AN: Thanks for the nice reviews. I am glad to hear you like the story and the new parts. The following is completely new. Enjoy and lat me know if you have.
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The following day's party at the De la Vega hacienda was spoiled, unfortunately, by some bandits who tried to free their leader, captured that very day by De Soto's man. As they made it out of the garrison, they also injured three of the lancers. The Alcalde, thus, sent Mendoza to the hacienda to get the doctor and, as she came, so did Diego and Felipe since, as she realized, they were somewhat of a 'package deal' - meaning that, instead of one partner, she actually got two.
After the lancers received the proper care, the caballero and his son hurriedly left, mentioning that they wanted to, at least, say goodbye to their guests. Jessie headed for her room behind the medical office, hoping to get some sleep. She only got four hours.
Around 2 a.m., Zorro showed up with the bandits and De Soto, as per his normal routine, ordered his men to shoot him, thus waking up the entire pueblo.
Two days later, Jessie's sleep was cut short around 1 a.m., the lancers being again ordered to shoot the black-clad man when he delivered two horse thieves to the garrison.
A day after that, De Soto decided to imprison a traveling merchant, whom he accused of being an outlaw, since he bore a mild resemblance with a wanted man he saw on one of his posters. Diego, Don Alejandro, Victoria and several other people, including Mendoza, tried to convince him he was mistaken, but, as usual, the Alcalde decided that they were wrong and he was right, for which reason he asked the Sergeant to form a firing squad at dawn.
Consequently, Zorro felt the need to act and, since he was expecting that De Soto might consider he'd come and would, in turn, lay out a trap for him, he showed up at four in the morning, when even the most vigilant of the lancers were already asleep.
Unfortunately, one of the men woke up at an inopportune time and gave the alarm. In the general panic which ensued, the Alcalde shot at his nemesis and heard a short scream of pain. Certain he had finally managed to injure Zorro, he thus, decided to organize a search party, convinced that he would finally manage to capture the masked outlaw.
The gunfire and the shouts coming from the garrison, once more, ended up waking up most of the pueblo. Those who, somehow, managed to sleep through it all, were woken up when the Alcalde ordered a thorough search of all the houses and the tavern.
As that was going on outside, Zorro and the merchant made their way to the doctor's office through her room's window. She was already dressed, since, once her sleep was interrupted, she rarely could return to it.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Doctor!" The masked outlaw uttered as she gave a surprised sigh at seeing them. "But Señor Navara here," he said, indicating the man he had just rescued, "was shot and is in need of your help."
The young woman stood up and headed for the black-clad man's companion, who had received a bullet wound to his shoulder.
"It's not very bad." She assured him, after taking off his shirt in order to examine the injury. "But you will need a few stitches and will have to spare your arm for about two weeks." Just then they heard the lancers knocking on the door. "Take him to the other room!" She asked the masked man. "I'll get rid of them, and be right there."
As Zorro did as instructed, she hurriedly put on her robe and pretended to have just woken up.
"What?" She asked at opening the door and finding herself face-to-face with De Soto.
"We'll need to search these premises. Please step aside, Doctor!" He indicated.
"Why?" She inquired.
"We are looking for Zorro and an escaped convict." He replied as people were already crowding the plaza at having found out that their hero had been injured, wondering if De Soto was to finally capture him. "I shot that masked fiend and we know he's still in the pueblo. Since he's not at the tavern, where we expected to find him, it stands to reason that he might be here. So please step aside, and let us do our duty!" The Alcalde insisted.
"Your duty? Is your duty to wake me up every night with this nonsensical chase for Zorro? Had it not been for the man you are looking for how many of your lancers would be dead right now? You, don't care, do you? It is I and Diego who are requested to fix them every time you place them in danger, and it's always Zorro who actually does their job anyway. But you have the audacity to pretend that it's your duty to defile my house and office while you're on one of your wild goose chases? Do you even realize that I know how to paralyze a man by adding two drops of a certain poison in a glass of wine… and I will do it unless you let me sleep at night!?" She wondered.
De Soto gulped at her. "A… Are you threatening an official, Señorita?"
"Oh, no! I am just warning you about what I can do." As she was making her point, she took a few steps out of her office, causing De Soto to back away. "But, trust me, if or when I'll decide that I've had it with you… nobody will even suspect it was me to put an end to your career. So, I'd suggest you do the smart thing and get yourself, and your men to bed. Perhaps that's why you're acting so irrational! You are sleep-deprived, just like I seem to be because of you! And, in the future, remember that this office is sacred ground as far as you are concerned!"
The look on her face assured the Alcalde that she was not in any mood to be trifled with so, after an embarrassed glance at the gathered crowd of chuckling people, he looked again at the rather small, yet fearsome woman in front of him. Then, he ordered his men to return to the cuartel.
"That was very brave of you, Doctor!" The masked outlaw said appreciatively as Jessie returned to her room and started tending to the wounded man.
Jessie just smiled wickedly and nodded. "You should go, Señor Zorro." She then told him. "I'll take care of Señor Navara, and the Alcalde will not dare send his men to look for him here."
The two men exchanged a glance. "Very well." Zorro answered. "I'll be on my way, then. Gracias for your help, Doctor Kent!"
Jessie watched him leave and resumed her work with a sigh. "I never imagined such a small pueblo would be so… animated." She confessed to her patient. "All I wanted was a quiet, country life."
ZZZ
The following day a lancer from San Diego arrived with the information that the man who the merchant was confused with had been captured, for which reason the garrisons were asked to remove the posters offering a reward for him.
Jessie was in the tavern, sharing her lunch with Diego, Felipe and Don Alejandro. As soon as she heard the news, she made her way towards the garrison, the De la Vegas on her heels.
"Well, Alcalde, I believe you owe me money!" She informed De Soto while he was supervising Mendoza, who was taking the poster down.
"What for?" He wondered curiously.
"For treating the man you shot!" She answered bluntly.
Diego and Felipe exchanged a worried glance, fearing Jessie might be the next one in need of help escaping prison.
"You treated Zorro?" De Soto asked as his eyes widened.
"Of course not, considering it was not him you shot last night, but Señor Navara!" The doctor answered defiantly. "And I also believe you owe him some compensation for all the harm you have caused!"
"You harbored a fugitive? I should have you arrested!"
"I treated a man who did nothing wrong, and whom you should have never been misguided enough to arrest!" Jessie replied defiantly. "Now, my treatment of the injury is 30 pesos, to which I'll have to add some three nights of hospitalization, until I can be certain that there is no more danger of infection and that the wound has closed properly, that's 30 more pesos including the food and drinks for my patient, and the medicines, bandages, et cetera, 10 more pesos. That amounts to 70 pesos. How do you want to pay?"
The Alcalde stared at her and just blinked fast a few times, unable to believe this was happening, especially in the middle of the plaza.
"You charged less than half of that to treat all my wounded lancers so far!" He replied.
"Did I? How good of you to remind me I made such a mistake with the calculations. Let's see… 4 injured lancers, one rather bad injury… plus medicines… that should have amounted to… 160 pesos. Minus the 30 you already paid me, plus the 70 for Señor Navara, you thus owe me 200 pesos!" She calculated.
"But… But… Don Diego operated on one of them, and he never charged me any money…"
"Well, now he works with me, and I set the prices! Perhaps you'll think twice before acting in the future. My money!" She asked, holding out her hand.
"I… I…"
"Don't tell me you can't afford my services! That would certainly be embarrassing!" She mocked as the gathered crowd chucked.
De Soto shook his head, and, as in a daze, made his way inside his office, took some money out of his private reserve and returned with it, handing the small bag to the doctor.
"I'll go count them!" She said.
"Ah… no, you don't need to. There's 150 pesos in there. The rest I'll give you after I am sure Señor Navera is properly taken care of." He tried to save face, considering he didn't have the rest of the money right then, unless taking it from Zorro's reward.
"I sure hope you'll have it by the time I'll allow him to leave the bed he is confined to!" She replyed. "And don't forget you'll also have to compensate Señor Navera, as the law demands!"
"What law?" De Soto asked.
"The King passed it right before I left Spain. All those unjustly imprisoned are to be compensated by those found guilty of the mistake. And if a man is unjustly executed, the widow or his family has the right to demand for the man passing the sentence to either suffer a similar fate or take his place as provider for them." She lied rather convincingly.
"I've never heard of such a law!" The Alcalde uttered quite worriedly.
"I did hear something about it the last time I've been to Santa Barbara." Diego helped her from the tavern's porch, realizing her bluff. "But I haven't seen it either, I must admit. I think the official information about it just hasn't reached California yet. It probably will shortly."
Several other people witnessing the scene started muttering between themselves.
De Soto swallowed hard and, with no more words, returned to his office.
Jessie looked at her partner with a smile and saw a similar one on his lips, a conspiratorial exchange which bothered Victoria, who, despite having found the doctor's actions as brave as everyone else, just stomped from the porch and headed towards the kitchen.
ZZZ
A few days later, Zorro, once more, made an appearance in Los Angeles, this time to try to reason with two men who were about to shoot each other in a duel because their teenage children were in love, and they didn't approve the match.
The Alcalde exited his office, lancers on his heels, right as the masked outlaw was making his exit out of the pueblo and started shouting at Mendoza to track him down.
Jessie exited her office right as he was giving his orders.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" She asked him, folding her hands across her chest and crossing the plaza towards him.
He gave her a puzzled glance.
"I don't mind, of course, getting paid to fix your lancers, but, thus far, you still owe me some 50 pesos, and at least 100 to Señor Navara."
De Soto just stared at her, his mind doing calculations.
"I was just wondering what's the use of you spending the money since everyone knows very well by now that you stand no chance of capturing Zorro, and this is all pointless." Jessie continued.
"She's right! How many times have you tried and failed? Mendoza almost got killed once, and several of the other lancer on other occasions. You are just wasting our tax money!" Victoria supported Jessie, giving her a grateful glance.
De Soto puffed, but had to admit they were right. And he didn't have any more money to spend on the doctor's services until the next payroll arrived from Monterey.
"Sergeant! I want you and your men ready to give chase the next time he comes to the pueblo. Today, I fear he's got too much of an advantage already…" De Soto muttered, then stomped back into his office.
Mendoza smiled gratefully at the doctor and at the taverness, glad he wouldn't have to spend the day pretending to be chasing the man he most admired in his life, and, instead, be able to take his siesta in his own bed.
ZZZ
It was a beautiful Wednesday, a little over two weeks after the new doctor had arrived, and Diego spent the morning at the newspaper, finishing and printing the newest edition with Felipe's help.
By that time, Jessie was no longer as busy, and all her patients were getting better. Señor Navara had already left, rather glad about the hundred pesos Jessie, with Diego's support, forced the Alcalde to give him as compensation for his troubles, despite that information about the new law she mentioned had not arrived. And, after that night when she had sent the entire garrison to bed, there were no more night shootings, pursuits and searches, so she was finally getting a quiet, peaceful life, as she had always wanted.
After spending the morning visiting the injured lancers, as usual, and tending to a couple of new patients, Jessie headed for the tavern to have a late lunch, and was pleasantly surprised to see Diego and Felipe were there, sharing a table with Mendoza.
"May I join you?" She asked as she took the seat next to her partner.
"Of course!" The caballero uselessly answered as Victoria was bringing out their meals.
"Buenas tardes, Jessie!" The taverness greeted her. "What may I get for you?"
"Some arroz con pollo, please, Victoria! And some coffee." She answered with a smile.
"I'll be right back." She promised.
"Is this the new edition of the paper?" The Doctor wondered as she saw a copy next to Felipe.
"The last copy I have. I only printed 40 today and they sold rather fast." The caballero answered as the young woman reached to have a look.
At about the same time De Soto came for his lunch and, uncharacteristically, smiled at the caballero, after which he found a table, patiently waiting to be served, his back at Diego and Jessie. Meanwhile, the Doctor reached the poetry section of the paper and started smiling.
"I can't believe you've published this!" She told her partner as she started reading out loud.
"From dawn till dusk, compadres/ The Royal lancer rides/ Through hills, valley and ravines/ The faithful Kingsman walks" She read the first strophe. "Does he walk or does he ride? Maybe whoever wrote this, should have decided beforehand."
Jessie knew who had written it since the name of the author was just under the poem, but humiliating him was her favorite pastime at that point.
"Nor rain, or snow, or summer heat/ Will stop him in his way/ And bandits tremble at his sight/ For they will be his prey." She continued reading. "They run, and hide, and call for help/ Whenever they see him/ Not even Zorro will escape/ The mighty lancer's aim." She finished with some chuckles. "I'm sure Zorro won't escape after reading this! He'll die of laughter! Who paid you to publish this sad excuse for poetry?" She then asked Diego in a loud voice which resounded throughout the tavern. "Oh, never mind! I see he was brave enough to put his name to it. Very well done, Alcalde! I had no idea you were also a comedian! You should write more and send them to a publisher. At the least, they will make his day! Or was this the most brilliant trap you've come up with so far to get rid of Zorro? Because, who knows? You might just succeed if he bought a copy!" She addressed De Soto.
The tavern erupted in laughter, and the official, feeling insulted but unable to think of anything to say since the woman seemed increasingly intimidating, just stood up, glared at her and at her companion, and left the tavern deciding he'd rather have his lunch in the office.
Later that afternoon, after the lancers had confiscated all the papers Diego had printed, as the caballero was sharing a drink with the doctor, both immersed in a conversation about a new scientific discovery nobody but them seemed to understand, a lancer came to their table.
"Don Diego," he muttered, "the Alcalde asks for you to return the other poems he had given you for publication."
"Really? Why? He's been asking me to publish them since last month." Diego pretended to be at a loss to understand De Soto's reasons.
"He just said that they are too… 'esteric' I think he said…"
"Esoteric," Diego corrected.
"Yes, that… for the crude sensibilities of this pueblo." The lancer continued.
"I see. Well, I am sorry to hear that. Please tell Ignacio I will be bringing them myself a little bit later. I promised to let the Doctor see them, so I'll bring them right after I'll have fulfilled my promise." The caballero told the lancer - who nodded and returned to the garrison - then shared an amused smile with Jessie.
"Don Diego!" They heard De Soto's voice just a minute later, as he hurriedly made his way through the doors. "I demand that you return my property right away!" He said, glaring at both the caballero and at the Doctor.
"Of course, Ignacio! I didn't realize it was that urgent for you to have your poems back. It's a… shame you don't want me to publish them anymore." He answered with fake regret.
"Now, Diego! Please!" De Soto uttered in a tone that was both begging and demanding at the same time.
The caballero decided to stop torturing him for the moment, and soon returned with the sheets of paper he had received from his former schoolmate. The Alcalde took them and left furiously, without a salute.
"I can show you the copies." Diego told Jessie with a wink as he returned to the table.