Alejandro Returns Home
Victoria sat in the driver's seat of her cart, trying hard not to glance behind at her beloved. She listened to everything around her in a state of shock.
Alejandro noticed her discomfort, and offered to trade places with the young woman. She shook her head stubbornly.
"He's unconscious. No talking," he whispered with a knowing smile.
"I'd be in tears the whole time…"
He placed a hand on her arm and nodded.
He had positioned Diego carefully on his back, his body and head pillowed on soft blankets. Felipe supported him on his left, shielding him from bumps as the cart jolted along the rough road. Alejandro sat on his right.
Felipe's eyes never left Diego's face. His hand was gently placed on his chest near his heart.
"Felipe," Alejandro said softly. He noticed the boy startle a little. He could definitely hear him, and as he blushed, Alejandro realised the boy knew the game was over. "Felipe…"
The boy turned his head, and tried to sign with one hand. After a few clumsy attempts he brought the other hand into the communication.
I can hear, he signed.
"Obviously," Alejandro said. "You can speak, Felipe. Don't use the signs," he added, placing his hand on Felipe's, silencing the communication.
Felipe shook his head and sighed. It was audible. "Father…" He said.
"Yes. Diego is your father," Alejandro said softly. Felipe signed a few more signals.
"You have no other words?" Alejandro said slowly. "I heard you say, 'No'." Felipe shrugged.
"Don't worry, my boy. If you can say one word, you can say more in time. This is a great start," Alejandro said, squeezing the teenager's shoulder gently. "That was great shooting back there…Wherever did you learn that?"
"Father," Felipe said with a small smile. I was never meant to kill anyone, he signed. Father will not approve.
"Well, I certainly approve," Alejandro said. He shuddered. The man would have definitely killed him, and would have completed the job within seconds if the shot had not been fired. "It is much better to have to apologise to your father, than to mourn him."
Felipe went back to his vigil, as the jolting brought him back to the present. Alejandro glanced out to the side, scanning the horizon for dangers. The Alcalde met his eyes, pulling in his horse, and walking him next to the cart.
"How is he going?"
"No real change. The airways are still swollen. The cold compresses are working but only just. He's breathing…"
The Alcalde peered into the cart at the unconscious man. "The deaf mute, Diego's boy, talks…"
"The shock of losing his father," Alejandro said with a shrug. "Diego is going to be so excited…"
"You have been lucky, Don Alejandro, very lucky," the Alcalde said. He urged his horse to a faster canter to distance himself from the cart a little.
Felipe was tugging on Alejandro's sleeve anxiously. Diego's breathing had changed dramatically. Victoria slowed the horse, but Alejandro assured her that all was fine.
"Felipe, he's just waking up," Alejandro told him. He watched his son's forehead crease, and a hand went to his neck. His breathing was raspy and strained, instead of whisper quiet.
"Rest, Diego. Your airways are damaged. Wise Eagle gave us a medicine that should soothe and heal your throat. Relax…"
Diego's eyes flickered open, and his eyes moved to Felipe and then to Alejandro. He tried to speak, but still nothing came. Felipe put a finger to his lips, and pressed gently on his left shoulder. Diego sighed, and glanced around him.
"Yes, you are in Victoria's cart, and we are surrounded by the most diligent of guards," Alejandro said with a vague smile. "You'd think you were personally related to royalty or something."
"Max is captured, and Jerry is dead," Alejandro added, noticing the way Diego was frowning as he tried to see over the side of the moving cart. "Perhaps he will need to regroup to threaten us again. I think we are safe for the moment, my son."
Diego gazed back at his father and gasped for air. His breath was coming painfully and fast.
"I told you to rest. Get your breathing a little calmer, it will feel a little easier," Alejandro said, gently but firmly. "The cold compresses are working, but you need to give them time."
Diego stared up at the blue sky, and Alejandro could see his son consciously try his best to relax. Shoulders softened, hands unclenched, forehead relaxed. His breathing calmed a little, but it was still noisy.
"Much better," Alejandro said, remembering to praise and encourage. "Nice to see you listen to me, sometimes," he added. A slight smile came to Diego's mouth, and a small twinkle lit his eyes.
The rhythm of the cart soon lulled Diego back into a sound sleep. Alejandro heard the change almost immediately. It was frightening in its own way, the noisy breathing lulling into whisper quiet shallow breaths. He wasn't sure if it was a good sign or not.
"How far now to the hacienda, Sergeant?" Alejandro called.
Mendoza came to the side of the cart and peeped over. "About half an hour now, Don Alejandro. How is he?"
"Still weak. I think it may be early days, but he woke earlier and listened to me for a little while. Surely that is a good sign," Alejandro said gently. Mendoza nodded.
"I was truly sad when we all thought he was dead. Your son is a good man, Don de la Vega, and a kind one. He has been through a lot on his own out there," Mendoza said.
"I like to think Zorro helped him, Sergeant. That he wasn't all alone," Alejandro said, smoothing a wayward strand of hair from his son's forehead.
"The Alcalde said bandits had captured Zorro, and we went to arrest him. But of course it was a trick and there was no one….It's not that easy to capture Zorro. So Zorro was in the area yesterday," Mendoza replied. "He always helps those in need, if he comes across them."
"Zorro is a great man, Mendoza. A great man."
"Si, mi amigo, but do not let the Alcalde hear us say so," Mendoza said with a sigh. "The man is so pigheaded."
It got a laugh from Victoria, and Mendoza moved back to his position.
"Victoria, do you need a rest from driving the cart?"
"No Don Alejandro, I'm fine," Victoria said softly. Felipe gestured for him to go to her, and Alejandro left Diego to the teenager. He clambered over to the driver's seat, and Victoria moved over to accommodate the man.
"How is he really? His breathing, it sounded so frightening before. And then it was a little more frightening – I really thought he had stopped breathing altogether for a moment there."
"He woke up and panicked because he felt like he wasn't getting enough air, that's all. The airways seem to constrict a little more when someone panics. I think that's why some society women faint so often. They like to pull their waists in, and that limits the breathing – any shock sends them into a faint. Who knows what women will think of next to damage their bodies?"
"No society ladies here in Los Angeles, thank goodness. How would I ever get anything done around here? I get so many shocks these days…"
"I'm sorry," Alejandro said softly. "My son didn't mean to hurt you, I'm very sure of that, Victoria."
"So am I. Very sure." She sighed. "I love him and I know that he loves me. How stubborn can someone get? Did he never want us to be together?"
"Keep your voice down, my dear. The Alcalde and his men…"
She glanced around at the soldiers around them. It could so easily change from a protective escort to an arresting party. Instead of a soft warm bed, Diego could find himself thrust into a cold empty cell. She shivered a little.
"How will you ever pull this arranged marriage off, Don Alejandro? It would have to be a surprise right up to the very day of the wedding. You know how he is about arranged marriages."
"We'll do it quickly, before he gets a chance to change his mind. You will need to stay away for a while. Let him brood over his heart break and he won't give Zorro and Victoria's future a chance until he regains his strength," Alejandro said softly.
"Will he regain his strength? He is so pale. Breathing is so difficult for him. Don Alejandro, I don't think I can cope with losing him again," Victoria whispered. Alejandro glanced over his shoulder.
"I tell the truth, neither do I," he murmured. "He's a de la Vega. He gains strength through adversity. He's too stubborn to give up. He'll regain his strength."
Victoria brushed her cheek, and nodded. Alejandro ignored the tear he had seen running down the length of her face, and kept his eyes on the horizon. Soon he would see the white fence of the hacienda, and his son would rest in his own bed.