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Ben's voice was panicked, and he was talking quickly. "Jeremy, it's Ben. Emma and I were rounding up cows and she just fell off River and she's unconscious and I can't wake her up!" |
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Jeremy was silent a second "I'll be there in 5" he said, hanging up and galloping to where Emma and Ben were at. "What did you do to her?" He demanded, picking her up |
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He shut off the phone and wrung his hands in agitation until Jeremy arrived. Ben was surprised and defensive when he accused him of this being his fault. "I didn't do anything! Like I told you, she just fell off!" Ben was too nervous to do anything except watch Jeremy handle Emma, then took River's reins, hopped on Ghost, and clicked for his mare to follow after Jeremy at a fast canter. |
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Jeremy kept his eyes on Emma but was furious at Ben for letting something happen to her in his care. She had to be driven to the hospital and the doctors said they'd try as fast as they could to find out what happened exactly during the fall. They questioned both Jeremy and Ben on the incident softly, non-judgmental. Jeremy sighed a few hours later. "I can't do this. I can't take care of her. I was thinking of leaving anyways." He muttered, walking out without looking back. Jeremy packed his bags that night and left without a note nor a word |
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Ben did feel guilty about the accident, but he knew it wasn't his fault. But the look on Jeremy's face made him begin to think that it was his fault. He had been with her at the time, after all, and shouldn't have let this happen. But there was nothing to do about it now. Ben stayed behind to quickly untack the horses and let Brock know what had happened. He drove to the hospital as soon as he could, asked the front desk where Emma was, and located her room. The door was open, but for some reason he felt like if he went in he would be intruding on something. So he waited outside until a doctor asked if he was Benjamin Sorina. Ben nodded, and she motioned for him to follow her into an office. Jeremy was there, and they were both questioned about the incident. Ben told his side of the story, how he had no idea why Emma fell of, and what they had been doing when it happened. The doctor and nurses left Ben and Jeremy in the office, and there was awkward silence for a few minutes. Then Jeremy stood up and left, saying something about not being able to take care of her, and thinking about leaving. Ben wanted to stop him, but knew he shouldn't. So instead, he sat in the office, drumming his fingers on the coffee table, waiting for news of Emma's health to come. Finally, the doctor opened the door and stepped into the room. Ben stood up. "How is she?" The doctor looked at Ben and said, "She's awake, but we are still looking into why she fell. She might be here all night." Ben didn't care about that, he needed to see that Emma was alive. He felt like it was his responsiblity because he'd let her down and let her fall. "Can I see her?" The doctor smiled sadly but shook his head. "No visitors until we figure out why she fell. Would you like to stay with her tonight? We have guest rooms on the second floor if you do." Ben considered, but decided against it. He didn't want to be a burden on the hospital staff, plus if he did stay it would look like he cared about Emma in a different way. He definitely did not. Jeremy was her guy. Besides, Ben had never cared for girlfriends and such. He thanked the doctor but declined the offer, driving back to the ranch. He was so tired that he fell asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow. But his night was filled with dreams of Emma turning pale, falling off of River, and not waking up despite all his attempts. Ben did not sleep well. |
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Emma began having another panic attack almost instantly after she woke up. She was informed neither man was in the building and it just worsened her state. She has to be sedated to sleep that night. "We're thinking just very reactive anxiety...maybe from past trauma or...? I advise keeping someone close by at all times. No personal rides or work days in case this happens again." The doctor said the next morning, discharging Emma as she called an Uber. She had a feeling something was off but thought against it. Once she arrived back at the ranch, she was anxious again but tried calming. She went to the bunks, finding Jeremy's empty and making her break down |
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Ben woke up early, traumatized my dreams he couldn't remember. The first thing he thought of was Emma. Was she back yet? Was she okay? Ben stumbled out of bed, threw on jeans and a T-shirt, and went in search of her. Before he made it out of the dorm building though, he heard, or sensed, something. He turned back to the bunk rooms and went down the hallway until the sound of shaky breathing was louder. He slowly pushed open Jeremy's room's door to find Emma, kneeling on the ground, shaking. First Ben was surprised to see her, then terrified at why she was freaking out. Then he was worried about Jeremy and why he wasn't here, and then he was back to panicking about Emma. He rushed over to her, opening his arms to hug her. But he pulled back, realizing that maybe that wasn't the right thing to do right now. "Emma, are you okay?" He spoke as calmly as he could, kneeling down next to her. |
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Emma needed someone secure, someone to ground her. "Please. Come here." She breathed, scared |
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Ben had to obey, scooting closer and wrapping his arms around her. |
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Emma melted into him, her breathing and heart rate slowing to normal. "Thank you" she said, head against his chest. "He left... He just left me..." |
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Morning Snow followed by Sunshine
