As I rushed toward Jess’s body I could feel the familiar feeling of pure fear and panic taking over my entire being. The tears were already pouring down my face as I screamed Jess’s name over and over. I crashed down onto the ground next to her, my hands desperately brushing the hair from her face along with the dirt and sand. I watched as her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she finally looked up at me. Seeing those green eyes looking up at me, still alert and still full of life, sent so much relief through me it nearly knocked the wind out of me.
“Oh my god, Jess I’m so sorry. Oh my god are you hurt?” I was full on sobbing by now. You would think it would be the other way around but no.
“I don’t think so but ow, shit the ground is hard,” she mumbled as she struggled to sit up.
“Wait, no. Don’t move yet just in case,” I said worriedly as I checked everywhere for any sign of broken bones and the like. I was still crying like an idiot and my entire body was trembling to the point where I could barely do anything with my hands.
“Whoa, hey just breathe, Elena,” Jess said, surprisingly calm considering she just took a bad fall. “I’m fine. I feel fine, okay?” She sat up carefully, confirming that she was indeed okay. I wasn’t okay though.
“I’m so sorry,” I continued to cry as I pulled her into me. “I was supposed to keep you safe and I didn’t.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” she said quietly as she wrapped both her arms tightly around my waist. “You can’t protect me from every little thing. I’m gonna get hurt sometimes. Everything’s okay.”
“I was so scared,” I admitted. “When I saw you hit the ground all I could think about was Grace and I don’t think I could ever bear to lose you.”
She didn’t say anything to that as we sat there on the ground in silence. More or less because I just wouldn’t loosen my grip on her enough for her to try to get up. I was vaguely aware of Scout standing quietly beside us with his head down as he was trained to do when a rider had fallen. The dog was long gone already. I didn’t know where it went nor did I care. I was so aware of Jess’s warm body against mine, her heart beating steadily, and the tight grip she had on me. My mind kept replaying that fall, reminding me over and over how bad it could have been. I would never be able to handle losing yet another person who was like a part of me. The thought itself was just too painful. Jess’s protection was absolutely one of my top priorities and it always has been.
Suddenly, I heard what sounded like several pairs of footsteps making their way toward us. I didn’t bother looking up at first. I was still shaking so badly, I wasn’t even sure what I should do next. It almost felt like my body was shutting down on me.
“Elena, is she all right?” I heard a voice call. It was my mom and I immediately looked up in her direction. She and dad were making their way to the round pen and I noticed they had the first aid kit in hand. Caleb was nowhere to be seen.
“I-I think so,” I answered shakily. I reluctantly loosened my grip on Jess so that she could sit up the rest of the way. My parents crossed the rail and made their way toward us, calmly now since everyone was obviously in one piece.
“I promise I’m fine,” Jess said as she dusted herself off slightly. “Can I get back on?”
“What?” I looked up at her slightly in shock. “Jess, no.”
“Elena, she’ll be fine,” my mom said from behind me. “Caleb is currently banning the owner of the dog from the property. I told him to make it clear that if she showed up here again we would be pressing charges. We’ve had issues with her dog before.”
