Deer

I'm giving Write and Link another go for June.  I enjoyed the other stories posted, and had enough positive feedback, to "go public" once more. The theme line is "When suddenly I saw..."  This is not in first person; I used the allowed flexibility, but stayed true to the theme. Wish me luck. I'm about to hit publish.

A few more steps; Angela knew she could make them. This is by far the longest she had walked in five months, and despite the pain in the knee that was getting more pronounced, her body felt strong. She took those last steps, and was about to turn around, when suddenly she saw a  beautiful doe, and two fawns. She couldn't recall having been this close to a deer before, except perhaps at the zoo. Angela looked eye to eye with her.The deer moved a bit, putting herself between her offspring and the woman, but she did not run off. It was almost like she sensed Angela was of no threat, and even more, needed a connection. How ironic Angela thought as her mind wandered back to that snowy November night.

Wednesday night was her night out.  Her night that she could be just herself-not some one's wife or mother, and hang with her girlfriends following an hour of volleyball. The game was fun, but her team was not even mildly competitive anymore, but it didn't matter.The girls night at a local pub was the real night out. Strictly a social drinker, she always made sure to never exceed her personal two glass limit, whether it be wine or beer, and usually nibbled on something along with the beverage. They were a smaller group as two of the team left right after playing so they could help get their husbands packed for a long weekend deer hunting trip. The other women were mildly catty at the thought of cutting girls night short to take care of the mighty hunters.Tonight though, they all called it quits earlier as the snow that had been light when they left the school gym was now starting to accumulate.  A quick hug and a wave good by and the 5 ladies each went their separate way. On the road, Angela got stuck behind a sand truck, sent out early because those early  winter fall snows tend to make the roads greasy before the snow really starts to stick.  Not wanting to be limping along behind the truck, she veered off the main road, and took a  side route that while still part of the town, was lined by a wooded area, and had a couple parks  with crops of trees; a cute mini forest. Opposite the park was a little ravine. 

She saw him, it was too late to react and avoid a collision. A big stag, complete with a set of antlers, was there in the road and then suddenly on her windshield.  Instinct took hold and she turned the wheel hard, not realizing she was sending her car down the hill, where it then slammed, drivers side into  a concrete drainage pipe.  Her little Toyota folded like an accordion and she could feel twisted and ripped metal pierce her leg, her side, her arm, and her middle.  It felt like hours before anyone found her, though when she later was conscious enough to tell the Sheriff's deputy what happened, learned it must have been less than 30 minutes. 

"You were very lucky," the doctors told her. They had saved her leg, but  months of healing and therapy would be in order. Her family visited her in the hospital over Thanksgiving, and  made proclamations that she would be home for Christmas. When Christmas came and went, but this time, in a recovery center, she started doubting she would ever walk again with two legs. She repeatedly asked people if there was any news about the deer.  Did they find him?  Did he live?  No one knew, or at least wouldn't say. She convinced herself she had killed him, and felt genuine sorrow. One day leaving the physical therapy room, she passed a visitor wearing a camouflage hunting sweatshirt, and thought again about that deer. This time though, instead of sorrow, she felt strength. It was then she decided she would not let it end her and worked harder on her physical therapy, for both her and the deer. She was home by Valentines Day. Each day she got stronger, until the day in April she proclaimed she was going to go for a walk and wanted it to be on the stretch of road where the accident occurred. Her husband drove her there, and parked at one end of the park.  

For a few more seconds, she locked eyes with the Doe. Was this the deer's partner, she couldn't help wondering? There was a rustling sound in the grass behind a group of trees. The doe and her children moved off towards the sound.  Angela was about to keep walking, but hesitated a bit longer as she wanted to see the animals move out of site. Then she saw him. A large deer, with antlers a touch larger than she recalled, peering out behind the trees. Could it be? What would be the odds? In her mind, she knew it was the same deer. She got back to the car where her husband was waiting. "How did that go?" he asked.  She smiled and said, "It felt great."