Chapter Thirty - Three
Doing What We Do
A/N – My last chapter was pretty upbeat and positive but then again it is Amy and Ty. We will spend a little time in Toulon with everyone building a strong foundation for the success of the new Equine and Rehoming Center. Back home with Lyndy and Wyatt wedding planning will begin to be more of a focus. I expect I will also spend a little time with the Borden kids as well, as we haven't been checking with them for a while. Now that JT has his, friend who is a girl back, I wanted to have them spend some time with Jack, since Lisa is on the other side of the pond. I will sneak in a quick team meeting as well to go over the impact of being selected as the Small Business of the year and as well the new facility that will be based in France. The next generation will continued to become more involved in the operation as the demand increases. But I commit to you that the love of family and friends will never be compromised. Challenges will ensue but everyone will band together as needed, like they always do. Keep me on my toes and don't stop telling me how I am dong and provide ideas for storylines. I genuinely appreciate you commitment to my story and my mission to provide a quality content for everyone. Mature Content – Enjoy!
The Canadian group settled in for the night after an very nice dinner that Lisa set up with the Investment Team at her Toulon Estate. Although she spent little time there, as the owner she had an amazing team in place to run the entire operation with connections to Fairfield and Briar Ridge. Dinner was a great opportunity get to know the investors more personally. Several came from Equine operations, especially breeding and championship racing winners. A few had horses compete in Triple Crown events in the US as well as many high end races throughout Europe. The head of the team owned several profitable and reputable companies that were related to the equine world and definitely spoke for the group. Immediately, Jacques Martine related with Amy and Ty. His wife and kids loved horses and had several in the family stable. He looked at Amy, "My daughter Louisa has been having problems with her horse. She loves to jump him and he has been rearing up and even threw her off once. Our vet cleared him so we don't know what it is." Amy figured this was not just a question about his daughter's horse but kind of a test to get a feel of her abilities. Before she could talk, Ty spoke up. "Well jumpers are one of my beautiful wife's many specialties. Not only is our niece and daughter Olympic champion, Amy was also a highly ranked competitor years ago." Amy smiled and grabbed his hand, "Mr. Martine, we have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of jumpers over the years and if all medical possibilities are eliminated it comes down to the issue of what is causing your daughters horse not to want to jump. What is his name?" He smiled, "Shadow." She smiled, "Well in order to help your daughter and her horse I would need to spend time with them and look over the environment where they jump and love. Horses are affected by many things, a lot of them have nothing to do with physical issues but environmental or something that happened that has scared them." She smiled and looked at him, "When can I meet your daughter and Shadow, I would love to get them know them." He smiled pulling back, "You would be willing to do that for us?" She smiled warmly, "Yes, it is what we do. I would like Ty to look him over and then I can spend some time with them." He smiled, "Well, I will have my daughter trailer Shadow over in the morning." Lou laughed, "The Miracle Girl and her renowned Vet husband are at it again." Everyone laughed and chatted while enjoying dinner. They would be meeting over the next couple of days with plans to fly home the third day. As desert was coming out one of the investors directed a question to Amy in broken english. "So, Mrs. Borden, what does Miracle Girl mean?" She blushed a little and Ty grabbed her hand and spoke up. "A few years back, Amy was on the way to high school and there was an accident. A couple of large horse trailers were involved that were filled with over a dozen horses. Several of them were Olympic hopefuls. Jack, Amy and Lou's grandpa heard it on the radio and we rushed over. When we arrived, we saw Amy settling a horse that was tied up in a barbed wire fence thrashing out of control." He smiled as Amy leaned into him and continued. "She was amazing and settled the horse so they could free him and cut the wire away. The owner was a well-known breeder and trainer and thanked her. Unbeknownst to Amy it was being filmed on multiple phone cameras. When she got home from school, Lou grabbed her and showed her the "Miracle Girl" video that already had over 2000 hits. Amy became a celebrity and her business blew up. We actually had to set up portable outside stables to handle the overload. It was pretty overwhelming but fun. The name has stuck with her over the years." The investment group smiled in agreement and the person asked the question smiled and said it was amazing. Everyone was tired so they all retired to their rooms for some much needed sleep. The next two days would be action packed. After a soak in the tub, Amy and Ty went to bed, after Amy order some snacks from room service. She answered the door in her robe and Ty laughed as the guy delivering the food blushed brightly. The laid the food on a small table and Amy tipped him and said thanks. She turned around to see Ty watching and smiled, "Well it seems this old gal still has it." He went to hug her and give her a very passionate kiss. She leaned back and smiled, "Ok, let's eat, I am hungry."
The morning after the big news that was all over national and local news the ranch was filled with excitement and anticipation. By 7:30, Mallory had over 10 request to come to the center for interviews and the mayor's office asked if the mayor could visit. Mallory got with Georgie, Katie and Lyndy and decided to pull a number of folks together to come up with a plan ion how to handle the deluge before the travelers got home. By 8:30, the four of them along with Jenn, Soraya, Caleb, Cass, Wyatt, Clay, Steven, Ashely and a few others. She even had Addie and Annie on the phone. Georgie laughed, "Well I see who holds the power here. Geez Mallory who isn't here." She frowned, "This is important so we all need to talk. The website has blown up and we need to set a plan for what to do about it so we can be prepared when our travelers to return. So right now we have request coming in for the Equine Center, as well as the Rehoming Center. So, how do you think we should handle it. Jenn, there have been a lot of lodging request too. This is all hands on deck effort for sure for sure." Katie smiled and put her arm on Mallory's shoulder, Mals, we have been busy before and I know this is kind of bigger but I just think we do everything we can do to keep up. Lou already said that we will have a Board Meeting to discuss the expected increase in business. Actually we will have a good idea of that before they return so I say let's roll on and take a lot of notes." Steven laughed and spoke reasonably, "Mallory, I just think we need to handle business as best we can and think of ways that we can talk about then." Annie spoke up, "Addie and I basically have no classes on Friday so how about we come home early and help out where we can. I bet we can sweet talk Desi and Jeremy to help as well." Georgie added, "Some of the younger group of trainers can be stretched so Katie, Lyndy and I will make a list and talk with them. I am sure they will be excited to help more." Caleb had been quiet, when Cass asked him," Honey, can we handle it from a supply and Ranch hand side." He laughed, "No problemo." Everyone laughed as Mallory ended the chat and headed out with the others, "Ok, let's get to it, we all know what to do." Lyndy and Wyatt stayed back with the Webers and Fosters. After a little bit of silence Wyatt spoke up, "You know they are doing this for us and our families. Everything your mom and dad do is for us and our future. We owe it to them and this family's legacy to do our best and make things work." He was a little teary eyed and Lyndy put her hand on his shoulder. After a little more silence, Georgie spoke up, "Well I have been around the longest and I agree with Wyatt, even though he is not officially part of the family yet." Everyone chuckled as she continued, "When I first came here and the family adopted me and I watched how Jack, Lisa, Amy, Ty and Lou were always there for me. They loved me and for the first time in my life I know what a family was." They looked at each other and then hugged as a group. Clay laughed, "Ok, we need to go and enough of this mushy stuff." They all laughed and headed out to their work. Lyndy and Wyatt lagged behind and walked arm in arm. She noticed he was quiet and stopped moving in front of him. "Wyatt what you said back there was amazing and I have never loved you more." She pulled him in and kissed him deeply taking his breath away. He stepped back and she cupped his face. "Oh and by the way you have been a part of this family for a long time and I can't wait to marry you." They kissed again until they were interrupted by a yelling Mallory, "Hey, cut that out Amy and Ty Jr., we got work to do." They each scoffed at her and headed to their work. Before they parted Lyndy smiled and whispered in his ear, "I'll see you later. Oh and rest up, tonight is going to be fun." The day went well and everyone was excited in the anticipation of the new European venture. As they worked, each looked around and observed their work environment, making note of what was needed for the future, their future.
The group decided to sleep in so the plan was to not meet until 9:00 to start their meeting. The early sun woke Amy up and she rolled over to see Ty sound asleep. As she looked at him her mind wandered. Toulon was very important to them. Not only did they had their honeymoon there but also their 10th anniversary. She smiled remembering how amazing their time here was and how it grew their relationship even stronger. She remembered early on how immature they were and how it took a while to realize what they meant to each other. She smiled thinking of all the things that they did to stress their relationship and challenge their love for each other. She got warm inside, remembering the night in the gazebo at High River when they both finally realize that they were Amy and Ty, destined to build a life together. She continued to stare at him while he slept contently. He was hot, as a lot of the girl's friends used to say, even if he was a little older. Amy smiled again, in fact she felt he was more handsome now than the day they first met. To her his look was always perfect but in her mind the way he was with their children made him even more handsome. They hadn't planned to have 5 children but to be honest she couldn't be happier with how her life turned out. He was an amazing father and each child was treated as an individual. When she watched him interact with them it warmed her heart. And how he had bonded with Wyatt was a bonus although she expected nothing less. Her eyes began to water as she realized how lucky she was to have her children and most of all him. She slowly fell back to sleep and a few minutes later Ty opened his eyes slowly. He smiled as he rolled over and saw Amy sound asleep, which was one thing she was good at. He thought of the first day they met and how he just about ran him over and told him he couldn't smoke. He also remembered the sadness in her voice when she mentioned that he mom had just died in a car crash. He could tell she was in a lot of pain and promised that day he would try to help her. He thought of all the mistakes they made, especially him. Blaming his life growing up was an easy excuse but he always was amazed that through it all she made him a better man. After their break, he thought they would never repair the gap between them but at Pike River, he realized that she was the same girl he had fallen in love with and working with the wild horses drew them back together. He still vividly remembers their conversation at the Gazebo where he told her he wanted to do the rest of their life together. From that point forward there love and life continued to get better and better. Marrying her was like a dream for a kid who should have been in jail or even dead. Her support and partnership built a strong business and brought 5 amazing children into the world. He was always in awe of how she related to each one of them, loving them completely. As he gazed at her his breath was taken away at how beautiful she was. He was always overwhelmed with her beauty but had become to learn that her beauty was more than her stunning looks. Amy's pure beauty was on the inside as well and it was what made her the forever love of his life. They vowed that each of their hearts belong to the other. They were Amy and Ty and their love was timeless. He fell asleep as well and they instinctively held each other. The next two days were going to a challenge but a lot of fun as well. Amy and Ty would experience a world they were not used to but knew in their hearts the end result would be fulfilling and bring new challenges to them and the family, good ones. They still had an hour until the alarm would wake them up so they dreamed of their lives together and the future of their dreams and their kids. From time to time while they slept, each of them would smile and hold the other tighter. They were a team and completely in love.
Even after a great night together, Amy and Ty woke up with a lot of energy and anticipation. The next two days were going to be fun and exciting but more importantly a potential huge step for the company and their family. The Hudson group met for breakfast to go over the day's activities and their goals. They finished just in time for the investment group entourage to arrive with a number of SUVs that would take them around the proposed site this morning. After a picnic lunch they planned to go to a meeting room to go over the logistics for the new facility including drawings and organizational breakdown. The ride around the countryside was really nice. They stopped at several spot where the buildings would be erected or in some cases, existing buildings updated. What interested Amy the most was where the main Equine Center would be so they spent a little extra time there. Amy spoke up, "This is perfect and like our facility in Hudson, now is the time to build it the right way." Ty added, "And build in a way that allows for growth. We have grown a lot over the years and at times struggled but luckily allowed us to grow. To be honest we have made some strategic land and building purchases, especially for our Llama and Cattle herds. But overall we have stayed within the scope of our footprint. We want to be aware of our environmental impact and mostly ensure that we don't negatively impact the land we are on." The one investor, who was over the decision team smiled, "Well Dr. Borden, we are completely in agreement. In Europe we have always regarded the land before growth and progress. It is our number one priority." Lou chime in and agreed, "It seems that the Europeans and Canadians are a lot a alike." Everyone smiled as the lead investor spoke up, "Well let's take a short ride over to the site for the Rehoming Center. Ms. Whitepath, I expect that might interest you." After a five minute ride they came upon an existing ranch, with a main house and enormous 24 stable barn with a couple of out buildings. The setting was beautiful and Amy noticed that there were a couple of round pens and two large fenced pastures. Ellory got out with her eyes wide open and laughed, "I love my facility at home but this is amazing. Can we move it to Canada?" Everyone laughed heartedly as they stood between the barn and house. Lisa soke up, "This facility is amazing how did you find it?" The lead investor spoke up, "If you can believe it a very wealthy horse lover has donated it as long as we name it after her late husband, who was an avid horseman." Amy smiled, "Well that is amazing and I think Ellory would be great with that. I don't see the need for a lot of changes here and I think we can include the home to live in for the manager of the facility as an enticement for sure as well as an office to meet with prospective owners. It's just perfect." The group finished up the tour and continued to be excited about the possibilities. They settled in back at Lisa's estate and the investment group went through a very detailed presentation that showed mocked up details of the look of the facility as well as the financial economic side. After the initial investment by the group, they determined that after a few years they could start to show a profit. Lou spoke up, "I feel the need to state the obvious and how we all feel. We are not afraid of profit but we want to ensure that the staff would adopt the philosophy and mission of the team in Canada. The animals and clients we support are the most important thing in our world. We have found that with that approach, we have become an very successful organization and continue to grow in scope and size. Our employees are all in and we believe that sense of ownership is our secret to success." The lead investor smiled and added, "And that model is what attracted us to this opportunity with you." They were quiet as Amy cleared her throat to speak, "My mother, grandmother and great grandfather never wanted to gain fame and fortune. They only wanted to help horses and their owners. We still do that, and it makes me proud to think that we have carried on their legacy with the same approach. Our success has allowed us to go way beyond our dream and help more and more people and their animals. It is what drives us and I know they are proud of what we have accomplished. In fact I am sure of it as our son has confirmed it for all of us." One of the investors seemed confused and asked, "But please excuse me, have they not all passed on?" Ty laughed, "Yes they have but our son JT has an ability to communicate with them. Long story short, they come to him in his dreams and he has become a conduit between them and the family. He actually had a medical team that has been assigned to him years ago and to this day meet with him a couple of times a year. It seems that this ability is rare and at his level of connection almost unheard of. Trust me he is a normal 11 year old boy and has a level of maturity well beyond his years. He has told us that they are very proud of us." The room was quiet as finally one of the inspectors spoke quietly, "That is simply amazing. What a gift. And it must mean a lot to the family to have that connection." Everyone smiled as Lou spoke, "Well today was amazing and the plans seem solid and well suited for an extension of what we do. I for one am pretty tired so I think we will head back and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we get to see the Miracle Girl in action." They all smiled and adjourned the meeting and the Hudson group headed back to the estate. Today had been a vision of a new journey they were all excited about it.
Back home, news of the successful trip in Toulon had reached everyone and as usual the team was excited. Lyndy, Wyatt, Katie, Georgie, Mallory, Caleb and others had a daily call at lunch to get caught up with the 8 hour difference. The Hudson group decided to come back together after the clinic as they didn't need to book tickets as the investment team plane would be taking them with a couple of visitors from the group. One person was the legal person who would be meeting with Ashley, Lou and Lisa to draw up the franchise paperwork that needed to be signed. Lyndy and Wyatt had joined with the others to continue to handle the ever increasing workload. Jenn had done an amazing job coordinating the ever-changing housing needs for clients and was preparing several nicer rooms at Fairfield for the investment group needed for their stay along with a member of the staff to drive them around. Everyone would be more excited except for the fact that the number of clients steadily was increasing. Wyatt had been working long hours handling intake of new horses including a upsurge of new horses at the Rehoming Center. And along with a few others, they were also doing the annual check on the Llama herd and luckily all was well with them. Lyndy was nonstop as well working closely with Georgie, Katie and Haley on the needs of the horses. They had become so aligned that assigning the horses based on needs had become almost automatic as well as deciding that some needed only Amy. They kept those horses taken care of until she would be returning to work with them. Wyatt was walking to his next exam and saw her. Her blonde hair was flailing widely as she worked with a very irate horse. Haley was there for support as the horse continued to not abide by her direction. He was mesmerized by her beauty but more by her determination. She was so focused it was like no one else was there and even as he approached the fence she didn't even notice him. Haley leaned over and whispered, "She has been with that horse for almost an hour and she is not giving up. God, she is so her mom." He smiled and continued to stare. She smiled thinking of how much he loved her and how much Rusty loved her and their new baby. She never thought she would be where she is today as she continued to watch next to Wyatt. They both saw it at the same time and Haley unknowingly touched his arm. Lyndy finally got the horse to turn and slow down. She didn't rush as the horse leaned her way and chewed a bit. When the mare's ears turned, Lyndy walked toward them trying to control her smile. As she approached the fence noticing her hand on his arm, she whispered, "He girl are you hitting on my fiancé?" They chuckled quietly as Haley reached her arm around his waist. "Yea whatever, you have this guy hook, line and sinker." They quieted as the horse started heading her way, finally laying his muzzle on her shoulder. The horse huffed quietly, content in Lyndy's grasp. Lyndy's smile penetrated Wyatt like no other as Haley quietly excused herself. He smiled, "One of the many reasons I love you Lyndy Borden and can't wait to marry you. I never had dreams but I am living one now and every once in a while I have to pinch myself to see if it is real." She leaned into him for a kiss and whispered. "We can try to pinching later, go check on a horse or something. He walked away a little wobbly and so in love. She leaned into the horse and said, "There goes the man of my dreams. I am the luckiest girl in the world." That night Wyatt and Lyndy made dinner for Maddie, JT, Trent and Shawna. Mallory and Doug were out of town so they were staying over. The kids cleaned up and then they all checked on the horses. Maddie got Trent settled in JT's room and Shawna was rooming with her. Everyone said good night as the engaged couple had some tension to relieve. After locking the door Wyatt and Lyndy got into each other immediately and their lovemaking was slow but needy. As they came down from their high she laid in his arms happy and content. She whispered, "So was the pinching good?" He laughed, "Yes, and so was the rest of that stuff you did." She smiled in his chest and when she leaned up to kiss him her phone alarm startled her. Wyatt was confused and she went to grab it rolling over him that for him was kind of nice. He smiled, "You can do that again if you want to." She giggled, "Silly boy, that is an alarm to remined me to text my mom and wish her good luck. She is getting ready to do that join up for the investors. She actually seemed a little nervous." He smirked, "Seriously, your mom doesn't get nervous, like you." While still on top of him she sent the text and almost immediately her mom responded thank you. She smiled and put her phone down and looked into his eyes. "No matter how many time we do one there is always a moment of trepidation and worry. So when it works, it makes it even more wonderful." He smiled as he teared up, "God, I love you." She buried her head into his neck and smiled letting him know without words how much he meant to her. They fell asleep looking forward to the next day and the rest of their life.
As she stood with the group outside of the pen they were using for the demonstration, Amy smiled and showed Ty her phone a little teary eyed. He put his arm around her, That's nice," as he read the text from Lyndy. "I can't believe she sent it so late for them. It has to be after midnight." Amy smirked, "Hmm, I think we have been up a little too late at times in our life. Probably why we have so many kids." He smiled at her quietly understanding what she meant. Rather than use two of Lisa's horses she decided to have any member of the investment team to bring any personal horses they wanted Amy to meet. She hoped to help them learn how to build a better relationship with their horses. Several of them had their horses brought to the facility along with several other family members. Amy looked them over and noticed a young girl nervously standing next to a beautiful Belgium Warmblood that seemed nervous as well. She smiled meekly as Amy approached her. Her bright smile made the little girl feel more comfortable as Amy spoke, "Hello, I am Amy what is your name?" With a bit of an accent she spoke softly, "My name is Heidi and my father said I could bring my horse Spartan to see you. In hope it is Ok, he has been having a problem with his saddle. He fights me sometimes when we put it on." Amy got quiet and put her head down and the little girl got worried, "Are you Ok?" Amy smiled, "Well he is beautiful and my horse that I had for many years was named Spartan." Amy pulled her phone out and showed her a picture and the little girl smiled, "He is beautiful." Amy smiled, "My mom and I rescued him and he was a mess. But I worked hard and healed him and we had a bond like no other. Actually what I am going to show you today is how I did it." They got quiet as Ty, who had overheard the conversation, stepped over kissing her forehead. "Hi Heidi, I'm Ty, Amy's husband and you know what. I fell in love with Amy watching her work with him. It was pretty amazing." Heidi smiled, "Is that why you are called he Miracle Girl?" Amy smiled as Ty interjected laughing, "That's a whole other story?" They laughed as the entire group began to gather. Lou thanked them for the opportunity and assured the group that they would be amazed at what she could do. Amy blushed and went to stand next to her, "My sister is a little biased but I hope that each of you walk away understanding how important the bond is with your horse." Amy gave a few instructions to the group before she started. All of the other horses with their owners were to stand along the fence line and needed to be tied off. She didn't want them to be able to bolt or move and bother the horse she would be working with. She smiled, "This is a very large pen so I figure we have enough room to have you all on the inside. But I need everyone to keep their horses at bay while I work with Heidi and Spartan." Lou, Lisa and Ellory's eyes lit up as Ellory spoke up, "Spartan, really." Amy smiled and confirmed to everyone, "Yes, Heidi's horse is named Spartan and I had a horse named Spartan who was a special part of my life and is on our company logo." Ty smiled and spoke up, "Spartan was important to our family, especially me. Watching Amy work with him early on was why I fell in love with my wife. She was determined and passionate about helping him because she had just rescued him with her mom from an abusive owner." He put his head down and continued, "On the way back they were in a truck accident and Amy's mom was killed. Even with such devastation her commitment to help Spartan was never wavered. But I also feel that commitment was for her mom too." The pen went completely silent as he walked over to her for a hug. She gathered herself and spoke with confidence, "Well I think it is time to get started. Ty, Lou, Lisa and Ellory will be here to answer questions and from time to time I will keep you posted. But my focus will be on the horse and helping Heidi. I also hope that what we do will help you all but after I am done, I will answer any and all questions you have. We have all morning. So in the words of my grandpa, let's get er done." After greeting the horse with the young girl Amy started slowly and Heidi stood off to the side a safe distance away, but close enough to hear Amy speak to her. At the right time she began to move the horse in the regular join up process. While she spoke softly to Heidi the horse moved around in the smaller circle the ranch hands had set up with a portable fence. The horse started to respond and Amy spoke calmly to the group, "Once I gain his trust and Heidi joins us we will focus on saddling him to see what the issue is. But first we become partners, all three of us." The group watched intently and watched Amy and Heidi draw the horse in. The next few minutes were a blur for Amy, Heidi and all of those watching.
While the join up was going on, Amy glanced from time to time at all of the onlookers and their horses. The horses seemed content and the owners engaged. She noticed from time to time they would be asking questions of the others so she was pleased they were enjoying the join up. As she pulled Spartan in she motioned for Heidi to join her. She wanted to make sure she became part of the team as she would continue to work with her horse moving forward. As they greeted the Spartan with Heidi she heard a loud whinny and a scream from behind her. As she turned the force of the horse knocked her and Heidi into Spartan violently. The out of control horse continued knocking Spartan off his feet at full speed. Spartan flew back on his hind end and rolled over onto his side sliding several feet in the soft dirt as Amy and Heidi landed on the side of him. When things settled the horse continued to run knocking down the portable fence as Spartan was partially on Heidi struggling to get up. Both of them were not moving but Heidi showed some signs of coming to. She quietly called out to Spartan, "Whoa boy, everything is Ok." Spartan seemed to settle and leaned his muzzle into her. Ty and Heidi's father were the first to arrive, followed by several others. The owner of the panicked horse with help from Ellory gather up the excited horse and pulled him out of the way. Ty ran directly to his wife and pulled her into his lap. She had a gash on her forehead but first glance noting looked broken. He tried to rouse her but she was not waking up. Lou brought a bottle of water and they sprinkled it on her face. She batted her eyes and winced in pain speaking softly, "Is Heidi and Spartan Ok?" She winced again and Ty asked her what hurt, she whimpered pulling into him, "My head and my back really hurt." She looked over and saw Heidi standing with a still shaken Spartan. She smiled and whispered to Ty, "I am glad they are Ok." She started to drift as the sounds of sirens were heard in the distance as the ranch foreman had called immediately. Her eyes were open but cloudy as she seemed distant. Ty continued to hold her and whisper to her understanding the need to keep her calm. As the paramedics came over he quietly gave them her status letting them know although he was a vet he also had some people medical training. He stood aside keeping his eyes on hers as they looked her over. The placed a neck brace on, dressed the wound on her forehead and stabilized her on the board. They assured Ty her numbers were good so the held off on any type of IV and fluids. The paramedics spoke to Ty and Lou and after they talked to Lisa and Ellory along with several of the investors they joined Amy in the back of the ambulance. Before they put her in the back, Heidi came over in tears asking if she was Ok. Amy smiled weakly and whispered, "Don't worry sweetie, I will be Ok, just make sure Spartan and the other horse knows that this is not their fault." Heidi smiled and gently kissed her cheek so she didn't hurt her more with a hug. The ambulance pulled away as Lisa and Ellory talked with the group letting them know they would keep them updated. Obviously, their flight home would need to be delayed and they decided not to call home until they got to the hospital. The investment team lead got an SUV and driver that took them to the hospital. Although Lisa and Ellory had seen their share of accidents but they sat quietly on the ride wondering how Amy was doing. The investor was distraught and Lisa leaned over to speak to him, "Amy Borden is from tough stock and we are sure that she will be Ok. She comes from a long line of very dynamic women and is a very determined young lady." He smiled meekly thanking her for the reassuring words. Amy was awake during the ride to the hospital and kept her eyes focused on Ty as Lou held her hand. The paramedics put her on oxygen just as a precaution so she wasn't able to talk but her gaze never wavered. Ty felt the ambulance pull into the parking lot and the doors swung open. Several nurses met the paramedics and when they moved into the ER, a doctor came up, introduced herself and spoke with them briefly. Then she calmly asked Ty and Lou what happened. She then leaned into Amy and smiled speaking to her softly. Amy's eyes brightened a little as she spoke as Ty now held her hand. After she finished they wheeled her into the exam room leaving Lou and Ty waiting outside. The doctor looked back and smiled calmly promising to be out to see them soon. Lisa sighed as they approached the Emergency Room entrance. They were dropped off and hurriedly went in immediately seeing Lou and Ty sitting in the waiting room. The four of the immediately embraced and Lou gave an update. Ty gathered himself and spoke softly to the group. "We need to call the kids, "Can you guys do it for me. You should probably call Lyndy and Wyatt first and then have them get the others on the phone together. Tell them I will call them as soon as I can but I want to wait here for the doctor. Ellory volunteered to stay with him as Lou and Lisa went to make the call. In the exam room, the doctor and the staff worked on Amy, running test while she was still in and out of consciousness. The wound on the head was deep enough for a few stitches and several x-rays and scans were done on her head. As they waited on the pictures, they visibly and delicately checked her back, neck and spine for anything that could be seen and ordered a full set of pictures of all of the areas of concern. The doctor spoke to Amy the entire time and smiled, "Well Mrs. Borden, your vitals are strong and you are in amazing physical shape. Is it true you have 5 children?" Amy's eyes opened and she smiled weakly "First, call me Amy and can you get my husband." She closed her eyes and fell quiet. The nurse went out to get Ty and he hurriedly went in. His eyes went moist as he saw her so vulnerable, with all sorts of things hooked up to her. The doctor smiled, "Dr. Borden I know you have seen this before but it still is Ok to be a little shaken. She is actually doing as well as can be expected. She woke for a second and told me to call her Amy and to go get you." A smile of relief came over his face, "Figures, and you can call me Ty. So what do we know."
Ellory and Lisa decided to call Lyndy and Wyatt together. A groggy voice answered, "Lisa is everything Ok?" She calmly asked her to wake up Wyatt and out the phone on speaker. She spent the next few minutes letting them know what happened and that all they knew was that she was stable. "Your dad is with her and talking with the doctor so we should know more soon. He asked us to call you two first since he was focused on her mom. He promised that once he knows anything you two would be the first to know. Honey, I know we are asking a lot but we need you two to tell you sisters and brother first and then let Georgie, Katie, Mallory, Caleb and others know. I would wait until they all wake up and maybe we will know more then." Lou had joined the conversation and told them she would call Scott, Georgie and Katie. Lisa also said she would call Jack and make sure someone was with him. Lyndy interrupted them, "Can I come over, I want to be with her." Lou took over, "Lyndy, we figured you would want to but we don't know enough yet. Once we do we can decide then." Lisa stepped in, "Sweetie, we need you, Georgie and Katie to make sure everyone is Ok, especially your siblings. I might suggest that you talk to Mallory and make sure that Trent and Shawna are with JT. He will need that. Also I have a favor, can you make sure the three of them hang with Jack, he will need them." Lyndy leaned into Wyatt for support and he spoke up, "Don't worry guys we will cover everything here. Please let us know when you have any news." They said their goodbyes and went about what they had to do. Lou, Ellory and Lisa went back to the waiting room to see that several other of the investors including Heidi, who had been cleared by the doctors. She saw the three women approaching, broke away from her mother and ran to them in tears, "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. If I didn't need her help this would have never happened." Lisa looked into her eyes, "This is no one's fault, when you work with horses there is always a possibility of getting hurt. Amy has been hurt more than once. Actually one time she was kicked by a horse and lost her sight for a couple of days. She is a Bartlett woman and they are tough, trust me." Heidi smiled meekly, I just hope she it Ok." Ellory spoke, "Well why don't you sit here with us and we will all find out together." In Amy's room Ty sat quietly holding her hand. "He was startled when the nurse stepped over, "Dr, Borden, Ty, why don't you stretch your legs and go see your family. She is stable and won't be up for a while. The doctor plans to wake her up in an hour or so." At first he resisted but agreed and kissed Amy's forehead whispering to her. The first one to see him coming out was Heidi and she bolted to him. A little startled she jumped into his arms and began to sob, "I am so sorry Dr. Borden, this is all my fault." He held her then pulled back to look into her teary eyes, "Heidi this is not your fault and trust me Amy would be the first to tell you that. Even with calm horses there is always a risk and she does everything she can to be safe. I can also tell that I am sure that when that horse struck you guys she was focused on making sure you were Ok." Heidi smiled, "As the horse was hitting me she pulled me in tight and protected me, it's the last thing I remember." Before he could respond the doctor and several members of her team came out and took them into a small meeting room. Ty insisted that Heidi come with them and the doctor agreed. The doctor asked everyone to sit down and began to speak, "Well for what has happened Amy is doing quite well. The wound on her head required a few stitches but will heal nicely and scans have shown no excessive trauma to the brain. And as you told me Ty, due to some head trauma in the past, part of her annual checkup are different scans of the brain and head so we will share this with her doctors. The neck, back and spine are the next focus for us. The is minimal swelling but with her unconscious we can't really know anything yet and we have done an entire batch of extras and scans. We have her completely immobilized so when she wakes she won't be able to move much." Ty chuckled, "Yea she is going to love that." The group laughed quietly as the doctor continued, "First visual look doesn't show any distress to her back and neck but with injuries like this you don't know until a full range of test are completed. Minimal swelling is good and actually it seemed she curled up as she protected Heidi and that is good. It limited the vulnerability but from all of the reports it was a pretty significant jolt to her body. Best case scenario and no significant injuries she will definitely be sore for a while and her ability to be mobile and work will be limited early on." Ty again chuckled, "Well again she will not be pleased and we will do everything we can to keep he down but as we all know, that will be a challenge." As she continued to speak a charge nurse walked in and whispered into her ear. A smile came to her face, "Well Amy is awake and is asking for you Ty. And she said she wanted to see Heidi if she is here." Everyone sighed and laughed calmly in relief. Ty stood up and went to grab Heidi's hand, "Let's go see Amy."
Lou and Lisa had been in contact with the kids and others at home. They gave them the latest report and asked Lyndy to get the kids, Georgie, Katie and other together for a big Zoom call in a half hour. Clay set it all up and a bunch of people gathered in several areas at the ranch and other locations. Seems everyone wanted to hear what was happening with Amy and also support the kids, especially JT who was struggling that his mom was hurt. Lou and Lisa went over what the doctor said and that Ty and the young girl, who Amy was helping." JT asked, "Why is she there?" Lisa smiled, "Well you know your mom, I think she wants to see how she is and tell her this was not her fault." They all sat quietly completely understanding why she was worried, it was who she was. Annie smiled, "Well if she is concerned that tells me she is doing Ok." Lisa agreed and continued. Ty and Heidi quietly walked in Amy's room as a couple of nurses were working on her. Heidi hesitate seeing all of the machines and tubes and how Amy was basically strapped into her hospital bed. It scared her and she grabbed Ty's arm tightly. He smiled and whispered, "It looks scarier than it is. I can tell by her voice she is comfortable so don't let all of this bother you, it is for her own good." The nurses cleared out and Ty walked over to face her and as she did her smile widened. He move close to kiss her and she giggled, "Ty there is a young girl in here." Heidi laughed as she went to the other side of the bed. She grabbed Heidi's hand weekly and spoke softly, "Heidi, I need you to know that none of this is your fault. When you work with horses sometimes there are accidents. No one knew that that horse would bolt, but sometimes that happens. I want you to understand that and make sure Spartan does as well." Heidi smiled shaking her head yes and looked at her teary eyed. "Amy you saved me. I remember you pulling me in as soon as the horse hit us and then Spartan. Spartan is Ok and so am I but look at you. Does it hurt?" Amy smiled and looked at her, "It hurts a little but not too bad and watch this." She pointed to her toes and the wiggled slightly." Heidi smiled and Ty now began to tear up. "The nurses were working with me and that happened, pretty cool hey." The three of them talked for a few more minutes when Lisa and Lou walked in holding a phone. Lou smiled, "Hey Amy, you look good." Amy smiled, "Yea right. Who is on the phone?" Lou held it up and all of the kids and Wyatt were in the living room at home. They erupted with a bunch of hellos and love yous. She noticed that JT was a little subdued and Amy spoke, "JT, I will be Ok, but it will take a while and I will need your help, all of you. I want to introduce Heidi. I was working on her horse and guess what his name is Spartan." They all smiled and said hello to her. Heidi smiled, "Hi everyone, I just saw your mom wiggle her toes." They kids all sat dumbfounded as tears began to flow. Lyndy gathered herself to talk, "Mom, when will you come home, we all miss you and dad." Lou coughed, "Sorry Lou, we missed you, Lisa and Ellory too." Amy was gathering herself as Ty spoke up. "Well we are going to meet with the doctors tomorrow and figure that out. You know your mom can be a little anxious sometimes so I expect it will be as soon as possible." The nurse walked in and whispered telling them Amy needed to go for a test. Everyone but Ty said their goodbyes and headed back. Lisa promised to have some of Ty's clothes sent over as he was staying with his wife. Ty had begun to doze off when he hears the wheels of Amy's hospital bed rolling in. He stood to the side as they moved her into lace and reattached everything they needed to. Amy was awake but looked very uncomfortable. He did notice that some of the straps used to secure her had been removed. Once they were done he went over to her and the bright blue eyes he have grown to love opened as she smiled. "Are you planning on spending the night and what are your intentions. I don't know if my grandpa would approve." He smiled and leaned into kissing her lips softly, "Well I am thinking about marrying you so I think he will be Ok with it. How are you feeling?" She smiled keeping him close, "Well I am a little sore and the doctor said that is good." She hesitated, "I am scared that I may not be able to walk and become a burden on everyone." They sat in silence when the doctor walked in, "Amy, you will walk again but it will be a long and hard road. The early results of all of the test are good. There seems to be no spine or neck damage, just a lot of bruising and swelling. We did notice a small abnormality between C4 and C5 but at least to me it seems non relevant. I am sending it to your team in Calgary and a local specialist for review. Get some rest and we will talk next steps. I am sure you want to get home and I expect maybe 5 days or a week. I want to make sure you are good to travel. Good night." Amy and Ty thanked him and settle in. She patted the bed for him to join her. Ty took a minute to gather himself as he had been hiding his concern and worry from everyone, especially her. Seeing her hurt was the worst thing he had ever experienced over the years and his hope was always that he would shield her and take the pain. She rolled her head his way and he held her as she slept contently. A few minutes passed and he joined her.