-Heather looked at the mare before gently petting Mystery's freckled muzzle then she took the mare in the pasture after taking her head collar off, watching Mystery playfully run off to go do some horse stuff. The red brunette left the pasture before shutting the gate, making sure that it's secured closed correctly then heads off to another pasture of where Storm is to go try to spend some quality time with him but making sure to keep her guard up since he hasn't be gelded at all even though she has thought about getting the stud gelded at some point-

Timothy Blue / EI / M: Laurence,Heather,Emily,Open.

What?

The blonde moved the phone away from his ear momentarily to check who he was calling.His face had fallen slightly,his expression one of disbelief and confusion,

"What -- "

He couldn't help but stutter at his angered reaction,Taking a few moments to regain the ability to speak.It never ceased to amaze him how often people changed,But then he knew that a long while of isolation made most people bitter,

"No Laurence.What are you on about - They got her an hour ago.Shes fragile,Well I mean she's gonna be after that long..But shes alive.Laurence she's alive."

His voice still retained the hopeful feel,being so uplifted by the news and so overwhelmed by the urge to spread the word.Tim began to think elsewhere,His urge to pick the phone up to someone else now taking over.

"Right I've got to ring Em - Tristan.Kholo,I need to find Kholo..Heather.."

He drifted on into an inaudible mumble of names before saying a quick goodbye and hanging up.With this he brushed quickly over the conversation and began to dial another number,While simultaneously heading out his office to find people to tell.

"Grow up."

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle slightly hysterically as the door closed tightly behind him.He gave a large wave as he strode past an arena,Making incredibly sure to catch the young woman's eye before speaking.

"Heather - Heather.They found Sam - .. Emily.Hey, I've got some news.Your not going to believe it.."

The blonde was soon distracted by the phone at his ear,The reassuring voice only evoking more excitement through his body.

(Tim has finally lost the plot a little maybe? Lol.Gonna make a Sam in a sec )

-Heather would be on the other side of the pasture with Storm as she keeps a careful eye on the stud before seeing Tim waving as he strode past, she waved back a little but soon a puzzled look fell in place on her face, accompanied by a raised eyebrow- "Wait, Sam has been missing??" -she softly said with a confused tone in her voice-

-The red brunette looked back over at her Roan Grullo Tobiano Splash White Frame Orlov Trotter Stud as he finally raised his head, his striking blue eyes would have spotted the short woman as his ears are fully perked. Heather felt very much relieved that Storm hasn't tried to charge at her or act aggressive towards her in any sort of way. The large Shepherd would be relaxing next to his owner, comfortably laying down while happily panting with his tail containing a wagging motion even though he was very much watching Tim at the moment-

more like losing his mind LOL))

Laurence / Em, Tim, Sam

Laurence hung up the phone, now in a restless silence as opposed to the calm, forgiving one he once hung in. What did he mean they found her? By the time he reached the base of the farm he was royally annoyed, still in complete and utter denial about the entire situation.

---

They'd spent two hours in the hospital, waiting for the final tests and precautions to be taken. Two hours seemed trivial to Laurence, considering the fact that she'd been gone for almost a year only God knew where. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to talk about it. Not until she was ready. He knew how these matters changed people, and was irritated by the joy and gusto Tim and Emily felt. It had only been the three of them sent initially, and he was absolutely certain they were going to overwhelm poor Sam with their enthusiasm. He noticed that the pair seemed in good spirits with one another too, which peaked his interest, but not very much--he was still extremely skeptical, overwhelmed, and uneasy, not even close to the man he was a year prior. Being so intricately involved in such a high stress, high stakes situation for such a prolonged period of time was enough to break anyone, much less Laurence.

They watched the nurses and doctors come and go, calling every name under the sun. It seemed unreal when they finally approached the trio--well, actually, just Laurence.

"I think you had said your name was Laurence? She specifically asked for you, no one else. You two can tag along to the waiting room in her wing, or you can stay here--your choice."

Laurence hadn't heard much else that was going on, only that he had to do this alone. He didn't feel an ounce of support from the two nut cases that had accompanied him anyway, so it wasn't much matter whether they came or went. In fact, he had envisioned the pair swarming her with energy and a barrage of questions while he sat to the side quietly. Doing it alone seemed better for Samantha, who had already been through so much.

He was led down the hallway to her room by a nurse who knocked first and then allowed Laurence to enter. She said something he didn't fully perceive within his whirlwind of anxiety and emotional catatonia. He couldn't look at Sam, not in this state, so he avoided eye contact with her, staring straight at the chair he eventually sat down in, right beside the bed. His gaze flickered between the clock and the bed she was in, but never to her. He didn't know what to say, how to say it, or anything else, for that matter. So he sat in a stupefied silence, regretting ever being asked to come here.

-Heather would be carefully listening while watching the stud as Storm pinned his ears at the moment when he finally noticed Tim but the stallion backed off a bit before going back to grazing while keeping his ears pinned. The brunette turned her head to look at Tim as she was about to say something but has noticed that he has already left before letting a sigh escape from her lips then the young woman quickly leaves the pasture with Toby following as she was going to change into some clothes that were very comfy but usually covered up of course-

-Heather left the big house as heads to her jeep with Toby walking next to her, he would have his vest on while his leash is in the backseat of the car. She would be wearing navy blue overall pants with dark brown flat gladiator sandles, having her hair parted and up into a pigtail style to get her hair off her neck. The red brunette opens the passenger side door, tell the large Shepherd to hop in as he does so on command before carefully shutting the door behind her dog then walks around the front of her vehicle then gets in on the driver side, closing it in the process before buckling herself up then she started the engine up, carefully backing her jeep out of the parking lot of the barn then she drives off to the hospital-

-Once she has gotten to the hospital, she parked her jeep when she found a parking spot before turning the engine off. Unbuckling herself before reaching back in the back seat and grabbing Toby's leash, exciting the driver side after opening the car door then shuts it once she's out. She comes around the front of her vehicle again then she opens the passenger side door while telling to stay so she can get his leash clipped onto his vest-

-Once the leash has clipped onto Toby's vest. She stepped to the side before giving him the ok as he jumps out of the jeep then ends up sitting next to her as she shuts the passenger door, locking her car up before they strolled into the hospital. On one side of Toby's vest would have two patches that would say "Working Dog" "Do Not Pet" and on the other side of his vest held one patch that says "Service Dog". Heather saw the group before giving a very timid wave, walking over to a seat that was kinda away from the group then has sat down. She quietly tells her dog the under command as the large Shepherd carefully goes completely under her chair so he wouldn't be in the way-

-The red brunette never really saw Sam as a friend but a face that she kinda knew around the barn, she would always see her as "The Spoiled Rich Brat" but Heather would usually try to either avoid the girl or try her hardest to be nice to Sam as much as possible, even if she didn't really have anything nice to say at the very least. The young woman took her phone out, sinking into her seat a bit before she started looking at some old pictures of her gelding when he was very wild spirited in his younger days of his life-

i'll get an Em post up later :)

Laurence / Sam

When Sam came into her usual antics, Laurence felt for just a moment as if things were different, as if she were the normal Sam he knew laying beside her, as if the last year had been erased from the sands of time. He was almost obligated into his old personality, the being he was temporarily, the being Sam had molded him into, but he sensed caution--whether from she or he was unclear--and withdrew once more.

"I didn't know what I'd be walking into," Laurence replied earnestly, "I got into a similar situation when I was younger than you, didn't speak to anyone for two years after. They thought I had brain damage but I was just living in my head." He was calm, placid as normal on the outside, but a morose pain haunted him as if possessing him from the inside out. He paused momentarily, feeling as if he'd said too much, hating himself for putting more age between them than was necessary, and wondering if he'd forgotten how to talk to people in the months she was gone. He was comfortable with silence, dangerously so, and it was too easy to isolate himself without friends or family to force him into healthy habits.

He paused for only a moment, internalizing the heavy silence, the aura of deep emotional pain that sat stagnant in the room. To his surprise, it occurred to him that it may be him who had brought it, not the victim who deserved to. Ending his thoughts calmly and in a put-together way, he repeated, "I didn't know what I was walking into."

He made the mistake of glancing over at her, immediately filled with unease and nauseated over the state of Sam's body. She was little more than skin and bones, her skin lacking more color than a sheet of paper. He recalled pictures he had seen in history books of prisoners of war, thinking that she looked like one.

Sighing deeply, he stated more earnestly than he thought he could, "I don't know how to talk to you, Sam. I don't. I thought...we all thought...you should be..."

He sighed deeply again, going to twist the ring on his finger in an effort to ground himself, and realizing he hadn't worn it in months. It was apart of the grieving process: letting go. And he'd let a lot more go in the last year than he ever thought he could, including many pieces of himself.

"Forgive me for what's become of me, I'm not the person you used to know anymore. It's going to take me some time to heal."

Laurence / Sam

Laurence felt alien to humanity when he touched her, a stranger to even the slightest bit of affection. It had been so long since anyone had touched him, let alone cared for him. It made him feel isolated and estranged from everyone else, and at times he wondered if he could ever love or be loved by anyone again. Sam had just been helping him discover the answer when she'd vanished out of thin air, making him a cynic of humanity once again.

His soul hadn't all died at once. It had died in pieces, a fragment left at each location they had searched for her. They'd slowly given up hope--he'd slowly given up hope. He chastised himself for it now more than he ever had, with her next to him. He was thinking about it in that pained silence when she'd reached for his hand, wondering if he'd ever be able to forgive himself or if she would. He couldn't tell her yet, if ever.

"You're cold," he remarked with the slightest hint of affection in his tone, taking her hand in his with the kind of gentleness only he could possess. He squeezed it gently, still unable to look at her and remain composed but feeling slightly more connected to her than he had.

"You took it off," she remarked. Should he have been any more himself, he would have flinched or cowered at the remark. Yet, he wasn't. He remained silent, calm, placid and unchanging.

"I did." His tone was the auditory replica of his demeanor at that moment. "A lot has changed since you've been gone."

...

Laurence didn't know when he'd joined her in falling asleep, but he awoke to a sterile knock on the door--one of the medical staff he was certain. He jerked upright, his hand still intertwined with Sam's as he slowly came back to full possession of his senses.

The doctor had come to explain Sam's condition to Laurence, then to finalize the paperwork to discharge her. He was astonished that she could go home in such a condition, but the doctor assured him that she was unreasonably healthy for the amount of time she'd been neglected and that she would be far better off recovering in her own environment under someone's watchful eye.

"Are you ready?" He was gentle and unassuming in his tone, still extremely distant but trying. Trying his hardest to remain composed, and to be strong for her. Lord knows he could have gone for a mental breakdown at any moment that day, but he hadn't been afforded the opportunity.

"I'll help you." He gently helped her up with the saintlike patience he always had copious amounts of, his strong frame holding up her feeble body. "Hang onto me, I'm not going anywhere you're not going, you can trust me."

He felt her defensive nature kick in, her overflowing independence was starting to return. The entirety of this interaction required vulnerability from both sides, which either were willing to give in to.

He latched her arms around his, supporting her gently and not at all inhibiting her movement or freedom. "It's not a far walk," he promised, helping her walk out of the room, supporting her as she wobbled, and being the strength she no longer possessed.