After another couple of days, Alejandro decided to let Diego choose what he wanted to do. His collarbone wasn't aching as much, and the dizziness had eased. If he was tired, he would be trusted to put himself to bed, or at least read quietly. Alejandro could feel his son's exasperation rising, and soon it would mirror his own.
The first thing Diego wanted to do was to make sure Victoria got home safely. Alejandro was surprised at that decision, knowing that Diego had seemed to enjoy having the young woman close by. Alejandro nodded to Pablo who was standing close by. The older man went to organise the buggy for a trip to town.
"One or two conditions." Alejandro was serious.
Diego sighed, and prepared to argue with his father.
"Don't start arguing, Diego," Victoria said, irritated.
Diego glanced at her with concern, distracted from his father for a moment.
"Pablo or Luke will be right with you. You will travel in the buggy and you aren't to evade your friend. I am still worried about you, with some of your reasoning."
"Father, what is wrong with my reasoning?"
"Your amnesia is too complicated, you could have some sort of relapse," Alejandro said firmly. "It is that, or you stay right here with me."
Victoria was staring at him with a frown.
"Very well," Diego agreed. Victoria looked as though she would shortly start tapping her foot or at least cross her arms. She had distanced herself from Diego enough for everyone to notice, but Diego could understand that the last few weeks had been draining for her.
She obviously missed her tavern, and now that he was recovering, she didn't need to be watching over him like a mother hen. His heart was heavy thinking about how he might miss her, but he had distracted her from her passion long enough.
If travelling to and from the pueblo was not too tiring, he would try to visit the tavern every day. He would make sure not to mention Zorro to her again, it had upset her so much. He would spare her as much pain as he could.
Hopefully he could get more information about Zorro from people in the pueblo, and investigate thoroughly. How hard could it be to find one man in a small town?
Zzz
Victoria made Diego and Luke come into the tavern. It was getting hotter outside, and she still worried about Diego. Several friends of Don Alejandro waved to Diego as he sat at his usual table. Somehow he had remembered where that was, Victoria thought with a hint of bitterness.
She wanted Zorro back, she wanted the real Diego to come back too. This shell of her friend was a watered down version of both of them, and she was getting impatient for him to recover.
She remembered the other day before he had asked that horrible question that had brought all her fears to life. He had almost told her he loved her. She was sure of it. And she loved him of course, not that she could tell him right now. He had stumbled over the words, and had looked sheepish, the blush reminding her of Diego in the past. In the windmill when he had almost kissed her...she was sure of that now too.
She wandered into the kitchen to check on the management of the place. The supplies were up to date, the cooking was bubbling away as it should be. Pilar and her friends had done admirably, perfectly even. She was proud of them.
She made Diego and Luke a fresh cup of coffee, remembering how the vaqueros were used to the burnt campfire version. At least she could make a decent cup of coffee still, after the fortnight at the de la Vega hacienda. Her hands were calm for once, and she felt in control of herself, in her domain.
She fixed some tamales for them as well, and then turned her hands to her normal duties. She had missed this kitchen, she thought, with her hands on her hips, nodding at her pots and pans.
Taking the coffee and food out to the men, she noticed that they were deep in conversation. Luke was frowning slightly, and seemed to be trying to persuade Diego to change his mind over something.
Good luck with that, Victoria thought with a slight grimace. She remembered the last few days helping Diego, and knew the best way to deal with her friend was to give him space and time to exhaust himself. Letting him do a version of what he wanted was a good enough compromise.
"Diego, you aren't being difficult, are you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, as she placed the coffee on the table. "Hmm?"
Diego smiled slightly, a twinkle coming to his eyes. He looked so handsome sometimes, that Victoria felt a little weak at the knees. She shook herself and placed the tamales on the table beside the drinks.
"I mean it, don't cause problems, and I want you here for a siesta," Victoria said firmly.
"Yes," Diego said obediently. She sighed, and wondered how much trouble he could get into in the pueblo in a few short hours. If Luke was concerned, he was probably taking on too much.
Zzz
Diego watched Victoria walk back to the kitchen. Luke sighed and tried again.
"Don Diego, I really think you can't take on too much on your first day out," the vaquero said.
One of the vaqueros had let slip in Diego's hearing that they missed the newspaper. There had been no publication of course since Diego's accident. Diego was confused for a moment, and decided to talk about the newspaper for the whole trip to the pueblo.
"If I am the editor of the newspaper, I have responsibilities to the people," Diego responded. "For starters, I have to work out where the newspaper office is and what I am meant to be writing or editing."
"It sounds like hard work, and you aren't ready for it yet," Luke protested. "You will get sick again."
"My memory loss is not a sickness," Diego said. "It is a curse, and the faster I get it all back the better for everyone. Especially me."
"Yes, I can see that, Diego. I can understand that you feel that way, but what if this all makes it worse? You might put your recovery back weeks."
Diego paused to think, and nodded slowly. "I will just take inventory of the situation first, and then I probably will need that siesta. I do pay attention to my energy levels. I don't want to get worse."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief. Diego smiled a little, and ate a tamale. He seemed to like the taste, although it was a memory he had lost. Now he had regained it. That brought a feeling of satisfaction. Every little step meant something, every recovered memory was a victory.
Zzz
Alejandro paced his study, wondering what the next logical steps could be. Of all intents and purposes they had lost their hero, at least temporarily, and the alcalde would soon decide on another way to manipulate the pueblo. He was as unpredictable as Zorro's former appearances.
He needed to think about strategy, and he wished his son was well enough to talk about such things. He smiled to himself. If Diego was well enough, there wouldn't be an immediate dilemma at hand. Zorro would be out on patrol, and overseeing the alcalde. How he had done it for so many years was still a mystery to Alejandro but it was another marvel his son had accomplished.
He had always admired his son in some ways, while being discouraged in others. He wondered if he had expressed as much to Diego, but he suspected he hadn't. Such things needed to be repeated often, not in fleeting moments of clarity. Over the years his words had been harsh with his son, provoking them both to anger - Alejandro's was fiery, Diego's ice cold. Alejandro sighed, and tried to focus on the positive way Diego handled himself in the midst of so much confusion and lack of memories. His son was not backing down, and if he had forced him back to bed it would have been a mistake. Alejandro only hoped his son wouldn't come to any harm with this new approach.