Page 27 of Ride With Me
We were scrolling through the streaming options, looking for a comedy, when Logan’s phone buzzed. He ignored it as he clicked through the movies.
It buzzed again a minute later.
Then again, insistent.
Logan sighed, sitting up straight and pulling his arm away from my shoulder as he tugged the phone out of his pocket. He opened something on the screen and got to his feet.
“That’s the video in Lena’s stall. It looks like she’s pacing. I’ll go check it out.” He handed me the remote. “You find us a movie.”
If a horse needed to be checked on—especially Lena—I was going, too. I turned the TV off. “I’ll come with you. Just in case.”
Several minutes later, we entered Lena’s stall. She was still pacing, anxious. When she turned, I could see the amniotic sac, the white-grey membranes protruding out of her.
I smiled at Logan. “It’s time. The foal is coming.”
I opened the stall door slowly and entered, talking quietly to Lena. I looked over my shoulder at Logan. “Better call Ben, let him know.”
I could do this, but knowing the vet was on his way would put my mind at ease. Too many things could go wrong.
Lena continued to pace, slowly, around her stall as Logan made the phone call.
Ten minutes later, Lena lay down in one corner of her stall. I sat behind her, in the position I remembered from years ago. A hoof appeared in the milky sac, then another. The foal’s head poked out.
I kept quietly talking to Lena. When she shifted, I reached to grasp the foal’s hooves and tugged gently, helping the baby deliver completely.
I wiped my arm over my face and looked up at Logan. He was standing in the hallway, somehow looking terrified, amazed, and horrified at the whole spectacle. I gave him a smile. “It’s a boy. He’s breathing.”
I looked the foal over. His hair was dark grey, with a white patch over his face. He was perfect.
I stood quietly and left the stall, closing the door behind me.
“Now what?” Logan asked.
“Now we wait,” I answered with a shrug. “At some point she’ll stand up and break the cord. Then he should start trying to stand, and then once he gets up, he’ll start nursing.”
We watched together as the foal started moving, then as Lena stood and moved to stand over her foal. The baby struggled to move, then finally, after about an hour, made its way onto shaky legs. Lena used her head to nudge the baby back, toward her hind legs, where he latched on and started nursing.
I watched in wonder as Lena bonded with her baby. Logan moved hay bales and covered them in blankets, then settled on the makeshift couch before holding his arm out for me to join him. I snuggled in close to him, my gaze never leaving Lena and her baby. I was in love.
“What do you want to name him?” Logan whispered.
I thought about it as I watched the horses, my head on Logan’s shoulder.
Logan
I was still amazed by Savannah. I would never have been able to stay so calm the way she’d done, even with what she said was an easy delivery. She’d drifted off while we sat on the hay bale, and I’d wrapped a blanket over us, unwilling to move her.
My toes were frozen, but it was worth it.
I opened my eyes at the sound of the barn door sliding open. Ben stepped inside, here to check on Lena and the new baby. I gave him a smile as he made his way to her stall.
Several minutes later, he emerged from the stall with a smile. “Savannah did an amazing job. Lena, too. They both look perfect and healthy.”
I shifted, rubbing Savannah’s back to wake her up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up and stretched, looking first at me and then at Ben before standing and looking into Lena’s stall.
I joined her, peering through the bars. The foal was getting steadier on its feet, and was nursing vigorously from its mama.
Savannah looked up at me, her eyes bright. “Deuce. His name is Deuce.” A single tear made its way from the corner of her eye, but her smile stayed wide. “I’m naming him after Ace. Ace was my heart horse, and he deserves a namesake. And this little guy will always remind me of my second chance to fall in love. With riding,” she added, quickly, color rising in her cheeks.
