Tales from the Darkness

A Dance with Death

Sloane was about 8 when he was living with Erin, and her current husband, Randy, was a rancher.

Randy had kids that were part of a group of troubled youth come out and do trail rides at the ranch. Randy didn't really want to have Sloane and Mandy, but he really wanted to be with Erin. Sloane would help out with trail rides when he could, so this made Randy more inclined to tolerate Erin having her kids live with them.

Sloane was a very active kid and loved to try news things. He had decided to start trying out steer riding in the local competition as well. Sometimes, he would take his horse and just go riding to get away from things for a while so he could take a break from the trail rides and steer riding.

On one such day, he got his horse saddled up and decided to go for a relaxing ride. He hadn't gotten too far from the corral when one of the kids from the troubled youth went and grabbed one of the horses and took off at a full gallop. He zoomed right in front of Sloane's horse, and it spooked the horse. Next thing Sloane knew his saddle strap had come loose and he ended up falling from his horse. When he landed hard on the ground, the horse still being spooked kicked Sloane in the back of the head hard. He blacked out instantly.

Sloane woke up in the office of the ranch, not recalling how he got there, and Erin was standing over him in a panic and tapping on his face to get him back in a conscious state. "Stay awake, Sloane. I need to get you to a hospital, but I need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?" Erin questioned frantically. Sloane replied with a weak "Yes" since he was in a lot of pain. Erin picked up her little boy and sat him in her car and swiftly but carefully buckled him in, then ran around the car to get in and sped off towards the hospital.

All the way to the hospital, Erin kept glancing over at Sloane to make sure he was still awake. In an effort to try and keep him alert, she tried to talk to him about the situation. "Do you know how this happened?" Erin questioned. Sloane looked a little puzzled for a while, trying to piece things together and think through the pain. Finally, he said, "I saw someone riding, and they spooked my horse, then I fell off. That's all I know." He sat quietly for a little bit and then out of curiosity asked, "How long ago was that?" Erin felt guilty at this question because she honestly had no idea. "I wish I could tell you Sloane, but I happened to discover you laying on the ground because I saw your horse running around, and we were searching for you since you weren't on your horse. The person riding their horse that scared your horse didn't even say anything, but I am pretty sure I knew who it was and will have to talk to Randy about this." Erin was very frustrated that the other kid would do such a thing and then leave Sloane alone and hurt. She hoped Randy would kick the kid out and not let him come back. Sloane, on the other hand, seriously doubted that Randy would even care and definitely didn't think he would do anything about it and didn't think his mom should even mention it.

When they finally got to the hospital, the doctors ran extensive tests on Sloane and rushed him into surgery. He ended up with a skull fracture behind the ears, a blood clot behind his ear drum, and a concussion that was causing his brain to swell against his skull so the doctors had to drill holes to relieve the pressure.

After hours of Erin pacing in the waiting room for news that Sloane would be ok, she finally saw the doctor coming towards her. She ran over to meet him. In her anticipation of news, she hurriedly blurted out, "Tell me he's ok, doctor!" The doctor understanding the hell she's probably been through mentally chose his words carefully replying, "he is stable for now but will need to stay in the hospital for quite awhile to make sure he pulls through just fine. It is likely that he will make it through the recovery process without any complications." Hearing this Erin felt a great weight lift and requested, "when can I see him?" the doctor regrettably replied, " It will still be awhile he is resting, and we need to see him again when he wakes up. I understand your urgency to be with him, but please keep having patience with the situation." Erin felt a little disappointed by this she really wanted to be by Sloane's side right now but she didn't want to be rude to the doctor so instead she said "Thank you doctor I really appreciate your efforts to keep my son alive. I think I will go buy him something while I wait to be able to see him."

Erin thought maybe since Sloane would have to stay in the hospital for a while, she would get him something to help him endure the stay. She went to the store and bought him a Nintendo gaming system and some games for it.

When she arrived back at the hospital, the doctor said that he was still asleep at that time. The doctor saw how exhausted Erin looked and felt bad for her. He stated, " Why don't you go home and get something to eat and rest. It will probably be a while before Sloane wakes up. We are taking good care of him and will call you when he wakes up." Hearing this Erin felt conflicted she really wanted to be there when Sloane woke up and really didn't want to leave but she really could use some food, a hot shower, and some sleep so much to her dismay she just nodded back to the doctor and went home.

The next day, feeling more refreshed, Erin decided to go back to the hospital even though they hadn't called her yet. When she got there, she was disappointed and concerned that there was still no sign of Sloane waking up. The doctor let her stay by Sloane's bedside at least at this time, though.

After a few hours, Erin was distraught, and feeling like she had nothing else she could do, Erin went to the chapel to pray. Erin had been in the chapel for about an hour when a nurse came and got her excitedly saying, "Sloane is waking up. Come quickly!" They walked swiftly back to his hospital room without delay. He was awake, and the doctor was asking him questions about how he was feeling and where the pain was. After the routine questions, he looked at Erin and said, "For the rest of Sloane's stay here we'll have to come in every 2 hours and ask him questions to make sure his brain is still functioning alright. He may get a little agitated, but considering the seriousness of his condition, it's necessary." Erin nodded in agreement and said, "I understand."

True to his word, a nurse or doctor came in every 2 hours for a whole month asking Sloane who he was and if he knew where he was. After a month, the doctor said it was safe to take Sloane home, but only if Erin agreed to continue to wake him up every 2 hours and ask him the questions he had grown so tired of. She readily agreed, just glad to be going back home with her son.

When she got home, it was late, and wanting to keep a close eye on Sloane, she put Sloane in her bed. Randy became furious seeing this. "What do you think you are doing putting that brat in my bed!" he shouted furiously. Erin was instantly angered by his words. How could Randy be so inconsiderate. "He's my son, and he is sleeping in here with me so I can keep an eye on him!" Erin raged. Randy slapped Erin after hearing this he couldn't believe the audacity of her to treat him this way. Erin equally surprised and enraged that Randy had just slapped her balled her fist up and punched Randy as hard as she could. The punch landed just right to knock Randy out, and he collapsed on the bed. Erin went into Mandy's room and said urgently, "Pack all your stuff as fast as you can. We're leaving. " She helped Sloane pack his stuff then with haste packed hers, and they all three left without ever looking back.