It took me a lot of thinking over how to put this introduction. To be on the safe side I would say this chapter is M-rated until the ZZZZ-line. The reason, it deals with one of the hard parts of life and I hope I don't give anyone a is not my intention. So if you are under 18 (unless your backpack of life is pretty filled), don't read the beginning of this chapter and quickly go to the large ZZZZZZ-line and pick the story up. Don't worry you won't miss a thing except for some details.
Please let me know what you feel, I am pretty doubtful about this chapter.

~Z~

Chapter 9

"Aggh, owww, oh aah, this really hurts," Victoria whispered between clenched teeth while some tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. She kept repeating this over and over again never realising how much time was passing by, as she lay curled up in her bed.
"Oh Dios, oh awww, I don't feel this," Victoria changed her agony somewhere in this storm of pain, 'it is not there. If it is not there then I don't feel it."
Victoria cried harder, when some stronger pain threw her out of her strength, but when the pain slightly decreased, she found some force to stay strong again and held back some new tears. However, the short silence gave her time to think.

"Oh mama! Why does it hurt so much, what is happening? Awww".
Tears of pain were streaming over her face now. In the back of her head some inner voice was telling her that she already knew, but she refused to listen to it.
"I don't feel this, this is not happening. If it isn't happening, I don't feel it."

"Aww aww aww awwww, this hurts," she grunted again. Immediately the antithesis to her earlier thought followed to stand firm in this agony. "This is not happening, so I don't feel it."
Thinking this she tried to suppress her fear feverishly. She wasn't sure she was succeeding, but she did know she felt very lonely and at the same time she figured she could get herself through this bad ordeal.

Her misery was suddenly interrupted by a voice which was approaching her quickly, "Victoria, Dios, what is happening?"
Some relief floated over her as she realized she wasn't alone anymore. Some strong arms quickly enveloped her body. The whole gesture moved her so much that more tears started crawling freely over her face.
For some minutes she was just being held, while she suffered these terrible pains. When it subdued again a bit and she felt strong enough, she dared to speak to him. "My stomach hurts terribly and my back too, sometimes I can't breathe."

"How long is this going on?" her saviour inquired with a hoarse whisper. She could hear the emotions of the other and felt more miserable than she already did. At the same time she felt some resistance to show how she felt. She didn't want to appear a weak woman. In her head she heard the same line repeating again. "If it isn't there, you won't feel it. And when you don't feel it, it isn't there. This is not happening."

She thought she answered pretty soon, but she couldn't tell. All sense of time was lost on her. "Ahh, eh, aah, when Diego helped me upstairs and made sure I was doing as fine as I could be."
"Poor man, he thought I really looked sick and promised me to fetch you. I am glad he was able to find you..." she got cut off by another stab in her stomach making her cry in pain again.

"Shhh, I am here now, we will get you through this." He felt her tense again, when a tornado of pain overpowered her and took her in his eye making her relax a little to tense even more when she got on the other part of the tornado.
"Oh no," Victoria suddenly whined. A second later he felt his hand getting wet and took his hand away from her lower belly. Blood. It was exactly what he had feared.
He quickly got up and asked her where to find towels and some bandage. "Zorro, please stay." Victoria begged.
"I won't leave you, querida," Zorro soothed, "at least not longer than necessary, but I need some things to help you clean up."
Between a few other pain strikes she told him where to find things, then she urged him to help her up. "Zorro!" she grunted again, "I need to go to the privy."

Zorro helped her up and felt her tremble. He decided to help her upon the specific chair until she was seated.
"Oh Dios, what a mess!" she suddenly cried out shock, when she stood up and had a good look at her skirt. Even the candlelight couldn't hide the big pot of blood on it. With all decency gone, she pulled it up to ready herself with Zorro's support to be seated

Then she sat down. Not ten seconds later she really got scared. Feeling as if her intestines were leaving her body, realisation of truth hit in and she grabbed her lover's hands as if her life depended on it.
Zorro felt the change in her attitude. Even though his exterior seemed calm, he also felt turmoil of emotions almost strangling his throat. He had to stay strong for his love; he had to remain calm to get her through this.
When Victoria had the feeling everything was over, she asked Zorro to help her to get cleaned up. He also helped her to change her in to some clean clothes. Thereafter, she didn't want anything than to get back on her bed. Noticing her bed, she decided immediately that it needed to be cleaned as well and got into action before the masked man was able to protest.

Together they changed the sheets in silence. Victoria noticed him being not very handy with it, but she didn't care a bit. It was again proof he was a caballero, but one who didn't care about using his hands. She was even glad about the mattresses still looking unharmed, while her clothes surely must have been ruined.

T-rating again.
~Z~

Not much later Victoria was able to turn in, Zorro put all sheets together and joined her on the bed with his clothes on. The rest of the night he would hold her and if she needed his presence longer, then he would stay as long as possible. Stroking her hair and neck he soothed her. She was still in pain, but mental pain. He wasn't sure which pain was worse. His hand still felt bruised by her firm grip she held on him, when she was hurting so badly.

He suffered too. For her and also for himself. He felt so powerless when he saw her having so much pain. He was sure she went through hell. As for himself, he felt so guilty for having done this to her and kept on thinking, "If only I could turn back time, this wouldn't have happened."
He also felt bad for having left her alone earlier, but she practically begged Diego to leave and get Zorro immediately. He kept asking if she were alright, but she made a firm stand. There was nothing left but going and make the hero appear.

Victoria's pain eased by Zorro's calmness, but she felt numb though very loved. He was there for her, despite of the risk he was taking.
She noticed the first streams of light entering her room. Dusk had fallen in and the sun surely was rising. She also heard soldiers returning from their patrol, arriving at the cuartel and making their reports.
Out of the blue someone yelled, "Toronado! I saw Toronado."

Zorro immediately sat up straight, thinking what mistake he had made, but he couldn't think of any. The following seconds he watched Victoria who looked terrified. "They'll surely start looking here. You need to go."
Zorro was about to protest, but Victoria suddenly got as strong as a tiger protecting her kittens, "Go."
"Will you be alright?" How he hated to leave her like this! As if she hadn't suffered enough.
"Now!"

"Alright, I will be back soon and I'll take this with me." Quickly Zorro gathered all blood stained clothes and sheets. Then he turned to Victoria, "I will also hide this. Doctor Hernandez must inspect this."
Victoria was dazed about his actions, but she was glad he took all this mess away from her room. She only nodded approvingly.
"I will be back before you know it." Zorro kissed her quickly, but then her defence broke apart.

"Stay in bed and say you have a headache," Zorro advised, "it will save you a lot of explaining and you will be safe."
Victoria nodded again, but her mind was on another rollercoaster. It sounded so odd to hear Zorro saying this weird excuse. It sounded like she had to be acting like Diego.
Then, the room was empty making Victoria feel as lonely as ever. She tried to ignore her agony and started praying for Zorro's life when she heard the alcalde breaking the morning tranquillity with his commands.

In the meantime Zorro was quickly hiding the mess on the roof in the shadows of the raised edges of the tavern facades. He saw the men of the garrison running over the plaza into the direction of the taverna and knew he had no time to waste. He threw off his mask and sabre, started undressing by opening the first two buttons and threw his shirt off. Then he jumped over the façade upon a lower roof, where he quickly took off his boots. When he was about to pull off his pants in a sitting position, sergeant Mendoza decided to show himself in the backyard of the taverna.

"Buenos días, don Diego," the good sergeant greeted as if it was every day he met the young caballero sitting on a roof just after dusk.
"Don Diego, what are you doing up there so early after dusk?" he asked perplexed, "shouldn't you be in bed right now?"
"You know sergeant, what they say 'Too much bed makes a dull head.' And since I promised Victoria to fix her roof, I thought I had better do it in the early hours before the heat strikes again."
"Oh si don Diego, that is a wise thing," Mendoza agreed. "Lately it had been too hot. It almost boils my brains, like señorita Escalante's albondiga sopa."

Diego had to laugh at the sergeant comparison, but was anxious to leave his hideout fully dressed and be back at Victoria's side.
"Have you seen Zorro by any chance?" sergeant Mendoza suddenly asked.
Diego looked thoughtful and then he replied, "as a matter of fact, sergeant, now I happen to have seen something black, I am sure it must have been Zorro."
Diego noticed the sergeant hung expectantly on his lips and quickly continued to waste no more time than necessary. So he pointed away from the taverna into the direction of the forests north the pueblo, "I think he went that way."

"Oh mile gracias, don Diego," the sergeant thought he would have a lucky day and immediately called for his lancers, "men, fetch the horses! He went into the forest!"
When Mendoza was out of sight, Diego heaved a sigh and quickly changed his pants, where after he practically jumped into his boots.
In between he overheard the alcalde scolding at the sergeant, ordering some men to ride into the forest and sent the sergeant back to the taverna for more investigations.
Diego shortly watched the sky for help from above. At god's speed he hurried himself through the closest window and headed to Victoria's room.

Softly he knocked on her door and waited for the invitation.
"Go away," Victoria ordered her visitor, whereas she was sure Zorro would walk in immediately.
"Victoria," Diego announced his presence, "are you alright?" He knew she wasn't, but he also knew he couldn't just storm into her room like this.
"I will be fine, Diego," Victoria moaned, "It's just a terrible headache."

Diego inwardly smiled at her excuse, but still he felt awful. Then he saw the sergeant and the alcalde running up the stairs.
"Where is he?" the alcalde growled.
"Don Diego?" Mendoza reacted perplexed again, but alcalde cut off.
"Search the room sergeant." The alcalde snarled and watched Diego suspicious.
"But mi alcalde," the sergeant was about to protest.
"Now sergeant," the alcalde ordered again, and asked rhetorically over his shoulder, "shouldn't you be in bed don Diego?"

The alcalde immediately followed sergeant Mendoza into Victoria's room. Diego joined the other two men to make sure they wouldn't bother Victoria any more than they are already doing, moreover he wanted to save the appearance. He must prevent that his alibi is blown away.
"Where is that lover of yours hiding, señorita?" the alcalde barked at the miserable woman in bed.
"How should I know," Victoria mumbled from underneath her blankets. "Could you please bother some one else with your questions?"

Diego took that moment to push the alcalde out, "It' s obvious Zorro hasn't been here, alcalde. Don't you see the señorita is ill?"
"Don't you dare interfere governmental issues, don Diego, can't you see that I am busy?"
Diego raised his eyebrow and his lips twisted as some kind of apology, but his mind was racing to find a way to get rid of these unwelcome visitors.

"Diego, are you there?" Victoria incredulously asked with a small voice, "don't you belong in bed at this hour?"
Diego rolled his eyes when he had to receive this kick below the belt. "Didn't I promise you to fix the roof today, whereas it had been so hot lately, I figured I had better do it in the coolness of the early morning. Diego told it as if it all was of no importance.

"Yes, yes don Diego." Now the alcalde rolled his eyes, and added harsher "stop wasting my time!"
He watched Victoria sternly, "now where is that bastard?"
Diego undisturbed continued, "You had just some broken tiles, which I have replaced immediately. The leak must have been fixed now. Zorro had probably broken them when he climbed the roofs."

"Thank you Diego," Victoria simply said, still not understanding. These three simple words showed enough emotion for Diego to take action.
"Victoria, what is wrong? This is no simple headache."
"I am fine Diego," Victoria said when Diego put his hand upon her forehead.

"You immediately need a doctor," Diego concluded and turned over to the other men, "now get out of here, she can't help you on your chase. Shouldn't you hurry before Zorro had covered his tracks?"
"Eh, well, yes," the alcalde stammered not comprehending what was going on, but suddenly he got into action too. "Sergeant, get your men and ride to the forest. Zorro is not in town anymore."

At that both men left and Diego heaved his breath. He felt relieved the men had gone, but now a heavier task was ahead. He had left to play the dear friend, but he felt terribly responsible and wasn't sure he could pretend not being the lover he really was. He also had to admit, he wasn't as confident as he appeared to be. He had to assure Victoria his good intends and had to take care of her taking him into her confidence. She would have to rely on him now, but would she?

"Victoria," Diego approached her cautiously with obvious concern in his tone of voice, "to me it's obvious you are in great pain. I think you must see to a doctor. Now, let me fetch doctor Hernandez."
Diego felt he was rambling, but he now had no clue as what to do and only hoped to have Victoria listen to him and accept his efforts to take care of her. "Trust me he won't hurt you and you know that you can tell him everything and won't tell a soul, because of his profession. I hope you will trust me now, and I hope you will believe me you can say anything to me too. I won't tell a soul without even being asked."

"Diego, really," Victoria started denying him, but then she had another stab in her stomach. Diego instantly sat down and rubbed her back.
"Gracias, Diego," Victoria thanked him a bit later, when the pain had lessened. She wore a confused expression on her face, but she was too tired to think about everything that was happening in detail.
"How are you feeling?" Diego informed to get the picture of her condition at this moment.

"Like I said before, Diego" Victoria answered, ", I have a terrible headache. And ok I have some pain in my stomach, but don't people have that some of the time?"
Diego only raised his eyebrows and said, "if you say so." He didn't want to press her any further, so he simply asked her if she could be by herself for a couple of minutes.
"Sure," Victoria replied with a confidence she didn't feel.

"Then I will get you some breakfast," Diego promised while he stood up and softly laid his hand in comfort on her head.
Tears were forming in her eyes again, but Diego didn't notice. He had two tasks to do and he had to hurry. First he needed to ask Alicia to prepare some breakfast, second he had to fetch Doctor Hernandez.
When the door shut behind him Victoria started to cry again. When this float had passed, she drifted away from reality.

~Z~