When Life Races You By

Chapter 8

I waited for hours in the cold, white, clinical waiting room. It was dark now as well, expect for the lights that gave off a cold light. For a place where people are at their weakest, especially emotionally, they could have made it a little more welcoming. I was just starting to dose off when dad arrived.

“Dad!” I ran up to hug him, tears making an appearance once again.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“Have you heard anything about Manny?” I asked.

“He’s going to be just fine. There are no broken bones, just bruising. He’s going to be sore for a while though. It’s going to be hard work to get him back to the track, if he makes it back at all.”

This time I sobbed with relief. At the moment I didn’t really care if Manny made it back to the track or not, all I cared about was that he was ok. Poor dad just sat there, wiping away my tears for me.

“Ms Farwell?” a doctor dressed in scrubs called.

I stood up quickly, wiped away the tears and made myself look at least a little bit presentable. I walked over to the doctor, with dad not far behind me.

“Yes, that’s me,” I replied.

“Ben has just got out of surgery and his waking up. Do you know if any of his family is here?”

“No, dad and I are the only ones here.”

Ben’s parents lived interstate and had caught the earliest flight they could, but it would still be a few hours before they arrived.

“Oh I’m sorry but only family are allowed in to see him,” the doctor explain.

“No!” I cried. “You’re got to let me see him!"

“I’m sorry Ms, but rules are rules.”

“Well does it look like there is anyone else here for him?” I yelled. “No! So you have to let us in! If you were just waking up, won’t you want some there? I would think so!”

Dad stepped in just before I went too far.

“Let me sort it out,” he calmly said.

There was a lot of whispering and glances at me, between dad and the doctor.

“Fine,” the doctor threw his hands in the air, as if he was surrendering. “Follow me.”

I walked quickly to keep up with the doctor, who had a long stride. I suppose you would need to walk fast to get around this large hospital. He led us through many corridors until we came to a single room, just outside the nurses’ station.

“I’ll give you both a minute,” he said.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked in.

“I’m scared,” I whispered to dad. Never before had I felt so childish.

“It’ll be fine,” dad replied, grabbing hold of my hand.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside Ben was lying on a bed in the middle of the room. There were lots of tubes coming off him that were plugged into various machines. A few of them were beeping every so often. The room was dark, except for the glowing machines and a small lamp on the bed side table, which created a warm glow.

Ben himself looked as white as the sheets. His left leg was plastered and being held in the air. His left arm was also plastered. He looked so calm as he slept. I walked over slowly, as I didn’t want to disturbed his peaceful state.

“Ben,” I whispered.

His eyes flickered open. I sat on a chair next to the bed and reached forward to hold his hand.

“Claire?” he croaked back.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so glad you’re ok,” I exclaimed quietly, as I didn’t want to alarm him. I passed him a cup of water that had been placed on his bed side table. He took tiny, slow sips.

“What happened?” he asked.

I looked to dad with pleading eyes. I wasn’t sure that I could retell the story without bursting into tears again. The last thing Ben needed was to see me upset.

“You were coming up to the last 300 meters when Manny clipped the hooves of the horses in front,” dad started to explain. “From there you just fell. It total you have a broken leg, arm and some broken ribs. You underwent an operation to realign your leg. The doctors said you were lucky. It could have been a lot worse.”

Everyone was quite for a minute, as Ben absorbed the information.

“What about Manny?” Ben asked.

“He’s going to make a full recover. There were no broken bones,” dad replied. “Claire, I’m going to go get some food and coffee and let your mum know where you are and what’s happening. I’ll be back soon.” He gave me a kiss on the head before leaving.

“You gave me such a fright Ben,” I cried. “I thought you were dead.”

There were so many stories in the racing industry about jockeys dying during a fall or having spinal damage.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he joked. Trust Ben to lift the mood at a time like this.

“You know what I mean!”

I talked about random things for the next hour or so, trying to take our minds off what was happening. A few nurse came in when machines started beeping, but for most of it we were on our own. Ben began to dose off after a while. My eyes to, began to feel heavy and before I knew it, I was asleep next to Ben.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Here is other chapter that hasn't been edited. From now on I will be updating every Saturday or Sunday, depending when I'm on my computer. Thanks for your support and comment your thoughts!