"The good news is, no broken bones. Just a couple of bruises and scrapes," the doctor said, scribbling away at his clipboard.

"Well, that's a relief at least," Mr Thompson said.

"So it turns out you're not a showjumper, eh Syb?" Eva looked at me and snorted, slapping her hand over her mouth to try and muffle the noise. I was glad someone found it funny.

The moment I fell off Jigsaw, Mr Thompson appeared in the paddock. He had been watching from the pigpen and witnessed my spectacular fall in person, much to my chagrin. With Jigsaw seemingly unhurt, just a little touchy, Alec had taken him back to the farm so he could tell Barbara and Jonathan what had happened with Mr Thompson driving myself and Eva to the village to see the local doctor. Eva found the whole thing funny; I found it humiliating.

We were still waiting for Jonathan and Barbara to arrive, but the doctor had already concluded his examination. No serious damage, other than my pride. I knew I should have listened to my gut and not agreed with Alec's stupid plan to try those jumps again. The last time, I did it because I knew Jonathan was watching and that nothing would go wrong because he was there. This time, fear got the better of me and I knew Jigsaw sensed that. He wouldn't have stopped otherwise.

The door to the doctors' office swung open to reveal Jonathan, Barbara and Alec standing in the doorway, each with a different expression on their face. Alec looked a little amused, Jonathan nervous with a hint of confusion and Barbara looked like she would hurt someone if they got in her way.

"Are you alright?" Barbara asked, attempting to rush forward but Jonathan grabbed her arm lightly

"I'm fine. My pride took the biggest hit."

"You amaze me, Sybil," Jonathan said. "You can work on a roof and be fine, work in a tree and be fine, and then fall off a horse."

"I've always been a bit of a mystery."

Barbara, clearly not amused with Jonathan trying to make light of the situation, turned to the doctor. "Is she really alright?"

He nodded. "Just a couple of bruises and abrasions, that's it. The one on her chin is probably the worst; the slacks prevented a fair few others. Keep an out for any signs of a concussion, dizziness, nausea, headaches, that sort of thing. Other than that, my only advice is to keep the scrapes clean and have a few days rest to let the bruising go down. Other than that, you're good to go."

Barbara appeared to visibly deflate in response to the doctor confirming what I had already told her. My pride definitely became the biggest victim out of it all, but I was glad there was nothing too serious.

After discussing a few more things with the doctor, we were allowed to go. The scrape on my chin stung a little from the ointment he had put on, but other than that, I felt fine. I had no doubts that I would be feeling the pain from the bruises come morning, but I pushed them to the back of my mind since they weren't bothering me when we left. We walked back into the village with Barbara almost demanding a detailed account of what had happened from Mr Thompson. He didn't appear too impressed about being accosted by her, but obliged and spoke both of them through just what had happened. I hung back to talk with Alec and Eva.

"I'm sorry," Alec said after a little while.

"What for?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"I shouldn't have pushed you to do the jumps."

"You didn't push me to do anything. I agreed. If anything, it was my own stupid fault for letting my pride get in the way."

"Mark didn't help," Eva added.

"No, he didn't."

Eva kicked a stone. "Are you going to tell your mum?"

"No chance. She'll ban me from ever riding a horse again if she finds out. Had I broken a bone, then maybe. But since I'm fine, I don't see the point."

"So you're going to get back on Jigsaw?"

I nodded. "Of course I am. It was one fall. I just don't think I'll be jumping him any time soon. Or ever again."

From in front of us, Barbara turned around, no doubt checking to see if we were following behind, although I couldn't help but think that she was listening in on our conversation. That thought just happened to become a reality moments later.

"If you do, it'll be with Jonathan's supervision. I am not going to find out the news that you have actually broken a bone from a secondary party," she said.

"Noted and understood."

I had no intention of jumping Jigsaw again. The first time I did it, I had been terrified and that had been with Jonathan there to supervise. It would be better if I only rode Jigsaw when he had all four hooves on the ground. Any obstacles we came across in the wild would have to be dealt with another way. Horse jumping was not a skill I would possess and nothing could convince me to do it again. I would ride Jigsaw again, but that would be the extent of it.

We continued onto the village and once we reached the village square, we bid Eva farewell as she returned to the Post Office, no doubt to fill Mr and Mrs Williams in on the day's adventure. Alec and I continued to hang back a little until he too had to leave with his dad so they could get the tractor back to the farm. Mr Thompson had only driven as far as the village square rather than straight to the doctor's office.

"We'll see you in a few days, Sybil," Mr Thompson said.

"A few days to a week, I think," Barbara said, "just to be on the safe side."

"A week?"

"Yes, Sybil. A week. The doctor said you needed to rest for the bruises to heal and a week is a sufficient amount of time."

I looked at Alec. "No working on the treehouse without me."

"I'd never dream of doing such a thing."

He laughed a little, but he couldn't hide the guilt that remained plastered all over his face. I doubted that any sort of reassurance from me would help alleviate the guilt that Alec felt about me taking the fall off Jigsaw. It hadn't been his fault since I had been the one stupid enough to agree to the whole thing in the first place despite the fact I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. He might have suggested it, but I had been the one to go along with it so I had no one else to blame but myself for a really stupid mistake.

We said goodbye to Mr Thompson and Alec, heading in the other direction and through a side gate that would take us back to the farm. With the tractor still a little hit or miss in terms of whether it works, Jonathan and Barbara must have run down from the farm in order to get to the office when they did, although it didn't appear like it when they arrived. It also meant we had to walk home, and with the adrenaline from the initial fall wearing off, the pain from the bruises started to set in.

The walk back to the farm was predominantly uphill, something that had never bothered me that much before. However, with my hip having taken the brunt of the fall, it didn't agree with having to climb up so many hills or having to work all that much. By the time we reached the halfway point, I was walking slower than my grandmother used to and she walked really slowly.

"Are you alright over there?" Jonathan called from the cusp of one of the hills.

"Excellent. I feel like a grandmother."

"Maybe we should get you some slippers and hair rollers, complete the look."

"Not funny." I huffed and reached the top of the hill, lightly punching him in the arm. I wiped my hand across the back of my forehead, collecting the swat that had gathered from how much effort it took me to climb the hill.

"Come on, if we have you walking on your own we'll get home at midnight."

"At least ten-to-midnight, give me a little credit."

Jonathan laughed and held out his arm for me. I grabbed onto it and he helped me to walk up the next few hills, taking a little of the weight off my hip so I could move a tad more freely than I had before. Perhaps Barbara had the right idea in keeping me away from the treehouse project for the next week. I wouldn't be able to climb up the ladder with my hip aching from walking uphill and I knew the other bruises were only going to make themselves known as time went on.

With Jonathan's help, we reached the farmhouse a little quicker than we had if I had been left to my own devices. It wasn't midnight, but it was close to supper time. Barbara sped up to make a start on supper and I hung back a little to talk to Jigsaw and just check to make sure he hadn't been hurt by my actions. Alec had said that me releasing the reins before I fell saved him from any injury to his mouth, but I just wanted to be sure.

He stood in his stall, nose poking over the top of the door staring out in front of him. Jigsaw whinnied when he saw me coming and I could hear him baking his hoof against the floor of the stable. I laughed and walked over, giving a light stroke and checking to make sure I really hadn't hurt him. There didn't appear to be any markings on his face and he didn't act like he was in any sort of discomfort, which was a bonus. At least one of us got off unscathed.

"He's perfectly alright," Jonathan said, coming out of Romeo's stall with a bowl of feed in his hand. "I can check him over in the morning, just to be sure, if you want me to."

"I just don't like the idea that I hurt him."

"You didn't; he wouldn't have let Alec ride him if there was a problem. I told you horses were smart, and I meant it. He didn't seem happy about being brought back here with someone else riding him, but horses can usually tell how someone is feeling and no doubt knew you were hurt."

"Did he know I was scared to make the jump?"

Jonathan nodded. "I expect so. Right now, he just seems glad to see you. The two of you have developed a close bond in the few months you've been here.

"He's the only friend I have who doesn't talk and can give me some silence."

"Animals make the best friends. I expect Jigsaw feels the same way, although that might be because you bring him food and that is usually the way to a man's heart."

"Oats."

"Exactly." Jonathan laughed. "Don't let this fall knock your confidence, either. You are an excellent rider for someone who had never been on a horse just a few months ago and I know Jigsaw has been enjoying the exercise."

"I won't. I quite enjoy the rides through the woods on my way to the Thompson farm."

"Gives you a chance to think?"

I nodded and continued to lightly stroke Jigsaw's nose. Those almost solitary rides through the woods had offered me countless hours to think about Dad and the war without having to spill my guts to someone who could talk back. Jigsaw listened and he never said anything back which I appreciated. Sometimes, I just needed someone who listened and Jigsaw had become that person - well, horse.

"I'm glad you have someone to talk to about everything, even if that person is a horse." He smiled. "We should get back to the house or Barbara will kill us."

"Good idea."

I gave Jigsaw one final pat on the nose before following Jonathan up to the house where Barbara waited for us.

~~~

A/N - Chapter Forty-Two! There are still around 14 chapters left before we wrap up the first story! I'll be starting the sequel in the new year so more information on that in the future!

Questions! Are you surprised Barbara was so worried about Sybil? Should she have tried jumping without Jonathan around?

Comment below!

First Published - December 29th, 2021