Keeping it Real, page 5
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Uncle Ian phoned,’ Mum said. ‘Honey’s unwell. He thinks it might be colic.’
‘Oh no!’ Sienna gasped. She knew colic could be deadly in horses. ‘Can we drive up to see her, Mum? I know it’s a long way but I can’t let Honey suffer without me. She needs me.’
Mum nodded. ‘We’ll see if Dad can drive you. Sorry, girls, we have to go.’
‘I hope everything will be all right with Honey,’ Maddy said.
‘Good luck.’ Kasey gave Sienna a hug. ‘I hope she gets better.’
Sienna was touched. ‘Thanks. I’ll let you know what happens.’
Within half an hour, Sienna and Dad were on the road to Uncle Ian’s.
‘Thanks for driving me, Dad,’ Sienna said.
‘That’s okay.’ Dad smiled. ‘I know Honey means a lot to you.’
‘She means the world to me.’ Sienna cradled her head in her hands, trying not to cry. ‘I love her so much, Dad. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her!’
‘Don’t worry,’ Dad said, glancing over at her and patting her leg comfortingly. ‘It’ll be all right. I promise. Are you coping with everything? How are those school projects going?’
Sienna slumped in her seat. ‘They’re not going at all, actually.’
‘I thought so. Having a horse is a huge commitment,’ Dad said, ‘as I think you’re discovering. It might be time for you to decide what you really want to do.’
‘I think you might be right, Dad. I’m going to have to choose. But all I’m worried about right now is making sure Honey will be okay.’
They sat in silence the rest of the way. Sienna gazed out the window as the sky darkened. Finally, just as the sun was setting, they drove over the last hill and down into the valley.
The air was cool and damp as Sienna leapt out of the car and raced into the stables, heading straight for Honey’s stall. She found Uncle Ian there, along with another man she’d not met before.
‘You came.’ Uncle Ian’s face lit up when he saw Sienna. ‘This is the vet, Doug Peach. He’s checking Honey out.’
The mare gave a low nicker when Sienna stepped into the stall, then she dipped her head so that it almost touched the straw as she pawed the ground.
‘Is it colic, like Uncle Ian thought?’ Sienna asked.
‘Yes, but it could be a lot worse.’ Doug smiled. ‘It’s a mild case. I’ll give Honey medication to ease the pain. We’ll see how she progresses tonight, but I’m almost certain she’ll be better by morning.’
‘Thank goodness!’ Sienna sighed with relief. She looked up at her father. ‘Dad, can we stay tonight?’
‘For a while, but I don’t think we should stay all night.’ Dad checked his watch. ‘You’ve got netball in the morning.’
Of course – netball, Sienna thought. I don’t want to let my team down. But I can’t leave Honey like this …
‘It’s only a summer competition, Jack,’ Uncle Ian said. ‘Does it matter if she misses a game?’
‘Yes, it does,’ Dad said. ‘Sienna’s made a commitment to her teammates. And she loves netball.’
Sienna didn’t mention that she was thinking of giving up netball to concentrate on Honey and pony club. She still wasn’t sure it was what she wanted.
The men left the stables to talk while Sienna stayed with Honey. She sat for hours, watching and waiting to see if the mare would improve.
Chapter Seventeen
Sienna must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, Honey was nudging her with her soft nose. It was morning and the sun was already up. Sienna noticed that a blanket had been wrapped around her to keep her warm.
That must have been Dad or Uncle Ian, she thought with a smile. They knew I wouldn’t leave Honey.
Sienna stretched. ‘Good morning, girl. Are you feeling better?’
As if to answer her, Honey drank from the water bucket then started munching on some hay. Sienna knew the mare wouldn’t be doing either of those things if she was still sick. She gave Honey a quick hug, then ran to the farmhouse to get Dad and Uncle Ian.
The two men were coming out the door as she ran up the steps.
‘Dad! Uncle Ian!’ Sienna called. ‘Honey’s better. She’s eating and drinking.’
‘That’s great.’ Dad hugged her. ‘Let’s go and take a look.’
‘I hope you didn’t mind us leaving you in the stable,’ Uncle Ian said. ‘We checked on you a few times but you were sleeping so peacefully we didn’t want to disturb you.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t,’ Sienna said. ‘I wouldn’t have left Honey even if you’d tried to carry me out of there.’
Dad and Uncle Ian laughed. ‘We had a sneaking suspicion that might be the case,’ Dad said.
Once inside the stable, Uncle Ian inspected Honey. ‘She seems fine,’ he said after a few minutes. ‘Back to normal.’
‘That’s a relief,’ Dad said.
‘You make an excellent vet nurse, Sienna,’ Uncle Ian said. ‘And from what Doug said, Honey should be fine for the muster next weekend. She’ll need to take it easy this week, with just light exercise, but I reckon by next Saturday she’ll be keen to stretch her legs.’
‘I’m so excited about the muster!’ Sienna gushed. ‘We’re going to do riding drills and ring events, and a ten-kilometre trail ride through the forest. I can’t wait!’
Uncle Ian chuckled. ‘I have seen the flyer, you know, and I’ll be taking you up there.’
‘Just making sure you remember,’ Sienna said. ‘Oh, Dad, what about netball today? I thought you wanted me to get back for that.’
‘I spoke to your mum about it last night while you were with Honey,’ Dad said. ‘We decided that rather than rush home and leave Honey, you could miss the game today. I came to tell you, but you’d already fallen asleep.’
‘Oh.’ Sienna nodded. ‘It’s probably for the best. You would have had a long drive late at night. The only thing is that now I’ll miss two games. Today and next week when I’m at the pony club muster.’
‘I know it’s not ideal,’ Dad said, ‘but it can’t be helped. Your mum explained what was going on to Janet over the phone last night and Janet was very understanding. She knows how much you love Honey.’
‘Okay,’ Sienna said. ‘As long as she doesn’t thinking I’m letting the team down.’
‘I don’t think she’d ever feel that way.’ Dad reassured her. ‘Now, how about we have some breakfast then we’ll come back and take Honey for a light walk to get her moving around again?’
‘Sounds good.’ Sienna said, rubbing her tummy. ‘I’m starving. Let’s eat!’
Chapter Eighteen
It was the first day of the pony club muster. Sienna was riding Honey across a grassy field towards the stand of trees to the west of Batton Creek, just on the edge of Bungle National Park.
The little mare was breathing hard and her sides were covered in sweat. Sienna held on tightly, using all of the strength in her knees and thighs to grip Honey’s sides. Sienna had never ridden a horse this fast before. She had to admit, she was a little bit afraid.
Tara and Jasmine had stayed with her for most of the long ride but as they headed into the last section, the other girls had given their horses their heads and let them gallop. Sienna hadn’t wanted to be left behind, so she did the same. It wasn’t long before she realised her mistake: Honey, usually so placid in confined spaces at pony club, obviously enjoyed a gallop.
The wind tore at Sienna’s shirt and she was glad she had a helmet on as the pony’s hooves galloped over the rocks and grass and dirt below.
Realising that Honey was going way too fast for her to manage, Sienna tried pulling back on Honey’s bridle and telling her to stop, but the horse refused to obey. As they splashed through another creek, Honey galloped up the slippery slope and sped off along the forest track through the national park.
They rounded a sharp bend and Sienna’s leg jerked awkwardly, causing her stirrup to come loose and drop to the ground.
‘Oh no!’ Sienna gasped. ‘Honey!’ she called. ‘Stop!’
Sienna clung to the saddle, ducking under low-hanging branches that whipped at her face and body, some leaving red scratches on her skin. Without her left stirrup, Sienna felt awkward in the saddle. Her left leg was hanging and she had nothing on that side to support her foot.
Sienna clung on as Honey continued to gallop along, but a minute later she lost her grip and bounced right out of the saddle.
Pain exploded up Sienna’s wrist and forearm and she landed heavily on the ground then rolled over and over before coming to a stop. Slowly Sienna sat up, gripping her wrist and cradling it to her chest as she tried not to cry.
Riderless, Honey had continued racing along the track.
Moments later, Sienna heard her name.
‘Sienna! Sienna, where are you?’
Tara and Jasmine appeared on their horses. Tara was leading Honey by her reins.
‘Oh no!’ Tara cried. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m not sure.’ Sienna still clutched her arm. ‘I lost my stirrup and fell off. I’ve hurt my wrist.’
‘I’ll find the stirrup,’ Jasmine said, before turning to Tara. ‘You get Sienna back to the camp site.’
Jasmine set off back towards the creek. Tara helped Sienna get onto Honey then led her to the camp site.
Sienna’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as everyone gathered around and Uncle Ian inspected her arm.
‘Ouch!’ Sienna gritted her teeth when he touched her wrist. ‘It really hurts.’
‘I think it might be broken,’ Uncle Ian said. ‘You’re going to have to go to the hospital.’
‘But I’ll miss the rest of the muster!’
‘It can’t be helped. If that arm is broken, it needs medical attention.’
‘We’ll pack your gear up and drop it home tomorrow,’ Tara’s dad said to Sienna.
‘Thanks,’ Uncle Ian replied. ‘That would be a huge help.’
Just then, Jasmine arrived back at camp with Sienna’s missing stirrup. ‘Found it,’ she called, dismounting and running over to Sienna.
‘Thanks,’ Sienna said.
Jasmine handed the stirrup to Uncle Ian and he fitted it back onto Honey’s saddle. As he did so, Honey reached out her nose to nudge Sienna.
Sienna laughed. ‘What do you want, sticky-beak?’ She reached around Honey’s neck to pat her. ‘Don’t worry. I still love you. It wasn’t your fault the stirrup came off.’
‘Okay, time to go,’ Uncle Ian said.
Sienna said goodbye to her friends and to Honey. She hated leaving her, but she knew the little horse would be well looked after.
Sienna climbed into Uncle Ian’s four-wheel drive and they headed down the mountain towards the hospital in town, which was 20 minutes away. Every bump made her cringe with pain, but one thought kept repeating in her mind.
I hope I can still play netball.
Chapter Nineteen
‘Would you like the good news or the bad news first?’ the doctor asked Sienna, as she sat in his office beside Uncle Ian.
Sienna laughed despite the pain in her wrist. ‘I’m a good news kind of girl, so I’ll take that first, please.’
‘All right.’ The doctor nodded. ‘It’s not broken.’
‘Yay!’ Sienna fist pumped with her good arm.
Uncle Ian patted her on the back. ‘Great to hear. Now, what’s the bad news?’
‘It is a bad sprain,’ the doctor said, ‘so you’ll have to rest it for several weeks to give it time to heal. No netball. No horseriding.’
Several weeks? Sienna thought. How many games of netball will I miss?
Sienna felt like crying. She’d pushed herself so hard trying to keep up with netball and pony club and she’d ended up with a sprained wrist that meant she couldn’t do either of the things she loved most.
Something would have to give.
‘I need to go home,’ she told Uncle Ian. ‘Would you drive me, please?’
‘Of course. Come on.’
Uncle Ian had phoned her parents while they were at the hospital to let them know what had happened. When Sienna and her uncle pulled up at the front of the house, her parents came running outside.
‘Thank goodness you’re all right,’ Mum said.
‘We heard you were very brave.’ Dad ushered her inside. ‘We’re so proud of you.’
‘Thanks, Dad,’ Sienna said, glad to be home.
While Dad made hot chocolates for everyone, Sienna thought about all that had happened the last few weeks.
I really love pony club, she thought. Honey is such a beautiful pony and I’m learning heaps about riding and show jumping and I’ve made some new friends … But I really love netball too. More than ever. Today’s accident made me realise that. The Gems are an awesome team and Janet is a fantastic coach. Just these last few weeks I’ve learnt so much about goal keeping. She felt her wrist gingerly. I can’t continue doing both. Not at a top level. Janet and Maddy and Mum and Dad are right. It’s time I made a choice.
She waited until Mum, Dad and Uncle Ian were seated at the table and Dad had handed out the hot chocolates, then she began. ‘Um.’ Sienna cleared her throat. ‘I want to thank you all for supporting me these last few weeks. I know it’s been a busy time for everyone.’
‘That’s what we’re here for,’ Mum said, while Dad and Uncle Ian sipped their drinks and nodded their agreement.
‘But I need to tell you that I’ve decided I can’t continue doing netball and pony club. I’m stretched in too many different directions.’
‘Plus there’s your schoolwork,’ Mum reminded her, ‘which will only get harder next year.’
Sienna laughed. ‘Yes, that’s rather unfortunate but true! I don’t want to do either of my sports half-heartedly. So I’ve made a choice.’
‘We thought you might be getting too old for netball.’ Mum glanced at a photo on the piano of Sienna in her netball uniform. ‘It’s a shame.’
‘I’m not giving up netball,’ Sienna said. ‘I realised today how much I still love it. And how much I still want to play for the Diamonds one day.’
‘Oh, okay,’ Mum said, her face lighting up.
‘So does that mean you’re giving up pony club?’ Uncle Ian asked, looking sad.
‘I’m really sorry, Uncle Ian. I just can’t do both. I’m sorry you bought Honey for me and I won’t be able to ride her anymore.’
‘You think I’ll give up Honey just because you can’t do pony club? No way! I don’t have a problem keeping Honey. I love her as much as you do. The only thing I’m worried about is who’s going to ride her – I’m just too busy to do that.’
Sienna’s eyes sparkled. ‘How about a compromise? I can’t do pony club every weekend during term, but I could do it during school holidays, which are coming up soon anyway. Maybe I could visit you and Honey then? Would that be enough?’
Uncle Ian nodded slowly. ‘Maybe.’
‘What about your pony club friends?’ Dad said. ‘Perhaps they could ride Honey occasionally during the school term?’
‘That’s a fantastic idea, Dad,’ Sienna said. ‘Tara and Jasmine love Honey!’
‘That would work,’ Uncle Ian agreed.
‘Great!’ Mum said. ‘I’m glad you’ve come up with a positive solution, Sienna. You don’t have to give up everything you love, but you do need to find a balance. And I’m thrilled you’re still a netball Gem.’
Sienna laughed. ‘Hopefully this balance works better for us all.’ She turned to her uncle. ‘You’re not disappointed in me?’
‘Never,’ Uncle Ian said. ‘The way you handled yourself today showed me how gutsy you are. If that’s how you play netball, the other team better watch out!’
Chapter Twenty
‘Are you sure your wrist is better?’ Mum asked.
Sienna had missed two training sessions and last Saturday’s game. Combined with the games she’d missed when Honey was sick and when she was at the pony club muster, Sienna hadn’t played netball for several weeks. She was positively itching to get back on the court!
‘Much better.’ She wriggled her wrist. ‘See?’
‘Good,’ Mum said. ‘I’ve missed watching you play.’
Sienna’s teammates soon arrived, along with Janet, who put them through their warm-up exercises.
When Sienna saw a familiar yellow four-wheel drive turn into the carpark, she asked to be excused.
‘Uncle Ian!’ she cried. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I wanted to see what all the fuss about netball was,’ he said, as he hugged her. ‘Honey sends her love.’
Sienna grinned. ‘How is she?’
‘Good. Missing you, but Tara and Jasmine dropped by this week to ride her.’
The umpire’s whistle blew, warning the teams to take their places on court.
‘I have to go on now,’ Sienna said.
‘Good luck!’
The Gems were playing a team called Emerald. Janet was uncertain about Sienna playing because of her recently injured wrist, so she made her sit out the first quarter.
When the second quarter rolled around, instead of putting Sienna on as Goal Keeper, Janet played her at Goal Shooter.
Will Janet let me play Goal Keeper? Sienna wondered. I want Uncle Ian to see me play my favourite position.
During the three-quarter break, Janet finally handed Sienna the familiar ‘GK’ bibs.
Sienna’s eyes lit up and she hugged Janet.
‘What was that for?’ her coach asked, looking surprised.
‘Because you’re the best coach ever!’
Janet laughed. ‘Great to see you back to your old self. Now, off you go. The whistle’s about to blow.’
‘Huh! You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it!’ Sienna quipped.
The game restarted with a centre pass from Emerald. They got the ball away quickly, the Wing Defence leaping up to catch it before shooting a chest pass to the Goal Attack.
