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[Introduction] .

I Dream of Horses header [#888183]
I Dream of Horses header

When Angel receives an invitation from her Uncle Steve to spend the summer on his farm, she decides to go. It will mean being away from her friends all summer, but that may be for the best.

Angel is still trying to get over the loss of her boyfriend, Josh, who died in a traffic accident in April. Her mom agrees that a change of scenery will do Angel a lot of good. Steve is the brother of Angel's mom and she knows he will make sure no harm comes to Angel.

Living at Steve's farm will not be lonely. Angel will meet new friends, like Steve's neighbors, Rick and Brittany. Maybe you would like to be one of them? Please request an invitation and join the campfire....

Angel stretched her arms, yawned, then suddenly came wide awake. This was not her room! Then she remembered that she was at her Uncle Steve's farm now. The smell of coffee and bacon tempted her out of her bed, into her clothes, and down to the kitchen where breakfast was waiting.

Steve was putting a butter dish on the table. "Good morning, Angel. I didn't want to wake you up, so I decided to let breakfast do it. Was it the bacon or the coffee?"

"Both!" Angel laughed and settled into one of the six high-backed wooden chairs at the big table. "This kitchen is huge!"

"Made from two rooms. I knocked out the wall that used to be between the kitchen and the dining room. Did you sleep well?"

The kitchen was a big room, but the family room was even bigger. It was full of light from a wall that was almost all window. The other walls were paneled in knotty pine. The floor was polished oak planking.

Several large throw rugs in Southwestern patterns of muted earthtones covered a lot of the floor. A gigantic stone fireplace dominated one wall and a comfortable-looking old sofa and an assortment of chairs, no two alike, were placed around the room. Kind of haphazrdly, Angel thought, and she resisted a sudden urge to rearrange the furniture.

In one wall were several bookshelves crammed with books. Were there any books she would like?

Angel walked out into the yard. Two dogs immediately trotted over to wag their tails. "Good boy!" she said and patted their heads until she realized they were both girls. "Oops! I mean good girl!" Angel laughed. The air out here smelled good, like grass and pine trees.

The barn was painted red. There were several smaller buildings and a long shed with a tractor parked under it. A wood rail fence started at the barn and enclosed a large pasture. She walked into the barn and smiled at the rich smell of hay and animals. But what animals? Besides the two dogs she hadn't seen any.

There was a sudden noise above her head and she gasped. The dogs barked. But it was a only a cat jumping away.

Angel heard a distant whinny of a horse. She went out the other end of the barn to look at the pasture. At the far end were three grown horses and a colt. They were looking at her. She waved her hand and called out, "Here! Come here!"

Angel saw Steve's car turn in from the highway so she went to meet him.

He got out with a bag of groceries. "Did you see the horses?"

"Yes," said Angel. "What are their names?"

"Well, the stallion's name is Ebony, but you'll have to ask Ricky what the other names are. He told me when he brought them over, but I've forgotten already."

"They aren't your horses?"

"No, I can't ride because of my back, but I asked Ricky if he would keep some of his horses in my pasture so you could see them. Ride them, too, if you like."

"Sure! Where does Ricky live?"

"He lives just down the road. Do you see that line of trees?"

Angel looked where Steve was pointing. "Yes."

"Just on the other side of those -- that's where he lives. He's 18, so you might like to meet him." Steve winked.

"I don't need a new boyfriend, Uncle Steve."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. I would like to meet him."

"Well, I think that's him now."

A red pickup truck had turned off the main road and was raising a cloud of dust on the long driveway.

The group trotted over happily, one mare letting out a small whinnie of joy as she tossed her head in the wind.
"You'll have to be careful of Ebony, he can be a little nippy at times," Ricky warned the girl as the great black stud appraoched them.
Angel became nervous. It never occured to her that a horse may bite, "Well, I don't wanna get bitten!" she exclaimed as she withdrew her hand from him.
"Oh, he won't hurt you. It's just that sometimes they'll get nippy if they aren't gelded," Ricky explained.
"Gelded?" Angel asked, pondering the word, and on the verge of its meaning.
He just looked at her as if she were an alien, "Another time, I think."
The other two mares and colt finally caught up. "And what's this one's name?" Angel asked, inquiring about the beautiful palimino.
"That's Sunshine. Don't worry, she came with the name, I didn't pick it out myself. She's a rescue horse." he explained.
"Oh," Angel said in understanding, "And who are these two?"
"This is Firefly, and her baby, Ebony's Shadow, or just Shadow, if you like. He's the son of the big guy here. I'm hoping to get a pretty penny for this little guy one day," Ricky explained as the colt mouthed his hand tenderly.
"How much, exactly?" Angel asked, turning to him.
"$10,000, maybe more."
Her eyes widened; horses were expensive! Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car comign down the gravel drive. She turned, seeing a small blazer come rolling in. Uncle Steve walked out onto the porch and greeted a tall, slender, brown haired girl with a hug. But it wasn't a 'how nice to see you' hug- oh no, this was a sympathy hug. Angel could see the girl wipe her eyes with her sleeve and follow her uncle into the house. "Who is that?" she asked Ricky, who had begun to walk towards the house.
"I've no idea."

~*~*~*~*~

Steve turned from the kitchen stove and carried to cups of hot cidar over to the young girl sitting in his living room. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, hun." he said.
"It was the stupid vets fault. I should have known to call someone else sooner. Everyone warned me, everyone." She choked.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, things happen, maybe it's a sign. I know it's hard, but you made the right decision," he reassured her.
"I sure hope so, I really do. The University said it would have been $4,000 to treat her leg, and there was only a 40% chance she'd make it," she said, tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of it.
"Then I'm certain you did. Perhaps you could put that money to a new horse?" he asked.
She looked up from her cup, "Really?"
"Yeah, Rick's colt is getting bigger, I'm sure if he knew what happened he'd strike a deal with you." Steve said.
"Rick's a good guy, I should go see how he is these days," she said, "I feel like I've been away for so long, Steve."
"Well, maybe it's time to stop feeling that way Brittany, and get reacquainted with the place. I'll tell yeah, my niece is spending the summer here, she's out there talking to Ricky now. She's going through a similar thing as you, so I think you could help each other out." he said.
"What happened?" Brittany asked.
"Well, go ask her and find out."

Just then Rick and Angel came up on the back porch. Steve introduced Brittany. After a little small talk, Rick excused himself. He wanted to go out to the barn and groom the horses. Steve and the two girls remained talking on the back porch.

Steve said "Brittany knows quite a bit about horses, Angel."

"I used a lot of those techniques on an appendix I used to barrel race. It's called natural horsemanship," Brittany informed Angel, "Now that I think about it, quarter horses and quarter crosses are my favorite. To me, they're the all around horse."
"Wow, how do you do natural horsemanship?" Angel asked.
"Oh gosh, with infinite patients, Angel. Infinite patients."
Everyone chuckled a little bit and Angel smiled. Brittany turned her head toward the barn where Rick had gone to. She guessed he still had some sore feelings toward her. She couldn't blame him though, she left when he needed her the most. That would strain anyone's relationship.
What happened to the horse you used to race?" Angel asked.
"She's on a farm quite a ways from here. I'm breeding her out to a quarter horse stud. She's 13 and never been bred before, Steve. So if she doesn't take I'll go with what we talked about earlier."
"Wow, how exciting. You do know a lot about horses!" Angel exclaimed.
"And still have a lot to learn. I've pretty much taught myself over the years, picked up things here and there, apprenticed like a slave one summer, Took an 8 hour trail ride in the Alaskan mountains once. That was unforgettable. I'll have to tell you that story one day, it's pretty funny. But for now it's getting dark and looks like rain," Brittany siad, looking up at a clear sky.
"No it doesn't," Angel said.
"Trust me, I can feel it," Brittany said, rubbing her knee as she walked in the house.
"She took a nasty spill a few years back. Left the farm after that. Quite frankly I'm surprised she's here," Steve said.
Angel glanced behind her as the rain began to fall.

Steve headed for the kitchen. "How about some chicken for dinner?"

Angel was right behind him. "Let me help fix dinner, Uncle Steve."

"Of course!" said Steve. "Maybe the food will improve around here!"

"I can't stay," said Brittany.

"Oh, you've got to stay for dinner, Brit. I have plenty of food."

"I know you do, but I have to get back to the house. Before I go, I'm going out to the barn to say good-bye to Rick."

"Okay, Brit. Tell him supper will be ready in about half an hour. Angel, the chicken is already cooked. All we have to do is come up with some vegetables. You see anything in the fridge that appeals to you? And over here is the pantry. Plenty of canned stuff, too."

"It was nice meeting you!" Brittany said, shaking Angels hand before nodding at Steve, "See you tomorrow!"
She gulped as she walked out toward the barn, the rain hitting hard. No umbrella was needed, she never minded getting wet; besides, it was a warm rain, it wasn't cold and unfriendly. "Hello?" she called in the barn, scanning around for a sign of Rick.
"I'm over here," he said.
"Hey, I know we haven't talked much these past few months, but-"
"Try a year, Brittany." he said, a hint of anger peeking in his voice.
She should have seen it coming, this would not be a good reunion. "Ok, a year. I'm sorry I've been away for so long, but I'm back now, and I just wanted to say goodbye."
"Good, you said it, now get out of here!"
"What happened was not my fault, Rick! No matter what you think or how stubborn you are the past will never change! Move on." she tried, desperately holding back the tears.
"Why'd you even come back?" he asked scornfully, a coldness in his eyes.
She swallowed hard and gathered the remainder of her pride, "I don't know anymore," she said before running out.
"Brit, wait-" he attempted, but her figure was lost to the rain.

Rick took a deep breath. Seeing Brit again brought back the painful memory of last year.

That surprised him. He was sure he had gotten over her. Yet all it it took was one look at her to bring it all back.

It wasn't until after she was gone that he had realized how much he loved her, but by then it was too late. She never answered his letters or phone calls. He would have driven the thousand or so miles to see her, but he couldn't just abandon his responsibilities, the farm, the animals. There was nothing he could do but grit his teeth and get on with his life. Eventually the wound healed, or he thought it had. But now Brit was back, and it still hurt.

Well, he wasn't going to let her hurt him again. He would be polite to her, but that was it. No matter what he really felt, she wasn't going to see it.

Steve and Angel had dinner just about ready. Steve looked out the window. "Now where the heck is Rick?"

"Do you think he's still talking with Brittany?"

Steve frowned. "No, she drove away a while back. Angel, can you go down to the barn and see if he's ready to eat?"

"Sure, Uncle Steve."

'Wounds like this will never heal,' he remembered her saying, 'they scab over but stay as tender as ever. There's nothing left of this, I've made up my mind.'
He had tried desperately to make things work. The mistakes of their relationship were thought repairable by him, and still he held some hope. Yet as stubborn as he was Brittany had made up her mind. There was a promising college awaiting her in Alaska. There she could do all the things she had dreamt about since childhood. There was something renewing about that place, and she knew it.
It hurt Rick deeply to think about the day she fell. He suddenly felt that maybe it was all his fault, and that she just wasn't ready. "I should've been there! I should've been there!" he yelled to himself, punching the wall of the loft.
Dust fell from the old wall, uncovering a line drawing of a rough looking heart with the words 'Rick & Brit 4-ever'carved in it. Warm memories rushed back to him. He had made that heart for her the night they had stayed up until 2 in the morning waiting for the foal to be born. They finally fell asleep in each others arms in some loose timothy hay. It would be nights like that he came to cherish, and nights like that he held onto, hoping that there was some way to fix this disaster.
He replayed the events of that one fatefull day over and over in his head. He remembered how nervous she was about the show, and how unsure she was about the new little arabian. He had promised her that everytihng would be fine, they had practiced it a million times and were sure to win the jackpot. With a kiss of affection, he gave her a leg up, and the last words she ever spoke to him that were not diseased with bitterness were, "I've got something to tell you after this."
All the horses were running 13 second barrels, the fastest he had seen in a while. Coby, the little arab, had run it in 10 once, but only once. It was Brittany's turn, and everyone's eyes were on her, not Rick's little sister.
Her name was Tabetha, and she would have been 6 now. She was 3 years old, and very much in love with animals. A small jack Russel had followed a mouse into the ring, and was sniffing just behind the second barrel. As Coby raced toward it with all his might, Tabetha noticed the dog, and ran out to pet it. She knelt out of sight of the horse and of Brittany, and there was no time to stop before it was too late. Coby trampled right over Tabetha in an attempt to stop in time, flinging Brittany over the fence and landing her on the pavilian roof. Both were knocked out, and both were hospitalized for two weeks. Tabetha never regained consciousness.

Angel was careful not to let the kitchen screen door slam. "Rick says he'll be up in a few more minutes."

"Good," said Steve. "If he's not here in five minutes we are going to start without him. I'm hungry. How about you?"

"Sure!... Uncle Steve?..."

"Yeah?"

"Is there anything between Rick and Brittany?"

Steve sighed. "Angel, there are lots of things. It would take me all evening to tell you the whole story. But I don't really like to talk about other people all that much, you know? If Rick or Brittany wants to tell you all about it, then that's up to them."

After a moment he added, "But I'll tell you what everyone knows. Rick and Brittany were once in love. There was an accident with the horses. Brittany was hurt and Rick's little sister was killed_"

"Oh, that's sad..." said Angel.

"...After the accident things fell apart between Rick and Brittany and she went away to college in Alaska... I think I hear Rick coming up the walk now. Let's eat."

"What makes you think I'd be thinking of her?" he asked, trying not to sound to suspiscious.
Angel turned to him as he sat at the table and filled his plate. She blushed a little and wondered if she had been too nosy. "Well, you guys have known each other a while, and I know how I'd be seeing someone for the first time in a long time."
He nodded in agreement, feeling the tention from a moment ago leaving, "Yeah, we go way back. Way back."
"Like childhood buddies way back?" Angel asked, trying to ba tactfull, yet acting as if she knew not of his old wounds.
"Something like that. She'd lived here when we were kids, but moved away when she turned 11. After that she came down every summer to work the horses on the farm. We'd go to all kinds of shows just about every weekend," he explained. "You still have the ribbons?" he asked, turning to Steve.
"You kidding me? I've a whole room dedicated to each and every ribbon, trophy, and odd-ball prizes you guys won." Steve said.
"I would like to see them," Angel said, "What do you do at shows?"
"Well, there's a lot of different classes. There's halter, Western Pleasure, arena events and barrel racing. Which, Brittany mainly ran barrels." he said.
"Can you teach me?" Angel asked.
Rick kind of grinned, "You have a long way to go if you're gonna race. But we can try."

"Can we start today?" asked Angel.

Rick looked at Steve. "I guess so. There's still some daylight left."

Steve nodded. "It's fine with me. If you're through eating, go ahead and get started. I'll do the dishes."

Angel watched Rick swing the saddle up onto Sunshine's back. Steve looked very much like a cowboy - narrow waist, broad shoulders. When he turned to speak to her his blue eyes met hers and a quick thrill ran through her.

"You can ride Firefly," Rick said. "She's very gentle."

The horses clopped along at a comfortable pace, following the dirt road into a patch of woods that bordered Steve's farm. The road ended at a clearing deep in the woods. There was nothing there except the remains of an old stone fireplace.

"There used to be an old cabin here," Rick said, "but it burned down. It's still a good place to have a picnic."

Angel smiled. "I love picnics."

"Let's have one here then," said Rick. "How about tomorrow?"

"Sure! I'll fix us something good. Only I don't know how to make anything much except sandwiches."

Rick laughed. "Sandwiches are good." His blue eyes reflected the setting sun. "You're very pretty."

Angel blushed and looked away. "Um, thanks. Well, I guess we better be getting back to the house. It's getting close to dark." Rick didn't say anything and Angel looked at him with the beginning of a frown.

He smiled again. "Okay. Let's head back. We're still good for that picnic tomorrow?"

"Of course!" said Angel, but she felt that something had happened and now anything was possible.

"Well, maybe I could accompany him. I'm not sure how much can be done with a horse when it's wet outside, but I can try!" Angel said.
"Ok, be careful. Take a rain jacket, I don't want you to catch your death out there." Uncle Steve warned lightly.
Angel stepped out onto the portch and thought the coldness of the day to be not as bad as she had originally tought it might. The rain was slowing up a bit, and who knew, maybe the clouds would part and the sun would shine through!
She made her steps quick and careful. She did not want to slip and hurt or embarrass herself, yet she wanted to be out of the rain as fast as possible. The barn light was on, though dim it was, and she was happy for it. A slight bit of anxiety reached her stomach and she thought it odd, there was nothing to be anxious about, was there?
Yet upon her approach she saw more than one figure standing in that dimly lit barn. And though the rain fogged her eyesight, and she was quite a few yards away, she could have sworn it was Brittany with him, and she could have sworn they just kissed. Suddenly it wasn't the rain that streamed down her cheeks anymore.

~*~*~*~

"I'm glad we've reached an agreement, Rick," Brittany said as she curried one side of Stormy Weathers neck. The curry brush always seemed to help ease him in this weather. "Maybe we aren't a complete disaster. I have my weaknesses, you have yours."
"I hardly think that standing outside like a petrified pile, watching a barn burn down, is a 'weakness'" Rick said sternly.
Brittany looked down, "Rick, I don't want to fight you."
"Then why'd you bring it up?" he began to grow hostile, agitating Stormy's already anxious state.
"Do not yell at me, Rick. First of all, my own parents never yelled at me, so you won't. Second of all, you need to stop being so damn stubborn all the time! I was frightened, I didn't know what to do." Brittany said, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, you're right," Rick said, looking down, "Come here." he embraced her and kissed the top of her forehead, "let's start over."
"Again?" she asked.
"As friends, I mean. I want to be the friends we once were."
"Me- uh oh," Brittany looked over Ricks shoulder and out the barn door, "I better go before I ruin something else."
He looked at her questioningly and then out the door, to the yellow hooded figure that stood out in the rain, "Angel?" he said to himself.
"Goodbye, Rick. We'll finish this another day," they looked at each other for a moment, "she loves you, you know."
He turned to look out at the approaching girl, as if in disbelief of Brittanys statement. When he turned back round to face her again, she was gone. "I hate it when she does that."
"Hey, was that Brittany?" Angel asked, trying to hide the evidence of tears she had shed earlier.
"Yeah, we were just talking." he said.
"Yeah right, you can be honest, I don't mind. You still love her, don't you?" Angel asked boldly, unknowing of her own dangerous words until they were all but spoken.
He looked at her gravely, "In all honesty, Angel, it's like this horse here. The fire that almost claimed his life was put out years ago, but he can't forget it. I am not in love with her anymore, but I feel like the memories we share will always put a strain on us," he finished. "I'm sorry, I don't want to bore you with stuf like that anyway. It's water under the bridge, so to speak."
"It's ok, I'd like to know about things that happen. It makes it easier to know that other people suffer too. I guess that's pretty selfish, huh?" she said.
"No, no it's not selfish. It's human. Atleast you don't blame others for your own incompetency. Some would say that I still haven't figured out how to take responsibility." he said.
"What exactly happened to you two?" Angel asked. "If I'm not being too bold."
"That's a story for another day, Angel. Right now I want to show you how to care for a horse, how about that?" he said, changing the subject. "See this? This is a hoofpick...."

Brittany stopped by the house to say good-bye to Steve on her way home. She finally found him in the living room staring out the window at the rain. He wasn't that bad-looking for an old guy, she thought, then chuckled at herself for thinking of him that way.

Steve turned to her with a smile on his face. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," said Brittany, joining him at the window. They stood watching the rain together for a moment. Finally Brittany said, "Rainy days make me sad."

Steve put his hand on her shoulder. "Well, cheer up. Someday the sun will shine again."

"I know," said Brittany, smiling into his eyes. There was a spark of something there that caught her by surprise. She looked back to the window. "I guess I better be getting on home now."

"Stay awhile. At least until the rain stops. Come on. We'll pop some popcorn."

Brittany laughed. When she was younger and lived nearby, Steve always had some popcorn for her. "Okay," she said.

"Wow, do you work out?" Angel asked, taking note of Brittany's tight stomach.
Brit blushed, "Thanks, I try too. I started when I moved away, it became my obsession to get my mind off the stresses at hand. Working out became my vent, so to speak."
"Oh," Angel said, "Why did you move away, if I'm not being too bold?"
Brit frowned, "A series of unfortunate events, I guess. A lot of things happened all at once and I just couldn't deal anymore, you know?"
"Oh, believe me, I know." Angel said, thinking momentarily about Josh.
"I just, couldn't make myself fit here any longer. I felt like I had screwed so many things up, and that everything was my fault. And then on top of it all Rick detatched himself emotionally from me after his sister died. He even told me he blamed me," she stopped for a moment and looked over at Angel, "I shouldn't be telling you all of this. I don't want to ruin your perception of Rick."
"It's ok, everybody has faults. Sometimes my mom tells me I ask too many questions or that I talk like a child." Angel said.
Brittany laughed, "Oh, what a fault to have. Would you care to trade? At least you don't freeze every time an emergency occurs. There is no thinking on my feet."
"That I think I can do, to an extent." Angel said.
"well, hey, there's a good quality. And Rick has them too, somewhere. You know, buried beneath those thick layers of toughness is a real softy. You just got to know how to reach him. He'll never admit to this, but the first time we ever saw a foal being born, he started crying. Now, granted, we were only 12 at the time. Oh, but then when I broke my arm on the waterfall, he was so worried, he cried more than I did the whole way to the hospital!" she started laughing and Angel joined in. "Oh how I miss the good ol' days."
"Do you still love him?" Angel asked.
Brittany pursed her lips together and raspberried into the air, "Child, my feelings for him died like a cut flower in an empty vase. Quick. He's a good person to know, and he used to be a good person to love, but nowadays I think time did him more harm than good."
"really?" Angel asked, disapointment arising to her face.
"Yeah, and a small part of me still wishes we never met; because maybe, just maybe, he'd still be a good person to love."

Rick finished up in the barn. Time to get home. He would stop at the house and say good-bye. Maybe talk to Angel some more. She was nice to talk to. He could imagine a lot more than just talking, but he didn't want to turn her off by moving too fast.

Brittany was looking good too. But he knew there wouldn't be anything happening with her. Too much bad history between them. Still...

He yawned and stretched and headed up the drive to the house to say his good-byes. Brittany must still be there. Her Blazer was parked beside his Mustang. He had a sudden vision of her filling Angel's head with evil ideas about him. That would be bad.

Brittany clenched her fists and breathed deep, "Rick, I don't want to fight you anymore."
"You don't have too, listen-," he started, but was interrupted by Brittany.
"No, you listen. It's no good picking at old wounds. What's in the past needs to stay there," she said, turning to leave, "besides, there are some things you just don't know." tears welled in her eyes, "I'm not the girl you used to love. And you're not the boy I used to love, either."
He reached for her arm, "You are who you choose to be."
"And I choose to be away from you!" she yelled, sobbing as she ran to her truck, "You hurt me, Rick. You blamed me- you always blamed me!"
"I did not blame you for nothing!" he said, getting another grip on her arm, this time stronger.
Brittany's knees weakened and she fell forward under the pressure of his hold. Her purse slid forward and out from it spilt a million little blue pills. Rick looked around, shocked, "What is this?"
Brittany's lip quivered, "Pain killers, I-I'm dying."

Rick stared at her, unable to think of anything to say. How could she be dying? He suddenly felt unsure of everything. Was she putting him on? Was she really dying? He grabbed her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "What is it, Brittany? What happened?"

Restlessly she thumbed her coffee mug and stared at the brown liquid anxiously. She hadn't thought of how to tell Rick what was going on with her. It was so complicated- and it had so much to do with him....
A ding of the door and familiar sound of certain footsteps lifted her head. Indeed, it was him. As Rick sat in the chair in front of her, Brittany could see the same anxiety she held written all over his face.
"I ordered you coffee, the way you like it," she managed shakily, unable to momentarily look him in the eye.
"Ok," he whispered, reaching his hand across the table and laying it upon hers, "No matter what it is, I am here for you, as a friend."
A tear slid down her face as she smiled, "Well, I guess I should start, then," she choked, "After I left you, I, I found-"
"It's ok, I'm here," he assurred her.
"I found out I was pregnant," she blurted, looking away. She waited a moment to let the shock of the current situation sink in.
Rick couldn't believe it, he was shocked beyond speech. His mouth gaped as his eyes widened. Then he regained composure and waited for the rest.
Brittany took a deep breath, "Well, my body rejected the pregnancy, and that's where everything went wrong. I miscarried and was hospitalized for two weeks, throwing up and bleeding. I almost died. They did exploritory surgery and found so many tumors- everywhere- that they just sewed me back up and sent me home to die!" she began crying wildly and ran out of the cafe, leaving behind curious onlookers to stare furiously at Rick, who ran after her.
He caught her in the parking lot by the arm and swung her to him. He held her as she cried, and tears of his own kind fell onto her head. "I am so scared," she said, looking up at him.
"Me too,"

"Me too," he said. "I'm going to stay by your side."

Brittany's eyes were sparkling with tears. "Oh Rick. Don't worry. I'm at the house with Mom and she will help me. I don't want to disrupt your life with my troubles."

"Look, Brittany, I'm sorry about how things went sour between us in the past, but I haven't forgotten about being in love with you. There has never been anyone there for me like you were then. Now I want to be here for you."

Their arms held each other in a tight embrace and from a distance a passerby might have thought they were just another pair of young lovers, lost in the happiness of love. But as he passed closer by he might be surprised to see the tears in their eyes.

Smiles crept upon their faces, and a feeling of simple contentment finally settled between them. There were no more bitter words or awkward silences. Perhaps they had reached that point of perfection in thier relationship; that point of utter understanding that very few people ever reach. Perhaps, in their silent woes and awful hardships, the point they had reached was beyond even the reach of death, and what a triumph this kind of victory would be.
"She's falling for you, you know," Brittany said simply from across the table.
Rick rose to remove the dishes, "don't make me blush," he said, "she barely even knows me."
"She doesn't have to know you to see you're a great guy," Brittany said, "besides, I think you two would make the perfect couple."
"Don't start. She's a sweet girl, but-"
"You listen here, Rick. That girl deserves a fair chance, I think she'd grow on you. If she hasn't already."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rick asked.
"I see the way you look at her sometimes. I know what's going on in that heart of yours, even if you're not sure about what's going on in your head." she remarked with a smirk.
Rick laughed, "Where did you suddenly get all this wisdom?"
"A cracker jack box," she replied.

Angel yawned and stretched. Another morning on Uncle Steve's farm.

Outside her bedroom window a bird was singing. She jumped out of bed and looked for it. It cocked its eye at her and hopped farther out on its branch. She laughed. The sun was barely up and the air smelled fresh and full of promise. From the kitchen came the sound of pots and pans, so Angel quickly pulled on some jeans and a shirt and headed in that direction.

"Good morning!" said Steve. "How about some breakfast?"

"Sure. What can I do to help?"

"Want to cook the eggs?"

"Okay. You want them scrambled or fried?"

Steve laughed. "Surprise me. Whatever you do will be fine with me."

"Don't tell Angel," Brittany said as she stepped out of Rick's house. "She's already lost one person in her life recently, I don't want to throw anything new at the girl."
Rick thought a moment, "That's fine," he said, "Will you be ok today?"
"Yeah, I should be fine," she said. "Don't worry about me, ok? Promise me you won't worry."
"I promise," he lied.
"Ok, good. Because here comes Angel now, and I want you to pay her alot of attention today, ok?" she said as she walked up to her car and Angel appraoched the house.
"You treat me like a kid," he joked.
"Because you are," she said as she waved to Angel and smiled, as if nothing was wrong and the world was ok, before driving off.
"Hi, how are you this morning?" Angel asked Rick happily as she met him in the driveway. Yet there was a small seed of dissapointment in her stomach that dwelled on a jealous suspicion that Brittany was up to no good. Yet she pushed these thoughts away, and even though she knew of the term oil between Rick and Brit, she hoped it didn't mean anything.

Rick smiled at Angel. "How about a ride? It's a beautiful morning and the horses are feeling frisky."

"Sure!" said Angel. "I'll let Steve know we're going."

"Wow," Angel said, "It sure is beautiful."
"Yeah," Rick replied, as he found himself glancing in Angels direction. "Let's dismount and let the horses drink. There's a river just ahead."
"Ok," Angel replied.
Like a real gentleman, Rick helped Angel off her horse. They walked down to the quiet river bank and let the horses drink from the spring fed waters. "I love the water," Angel said.
"Yeah, it's nice." Rick remarked, taking a seat next to Angel in the soft moss by the bank.
Angel blushed slightly and looked down, hoping Rick wouldn't see the redness of her cheeks. Yet somehow her hand made its way to his, and when she felt the familiar touch, her heart sped up, and she looked up at him. There was something new in Ricks eyes; something sad yet good. Angel leaned in to kiss him, overtaken by emotion, but just before their moment, Rick pulled away. "I'm sorry," he whispered, standing.
Feeling foolish, Angel stood, asking no questions, just making one statement. "It's Brittany, isn't it?"
A sting wrenched through Rick's heart, "It's not that I don't want too, or haven't thought-, just, don't Angel." He could speak no more, and so trotted off in front of her.
Angel quietly mounted her horse, but as she walked on, the animal stumbled upon a hornets nest, reared, and bolted, screaming down the path. It was all Angel could do to hold on as she screamed on in equal fright to the horses. Branches caught her and scraped and smacked her skin. Angel began slipping as she fumbled for the reigns, but was unable to regain control, and so finally fell.
"ANGEL!" Rick screamed. The fright in his voice was undeniable. "Please, Lord, not again." he whispered to himself as he rushed to her aid.
Quickly he jumped from his saddle and to the side of a very beat up, bruised looking Angel. He grabbed her, "Are you ok?"
She began crying, "I-I think so," she said shakily.
Rick was overcome with emotion, and couldn't help but yell at her, "Don't you ever do that to me again! You could've been killed!"
Angel simply cried harder, "I'm sorry!"
Rick shut up, realizing now that he had only made things worse, "I'm sorry, Angel," he said, pushing her hair back from her face, "I just can't bear losing someone I love again."
Angel stopped crying and looked up; they would have their moment after all. The two embraced for what seemed like enternity, yet it wasn't long enough. Rick helped a very scraped and scratched yet relatively unhurt Angel back to her seat, and this time lead the horse home.
Rick was Angels crutch as she limped through the front portch door. He sat her down in the kitchen and grabbed some bandages, water, and anticeptic wash for Angel. Angel, though in pain, thought it was more than adorable how Rick helped her and dressed her wounds. He cleaned her up well, and set her on the couch in front of the tv as he went back outside to tend to the beestung horse.
"I think I've fallen for her, ole girl." he said as he rubbed the horses down, "I really think I have>"

As Rick and Angel rode back to the house they saw a car pass by on one of the many dirt roads that they had to go past to get back to the farm. This episode had really scared the horse and it had run pretty far away. Inside the car was a girl “Mum, I know that the doctor said that I should stay out in the country for a while, but does it really have to be on my own? I don’t want to spend my summer vacation here, there is no cable where I’m going, nothing to do, no Sega and Marian is always playing with her little toy Barney. It annoys me so much, can’t I just stay with you and Dad these holidays? I don’t want to see Aunt Marie.”
“If you do not behave right now young lady you will be in big trouble, now I am dropping you off to your Aunt Marie’s house today and going away with your father for at least a week and that’s final! After 15 years of parenting you would think that you got to spend some time alone with your husband.”
“But Mum!” the girl said.
“Toni.” Warned her mother.

Aunt Marie fluffed up the pillow on the brass bed. "There you are, Toni. You'll sleep like a baby in this old bed. Did you know your Mom slept in this bed when she was a girl?"

Toni shrugged. Aunt Marie was nice, but soooo boring. It was going to be a long week.

(woah, I am sooo lost. I am guessing toni's a new char? I'd fit her in, but I can't. I'm gonna revert back to rick and angel...hey...I could have fun with this...)

Back at the house, Angel kept going over Rick's last words, "He can't bear losing someone he loves." the thought made her heart jump and she felt tingly all over; somewhat like a school girl with a big crush on the cute boy in her class.
She limped her way to her room and freshened up to the best of her abilities. She ran a brush through her hair, powdered her nose, threw on a touch of mascara and a dab of body spray. Nothing too strong, though. She didn't want him thinking something was up or that she was being tacky. Taking a long glance in the full length mirror, she decided to change; her clothes were all kinds of dirty. She put on some shorts and wrapped her newly bandaged leg and elbow in an ace bandage to make it look a little neater. When she heard footsteps upon the porch, she quickly hobbled back downstairs and took her spot in the living room.
"The sun's going down, where's Uncle Steve?" Rick asked as he came back in.
"He left a note. He won't be back for a couple of hours or so," she said, trying to conceal her smile.
"Are you ok?" Rick asked, "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'll be alright." she said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"What were your plans for dinner?" he asked.
"Um...I guess it's ffy night again."
"What's that?" Rick asked.
"Fend for yourself. It means he was too busy to make anything tonight."
Rick laughed a little and sat by Angel. She laughed too; a small giggle. Rick leaned in and kissed her, his timing perfect. Angel lifted her good arm to his neck and let her fingers tease his hair. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" she whispered, moving her hurt arm.
Rick winced, "I'm sorry," he said, kissing it gently. Carefully he moved her slim figure underneath him, thoughtful not to touch her wounds.

"Hi Toni honey, you ready for some breakfast?" Aunt Marie asked. Toni just shrugged and sat down at the table. "I guess that's a yes then." Toni waited whilst Aunt Marie placed the food in front of her. "Go on, eat up pet."

Why does Aunt Marie always call me those kinds of names? I'm not a pet and I'm almost a grown woman! "Now don't leave one bite left on that plate sweetie, you eat up." Aunt Marie said as she sat down at the other side of the table.

"Ok, I think I need to go over to Steve's for a while, you want to come?" Aunt Marie asked as she picked up the plates and washed them up.
"Yeah, why not?" Toni said then under her breath, "there's nothing better to do." So Aunt Marie started the old car up "come on old girl," she said as she revved the engine but soon it spluttered into gear and they were off and soon after that, they were parking in Steve's garage.

Steve drove up just as they were getting out of their car. "Hello, Marie! Who's your young friend?"

"This my niece, Toni. She'll be staying with me for awhile. I thought she might like to see your lovely horses."

Steve grinned. "Well, sure! Do you like horses, Toni?"

Toni shrugged. "They're okay."

"Have you ever ridden one?"

"No."

"It's a lot of fun. Oh, you'll have to meet Angel. She's about your age. She's probably in the house somewhere. Let's go inside..."

((oh, ya'll set me up! this will be some fun....))

"Stop," Angel whispered.
Thinking he had hurt her again, he let up, "What is it?"
"Someone's coming," she said in a hushed yet frightful voice. Rick leapt off the couch and scrambled for the tv remote as Angel straightened out her blouse and fixed the pillows.
Both looked toward the door with an overly cheerful, "Hi!" as a rather startled Uncle Steve made his way inside the house, followed by two lovely ladies.
"Hi guys! How was your trail ride?" he asked.
"It was fine until I fell off. My horse was stung by bees," Angel said.
"Yeah, I brought her back and helped her out a little," Rick said, "We've just been sitting here watching tv waiting for you."
"Do you watch documentaries on the sex life of Monarc Butterflies often?" Toni asked.
Rick smiled slyly, "I don't believe I caught your name?" Angel asked, changing the subject.
"Oh!" Aunt Marie said, "This is Toni, she's come to stay with me a while. You can call me Marie. Little Ricky already knows who I am."
Angel held back a laugh, and Rick gave her a 'don't start' stare. Soon enough, the awkward moment passed, and nobody seemed to suspect a thing. Both rose from the couch, and Angel hobbled to the table, attempting to help set it but only getting in the way. Rick set her down in a chair like a real gentleman, and brought her a glass of water. He helped set the table as Uncle Steve and Aunt Marie prepared something to eat.
The three 'kids' were made to sit and wait at the table for the food and get to know each other. Right away Angel did not like this Toni character. It wasn't that she hated her or envied her in any way; she just got wierd vibes from her, like at any moment she could spit out venom that would rot Angels face or something.
"What?" Toni asked harshly.
"Nothing, I didn't say anything," Angel said.
"I know that, but if you're gonna stare at someone at least have the courtesy of taking a picture."
"Sorry, I don't use my camera on the homely," Angel blurted out. Then she thought about what she'd said and gasped. It wasn't like her to say mean things to people! Quickly she cuped a hand over her mouth, and wide eyed she limped away from the table. Behind her she left one very offended little girl.
With Angel gone, Toni's attention turned to Rick, who shrugged, "Well, this is awkward,"

"Homely? Who are you to go around calling people homely? You're not a very nice person to be able to treat someone that way. You know what? When I was told I was going over here I thought I'd be meeting nice people. Not people who put others down. Get the hell away from me," Toni got up in the middle of lunch and left the table slamming the door on the way out. "That's it, if this is the kind of treatment people get around here I'm going home." She picked up her cell phone and dialed her home number hoping that her parents hadn't left yet. If so hopefully she could get her mother on her cell phone.

Rick got up to follow Angel. Marie stood up,
frowning at Steve. "What's with Angel that she has to insult Toni?"

"I guess she's feeling irritable today. Rick will talk to her. Just stay at the table. I'll talk to Toni."

Steve walked out into the yard to where Toni was trying to call her mom. "Hey! I'm sorry about Angel. She had an accident this morning. I'm sure she didn't mean to call a beautiful girl like you homely. I think she might be a little jealous of you. That's all."

Toni slipped the phone into her pocket. "What kind of accident?"

"Her horse bumped into a hornets nest and threw her. She got stung, scraped, scratched and bruised."

Toni giggled.

Steve smiled. "You think that's funny?"

"No, it just sounded funny when you said it. I'm sorry if she got hurt.'

"Well, come on back inside. I'm sure she wants to apologize to you."

Rick and Angel had returned to the table. "I'm sorry!" Angel said. "I so should not have said that! I don't think you are homely at all! I'm just not feeling well today."

Toni was prepared to be suspicious, but then she saw the tears in Angel's eyes and she knew the apology was sincere. She suddenly felt awkward. "That's okay. I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have shouted at you."

Marie laughed. "It's been a hard day for both of you. Toni just got to a strange new place and Angel was injured this morning. Let's eat before this food gets any colder."

Steve and Marie tried to keep a lively conversation going during the meal, but the teens were quiet and thoughtful. As soon as she finished eating, Angel said, "I'm so tired. I'm going to bed. Nice meeting you Marie... and Toni. Good-night!"

Not long after, Toni and Marie left, and Rick and Steve were left at the table.

"Women!" Rick said.

Steve chuckled. "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

"You seem to manage, Steve."

"Age, Rick. If I was as young as you then I would be jumping through hoops, too."

Rick laughed. "Is that what you call it? Jumping through hoops? Sounds like the circus."

Steve grinned. "And the man gets to be the clown..."

Steve was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his old, faded telephone. "Strange, who would be calling this time of night?"
A terrible feeling gripped Rick in the pit of his stomach as he and Steve switched expressions. Steve walked over to the phone, hesitant, "Hello?"
Rick tried to read his face, but Steve put his back to him. Seemingly intense, all Rick could hear were the strained, muffled, "Uh huh, yes, yes, I see. Thank you. Godd bye."
"What is it?" Rick asked as Steve turned to him, his face suddenly gone pale and sickly.
"It's Brittany," he said, "That was her mom. She's in the hospital; she took a turn for the worst."
In shock and unable to contain himself, Rick dropped to his knees. His head was spinning, and Steve tried to help him up. "Are you ok?" he asked, afraid the boy might faint.
Slowly he came to his sense as Steve sat him on the couch. He looked up at the older man, "I'll be ok. We have to go there, Steve. What hospital is she in?"
"Northside," Steve said.
Rick got up and stumbled on his feet, determined to go see her. Steve grabbed his shoulder,"You are in no condition to drive. Let me take you," he said.
"What about Angel?"

Britany was being wheeled into the hospital at an incredibly fast pace by the ambulance. Her mother speeding behind them and pulled up into a nearby car park. She just couldn't think with all of the thoughts running through her mind was she going to lose her daughter? She had known that Britany wasn't feeling well but had hoped that she would somehow get better. That she would be able to fight this nasty disease as her mother had been able to do, until the age of 60. But she wondered too if maybe Britany underneath the emotional stress she had been in from losing Rick had somehow given up on the thought of trying. But she didn't want to think about that now, all she wanted was somehow that her daughter would survived. She had hoped hearing Rick's voice would calm her and convince her to keep on fighting. "Keep fighting baby, keep on," she said as she entered the hospital whiping a tear from her eyes and walked up to the emergency counter to sign her daughters health insurance papers.

Steve and Angel and Rick rode in Steve's car to the hospital.

"Why don't you go up and see how she's doing, Rick?" Steve said. "Angel and I will wait down here and then you can come and get us if it's okay for us to go up."

"Okay, Steve." Rick's face was lined with worry as he headed for the elevator.

Time stood still as a panic stricken Rick shakingly pushed the button for the 5th floor. Slowly the electronic numbers dinged past, 1...2...3...and he thought, "I cannot break down, I cannot break down." How would she look? Would she be lucid? Full of pain? Asleep? He hoped she was asleep.
"I'm here to see Brittany Rohe," he said to the lady behind the large, blue semi circular counter. Nodding her head, she looked at the screen of her computer and punched a few keys on the keyboard. Something about her eyes changed, a sadness, perhaps, as she turned to him and said, "She's in room 534, hun. Here's your visitor pass."
He nodded a thanks as he clasped on the blue bracelet. Making his way down the hall, he could have sworn he heard her whisper to another nurse, "That's the girl we just got a few hours ago...the one that's dying,"
Tapping on the door to get the nurses attention, Rick waited until she opened the door to let him in, "Can I help you?" she asked nicely.
"I'm here to see Brittany," he said, holding up his blue bracelet.
"Of course," she said standing aside, "She was given some medicine about an hour ago for pain. She will probably be asleep for a while longer," she said to him before leaving, "Let me know if you guys need anything, or if she wakes up."
Rick nodded and turned from the nurse to Brittany. Letting out a breath of relief, he was glad to see she was peacefully sleeping and not some horrid, gray monster that he feared she might have been. Her dark hair was scattered across the pillow haphazardly, and her appearance was fair, but not sickly.
Rick took a seat next to her bed and took her hand. It was warm and soft. He held it for a moment, tears welling in his eyes, before speaking. "I don't know if you can hear me. Heck, I don't know if I want you to. Just, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I'm sorry for blaming you, for being angry with you, for not being there when you needed me most. And now that I am here, I can't help but think it's too late," a tear escaped his eye and he quickly wiped it away. "I am so lost. Please, help me. I love you, Brittany, I always have. But I don't understand how I can love you and Angel at the same time. When I'm with her, I can't help but think she's everything I want and need. But when I am with you, old feelings arise, and I find I need you too. I don't understand." suddenly he stopped, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking you for help. You should be the one leaning on me, not the other way around. But you always were the stronger one, weren't you?" he gently brushed her hair with his hand, bringing it down beside her face. He closed his eyes and placed his forehead on her hand, "Why does it have to be like this?"
"It's called life, hun," a weak voice said.
He looked up and saw a smile spread across her face, "So, is dying all I have to do to get your attention?" she said.
"You always had my attention," he said, "Just not my support."
"And for that we are both sorry," she said, carressing his face with her hand, "but you can't go back, so I say we leave the past in the past."
He nodded, "How much of my rambling did you get?"
She gave him a knowing smile, "Bits and pieces. I drifted in and out." she said, "But I do know that you love Angel. It's fear that you have for me. We all fear losing things we have or once had, I suppose. You know I'm leaving you, and it scares the hell out of you. Rick, you need to understand that love can't fix all things. Death is one of them. I can't tell you who to love, but I can tell you why. Do not give up Angel for me, or I swear on my own grave that I will haunt your ass until you join me on the other side where I can yell and scream and rage at you for eternity for screwing up."
"Is that a promise?"
"That's a promise," she said, "Help me up."
"What?"
"Help me up. I'm going outside. I may be near death but I sure as hell ain't gonna die in this old room. Hell no," she said.
Rick smiled. This was definitely the strong Brittany he knew. "Ok,"
Rick found a wheelchair and carefully helped her into it. IV pole and all, they made their way down all 5 floors and into the garden area. "Am I going to get in trouble?"
"Who gives a crap?"
Rick shrugged; she was right. "Can I ask you one question?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Well, make it a couple," he said, "Was it a boy or a girl? The baby, I mean."
"A boy," she said.
"Were you scared? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
"I didn't want to screw up your life anymore than I already had. I felt trapped. And yes, I was scared. I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know what to do," she said.
Rick kissed her forehead, "I would have taken you back without a second thought, Brit. You know that."
"That's why I didn't. You would have been unhappy for the rest of your life had I gone back to you." she said, "But I am thankful to know how you are. Not many men would be so forgiving or responsible. Angel will be glad to know what kind of guy you really are."
"Thank you," he said.
"It's not a problem," she said, "and I want you to know that I don't regret any of it. I'm for real. I got the chance to experience some thigns I might otherwise never have done. I don't regret loving you, hating you, loving you again, breaking up, the baby. None of it."
"Me either," he said with a sincerity she did not recognise. For the first time, it seemed, he was comfortable with himself, and his past. It was enough for him to finally move on.
"Let's go back," she said, "the nurses will wonder where I am."

Finally Britany's mother had finished signing the health insurance papers. Why would she have to spend the last few minutes of her dying child's life signing papers she thought, was a total mystery. But she knew that she had to do it, for Britany and as she went into the lift to get to her floor, she knew that she would always love her daughter, no matter what happened that day.

Steve and Angel sat in the waiting room downstairs. "He's been up there a long time," Steve said.

Angel looked up from her magazine. "Maybe she's... asleep."

"Hmmm..."

Outside the waiting room window an ambulance went by with its lights flashing. Steve hated hospitals, ambulances, doctors... all of it. He wished he was back at his house.

Steve wasn't particularly caring for Rick's action as of late. He knew the boy had something going on with Angel; he wasn't fooled like Aunt Marie and Toni were with the seemingly innocent excuse of taking care of Angel when she had hurt herself. He knew Rick to be a fast faller for the ladies, a self proclaimed 'biggest fan', if he remembered correctly. It wasn't that rick was bad news, it was just that if he was going to play games with these girls, they had better not mean anything to Steve; and as of right now they both meant the world to him. Angel was his neice, and Brittany was almost like a daughter to him. Especially when she was younger, before the accident and before she left. It was a shame and a shock to know that such a beautiful girl was leaving them so soon. It wasn't fair, then again, this was life.
Sleep had just overcome Steve when Rick walked back into the room. His chjeeks were red and his eyes slightly bloodshot. Angel rose to meet him, and kissed her hello, "Are you alright? How is she?"
"She is better than I thought she might be. Very ill, but lucid all the same." he explained. Steve woke up with a start, and the two told him to go visit her next.
Steve gave Rick a pat on the shoulder and a knowing glance before he left the waiting room. Judging by the look on Ricks face, perhaps Steve had been a little too harsh in his judgements. Maybe he genuinely cared for both girls, and was at the same loss...perhaps even greater loss, and just couldn't quite cope.

{{Steve Ellen, I'd like you to write whatever you think uncle steve would say if I could do angel's turn to see Brittany. I have an idea in my head about it- so let me know! )

"Would someone be able to get me a cup of coffee - a lot of coffee." Britany's mother asked. "Looks like it is going to be a long night because I'm not waking, until she does."

The nurse escorted Steve into Brittany's room. "I'm afraid she's probably asleep from the medication."

"That's all right," Steve said. "I just want to sit with her for awhile."

Brittany looked peaceful and Steve was glad she didn't seem to be in pain. He sat beside the bed and held her hand. "Brittany?" There was no answer. "You'll pull through this. Just don't give up hope. You're young and you can beat it."

Brittany lay still and quiet, her chest barely rising and falling with her breathing. So sad, Steve thought, for someone so young to be so sick. Why did life have to be so unfair sometimes? Brittany had received one shock after another in her short life -- so much misfortune while others had none. It just wasn't fair...

Steve sat with her a short while, remiscing over 'the old days' and times spent out on the farm. He remembered first meeting her, at the tender age of 10, and watching her grow and blossom into quite the young woman. Realizing Brittany was not going to wake, Steve left her side, wishing her peace as he left.
Next, it was Angel. Gulping, she passed by uncle Steve as he exited the elevator and entered the waiting room. Rick stood, asling how she was. He nodded slightly to Rick and said something Angel could not quite hear as the elevator doors closed.
Brittany was awake when Angel entered. Brittany greeted her with a warm, "Hello," and a big smile.
Feeling relieved of any previous tensions or fears, Angel slowly walked to her bad and sat down. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," she said, then laughed, "I'm as good as I'll get."
Angel was unsure whether or not to laugh, so she nodded slightly and smiled. Pushing herself in an upright position, Brittany winced in pain as each muscle moved. Once resituated, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Angel." she said, "I hoped that if nobody knew, that it would just go away. That maybe, someow, what I didn't acknowledge wouldn't really be there. Stupid, huh?"
"No! It's not stupid. I tihnk i'd be the same way," Angel assured her.
"Hun, let's be honest. You are totally different from me. We don't walk the same, we don't talk the same, we don't dress the same and we don't think the same. There is nothing about the two of us that is similar in any way shape or form. And I think that's why you and Rick work so well together. We are so similar that we clashed. but you guys are so different; you are exactly what the other needs." she paused a moment, then, with tears in her eyes, continued, "Listen, my only wish is for you two to be happy. Ok? I want you to take care of him for me, when I'm gone-"
"But you're going to get better!...Aren't you?" Angel asked, interrupting Brittany.
Brittany looked down, shaking her head, "No, hun. I'm not. Did they not tell you?"
Angel bit her lips and shook her head, "No,"
"It's terminal. It's cancer."
The full shock and reality of the situation suddenly placed itself upon Angel, and she realized then that Brittany would not be coming home with them. "It's ok," Brittany assured her, "I know where I'm going and I've settled all my scores but one; I need you to trust in Rick from here on out. Please, Angel, let the past lie in its grave, for there is no reason for you to be hurt by any useless knowledge. Do you understand me? And don't do what I did and let that boy get away; he's one in a million, and you have to promise me you won't give up on him. Help him through, he'll need you to be there like I never was for him." Brittany drew in a shallow breath after her long speech and closed her eyes, "Sorry for going on like this," she said, "But he loves you, Angel. He loves you with the kind of love that won't ever die." and with that, Brittany drew in her last breath, her spirit sailing through the clouds, toward the sky; aiming for a place amongst the stars where she could finally go to rest.

Britany's mother appearing at the doorway took a look at her daughter as she took her last breath. She couldn't believe that the one that she had dreamed about having all of her life, the little girl that she loved so dearly was now dead. She just stood at the door way shocked for a few minutes and then the tears came. She was completely hysterical crying. "My baby, my little girl!"

Steve watched as Brittany's coffin was lowered into the ground. At the funeral Rick had stood up and made a brief but very moving speech about Brittany that had brought tears to those in the church. Most of them knew about the history of Brittany and Rick and understood his feelings.

Now Rick and Steve and Angel stood with a few others at the graveside. It was a clear cold day in November, the kind of day where you feel warm where the sun hits, but chilled on the shady side of your body. The graveyard was behind a small church that was only a mile from the farm where Brittany spent her childhood. Across the fields came a sound carried on the crisp autumn air - the whinny of a horse - and Steve saw Rick's shoulders shake when he heard it.

Rick remained relatively quiet, but not bitter, for the rest of the day. All seemed to agree that taking the day off in quiet remembrance was the only thing that felt right.
Angel and uncle Steve prepared dinner while Rick set the table. Accidentally he took out an extra plate, and as he reached to put it back his knees collapsed beneath him, and he began to sob.
Angel rushed to his side, down on her own knees, and hugged his neck, "Sh," she coaxed, "It'll be ok. I miss her too,"
"It just feels so hopeless." Rick said, "A summer can't go by without something terrible happening. The women in my life always leave me." he burst into tears again, at the pinnacle of his breakdown.
An hour had passed before Rick and Angel were off the floor. Steve had stayed out of the way, somehow knowing in his heart to leave it between them. He served dinner, and Rick actually smiled a little, feeling better, yet not entirely.

Rick was invited to spend the night, and accepted. After Angel and Steve went to sleep, Rick put on his coat and decided to go for a walk. The moon was bright, full and almost orange in color. The stars shown brightly, and one zigged across the sky with a brilliant display for Rick to be awed by.
About a mile down the old dirt road, Rick heard a whiny. He shivered, for it was the same whinny he had heard earlier. He strained to listen, but found only silende. Just as he had given up, he heard the pounding of approaching hoofbeats.
Flying up the hill at full gallop came a beautiful white horse. Rick was almost knocked to the ground as she whizzed by him, stopping in the dirt road to dance. She seemed so majestic with the moonlight shining brightly upon her coat. Rick thought she must have gotten away from someone. Then he saw the blood streaming from her right front leg and the magic was shattered. A closer look told him that barbed wire was the culprit. Rick made a clucking noise to the horse, "Come here, girl." he said.
Her ears pricked up and she came to him, nuzzling his soft hands. She snorted, and lifting her lame leg as if she knew he could fix it. Bending down, Rick took a closer look at the wound. It was deep, and the harsh wire twisted tightly around her leg, very close to the tendon. He didn't dare pull it out, he would need help to do that.
"Come one, girl," he whispered, backing away as he lightly clapped his hands. The horse seemed to understand, and nodded her head as she limped his way.
Slowly they made the long trek home into uncle Steves barn. Rick turned on the lights, offered the animal hay, feed and water, blanketed her, and then began working on the leg.
It took him an hour to dress the wound, but the horse amazingly stood for him with no tranqualizers or extra handlers. She knew he was going to make her feel all better.
After wrapping the wound, he found an old halter, dusted it off and slid it on her face. "We need to find your owners," he said. Feeling her all over for other wounds, Rick discovered another surprise about this horse. She was pregnant! And about to give birth.

Britany's mother had also received an invite to stay the night and was in the other room with Steve, trying to calm her down. "I can't believe she's gone Steve, I just can't believe it. Thanks for letting me stay though, I just can't imagine staying alone tonight and all of my family although my sister is coming tomorrow morning, are across state and I need someone now. So thanks for being that someone."

Morning found everyone looking a little bleary-eyed from lack of sleep except Angel, who had slept so well that she was exuding a cheerfulness the others didn't feel.

"Hey, more coffee, you guys?" Angel said. "I think you all need it."

"Thanks," mumbled Steve. "Rick, you say it's a white horse? A mare?"

"Yes, her leg was in bad shape, but she's in your barn now and seems to be doing fine."

"I'll go take a look as soon as I can get myself awake." Steve almost added that the previous day had been pretty stressful, but decided no one wanted to be reminded about their loss so early in the morning.

Angels curiosity got the best of her, "What kind of horse is she?"
"An arabian," Rick said. "She's probably the best looking arabian I've seen in a while. Must be worth a lot of money, too. Will you help me post 'found' signs up today?"
"Yes, I will," Angel said, a little dissapointed at the prospect of giving up this seemingly gift horse. It seemed a sign to that it would come on such a night like it did. "Do you mind if I go see her?"
"No, not at all!" Rick said, "We'll be out there in a minute,"
Angel smiled at quickly ran out the door. Her excitement overcame any sadness she felt as she ran for the barn. Upon opening the door, she heard the nicker of the prettiest white horse she had ever seen. Although, upon closer inspection, the mare was actually covered in little browns specks. Making her a flea bitten gray. But Angel didn't care about her exact color right then, because, standing beside her was the prettiest pure black foal, ears pricked high, as he intently watched Angel come closer.
Quite suddenly Angel felt a presence, as if someone had entered the room. It was an odd feeling, not good nor bad. It simply was there. She looked behind her, and when she saw nothing she turned to face the horses. Jumping back slightly, Angel became startled to see a human figure standing with the horses. It said, "Take care of them for me,"
"Brittany?" Angel asked, stepping forward.
Take care of them for me," she said as she dissapeared, a small smile on her pretty face.
"Everybody!" Angel screamed, "Come here now!"

Britany's mother was the first up and racing down to the stable where Angel had been calling for the others to come down to her. "I've lost one girl, I am not losing two!" she said. It didn't take her long until she was standing in front of Angel. "Are you ok?" she asked curiously as she placed her arms around the girl. Angel reciprocated by giving her a tight squeeze and then stepping back so that she could talk to everyone when they came as she could hear their approaching footsteps.
"Rick, Steve, you won't believe this!"

"I saw Brittany standing here!"

There was a moment of shocked silence. Rick recovered first. "What do you mean?"

Angel was trembling. "Brittany! She was right there by the horses!"

Rick looked at Steve who just shook his head. Angel was so upset that she must have seen something, but what? Steve put his hand on Angel's shoulder. "Sometimes people have unusual reactions to a tragedy-"

"You don't believe me?"

"Angel, I'm sure you saw something, but it couldn't have been Brittany, could it?"

Angel couldn't believe they didn't believe her. Then she turned, "She was standing right next to the foal. She told me to take care of him!"
Rick looked at uncle Steve and then to Mrs. Wilson, Brittany's mother. She did not seem to think this was a funny game. Rick looked at Angel sympathetically, "What foal?"
"That...one," Angel ran over to the stall and looked around. "There he is!" she said, finding him lying down in the soft hay by his mother.
Rick and Steve took a good long look at the foal, "He's pretty strong and healthy looking." Steve said.
"So I'm not crazy?" Angel asked.
"No, you're still crazy," Rick said.
"Rick, why don't you go get some extra hay for this foal to lay down on?" Steve said.
As Rick left to climb the old ladder, Brittany's mother, Martina, stepped forward, "Can I pet it?" she asked Steve. He was elated to see her focusing on something positive, "Sure," he said.
Heistantly, Mrs. Wilson placed her hand on the babies muzzle. Immediately he nuzzled her, letting out almost a purring sensation. Steve kept a close eye on the mare to make sure she wouldn't kick out. To his surprise, she was calm, and even seemed happy for them to be visiting.
"Angel, come here!" Rick called from above.
Angel rushed up the ladder as Steve and Martina looked on. "Look, you see this carving?" he asked.
"Did you do it?" she asked. Above the crude heart that said 'Rick and Brit 4 ever', it read 'Angel and Rick, now and forever' in a deeper, more beautifully etched carving. They both watched in awe as the word 'forever' on the one with Brittany's name began to vanish, and was replaced with the words 'a short time together together, but never apart'.
"Do you believe me now?" she asked.
Rick smiled, then kissed her, "Never doubted you a second."

"Sure you didn't," Angel says as she pulls away from him, "But who cares," she kissed him. Steve and Martina just stood together looking at each other with puzzled looks. "I suppose I should get going pretty soon," she said, "My sister will be wondering where I got to."

Steve and Martina left Angel and Rick to care for the horses.

"He needs a name," Angel said.

Rick looked at the little foal. "Hmmm... Any ideas?"

"What was Brittany's middle name?" Angel asked.
"Madison, why?" Rick.
"Then Madison, it is," she said, patting the little white star on the foals head. Letting out a slight whinnie, it seemed the foal agreed with the choice in name.
"Well," Rick said, "Let's make flyers and see if we can't find their owners."
Angel frowned, "I wish we could keep them."
"If nobody claims them, we can," he said.
Angels face lit up, "Really?"
"I don't see why not. Besides, with winter approaching, they won't find a better home. Nobody buys in the wintertime anyway. Costs too much for hay."
"It won't be too much to feed two more mouths on top of what you're already feeding?" Angel asked.
Rick smiled,"Not with over 200 bales in the loft. I think we'll be fine."
After being sure the mare had plenty of food and water and the stall was secure and warm, the two went on their way back to the house. With two big markers and plenty of cardboard, the two made ten flyers, and set out in Ricks truck to post them all over the place. "This is where I found her," he said, pointing to the grave yard. It lost most of its mystery to the brightness of the day, yet it still had that eerie dead feel to it. They got out of the truck and posted a sign on the old black gate.
In town, they stopped for a peppermint stick and asked the owner of the General Store whether or not he knew anyone who owned such a horse. The old man shook his head slowly, the lines on his forehead crinkled with thought. "Nope," he said, "Can't say I know anyone with a horse like that,"
This was a good sign for Angel, because old man Milton, owner of the General Store, knew everyone who had a horse or livestock, seeing as how he also had the only feed store in town too.
So, after many hours of fruitless search, the two decided to call it a day; besides, snow was starting to fall and Angel couldn't feel her nose anymore.

"Well, I really should be going," Martina said looking at Steve.
"Already?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, my sister will be worrying about me" Martina said.
"That's cool," Steve said, "want me to walk you to your car?"
Martina nodded trying to look at him bravely as they headed off in the direction of her car.

"You know, you can relax around me, there's no need to hide what beauty is still inside you Martina," Steve said.
Martina giggled, "I know Steve, I know, but there's a time and place for everything and right now I need to get to my sister, please...please tell me if if Britany..." she smiled and got into her car.
"Yes, I will," Steve said "are you sure you are capable of driving in this state?"
"Yes, quite," Martina said "it's time for me to try and move on and I know that Isobella will help me. I must be off."
She revved the engine and was off down the drive faster than Steve had ever seen her depart before. He was worried for her, but he knew that her sister Isobella was a great woman and would help her a lot. Steve walked into the kitchen and sat down for just a few minutes before he would go and help Rick with some farm jobs. No sooner had he sat down though then the telephone went off. "Blast it," Steve said.

"Hello?" he said answering the phone.
"Hi Steve, I really need some help, I need to go away for a few days and I really don't know what to do with little Toni. I know that you have a pretty much crowded house at the moment but do you think you could spare a room for her? Just for a few days? I wouldn't ask only right now I'm desperate," Marie said.

"It's no problem at all," Steve said. "And I'm sure Angel will be glad for the company. I've got plenty of room here and lots of sheets, blankets, and towels. Tell Toni that all she needs is a toothbrush."

Marie laughed. "I think I'll send her over with more than that. Thanks, Steve. I really appreciate this. I'll phone you as soon as I know when I'll be back."

Days passed slowly as the weather grew colder. Sumemr was over, and Angel would be leaving soon, it seemed. Toni brought some much needed joy to the trio and helped to lift spirits as they all worked round the clock to help the mamma and baby horse.
The phone sat still for days. It never rang once. Then, finally, Steve had had evough. "I need everybody in the kitchen now!" he said.
The three kids raced down the stairs and into the kitchen, wondering what was bugging Steve. "I think we've waited long enough. I officially declare that horse to be property of whoever possesses the animal. Yet, in this case, it seems to me that several different people posses this same animal, so, we must decide. Let us take a vote!"
Quietly all four sat around the table, writing names on scrap paper and foldingt hem before placing them in a hat. Steve drew the first one, "Rick" it said. He drew the next one, "Angel," the next one, "Steve," and then finally, "Now, this one will detrermine the owner of the horse and colt. And the winner is: Angel. Congratulations, kiddo."
Angel was ecstatic. She loved that horse and colt from the minute she set eyes on them. She had never owned a horse before, and for her, it was a happy ending to a hard year. These animals meant new life; a new beginning. "But," she said, "I can't take them with me when I go." she siad, "I mean, I'm grateful- I really am. I just wish I could stay here forever."

"I know how you feel Angel," Toni said. "I mean I started off hating country life, hating life in general because my parents dropped me off at Aunt Marie's place. But since I've been here, I've been very happy. Thanks for making my life a happy place Angel, thanks to you to Rick and you Steve."
"Aww..no thank you," Angel said, giving Toni a hug.
"Who would have suspected that two girls would be like this after the way you two greeted each other at the begining of this summer?" Steve said. The two girls giggled.

Rick stood up. "Does anybody else smell smoke?"

The room became very quiet, then Angel said, "Yeah, it does smell like smoke."

Rick went over to the window. "It's a forest fire!"

They all ran to the window. The trees in the distance were billowing smoke. An occasional flame could be seen. Toni's eyes were wide. "Will it come here, Steve?"

Steve was punching numbers on the phone as fast as he could. "I don't know. After I call the fire department, you call your mom to come get you and Angel."

Rick was running for the door. "I'll see about the horses."

"Okay, Rick. I'll be out there as soon as I make this call."

Angel didn't want to leave; especially when the farm was in danger. She felt useless, but decided to run out and help Rick anyway.
Toni stayed in with Steve as he talked to the fire department. "They're on their way," he said calmly, "They'll take care of it. We need to get out of the house in the mean time."
Toni nodded and followed him out. Soon everyone was helping with the horses. "We'll walk them over to my place. They can stay there the rest of the day and night if need be," Rick said.
Steve looked to Angel, "We have this, hun. Go call your mother, ok?"
"Alright," she said, walking slowly into the house. She lifted the phone with dread and dialed the number home.
"Hello?" the familiar feminine voice of her mother called. Upon hearing it, Angel felt the sudden need to go home and be with her family. She burst into tears, "Oh, mom!" she said, "So much has happened!"

Toni picked up her cell phone and dialed home, she hadn't used her cell phone in such a very long time. Hearing the feminine voice at the other side of the phone she sighed with relief. "Mum? Hi Mum, there's a fire. Yes Mum I know, well Aunt Marie went um...somewhere, it's ok Mum, Mum quit yelling ok? Look it isn't my fault! Yell at someone else ok? Oh god I'll call you later." Toni hangs up and sighs.

When Steve returned to the house he found Angel looking sad and Toni looking angry. "What's going on?" he said, looking at Toni. "Is your Aunt coming over?"

"No, she wasn't there, so I called my Mum and she was just... difficult, as usual."

"So no one is on the way to pick up you girls?"

Angel screamed, "My God! We're going to burn to death!"

Steve jumped at her scream and then grabbed Angel's arm. "Calm down! The fire department is coming and we can drive away in my car if necessary. I'm more worried about the horses than us, but Rick has them calmed down and walking over to his place so I think we're okay there."

He looked out the window. "The wind does seem to be blowing this way. Get anything you have that's valuable and let's put it in the car."

"I'm ready now," Toni said and Angel added a quick, "Me, too!"

"Okay," Steve said with a confident smile. "Let's go."

They piled into Steve's car and Steve turned the key. Nothing happened. "Uh oh!" Steve said.

"What? What?" said the girls.

"I think I might have a dead battery."

I'll run and tell Rick to bring his truck over," Angel said as she leapt from the car. Racing like a bat out of hell, Angel caught him half way down the road. "Rick!" she cried, "We need to use your car!"
He nodded as they met and ran back to his house. Jumping into the small pick up, Rick tore out of the driveway and raced to Steves farm. By the time they arrived, the house was already in flames.
"Hurry!" Steve cried.
Rick put it in park and bolted from the drvers seat, grabbing everything he could from the dead car. Ash and smoke flew everywhere, making them cough.
"I want you girls to walk away, now!" Steve called, "Go to Ricks house and wait for us!"
"No!" they hollered defiantly, "We want to help!"
There was no time to argue, so Steve let them be. He only hoped they did not get hurt. In the distance, sirens could be heard...

Toni just hoped that things would be ok.

Steve said, "Alright girls, if you must stay then you may as well make yourselves useful, but you must follow every direction that I give to you."

Aunt Marie's car came speeding down the road towards Steve's place faster than a bat out of hell and squealed to a stop. "Can I help? Come on girls! You should really be away from a place like this. TONI! I will NOT permit you to get yourself into any more trouble. Good girl for calling your mother since I wasn't at home I only just got her frenzied message. She's worried sick. Get in the car..NOW!" Aunt Marie looked at Angel. "Do you want to get in the car, too, lovie?"

"No, I want to stay here and burn to death," Angel said.

Steve pushed her into the car. "Get out of here. This is no time for sarcasm or heroism. It's time to save your butt. Get going, Marie. I'll talk to you later."

The firetrucks were already battling the flames. The girls were safe. The horses were safe. Steve and Rick helped the firemen as best they could.

It would take three weeks and a lot of rebuilding the backside of Steves' house before it could be lived in agian. But for the meantime, Steve took to getting to know Rick a little more by staying with him. Each day they went out and built a little more.
Angel came back sometime during that time to collect the rest of her things. Her mother was with her, and delighted in meeting Rick.
Yet, before either of them knew it, Angel was gone again. A certain sadness filled the air and seemed to linger. He almost couldn't stand it. He had gone from two women he loved to zero in no time flat.
As soon as Steve was back in his house, Rick made a decision. He would go visit Angel for the Holidays.