A Second Chance, Part IV --A New Beginning
By: Radio Rancher
(Copyright 2007 by the author and creator, Tickie)
Editor: The Story Lover

Chapter 2

Everyone seemed to have awakened at about the same time the next morning. All the excitement of Christmas had pretty much tired everyone completely. As the twins woke up, they became aware that they had been sleeping together arm in arm and they each grabbed the other and hugged tightly.

"Oh Mark, I can't believe how nice it is, being here with our new family. I was so scared that we would never be loved and that I might get taken away from you."

"Yeah" Said Mark, "I was scared too, but that night on the mountain, I knew that everything was going to be Okay. Grandpa Charlie and Grandpa James were so nice to us. I could feel their love. I don't know how, but I could."

"Me too," Luke giggled. "Once I saw the looks on Daddy Matt and Daddy Colt's faces, I was sure that we were gonna to be alright. I felt them love us too."

Mark kissed Luke on the lips and snuggled even closer to his brother and said, "I don't think even Mommy loved us any more than our new family does. Gramma Julie keeps kissing me for no reason, and then she starts to cry. When I kiss her back and ask her what's wrong, she always says nothing's wrong. I guess grown ups are just goofy, sometimes."

Mike and Andrew, and Matt and Colt were just beginning to wake up at about the same time. As they began to come to the realization that they needed to take care of some very important business, they all quickly rushed to the bathroom and relieved their nearly bursting organs. It was fun to watch grown men playing sword fights with their streams.

James and I both chuckled as we watched the men playing like kids. We could tell that having the twins in their lives had not only been good for the boys, but it had completely invigorated the lives of everyone else on the ranch as well. Everyone had more energy and everyone had happy smiling faces, nearly all the time now. It was very refreshing. Once everyone finished taking care of their morning rituals, they all got dressed and everyone began to notice the wonderful aroma that was coming from the dining room.

Julie and Jo had made another spectacular breakfast, and the smell was soon engulfing the entire house.

Earl and Jack had just made their way into the dining room and when they saw the twins running toward them, they each knelt down and held out their arms and embraced one of the guys. "Mornin' Munchkins." Earl giggled, as Mark buried his head into his chest.

Jack had received a similar greeting from Luke. "You guys are just full of energy today. I think you are almost as hyper as you were yesterday." Jack smiled as he kissed Luke on the top of his head.

The twins both wriggled down and traded places and received morning hugs from the other uncle.

As soon as Matt, Colt, Mike and Andrew made it into the dining room, both kids rushed over to them and gave them their good morning greetings. No one held back any love when it came to the kids. The boys were eating it up and loving every second of it.

Once everyone had found a place and had sat down at the table, Mike turned and looked at Luke and said, "Luke would you please say Grace?"

Luke looked at everyone, bowed his head and began, "Dear God, Thank you for the food and stuff, but mostly, Thank you for getting us a new family that loves us. Amen."

There wasn't a dry eye in the place, including us. We sent everyone love and energy.

Once everyone had wiped their eyes and managed to calm down, people started passing the food around and everyone dug in and inhaled the wonderful breakfast.

When everyone had finished eating, people started grabbing empty dishes and placed them on the little trolley that Julie had brought them in on. Colt was the first one to pull Julie into a hug. "Thank you for the breakfast. I would have helped, if I hadn't stayed in bed so late." he managed to mumble, as Julie gently kissed him.

"Don't you worry, Colt, you have helped us for a long time, now. It is time you had at least one day where you didn't have to help."

Earl and Jack were finishing the clean up of the dining room, and soon had the dishes in the dishwasher and had started cleaning up the kitchen.

"Okay Guys, that is enough. Jo and I can take it from here. You guys go on and relax, if you can. I can see the fire in the twins' eyes, so I don't expect you will have much chance to relax, but then, I doubt that you would want it any other way." Julie beamed.

Everyone managed to hug Julie and thank her and Jo for being so good to them.

Mark and Luke each grabbed one of their dads and started using the puppy dog eyes, "Daddy, Colt," Mark began, "Can we go out and see our horses? Please?" His mouth was starting to curl into a grin, which took away somewhat from the pitiful look that he was going for, but Colt and Matt couldn't keep from giving in anyway. The boys dragged their dads, along with most everyone else, out to the barn.

Dotty and Dawn had already been fed. The hands figured that since Christmas had been so hectic, that no one would be up early enough to get the colts taken care of.

When the boys and colts saw each other the colts were practically yelling their greetings and the boys were like whirlwinds hurrying to reach the happy animals. Dotty and Dawn each nuzzled the boy they loved.

Julie had given each of the boys a bag of baby carrots to give to the horses, and Dotty and Dawn lost no time before they begged for some of them. Dotty was the first one to ask. She was older after all and had experience with these two legged humans, and she knew they often brought her treats, so she shamelessly asked if there were any treats for them. The boys had planned to save the treats for a little later, but neither one of them could resist the pleading looks they were getting so they started handing out treats. Of course Star, Ginger and the other adult horses were not above pulling the same stunt, and soon Colt, Matt, Jack and Earl were handing out the little orange treats they were carrying as well. It was so cute to see how the so called dumb animals had the humans wrapped around their little fingers. I suppose that is a poor metaphor, since horses don't have fingers, but you know what I meant.

Horses, boys and men, all had a very nice visit, and James and I noticed that the boys and their dads and uncles managed to eat quite a few of the carrots themselves. The horses noticed too, and Ginger muttered, I thought those were our treats. Earl told her there were plenty of carrots to go around, and that he liked carrots too, and she just shook her head.

After about an hour of hugging, petting nuzzling and eating, the boys and horsed became a little uncomfortable, standing around. All the carrots had been either given to the horses or had been eaten by a boy or a dad. Colt encouraged the twins to open the barn door and let their friends go play in the corral.

Mark closed the door and went back over to Colt who was sitting on a bench, "Dad, can we play with the trains?"

"I wondered how long it would take you to remember about the train." Colt giggled. "Of course you guys can play with the trains, Son. They're your trains, but the rest of us would like to watch, if it's okay with you guys."

"Daddy Colt, I know you and Daddy Matt want to play too, I can feel it. You can show us all the things we can do with the town and all, so why don't we all take turns, playing with different stuff?" Luke piped up.

It was so sweet. The twins are just like their dads, always thinking of others. James and I could see that the boys were going to be just fine.

Everyone was able to find a place to sit or stand in front of the control board, and when Colt pointed to Luke and said, "Go ahead son, turn it on, Luke's eyes lit up as brightly as the lights on the miniature town. He was positively beaming.

Luke flipped the switch and the town came to life. James and I even found it awe inspiring; to see how intricately everything had been designed and built. I watched as the animated figures started moving and the storekeeper looked up at us and removed his hat, wiping his forehead, and replacing the hat on his head. He then walked to the end of his sidewalk and started his sweeping. He was, in fact, magnificent.

"Can I touch them?" Mark asked.

"You can if you like, son," Colt told him, "but you may be surprised as to what will happen if you do."

Mark reached his hand out tentatively, and gently touched the storekeeper with his finger. The little guy put down his broom, looked up at Mark and said, 'Hello, I'm Mr. Bailey, and I own this store. What can I do for you?'

Mark jerked his hand back and looked up at Colt. "He talked to me, Dad."

"Well, actually the computer talked to you, through the storekeeper, son. You activated the sensor in the storekeeper. If you speak to him, he will talk to you. Call him by his name."

"Okay, Dad." Mark said. "Hello Mr. Bailey. Can you understand me?"

'I am programmed to respond to your questions. What is your name?"

"My name is Mark." he giggled.

'Hello Mark. I'm pleased to meet you. I can tell you all about running a store. Most of the people here can tell you about the things they do. All you have to do is get their attention. You touched me, so I noticed you. That technique will work with any of us that have sensors. Now that you know my name, if you want to talk to me, all you have to do is call me by name, and I will answer you.'

Everyone was looking at the storekeeper. Colt, Matt, Earl and Jack had programmed the interactive figures, and had been waiting for one of the boys to actually touch one of the figures or get the attention of one of them. They didn't want to spoil the surprise. The computer that ran the whole system had access to the Internet and could search for almost any information that the boys might ask for. The display was going to be a very good educational resource. The best part was that the boys would learn by doing and would find it fun to play with the wonderful little town, and its little people.

Luke looked at the farmer that was standing by his barn leaning on a pitchfork. He had been moving some hay into a pile.

Luke reached out and touched the farmer's shoulder. The farmer looked at Luke and said, 'Hello young man. I'm Farmer John. I can tell you all about farming or ranching. What is your name?'

"My name is Luke, but I bet you can't tell me from Mark."

The farmer moved his head back and forth looking first at Luke and then at Mark. 'I guess you are right, but I think, once I get to know you better, I will be able to tell.'

Luke turned and looked at Colt and said, "They seem so real, Daddy, I think they understand me."

"Well, Son, in a way, they do understand you. All the characters that can move independently are connected to the main computer that is under the table. They get all their information from that computer. We have programmed it to respond to anyone that lives here on the ranch and other special friends as well, so if anyone speaks directly to a character, the character will check his references and answer appropriately. You two are new to the computer, since we kept you from coming in here, so we could surprise you. Now that the computer knows who you two are, it will be better able to respond to any questions you ask. Anything you tell one of the characters, he or she will remember it for future use." Colt said.

"Farmer John wasn't kidding when he told you that he will eventually be able to tell you two apart." Earl chuckled. "If I were a betting man, I would bet it won't take him more than a week of seeing you two, before he has you both figured out."

Colt looked at the twins and said, "It doesn't matter if we turn it off; all the information that was gathered while the system was on will be kept. Everything will pick up exactly where you left off."

James and I both noticed that each of the figures had his own voice. The guys had done a very good job of building the system and getting the computer to respond properly to the sensory data that it was being fed.

The boys hadn't even looked into the ranch house. If they had, they would have noticed the whole family represented there, including JC, James and Me, but it was just about time to call it all to a halt, and shut down the system.

It was getting close to time for lunch, and I knew that damned triangle was going to ring any second. I no sooner had the thought, than we heard the noisy, clanging monster. How in the world does she manage to ring it that loud?

Colt shut down the system, and everyone made their way back to the house.

Julie and Jo had made some nice deli sandwiches and a huge salad. All the adults had coffee, except for Jerry and Kevin, who decided they would rather have milk like the twins.

Once lunch was finished and everyone had given Julie and Jo big hugs and thanked them for the meal, everyone pitched in and gathered up all the dishes, took them to the kitchen, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. Julie and Jo were doing their best to tell everyone that it wasn't necessary, but no one listened to them. Everything was cleaned up in practically no time, and Colt and Matt gently maneuvered Julie and Jo into the living room.

Colt said, "Grandma Julie, You and Jo have worked hard all day, and it is time you two relaxed. Come on and watch a movie with us. I know it's a little late, but I wanted to see Miracle on 34th Street." He put the DVD in the player and the whole family watched the famous Christmas movie, and everyone was in tears as the credits rolled.

"Mark asked, "Why didn't they believe in Santa Clause, Daddy Colt?"

Colt smiled and said, "Probably because they didn't have any angels to show them what the spirit of Christmas was all about. Remember that Christmas is not about getting presents, it is supposed be about the spirit of giving to others."

Matt piped up, "Hey Colt, don't forget that someone wonderful gave us the best present we could ever have asked for, at the beginning of this month. We got two great sons that love us, and that we love very much."

Just then, the intercom buzzed. Matt went to answer it. "Matt here. What's up?"

Ben's voice was shaking. "We have a horse down in the pasture behind the barn. I don't recognize her. She seems to be in pain, but I can't tell what is wrong with her. Can you get out here and see if you can find out what happened?! Please hurry!"

Everyone grabbed their coats and hurried outside to the pasture. She was a beautiful Chestnut mare.

She was nickering softly, 'My baby, My baby. Please save my baby.' Colt got to work. "Get me the medical kit, someone." He gently rubbed the mare's neck and soothingly said, It's okay, honey, we'll help you. You're going to be just fine. Matt, Call Doctor Lightfoot, and tell him we need him fast, please. She is bleeding internally. The colt is caught and somehow twisted around the wrong way."

In a little more than five minutes, Dr. Lightfoot arrived. He had his medical equipment all ready, and was taking charge as quickly as possible. "Steady, Girl, We'll have him out of there in just a little bit. I promise I won't hurt you, sweetheart."

The Mare was calming down and the colt was almost out. Dr. Lightfoot gently removed the colt from his mother, and got his umbilical cord tied off. The little fellow was breathing on his own, and his mother was no longer in pain. The colt had had the cord wrapped around his legs and had been unable to get out of the birth canal.

"What's your name, Mama? Your son is going to be just fine. You just need to relax and calm down. If you move around too much, you are just going to start bleeding again."

'My name is June. I couldn't stand it there any more. I tried to get here, cause I heard that everyone here would treat us good.' She had been looking straight into Dr. Lightfoot's eyes. Finally she lay her head back down and took a deep breath, 'Thank you Doctor, I don't think i could have gone any farther.'

"Why did you run away? Did they know you were going to have a baby?"

'Oh yeah they knew, but they didn't care. They are too busy acting really dumb, to pay any attention to their animals. They drink that smelly stuff and then they act really dumb and clumsy, and sometimes just fall down and go to sleep or something. Sometimes we went for days without food or water. Oh yeah, I forgot to thank you for helping me. It's nice to have someone that understands me. The people at the 'Long Rod' never pay a bit of attention to anything we tell them. In fact, if we say anything, they hit us, so we just keep quiet as much as possible. Finally I had enough, and I couldn't stay there any more and have my baby hurt.'

"June, you are safe here. No one will ever hurt you or your son. There are at least four people that live here, that can understand you and will listen to anything you want to tell them." Doctor Lightfoot told her. "June, we are going to get to the bottom of this mistreatment, I promise you. Don't worry. Your friends will be helped."

"Make that six people, June; our two new sons can understand you too. They are both five years old, and they will love you and your baby." Colt told her.

Doctor Lightfoot looked surprised, "Did you say the twins are whisperers too? That is so wonderful!"

Colt called Animal Control. "Hello, This Is Colt Andersen, I am from the Lazy L. Ranch, We have just found an abused horse that has just given birth today. Doctor Lightfoot is treating the mother and son right now. It seems that they belong to the Long Rod Ranch. It is only a short drive there from here, but It must have been pretty tough on June to get here, since she was almost ready to deliver her colt. We have reason to believe that there is a lot going on over there with regard to the welfare of their animals. I can't tell you my sources, but I promise you that I got a lot of my best information straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. I can vouch for the integrity of my witness. Unfortunately, my witness is way too frightened to testify. Besides that She is not able to articulate very well in English. She would require an interpreter to make herself understood, and we only know of seven of them anywhere near here, and they all live here on our ranch, except for Doctor Lightfoot. I suppose I might be able to call on him to testify on her behalf." Colt glanced over at Doctor Lightfoot, who smiled and nodded. "I will have to ask him. What I would like for your people to do is to conduct a surprise inspection of the conditions at that ranch, to see if there is anything that can be done to help the animals. I would also like to have Doctor Lightfoot be present during the raid. I would like it if you would allow my brother and me to be there as well. We are pretty good with animals, and if what I believe to be true is true, then the animals there will certainly require attention as soon as possible." Colt took a deep breath and continued. "I promise you that no one here takes the charges lightly. There are animals that are in fact in danger of dieing of starvation and or dehydration. There have also been signs of physical abuse including but not limited to broken or bruised ribs and poor hygiene. This needs to be stopped immed iately."

The Animal control officer told Colt that he would be over to the Lazy L. in about ten minutes.

The little colt was already standing on his own. Doctor Lightfoot had already given him a bottle of formula to drink, and the little guy had taken it easily and quickly. There was no doubt what so ever that the colt trusted Doctor Lightfoot.

"That's it Little Bit. Drink it all down." the Doctor cooed. His voice was so soft and gentle; no one could resist his charms. The colt seemed to bond to him instantly.

'Mama' he nickered.

"Your Mama is going to be just fine. She had a hard time getting you to come out of her, but she is resting now, so when she feels stronger, I will take you to her. We will take care of you till she feels strong enough to do it."

Just then Mark and Luke tentatively made their way over to the little colt.

Mark said, "He's beautiful, isn't he? Hello Little Bit." He reached over and stroked the colt's neck, receiving a shiver from the timid little fellow.

Meanwhile Luke had walked up to the colt and was petting him on his back. Luke said, "It's okay. We won't hurt you. You're safe here."

'Thanks! That feels real good.' the little guy nickered.

"You're welcome; You sure are a good looking horse." Mark enthused.

Doctor Lightfoot had been watching the interplay between the boys and the colt. "You two seem to know just the way to treat him. He already likes you. I hope you guys will help me take care of him."

"Sure!!!" the boys burst out enthusiastically and simultaneously. They seemed to do that a lot.

After about five minutes, the Animal Control Officer drove up in an unmarked Jeep. He got out and greeted the men and boys. "Hi there, I'm Harold Wilson. I spoke to a Colt Andersen, a few minutes ago. I understand that we have a situation that needs looking into."

"Yes sir," Colt said as he offered his hand for Harold to shake, "I'm Colt Andersen, and there is a serious problem at the Long Rod Ranch." Colt took a deep breath and began.

"Mr. Wilson, what I am going to tell you is going to be difficult for you to believe, but I swear it is true." Colt motioned for the officer to follow him, and everyone gathered around the new horses. June was grooming her little colt and she was standing pretty steadily on her feet. She nickered at Colt and the rest, as they came close. "Mr. Wilson, this is June. She is the mare that just gave birth. The colt next to her is her son. Now comes the part that you are going to find hard to believe, and it is the reason that our witness can not appear in court to testify." Once again Colt took a deep breath.

Before he could begin again, Doctor Lightfoot began, "Hello Harold, I believe you know me by now. I'm Doctor Ernest Lightfoot, and June is my patient. She has several bruised ribs and several nasty cuts on her mouth from some sort of object that has been in her mouth. She also has various scars on other parts of her body that are quite old as well as a few fresh ones. I believe she has been severely abused, and I will be happy to testify to that." The Doctor looked directly into Mr. Wilson's eyes. "Harold, I am going to tell you something that you are probably not going to believe. I got my information about the cruelty that is taking place at the Long Rod, straight from the horse's mouth. I am dead serious and I am not speaking metaphorically. There are seven people right here at this ranch who understand horses. This lovely mare has told us that all the animals on that ranch have been mistreated, including physical abuse and withholding of food and water."

Mr. Wilson's mouth dropped open. "Ernest, I don't know what to say, other than, Thank God for people like you that can find out this stuff. It could have taken us months to trace all this out, but with your word, I think we have a chance to help the animals on that ranch and get them out of danger. I would like to have two or three people that can understand horses, so you can calm them down, and make it easier. I suggest you drive over pulling a horse trailer. I am going to call the sheriff, and get him over there as well; we will want to press charges against these people." Mr. Wilson, Colt, Matt, and Earl all piled into the Jeep and headed for the The Long Rod. Doctor Lightfoot finished attaching the big horse trailer to the back of his truck and followed at a safe distance.