High Hurdles Collection Two (78 page)

Herndon planted his feet and shrieked in fear.

DJ remembered learning that horses are so afraid of fire they will die in their stalls rather than leave what they thought was a safe place.

Without another thought, DJ dropped the lead shank and whipped off her jacket. She folded it and tied it around Herndon's eyes. Then jerking again on the lead shank, she led him out of the barn, even managing to pull him into a trot.

She could hear fire sirens in the distance. A man ran up shouting. DJ handed him Herndon's lead rope, whipped the jacket from his eyes, and before the man could grab her, darted back inside the barn. This time she ran down the aisle, flinging open the stall doors as she went. As she neared the fire, the horse in the last stall was screaming in terror.

Please, God, please, God
. While she couldn't say the words around the coughing and her burning throat, DJ's mind screamed for her. She grabbed the lead shank and entered the stall, talking gently with what air she had. When she could grab the horse's halter, she snapped on the lead shank, tied the jacket over its eyes, and led the animal out of the barn.

“Here.” She shoved the lead shank at a person standing there and repeated her actions, again dodging the hands that reached out to stop her. She brought out another horse. By this time the fire crew was driving in. Horses screamed their fear and agony. People were shouting.

DJ headed back for the barn.

Somehow she managed to twist away when someone tried to stop her. All she could think was to get the horses out.

She could hear others doing the same as she was. Turning to the right again, DJ paused long enough to listen for a screaming horse.
Another down this way
. She fumbled for the lead shank and darted into a stall.

Get the horse out. Don't think about the heat
. DJ doubled over coughing but managed to get the lead on the horse anyway. Jacket on its eyes, it followed DJ to the barn door. The horse reared, and DJ felt herself going up in the air with it. When her feet touched ground again, she jerked on the lead shank and started forward again.

This time the horse bolted. Its shoulder caught DJ in the back and slammed her against the doorway.
Stars... you really do see stars
. Blackness engulfed her.

Chapter • 14

“God, please let her live. Please don't take DJ home to be with you, I beg you, please.”

Who's talking?
DJ heard the voice, but where she floated, the fog didn't let her see.

The barn! The fire! Is Herndon okay? Please, can you hear me?

She floated off again.

The lights were so bright. Was it still the fire? DJ tried to swallow but gagged instead. Something was in her throat, her burning throat. She tried to open her eyes, move her hands. Did nothing work?

“I think she's coming around.”

Now, who was that?
She felt a cool hand on her arm.

“Darla Jean, darlin', can you hear me?”

Gran. Gran is here. Gran, tell them I can't move
. With every bit of focus and concentration she had, DJ blinked her eyes and forced them open again. She could see. Gran's beloved face swam through the tears that leaked out of DJ's eyes.

“Hello, darlin', I knew you'd come back.”

Where have I been? Why can't I talk? What is this thing in my throat? How come my hands don't move?

“You're in the hospital, darlin', been here for five days.”

DJ realized it was pain she felt in her hands and head. What had happened?

“You were injured in the fire at the barn at Rancho de Equus. Thanks to you, all the horses were saved.”

A pain like nothing she'd ever known descended, smothering her like the billowing clouds of smoke. Gran's voice faded away.

Each time DJ regained consciousness, she learned a little more of the story. They thought the last horse she'd been trying to save knocked her into the wall and ran over her. A kick in the head had sent her into a coma. DJ's hands were tied down to keep her from pulling out the tube in her throat that led to the ventilator that helped her breathe. Inhaling as much smoke as she had was terribly hard on lung tissue.

Her family took turns coming to see her. Was there something they weren't telling her?

When they finally took the tube out, she croaked, “How's Herndon?”

“He's fine. He's still spooky, but Jackie and Brad took him back up to their ranch to care for him until you get back on your feet.” Lindy laid a hand on DJ's arm. “You just rest and let your body heal.”

“So what's wrong with me?” The words were hard to hear, even coming from her own mouth.

“Well, you lost a lot of your hair in the fire.” Lindy glanced at DJ's hands. “It was a miracle the fire fighters found you. Some man kept screaming about that little girl that kept bringing out the horses. He saved your life.”

“I'm not very little.”
So things had been bad back there, huh? I almost died
. The thought didn't seem to matter much right now.

“Darla Jean, you've been in a coma for almost five days.”

“Oh.”
From the fire? No, that's right, I was kicked in the head. Stupid horse, I was just trying to save its life
.

Her eyes drifted closed again.
Sheesh, you'd think I've slept enough. …

Joe was beside her when she woke again.

“Hi, GJ.” Frogs croaked better than she did.

“Hi, yourself. I was about to shake you to make sure you started to pay attention.”

Were those tears in his eyes? She oughta know about tears. Her eyes seemed to leak nonstop. DJ thought awhile. Should she ask him?

“Joe, is there something they aren't telling me?”

“Not sure.”

She could tell he was hedging.
There is something more
.

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You might have some side effects from all this. They're not sure yet how long you will be dizzy from the blow to your head.”

She heard an
and
at the end of his sentence. “Okay. So?”

“And your hands were badly burned.”

“Oh.”
So how bad is badly?
The fog rolled in again, and she slipped back into la-la land.

DJ seemed to live on waves of pain. They'd ebb for a bit, then come crashing back like the monster waves in Hawaii she'd heard about. But each time, the intensity lessened and she woke again more quickly.

Robert sat in the chair beside her bed, soft snores coming from his slack lips.

DJ tried to stifle a groan, but her moving woke him.

“Can I get you something, DJ?”

“Water.” He held a straw to her lips, and she sucked down the cool liquid. “Ah, thanks.” The croak had drowned.

“How ya feeling?”

“Not very good. When do I get to go home?”

“Got me.” He propped his elbows on the bed. “Probably when you can walk some. They had you out of bed yet?”

“Nope. What time is it?”

“It's three in the morning.”

“How come you're here?”

“In case you need something, like water.”

“Oh. What day is it?”

“Saturday.”

“Where's Mom?”

“Sleeping at the hotel.”

DJ thought a minute longer. “What hospital am I in?”

“UC San Francisco. They have a special burn unit. The doctors figured this would be best for you.”

“Oh.” She knew she sounded like a total dumbbell.

“There have been articles about you in the newspapers. You're a hero, you know.”

“Why?”

“Saving the horses.”

Something that had been bothering her hovered at the edge of her mind but refused to come forward and be recognized. “Humph.”
Is it something to do with the fire?
She wished she could remember.

When she woke again, Gran sat in the chair, her Bible in her lap, her lips moving in prayer. “Hi, Gran. You and God got it all worked out?”

“I don't know about me, but He surely does. How're you feelin'?”

“Cruddy.” At least breathing didn't hurt so bad now. If it wasn't for the pain in her hands … When the doctors and nurses worked with them, DJ passed out screaming every time. She took in another breath. “Water, please.”

After drinking, she looked her grandmother in the eyes. “Tell me how bad my hands are.”

“Ah, darlin', I'd hoped you'd wait on that, but …” She sighed. “Okay, there will be some skin grafting.”

“What does that mean?”

“They take skin from an unburned part of your body and apply it to the burned areas.”

“Oh. What else?”

“There will be a lot of physical therapy to restore the strength and range of motion in your hands.”

“How long are we talking about? Days, weeks?”

“Months.”

The word fell like a rock in the middle of a pond, sending waves out from around it.

“Months?” The pain crashed in on her again, and she felt as if she were drowning.

Later, sitting on the edge of the bed sent the world into spin formation. When DJ opened her eyes again, she smiled at the giant stuffed panda bear sitting in the corner, holding a bouquet of bobbing Mylar balloons.

“That's from everyone at the Academy.” Lindy sat beside her daughter on the edge of the bed.

“Cool.” DJ let out a breath and wrinkled her forehead. What had felt like a terrible sunburn was gone. She was making some progress. “Okay, so now we walk, right?”

“Yes, over to that chair.” The nurse motioned to a chair about three feet away.

“That's all?”

“We'll talk after you make that.”

Even with both of them supporting her, DJ sank down on the chair with a sigh of relief. How could she ever be so weak? At least the room stayed in the correct position, no spinning. But pulling air into her injured lungs was still hard. The nose prongs for oxygen had become her good friends, not something to fight.

Sunday afternoon after a morning of wanting to scream at the pain and the doctors and life in general, DJ woke to find Gran again in the chair.

“So you're back.” Gran's smile seemed to glow in the light coming from the window.

“Uh-huh. This morning was real bad.” DJ looked at her hands. At least the bandages were smaller. Maybe that was a step in the right direction.

“Gran, answer me truth.”

“If I can.” She kept her finger tucked in her Bible to keep her place.

“Am I going to ride again?”

“I don't know why not.”

DJ crumpled back against her pillows. “No one will answer me when I ask. They just say, ‘wait and see.' I don't think the doctors think I can. Gran, I can't live without riding.”

“It will take some time and a lot of work on your part.”

“I can do that.”

“I know.”

DJ thought some more. “I keep seeing the fire again. But you know what? I don't hear that kid screaming anymore.”

“I'd say that's part of the miracle.”