November 27th.
"I promise I won't get too tired, but I need to see him." Diego repeated for the third time. "Victoria, he has come every day to see me, obviously unable to do so. He's lonely and frustrated. I have to tell him I'm fine."
"It's still too soon, you get tired right away." she replied.
"I'll let you carry me all the way to the library in that damned chair, then they are just a few dozen steps. I walked more distance around the house yesterday."
"Yes, and then you almost fainted going back to the bedroom."
"My father and Felipe will help me, this time I'll let them do it."
"I can help you too."
"You already carry one de la Vega." he said looking at her waist. "Two would be too many." he said resting his hand on her belly. "I'll be fine, and then I'll rest all day." he said in a convincing tone. "It's important that I go now."
Victoria looked at him, disarmed at his gaze. "Right, but bundle up, it's getting cold and your lungs are still weak."
Diego reached out an arm to grab a jacket. He looked at her and smiled, "You're going to be an amazing mother."
Victoria looked at him sulkily. "Is that how you see me, as a mother?"
"Give me a few more days and I'll show you how I see you." he said looking at her suggestively. Then he took her hand and pulled her a little so that she sat on the bed beside him, slipped his hand behind her shoulder and kissed her neck. "You are the most desirable woman I have ever seen, you will be when our child is born, and I will still see you the same way when we are grandparents." he added in a deep voice kissing her briefly on the lips next.
Diego struggled out of bed and Victoria pulled the wheelchair over to him, in which he reluctantly sat down. They went out into the hallway, still in the dark, and met Don Alejandro and Felipe, each holding a candle.
"I see you were finally able to convince her." Don Alejandro said.
Felipe offered to push the chair, and Victoria relinquished the seat to him, taking the candle. The strange retinue made their way to the library, where Felipe operated the two springs needed to open the fireplace panel. Diego rose from his chair and walked down the corridor, descending the stairs with the help of his father and Felipe. Together they made their way to the back exit, and opened the panel hidden behind the branches to step out into the small valley that stretched behind the hacienda. The first light of dawn was illuminating the sky in the east.
Just a few minutes later they heard a muffled noise. Knowing what it meant, Diego whistled, and immediately they could hear the rhythmic sound of a horse galloping. Toronado stepped out of the shadows and stopped in front of Diego, flicking his ears back and forth nervously.
"It's me, old friend." Diego said.
The horse positioned his ears to the front, moved a little closer and stretched his neck to sniff Diego, who stood still. He then nodded vigorously and began to make a series of strange sounds, soft whinnies mixed with snorts as he shook his head as if to say something. At one point he even turned to Felipe, and then back to Diego as he pounded the ground with his foreleg and continued his speech. Victoria got the feeling he was scolding him in a strange equine dialect.
"You're right, it was a stupid plan and Felipe had good reasons for not wanting to cooperate." Diego admitted to the astonishment of his father and Victoria. The horse nodded firmly.
"Thank you for saving me, will you forgive me?"
Toronado took a step forward, placed his head next to Diego's and as he rubbed up against him gave him a little shove that almost knocked him to the ground.
"Careful, buddy." Diego said grabbing onto the animal's neck. "I haven't recovered yet." he added starting to pet and pat Toronado. The horse let out what sounded like a loud snort of relief.
A few moments later Diego stepped back a bit. "Now you have to tell me what you want to do." he pointed toward the hills. "Do you want to live free in the hills?" Toronado turned his neck to follow the direction he pointed. Then Diego pointed behind him. "Or do you want to live with the other horses on the ranch?"
Tornado again took a step toward him and leaned his huge head against his shoulder.
"All right, the ranch it is." Diego said smiling. "When I recover and can ride I'll go with Felipe and some men and we'll capture you. Remember to cooperate, or there will be no way to get you."
Tornado responded by rubbing his head against Diego's hand.
"Diego, you look a little pale, you need to sit down now." Victoria said.
"It's all right." he resigned himself, "Toronado, Felipe will take care of you."
The horse broke away from Diego and walked over to look at Victoria with an offended expression, which was very strange to her because she had never seen anything like that before.
"I'm sorry, Toronado, but he needs to rest, he's still weak." she said feeling strange again not because she was talking to a horse, it wasn't the first time she did that, but because this horse was the first one to nod in response. The horse looked at Diego and then back at her again, making a strange gesture in which it brought its muzzle close to the woman's belly. She looked at Diego even more surprised. "Do you think he knows I'm pregnant?"
Diego shrugged. "I have no idea." he replied also amazed by Toronado's behavior.
The horse walked up to Felipe and greeted him with a head butt. Then he sniffed him and began nibbling on the side of the boy's pants, who pulled his head a little away to pull an apple out of that pocket. As Toronado chewed on the apple Felipe checked his hooves and began to brush him.
The sun was already showing above the trees when Toronado approached Diego again to say goodbye, and Diego nuzzled his nose. "I'll come in a few days, when my wife gives me permission." said Diego spying out of the corner of his eye Victoria's serious expression. "In the meantime Felipe will take care of you, as he has done this time."
Tornado snorted, waved at Felipe again and headed for the hills.
"Let's head back home. I hope Maria won't be too surprised that we're all up so early." Don Alejandro said as he helped Diego back to his feet.