Starting Over

Chapter 22

It was the last thing Ellen needed, to see Jan jump out of the car into the driving rain. Exasperated she sighed, “I have a million things I could say now, but it’s not important.” She wiped the rain water from her eyes, “can you pull your car over there? I’m waiting on the vet.”

He saw the urgency and fear in her face, and despite the driving rain he moved the car around the side of the house. As he was getting out again another vehicle pulled up the driveway and Ellen ran up to it.

“Thank God you’re here.” She led the vet, a dark haired man dressed in waterproofs to the stone coach house which sat at right angles to the house and housed the stables. Jan followed them both inside, and when he heard the groan from the vet, saw the writhing horse, and Ellen pale and shivering, he rushed over and put an arm around her. He’d expected her to flinch, push him away, but she leaned against him shaking.

“Go into the house Ellen, you’re freezing, I’ll help the vet with this, honest.”

She looked up at him almost as though she was seeing that he was there for the first time. Then she shook her head and moved away from him. The vet asked various questions as he examined the distressed mare, eventually he turned to Jan, “can you help me?”

Between them they managed to restrain the mare and the vet injected various drugs, then placed a tube through her nose to her stomach. Once he did that it seemed to calm Champagne.

Finally washing his hands in the nearby sink the vet turned to her, “colic can be dangerous, but it seems you caught her in time, the tube released some pressure, and that seems to have done the trick, she seems calmer, and there’s less gas in her gut. She’ll need to be kept an eye on through the night.” He wrote down instructions, left some pain relief and told her to call again if the horse was still struggling.

“Was it my fault? Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head, “it’s unfortunately common, and can happen for SO many reasons, the fact that you called me so quickly saved the life of the foal, and probably her. So well done.”

Waving him off, she returned to the barn in several long strides, Jan was behind her like a shot.

“Jan please, I think you should leave,” she offered entering the stall ahead of him. She rushed over to the horse, not wanting to deal with this imposter. She was just starting to contemplate life without him, now here he was tormenting her all over again.

“I came here to talk Ellen, and I won’t leave until we’ve done that. But right now it does seem that this young lady is more of a concern than you or me. When is she due to foal?”

“8 to 10 weeks, and I can manage her, I’d rather it if you left. You had your chance to talk Jan, and you chose silence and secrets.” She stroked the horse's head whispering in her ear, scratching the velvet soft muzzle. The vet had said to avoid food and drink, she’d changed the bedding straw earlier, so she had nothing to do other than her periodic checks. But she couldn’t re-enter the house with Jan, she had to get rid of him here.

“I’m not going anywhere Ellen, I need to talk to you, and I WILL talk to you whatever you think. Plus you’ll need an extra pair of hands to do all the vet has asked, so it seems you can complain, but you actually need me at the moment.”

She turned on him with a snarl, “I don’t need you Jan, I DID need you and you blew me off. So I’m alone, and I’m coping and happy. So please just go back to your little World where Jan is the centre of the Universe and everyone revolves around him!”

He shook his head, “Wow! I really did hurt you didn’t I?”

Shaking her head, she gave a short reply, “You don’t even know you’re doing it! Do you? Don’t kid yourself! I’ll get you a towel for you to dry yourself, then you can leave.”