Diego woke, for a moment entirely disoriented. A dull ache resided just behind his eyes, matching the sharper one in his side, and his throat felt scratchy and dry. He moved slightly and realized from the soft press of the covers that he was in bed.
The events of the night before rushed in. Victoria! She might have been hurt or worse. He tried to sit up, but the ache in his head switched to a stabbing pain and the world spun dizzily.
Someone was beside him in an instant, pressing him back down again, rubbing his temples until the pain receded. He opened his eyes again.
Felipe, of course.
*You shouldn't do that again. *
"Felipe, Victoria was there last night. She could be in danger. I have to-"
Felipe clamped his hand against Diego's mouth and applied a firm pressure to Diego's shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up again.
*Victoria is all right * he signed, lifting the hand from Diego's shoulder.
Diego tried to push Felipe's hand away so he could speak, but his arm was weaker than he'd expected.
*We had word from town. Victoria is safe. _Safe_*
Diego didn't entirely believe it, but Felipe wouldn't lie to him, not about something like that. He relaxed and, after eyeing him for a moment, Felipe finally relented and released him.
*You need to eat something. *
Diego nodded. Felipe, with a stern look and a gesture ordering him not to move, went out into the hall. He returned bearing a bowl of what smelled like corn chowder.
Diego, feeling as helpless as a child, allowed Felipe to help him into a better position and then to eat the soup. The thick broth felt good against his throat and some of the headache dissipated. Diego finished the meal in silence, but he couldn't keep still for long.
Felipe turned to carry the soup bowl away, but Diego grabbed his arm and turned him back again.
"There is news, and I can tell from your expression it isn't good."
Felipe shook his head, frowning.
"Felipe."
*No. *
"You have to tell me."
Felipe's expression was growing angrier by the minute. *No I don't. If I tell you, you'll try to fix it, even though you can't even get out of bed. *
"I will just ask Juan if you will not tell me."
Felipe clutched the soup bowl so strongly his knuckles went white for a moment, but then he shook his head angrily and faced Diego more squarely.
*The news is bad. You are right. Victoria _is_ safe, but the town is not. The alcalde has proclaimed that Zorro is dead. The people are in a panic. *
Diego digested that. It was no less than he'd expected, though the news about Victoria softened it.
*Your wound * Felipe signed hesitantly, *it is not as deep as I thought, but you lost a lot of blood. * Felipe paused and swallowed, but continued with more resolve. *If you push things, you will just hurt yourself. You can't do anything about this right now. You have to admit that. *
If Diego couldn't than his body's contrary lassitude could.
"You are right, of course." Five words, barely a sentence, really, but among the hardest he'd ever spoken.
Felipe, reading what must show of his guilt, shook his head again. *It's not your fault. It's the alcalde who is doing these things not you. It's not your job to fight everyone's battles for them. *
"If not my job, than whose?"
*I don't know. Someone not you.*
Diego could tell Felipe was becoming truly angry at this point and it was rapidly beginning to concern him. "Felipe . . ."
*No! You're _hurt_. The wound isn't that bad-now-but it could get that way. You're developing a fever, and I don't know what losing all that blood will do to you. * He stopped, shook his head. *I'm not a doctor. I don't know what I'm doing here. *
"You are dealing with a stubborn patient who doesn't realize how lucky he is to have a friend such as you," Diego said, placing a hand on Felipe's arm.
Felipe looked at him, his face suspicious.
"No, you are right, and I am being foolish. I do not like to be so helpless, but there is no sense arguing that a well armed five-year-old child could probably best me now."
Felipe relaxed and a slight grin lessened the worry on his face. *I think it would take a six-year-old at least. *
Diego laughed, but then stopped with a slight gasp as his side protested.
Felipe hovered, trying to see where he might help, but Diego waved him off. The smile had disappeared from the young man's face.
*I wish Don Alejandro were here, * he signed after a moment, not looking at Diego.
His father, here. What he might give for that. "Yes, I could wish that as well."
If wishes were horses . . .
"Felipe?" Maria's voice, from outside the door. "I have the tea you wanted for Diego."
Felipe slipped from the bed and went to the door, opening it just enough to take the tea so Maria could not see Diego.
"Do you need anything else?" There was a strong current of anxiety in Maria's voice, though she did an admirable job in keeping it steady.
Felipe made some sign Diego couldn't see and then the door closed again.
The young man poured Diego a cup of tea from Maria's tray and sat back.
*Drink it. There are some things from your herb chest. *
Diego nodded and took a sip. He tasted chamomile, willow bark, unsurprising and welcome: a few other things he didn't recognize immediately.
As he finished the tea, he had a harder and harder time keeping his eyes open and Felipe had to grab the cup before he dropped it.
"I'm sorry, Felipe," he said, clutching the boy's arm to steady himself. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Felipe was watching him a little too closely-and there was something in his face, half satisfied, half fearful . . . something clicked in Diego's head.
"What was in that tea?" he said, grabbing both Felipe's shoulders now.
Felipe easily pushed him back down into the bed. *I'm sorry. * he signed, looking overwhelmingly contrite. *But you need to sleep so badly and you're just so stubborn. *
On another day, this might almost be funny. But just now his thoughts were slipping away from him as the dizziness increased.
Felipe was actually smirking a little. *Sleep now. I'll be back later. *
It was the last thing he saw before sleep claimed him again.
The events of the night before rushed in. Victoria! She might have been hurt or worse. He tried to sit up, but the ache in his head switched to a stabbing pain and the world spun dizzily.
Someone was beside him in an instant, pressing him back down again, rubbing his temples until the pain receded. He opened his eyes again.
Felipe, of course.
*You shouldn't do that again. *
"Felipe, Victoria was there last night. She could be in danger. I have to-"
Felipe clamped his hand against Diego's mouth and applied a firm pressure to Diego's shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up again.
*Victoria is all right * he signed, lifting the hand from Diego's shoulder.
Diego tried to push Felipe's hand away so he could speak, but his arm was weaker than he'd expected.
*We had word from town. Victoria is safe. _Safe_*
Diego didn't entirely believe it, but Felipe wouldn't lie to him, not about something like that. He relaxed and, after eyeing him for a moment, Felipe finally relented and released him.
*You need to eat something. *
Diego nodded. Felipe, with a stern look and a gesture ordering him not to move, went out into the hall. He returned bearing a bowl of what smelled like corn chowder.
Diego, feeling as helpless as a child, allowed Felipe to help him into a better position and then to eat the soup. The thick broth felt good against his throat and some of the headache dissipated. Diego finished the meal in silence, but he couldn't keep still for long.
Felipe turned to carry the soup bowl away, but Diego grabbed his arm and turned him back again.
"There is news, and I can tell from your expression it isn't good."
Felipe shook his head, frowning.
"Felipe."
*No. *
"You have to tell me."
Felipe's expression was growing angrier by the minute. *No I don't. If I tell you, you'll try to fix it, even though you can't even get out of bed. *
"I will just ask Juan if you will not tell me."
Felipe clutched the soup bowl so strongly his knuckles went white for a moment, but then he shook his head angrily and faced Diego more squarely.
*The news is bad. You are right. Victoria _is_ safe, but the town is not. The alcalde has proclaimed that Zorro is dead. The people are in a panic. *
Diego digested that. It was no less than he'd expected, though the news about Victoria softened it.
*Your wound * Felipe signed hesitantly, *it is not as deep as I thought, but you lost a lot of blood. * Felipe paused and swallowed, but continued with more resolve. *If you push things, you will just hurt yourself. You can't do anything about this right now. You have to admit that. *
If Diego couldn't than his body's contrary lassitude could.
"You are right, of course." Five words, barely a sentence, really, but among the hardest he'd ever spoken.
Felipe, reading what must show of his guilt, shook his head again. *It's not your fault. It's the alcalde who is doing these things not you. It's not your job to fight everyone's battles for them. *
"If not my job, than whose?"
*I don't know. Someone not you.*
Diego could tell Felipe was becoming truly angry at this point and it was rapidly beginning to concern him. "Felipe . . ."
*No! You're _hurt_. The wound isn't that bad-now-but it could get that way. You're developing a fever, and I don't know what losing all that blood will do to you. * He stopped, shook his head. *I'm not a doctor. I don't know what I'm doing here. *
"You are dealing with a stubborn patient who doesn't realize how lucky he is to have a friend such as you," Diego said, placing a hand on Felipe's arm.
Felipe looked at him, his face suspicious.
"No, you are right, and I am being foolish. I do not like to be so helpless, but there is no sense arguing that a well armed five-year-old child could probably best me now."
Felipe relaxed and a slight grin lessened the worry on his face. *I think it would take a six-year-old at least. *
Diego laughed, but then stopped with a slight gasp as his side protested.
Felipe hovered, trying to see where he might help, but Diego waved him off. The smile had disappeared from the young man's face.
*I wish Don Alejandro were here, * he signed after a moment, not looking at Diego.
His father, here. What he might give for that. "Yes, I could wish that as well."
If wishes were horses . . .
"Felipe?" Maria's voice, from outside the door. "I have the tea you wanted for Diego."
Felipe slipped from the bed and went to the door, opening it just enough to take the tea so Maria could not see Diego.
"Do you need anything else?" There was a strong current of anxiety in Maria's voice, though she did an admirable job in keeping it steady.
Felipe made some sign Diego couldn't see and then the door closed again.
The young man poured Diego a cup of tea from Maria's tray and sat back.
*Drink it. There are some things from your herb chest. *
Diego nodded and took a sip. He tasted chamomile, willow bark, unsurprising and welcome: a few other things he didn't recognize immediately.
As he finished the tea, he had a harder and harder time keeping his eyes open and Felipe had to grab the cup before he dropped it.
"I'm sorry, Felipe," he said, clutching the boy's arm to steady himself. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Felipe was watching him a little too closely-and there was something in his face, half satisfied, half fearful . . . something clicked in Diego's head.
"What was in that tea?" he said, grabbing both Felipe's shoulders now.
Felipe easily pushed him back down into the bed. *I'm sorry. * he signed, looking overwhelmingly contrite. *But you need to sleep so badly and you're just so stubborn. *
On another day, this might almost be funny. But just now his thoughts were slipping away from him as the dizziness increased.
Felipe was actually smirking a little. *Sleep now. I'll be back later. *
It was the last thing he saw before sleep claimed him again.
