Complication

Chapter Four

I rush into the indoor where Justin's walking Harry around. Harry's head hangs low as he takes slow, short steps. Justin tugs lightly on the lead rope to keep him walking. "I'll take him" I say when I jog up to them. He hands me the lead rope. "How long has he been like this?"

"Maggy found him just before you called. We've been walking ever since. He's already looking better, before he tried to go down every other stride."

"Okay, did anyone call the vet?"

"That's your decision to make. He's already doing better. If it were me I would wait a couple, it may just be a scare."

"I hope" I try to sound calm but fail. What if it's not a scare? What if he's actually colicing?

"He's going to be okay, trust me."

After an hour of endless circles around the indoor, Harry seemed a little livelier than before. "Should I put him in his stall? See if he wants to drinks water?" I ask Justin.

Before he even answers I lead Harry back to his stall and kick all the hay out. I lean on the wall and watch Harry search around his stall then finally dive into the water bucket to take a long gulp. A sigh of relief escapes my lips, it doesn't mean he's better but at least its something in the right direction.

I walk to the office and grab a water out of the fridge. Then make my way back to Harry's stall, hoping that he pooped but when I looked in there was nothing. I sigh and sit on my tack trunk across the aisle.

A couple minutes after Justin sits down besides me, "What do you think caused it?"

"I don't know. My main guess is the weather." The sudden increase of the temperature in November could be the reason. "But Harry isn't normally sensitive to that. Never has he once coliced in the three years that I've owned him. It just doesn't make sense." I look into Harry's stall but still no poop.

He sticks his head out and pushes me, wanting attention. "Don't think you're getting enough already?" I half- laugh.

"Have you been doing anything different with him lately?"

"No, he's on the same schedule he's been on forever."

"Maybe that's it, maybe you need to change it up every once in a while."

I turn around, "It's a little to late for that now isn't it?" I say flatly and walk back into the office where Maggy is sitting.

"How's he doing?" She sincerely questions.

"Better but not perfect."

Justin walks past the door, horse in hand and walks out to the main arena. Shit! I forgot he had a lesson today. Maggy notices, "Why don't you go watch, I'll keep an eye on Harry for you."

"It's okay, you don't have to do that." I force a smile.

"Don't be silly, it'll be good for you to get your mind off Harry for an hour." She shoos me out of the office and into the courtyard.

"I guess I have no choice." I mumble to myself.

I sit on the bleachers that face the main ring. I'm not planning to stay the whole lesson, just long enough to give Maggy the satisfaction of winning, then I'll go in.

Justin begins to warm up by trotting circles and figure eights. My mouth drops open! I have only seen him ride once and it was his first lesson. Then, I was amazed at how quick he picked up on everything, but now I'm taken away. It's only been two months and he looks like he's been riding since he was a toddler.

Tara, the main trainer here walks into the ring and immediately gets to work giving instructions to Justin, who follows them with ease.

When the half hour mark hit I couldn't leave. Harry was now at the back of my mind, still there, but just enough to remind me that Maggy's there, he's safe. If anything would've happened she would've told me.

His lesson ended on jumping a little gymnastic consisting of three, 2ft verticals and one 2'3 oxer.

When he walks out I hop down off the bleachers and playfully punch him in the arm, "Why didn't you tell me you can ride?"

"Eh, wasn't that big of a deal." He sarcastically shrugs, which causes me to punch him in the arm again.

"Are you kidding me? In a month you'll probably be showing against me!" I smile, "Don't you see how awesome that is?"

"No, I don't really see your point." His voice oozing sarcasm.

Laughing, I say "Shut up. You're amazing and you know it."

The smile is wiped off my face when I see Maggy sitting in a chair in front of Harry's stall. "Anything?" I ask her. She shakes her head, "I'll walk him again, see if that helps." I say as I take Harry's leather halter and lead line out of my trunk.

For the next hour I walked again, no poop, but at least this time Harry was alert, acting like himself snorting at imaginary objects.

The next time I look at my watch I'm surprised when I see it's six o'clock. Justin went home a long time ago and I said I would be right behind him... oops. But I can't just leave. Harry may be acting like himself but that doesn't mean he's fine.

I turn him out in the indoor and climb up on the railing. Maybe a warm bran mash would help. After a minute or two of watching Harry saunter around the indoor, I set off and make him a bran mash.

Harry is more than happy to be eating something, which is a good sign, and sticks his whole face in the bucket, making bran mash stick to his no-longer shiny face. "Really" I say in monotone, "This means that you get a bath the second you feel better, you know that right?"

*************************************

I wake up to footsteps coming down the aisle. The barn is pitch black and I look at my watch, realizing that I fell asleep over four hours ago seeing that it's 1 in the morning.

"How's he doing?" Justin asks now next to me.

"Let me check." I get up and go in his stall. He still is acting like himself but no poop. "Same" I sigh. "How did you know I was still here?"

"Your mom called me, she said she tried to call you but no answer."

I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that I have two missed calls from her. "Shit, she's probably freaking out." I say as I call her back. I explain and she forgives, something that I like about her, always forgiving. Unlike me who takes forever to even think about forgiving.

When I walk back to Harry's stall Justin is taking out a Thermos from his back pack. "I brought some soup." He says when he notices that I was back.

The smell of the chicken noodle soup makes my stomach grumble and I realize that I didn't eat one thing all day. I happily take it and dig in.

Justin sits in the chair that I was in and I'm too lazy to go get another one so I sit on his lap and make myself comfortable. Justin laughs. "What?" I ask with a mouth full of soup. "Want some?"

"I'm good" He chuckles.

I shrug, "More for me."

Justin passes out and I check on Harry once again and sigh when I see nothing has changed.

I sit back down, finally tired after this long day and fall asleep.

Of course the luxury of sleeping didn't last long because my alarm went off at five o'clock. Rubbing my eyes, I check on Harry and scream with joy when I see poop in his stall! "Good boy!" I pat him on the neck.

"He better?" Justin asks, now awake. Probably because I screamed...

"Yeah, he's on the right track." I smile. My phone buzzes and I check it. "Oh shit!" I say when I read Lucas's text asking where I am, that I'm going to be late for my lesson. "Justin, can you check on Harry every so often?" He doesn't have a chance to answer before I say "Thanks" and I give him a quick peck on the lips "Love you" I jog out of the barn and say, "I'll be back later" over my shoulder.