THE RIGHT TURN OF THE ROAD
Chapter 3
Gabriel felt a little better a few days later, though it wasn't much of an improvement. His shoulder was still on fire, but he felt he could finally think clearly again. Dr. Timothy dropped by and made a mention of how his fever was all gone now and the wound was starting to heal very nicely. Whatever relief Gabriel got form this fact was, sadly, overshadowed by the de la Vega housekeeper.
"Ow! Can't you even try to be careful?" he asked as she was busy changing his bandages.
"Why should I? I think you deserve some of this for all the trouble you've caused," Maria said. Her fingers worked fast and she was soon done, much to Gabriel's relief. He sighed and tried to adjust the bandage a little; that crazy woman had wrapped it too tight for his liking.
"Hey, hands off! I'm not letting you ruin my hard work!" Maria snapped and slapped his hand away.
Gabriel stared at her in disbelief. "Just who are you to tell me what to do?"
"I'm the one who's taking care of you, that's who! Dr. Timothy can't be here all the time, so someone has to do all the hard work," Maria said, putting her hands on her hips and staring down at him with an angry and determined look in her eyes.
"But don't think that I enjoy taking care of such a man as you," she added, her glare turning even more furious.
"Then don't! I'm ready to return to the barracks right now!" Gabriel thought about jumping out of bed and marching downstairs in protest, but then he remembered his state of undress. Sergeant Gonzales was supposed to bring him something to wear later that day, but until that he had no option but to tolerate the whims of this domestic monster.
Maria snorted. "Oh, I'd like to see you try."
Gabriel said nothing more to her and simply sulked to himself as he watched her leave the room. He was growing claustrophobic and wanted to get out, even for a moment. Even worse, Lolita hadn't come to visit him even once. He had seen her from the window, talking with Diego and Bernard, so surely she knew about what had happened to him.
Since there was nothing else for him to do, he kept staring out the window. There wasn't much to be seen. Diego was lying on the grass with his dog, only moving to turn from one side to another or to scratch his stomach. How anyone could be so lazy was completely beyond Gabriel's understanding. He got some amusement from how Maria came and threw an empty basket at Diego, forcing him into starting some kind chore. Other than that, nothing was going on.
He tried to move his fingers and winced at the pain that shot through his shoulder. He had done his best to ignore Dr. Timothy's words about how it was too early to predict how well he'd heal. He just had to get back to normal. How could he handle a sword if his right arm didn't function properly? The mere thought filled him with apprehension and made him feel sick.
Some hours later, he saw Sergeant Gonzales ride through the gates to the estate. He frowned and shook his head. It was about time. He had been waiting for him for days now, but apparently Raymond had forbidden Gonzales from visiting him. Forcing him to stay with the de la Vegas was no doubt the first in a long line of petty acts of punishment.
"Oh, Lieutenant. I'm happy to see you're doing so well," Gonzales said as soon as he entered the room.
"Where have you been, you fool?"
"I'm sorry. I had duties to perform and strict orders to follow," Gonzales said, not one bit affected by Gabriel's hostile tone. Then he sighed wistfully. "I'm spending my lunch hour to visit you, Lieutenant."
"That doesn't interest me," Gabriel said. "Did you bring me any clothes?"
"Ah, that's right!" Gonzales took the bag he was carrying on his shoulder and handed it to Gabriel. The lieutenant turned it around, only to realise that he couldn't open the clasp using only one hand. He felt his cheeks grow hot with anger. How pathetic was it that he couldn't even get such a thing done?
"Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?" Gonzales asked, noticing how he was simply staring at the bag.
"Don't just stand there. Open it for me!" Gabriel snapped.
Gonzales blinked. "What? Oh! I'm sorry!" He hurried to take the bag from Gabriel and opened it. He took out a few pieces of clothing that Gabriel kept around for his days off, though it wasn't often that he wore them. He liked his uniform and the air of importance it gave him.
"Are you going to wear them right now?" Gonzales as he noticed Gabriel unfolding them.
"Of course. Why not?" Gabriel asked.
"I thought you might want to wait until you're coming back to the barracks."
"That's exactly it. I'm leaving right now," Gabriel said. It occurred to him that he'd need help with getting dressed, too, but he could deal with the humiliation if it got him out of the house. He'd go insane if he had to spend one more moment just lying in bed.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Gonzales said with hesitation in his voice.
"And why is that?" Gabriel asked, glaring daggers at the poor sergeant. First that terrible excuse of a doctor, then the horrendous housekeeper and now even his bumbling underling. Why did everyone think they knew everything better and could tell him what to do?
"Because it would be impossible for you to get to town, sir. I can come back with a carriage later," Gonzales explained.
"And now this," Gabriel muttered under his breath. He couldn't open bags, get dressed or ride a horse. Just how was he supposed to live through the following weeks if the easiest things in the world were impossible?
"Fine," he decided grudgingly, "but I want you to come back today. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."
"Yes, sir," Gonzales said with a salute.
With that problem taken care of, Gabriel's mood brightened somewhat. He'd be away from the annoying de la Vegas in no time. He almost felt a little grateful to Gonzales, but he reminded himself that following orders was his duty, not something he deserved to be thanked for.
"What about the commander?" he asked, dreading the answer.
Gonzales shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "He's… angry."
"Does he know what happened?"
"No. Nobody really knows what happened. The commander wants to have an official interview as soon as you get back to the barracks," Gonzales replied. His hesitant tone didn't escape Gabriel's attention.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries, but I'd like to know if Zorro forced you to dress up as him and whether you were shot by one of our soldiers," Gonzales said. He spoke fast, like he was afraid that if he slowed down even for a moment, he might lose his courage to finish his sentence.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Nowhere, sir. I thought of it myself when I heard you had been shot while wearing Zorro's costume."
Gabriel laughed and then stopped abruptly when it sent a wave of pain through his shoulder. "You thought of it?" he asked in a snide tone. As if. Gonzales was a complete idiot; he could never put two and two together like that.
"Yes, sir, and I'd like to know if it's true. If it is, it could affect me as well."
Ah, that was right. So far Gabriel hadn't spared much thought to the soldiers who had been chasing him. He had been too busy worrying about his shoulder and planning his revenge on Zorro, but it was obvious to him now. Surely there would be an investigation and someone would get the fall for what had happened to him. He didn't really care who it was as long as he got to see someone suffer for the incident.
"Yes, that's right," he said, enjoying the obvious nervousness on Gonzales' face.
"Very well," Gonzales said. "If there's nothing else, I'd like to be excused. I have to return to town."
"That's all, Sergeant," Gabriel said. After Gonzales had left, he leaned back on the bed, knowing that he wouldn't enjoy the wait.
Diego turned to look when he heard Gonzales return from upstairs. He smiled at the man and came over to talk.
"How is our lieutenant?"
"Angry and ready to bite off someone's head."
"Oh, dear. His wound must be really bothering him."
"It's not much of a change to his normal mood."
"Well, I hope he wasn't too hard on you," Diego said. It wouldn't surprise him if Gabriel was taking his bad mood out on everyone, especially poor Gonzales. Diego knew that Gonzales wasn't actually a bad soldier at all. He was perhaps a little slow sometimes, but he was loyal and had his heart in the right place. The problem was that he had horrible superiors who didn't appreciate him and gave him no chance to prove his worth.
"I'm used to that," Gonzales said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"You shouldn't be," Diego said.
Diego accompanied the sergeant outside where he climbed onto his horse. Gonzales glanced briefly up at the window of Gabriel's room but tried to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. Diego thought he was handling the situation remarkably well. Most other men would have only worried about the consequences of their involvement in the affair, but Gonzales seemed genuinely worried about the lieutenant.
"The lieutenant said he wants to leave as soon as possible. I'll be back with a carriage for him later today," Gonzales said.
"Is that a good idea? Dr. Timothy advised him to rest first," Diego said.
"You know what he's like. He can't take no for an answer."
Diego shrugged. "Alright then. I can't say I'll be sad to see him go."
"I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble," Gonzales said.
"No, not at all. He's been sleeping a lot, so he's an easy guest," Diego said with a small laugh.
Sergeant Gonzales kept a small pause. Then he smiled and tipped his hat to Diego. "You're good people. I hope the lieutenant will thank you, too."
Diego watched the sergeant ride through the gates. He very much doubted that Gabriel would ever express any gratitude apart from what basic manners dictated, but that didn't matter to him. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about what had happened, so he was glad he had been able to do something to help and that he could see with his own eyes that the lieutenant was fine.
When he turned around to get back inside, he spotted Bernard standing by the door. Diego was happy that the boy no longer seemed to be bothered by what had happened. Just that morning, he had been smiling and laughing with Lolita as always. Maybe his outburst had just been from the shock of seeing someone hurt.
"What did Gonzales say?" Bernard asked.
"He's coming back later today to pick up the lieutenant."
"He's leaving already?" Bernard asked with some surprise in his voice.
"Yes, seems to be so. Aren't you happy?"
A cross expression came to Bernard's face. "Of course I am! But didn't Dr. Timothy say he should be careful?"
"Well, you can't force him into it," Diego said. He slipped his hands into his pockets and started going around the house towards the back of the garden where nobody could hear them. Bernard got the message and hurried after him.
"We should be glad," Diego said once he was sure that they were alone. "The longer it takes for Gabriel to get better, the longer it will be before Raymond can put any of his plans into motion."
"Won't he find someone else to do his dirty work?" Bernard asked.
Diego shook his head. "I don't think so. He can't let too many people know about what he's doing. When too many people know a secret, it stops being one. I think Gabriel is the only officer in the army whom Raymond can trust."
"I guess you're right. Gonzales would never go along with Raymond's plans if he knew what was really going on," Bernard said.
"The same goes for Captain Jekyll. He may seem like a harsh man, but I think he's honest," Diego said. At least he hoped so. He didn't know the captain very well yet since it was only a few weeks ago that he had arrived in San Tasco. However, he had done his best to save Satopi from the kidnappers and had gone to arrest a group of bandits on his own.
"Sounds like we have peaceful times ahead of us," Bernard said with a smile.
"I sure hope so," Diego agreed.
Bernard found it difficult to concentrate on anything for as long as Lieutenant Gabriel was in the house. He knew the man couldn't do anything, but the knowledge that he was at their home made him feel uneasy and watch his every move and word. It was stupid, but he feared that the lieutenant would somehow start to suspect who Zorro was simply by staying with them.
He was more than happy when Sergeant Gonzales came back to take Gabriel to the barracks that afternoon. He ran outside to welcome him as soon as he noticed that he was coming. Gonzales stopped the carriage in front of the house and wiped his forehead.
"It sure is hot today," he said.
"Can we offer you some wine, Sergeant?" Don Alejandro asked.
"Oh, that would be lovely. Thank you," Gonzales said, his face brightening immediately. Then he frowned in doubt. "But I probably shouldn't. I'm sure the lieutenant is impatient to leave."
"That should be no problem. We didn't expect you in another while, so the lieutenant isn't ready yet. You can have a drink with me while we wait," Alejandro said.
"Well, in that case it would be impolite of me to refuse," Gonzales said. He got off the carriage and followed Don Alejandro inside. Diego and Bernard were left standing outside.
"I think you should go to help the lieutenant," Diego said.
"What? Why me?" Bernard asked, startled by that Diego could even suggest such a thing.
"He's going to need help getting dressed. It could be embarrassing for him if he was helped by another grown man, especially by his subordinate."
"Why do we care?" Bernard asked and crossed his arms on his chest. The last thing he wanted was to go and have anything to do with Gabriel. He was such an unlikeable man that just being in the same room with him was enough to ruin anyone's mood.
"Because it might make the trip to town a little easier for Gonzales. He gets yelled at enough already," Diego said.
Bernard frowned. He supposed Diego had a point. Gonzales was a nice man and decent for a soldier. He didn't deserve to take the blame for everything that went wrong. Bernard didn't like it, but he supposed the least he could do was this one favour for the sergeant.
"Fine," he said with a defeated sigh. "But I want your dessert tonight, okay?"
Diego chuckled. "Deal."
Bernard returned inside and climbed upstairs. He felt a little nervous when he arrived at the door to the guestroom and needed to take a deep breath before he could bring himself to knock on it.
"Get in already."
Bernard bit his lip to stop himself from snapping something back. He opened the door and stepped in.
"Oh, it's you. I thought it was Sergeant Gonzales," Gabriel said. He didn't sound at all sorry.
"I'm here to help you get dressed," Bernard said. He spotted some folded clothes on the bedside table and went to take a look. He glanced questioningly at the lieutenant, expecting him to snap at him or at least mutter an objection.
"Fine," Gabriel said, but he didn't sound happy about it. He had his usual frown on his face and was glaring at his hands like he could hardly stop himself from yelling curses at the boy. It occurred to Bernard that he reminded him of a caged lion.
Another thought that crossed his mind was that the situation was a bit too much like when he had made Gabriel wear Zorro's costume. He felt his stomach tighten in discomfort at the memory and wished that he hadn't found it so funny at the time.
"What's taking you so long?" Gabriel asked, and Bernard realised that he had been just standing there with the lieutenant's clothes in his hands.
"Oh, sorry!"
They both worked mechanically and spoke as little as possible to each other. When he looked at Gabriel's unhappy expression, Bernard found it easy to agree with Diego's earlier words. It had to be hard for someone who was so full of himself to admit that he needed help with the simplest tasks. Maybe it would teach him to be a bit humbler, but Bernard wasn't holding his breath.
Putting on the shirt made them pause for a moment. Gabriel's right arm was supported by a sling, and getting it into the sleeve turned out to be more trouble than either one of them was willing to endure. In the end, hey left it out and buttoned the shirt on top of it.
"I guess that's the best we can do," Bernard said, eying their handiwork.
Gabriel said nothing. He looked a little pale, and Bernard wondered if it really had been a good idea to get up so soon. Just because the wound was healing didn't mean the lieutenant wasn't still weak from blood loss.
"Is the sergeant ready to go?" Gabriel asked.
"I think so. I'll check," Bernard replied. He went outside to stand on the stairs and looked down. There was nobody there, but he could hear the voices of Don Alejandro, Gonzales and Diego coming from the dining hall.
Gabriel came to stand by his side. He grabbed the handrail in a way that was obviously meant to be casual, but Bernard immediately spotted that he was leaning on it for support. When he looked up to Gabriel's face, he realised that he had turned a sickly shade of grey simply from the walk from the room.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Gabriel said, but his usual anger was absent from his voice. He was breathing hard, like he was out of breath.
Bernard shrugged. There was no point in talking sense to someone who didn't want to hear it. It wasn't his problem if the lieutenant fainted on his way downstairs. Maybe he'd hit his head and get a little more sensible.
He ran downstairs so that nobody would have a reason to blame him if Gabriel really did hurt himself in his stupidity. Just as he reached the first floor, the others emerged from the dining hall. Their cheerful chatter died when they spotted Gabriel standing at the top landing of the stairs.
Gonzales gulped down the rest of his wine and put the glass away. He rushed to stand at the bottom of the stairs and saluted, somehow managing to look nervous and relieved at the same time.
Gabriel started coming down the stairs and was doing a fairly good job at it. If it hadn't been for how sick he looked, Bernard would have never guessed there was anything wrong with him.
"I'm glad to see you back on your feet, sir," Gonzales said. If he noticed anything was off, he didn't let it show.
Gabriel barely looked at the sergeant when he came down. He walked straight to Don Alejandro and did his best to appear stoic.
"I must thank you for your hospitality. I am in your debt," Gabriel said. His voice was strained, but Bernard couldn't even begin to guess if it was because he was sick or because he hated having to appear grateful to a man he loathed. Maybe a little bit of both.
"It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same," Alejandro replied. He was looking at the lieutenant with some worry in his eyes, but he had enough discretion not to say anything.
Gabriel just nodded. "Gonzales, we're leaving," he announced and headed for the door, not even turning to look at the sergeant.
"Right away, sir!" Gonzales said and hurried after Gabriel.
Bernard went outside to watch how Gonzales helped Gabriel climb into the carriage and closed the door. The sergeant said a quick goodbye to Alejandro and Diego before he took his seat and gave the horses the order to go. Bernard sighed as the carriage left through the gates. It felt good to know that the lieutenant was out of the house.
Gabriel had his eyes closed as he leaned back in his seat and tried to even his breathing. He would have never expected that a simple walk down the stairs could make him so exhausted. It was like he had run five miles, except that he felt so nauseous that he was afraid he'd throw up. Keeping himself together before Don Alejandro had been a terrible struggle.
He was glad there was nobody to see him now. He had the time to get himself back under his control before they arrived at the barracks and he had to meet Commander Raymond. The thought filled him with apprehension. Dealing with the commander was difficult enough on a normal day, but now he just didn't feel up to it.
He hated to admit it, but Dr. Timothy and the others had been right. It was too early for him to get up. It hadn't felt like that when he had just been lying in bed, but now he knew what the doctor had meant earlier. He'd have to muster up the courage to ask Raymond for some leave. The man certainly wouldn't offer to give any before Gabriel had grovelled at his feet and apologized for what had happened.
As if it was my fault, he thought grimly.
Gabriel was almost disappointed when they arrived at the army headquarters. Gonzales stopped the carriage right before the door, and Gabriel suspected it was so that he wouldn't have to walk so much. He frowned at the thought, but he was grateful that the sergeant made no mention of it.
"I'll take the horses away, sir," Gonzales said.
"Good." Gabriel waited a moment for Gonzales to go and then entered the building. The soldiers standing by the door saluted him, but he paid them no mind. He was much more concerned with the long stairs that he would have to take to reach Raymond's office.
This is ridiculous, he thought as he started climbing the stairs, careful to maintain a slow pace. It was like his lungs just stopped working as soon as he did something other than sit still; no matter how fast he breathed, it felt like he wasn't getting enough air. He felt his anger rise at this pathetic ineptness. At that moment he would have liked nothing more than to punch someone.
He finally reached the double doors that led to Raymond's office and stopped to catch his breath for a moment. He wondered which would be worse, appearing late before the commander or showing his weakness so obviously.
He knocked on the door and was told to come in. When he entered, he saw Raymond standing before the massive window behind his desk. The light of the setting sun was pouring in and making it difficult to watch the commander without narrowing his eyes. Gabriel had always hated having to meet Raymond in the afternoon.
"Ah, Lieutenant. It's a pleasure to finally see you. I've been expecting you in my office for a while now," Raymond said.
"I'm sorry, sir," Gabriel said.
Raymond turned around to look at him, his hands clasped behind his back. He had a smooth smile on his face, and his eyes were glinting with barely concealed amusement. Gabriel was relieved to see that he wasn't holding his horsewhip. When he did, it always meant he was in the mood to hurt someone.
"I heard about your accident. I hope you're feeling better already."
"A little, sir, but I must admit I'm not doing that well," Gabriel said, hesitating a little with his words. It was impossible to tell what Raymond was thinking when he was smiling like that. If he said the wrong thing, he'd be in even more trouble.
Raymond nodded. "Yes, you do look a little pale," he said. He paused to hum and glance out the window one more time. "Would you care to explain what exactly happened? I've heard rumours, but I don't want to be too hasty in trusting them."
"Of course, sir." Gabriel quickly told Raymond how Zorro had forced him to wear his costume and how his own men had shot him. He couldn't stop his voice from shaking with anger when he reached the part in which Zorro found him and took him to the de la Vega estate. He was expecting Raymond to be furious as well, but the expression on the commander's face didn't change at all.
"What a shame," Raymond said with a slow shake of his head.
"I'm sorry, sir?"
"I would have expected a little more competence from you, Lieutenant. How was it possible for Zorro to sneak into your room and force you into something like that without you even putting up a fight?" Raymond asked.
"Well, I… He had a gun pointed at me," Gabriel tried to explain.
"And?" Raymond asked sharply. "Do you think he would have been stupid enough to shoot and reveal his presence at the barracks? What kind of an idiot are you?" His tone grew sharp with his words, and the anger Gabriel had been expecting finally entered his eyes.
"But I -" he started to say, but Raymond wouldn't let him finish.
"Do you have any idea what your incompetence is going to cost me? I can't have you leading any of my operations in that condition. Look at yourself! You can barely stand!" the commander snapped. He slammed his palms against his desk and leant forward. Even though he was a head shorter than Gabriel, he still managed to look threatening and made the lieutenant want to squirm under those blazing eyes.
"I know. I'm sorry, sir," he stuttered.
"You had better be, but that's not going to help. What do you think is going to happen to our operations? I don't have the time to lead them personally, and I can't put Jekyll or Gonzales in charge. You're completely useless to me now."
Gabriel gritted his teeth, trying to stop the defensive argument escaping through his lips. It wasn't like he had got shot on purpose. Raymond had no right to take his anger out on him. Zorro was the one to blame, not him!
"I should have you flogged before the troops. Maybe that would teach you a lesson," Raymond continued.
Gabriel tensed these words but knew better than to try to argue. Any resistance would just urge Raymond to go through with his threat. He kept his eyes fixed before him and tried to stand straight, but the effort was making him feel fatigued. He wanted nothing more than to sit down somewhere.
Raymond let out another hum, sounding a little disappointed that Gabriel hadn't objected to his suggestion. He straightened his form and crossed his hands behind his back again.
"But that is going to have to wait for another time. Right now it's more important to me that you return to duty as soon as possible," he said.
"I hope it's not presumptuous of me to request some leave," Gabriel said.
Raymond shot him a glare that was filled with contempt. "Are you stupid? Of course you're going on leave, or do you want to sully the name of the Spanish army even more by fainting on duty?" he demanded to know.
"No, sir."
"Good. I'm ordering you to stay off duty for two months during which I hope you'll get yourself back together in time for the operation we have planned with Don Dias," Raymond said.
"I'll do my best, sir," Gabriel said.
The usual crooked smile returned to Raymond's face. "We will discuss your punishment at a later date, Lieutenant. You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir," Gabriel said.
He was relieved to get out of the large office. As soon as the doors had closed behind him, he leaned against the wall for support and counted to ten in his mind. His head was spinning, but he was glad he had made it without a punishment so far. If he healed quickly and got back to work, Raymond would forget all about it. He probably enjoyed seeing him squirm more than any real penalty.
He has no right to treat me like this, he thought once he was feeling a little better. It wasn't his fault that this had happened. He was already suffering enough with his injury; he didn't need to have Raymond spit scathing words at him, too. The man hadn't even asked if Gabriel had any plans to capture Zorro and have his revenge. That should have been the most important thing on his mind!
When he got outside, he noticed that Gonzales was still lingering about. He frowned in annoyance but didn't have the energy to yell at him to get lost and stop following him. Gabriel was sure that the sergeant was only there to keep his eye on him. That fool probably enjoyed seeing his superior in such a vulnerable state.
"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" he asked.
"No, not at the moment, sir. I just wanted to see if you needed anything."
"What I need is for you to get out of my sight," Gabriel said. Talking with Raymond had drained him, and it was still a decent walk to his room in the barracks. The last thing he wanted was for that idiot Gonzales to see how sick and tired he really was.
"Of course. Right away!" Gonzales said. He turned around and took a few hurried steps away, but then he turned back.
"What is it, Sergeant?" Gabriel asked impatiently.
"I'm just wondering if there are any orders for me. What are our plans for tomorrow?"
"You will get your orders from Captain Jekyll. I'm off duty for two months," Gabriel said.
Gonzales blinked in surprise. "Two months? That's very generous of the commander. I'm glad."
Gabriel grimaced at the thought. What was he supposed to do for so long? Everything in his life was in some way connected to the army, and he felt like the rug had just been pulled from under his feet. His days would get long and boring if he couldn't fill them with training the troops, patrolling the area or handling some of Raymond's shadier operations. Was he supposed to lie in bed for eight weeks? The mere thought was horrifying.
He resumed his walk towards his room, feeling his head spin more and more with every step. He stopped to lean against the wall for a moment, swallowing and muttering curses at himself under his breath. He felt like he was going to throw up.
"Let me help, Lieutenant," Gonzales said, suddenly appearing by his side.
"Didn't I tell you to get lost?" Gabriel growled, somehow finding the energy to sound angry.
"Yes, but I'm not following the order. You can punish me later." His tone held odd determination that Gabriel had never before heard in his voice. He even looked a little different; his face was uncharacteristically serious and he was staring straight at him, for once not cowering under Gabriel's stare.
Reluctantly, he accepted the sergeant's arm and let him help him walk. He could hardly believe he was really letting that oaf see how weak he was, but his exhaustion was by far stronger than the burn of humiliation. By the time they reached his room, he was so tired that he just collapsed into his bed.
"You shouldn't have got up for a few more days," Gonzales observed. When Gabriel responded with a furious glare, he shrugged and continued, "I'm just saying. It won't do anybody any good if you don't take proper care of yourself."
"Since when are you my nanny?" Gabriel asked.
"I'd be a terrible soldier if I didn't make sure my superior is doing well."
Gabriel closed his eyes. Had he sunk so low that he'd have to accept help from one of the most incompetent men he had ever had the displeasure of knowing? Not a day ever went by without Gonzales getting on his nerves, and he preferred to keep his interaction with him to the minimum. Barking orders at him and hoping he wouldn't mess up was enough for him.
"I don't need you," he said tiredly. "I just want to sleep."
He heard Gonzales shift on his spot, but he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes.
"Fine," Gonzales finally said. "But I'm going to ask Dr. Timothy to drop by tomorrow. Maybe you'll listen to him."
Whatever Gonzales did or said after that, Gabriel didn't hear it. He drifted to sleep near the end of the sergeant's sentence and wouldn't have tried to fight it even if he had had the time to realise it.
Sergeant Gonzales let out a sigh of relief when he noticed that the lieutenant had fallen asleep. Talking back to Gabriel had nearly torn his nerves to shreds, but he had the nasty feeling that he would have to turn it into a habit. Everyone knew that Gabriel needed help, at least in the beginning, but it was a completely different matter to make the stubbornly proud man accept it.
"This is going to be the end of me," Gonzales muttered as he wiped his sweaty brow. He cast another look at his sleeping superior and knew that he could and probably should have just walked out of the room. He had explicit orders to leave, and nobody could have blamed him for doing so. Yet he knew that he'd never be able to do it.
He didn't much care for Gabriel as a person, and he was certain that the feeling was mutual. Even as a superior Gabriel left much to be desired. He was effective at leading the troops when he knew what to do, but Gonzales couldn't help but think he wasn't very good at seeing the big picture or making sensible decisions. Too often he had wondered just what Gabriel was hoping to achieve and whether the man wasn't letting his temper control his actions a bit too much. Of course, he knew better than to say any of this out loud. Following orders was his job, and he wanted to be as good at it as possible.
None of this meant that he had it in him to just walk out and leave a sick man on his own. He'd probably get yelled at the next day, but that wasn't in any way different from how Gabriel normally treated him. With that in mind, he set about making sure that the lieutenant wouldn't wake up with even more pain the following morning. He took off his shirt, repositioned him on the bed and put the covers on him.
"That should do it," he muttered.
As he looked at the sleeping man, Gonzales couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had been the one to send the men after him three days ago. He couldn't have known that it wasn't really Zorro, but he was sure that wouldn't matter in the long run. If someone was to be punished, it would most likely be him. He could only hope they wouldn't remove him from his post. It would break his mother's heart.
I need a drink, he decided as he exited the room and closed the door. The next couple of days would no doubt be a stressful ordeal for everyone. This night might be his only chance to relax in a long time.