

The group sat quietly and pondered everything that had been said. JT whispered into Trent's ear and he smiled then spoke up. "Well, I have a couple of questions. First mom and dad, do we really want to sue them. I will do what you want, but I really just want to let this all go. If we would sue that would take a while, right?" The superintendent answered him, "Trent a civil case would take a while for sure and the school district would only be able to provide facts and any evidence we have gathered. We can't provide any opinions or what happened to the three boys." For the first time Mallory smiled, "Trent, if it makes you uncomfortable of course we won't. I think these boys need help and a wakeup call." She hesitated and continued a little teary eyed, "We are so proud of you and just want what's best for you." For the first time Ty spoke up, "Trent, I think that is the right call. In my past I went through a process like this and it made things worse. And we agree with your mom and dad, it is pretty amazing how you are handling this. When I was 11, I wish I had your strength." Ty's head went down remembering his youth and Amy pulled him in for a hug. Mallory went over to him and hugged him as well. After a few moments Trent continued, "There is one more thing and JT reminded me about it. I want to face my fears and meet with the three of them. I need to ask them why they did what they did and then I need to forgive them." The room went dead silent as JT patted his shoulder in support. Shawna leaned into him as well smiling into his chest. Wyatt was the first to speak, looking at JT as well, "Well, Trent I think that is an amazing thing for you to do. Especially that you want to forgive them, that is very mature." Trent smiled and spoke to the group, "I won't lie, I am mad at them for beating me up but who knows why they are that way. If they are genuine when they speak to me and truly apologize, then I need to forgive them for my sake as well. I know I will be faced with this for the rest of my life but I need this to be in the past and not something that is with me." JT smiled and spoke to the group from the school district, "The adults in my life have taught me to be caring and forgiving. My GG Lyndy says it is important that we even forgive our enemies so Trent and I talked about it and he agreed. I hope you are Ok with that." Trent's counselor smiled, "Well you GG Lyndy is a wise women, I would love to meet her?" The Bordens chuckled as Amy spoke for the group. "My grandma died when I was just 5 years old. JT has an ability to talk to her, my mom and now Ty's mom in his dreams. They guide him in life and I figure he is guiding Trent as well." Mallory smiled, "As JT's living GG Jack would say, Trent and JT are thick as thieves and I for one couldn't be more happy they are." The meeting came to an end and the school team went over the next steps. The three boys would be expelled this afternoon and even though Trent disagreed they assured him, he was not the only victim and it needed to be done. The counselor agreed to set up a meeting with the three boys' families and Trent's family, if they agreed to it. After Trent insisted, the superintendent agreed to just suspend them for now and based on how that meeting went they may not expel them. He would have to run it by the school board for their approval but he felt that would not be a problem. The Saunders and Bordens headed home exhausted from the day. Later that afternoon Mallory got a call that the three boys agreed to meet with them, so it was set up for Monday after school. The family had a quiet weekend as Trent, JT and Shawna spent a lot of time together. The adults also were together to support Doug and Mallory, who were struggling with the entire incident. At dinner one night Mallory spoke up, "You know in today's world you would think that this type of bigotry was gone but it looks like it never will be. Trent is an amazing son and I know he will be successful in life."

Monday brought some anticipation and eventually relief. All three of the boys accused agreed to meeting with Trent and his family. The district decided to give them a reprieve if they met with them. The stipulation was that if the school officials saw sincerity they would be on probation ongoing until the school board decided they were past their indiscretions. Mallory and Doug were in awe of their son and his best friend JT Borden, who was at his side. After all three boys apologized and he asked each of them to individually tell him why they did it. He was upfront about being gay and asked them what they thought about gay and lesbian classmates. Over the weekend, Wyatt and Lyndy, along with Maya and Bella spent some time with him and vowed to talk to him whenever he needed them. The boys struggled a bit but eventually seemed to be genuinely sorry for what they did. Mallory had found out that they were required to do the same thing with three other kids they were bullying. It seemed another student felt the need to give them another chance like JT but the others weren't as understanding. In fact one family was considering legal action but eventually the district convinced them not to. It seemed two of the three had been abused as well when they were young and the third was to naïve to not go along. As they talked, Trent asked each of the directly, "I need to know why you did it, why do you hate me so much." The leader of the three of them talked directly, "Well it just bothered us that you were gay and we felt you needed to be fixed. I can't tell you why but it was how we felt. I know it was wrong now and I promise it will never happen again." The other two boys shook their heads in agreement. JT whispered something into Trent's ear and he smiled. "I have another request. "Two good friend of JT's older siter are lesbians and have joined some friends and created a LBGTQ support group at the University of Calgary, that they have sanctioned. I would like you to come to a meeting with me and see what we all have to go up against and more importantly how we deal with it." The counselor immediately spoke up looking at the three boys and their parents. "I think that is a great idea and I expect that the school board will be impressed with the effort." The meeting ended as Mallory and Doug thanked the school officials for their time and efforts. They cordially thanked the other parents and watched Trent go to each of them as well shaking their hands. They took the boys back to class and headed home hoping to some normalcy moving forward. Doug dropped Mallory off at the Miracle Ranch and headed to work. As she got out of the car, Amy went to her to see how things went. She filled her in and smiled, "I just want to get back to work." Amy gave her a hug and agreed as they were very busy with their current workload and more on the way. As she walked back to the round pen a thought hit her and she made a mental note to talk to Ty. At school, the girls and Wyatt made the attempt to get back into their regular routine, but their minds were constantly on their brother and his best friend. It was less than a month to spring break and they all needed to focus on their classes and upcoming exams. Lyndy and Wyatt were especially focused on finishing their final year in college strongly and even decided about a wedding date. Right now at the earliest it would be during the holidays but more and more they were looking more at the time around Lyndy's birthday in a year and a half, especially since Wyatt will be finishing his clinical work to become an certified DVM. They agreed on deciding in time to announce it at their graduation. Maddie as well was making sure she spent as much time as she could with JT and getting excited about Spring Break and her boyfriend being there. Also keeping her busy was the prep for the Special Kids Rodeo, which was continuing to grow in size and scope. She received a call from Maryanne Trudeau about it with a request to be there and help. Long with Lou she decided to make her the honorary host along with the Miracle Ranch and the other organizations. She readily agreed and said she would be in for a visit as well with some of the kids. She joked that it would also be a chance to see her daughter and her new husband. Despite the incident with Trent the Borden family was happy and busy, but most of all excited about their trip to Mexico.

As the days became longer and it was a little warmer, Amy and Ty sat on the porch before dinner. Tonight they were actually by themselves as the college kids were at school, JT was with Trent for the night and Maddie was at play practice and was going to Gwen's for dinner. Buster and Bille were at their feet as the two of them cuddled on the small couch on the front porch looking over their property. Things seemed to be settling down for the evening and they waved as folks started heading home. Ellory walked over to chat for a while and smiled, "Look at the two of you, all alone and all cuddly. I bet you miss this?" Amy smiled leaning into Ty's chest, "Well it has been a while for sure and to be honest it takes a little getting used to, but it is definitely nice." She smiled, "Well I am going to head home for a little cuddling myself, my man is cooking dinner so I am going to be treated like a queen tonight." Ty laughed, "When is he going to make an honest woman of you?" Amy smacked him as Ellory laughed, "I have always been an honest woman, I think it is the other way around, he needs me to make him an honest man. And from what I hear Amy had a lot of work to get you straightened out, you know being a juvenile delinquent and all." Ty smiled, "Touche, I was quite the mess for sure. But she made me cowboy up and get my act together." Ellory laughed, "Well she did a pretty good job. See you guys tomorrow, we have a load of horses coming in so I will be looking for some help, can you pass the word around." Amy shook her head yes as Ellory got in her jeep and headed out. Caleb waved as he got in his truck with the kids and a few others yelled goodbyes across the yard. Amy smiled, "You know, no matter what, I don't think we will ever be alone." She took a breath and gathered herself, "Can you believe what we have here. We have amazing kids and family, a thriving business and a great team." The each sat silently as Ty spoke quietly, "And we have each other, forever." She leaned up to kiss him and it turned passionate. He moved closer to her as the kiss continued to increase, as they both had a hunger for the other. She slipped off his lap and took his hand, closing the front door and heading up to the bedroom. As they walked quickly up the steps her phone buzzed, "Well good news, Maddie is staying with Gwen tonight, so it is just you and me. I think you are going to get lucky." Even though they were alone they locked the door and as they move to the bed, clothes were shed hastily. They still made love as often as they could but tonight, they were taking advantage of their alone time. Ty laughed, "Dinner will have to wait." As they jumped into bed, Amy took the lead moving effortlessly around his body with kisses and squeezes. Her lips were on fire as she moved from his lips, down his chest to his stomach. She moved where he hoped she would and his moans increased. Ty was barely able to move his lips and hands as well and even though Amy had him in a state of euphoria, he moved his hands to her upper thigh and began to pleasure her with his fingers. She pulled back and gasped, "No fair." She regained her composure and went back to work but Ty was relentless as she screamed out his name as her orgasm exploded into his hands. She began to move her hand up and down and soon he was on the brink. When his climax came she joined him as he continued to be relentless in his love. The settled just a bit until Ty rolled over on top of her. She opened for him and he entered her slowly. His plan was to take his time and take full advantage of their time alone. They moved as one as the expert lovers completely understood what the other needed. Their motion was fluid and in sync and as the temperature rose, they sped up to a fever pitch. Luckily, they were alone because their moans were louder than usual as they cried out each other's names in ecstasy. As they reach the apex of their love as usual they continued even after they both released. Finally they settled, breathing heavily and perspiring even more. They fell back on the bed trying to recover. Amy finally breathlessly whispered, "Ok, that was kind of amazing." Ty chuckled barely able to talk, "Yes it was, you are something else horsey girl." She rolled over an kissed him, "Well you aren't too bad yourself for a juvenile delinquent." They each laughed and collapsed into each other's arms so in love with the other it hurt. Their love story would be one that passed on through the generations of the Borden family and be talked of during family events and gatherings. Still a little disheveled, Amy hear her phone buzz. She looked and saw Lyndy's name pop up. She gathered herself, "I should get this." She picked up the phone and her eyes drew wide and looked over to her love, "Ty, turn on the news."

Ty scurried over to turn on the TV. Amy couldn't help but smile watching her naked husband but when the screen came up they looked on in horror. Lyndy was in tears, "Mom do you see that horrible accident. Wyatt and I were on our way back from getting some pizza and we came up on it right after it happened. It is so scary mom. Wyatt immediately parked and ran over to help and asked me to call you get some help here. Those poor horses." Amy spoke clearly, "Ok send us the location and Dad and I will be on our way soon. We will call Scott, Steven and Cass too. It looks like there are over a dozen or so. We probably need to get some stalls ready, so we will let Caleb and Rusty know too. Tell the emergency people we will be there soon." Lyndy thanked her, hung up and headed to see where Wyatt was. What she came upon was something that turned her stomach. Two large trailers that seemed to overfilled had been rear ended by an out of control tractor trailer. Both trailers were on their sides and at least 10 horses were roaming around, some with blood on them. She yelled for Wyatt and finally saw him crawling out of one of the overturned trailers with blood on his shirt and hands. He looked laser focused as he came to her. "Lyndy, did you call you parents, we really need some help here. Two of the horses in this trailer are dead and we need to put another one down. Make sure your dad brings his stuff." She grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes, calming him, "He will baby and he called Scott, Steven and the others, they will all be here soon. I also called Caleb and told him to have a couple of the ranch hands bring the large trailers. My mom wants to bring them all to the ranch. Where are the drivers?" He looked at the RCMP officer, "Ma'am, these horses were stolen and heading to the slaughterhouse. After the accident they took off. We are trying to figure out who is responsible." Her face went ashen, "Well I am Lyndy Borden and my family owns the Miracle Ranch. My mom, dad, who is a vet and other vets are on their way. We also have transports coming and will take them all to our Equine Center. We will need your help." He smiled, "Of course, your cousin Katie helped my son and his horse last summer. Anything you need we will be here for you." Wyatt stepped up. "Well we have a bunch of people on the way so we need to get them here with immediate access. Lyndy can help ID them and we also need room for several horse transports on the way as well." He shook his head confirming what was needed, He kissed Lyndy and went back into the fray. What the young couple didn't notice was the number of reporters who had arrived and that the conversation they had with the officer was on video. Soon they would become the face of the rescue underway. Within the next half hour since it was on the south side of the city and closer to the ranch, the crash site was overwhelmed with family and staff along with media and an increasing number of spectators. The RCMP and local authorities did a great job of securing the area and creating enough space for them to work. Every TV station in Calgary had live shots along with several radio stations. As Ty, Amy, Scott and Steven arrived, Wyatt gave them a quick overview of the status of the horses. Cass, Ellie and several of the techs showed up as well. Onlookers were amazed at the way the team went into action. Mallory, Soraya and their kids took care of all the younger kids as Lou, Lisa, Jack, Georgie and Katie decided to go help as well. Lou and Lisa handled the press as the others helped where they could. It was a team effort that would be talked about for a long time. The Vet team gathered around Wyatt as he gave a quick review of what type of triage he had already done. He was a little shaken but began to speak as Amy, Lyndy, Georgie and Katie looked on. "Along with the Animal Control team here, we counted 20 horses total. Two were killed instantly as they were in the rear of the truck. The other two who were there more than likely need to be put down as their injuries are severe. There are four others with some deep cuts and a couple of them have leg injuries, possible broken bones. The remaining horses all have cuts, bruises and abrasions and all need treatment, but I bet some of them have internal injuries as well. The impact was pretty severe and the emergency responders said they were piled up fighting to get out when the opened the doors." He took a breath and looked at Lyndy for strength. She came over to him and pulled him into a hug as he shook uncontrollably.

The lead RCMP officer filled the team in on the details of the accident so they understood how it happened. "The driver of the 18-wheeler fell asleep at the wheel and did brake, but not soon enough. We estimate he was traveling at about 30 mile per hour when he struck the two trailers that were stopped at light, side by side. Scott and Ty thanked him and called over the animal control team as well. They gathered the entire team and Ty spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, including the reporters, who were live streaming everything. "Ok, Scott and I are going to handle the deceased horses and will euthanize the others in the trailer. If it is Ok we will need the Animal Control; team to handle the disposition of the bodies. Cass, Steven, Ellie, we need you to each take some techs with each of you and form three teams. Cass, take Wyatt with you and look at the four more severe horses, get them prepped and ready to head back to the Miracle Ranch. Rusty and Clay will take them back as we have pens ready for all four of them. Steven and Ellie, divide up the other 12 horses, treat them as best you can and get them ready as well. Caleb and Jack will take them back and we will put them in a round pen for now that is being prepped with food and water. Amy, if you Geoorgie and Katie can head back before us and get feed ready that would be great. I expect once we know the condition of the four who are a little more severe you will mix up what they need. Also if you can get some feed ready for the others that will calm them that would be great." Amy smiled, "Annie, Addie and Ellory are already getting some things ready. Ellory also had Maddie head over to the Rehoming Cetner to meet some of the staff to get ready for them, once we are ready to move the horses there." She looked at the Animal Control team, "We will be able to rehome them?" The lead of the team smiled, "We were sure hoping that you would." Ty and Scott asked if there were any questions and everyone quickly went to work. Caleb, Jack and Amy went with Scott and Ty to help to sooth the two horses that were being put down. After a quick evaluation they humanely put them down and covered the four horses who had perished. They all sat silently for a few minutes paying respect to them. A reported caught the scene on tape and called Lou over, "What are they doing Mrs. Cardinal?" Lisa joined her as she answered, "Whenever we lose a horse or have to put one down it is our practice to pay respects to the horse with a quiet moment. It started years ago when Dr. Borden had to put down my Grampa, Jack Bartlett's horse Paint. He was very old and one day he fell and was not able to get up. He is buried on Heartland's property right where he fell. Before we buried him the entire family came out to support my grandpa and since them we do it for every horse we take care of." The reporter was lost for words and finally spoke, "That is beyond amazing, thank you for you openness." She shut down the video and asked if she could show it on the next news cycle. Lou smiled, "Of course but moving forward direct all of your questions to me or Lisa Stillman, we need to let our team do their jobs. In fact, shortly, can you gather your colleagues as we would like to make a statement. Back with the horses, Cass and Wyatt along with two of their best techs, evaluated and treated the four horses he had determined were hurt the worst. All four had deep cuts that they debrided and stitched up. Ellie had brought the portable Xray and they found that one of them had a fractured fetlock joint and pastern so the put on a brace to stabilize him and determine if surgery would be needed after the swelling subsided. They told Rusty to put him in a stable by the surgical room. The second horse was much worse. It seemed she had broken both of her hind legs just about the knee. Luckily, Caleb had brought the portable hoist so they got her in it and stabilized her to load on the transport trailer which was set up to handle the equipment. They debated about what to do but Cass felt that with the new sleeve procedure they had been using that the horse could recover. She smiled at Wyatt and the two techs, "Well she is defiantly bad off, but I am sure we can save her." They all shook their heads in agreement. Once the four horses were loaded, Clay and Rusty took them to the Equine Center, where the team was waiting. Lyndy had been watching and helped when needed and joined Wyatt as the horses left, holding on to him tightly. She knew he was stressed but was quietly overwhelmed with pride at how amazing he was.

Steven and Ellie and several other techs and students on their clinicals patched up the other twelve horses and helped load them up on Caleb and Jack's transport. They decided to take them all to the Rehoming Center as they had the room for all of them. Ellory, Maddie and some of the staff were getting ready for them. The 6 vets, Wyatt, Lyndy and support team sat down to debrief and determine follow up work that was needed. As they were meeting they realized they had missed dinner. To their surprise a whole lot of pizza and drinks showed up donated from a local pizza restaurant, and they committed to send some to the ranch as well. As they spoke Lou and Lisa came over and Lisa spoke up, "Scott and Ty, the press is wanting to know how the horses are. I know you need to get to them but can you give a brief statement?" Ellie spoke up, "Why don't I go back with all the techs and students to make sure the horses get settled and you guys stay. Nick texted me and said this story has already gone national. CBC said they would be broadcasting live tomorrow from Calgary. He also heard media trucks are already showing up at the Miracle Ranch." Lisa interrupted, "Lou, I need to get back and call in the RCMP for help, we need to keep the media at bay." Everyone agreed and went on their way. Lou, Ty, Scott, Cass, Steven, Wyatt and Lyndy headed over to the makeshift media area. After introducing herself, Lou spoke first, "The initial treatment and evaluations have been completed and the 16 horses that survived are on their way to the Marion Fleming Equine Center. Unfortunately four horses perished and Animal Control is handing the disposition of the bodies. I know the RCMP has met with you already but now I would like to introduce our vet team that worked on the horses. Before you ask them questions, please allow them some time to give an update on the condition of the surviving sixteen horses. Let me introduce them, Dr. Scott Cardinal, Dr. Ty Borden, Dr. Cassandra O'Dell, Dr. Steven Weber, Soon to be Dr. Wyatt Miller and my niece, Lyndy Borden. This team along with many members of our staff came from their homes as they were eating dinner to help. In fact our other DVM, Amanda Ross, who is on vacation, offered to fly back if we needed her. Our company helps horses and the dedication of our team has shown brightly tonight." The crowd focused as she had Ty and Scott come to the front of the group. Ty took the lead and talked about the four horses they treated then let Cass and Steven talk about the others. Since Ellie had left a couple of techs that worked with her spoke in her absence. They opened up for questions and answered everyone that they could. Lou told the group one more question as they team needed to get back to the horses. A reporter from the local CBC affiliate spoke up, "Mrs. Cardinal, can we hear from the proclaimed "Soon to be Dr., Wyatt Miller. Several of us arrived early before you all showed up and he was looking over the horses on his own and to be frank he was amazing. Is he not a vet?" Ty smiled, "Well let me have my soon to be son-in-law speak about that, but to let you know. He is in the final year of vet school and will become a certified DVM by the end of this year. We will be proudly be adding him to our staff. Wyatt, come say a word." With Lyndy on his arm, he shyly walked up to the front of the group. The same reporter asked, "So Mr. Miller, why were you there so soon?" He took a second and spoke, "Well, Lyndy and I had run out for a pizza and some time together. We are each in our final year at the University of Calgary and engaged. We came up to the accident after it had just happened and we both jumped out to see if we could help. RCMP had just arrived and soon emergency responders and Animal Control team were there too. We had to do something so Lyndy and I started to gather up and settle some of the horses that were wondering around." He smiled and pulled Lyndy in tighter. "We spend a lot of times with horses so I had a bunch of leads in my truck so we used them to move the horses to the field next to the wreck. Lyndy kept doing that and I went with the AC team and we started looking at the horses who were more severe." He got quiet and put his head down. Ty put his hand on his shoulder for support as he continued. "We found two of the horses in the rear of the trailers were gone already and the other two were in bad shape. I realized they would need to be put down to I got them comfortable. Before I went in, I told Lyndy to call her mom and dad and send all the help they could." He smiled, "If you don't know Lyndy's mom is Amy Borden and as you can see the team did not let us down. Within 30 minutes, everyone showed up and in the words of Lyndy's GG, we got 'er done. It's the way we do things at the Equine Center." The reporter spoke on, "Well I have to say that what you did was amazing and you are a hero, your team should be proud of how you handled such a traumatic situation." Wyatt smiled as Lyndy spoke up kissing his cheek, "I know I am!" As everyone laughed Lou mentioned that they would follow up tomorrow, thanking them and heading home with the rest of the team. Now the work was going to start.

After the team got all the horses settled and ready for the night everyone went home to get some sleep as tomorrow would be a busy day. Lou and Lisa spoke briefly to the press gathered outside the gate and told them to go home and come back in the morning at 10:00am for an update. They agreed and went on their way. It was almost 11:00pm when Amy, Ty and the kids went to the house. Lyndy, Wyatt, Annie and Addie decided to spend the night but all had to get back to school in the morning. Luckily, they all had late classes and promised to come back home to help after they were done. Maddie came in a little later back from the Rehoming Center and JT was staying with Trent. Ty sent a text to everyone and scheduled a meeting at 8:00am to go over the plan for the day. Several of the techs and clinical students volunteered to stay with the 4 most severe horses and Ellory and another person from her team tended to the others who were at the Rehoming Center. It took a while but the Bordens finally fell into a fitful sleep, with visions of the accident in their minds. Lyndy was the first to wake up and left a soundly sleeping Wyatt to go to get coffee brewing. She was sure he needed it. Amy was the next one down as they talked quietly and started sorting breakfast. The college kids needed to get on their way early and they were committed to give them enough nourishment. Everyone slowly came down and they all sat around the table. Although not the norm, they turned the TV on and as expected the accident was all over the news. They chuckled when Ty and some others were shown on screen but the girls giggled out of control when the scene of Lyndy kissing Wyatt's cheek, proclaiming how proud she was of him was shown. Addie laughed and fake gagged, "Oh my god, it's mom and dad all over again." As they all laughed the door burst open and a fired up JT ran in. "I can't believe what happened and I was not there. You guys were amazing, those poor horses." He smiled calmly, "So what are we going to do, what's the plan." Everyone laughed and Amy spoke clearly, "Well you are all going to school and when you get home, after homework, you can come help. Everyone except Wyatt and Lyndy should go help at the Rehoming Center, there are twelve horses there and they need some attention." They all agreed, finished their breakfast and had hugs all around. Ty asked Wyatt and Lyndy to hold up as they walked out as he spoke, "Wyatt I know it has been crazy but what you and Lyndy did last night was impressive, especially the work on the horses before we all got there. And your recap was also pretty amazing. I can't wait for you to join the team," Wyatt smiled and hugged his future in-laws as Lyndy laughed, "Well mom, it looks like we have a Miracle Boy in the family now." They all laughed as they headed off to school and Amy and Ty went to the office to meet with the group to talk about the day. Lou was going to Zoom in as well to talk about the media and the request they had been receiving for interviews and appearances on television. She laughed, And the most request are for young Wyatt, it seems he has become quite the folk hero and everyone wants to interview him." Everyone laughed and went about their day. Ty and Scott prepped the horse with two fractured legs for surgery that afternoon. The swelling had gone down and they were confident that their new sleeve innovation would work well. Ty called the university and several of the professors from the Equine department were going to assist and a bunch of students were coming to observe. The other horse with a break was less severe and they were going to wait a few more days. Cass and Steven spent some time with the other two with the deep cuts and abrasions and the intention was to Xray all of them to look for anything else they missed. They would then head over to the Rehoming Center after they finished and look over those horses as well. Ellory had a lot of experience with wound care and had already started working with them. Amy and her crew spent time calming all of the horses getting them ready for surgery and their new home. At 10:00 as promised, Lou, Scott, Lisa, Amy and Ty held a press conference and over 50 media personal were there as well as representatives from the RCMP, Animal Control and local government. Ty and Scott provided an update on the horses and the group answered questions. Lou closed out and announced, "We have received a number of donations to help with the care for the horses. It is appreciated and please be assured that 100% will go to the care of these horses. Also, any excess will be donated to local animal rescue operations." They politely ended as Ty, Amy and Scott needed to get back. Lou and Lisa stayed to talk about what was happening over the next few days and let everyone know that when things settled, some of the personal request for interviews would be considered. That night a very tired Borden family were all together at the house as the college kids all decided to stay home again. Everyone went to bed early, exhausted but please with how the day went. Amy and Ty laid next to each other in bed quietly thinking about what their kids and the team had done. They fell into a blissful sleep in each other's arms as in love as they had ever been.