Trampled and Doing Alright

Last Friday evening turned my insides out.

E. showed up to my door with a dozen pink roses and a birthday card. He had just flown in from Florida and I was dressed up for an evening out on the toon. After a quick hug, he announced...

E: "I just got a call. A is in the hospital. She got trampled by her horse."

I put the roses and card aside and grabbed my purse and an ill feeling overtook me. I can't take another death, I thought to myself. I'm still recovering from losing B. last winter and helping her mom sort out her apartment and things. Blast that horse, I knew I should've discouraged her from taking it after it had killed its last owner.

JNET: "Let's go."

I didn't say much en route to the hospital. A's condition was a mystery. Her friends that were with her didn't give us much to work with. We drove to Thousand Oaks full of worry.

A. had become the darling of the emergency room. Considering that her horse had lost its footing while racing at top speed and A had fallen off, had her neck grazed by the horse's hooves, had her ear ripped a bit and was "tip-toed" upon her chest, back and leg; she was swollen, bruised, cut up and in good spirits.

A: "Why is it that when you are looking your worst, half a dozen hot guys are right there! You should've seen these guys. They were beautiful!"

I knew my friend was going to be okay. She was cracking jokes to set everyone at ease and she looked unrecognizable. But she was alive and in good spirits. She was a miracle and she knew it. We tried our best to not cry. It was E. our tough guy who broke down and misted up as he took her hand while I helped pick the grass off her hair. She had brought back some of the meadow where she landed. Still too raw and sore from her accident, her head was the only part of her that I could look after without hurting her.

I stayed with her til nearly 2am. She didn't have a smooth transition to her room. Glue-ing her ear on took all the color from her. Her swelling had subsided but she was pale and feeling feverish. E. stayed behind to spend his first evening in Los Angeles with A. so that she wouldn't wake up alone and to make sure that she was taken care of well.

I had to get some sleep. I had a class early in the morning and then was scheduled to work from the afternoon through the evening for a photo shoot. Updates were sent via text through out the day.

I headed back into Los Angeles past midnight Saturday and went straight to A. to check on her condition...

To date...

A. is in stellar condition. You wouldn't have known that she was in the hospital just last week. The scratches especially the huge scrape on her cheek is GONE. I speculated to her that she might have superhero powers. She will be baking a cake or brownies for her paramedics.

JNET: "Save the cheerleader!"

As for the horse, he is in good condition as well as was quite shaken up by the experience of losing his rider. He was miserable. And when, A said that her horse "tip-toed" over her, I believe it. It must have taken all he had to not crush her but everything happened so quickly and he ran back to the stables alone and sat with uncertainty until A came to the stables before she was taken home to rest.

A will be fine. Miracles happen. A good friends make the scary moments easy.

JNET: "A. you're no longer just a stunt girl. Girl, you are a warrior."

E. "Yeah, don't you know that scars are sexy?!"

Despite the inperfections of Life, Life is still perfect.

JNET