Waking up
"Diego?" Victoria looked at him with clear eyes for the first time. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You were kidnapped by bandits who hurt you very badly. Don't you remember?"
"Zorro, he was there and then there was pain, it hurt so much...," The memory alone caused her distress putting tears in her eyes. "Zorro, has he been here?"
"Why do you ask that, Victoria? Don't you remember anything?" Diego was shocked.
"Has anything happened to Zorro? Is he alright?" Victoria asked agitated. "You would tell me if anything happened to him, wouldn't you, Diego?"
"Everything is alright with Zorro. Don't worry about him." Diego calmed her and she let out a breath of relief. "It is you I'm worried about. You have been very ill and for some time we were very concerned for you."
"How long has it been?"
"More than two weeks. How do you feel?" Diego asked concerned.
"That long?"
"The worst is over, Victoria. Nobody will harm you anymore, you will only have to get better," he said soothingly. There is nothing else you remember, Victoria?" The disappointment in his voice was slightly audible.
"No, Diego, but I'm so tired. Is something wrong?" She thought she saw hurt in his face and he had released her hand she only realized now he had been holding the whole time. Only having this conversation proved to be an effort that tired her and showed how weak she was. She could hardly keep her eyes open.
"No, it is alright, Victoria. You have been through so much, it will take time for you to recover."
He rose for the door and from the way he moved she knew that something bothered him and she couldn't help the feeling that she had forgotten something important, but all her memories were a blur and she couldn't concentrate on anything.
Diego was shocked that Victoria didn't remember anything from that fateful day. What was he to do now that everything seemed to be wiped from her memory? They were back to the same situation as before the incident. He was only her good friend and the identity of Zorro was still a mystery, their marriage vows forgotten as well. But for the moment there was nothing he could do about it, weak as she was, he wasn't sure how she would cope with the news when even the little she remembered was disturbing her.
From the day Victoria woke up again, Diego became more reserved towards her. During the many hours he had held vigil while she was unconscious, he had held her hand and kissed her cheek, but how could he show her his love now when she didn't remember that he was Zorro and that they were in love and married? Except for returning to their former relationship when they had been only friends there was nothing he could do while he waited for her to recover and eventually to remember.
Victoria's recovery progressed steadily but she was still very weak. She needed the help of a maid for the simplest task and she tired very quickly, sleeping a lot. It took two more weeks before she was able to leave her bed on her own for more than a few steps.
Whenever she was awake Diego was there to offer his company, talking, reading to her or playing the piano. He also carried her to the garden bench when she expressed her wish for fresh air and and to look at something besides the four walls of her room.
Alejandro wondered what was going on, Diego could hardly be kept from Victoria's side since she had been injured and he had brought her over from the mission. The love he felt for her had been hard to miss, but now he behaved like a brother again and he also saw the sadness in his son's eyes when he thought himself unobserved.
