Blaze of Glory

by M. Garzon

  The chukker started off fast. The ball switched directions a few times in rapid succession; it was hard to keep track of the play among eight galloping horses and the mingled yells of their riders. Suddenly, I saw Dan, who was on the opposing team, hurtling down the field with the ball. Mateo noticed too; as I watched he tried to ride Dan off the ball. Mateo’s pony barged his shoulder into Dan’s mare’s, Mateo hit a beautiful backhand, and the ball was ours again. Or rather, mine — it came straight at me. I hit it as hard as I could and galloped up the field after it.

  “Come on, Schweppes,” I whispered as I leaned over his neck. He put on another burst of speed, and he was fast. The other horses were hard-pressed to catch him when he galloped all out. As we drew level with the ball I leaned out of the saddle, glanced at the goalposts for a split second, and executed a strong full swing. The mallet struck with that satisfying ‘thunk’ of perfect contact, and the ball arced up and flew through the goalposts. I had scored.

  It was my first goal. I was elated, even though it was just a practice game. I turned Schweppes to find everyone converging on us, my own teammates and those from the ‘opposition’. We were all in the same club, after all. Everyone congratulated me; I was patted on the back and high-fived by all. Mateo had just leaned over to kiss my cheek when a movement on the sidelines caught my eye — a tall, lean, long-strided movement. Jaden.

  He stood perfectly still now, watching me. I wondered how long he’d been there as I walked Schweppes over to him. He wasn’t smiling.

  “Hi,” I said tentatively.

  He nodded. “That was quite a shot,” he said casually. “A perfect shot, in fact.”

  Mateo drew level with me. “She plays much better when no one is screaming at her, no?” he asked Jaden smugly. “Come on, chiquita, it’s time for the throw-in.”

  I turned back to the game. My elation over my first goal had almost completely evaporated, leaving confusion in its place. The rest of the chukker went smoothly, even if I never regained the momentum I’d had before seeing Jaden. Our team won.

  After the game, we gathered at the picnic tables with drinks and snacks. Most of the players were having beer, but I was celebrating my first goal with a can of Coke.

  “Téa, I think you should play with us in the tournament next weekend,” Caley said suddenly.

  “Oh... thanks, Caley, but I don’t think I’m quite ready for a tournament match yet,” I told her haltingly. I was acutely aware of Jaden’s eyes trained on me from the adjoining table. He didn’t say anything.

  “Well, we all think you are. You’d be doing us a favor. You and Schweppes look so small and sweet, the other team will never see you coming. Your speed and aggression will catch them totally off guard, we’ll have a huge advantage. For the first chukker, at least,” she grinned at me.

  I smiled back, but I couldn’t help shooting an anxious glance over at Jaden. He was still watching me quietly. Caley followed my gaze.

  “Is that what’s worrying you?” She chuckled and turned to Jaden. “All right, J, stop being an overprotective idiot and tell your cousin she can play.”

  A chorus of agreement seconded her; my friends were all rooting for me, and razzing Jaden for trying to keep me under wraps. I smiled suddenly, feeling a glow of acceptance and encouragement from them.

  “What do you plan to tell Dec if you play?” Jaden shot at me.

  I hadn’t thought about that. Dec had made his feelings perfectly clear — no real matches.

  “He doesn’t have to know,” I suggested hopefully. The minute the words were out of my mouth I regretted them; I didn’t want to set Jaden off. But to my amazement, he just nodded thoughtfully.

  He was in the barn waiting for me when I got home. It was almost dark and the stable was empty of other people. He didn’t say anything right away, just started helping me untack Schweppes. I stole fleeting glimpses of him while we worked — I couldn’t believe things had gotten this uncomfortable between us. I missed our easy friendship, but the fact that my body was so vibrantly aware of his presence almost guaranteed we couldn’t go back to it. I sighed as we started grooming.

  “Téa.”

  I met his eyes over Schweppes’ back, and felt a moment of surprise; they were soft.

  “When I saw you play today, it made me I realize how much I must have been intimidating you. I’ve been harsh.”

  I was already shaking my head. “No, you haven’t. You’ve taught me so much, and I appreciate it. Really.” I could scarcely admit that turmoil caused by his mere presence made me play badly around him.

  “Well, after what I saw today, I have to agree that you’re ready for a low-goal match. So if you want to play in the tournament next weekend, you’re in.”

  “What about Dec?” I checked cautiously.

  “I can keep a secret.”

  I felt a smile grow slowly on my face. “Thanks.”

  He nodded and left me to finish putting Schweppes away on my own.

  * * *

  Even though he had relented enough to let me play, it turned out that Jaden had conditions. He insisted on being on my team, for one thing.

  “You’re going to spend the entire match galloping around trying to keep people away from her,” Caley predicted, shaking her head. “You’ll drive everyone crazy.”

  “Too bad,” Jaden responded grimly. “If Téa’s on the field, then so am I.”

  “I thought you were umpiring?” Dan pointed out.

  “I’ll umpire the other matches.”

  “But how can you play in a low-goal game?” I asked in confusion. “You’re practically a medium-goal team all on your own.”

  A match was considered low-goal if the total of all four players’ handicaps was under ten. Since Jaden’s handicap was eight, I didn’t see how that was possible. Especially since Mateo was also supposed to play with us.

  “That’s why Lucas is on the team,” Jaden explained. “Since he’s ranked minus two, like you, our total handicap will be eight.”

  It didn’t sound quite fair to me, but I was happy just to be included, so I kept mum.

  The tournament was in Alliston. Another of Jaden’s conditions was that I start off riding a more experienced pony in the first chukker, so we brought Maya, the club pony.

  The first chukker went swimmingly; in fact, if I hadn’t been so nervous at playing in my first match, I might have been bored. As Caley had predicted, Jaden rode like a demon, keeping a space cleared around me and passing me the ball occasionally, when I’d have an easy shot. It was almost embarrassing.

  I was happy to get on Schweppes for the second chukker.

  “Jaden, try to relax a bit, okay? I’m fine on my own,” I urged him.

  He didn’t answer, just turned and headed onto the field for the throw-in.

  It all happened in a flash. One minute I was galloping down the field, the sound of hoofbeats thundering in my ears, and the next I was on the ground, and the hoofbeats were in my head. From a great distance, I heard the collective gasp of spectators, Mateo’s enraged roar, and, seconds later, Jaden’s frantic voice in my ear.

  “Téa! Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

  “You, and the cavalry pounding through my head,” I said weakly. I tried to push myself up, but his hands restrained me.

  “No, don’t move yet, sweetheart. The medic’s on her way.”

  He held my hand. I was lying on my side, and I shifted experimentally. Nothing seemed damaged except for my head. I was having trouble breathing; when I touched my face my hand came away covered in blood. My right cheekbone, eye, and nose felt like they were on fire.

  I let go of Jaden’s hand reluctantly as he made way for the medic.

  “Can you speak, dear? Can you tell me where it hurts?” It was a woman’s voice. Gentle hands began probing the back of my neck.

  “I’m okay,” I said. It sounded like I had a bad cold. “I think only my face is hurt.”

  “Let’s get her helmet off,” the medic said. />
  I recognized Jaden’s hands as he carefully took off my helmet, supporting my head like a baby’s. I rolled over slightly and was finally able to see. The medic had a kind, grandmotherly face framed by white curls. I looked to my right and found Jaden. He looked stricken.

  “Am I that hideous, then?”

  He didn’t answer, but took my hand in his again. I swallowed, the metallic aftertaste of blood strong in my mouth.

  The medic spoke up. “The injuries seem limited to your face. Let’s get you to the first-aid tent and see what we can do for you.”

  I started to move, but Jaden was too quick for me; he picked me up and started walking, cradling me in his arms.

  “I can walk,” I protested. The motion was making my head pound; I felt a bit sick.

  “Will you please not argue with me for once,” he said, but his tone was gentle. My head was resting on his shoulder, and his voice vibrated pleasantly in his chest. He smelled good, too. How was that possible, when he’d spent the morning in the barn and a half hour sweating on the polo field? It was so unfair. I put my free arm around his neck and pulled myself a little closer — might as well enjoy the cessation of hostilities while they lasted. Jaden murmured something in Spanish.

  “Did you just call me a baby?”

  He chuckled quietly. “Something like that.”

  When we got to the first-aid tent he laid me down carefully on a gurney. Two medics converged immediately. Now that my head was back, though, I couldn’t breathe — blood was running into my mouth from the back of my nose. I struggled to sit up and my head spun dizzily.

  “Easy, now,” the male medic cautioned, steadying me.

  He performed the standard head injury assessment, and then the grandmotherly one started palpating my face. I clamped my teeth together to keep from whimpering; Jaden held my hand again.

  “Why are you still here?” I asked, the words distorted from sliding through my teeth. “You’ve got to finish the game.”

  “I’m staying with you.”

  “But we’ll forfeit!”

  “Then we forfeit,” he shrugged.

  I stared at him in amazement. Jaden was very competitive. Despite his status, I doubted most people realized just how competitive he was because he didn’t flaunt it. It wasn’t hard for me to recognize the signs, though, since I was the same way.

  “Just go, Jaden,” I urged him.

  He looked stubborn, but the medic broke in before it could escalate into an argument.

  “Well dear, it doesn’t look as though there’s any serious damage, but you should get an X-ray to make sure there’s no fracture to your cheekbone. You’re very lucky,” she smiled and handed me an icepack. It felt absolutely blissful.

  I felt another trickle of blood from my nose; before I could ask, Jaden was there with a tissue. He wiped the blood away gently, his face close to mine, his hand on my shoulder to steady me. Our eyes met, and my already obstructed breathing staggered and stopped. The wall that I had carefully maintained for over a month crumbled in seconds, and I felt naked and vulnerable. He cupped his hand to the uninjured side of my face. He was so close now that I could feel his breath brushing my cheek.

  “Your beautiful face, Téa... I’m so sorry,” he murmured.

  He didn’t look away, and I couldn’t even breathe, let alone move. He tilted his head slowly, and I felt a tremor go through me.

  “What’s going on here?” Mateo joked. He bounded in with Lucas on his heels; Jaden jerked away from me. The sudden rush of air into my lungs brought me back to reality.

  “How’s the patient?” Mateo continued.

  “Impatient to go,” I told him.

  “Well, you won’t have long to wait. Our game’s over, thanks to Mateo,” Lucas complained with a smile. “He decided to take out the jackass who hit you, and they don’t have a replacement.”

  Mateo looked proud of himself; I expected Jaden to jump down his throat but to my shock, he just nodded and bumped fists with him. Today was full of surprises.

  Jaden scooped me up again and started toward his car.

  “Please let me walk,” I pleaded. It wasn’t only pride that prompted me this time; being so close to him was painful now that my defenses were down. I knew the closeness couldn’t last. I had to go back to shutting him out. It was the only right thing to do, I reminded myself frantically. I had to ignore the thought that I wanted to stay nestled in his arms forever.

  Jaden wanted to drive me straight to the hospital, but I needed my health insurance card, and I thought Dec would be less likely to overreact if I didn’t call from the emergency room. When we got home, I was insistent.

  “You have to let me walk this time. I don’t want Dec thinking it’s worse than it is.”

  He walked me inside, supporting me by the elbow, and sat me on the couch. He disappeared and came back a minute later with a new icepack; mine was starting to melt. I heard the screen door as Dec came in, and I steeled myself. He’d been unusually irascible the past few weeks.

  He froze as he spotted my face, then came quickly to kneel by me. I removed the icepack — might as well get it over with. I heard his sharp intake of breath before he stifled it.

  “I had a little accident,” I explained needlessly.

  “What happened?” His light blue eyes darkened with concern as they perused my battered face.

  “I got hit by a mallet.”

  “She needs x-rays,” Jaden added quietly.

  Dec nodded. “Okay, honey, where’s your health card?” We were pretty used to this drill; when you worked with horses occasional injuries were a fact of life. And when you happened to have a risk-taking personality, like mine, they happened a bit more frequently.

  “In my wallet, on my desk.”

  He went upstairs, and I leaned gratefully back into the couch. It was getting hard for me to keep my eyes open, the right one was almost swollen shut. I closed them with a sigh.

  “Jaden.” Dec’s voice came from a few feet away. He sounded grim.

  Next to me, I felt Jaden rise silently.

  “What in blazes happened? Why was she playing?” Dec demanded. He kept his voice low, but he was definitely angry — unfortunately, my clothes were a dead giveaway that I’d been on the field.

  My left eye flew open, and I managed to coax the right lid apart a few millimeters. Jaden was facing Dec; he hung his head before answering.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Dec.” His voice was subdued. It was the first time I’d ever heard him call Dec ‘Uncle’. It made him sound younger... vulnerable.

  “Hey, hold on a minute,” I said, pushing myself up.

  “Sit down,” they ordered in stereo. I feigned deafness and joined them, trying to ignore the violent tattoo beating in my right cheek.

  “Dec, you can’t possibly blame Jaden for this-”

  “Yes I can, actually,” he interrupted harshly, “you were his responsibility.”

  “He’s right, Téa,” Jaden agreed quietly. His palpable sadness pierced through me, more painful by far than the injuries to my face.

  “No he isn’t! I’m not anyone’s responsibility but my own. I’m the one who demanded to play; I couldn’t find my own helmet, so I borrowed one. It didn’t have a faceguard, but I didn’t care-”

  “And you didn’t notice that?” Dec demanded, glaring at Jaden.

  “He has better things to do than worry about my equipment, he’s got the whole team to look after!” I snapped at Dec. “And anyway, look how successful you’ve been at getting me to wear a helmet.”

  Okay, so maybe that was going a bit far, given what a sensitive subject helmets were around here. Dec’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean...” I backpedaled cautiously, “I just meant, we all know how careless I am when it comes to things like safety. You can’t expect Jaden to change seventeen years of dedicated recklessness overnight.” My attempt to lighten the mood worked. Dec shook his head with a half-smile and Jaden guided me back
to the couch and, thankfully, my icepack.

  “Can you take care of things here while I take her to the hospital?” Dec’s voice was barely clipped now, and Jaden looked relieved. He nodded.

  “I’ll bring the truck around, kiddo.” Dec squeezed my shoulder on his way out.

  Jaden observed me thoughtfully. “You defended me.”

  “Of course. But why didn’t you defend yourself?”

  He made a face. “Because I deserve it.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” I almost yelled, and it hurt. I was getting well and truly mad now. “Don’t you realize how patronizing that is? I’m not a child, Jaden. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Or even better, that moron riding with his stick out.”

  He stared at me for a moment but averted his eyes before speaking.

  “I know you’re not a child, Téa. Believe me, I know.”

  * * *

  Nothing was broken, as it turned out. Jaden wasn’t around much that week, but Jennalyn came by and she was well versed in natural remedies. Between the ointments and oils she brought me the swelling in my face went down rapidly. I took it easy, teaching my usual lessons but only lightly schooling Cameo, and by the next weekend I was feeling — and looking — considerably better.

  The Davenport Daemons were playing in another tournament that weekend, and Julia came along with my family to watch. Teri, sadly, had to be at the racetrack. I missed her; we’d been inseparable every summer for years.

  Dec was concerned we’d be late, but he needn’t have worried — we arrived before Jaden did. Julia and I went to the stable area. Jennalyn had Piba all warmed up and ready to go, but there was no sign of Jaden. Mateo was M.I.A., too.

  “Don’t worry, they’ll turn up,” Jen said calmly. “They went to a big fundraiser last night, they probably just got in late.”

  Or not at all. Jen had barely finished speaking when a limousine pulled up. The door was flung open and Jaden, Mateo, and David Davenport spilled out. They were all wearing tuxes, and even unshaven, with the jacket open and no tie on, Jaden could have passed for a tuxedo model as he loped quickly up to Jen.

  “Hi, Jen. Where are my clothes?”

  “In the truck.”