26- The Beginner
Dominick Giran jogged through the wooded path that led toward Beth Fute’s house. He was breathing heavily, carrying a flute case and a black folder in his hands. When he came into the yard people were leading handsome thoroughbreds around. He saw Beth’s father and waved happily.
“Hey Jason!” he called, jogging up the porch steps. He knocked and waited for Beth to answer it. When she did he walked past her.
“The concert is in four hours and you’re late!” she exclaimed. She was eight and Dominick was nine. They were both also excellent musicians.
“I’m sorry. Mom made me muck out a couple of stalls before I came. Uncle Matt is coming to see us play, so she wants everything to be perfect,” he explained, a guilty expression on his face.
“I didn’t think Matt went down to the barn that often,” she muttered, going toward the piano. Dominick shrugged, tossing his jacket over the back of a chair. Beth set up the music stand a couple feet away from the piano, then went to the piano bench.
“Do you want to do this in order of the concert?” he asked. She nodded, opening her folder and taking out a piece of sheet music.
“Yup. First is the Theme from Peter and the Wolf.” Dominick nodded, looking at his music and concentrating. He began playing carefully, his fingers darting over the flute keys. Beth began soon after, the piano complementing the delicate sound of the flute. They finished that and the three other pieces they were playing with the high school that night.
“So are you getting a ride with your dad and Jessi?” he asked, cleaning his flute before putting it away.
“I think so, but it depends on when we have to be there. If it’s too early I might need a ride.” She slid the cover over the piano keys and put her music away.
“I’ll ask Mom if she can give you a ride. Call me after you’re done eating.”
“I don’t eat before a performance Dominick, you know that,” she said.
“I’ll talk to you later. Call me around five.” She nodded, following him to the door.
“See you later Dom!” she called as he jogged down the driveway. Beth turned and jogged upstairs to her room. The walls were covered with posters of horses, musical symbols, and a picture of Mozart. There were a couple pictures of her on Magic and various other horses. Her favorite was of her on her newest horse, Apprentice. They were at a show, a blue ribbon pinned on his bridle. She was wearing a black show jacket, breeches, and high boots. Apprentice had his ears pricked forward and he was looking directly at the camera. There were also pictures of her jumping, her and the twins, and a photo of her and her parents on a trail ride.
“Beth are you going to clean your room today?” Jess asked, sticking her head in. Beth smiled.
“Sure Mom. Can I listen to some music while I do?” Jess nodded, a smile on her pretty face.
“Sure Beth, just keep it down. Your father doesn’t appreciate Beethoven’s Ninth making the walls shake.
“Why not? I like Beethoven,” she muttered, putting the CD in the player. She had gotten it from her grandparents from Christmas. Her father and mother had bought her most of her CDs.
“Your Dad just isn’t a classical music person Bethy. Keep it down a little.” Beth nodded, watching as the door closed. She plopped down on her bed just as the first movement began. A picture of Carrie, Beth’s real mother, caught her eye. With a sigh Beth picked up the picture, looking at the beautiful face.
“Did you like classical music?” she asked the smiling face. She didn’t receive an answer. With a sigh she put the picture down and began to clean up.
That night Cotey picked Beth up at five thirty.
“Are you nervous?” Cotey asked.
“Only a little. Dom, do you think they’ll mind that I have a red shirt on?” she asked, glancing down at her outfit. Her usual concert outfit had been in the washing machine. She had picked out a black skirt and a red short sleeved shirt.
“I don’t know. These people are weird sometimes. What happened to your white shirt and those cool pants?”
“They were in the washing machine. I forgot to tell Mom I needed them for tonight.”
“That’s too bad. We need to go in this entrance Mom,” he said. Cotey pulled to a stop in front of the school.
“There you go guys, have fun. We’ll be watching you!” she called, watching as they walked across the lawn.
The audience applauded wildly when the last number was over. It had been the ‘Duet for Piano and Flute’. Jason, Cotey, Sam, and Jess stood and clapped. Dominick and Beth smiled at their parents. They bowed a final time before walking off stage together. They were met by the high school band.
“Great job Beth! You too Dom!” one girl exclaimed, patting them each on the back. Beth and Dominick smiled, but said nothing, walking toward the exit.
“I thought I was going to throw up when I missed that note. I’m sorry Beth,” Dominick said. She shrugged, leaning against the slightly damp building.
“Nobody out there knew that difference.”
“Thanks. Where are our parents?” She shrugged.
“Who cares? I’m so sick of everybody telling me what to do.”
“Me to… but I’m only nine. You’re only eight. I think it’s part of our job now.”
“You’re weird. Let’s go find them, they probably think we’re lost.” They laughed again and walked inside.
Almost a week later Beth was saddling Apprentice. Dominick was meeting her in the woods and they were going to ride part way up the mountain. There was a stream there, and they were going to go swimming. She finished and led the horse out into the aisle.
“Alright big guy, let’s go,” she said, mounting and telling him to walk on. They trotted through the woods, finally finding Dominick.
“Hey, ready to go?” he asked. She nodded, telling Apprentice to trot again.
“Sure. We should go up to the pasture. My real Mom use to ride there.”
“Why is your real mother so important to you now?” he asked quietly.
“She’s always been important Dom. I just want to see what’s up there. It’s not much farther than the stream.”
“I told my Mom that I was only going to the stream,” he said. Beth sighed, shaking her head and pulling up.
“Well go ahead, I’m going to the pasture. You’re such a baby Dominick.” She told Apprentice to canter, disappearing up the path. With a sigh Dominick followed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
Beth looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. A huge jump course was set up in the pasture, all the jumps covered with tarp. She grinned, dismounting and handing her reins to Dominick.
“I told you we should come here!” she exclaimed. She began taking all the tarps off the jumps. Dominick watched carefully.
“Beth maybe we shouldn’t do this. Your dad might not want us here.” She turned and looked at him.
“My dad wouldn’t care. Come on Dom, you know you want to jump it.” He took a deep breath and then sighed.
“OK,” he muttered.
Beth returned home right before Jess put dinner on the table. She jogged upstairs and changed quickly.
“Beth where’ve you been?” Jason called. Beth reappeared wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
“Riding with Dominick,” she explained.
“You never told us where you were going. Cotey called us to make sure it was alright that you guys went up to the stream. I checked up there to make sure you were ok, but you weren’t there.” Beth looked at the floor and then back up at her father.
“We decided to go down through the pasture and jump hay bales instead.
“Don’t lie to me Elizabeth. Where were you really?”
“We went up to the high pasture and jumped the course,” she said. Jason’s jaw dropped and his fists clenched. Jess put a hand on his arm gently, but he shook it off.
“You’re not to go up there!” he boomed. Beth bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry.
“But it’s a really good course Daddy, really…” Jason cut her off, taking her shoulders and shaking her.
“Never go there again! It’s not yours, do you understand me?” he yelled. She nodded.
“OK,” she whispered. Jason stared at her hard, then turned away.
“Go to your room,” he ordered. Beth whirled around and raced up the stairs. Jess waited until she heard the CD player, then looked at him.
“That wasn’t fair Jason.” He looked at her, his eyes still angry.
“She had no damn business being up there and neither did Dominick. That course isn’t theirs it’s Carrie’s.” Jess turned away.
“Do you have any idea what this does to me, or Beth for that matter. You’ve got to let her go or this will not work. I’m not competing with a ghost.” She spun around knocking a bowl of potatoes on to the floor.
“Jessi!” He called, but it was no use. Jess had stormed from the room and he heard the front door slam. He sighed, picking up the potatoes and turning off the stove.
Jason walked down to the barn, looking in all the stalls for Jess. When he didn’t find her he check the office and then the arena. Suddenly he thought of something, and went to the older barn. He went straight to Fantasy’s old stall, and found his wife. She was sitting in one of the corners, knees drawn up to her chest. Jason let himself into the stall and crouched down in front of her.
“Jessi, look at me,” he said. She didn’t answer, and she didn’t look at him. He sighed, taking her face in his hands and making her look up.
“Let go of me,” she told him.
“No. I love you and you’re not competing. She wouldn’t win even if you were. Don’t you understand that I love you more than I ever loved her?”
“Don’t say that… you don’t mean it.”
“I mean it! Damn it Jessi, I don’t know how to get through to you. I love you.” She stood up, opening the stall door.
“I’m going to stay with Dad for a little while. You can worship her, but you can’t love me at the same time.”
Beth watched as Jess pulled out of the driveway in her truck. She sighed, glancing around her room. It was a mess again, so she began to clean it. The door opened and Jason walked in slowly.
“Bethy I’m…” She cut him off.
“Where’s Mom going?” she asked quietly. Jason sighed and looked away from her for a moment.
“She left for a little while, to stay with her father.” She looked at him seriously.
“Why?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know Bethy,” he said.
“I’m sorry Daddy, I didn’t mean to make her leave. Just tell her I’ll never go up there again. I don’t want her to leave,” she whispered, beginning to cry. Jason wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
“Everything going to be just fine Bethy, don’t worry about a thing,” he assured her, assuring himself at the same time.
Beth saddled Apprentice at four o’clock the following Saturday morning. She mounted and rode into the pasture. Once there she asked for a canter and aimed him directly at the far fence. They cleared it easily, and Beth eased him to a trot.
“Good boy. Now we don’t have to worry about Daddy seeing us,” she murmured. She went across the road and through the woods on the other side. She reached Jess’s father’s house half an hour later. Jess was riding in one of the rings, going over a jump course. Beth stopped and watched her step-mother’s perfect form as they went over all the jumps. Bliss was a natural, and even though the jumps were only two feet high he cleared them as if they were bigger. Beth asked Apprentice to move forward until Jess could see her. Jess took one more jump before pulling up.
“Beth what are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I came to bring you home. Daddy misses you and so do I,” she said plainly. Jess dismounted and handed her reins to a stable hand. She went to the fence slowly, climbing on to it.
“It isn’t that simple Beth. Your Dad needs to want me to come back, not just you.”
“But he does. Don’t you get it? Daddy loves you!”
“Did he send you over here Beth?”
“No. I’m sorry I went up and jumped that course. I’ll stop riding for life if you come back.”
“I’ll ride home with you… I don’t want you crossing the road alone.” Beth sighed, but nodded anyway. Jess jogged to catch up with Bliss, then remounted. They rode out of the stable yard side by side.
Jason watched as Jess and Beth rode into the stable yard. Jess dismounted first, then Beth. They led their horses toward the training oval. Jason looked back and forth between them before focusing on his daughter.
“Where’ve you been young lady?” he demanded.
“I went to get Mom,” she said. Jason looked at Jess, for longer this time.
“You could have told me you were leaving. I was worried,” he said.
“OK. I’m going to go put these two away,” she said, taking Apprentice and Bliss toward the barn. Jess sighed, moving to follow her. Jason caught her arm.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. She gazed at him, not really sure.
“What do you mean?” she muttered, moving away from him.
“Do you want me to beg for forgiveness? Do you want me to bang my head against a wall? What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. It’s not up to me what you do.”
“I’ve tried telling you I don’t love her anymore, but that doesn’t work. I don’t know how to prove it to you.” There was a noise behind them and they turned.
“I know how,” Beth said.
“What are you talking about Bethy?” Jason asked.
“Do you have your wallet Daddy?” she asked. He nodded and handed it to her. Beth opened it and showed Jess the pictures. “He has pictures of you,” she said, handing it to Jess and walking away. Jess and Jason stared after her.
“She is your daughter. I am your husband. I’m more yours than I could ever be Carrie’s Plain and simple.” She turned and looked at him.
“Please don’t lie to me. I need to go help Beth with Bliss. I’m suppose to be home working with some three year olds for Daddy.” Jason watched her walk up the gravel path, boots crunching. He sighed and turned back to the oval.
Beth, Rachel, and Dominick sat in Dominick’s room almost three weeks later. They were all piled onto his bed, sitting around a bag of Doritos. Beth finished chewing, then looked at her friends seriously.
“OK guys, my mom and Dad are mad at each other. What do you think I should do?” she asked.
“Change whatever made them angry,” they said in one voice. Dominick shot Rachel a dirty look.
“Quit that!” he exclaimed. Rachel stuck out her tongue.
“It isn’t my fault Dom, and Mommy and Daddy told you so. Let’s just help Beth.”
“I don’t know what made Mom mad. She thinks Daddy loves someone else, but I know he loves her.”
“What about your real mommy?” Rachel asked. Beth thought for a minute, then shook her head.
“Nah, Daddy told me that he doesn’t love her that way anymore. He still thinks about her sometimes, but he loves Jessi.”
“What if Jessi thinks he loves your other Mom?” Dominick asked thoughtfully. Beth took a deep breath, her forehead crinkled up with thought.
“Why would she think that?” she muttered. Both twins shrugged.
“Who knows. Maybe your dad talks about her too much or something. We really shouldn’t try to figure out grown ups. We’re only nine,” Rachel said, standing and going toward the door.
“Thanks a lot Rachel,” Beth muttered, watching as the girl left. Dominick patted her shoulder gently.
“It’ll be ok Beth, we’ll figure something out,” he promised. Beth smiled, believing they could fix problems they couldn’t begin to even understand.
Dominick and Beth mounted their horses, both carrying backpacks and sleeping bags. They wanted to go and take down the jump course, thinking it would fix things between her parents.
“I wonder how Jessi and your father did it when Rachel and I got hurt?” he muttered, trying to sit tall in the saddle. Beth shrugged, telling Apprentice to trot. They made their way up the mountain slowly, getting off and walking in some places. The melting snow had flooded in many places, and soon Beth and Dominick were hopelessly lost.
“Dom, we were going right toward the jump course. Why aren’t we there yet?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll get there soon,” he said. They kept walking, but soon the sun started to dip in the sky.
“Dominick where are we?” she asked, her voice shaking. He took a deep breath, trying hard to be brave.
“I don’t know,” he said, reaching over and taking her hand. They led their horses to a flat grassy area that wasn’t wet, spread out their sleeping bags and sat down. They both held on to their reins, knowing that if their horses were lost they’d never find their way home.
Cotey followed Sam upstairs that night, holding his hand. She stopped and checked on Rachel.
“Beth isn’t in there,” she said, slightly concerned.
“She’s probably in Dom’s room,” he said, going across the hall. He opened the door and his face fell.
“Dominick isn’t there either. I think we have a problem,” he muttered, jogging downstairs.
“You check the barn and I’ll wake Rachel up!” Cotey called.
Jason picked up the phone, almost dropping it in his groggy state.
“Hello?” he muttered. There was a pause, and then he heard Sam’s voice.
“Jas, it’s Sam. We…we can’t find Beth or Dominick anyplace. Their horses are gone, and Rachel doesn’t know anything about it.”
“I’ll call Jessi, maybe they went over there,” he said, hanging up and dialing Jessi’s father’s number.
“Hello?” Mr. Michaels answered.
“Is Jessi there?” he asked. There was a pause.
“Yeah, she’s here. Hang on a second.”
“Jason is that you? Calling at midnight is a little much don’t you think?” she asked, her voice irritated.
“Just shut up and listen for a minute. Beth and Dominick turned up missing and we can’t find them anywhere. I wanted to know if they’re over there.”
“No, they’re not here. Jason I’ll be right over,” she said.
“What good will that do?” he muttered.
“You won’t be alone and neither will I. I’ll see you in a couple minutes.” She hung up on him and Jason smiled in spite of himself.
Jess walked into the house, not waiting for him to answer her knock. When she went through the downstairs she didn’t find him. She jogged upstairs and found him sitting in his room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands. She walked in slowly and climbed across the bed until she was behind him. He didn’t look at her. She let her hands smooth over his bare shoulders slowly, then she kissed one gently.
“I shouldn’t have left,” she murmured, putting her arms around him. He shook his head.
“It’s not your fault… you were upset,” he said.
“We can’t do this anymore Jason. I can’t walk around wondering if you’re going to flip out over something as simple as a jump course, or if you’re going to get depressed on Beth’s birthday. I don’t want to live like that.”
“I don’t. You think that I think about her constantly, but I don’t. I only think about her here and there. Something will remind me of her, and I don’t have a choice in thinking about her. I’m sorry if it hurts you, but I can’t help it.”
“I can’t live like that. Carrie is dead, and I want it to stay that way.”
“And it will… it’s always been that way. I don’t know what to tell you, other than that I love you. I told you before we got married that I still think about her. Having Beth is like having Carrie around.” She nodded against his shoulder, kissing him again.
“I love you Jason… we’ll find her,” she assured him, holding him tightly.
“I hope so Jessi.”
Beth huddled close to Dominick, both of them half frozen. Neither of them had slept all night, afraid that the horses would leave. Beth looked at Dominick, her face pale.
“Are they going to come look for us Dom?” she asked. He shrugged, glancing up at his mount, Juliet.
“I think so. They wouldn’t let us just stay here. Come on, let’s try to find our way back,” he suggested. Beth followed his lead, and once they were ready they both remounted.
“Are you sure we should leave this place? It’s dry, and maybe they’ll find us faster if we stay in one place,” Beth said as they began toward what looked like their original path.
“What if they look someplace else? Then what will we do? We can’t stay up here forever. Come on, let’s go this way. I think I remember seeing some of this stuff before.”
Cotey and Sam saddled two of their best trail horses, then mounted and started for the back woods. The kids weren’t supposed to go there, but they knew Dominick sometimes went there to be alone. Cotey led, telling her mount Presario to canter. Sam was riding a dappled gray named Gemini. They went through the woods, neither talking much. They reached the stream and stopped.
“I don’t think they’re out here Cotey, we would have found them by now,” Sam said, his voice holding a deep disappointment.
“His flute was gone Sam. You don’t think an nine year old boy would run away do you?” she asked.
“No. Dominick was happy. Let’s get home, maybe the police will have something new.” They each turned their mounts and cantered back toward home.
Dominick was crying, not knowing what to do. Beth had fallen, and was on a small ledge beneath him.
“Dominick help me!” she screamed, tears streaming down her bloody cheeks. She had hit her head on the rocks, and could barely see through the fog that threatened to cover her eyes.
“I don’t know what to do Beth!” he called. She swayed, falling and screaming as she tried to get her balance before she went over the edge. There was a rocky river below, and if she fell there would be no saving her.
“Dom I want my daddy, and I want my Mom.”
“I don’t know how to get you back up here!” he called. She nodded and sank slowly to the ground.
“I’m scared, and my head really hurts,” she replied, leaning against the rocky face of the cliff.
“I’m going to get one of the sleeping bags and toss it down to you,” he said. She nodded, but she didn’t say anything. He grabbed his sleeping bag and tossed it down to her. Luckily she caught it, and wrapped it around herself.
“They’ll come get us won’t they Dom? They know we’re up here… I left a note at my house.” He nodded.
“Sure they’ll find us. Don’t go to sleep Beth. When I fell asleep that time in the hole I couldn’t wake up.” She nodded slowly, but her eyes were drooping.
“What if I can’t stay awake?” He swallowed hard, looking around for some answers.
“Just try really hard. Everything is going to be ok,” he said. He paused for a minute and looked out across the trees below.
“Dom are you still there?” she called, her voice worried.
“Yup. I’ll stay here forever if I have to. When I leave, you’re coming with me,” he promised. She nodded, watching the water race over the rocks below.
“We’ll be ok won’t we? Yeah… I’m sure we will,” she told herself quietly.
Jess was the one who found the note, almost two weeks later. She raced down the aisle in the barn, going toward the training oval. Jason was watching an exercise rider go around on one of the horses.
“Jason!” she called. He whirled, watching as she ran toward him. Her hair was flying behind her, and she was smiling.
“What is it?” he asked. She shoved the note in his face.
“They’re up on the mountain!” she exclaimed. Jason stared at the note in disbelief.
“At this time of year? The paths get flooded and there’s no possible way for them to keep track of where they are,” he muttered.
“Exactly. Come on, let’s go call the police. We’ll have to find them… they’re probably scared half to death.”
Dominick slid down the side of the cliff, trying not to land on Beth. Above him he could hear the horses’ screams, and he tried not to cry. Beth lay where she had been for almost two weeks. She wasn’t awake. He covered them both with the blanket, huddling close to her. She woke up suddenly and heard the screams.
“What’s going on?” she asked quietly, her voice shaking.
“Just be quiet Beth,” he ordered. She nodded and put an arm around him.
“Why haven’t they come yet?” He didn’t answer, just put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. The screams echoed into the night, eventually becoming part of Beth and Dominick.
Jason was the first to see the remains of the horses, then the police took over.
“Dominick, Beth!” they called. From far off they heard a weak cry.
“We’re down here!” Jason glanced at Jess, Cotey, and Sam, then dismounted. They looked over the edge of the cliff and saw the ripped sleeping bag. Dominick and Beth were laying under it, Beth asleep.
“Mr. Fute, the repel team needs to get in here. I need you to move all the horses,” one of the officers said. Jason nodded and they all moved their horses back. The team of three men went down the side of the cliff. Moments later one appeared and talked to the head of the search. The man nodded, then went back to his horse.
“I need a helicopter, here are the coordinates,” he said. Jason glanced at Jess, his eyes wide.
“What’s the helicopter for?” he demanded.
“It’s not looking too good Mr. Fute, not too good at all.” Jason watched as he returned to the side of the cliff and repelled back down. He could hear crying, and he tried to go to the edge. Jess held him back, her arms around his waist.
“Stay here, it won’t do any good to be in the way. We’ll see them soon.” He nodded, watching people scramble around. Beth’s good jumping saddle was on the ground, along with Dominick’s. Both were shredded, torn, and covered with blood.
“What the hell happened up here?” he whispered. All three of them shook their heads, not sure they wanted to find out.
The next morning they were still waiting for news on the kids. Cotey put her arms around Jason, then Jess.
“I wish I knew where they were and if they were alright,” Cotey said.
“Me too. They haven’t told us anything… I haven’t even been allowed to see her,” Jason said.
“We spend too much time in the hospital,” she said quietly. Everyone laughed quietly.
“Way too much,” Jason agreed, putting his arm around Jess’s shoulders. The doctor came in moments later, his face serious. All four stood, but he motioned for them to sit down.
“I think you’re going to want to sit. Those two were in rough condition when they came in,” he began.
“How rough?” Jason demanded. Jess put her arm around him, her face pale.
“Well it’s clear that Beth fell over the side of that cliff. She had a bad concussion and some pretty serious cuts, abrasions, and contusions from that. Dominick told us that he climbed down. Beth is awake now, but she’s groggy. She doesn’t remember too much of what happened, although I think those memories will surface eventually. Dominick remembers it all, and that helps us figure out exactly how to handle things.”
“Would you quit beating around the bush? What’s wrong with our kids?” Sam demanded angrily.
“Your kids were mauled by a mountain lion. Dominick is doing much better, but that’s to be expected.”
“Why is that to be expected?” Jason asked.
“We had to amputate your daughter’s leg Mr. Fute, it was damaged beyond repair.”
Beth was sitting up in bed her head, neck and shoulders wrapped in gauze. Dominick was in the bed next to her, much of his little body wrapped in bandages.
“So they came to get us?” she asked, her voice confused. Dominick nodded slowly, not telling her the details of what happened.
“Yeah, they came and then brought us here.”
“I don’t understand Dom. You weren’t hurt when I fell. Why are you here?”
“Because I fell too. You’re going to remember now Beth.”
“Are Mom and Dad here?”
“They’re talking to the doctor. They’ll be here in a minute.” The door opened moments later and their parents rushed in.
“How’re you doing Dom?” Cotey asked.
“OK. It’s warm in here… that’s great.” Cotey leaned down and hugged him.
“I love you Elizabeth Fute,” Jess said, hugging her tightly. Beth smiled and hugged her as best she could.
“I love you too Mom. Are you and Daddy still fighting?” Jason and Jess shook their heads.
“No, we’re not,” Jason said. Beth smiled, glancing over at Dominick.
“I’m glad. Jason smiled, putting his arm around Jess and sighing softly.
Jason followed Jess into Beth’s room later that day. She and Dominick were still in the same room, and would be for awhile. The doctor had asked them to come in and be there when he talked to Beth about her leg.
“Well here they are,” he said when he saw them. Beth looked back and forth between the doctor and her parents.
“What’s going on? Why’s everyone looking so serious?” she asked. Jess sat down next to her on the bed.
“We have some things to talk to you about.”
“So tell me,” she muttered. Everybody seemed to freeze.
“Beth when you got to the hospital your leg was hurt pretty badly. It was so bad that we had to try an operation to fix it… and it turns out that we had to remove the part of your leg that we couldn’t fix,” he explained. Beth cocked her head to one side, confused.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Beth that means that you only have part of your leg. We had to take off a piece of it… so now you only have one leg.” She shook her head.
“I don’t get it. Show me what’s wrong,” she insisted. The doctor stood, going over and pulling the blanket off her leg. Jason and Jess helped her sit up, and stared in disbelief for a moment before looking at her parents.
“What about riding? I have to be able to ride again… and play the piano. I need both feet for the peddles,” she said calmly. The doctor smiled.
“We’ll be fitting you with an artificial leg Beth. That way you can do almost anything you used to do. It’s going to take awhile to get used to it, but I think you’ll catch on pretty quickly. For now you’ll need to use crutches.” She nodded, watching as he pulled out the crutches. “We can practice on these when you’re feeling a little stronger.
“OK. As long as I can ride again, that’s all that matters.
“You’re being very Brave about this Beth,” the doctor said. She smiled and shook her head.
“No I’m not… I’m scared to death. At least I have the rest of me, and all my friends. I have my horse too, and he’s most important.” Jess swallowed hard.
“Honey there’s one more thing to tell you. We should have told you earlier, but you were just waking up.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Apprentice was hurt very badly too. He died,” Jason said softly. Beth stared at them for a moment, but didn’t cry.
“Could everybody leave now? I want to be alone,” she said softly.
“Are you sure you want to be alone Bethy? It’s not easy to hear all this bad news at once.”
“I really want to be alone,” she insisted. The doctor nodded, motioning from them to follow.
“We’ll stop back later sweetheart,” Jason said, hugging her gently. She nodded, watching as they walked out the door. When they were gone she sighed, grabbing the crutches the doctor had left and moving carefully toward the window. It was sunny out, but she didn’t care. She heard the door open, and then a gasp.
“Beth what happened to your leg?” Dominick asked. She turned slowly, shaking her head.
“They had to cut it off because it was hurt really bad. Why didn’t you tell me about Apprentice? I thought you were my friend,” she said, turning away from him.
“They told me not to! You understand don’t you?” he asked. She shook her head.
“No, and I’ll never forgive you for it. I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”
Beth and Dominick came home almost two months later, in June. Beth was walking well on her prosthetic leg, and everyone was proud of her. She gave Rachel a tight hug when she saw her.”
“I missed you,” Rachel whispered.
“I missed you too Rach. Come on, let’s go down to the barn. I want to see the horses.” Rachel glanced at her parents and they both nodded.
“OK, let’s go.” She walked slowly so Beth could keep up. When they were in the barn Beth grinned, breathing deeply.
“I love the smell of this place. Did you get your new horse yet?” Rachel nodded and beamed a smile.
“Yeah. His name is Rajah. He’s a completely black Arabian… jumps like he’s barely trying.”
“Can I see him? I haven’t seen a horse since I went into the hospital.” Rachel nodded, leading her friend down the aisle. When they reached the stall a graceful black head appeared. Beth smiled, reaching up to stroke his cheek.
“What do you think?” Rachel asked. Beth’s smile grew and she leaned against the stall door.
“I think he’s gorgeous. Can I try him?” Rachel frowned.
“You can’t ride can you?” she demanded. Beth looked at her seriously.
“The doctor said I could as soon as I got home. Could I please ride him? Just for a few minutes?” Rachel grinned.
“Sure you can. Come on, let’s get his tack. They walked down the aisle, both smiling happily.
Jason turned when he heard the horse coming out of the barn. Rachel was walking beside a gorgeous black horse, and Beth was in the saddle. Her position was flawless. Jess held him back, knowing he probably wanted to rip her from the saddle to keep her safe.
“Jas, let her be. She wouldn’t be up there if she didn’t feel like she could do it. Look how happy she is,” she whispered. Beth went into the ring and told the horse to trot. She posted, somewhat clumsily for a moment, then got herself use to the motion. Jason smiled, glancing at his friends.
“Do you think she’ll be able to jump again?” he asked. Cotey nodded.
“No question about it. She won’t be a beginner again.” They all turned their attention back to the girl, who was now going around at a graceful canter, a smile on her face.
