Chapter 9

The trip back to the ship was agonizing for Victoria. She felt every bump the litter went over of that rough terrain, every misstep the men carrying it made, as if she were the one being carried. She had no idea how bad any of Diego's injuries were. The many dark bruises were apparent even through his deep tan. Who knows if he had broken bones or…She stopped herself from imagining anything worse. And through it all, awkward though it was at times, she held onto his hand as if that real connection with him could never be severed as long as she held on fast. There was no way she was going to let go of him now.

"Easy, men, "Big Jim said as he guided the pirates maneuvering the stretcher down the steep slope. Diego was once more unconscious and it was just as well.

The short boat ride across the water was rough as well. The winds were picking up and Big Jim said it was ironic but that it would probably rain on the island tonight. He was going to do his best, however, to outrun the coming storm.

Victoria nodded her agreement as they carried Diego into the captain's cabin she had been using. Big Jim himself had been doubling up in the first mate's tiny cabin, but offering that up to the señorita would do no good. He knew she wouldn't be leaving Diego's side anyway, no matter how improper it all seemed. Figuring she must have known she had already thrown her reputation away with coming aboard the ship, his estimation of her only increased. Here, finally, was a lady with more sense than any sense of propriety.

Many tears were shed in that cabin all during the voyage. Diego roused only once into a conscious state when he spoke to her with any clarity. It was only for a few moments and he had asked her about his father and told her he loved her. Then a look of surprise came across his face and he drifted once more into a disturbed light sleep. She wasn't even sure if he'd really been awake, but she was grateful anyway for those few minutes of apparent lucidity.

As he lay there with closed eyes, she bent forward to place tender kisses on both of his eyelids. At least, she had him all to herself for once. She was grateful for the intimacy of the situation.

But that only led to her imagination running wild. Big Jim had voiced his concerns about the water that Diego had been drinking. He was no scientist, he'd said, but there were many things that could cause water sources to be bad. Some water, a person could tell was bad by the smell or the taste, but some had things in it that couldn't be seen at all. Sometimes the water could even hold deadly gases from below the ground. The bad thing was that when a person was already in dire need of water, he didn't always notice all the signs that would tell him not to drink.

But at least that water had let Diego survive until now. And now, he was with her. Once they got him to a doctor, he would survive. He must. She wouldn't let him leave her now. She hadn't had the chance to tell him that she loved him.

He stirred again and she reached for her basket of medicines. Enough time had gone by that she could give him another dose of the medicine that Dr. Hernandez had given her. She wasn't even sure what it was. The doctor had told her Zorro had once given it to him. He had said it was good for patients with fevers.

She lifted his head carefully and spoke to him aloud. "Diego, your medicine, your own medicine…it will help. You've got to swallow for me now. Please, Querido, let me help you." She brushed her hand across his forehead, into his hair, as she edged the spoonful into his mouth and gave it to him, drops at a time. Just as when she gave him water, she watched his throat as the muscles contracted and he swallowed the liquid.

At the sound of her voice, he seemed to calm. So she kept whispering to him for much of that night, never knowing if he heard or not. It didn't really matter, for the words were comforting to her as well. There was so much she needed to tell him, so much she needed him to know.

During the second night, she decided that the beard had to go. Big Jim provided her with a straight razor. She had never once shaved a man before but "How hard can it be?" she mused.

She decided the beard was so long that scissors would be a good choice to take the bulk of it away first. Once she'd done that, she appraised the look of his face with the short, scraggly beard that was left. "No, just the mustache, I think." She couldn't suppress a small giggle.

Then with the warm water from the stand and the big cake of brownish soap, she began to wet the rest of his beard. Slowly gliding the blade along his cheeks and chin and being so careful not to nick him, she saw the familiar face she had longed to see all this time come back into view. She wiped the soap away slowly and felt the smooth skin, caressing his cheeks, and felt a small thrill run up her spine when he leaned his face into her hand. She went on to tame and trim the bushy mustache above his lip into a nice lean, thin one.

Now that was the face she knew so well. Then, just to check, she lowered the piece of cloth and held it over his nose, eyes and forehead. "Yes, oh yes, why did I never see the truth?"

Then she put the cloth away and lay down on top of the covers beside him. The feel of his clean-shaven cheeks was like a magnet to her hand and she drifted off into a light doze feeling the comfort of his presence beside her. He wasn't fully back to her yet. But it was just a matter of time. She knew that now.

The next morning, Big Jim knocked on the door to check on his passengers. He could see the señorita had barely slept at all. He suspected she had not eaten since the day before either.

"Señorita Escalante, I have breakfast for you on deck. Pepe will stay with Don Diego until you have eaten." As she opened her mouth in protest, he held up a hand. "No, no arguments. I'm Captain. I stand for no mutiny aboard my own ship, even from my prettiest mates. Now, come." He held out a hand for her to join him as Pepe slid sideways into the room. He brought with him fresh cool water and strips of cloth for cooling Diego's fevered brow. At the sight of these, the señorita relented and took the pirate's hand.

Once out in the sea air, Victoria realized just how close the air in the cabin had been. She made a mental note to open the porthole when she got back. Diego needed fresh air as well.

"Here, eggs, bacon… not quite as good as that cooked by your own hand, perhaps, but it will be filling."

"Thank you, Big Jim, I appreciate this. I don't want to leave him for too long though. How soon will we arrive in San Pedro?" she asked before she bit into a slice of bacon.

"I think five days, maybe four. We'll try to make it before nightfall on Friday. If the weather—"

"—If the weather holds," she finished for him. "I'm beginning to think that's the one sentence pirates say more than any other!" She smiled up at him.

"We do depend on the weather a great deal. Yes. How is Don Diego?"

"Still not fully aware of anything. I'm worried. Will the doctor be able to help him? Have you ever seen someone who recovered from—"

"I've seen many recover from far worse. But each man is different. Let us hope that Diego has a strong will and leave the rest to the Good Lord, shall we? It will do you no good to worry too much."

"I can't quite help that. I want him back …all the way back. There's so much I … that he has to live for. He's got to get over this." She finished lamely as she twirled the fork in her food.

"I'm sure he will, Señorita. I'm also sure he will be grateful for your efforts. I think he will be surprised by them as well. It is not often a lady goes to such lengths for a man. He will feel as special as…as Zorro." Big Jim watched her carefully as he said the name.

"Oh, Diego has no need to compete with Zorro." She filled her mouth with food as if it were the most unimportant subject in the world. "I told you, Zorro and I …well…we have decided to go our separate ways, you might say. You see, I just never realized that it was Diego who mattered so much to me. When he went missing, I …I think I finally saw what was in front of me all these years. I only hope he will see that too when he wakes up and gets better."

She stood and wiped her mouth on the napkin that had surprisingly been supplied with her meal. "I need to be getting back to him now. Tell your cook, Joaquin, isn't it, that it was a very good breakfast. He is a good cook"

Big Jim laughed. "Not as good as you, and he knows it, Señorita! But I will tell him. It will make his head swell up as big as the mainsail!"

Victoria returned to the cabin as Big Jim watched her go. "Joaquin may not be as good a cook as you, Señorita, but he's a much better liar," he thought to himself.