AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We don’t know who it was. I never saw his face and was too hurt to follow when he fled. The police and forensics went in later. Between my blood and Kyle’s, any the intruder left was nearly impossible to find. He was injured but he hasn’t shown at any hospital that I know of.”
I clench and unclench my fists.Between my blood and Kyle’s. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect both of you.”
Her voice is soft and lulling as she offers, “You couldn’t have known. There was nothing either of us could’ve done to stop it.”
She’s right and she’s wrong. There’s nothing she could’ve done to stop it. But I would have moved heaven and earth to stop it. That is, had I been well enough to be there.
She won’t be in that position again. I’ll make sure of it.
I take her crutches as she gets settled into the passenger seat. I place them and my walker in the back of the Gator and climb behind the wheel. I turn the key and release the brake and freeze.
The world is white, and I’m floating.
“Layton. Layton.”
Fingers run through my beard and down my neck. “Layton, take a deep breath. If you can hear my voice, count back from four.”
Four. Three. Two. One.
I release a long exhale and look to the woman on my right. Tears glisten in her eyes. I say nothing. Nothing needs to be said. We’re both two kids in a mud puddle trying to clean each other up.
THIRTY-FIVE
I’M SAFE
LAYTON
“Did you see that? Oh my gosh. That was— I don’t have words.” Livy is practically bouncing, though she leans heavily on one crutch.
“You can come in now,” Bright says.
Livy’s head turns to mine so quickly she gets hit with her own ponytail. Her eyes are alight. She turns away just as quickly and slides through the doors easily.
I follow and lean against the wall, doing my best to alleviate the pain that throbs in my back and hip. Livy folds easily to sit near my feet, her injured leg stretched out in front of her.
Seeing Livy experience this is better than actually watching it. We have a new foal, a colt. My nephew points from his position on Braxton’s shoulders saying “Cote” on repeat and eating his fingers. This isn’t his first, but it’s the first I’ve seen him interact like this, and his face is fun to watch.
Almost as much as Livy’s.
The woman at my feet experiences for the first time what I have more times than I could count, something I’ve taken for granted far too many times.
A giggle escapes her as the gangly colt stands and trips into his mother. He latches on and drinks deeply. This point is critical and somehow Pop always holds his breath until he sees nature in its glory continuing the circle of life.
“Cote.”
“Yes. That’s a colt.”
“Mine?”
I laugh, only to startle myself with the sound. I’m not the only one. My brother and sister gaze at me as does Pop. A thumb goes to his eyes, and I feel guilt for causing him so much pain.
I’ve always been a thorn in his side, and these past few weeks, he’s been gnawing at what hurts him, trying to free himself of the pain.
“Colt?” Pop calls. “Want to go see Windrunner?”
Colt flaps his arms like a bird and bounces from his seat around Braxton’s neck and practically falls into Pop’s outstretched arms as he passes.
“Windrunner?” Livy asks as she watches the men in my family move throughout the birthing stall.
