Cross Thoroughbred Racing Facility

[Story]

Adam was torn and he glanced at the vet. "How long's it gonna be until she's safely back in a stall? She is not to be put down. You give her some painkillers if you gotta and get her all casted up. Call Aiden Cross, back at Cross Thoroughbred Racing Facility but don't put the filly down." He glanced back at the paramedic again, shifting from foot to foot. He rubbed LuLu's nose and then scowled. Did he stay and take care of the filly, which he knew he could help do, or did he go and be helpless in the ambulance?

[Horse]

"I don't know. I think her leg is broken, so probably awhile." The vet looked kind of unimpressed as she straightened from where she had bent down to look at LuLu's front leg. "She might need to be put down. This looks really serious." The vet said consolingly, eyebrows pulling together. "I'm pretty sure there's no way she's going to make it to the shedrows without going down." The vet didn't sugarcoat anything. In most cases like these, especially with a front leg injury, the horse was euthanized almost right away. The medic was about to close the doors, but waited a moment or so longer for Adam to decide on whehter or not he was coming.

[Story]

"You are not euthanizing her. Bind the leg and van her off like you're supposed to. You are not putting the filly down." He said and turned to the medics. "I'll be at the hospital later...I can help LuLu at least..." He sighed sharply. "I don't care what it takes. There've been worse injuries that horses have lived by. Gallant Marines had a bad fracture. They bound his leg, vanned him off, and he's a stud now. She can live if you give her the fucking chance."

Adam's dark blue eyes were cold and he was wringing his hands stressfully as he prepared to yell at the vet. She had no authority to put the horse down. A lot of the time, the owners and trainers just didn't feel that the horse was worth trying to save. It was costly to rehabilitate a horse, especially if they didn't earn as much money. He was certain Sadie would want Lulu to have a fighting chance. He knew he would. Hell, Gal was still alive, right?

[Horse]

The vet gave Adam a rather dark look after he spoke before she turned away to yell at one of her assistants to bring her something. LuLu stood statue-still, her ears pinned back against her wispy mane as she chewed at her bit, rolling the piece of metal in her mouth. She gave one, long, shrill whinny as finally, the van the vet had called for arrived.

The vet pushed rather roughly past Adam, rather put off on him ordering her about. She didn't feel it in her gut to try and save the filly, but whatever, she'd do what she had to do. The medics and the ambulance had disappeared off the track after Adam had decided to stay with Sunkissed Lullaby. The sirens could still be heard in the distance as they raced to the hospital.

[Story]

Adam held LuLu's head gently, murmuring to her and stroking her net. He watched as a groom approached, slipping the filly's saddle and blanket off of her back and handing him a halter. He was quick as he slipped the bit from LuLu's mouth, and removed her bridle. "You'll be alright, sweetie. We'll take care of you." He felt sick to his stomach as he watched the vet and assistant work at binding her leg.

[Horse]

LuLu shuddered as she nosed Adam again, her big, brown eyes alight with pain and fright. She gave another shrill whinny, as if she was calling out for Sadie. The filly could be a bit ornery, and definitely had a temper, but she had a soft spot for the jockey, and was bonded to her. She nosed Adam again, pushing her head against his chest as the assistant pulled out a strep they were attaching to her leg.

[Story]

"I know, babe. It hurts and you're scared shitless, but you're being so brave. You're staying still so we can help you. Good job. Your dam'd be proud of you." Adam soothed, continuing to run his free hand up and down her neck, or gently rubbing at her ears, or up and down her nose. "Once you get back to a stall, they'll ease the pain, Lulu..." He kept talking, just speaking soothingly, often repeating himself, just so the filly had something to focus on, to take comfort in. He was relatively familiar to her, he knew, because she'd known him at least up until she was a new racer, and in the past few weeks, she'd seen him again.

[Horse]

LuLu huffed, lifting her head once to lip at Adam's face, her ears still flattened in pain. She shook out her mane and sidestepped as they finally attached the final pieces of the rough binding. "Alright, let's load her up." The vet said. The assistant gently took the lead rope from Adam and began to coax the filly the few yards to where they would be taking her to the stall. The filly balked until, after a handful extremely painful steps, she was loaded.

[Story]

Adam glanced back at the vet. "I'll ride with her." He said and moved into the equine ambulance without letting the vet stop him. He situated himself in such a way that if LuLu fell or kicked, he wouldn't be in the way, but still, she could see him and he could touch her if necessary. He continued to talk to her regardless, hoping that his words or voice were helping, even a little.

[Horse]

The vet just huffed at Adam but didn't say another word as she closed up the doors behind her and began to get to work. She filled a vile with a green liquid before injecting it into Sunkissed Lullaby's neck and rechecked the bindings, her mouth set into a scowl. "Tell the tech at my office to get some anathesia ready. We may need to operate." The vet said quietly to an assistant, as she absently rubbed at LuLu's neck. The filly flinched, but her eyelids began to droop from whatever the vet had given herZ

[Story]

Adam leaned over to rub at LuLu's forelock, eyebrows furrowed. He still needed to get in contact with the sitter. Perhaps he could convince Fay to pick up Charlie and watch her for a bit, until he figured out what was going on and could take over. He was fortunate, at least, that he didn't have the race directly after Sadie's, but the race after that one. He had time enough to figure out if he needed to tell the trainer he couldn't ride, or if he could get the filly comfortable, ride the race, and get over to the hospital after checking on Lulu again.

[Horse]

They finally arrived back to where the vet worked. "Get the x-Ray ready!" She called out to someone as she swung the doors wide. Her assistant gave a brief smile to Adam as he moved to grab the lead rope and lead the filly out. The vet still had a scowl on her face. "I think we can Hadley it from here. We'll do an x-Ray and see what we need to do from there." She spoke calmly and tipped her head slightly when she was finished. She turned on her heel to stalk back into her office to grab all the supplies she needed.

[Story]

Adam lifted his chin. "Congratulations. I'm glad that you can handle things now. It only took a lot of arguing from me but here you are." He was obviously mad that she'd tried fighting him so hard about a horse that she had no business deciding the fate of. "I'll keep out of the way." He wasn't leaving just yet. He wanted to make sure LuLu was going to be alright. He was anxious, hardly aware that he remained half-way dressed for a race, missing only his racing silks themselves. His expression was one of clear stress and worry, though.

[Horse]

The vet just rolled her eyes at him before she disappeared into the back, where LuLu had been led and where she was getting settled into a stall. Someone had given her another injection to help kill the pain; and already, it seemed to be working. Her head was lowered, and her ears weren't pinned anymore. Her tail swished and she smacked her lips as another was warming up the x-Ray in the corner. The vet reappared with a clipboard and she was scribbling something down on a piece of paper.

[Story]

Adam remained seated in a corner, out of the way but still able to watch his ex-wife's filly. He was in her line of view but he no longer spoke, watching, ready to step in if need be. He would wait until she was situated for sure, before he tried to locate the sitter's number. God, there was so much he had to do.