Astra (5 page)

Lily stood as still as she could, listening to their receding footsteps and hushed words, not daring to move a single muscle. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until it all came out in a big whoosh. She collapsed to her knees in the center of the stall and sucked in big gulps of air. She wasn't sure where she'd gotten the courage to stand up to Mr. Henley and fight for Astra's life. But she'd done it.

Lily crawled to where Astra lay, quiet and still in the deep bed of shavings. She reached out a shaky hand and stroked the warm, gray coat. She wasn't sure if she'd done the right thing. Only time would tell. But at least now they might have a little more of it.

She'd done her part. Now the rest was up to Astra.

Five

The stall door opened and Lily quickly waved her friend inside. Meloney tucked her wavy blonde hair behind her ears and knelt in the shavings next to Lily. Her cheeks glowed pink, as if she'd run all the way there.

“How is she?” Meloney leaned forward and ran her hand along Astra's neck. “I can't believe she went downhill so fast. Charlie feels really bad about the whole thing.”

Lily sat with Astra's head in her lap, frowning at the mention of Charlie's name. She couldn't help blaming him.

Meloney shifted to a more comfortable position. “I'm not sticking up for the guy, but it could have happened to any of us. I let Jasper stop to eat and drink not far from where Charlie and Astra were. It could be Jasper lying here now instead of Astra.”

“It doesn't matter,” Lily said. “Astra's going to get better. She deserves a little more time to see if we can figure out a way to save her. Maybe there's a medicine Dr. Tison hasn't tried yet.”

“Is it true that Mr. Henley gave you Astra, and you stopped them from putting her down?” Meloney asked, a note of awe in her voice.

Smiling, Lily pulled Astra's papers from her coat pocket and showed them to her friend. “My mom would be really happy. She wouldn't have let them put Astra down either. Mr. Henley thinks I'm doing the wrong thing, but I know Astra can make it. She's fighting for her life.”

“So what are you going to do?” Meloney asked. “What's your dad going to say when he finds out?”

Lily bit her lip. She hadn't thought about her father's reaction in a while—she'd been too concerned about Astra. He wouldn't be happy when he found out that the mare was now hers.

A knock sounded on the stall door and Dr. Tison peered in. “How's the patient doing?”

“She moved a little bit,” Lily said hopefully.

Meloney stood and dusted off her pants, but Lily stayed where she was. The vet let himself into the stall, his brow creased in concern. He turned to Meloney.

“Do you mind if I have a few minutes with Lily?” he asked.

Meloney gave Lily an encouraging smile and left the stall.

Dr. Tison knelt down next to Lily. She swallowed hard at the grim look on his face.

“Lily, I want you to know that I'm doing my best,” Dr. Tison said. “But sometimes, our best isn't good enough. There's not much left I can do. I thought we'd try another IV drip on her. She could use the fluids and another dose of medicine, but I think we're chasing rainbows.”

Lily turned away, ordering herself not to cry. She felt the warmth of Astra's head in her lap and saw the shallow rise and fall of the mare's rib cage. Astra was still here and she wasn't in pain. That meant there was hope, didn't it?

“She was a good mare,” the vet said. “And she meant a lot to you and your mother, so it's worth a try. But if we don't see an improvement in a couple more hours, you need to think seriously about letting her go. At that point, it would be cruel to keep her going.” He leaned over and gave her an encouraging hug. “I know your mother wouldn't want that, and neither do you.”

Dr. Tison stood and reached for the medical supplies he'd brought into the stall with him. Lily gently lifted Astra's head, and moved to the corner so the vet could work unhindered.

Lily watched him run the IV and thought about all the medical care Astra would need if she pulled through this. What had she gotten herself into? Where would she get the money to pay the vet? Her father certainly didn't have it. Neither did her grandmother. And her dad definitely wouldn't pay for anything having to do with Astra.

“Dr. Tison, I don't know how I'm going to pay for this,” she said in a small voice. “I've only saved up eighty dollars from my allowance, but you can have it.” She scuffed at the stall floor with the toe of her boot. “I'll get a job doing something. I'll find a way to pay you. I promise. You've got to help her.”

Dr. Tison put a stethoscope to Astra's rib cage, listening to her heart. “Let's work at making her well first. Then we'll worry about who's paying and how much, okay?” He hung the IV bag on a nail in the wall. “It's going to take about an hour for all of this to run through. Why don't you go home and rest up?”

Lily thought about the ugly scene that was sure to take place when she told her dad she now owned Astra. It would be easier to stay here at the barn and not deal with her father, but she knew she'd have to do it sooner or later. Better he heard it from her. She nodded to the vet and let herself out of the stall. “Please take good care of her.”

“I'll do my best, Lily, but I can't promise you she won't pass while you're gone,” Dr. Tison said. “I can only promise you that I won't euthanize her. She's hung on this long. I don't think another hour will make a difference.”

Meloney, who was still waiting outside, followed Lily down the barn aisle. “Jasper is ready to go home. We can walk you home if you want.”

Lily nodded. “Okay, but there's something I've got to do first.” She went in search of Mr. Henley and found him in Contina's stall. “Mr. Henley, sir?” She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “I know you don't approve of what I'm doing, but this is something I have to do…for my mom and Astra and me.”

Mr. Henley looked at her over the top of Contina's back and nodded. “I don't agree with your outlook on Astra's chances for survival, Lily, but I do understand.”

The ranch owner went back to brushing Contina. “And I know it took a lot of courage to come and tell me that,” he said. “Thank you.”

Lily took that as her cue to leave. She nodded and hurried out of the barn to find Meloney and Jasper. Her friend pulled on the bay gelding's reins and they walked together toward Lily's house.

“What are you going to tell your dad?” Meloney asked.

Lily sighed. “I guess there's nothing I can do but tell him the truth.”

“He won't let you keep her,” Meloney predicted. “Especially since it's Astra.” She shook her head. “You're in major trouble.”

“Thanks a lot, Ms. Obvious,” Lily said. She saw Meloney's shoulders slump and instantly felt bad for snipping at her friend. Meloney had her best interests at heart. “I'm sorry, Mel. I'm just tired and worried.”

Meloney gave her a smile over her shoulder. “No, I'm sorry. I know how rotten you must be feeling. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes.” She turned Jasper down Lily's driveway and stopped at the front door. “Do you want me to come in with you?” she offered. “Maybe your dad won't yell much if you have company.”

“Thanks,” Lily said. “But I think I better handle this one alone. Besides,” she added with a grin, “I don't want any witnesses when I get chewed out times ten.”

“Well, I sure hope you don't get grounded for life,” Meloney said, picking up the reins.

Lily made a shooing motion with her hands. “If I do, you'll have to take care of Astra for me and ride her in the Tevis Cup.” She ran up the porch stairs and paused on the top step. “I'll call you if I can and let you know what happens,” she said.

“Good luck, Lil. I'll keep my cell phone on.” Meloney turned Jasper and they trotted down the driveway.

Mustering her courage, Lily pushed open the door and stepped inside. The house smelled like bacon and eggs.

“Is that you, Lily?” her grandmother's voice called.

“Yeah, Grams, it's me.” She took her boots off in the hallway and hung her coat on the hook. She glanced at the clock. Nine fifteen. So much had happened since sunrise.

“Your father and I are eating breakfast. Come in and have a bite with us and tell us what the big to-do is at the Henley place,” Grams said.

From the hallway, Lily could hear her grandmother taking out another plate. She was probably loading it with crisp bacon and fluffy eggs, not knowing that Lily wouldn't be able to stomach a bite of it. Lily stood there for a few moments longer, not sure what she would tell her dad. What could she say that wouldn't throw him into a fit?
Hi, Dad. I know you don't like horses and really don't want me anywhere near them, but we're now the proud owners of an Arabian endurance mare. So get used to the idea, okay?

“Hurry up, Flower, your breakfast is getting cold,” her father called to her.

Lily walked into the kitchen and took her place at the table. Just as she suspected, her grandma had loaded her plate with scrambled eggs. She pushed them around with her fork for a while, listening to her dad make small talk. She took a big bite of bacon, hoping they wouldn't see how nervous she was.

“So, Lily,” Grams said. “What was the big excitement at the Henley place this morning? Anything to do with your favorite horse?”

The bacon suddenly lodged in Lily's throat, refusing to go down. She grabbed her glass of milk and took several big swallows. “Astra's sick and she's in big trouble,” Lily blurted out, as soon as she could speak. “Dr. Tison's not even sure what happened, but she may…die.” Lily nearly choked again.

Her dad paused mid-chew. “I'm really sorry to hear that, Lily. I know how much you care about that horse.”

Lily's head jerked up in surprise at her father's compassionate tone. Now was the time to deliver the news, she decided. If she were lucky, she wouldn't be grounded for the rest of her life. Maybe just half of it.

Six

Lily winced as her father's fork clattered to the table. “What do you mean, he
gave
you Astra?” Her father's eyes bulged with disbelief. “You can't just
give
somebody a horse. Especially
that
one! It's not like giving away a puppy or a kitten.”

“Now, Daniel,” Grams said. “Calm down for a minute, please. I'm sure we can figure this out.”

Lily stared at the table. She should have just kept quiet and figured out another way to tell her dad.

“What part of
no more horses
didn't you understand, Lily?” Her father ran a hand over his face. “We discussed this. You know the rules.”

Lily folded her hands in her lap, willing the tears to stay behind her eyes. “I didn't ask for her.” Lily thought her voice sounded small and unsure, but she pressed on. “Mr. Henley gave her to me because he thinks she's dying, and he thought it would make me happy to own her for a little while.” Lily looked her father in the eye while she reached into her pocket for Astra's papers and laid them on the table. “Mom would have been happy for me.”

She pushed her chair back from the table and ran to her room, barely making it to the bed before sobs tore from her throat. Burying her head under her pillow, she let the tears soak the sheets. It was so unfair! All of it…her mother, her dad's unreasonable demands, losing Astra.

Lily felt a weight lower onto the bed beside her. It was so like her grandma to come comfort her when she felt sad. But the weight next to her was too heavy to be her grandmother. She was startled when she realized it was her father.

“I'm sorry, Lily.” He patted her shoulder. “My first reaction to that news wasn't very good. I just spoke to Mr. Henley on the phone and he told me all about it. I'm still not happy about this, but this isn't a good time to argue about it. I think you'd better get back over there.”

Lily sat up and rubbed her sleeve across her eyes, sniffing back the excess tears. “Is Astra okay?”

Her father shrugged. “In her case, I'm not really sure what you'd call okay. But Dr. Tison said she's still hanging in there.” He stood and stretched. “Come on, I'll get my keys and take you back to the barn.”

Surprised by her dad's understanding, Lily swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood on wobbly legs. “Everyone thinks she's going to die,” she said. Now that she'd uttered the words out loud, her legs felt even more unsteady.

Her father put an arm around her shoulder and directed her to the doorway. “Let's just wait and see what happens. If Astra makes it through this, we'll sit down and discuss how we're going to deal with it.”

Lily felt herself brighten. Discussing it was a start.

“Don't get your hopes up too much, kiddo,” her father warned. “I haven't changed my mind on this matter. I don't want you riding. If Astra makes it, we'll have to talk to Mr. Henley and see if he'll take her back. Even if I were okay with having another horse, you know we couldn't afford it right now. Things have been really tough since your mom died.”

Lily felt her new hopes plummet to the ground, collecting around her feet like dead leaves from a winter tree. She needed to forget about the what-ifs. For now she needed to concentrate on Astra making it through the day.

Lily stepped from the warm truck, her breath frosting the air. She waved good-bye to her father and headed toward the barn. Dr. Tison's pickup was still parked out front. Anxious to hear what he had to say, she hurried to the door.

Lily's dad rolled down his window. “Lily? Can you come back here for a moment?”

She stopped and walked back to the truck.

“Despite how I feel about this horse, and this whole situation, I do understand how important Astra is to you.” He paused and looked at her for several moments. “Are you going to be okay if the mare doesn't make it?”