Chapter 11

After they had enjoyed a simple meal, Don Alejandro sent Felipe to bed. Together with Victoria, he sat by his only son's bed, who had shown remarkable bravery today. Diego seemed to be sleeping peacefully, albeit paler than usual, likely due to the blood loss.

"Perhaps you should try to get some sleep too. Diego will benefit if you don't get overly tired," Victoria suggested cautiously around midnight. "I'll stay with him."

"I'll sleep when I am old. Diego is my only son. According to the doctor, the first two days are crucial. You go ahead. I can't sleep now anyway. It was a strenuous day for you, You should try and get some rest." Don Alejandro replied.

Victoria nodded understandingly. "If there's anything I can do, just call me." She kissed the don on his cheek.

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Victoria slept poorly and was wide awake at daybreak. After getting dressed, she went straight to Diego's room. There, she found both dons sleeping: Diego peacefully in bed and don Alejandro slumped in a chair next to the bed.

She cautiously walked further into the room and placed her hand on Diego's forehead. He didn't feel warm. That was a relief. Then Victoria took a blanket from the foot of the bed and draped it over don Alejandro, who was softly snoring.

In the kitchen, she found Maria and asked if she knew more about how Felipe was doing.

"I just brought him breakfast. Poor boy looks terrible with that black eye. Hopefully, it'll subside soon. I caught him as he was planning to get up, but I reminded him of what the doctor said: rest. I'll going to have a hard time keeping that boy in his room, I am telling you."

Victoria liked the housekeeper. Maria was a warm, affectionate woman who had expertly managed the kitchen and the hacienda for as long as anyone could remember. However, she also knew that, deep down, even don Alejandro was a little afraid of her. His respect for Maria was immense.
"Don Alejandro was sleeping next to Diego's bed. When he wakes up, will you tell him that I'm going to Los Angeles to check on the tavern? He'd probably prefer to stay with Diego. Then I'll come back to see how Diego is doing. As far as I could tell, he didn't have a fever."

"That's good to hear."

Victoria left for the pueblo. Maria went to check on the situation in the young don's bedroom herself.
She found don Alejandro asleep, but Diego had his eyes open.

"Maria, what happened? Why am I in bed?"

After placing the tray on the table, Maria hurried to Diego, who tried to sit up.

"Please stay lying down. The doctor will do something to me when anything happens to the stitches."

"Stitches?" Diego closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. He mostly remembered a soft hand touching him.

"On your way to Santa Barbara, you were attacked. From what I understood, you and Felipe fought bravely and managed to overpower the bandits. Unfortunately, not before one of them managed to shoot you. According to the doctor, it's just a graze wound, but you lost a lot of blood. And we must do what we can to avoid the wound getting infected."

"Felipe?" Diego wanted to know.

"He has a black eye, and yesterday he had a headache. He will be fine. I had to send him back to his bed two times in the past half hour alone."

"And Señorita Escalante?"

"Not a scratch. She's in the pueblo but said she'll come to check on you."
The conversation was conducted in a whisper to avoid disturbing don Alejandro's sleep.
"Your father sat by your bed all night to watch over you."
Just then, don Alejandro made a loud snoring noise.
"I think it was more tiring for him than he thought. Come, let me help you. I brought coffee, juice, and porridge. You must be thirsty and hungry."

Knowing that refusing would be futile (Maria could be quite assertive when she saw the need), Diego allowed himself to be helped up.
It pained him deeply when Maria told him that after what had happened, Victoria seemed more interested in her tavern than in him and Felipe.
Sitting upright was particularly painful, and once he had quenched his worst thirst, Diego said, "I need to lie down again. Sitting is almost impossible."

After Maria had helped him, Diego lay listening to the snoring of his father and staring at the ceiling.
So Victoria regarded him as a good friend, almost like family, according to his father.
Maria's words had once again confirmed that Victoria cared even less about him than he had thought. What had he expected. That she had been sitting beside his bed for hours. Praying for his life, uttering words of how much he meant to her? Wasn't he supposed to know better after all these years of futile hoping? He had to forget ever to have feelings for her and move on with his life. He owed Victoria and himself that much.

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In the tavern, it was busier than usual. Mainly because of the wild rumours circulating through the pueblo.

Mendoza, who had heard most of the news first hand, told what he knew. And what he didn't know, he also told, albeit in a different version each time. Victoria had already slipped in through the kitchen door as a precaution and told Pilar and Alicia briefly what had happened. Her helpers also had news.

"They say those bandits are the Montoya brothers. The alcalde was asking for you in connection with the reward on their heads," Pilar said. "Imagine that, four thousand pesos."

Victoria had to swallow hard when she heard that. Not because of the high amount of money but because of whom the men were. "That money isn't mine to claim. It was Don Diego and Felipe who overpowered the bandits."

"The de la Vegas are so wealthy; they'll surely want you to have the money," Alicia said.

Her helpers barely listened to Victoria and were busy imagining what they would do if they ever had so much money.

After giving some final instructions, Victoria returned to the hacienda, where both dons were awake.

However, don Diego was close to rude in his responses to her inquiries about how he was feeling. Victoria suspected it was because he was tired and decided to keep to herself for now who the don had fought so bravely.

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