Part 29

"Eileen, I think she should stay at my place tonight," Vince said as he helped Aileen out of the car.

"The only place she is going to is to bed. Here," Eileen said.

There was a strong whinny coming from the paddock.

“You guys, Joe comes first,” she laughed, as she started walking towards Joe's enclosure. Looking back at Vince and Eileen she shrugged her shoulders and said, "You can either come with me and help or stand there and watch." And with Vince and Aunt Eileen's help Aileen spent a good hour talking baby talk to Joe.

"Lassie, I think it is time to go in. We can put Joe up and feed him before heading to the house...here," He said, looking over at Aunt Eileen with a smile.

After an hour reunion with Joe she was tired. Joe was a bit upset she couldn’t stay longer. He would have been happy to have her sleep in his stall. But everyone was happy to see him eating better again.

“Are you comfortable?” Aunt Eileen asked, as she went to go get Aileen some tea.

“Aunt Eileen, I am good,” she said from her perch in the easy chair. 

Eileen came back into the living room with some tea and found Aileen asleep. Poor dear. It was a big day coming home. Hearing a knock at the back door she went to answer it.

“Vincent. Come in,” she said. “Aileen is asleep Hon. Would you like to stay for tea?”

“Oh, no, Eileen, but thank you. I just came in to check on her one last time before I went home. Joe is all tucked in.”

“Oh, thank you Vincent. Be safe going home. See you tomorrow,” Eileen said as she watched Vince walk back to his place.

The next morning found Vince admiring the latest upgrade to his house – a dutch door. Just for Joe. So on good weather days they could open the top part and Joe could look in to make sure the fairy pixey was OK. Vince also had the makeshift lean-to fixed up and turned into a two stall shelter and a small fenced corral.

He still saw the pony occasionally. It was still standoffish except for when it deemed necessary to get a treat. He left the gate open to the enclosure and a bit of hay in the open stalls just in case the pony needed anything.

Eileen just finished helping Aileen with a shower since she still had a cast on.

“Thank you Aunt Eileen. I appreciate your help. I can’t wait to get this cast off,” she complained.

“Cast or no, you are to take it slow,” she admonished.

“Yes Ma’am,” she replied lovingly to her Aunt. Aileen didn’t know what she'd do with out her. She hugged her with her good arm as she leaned in for a kiss. Her Aunt helped her get dressed into a pair of leggings and a long sleeved henley. She smiled at her Aunt and said, chuckling, “So sexy.”

“Well he needs to love you in sweats, leggings, or jodhpurs,” Eileen said.

“Of course.” she smiled as she finished getting her socks on. Vince was coming over to pick her up as she was going over there to spend the night.

They congregated in the kitchen. “Uncle Scott. Thank you for the picnic basket,” she said, hugging him. “It will be helpful for tonight. I have no idea what Vince might have in his larders and I can’t cook.”

“You’re welcome,” He replied, hugging her back, “I figured it would help a little bit so you wouldn't have to cook.”

“You’re the best Uncle Scott.”

There was a knock at the back door and Vince walked in. “Good morning,” He said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Scott and Eileen returned.

“Are you ready Lassie?” he asked as he bent over to kiss her forehead. “Do you have some shoes?”

“No, I don’t have shoes so you’ll have to carry me.” The look on Vincent's face was priceless. “I’m kidding,” Aileen said, laughing softly, “They are right here,” pointing to my UGG boots.

Vince could not hide his relief as he helped her slip on her shoes. Straightening he held out his hand to help her up.

“And you have to help me up since the doctor said no heavy lifting – myself!” I laughed. Vince looked at her like she had lost her mind.

“Lassie, I don’t know whether to laugh or what.”

“Laugh.”

Vince smiled. “I brought one of my sweatshirts for you as it is chilly outside and the sleeves are oversized and should fit over your cast.”

“Thank you Vince,” she said as she accepted his help slipping it over her head and threading her arms through.

“Aunt Eileen. Uncle Scott. I will see you tomorrow.”

“OK. If you two need anything, call.”

“Of course,” Vince said as he hugged Eileen and shook Uncle Scott’s hand.

“Vince, would you please grab the basket?”

“Certainly my fairy pixey.”

Vince and Aileen left the house and headed towards the barn to get Joe. A few minutes later the three of them were on the trail headed towards Vince’s place.

Vince held out his arm saying, “Hold on ta ma arm. I don’t want you falling.”

“So Aunt Eileen got to you.”

“Yes. Your back is still healing. I don’t want you falling and re injuring anything.”

“Yes my worry wart.”

At the edge of Vince’s place he stopped her and said, “Cover your eyes with your good hand and I will guide you by your elbow of your casted arm. I have a few surprises for you.” He continued to direct her through the yard with a brief stop to drop the basket by the front door. “No peeking.”

“OK,” she said standing there with her hand over her eyes.

Vince gently took up her elbow again and guided her a little bit farther. “Almost there.” He positioned her where she had a good view of the surprise.

Vince was about to burst with excitement. “OK you can look!”

Aileen opened her eyes and saw enclosure and the two stall shelter. “Oh Vincent! It’s awesome! Way better than I could have done,” she said.

“The contractor say you did OK. Let’s see what Joe thinks.”

The gate to the enclosure and stall was open so I called Joe over to check it out. Joe snuffled here and there. Then all of a sudden whinnied. A reply whinny was forth coming.

“Oh Pony. What are you doing here?” she said in wonderment.

“I had left everything open with a little food in case he was in the area. He found the food apparently.”

Joe saw the pony and strode into the same stall and started to share the food.

“Come my fairy pixey, there’s more,” Vince said as he guided her to the front door. He picked up the basket and opened the door.

Aileen watched as just the top half of the door opened. “What?!”

“It’s a dutch door. So when the weather is nice we can open the top half and Joe can look through and check up on you.”

“He’ll love it. He’ll be a regular Mr Ed.”

“What is a Mr Ed?” Vincent asked as he got the two of them into the house shutting the bottom half of the door for now.

“It was a TV show in the U.S. back in the early 60’s. This man owned a talking horse but it only talked to him. Comedy ensued as you can imagine. It was a cute comedy.”

All of a sudden, as they walked into the living area, she noticed all the changes. Aileen walked slowly walked around. There were rugs on the floor. A wardrobe along the wall and new nightstands.

“Vincent, the new stuff,” she whispered as she swept my arm around.

“Just before you got injured I had my sister in law buy these for me. I told her kinda what I wanted and she picked out the styles.”

“Well the next time you see her tell her everything is beautiful.”

“I will. Now I am going to go put the food away so go make yourself comfortable."

“Alright my amazing pied piper.”

Vince was extremely pleased that she liked everything.