Chapter 9

At the end of the two weeks, the doctor cleared Diego for normal activity, as long as he took it slow at first. "You need to be careful with that shoulder, and should avoid strenuous activities the first few days. But telling you that is like talking to a brick wall." Hernandez replied when Diego started to protest.

"I will keep him busy enough, he won't have time to think about strenuous activity." Victoria laughed softly and glanced at Diego with a secret grin.

"Well, it sounds like you have your work cut out for you Diego." The doctor was about to leave when he leaned over to whisper something into Diego's ear, "Good luck with her, she is a feisty one." He winked at Diego.

"Yes, she is, but there is also so much more to her than her feisty temper." Diego whispered back as he walked the doctor to the front door.

Victoria noticed the two men whispering and watched them closely. "Thank you for all of your help doctor." She said with a sweet smile. She wanted to talk about Zorro, now that her masked love was cleared to ride again.

"You're very welcome, and you know where to find me if you need anything else." Hernandez smiled at both of them and left.

The two men winked at each other and laughed softly as the front door closed behind the doctor.

"We need to talk about Zorro, and his activity." Victoria was happy to see that Diego recovered well, but also knew that over the past two weeks he wanted to get up and ride as the masked hero.

"I am going to retire Victoria. It's time I put my life, love, and energy to better use. Not that protecting innocent people was a bad use of my time." He quickly tried to cover for his tongue when he noticed he smile fade to concern.

"What you have done for the people of Los Angles wasn't a waste of time, and you can still protect them in other ways without endangering your own life." Victoria said with a concerned smile.

"I know all I've done to protect them was needed then, but I guess what I'm trying to say is…," he paused for a second to gather his thoughts, " I need to focus on us. I have spent the past five years putting others before myself and allowing my personal life, and love to slip by me as if it wasn't important. It's time we build a future for us and our future family." He leaned over to kiss her forehead lightly.

Victoria tried to hold her joyous tears back, but a few slipped down her face. She quickly wiped them away before Diego could see them. "You have made me so happy Diego, and your words have touched my heart in many ways." She wiped a few more tears.

Diego reached over to wipe a stray tear from her eye. "Victoria will you marry me?" he dropped to one knee and pulled a small box from his jacket pocket.

"Yes, Diego, I will …," Victoria started to say as he lifted the small box and slowly opened it.

"Diego, I need your opinion on a new….." Alejandro rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks when he saw his son down on one knee. The small ring box open, and neither Victoria or Diego looked over at Alejandro. They were lost in each others eyes and emotions.

He slowly backed out of the room and peeked around the corner.

"Yes, I will marry you." Victoria choked out between tears of joy, and ran her fingers over the shiny ring held before her.

"Oh, Victoria, you have made the happiest man alive." Diego slipped his mother's ring onto Victoria's finger. He slowly stood up and held her gaze with his eyes.

They heard a small cough from the library, "You can come out now Father." Diego said and laughed out loud. Alejandro slowly peeked around the corner.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you." Alejandro looked embarrassed as he walked over to them.

Diego was too excited to hold the news in, "As you heard, Victoria has agreed to become my wife." He grinned at his father's expression after he was caught eavesdropping.

"That is excellent news, and this calls for a celebration." He pulled both in for a hug. "And while we are celebrating, we can start planning." He gave them one more hug before leading them to the library.

They had a nice dinner that evening, and wedding plans were arranged.