Chapter 308 – Cooperstown Jumpoff
Between the first five riders in the jumpoff, only two had posted a clear round. The first was Carrie Martin with a time of sixty-one point fifty and the other was Elliot Wright with a time of sixty-one point fifty-five. While the water jump had been removed, one was going to need to keep moving to win and the other three riders had trouble keeping the rails up, going fast.
Doug moved onto the course for his run in the jumpoff. He took a deep breath and patted Ghost before bringing him up to a canter. After clearing one, he came around and cut in front of the tree to get to the three A and B which were second in the jumpoff. He took A at a bit of angle and to correct in one stride for B, but it worked. He then moved one to four and let Ghost take longer strides to six. He looped around the other tree and headed for seven. When he landed at seven, he cut in front of the start timer to head for nine instead of going around the first gate. Doug easily cleared nine and swung wide to make the turn for the triple at twelve. Once Doug had landed at twelve despite a hard rub, he let Ghost run knowing they only had the fence at thirteen B left. Doug cleared the timer and looked over and saw that he had put down a time of sixty-one point forty-two. Doug smiled as he knew that it was going to be hard to beat him because they would have to move fast and risk taking down a rail. He had a couple of close calls, but he was able to keep them in the cups.
As Doug came and stood with Ghost next to Nathan and Jack, he was smiling that smile of his and Jack shook his head.
"Gunning for a blue ribbon this week?" Jack teased.
"You want it, bring it." Doug teased back.
"Oh, I will." Jack said. "Hope you like that yellow ribbon."
Doug was going to stick out his tongue at Jack, but just before he did, he heard the distinct click of the camera shutter, so just shrugged his shoulders at Jack. The three guys turned and watched Laura take her turn. She seemed to throw caution to the wind as she wanted to win and it caught up with her when Goldie balked at the triple and Laura came off her horse. When she didn't immediately get up, people rushed to help her. Her horse couldn't be bothered and was grazing on some grass near the fence. When one of the officials went to grab the horse, he came towards the in gate where James and Marco grabbed the horse. Doug walked over to the horse and took her by the bridle and calmed her down with some T-touch. A moment or two later, Laura walked off the course with her coach and one of the paramedics.
"Is she alright?" Laura asked.
"Looks good." James said. "Nothing obvious, but I would have her checked out if you are worried. Are you alright?"
"I will be eventually." Laura said. "I hit my shoulder pretty hard."
Just then Jack heard a voice and turned.
"I am a doctor." He said.
Jack looked at his security that was holding Dr Carson Shepherd back. Jack motioned to his security to let him through. Carson came over.
"Hey there." Carson said. "I am Doctor Carson Shepherd. I was wondering if you needed my help."
"I am pretty sure that my shoulder is dislocated." Laura said. "Not the first time it has happened. I can normally pop it back in."
"I am an orthopedic surgeon in Albany." Carson said. "I can take a look if you want."
"Let's get her to the first aid tent." The paramedic said.
"Sounds good." Carson said.
Carson took a moment to stop at Jack and Nathan.
"Good luck to both of you." Carson said.
"Come find us when you are done." Jack said.
"I will." Carson said.
"Mr Thornton." One of the officials said. "Please get ready to go on course. The jump has been reset."
"Yes, Sir." Jack said.
Doug came and gave Jack a leg up. He clicked to Bandit and moved forward to go through his routine. Before he fully entered the field, Father Mark saw Jack lean down a second time and whisper something to Bandit. He happened to be at just the right angle to see what Jack said and smiled to himself. Father Mark moved to stand with Doug and Nathan as Jack went to show Bandit the triple bar and bring him up to a canter. Doug and Nathan exchanged a look when they saw Jack have Bandit at almost a full gallop as he crossed the start timer.
"He hates to lose." Father Mark said. "He is either going to win or lose in grand style. Just like he used to."
Doug just smiled, but also said a quick prayer as he knew that in grand style usually resulted in Jack falling.
Jack took a much tighter line then Doug had done. He knew that he was going to need every fraction of a second because Athena had him beat in pure speed. He took three A and even four at a bigger angle then anyone had, but had managed to keep both up. Bandit galloped to six and cleared it like it was a one foot pole not nearly a four foot fence. When Jack landed at six, he cut in front of the tree and again took seven at an angle. Jack also cut in front of the start timer on his way to nine. He was really moving. He cleared nine and then took a couple extra strides out before making a one eighty turn for the triple bar at twelve. As soon as he landed at twelve, he let Bandit have it and he galloped all the way through the finish timer. Jack turned and looked at the board. He smiled and made a small fist pump when he saw that he was in first with a time of sixty-one point thirty-seven. He knew that it would be close, but if Nathan trusted Athena, he could come close to him.
As Jack came off the field, he just gave Nathan a pointed look, like you want it, come and get it. As Nathan moved onto the field, Jack moved to stand with Doug. Father Mark came over, leaned close and spoke to Jack.
"You are not fifteen anymore." Father Mark whispered. "Reckless abandonment is going to get you seriously hurt at this point."
Jack turned to look at Father Mark and just kind of half shrugged with a dimpled grin. Father Mark shook his head as he knew that Jack wasn't going to change. The three turned and watched Nathan as he brought Athena up to a canter. Jack could tell that she wanted to run, so he was interested in seeing how much Nathan was going to let her.
Nathan took a deep breath and let Athena go. He took a line like Jack had taken, letting Athena run between fences. He tried to rein her in, but she was determined to run, so Nathan let her and just tried to steer her where they needed to go. He got to nine and made a move similar to what Doug had done and didn't try the one eight turn like Jack. He cleared the triple and let Athena go again. When he crossed the line, he immediately turned and looked at the board. It read – sixty-one point thirty-seven. He tossed his head back and laughed. He came off and gave Jack a smirk like it was so funny they had tied again. Nathan joined Jack, Doug and Father Mark as they watched the last competitor go.
John Rollins knew that he couldn't beat the three from Coal Creek, so he was going for a clean round and hoping for a good time. He knew that he had pushed it in the previous round and it had almost caught up with him, so he just wanted to finish with a clean round. John took a fast, but conservative route and finished with a time of sixty-one point fifty-one. He wasn't happy, but fifth place amid tough competition wasn't bad. His coach wasn't happy as none of the host riders had placed in the top three.
As John came off, Nathan turned to Jack.
"Looks like we are sharing again." Nathan teased.
"If I have too." Jack teased back.
"Actually." An official said, coming over. "Because of the tie last week, we had a tiebreaker for the jumpoff. Not only did Mr Grant have a faster first round, but when we looked at the cameras and compared the finishes side by side, Mr Thornton finished with a time of sixty-one point thirty-seven four and Mr Grant finished with a time of sixty-one point thirty-seven three. So Mr Grant will get first and Mr Thornton will get second with Mr Burke getting third."
"Seriously, less than a blink of an eye." Jack said.
"Thank you." James said. "The boys would have been fine sharing."
"Why did the girls get to share?" Father Mark asked.
"Because they had the same time in the first round." The official said. "And they had the same time in the jumpoff, even with the extra place. We had not planned for that and let them share since they were sisters."
"Okay." Father Mark said.
"If you three would please line up." The official said. "The announcer will explain it to the crowd."
The guys lined up. As much as Jack hated losing, he found he didn't mind losing to Nathan. As the guys went to get their ribbons and have their pictures taken, Father Mark moved over to his grandfather and the two trainers who were standing there.
"You realize that this is the fourth show in a row that Nathan has won." Father Mark said.
"No." James said.
"Yes." Father Mark said. "He beat Jack at Sugar Creek where they swept. Jack didn't finish at Coal Creek and Nathan got first and Doug second. They tied for first at Schenectady and Doug got second again. And Nathan just won again and they swept the top three again."
James rubbed his chin.
"You are right." He said. "I guess I didn't realize that."
"I didn't realize it either." Marco said. "Jack okay?"
"If he knows." Father Mark said. "And I am pretty sure he does, he seems fine with it. He has hated losing, but I don't think he minds losing to Nathan, because they push each other. It was like Jack didn't mind losing to Laura on the rare occasion that they would compete against each other. Anyone else and he would have been pouting and moody, but I think he is okay losing to Nathan."
"Okay." James said. "But maybe don't say anything to the boys, we don't need to push our luck."
"Yes, Sir." Father Mark said.
James and Father Mark stood there and waited. Marco, Andy and Carlo were just off to the side as they knew the press was gathering. When the guys came off the field, there were at least a dozen reporters and twice as many photographers/paparazzi waiting for them. Jack took a deep breath and put a smile on his face. Doug and Nathan followed Jack, because they weren't going to leave him to deal with that alone. Nathan was also sure that there would be questions for him since he technically won.
The guys gave the horses to Marco, Andy and Carlo to take them away from the reporters and photographers. Father Mark came over and stood in front of Jack for a moment before he faced the press. Everyone could see them, but they weren't close enough that someone could see what they were saying.
"Smile and be nice." Father Mark said.
Jack nodded.
"Can you see anything other than my vest?" Jack asked.
Father Mark looked at Jack and knew what he was asking. He shook his head. Father Mark knew that the last thing that Jack wanted was for anyone to see him in the immobilizer.
"Thank you." Jack said.
Father Mark nodded and stepped back as the boys stepped up next to James to face the press. At least the press were being kept back behind the barrier so they couldn't surround the guys.
"Mr Grant." One reporter shouted. "How does it feel to win again?"
"I am just glad for the opportunity." Nathan said. "It is even better since we all did well."
James pointed to another reporter, as he was trying to control who was shouting questions just a bit as he noticed a couple of the troublemakers among the group.
"Mr Thornton." The reporter shouted. "Did your injury last week contribute to another loss this weekend?"
Jack took a deep breath, he had expected the question.
"I am fine." Jack said. "I was taken to the hospital last week as a precaution after falling when my horse reared up after being rushed by a competitor who was upset at losing. Even though I am holding a second place ribbon, I don't view it as losing. Nathan beat me by one one-thousandth of a second. So less than the blink of an eye. Coal Creek swept the top three spots again this week, so I will call that a win. I have never minded placing second to any of my friends or cousins when jumping since we all represent the same place. Coal Creek taking the top spot is more important than the individual person standing on the top of the podium."
Before James could point to another reporter, they started shouted questions.
"How do you feel about Oliver Kennedy's arrest?" The reporter shouted. "His father says he is going to sue you for wrongful arrest."
Jack looked at James.
"We have no comment on any ongoing legal proceeding." James said. "That said, Mr Kennedy can try and sue, but if that is the case, John Thornton Sr and I are prepared to counter-sue for physical and emotional distress caused. Beyond that I have no comment on the situation and will not entertain any further questions on the matter."
"Mr Grant." Another reporter shouted. "Checking my notes, this is the fourth win in a row for you. How does that feel?"
Doug and Nathan just looked at Jack, who nodded.
"I guess I didn't realize that." Nathan said. "Like Jack said, I am just glad that we all did well and Coal Creek is standing on the top of the podium at the end of the day."
"Do you three have plans to continue jumping?" Another reporter shouted. "Maybe joining the A-circuit or trying to the pro level?"
The guys just looked at each other.
"My grandson and his friends are committed to attending school in the city this fall." James said. "We have always maintained that school comes before jumping. The boys have committed to jumping next week in Albany, but beyond that there are no plans. If they guys want to continue to jump at the few remaining shows this fall, we can talk about it."
"So you are not attending the Hudson River Classic in Schuylerville the weekend after Albany?" One reporter shouted. "It is a three day show for all levels."
"We had planned to return to the city that weekend." Jack said. "As my grandfather said, we are starting school at the end of the month and that will be our focus. We will just have to see how our other commitments go and see if it is feasible to continue jumping."
"Can we get some pictures without the sunglasses?" One photographer shouted.
The guys removed their sunglasses and posed with their ribbons and then a few the three of them with their arms around each other, Jack in the middle flanked by Nathan and Doug. James and Father Mark were on either side, trying to stay out of most of the photos. Several people noticed that Jack seemed to relax and wondered if they could get a response out of him without him thinking.
"Mr Thornton." One reporter shouted. "Can we get a comment on the statement that was put out by your parents?"
"What about the rumor of a wedding coming up in two weeks, which is why you aren't jumping in Schuylerville?" Another reporter shouted.
"I have no idea what statement you are referring to." Jack said. "So I have no comment on any of it."
"Your parents are claiming that you stole your father's company and are trying to keep them from your brother by having him arrested." The reporter shouted. "They say you are jealous that your parents were going to leave everything to your brother, so you chose to steal it and discredit your brother."
"No comment." Jack said, his tone cold.
Jack then put on his sunglasses and walked away. When he got a few paces away, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to his grandfather and Devin. He was not happy and needed to think before he reacted in a bad way.
… … … …
Doug, Nathan and Farther Mark quickly followed Jack as reporters continued to shout questions at them as they retreated. The three men knew that Jack was upset about being ambushed about his parents statement. The three were also surprised to hear about the statement. Father Mark was not completely surprised that his aunt and uncle were trying to turn things back on Jack and make it seem like Jack was the aggressor in things. A few months ago Father Mark would never have thought his aunt and uncle would sink to such a level, but after hearing about what they did to Jack's twin sister, he could believe anything. And that was in addition to what he knew had happened between Jack and his parents at the farm that summer.
Nathan felt bad for Jack because he knew that Jack had suffered so much at the hands of his parents and for them to stoop to that level was horrible. Nathan knew that it was better that Jack walked away to deal with things, then to react in front of the reporters. Nathan was also surprised that Devin had not given them a heads up, but then Nathan realized he hadn't really checked his phone in the last hour either. He started to wonder when the statement was released and who it was released to. Nathan then started to wonder if it was done to try and distract from the show, but it backfired because Jack didn't see if before he jumped.
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