About a month after he had broken his leg, during which time nothing major happened in the pueblo, and Zorro only showed up twice, to deliver some bandits and cattle rustlers to justice, Ignacio was back on his feet, thanks to Jessie's care. His leg had mended quite nicely, even if he still needed to walk with a cane for a couple of weeks, and he was able to return to his office. He did so rather reticently and immediately found that he very much missed the young doctor.
The reason why he missed her, however, was not one he would have expected when they first met, nor during all that time she had spent embarrassing him. Truth was that he had fallen in love with her.
That was an epiphany he had had one afternoon, when he was watching her clean the room. Her hair was in disarray and she was in dire need of a bath, yet he thought he had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life, and just watched her mesmerized.
De Soto, however, also feared his love was doomed from the start, considering how perfect Jessie Kent and Diego de la Vega seemed for each other, and how many faults she found in him. He would have wanted to be better, but people don't change overnight. He did resolve to try, though, for, as long as the caballero did not officially start courting her, as Ignacio assumed he would, there was still hope.
He, thus, at first, simply started coming up with reasons to see her, which, Diego though, was a nice change from the Alcalde spending all his free time thinking of traps aimed at capturing his masked self.
De Soto would have declared his intentions, but was afraid he'd be ridiculed and she would not even accept him as a patient anymore if she knew the truth.
Every morning after returning to his quarters, Ignacio visited Jessie to make sure his leg was fine and the strange noise he had heard at getting out of bed didn't mean it was about to break again, or that the hand he had just fallen on wasn't broken as well, or even that a cut to his finger wasn't getting infected. After the third day, the Doctor was beginning to suspect he was hurting himself on purpose, but didn't say anything, just wondered if he'd eventually shoot himself in the leg only to make her take care of him a little longer.
In the afternoons, he'd usually visit insisting to pay for the morning consultation, even without the Doctor asking for money.
Encourage by her friendliness, he then started to properly court her in secret, mainly by paying children to take her small presents and flowers, anonymously. Jessie didn't need many clues to know whom the presents were from since De Soto came by half an hour after she'd received his first one, and pretended to just notice her new and 'exquisite' flower vase. She chuckled inwardly at his complete lack of subtlety, and stated that she would very much like to know who it was to have made her the gift, in the hope he would reveal his feelings for her. He smiled satisfied and confessed to nothing.
When another present came, three times more expensive and just as anonymous, she reached the decision that, if Ignacio wanted to play games, she might as well entertain herself. Thus, she made a point to complain to Diego about the gifts received, during their lunches, whenever the Alcalde was around and could overhear her, improvising ways to be dissatisfied with them. The caballero didn't need too many clues to the game she was playing, and was more than happy to help, since he found Ignacio's attempts at courting his friend rather amusing.
ZZZ
Several days after De Soto was completely healed, on a Thursday around noon, while Diego was helping his father and his men at the hacienda, a gang of bandits attacked the Bank of Los Angeles. With no Zorro there for the rescue, it was up to the lancers to stop the thugs.
In a matter of moments after the robbers left the bank with the bags of stolen money, the two sides found themselves in a standoff, the bandits taking cover behind some barrels deposited near the institution's entrance, firing at the soldiers trying to prevent their escape.
De Soto, who was eating at the moment it all started, a little too eager to get in on the fight, and wondering if Zorro was involved, exited the tavern without taking any precautions, finding himself caught in the crossfire.
Jessie followed him seconds later to see if anybody needed her help. While assessing the situation, keeping herself close to one of the tavern's pillars, she noticed one of the robbers aiming his gun at Ignacio from behind the barrels. Realizing he wasn't aware of the danger, seconds before the bandit pressed the trigger, she tackled the Alcalde, ending up shot in his stead.
The young woman lost consciousness as she touched the ground, and the bandits took advantage of De Soto and his men's shock to ride out of the pueblo, only a handful of lancers having the presence of mind to follow them.
"Get Diego de la Vega! Now!" De Soto ordered Mendoza, who mounted his horse and headed at full speed towards the De la Vega Hacienda.
ZZZ
Diego arrived together with Felipe about thirty minutes after the shooting, as De Soto was doing his best to stop the bleeding, but, by that time, the young woman had lost an important amount of the vital substance. It was the first thing Diego noticed, and the first step he knew needed done was a transfusion.
"Would you care to donate her your blood, Ignacio?" He asked, studying the list of compatible donors and finding that the Alcalde had the same blood type as Jessie.
De Soto had not answered Diego's appeal to have his blood tested, as many Los Angelinos had, especially since he had even disparaged the caballero's discovery as nonsense. However, while sedated to have his leg fixed, Jessie did take a blood sample anyway, to determine his group.
"Give her my blood, Diego? But... she is a woman. Surely a man can't give blood to a woman?!" De Soto replied making Diego ponder on the absurdity of the Alcalde's ideas.
"Blood is blood Ignacio. It has no gender." He answered.
Ignacio agreed and Diego asked him to take a seat on an armchair next to the doctor, in order for his son to take care of the transfusion, while he was working to get the bullet out and close the wound.
ZZZ
"Is she going to make it?" De Soto asked Diego a while later, as the latter was bandaging Jessie's now-sutured bullet wound.
"It is too early to say, Alcalde." He answered, saddened. "The bullet is out, but I am not sure how much damage it might have caused. "Sergeant! Have the lancers found the men who shot her?" He inquired of the lancer who had just moments earlier entered the office.
"No, Don Diego. The men have just returned. They lost their tracks at the Canyon Perdido." Mendoza answered.
"Incompetents! Oh, just wait till I get my hands on those bandits!" De Soto exclaimed, prompting Diego to wonder at his sudden outburst. "Form another search party, Sergeant! I want those men in my jail, and I will not accept failure!"
Several more hours passed and Jessie was still sleeping peacefully, Ignacio de Soto by her side, refusing to move from the chair he was in.
"Well," Diego uttered, "for now, there's not much more I can do. So far, there is no sign of infection so all she needs is rest. Frankly, that's also what I need. I think I'll ask Victoria and Pilar to help keep vigil on her till morning."
"No… Don't bother them, Don Diego. I'll stay. It's my life she saved. But shouldn't you be here? I would not know what to do if her condition worsens." The Alcalde told him.
"I am afraid there's not much I would be able to do either," Diego replied, "unless she develops a fever, in which case she will need cold compresses on her forehead to help lower it down. That, however, will only happen if there's an infection. If there's any change, though, send a man to the hacienda, and I will be here as soon as I can. If nothing changes, I'll be back at dawn."
Ignacio made a sign with his head, slightly upset at Diego's decision to leave Jessie's side, yet somehow relieved he was going.
ZZZ
"How is she, Diego?" Don Alejandro wondered when his son finally arrived home, two hours after Felipe.
"Resting for now. But I think she'll pull through. There's no sign of infection as of yet, and the bullet didn't seem to have caused much damage, but I can't be absolutely certain of that." He answered.
"Why haven't you brought her here? It would have been easier to care for her at the hacienda."
"He is well looked-after, Father. You don't need to worry. And there's not much I can do if I don't get some rest."
Don Alejandro shook his head disapprovingly as his son headed towards his room, but headed for his just ten minutes later.
ZZZ
That night, Zorro went after the bandits. It was full moon, and he headed straight for the canyon. Searching the places he knew to be the most secluded there, he found the thugs sharing the money and making fun of the stupid lancers who were unable to find them.
"Señores, do you perhaps believe you can hide from justice as easily as you hide from the lancers?" The black-clad man asked from atop his stallion.
"Zorro!" They exclaimed.
Surprised, the four men hardly had any time to realize what was happening when Zorro launched on them with the rage of a mad bull, hitting them and knocking them to the ground.
"A good woman is near death because of your greed! Yet I do not know, Señores, whether to pity her or you, for what the Alcalde will do once he'll have you at his mercy! And you can be sure I do not intend to stop him!" Zorro threatened them.
As he said that, he tied them up, took the money, and delivered them to the lancers which, in the Alcalde's absence, didn't even try to shoot or to follow him.
"Thank you, Zorro!" Mendoza said. "The Alcalde will be very pleased to have them in jail."
As they took the prisoners, Zorro left the pueblo, but soon doubled-back and entered the doctor's office through the roof, and was surprised at seeing Ignacio praying next to Jessie. The scene seemed quite emotional to him, so he allowed De Soto to finish before making his presence known.
"How is she doing, Alcalde?" He asked, convinced De Soto would not pick a fight with him this time.
Ignacio turned and saw him, but, as Zorro predicted, made no move to attack his mortal enemy.
"She is breathing. That's all that matters right now." He answered in a faint voice. "Did you bring in the bandits?" He then asked.
"Yes. Mendoza just escorted them to the jail."
"Good. Good. Thank you for your assistance, Zorro." Ignacio replied and refocused on Jessie.
"Good night, Alcalde!" Zorro wished him with a smile as he left through the front door, whistling for Tornado.
ZZZ
Diego came in early the next morning, more tired than the previous evening since he had barely slept for a couple of hours. At entering the room, he found the Alcalde asleep on a chair next to Jessie. The same image he encountered the next few days, as Ignacio de Soto refused to leave her side.
Jessie woke up the fourth morning, seeing Ignacio asleep in the chair next to her bed. She looked at him smiling and, as he started to wake up, she pretended she was still asleep.
"Any change?" Diego inquired as he entered the room just a few minutes later.
"No, not yet." De Soto replied. "Can't you do anything, Diego?"
"All we can do is wait." The caballero answered with a sigh. "The worst has passed, Ignacio. The wound is healing fine, there is no sign of internal bleeding or infection. If she managed to survive this long, I believe she has very good chances to recover soon. Why don't you go eat something? You need your strength, Alcalde." He added with a genuinely kind tone. "I will look after her."
"I can hardly think of food when she is lying here between life and death." De Soto uttered, in a reproaching tone he couldn't control.
Diego smiled kindly. So he really is able to care for someone other than himself, he thought.
"Go eat something, Ignacio! There's not much you can do for her. I will let you know if there is any change. And you are still Alcalde, you know?" He added.
"Yes, yes… Alright… I will be back in half an hour." De Soto eventually agreed, irritated at Diego deciding to remind him of his official duties.
As he closed the door, Jessie took Diego's hand and stared at him.
"How long has he done that, Diego?" She asked.
"Jessie! How are you feeling?" He inquired, ignoring her question.
"I'm better. Tell me what I asked!" She demanded.
"Ignacio has been by your side most of the time since you got shot." Diego informed her with a smile.
He then continued to recount for her how De Soto donated his blood to save her, how mad he was with the men who shot her, how he had all his lancers dispatched with orders to bring them to justice.
"Let's not tell him anything just yet. For all you know, I am still unresponsive." She asked Diego when he finished.
"I am sure it would make him very happy to find out you recovered! Why would you fake being unconscious?" Diego wondered with some surprise at her request.
"Because I want to see his face when I die on him and miraculously return to life." She answered seriously.
Diego looked at her trying to understand what was going on in her mind.
"Take it as an experiment, Diego! You like experiments. Let's test if De Soto actually has a heart!" She challenged.
The tall caballero smiled wickedly. He somehow pitied De Soto, but he understood quite well the purpose of her plan.
"Alright." He agreed. "I won't tell him… yet. When he returns I will make up some excuse, and go to the tavern. You have half an hour, and he'd better know you are fine when I come back!"
"I believe we have a deal, my friend!" She answered with a smile.
De Soto finished his breakfast in 20 minutes, finding the food tasteless, went by his office, where Mendoza informed him about some nonsense he didn't even try to pay attention to, and hurried to return by Jessie's side.
ZZZ
"Oh, Ignacio, you are back." Diego exclaimed as he entered through the door. "Perfect! I need to go gather some herbs for a plant extract that might be of help. I will not be gone long."
"Yes... I... I guess I can stay with her a little longer." The Alcalde answered, trying to conceal his delight at the fact that Diego was leaving.
About twenty minutes later, Jessie pretended to stop breathing and let her limbs fall idle by her side. Ignacio panicked, tried to call Diego, remembering he was away, then checked if she was breathing using a mirror.
"No, no, no! Please, breathe! I... I don't know what to do! That idiot said you would be alright! I should have known he had no idea what he was doing! You can't die on me now! Please, God, I know I don't talk to you very often but, please, let her live!" He muttered, devastated.
As he said that, Jessie took in a breath of air and opened her eyes staring right at him. He became even more livid than he already was.
"Are you alive?" He asked.
"Yes! I seem to be." She answered as if nothing had happened. "How long have I been here?"
"Well, about four days I believe." Ignacio answered.
"Four days? And you are not sure? Shouldn't you know that for certain?" She asked him.
"Well, I... I am rather tired..." He tried to excuse his doubt.
"Yes, your Alcalde duties must weight on you. Tell me, did you and your men capture those bandits, or did Zorro have to come to the rescue?" She continued asking.
"All that matters is that they are in jail and you are..."
"Alive? Thanks to Diego, I assume, since no one else in this pueblo seems qualified to operate on a person!" She answered in a clear attempt to annoy him.
"Yes, yes. Diego did manage to take the bullet out and close the wound. I, myself, donated you some of my..."
"Gracias a Dios for Diego! The man is a Godsend!" She interrupted
"Right. Thank God for Diego..."
"Can you call him? I am sure he must be very worried about me!" She asked, looking for the Alcalde's reaction.
There was no way for him to hide the jealousy flickering on his face.
"Yes, he... actually went for some..."
"I am back!" Diego announced at entering the door. "Jessie!" He exclaimed, making her realize how good an actor he could be. "How are you feeling?"
"Quite well, Diego! You must have done a really good job since I hardly feel any pain. Do you have the bullet? Will it leave a scar?" She bombarded him with questions she did not really care for him to answer.
"Well..."
"Alcalde, why don't you let Diego sit next to me? We have much to discuss!" She ordered him.
"Yes, of course. Diego..." Ignacio agreed rather upset at being exiled. "I will be in my office should you need me." He added.
"We won't." Jessie maliciously informed him.
"Why are you treating him like this?" Diego asked after Ignacio left.
"He needs this, trust me!" Was her reply. "From the day I walked into this pueblo I decided to make a new man out of him! He is quite a challenge, though. But he can be better! He might even have a good heart hidden in there somewhere." She concluded with a loving smile, similar to the one Diego had many times seen on Victoria's face when talking about Zorro.
"You do realize you almost died, don't you?" Diego asked her, baffled. "Whatever possessed you to jump in front of that bullet?"
"I know, Diego! But I cannot repair a man if he is dead, can I? Plus, I am an optimist. I see the opportunity that the bullet gave me."
"But, why De Soto?" He insisted, unable to fully understand his friend.
"I don't know. There's something about him. It's like asking Zorro why Victoria. I don't know why. I just know it's right. Or, better said, I know he needs me!" Was the only answer she could give him, and Diego smiled, hoping that, indeed, Jessie might make Ignacio into the man he had hoped he'd be when he first came to Los Angeles.