The Time Giver

June 12th: Responsibility

Zach stared, horrified, at Kelly's still figure. Cadillac had bolted to the other end of the arena, pawing in agitation as he stared at his victim. He didn't look like he was going to come back for another run, but there was no point taking chances.

With that thought, Zach vaulted over the fence and ran to the unmoving form on the ground. "Kelly! Kelly, are you okay! Kelly!" With one eye on the horse, Zach moved to her side. She was laying in the fetal position, eyes gently closed, her ponytail arched across the arena floor. He knelt beside her, feeling tears prick at the back of his eyes. "Kelly, come on! Kelly!"He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Kelly!"

With a groan, the figure moved. Zach felt his tears welling in his eyes, and for all the years he'd spent in the detention center, he couldn't stop them from falling. "Oh, thank God! Kelly! Kelly!"

"Stop shouting," she mumbled as she started to move. With a wince, she stopped and relaxed against the sand. "Wow, that hurts." She turned her head the slightest bit to look up at him. "Zach?"

"What do I need to do?" He heard the tremor in his voice, and felt his hands trembling as he fisted them on his thighs. He couldn't think straight. Kelly, the one person to believe in him in a long time, was down. She was down and there wasn't a thing he could do to help ease her pain.

Kelly let her head fall back to the sand, then moved her free arm to her pocket. "Call 9-1-1." She pulled out her phone. "Put it on speaker. I'll take care of it." She handed the phone to him, then with a grimace, raised her head to glance at Cadillac. "Put him in the first empty stall."

Zach shot a look at her. "How?"

A groan escaped from Kelly's gritted teeth as she let her head back down again. "Same way you do with Turner. Now, call 9-1-1."

Zach dialed the numbers into the screen, then placed it on the sand next to Kelly's mouth. It only rang once. "Nine one one, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, this is Kelly Chaparral. I just got kicked by a horse."

"Okay, where are you?"

As Kelly relayed the information, she gave Zach a pointed look. He nodded, then stood up. He hadn't realized until now that the lead rope was gripped tightly in a fist. Now, he turned to the large bay, who was still pawing the ground. He stretched out his hand as he walked forward, rubbing his fingers together. "Come on, big guy," he said in a calmer voice than he expected.

The horse stilled, then walked over just like Turner. Quickly, Zach clipped the lead rope to his halter, then unhooked the lunge line and coiled it up. Cadillac danced away from the line, pinning his ears back. Zach felt anger towards the stupid animal welling up in his chest. "Stop it," he growled, jerking the lead rope. The bay stopped, rolling his eyes.

"Zach." He turned to see Kelly glaring at him. "Relax." When he went to open his mouth, she interrupted. "I know what he did, but don't get mad. It could start all over again."

Seeing her point, Zach nodded, and taking a deep breath, lead Cadillac out of the arena. He made sure to take a wide berth around Kelly in case the gelding tried to bolt, then tied him to a ring in front of his new stall. Cadillac wouldn't stop swinging his head, and it took every ounce of patience Zach had to groom the big horse quickly without out and out punching that big nose. He didn't dare to touch those hooves. Soon he untied the lead from the ring, and turned the horse around. He gave Cadillac plenty of slack to rush into the stall, then shut the door between them. When the big bay rushed back over, trumpeting in his ear, he slipped the halter over his ears. He walked away without a backward glance, that incessant scream following him as he headed back to the arena.