Broken Horse

Chapter 26 - Sergei

Gary Montgomery sat across from me at the kitchen table as Gertrude passed over a cup of coffee. It had been hell trying to get out of Russia, but I finally made it only to hear that Jacey lost the baby. And it was all my fault since I brought the pain and stress on her. But, I was here now and I wasn't leaving. 

"She's just hurting." Gertrude placed her hands on my shoulders as she sighed heavily. I knew that she wanted to cry over the loss too, as she was just coming to terms with the thought of being a grandmother. "She will get through this. She's strong."

"No, she won't. She won't get past this." Gary's eyes shifted around the room letting the tears fill in those eyes that looked just like hers. "It won't matter what we do. What any of us do."

"Well, she had the choice to wake us up that night and she didn't. She went out there and rode that damn horse." Her voice shot out before she could stop the anger, but what else was there to blame the loss of her only grandchild on? And it wasn't that they blamed Jacey at all for the miscarriage, it was just hard after coming to terms with the situation and embracing the gift that was coming their way.

"I spoke with Jacki before I came over. She let me know what happened." My baby was gone, my love was broken, and I was the one who hadn't come back sooner to help her work through this.

"Did she tell you that she had taken it upon herself to look for those two damn animals. They are nothing but a nuisance and I think that if they hadn't been here, she wouldn't have lost the baby." Her chin quivered a little as she looked into the mug that was sitting in front of her.

"We can't be for sure. She said something before about not feeling right."

My heart slammed hard as I looked at Gary feeling the clenching in my chest. She had gone to look for the horses? Cobalt would never just run off.  There was something else. There was more to the story and the one who knew wasn't going to talk about it.

A loud, blood-curdling scream shot through the house. Jumping from my chair, I took off for the source of it. She was screaming. She was up there screaming over this, over the pain. That woman, whether I knew what her name was or not, would have never put the baby in jeopardy like that. Not of something was wrong.

Getting to the bedroom, I shoved the door open seeing her wrapped tightly in a ball crying to the point that her face was red and she couldn't even breathe. Wrapping her into my arms, I held her tightly, but she fought. She fought her hardest to get away from me.

"Love, I am here. I never should have left. I never should have walked out on you." If this wasn't Karma coming back at me, I don't know what was. I heard that she dropped her classes and I was glad. There would have been no way she would have made it through the semester with this on her shoulders. But I was there now. I was there and I wasn't leaving there without her by my side. I didn't care what it took.

"I should have just died out there! I killed him! I killed him! I hate myself for it! It was all my fault! Don't you understand? It was all my fault because of what I had done to you!" The pain ripped out of her as she shoved me as hard as she could again.

"No you did not. Jacey, it does not matter what your name is! I never should have left! I was in love with you, who you were! I was wrong! I was wrong but it just hurt so much!"

"I went to get those damn horses! I went out after them! I hate them and I want them gone now!" Just as she lunged towards me, I grabbed her in my arms feeling the stinging in my eyes. "They are nothing! Nothing!"