Julieta didn't often let her fears show. Her siblings were so anxious and overwhelmed all the time, and they needed someone to be calm and in control. The children needed to have an adult that they trust could comfort and reassure without panicking and overreacting about a situation first. Julieta tried hard to protect her family in that way, just like her mother did.
But she was alone right now. There were no kids she needed to be strong for. No mother to put on a mask for. The only person here was Bruno, who wasn't awake or aware enough to know if she let her walls down. For all intents and purposes, Julieta was on her own, and she couldn't keep herself from crying.
"Brunito." Her voice cracked, full of fear and pain. She gently brushed his hair out of his face. His forehead was warm and clammy. His breathing was shallow. He was so sick, and she was terrified that it was far worse than just that.
Julieta had taken his ruana off. She didn't know if it would do any good, but she was desperate to do something, anything, to help her brother. The ruana itself was filthy, but that was nothing new. What horrified Julieta and broke her heart was what she saw under his ruana. He was wearing the same clothes that he'd worn the day of Mirabel's gifting. The day that he had left.
"What have you been doing with yourself?" Julieta said painfully. His clothes were in a poor state and had been repaired by untrained hands multiple times. The worst part was that Bruno's shirt was hanging off of him. It was too big, when Julieta knew for a fact that it had fit him like a glove two years ago. He had lost weight, and he hadn't had much in the first place.
She imagined that if she lifted his shirt and looked at his chest then she would see his ribs poking through. She was too scared to check.
He was far too still for her liking. If she couldn't hear his shallow breathing she would think he was dead. She found comfort in his breath, even though it was weak and made it clear how sick he was. For a bit the only sound she could hear was his breathing, but then he let out a quiet and painful sounding groan. Julieta felt like her heart stopped beating.
"Bruno?" She asked frantically. "Are you waking up?" She put a hand on his face and he leaned into her touch.
"Mamá." Bruno said weakly. It was barely understandable.
"No." Julieta said. She hated denying him. "I'm sorry." She would do everything in her power to take care of her brother, but she wasn't their mother. Julieta knew how much it could hurt to just want your mother's comfort, and she wasn't there.
Bruno whimpered brokenly and a single tear slowly fell from his eye. Julieta felt like crying herself. She hated seeing her brother in so much pain.
"It's okay." She forced herself to sound more confident than she felt. "You're going to be okay. Agustín will be here soon." Then they could get Bruno in bed and get him properly taken care of.
Bruno seemed to twitch as though he wanted to sit up. He wasn't even fully conscious yet. "Hermano?"
Julieta smiled gently. Bruno had always been close to Agustín. He was able to open up to him in a way that he couldn't with his sisters or their mother. Bruno had tried to explain it once. He said that Agustín, while part of the family, wasn't really part of the family. Julieta had gotten upset with her brother and didn't listen to the rest of his explanation. She hadn't tried to understand back then. She wanted to know. She wanted to listen to any explanation her brother might want to give her. She just wanted to hear the sound of his voice.
Bruno's eyes slowly opened. He blinked and it took him a concerning amount of time to focus on Julieta. He stared at her in confusion like he didn't understand what was happening.
"Juli?" Bruno frowned in confusion. "W-what are you doing here?"
She stroked his hair gently. "I'm taking care of you."
"Oh, okay." Bruno nodded weakly and closed his eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Julieta asked.
Bruno hummed thoughtfully. He seemed to be thinking about it carefully. It was normal for Bruno to need to carefully think through how he felt. After a long moment Julieta realized that he was dozing off. She gently shook his shoulder. He jolted and his eyes snapped open. He gave her a confused and slightly wounded look.
"How are you feeling?" Julieta asked again.
"Um…" Bruno looked confused about the question. "Bad?" He thought for another moment before he nodded as firmly as he could. "Yeah, bad." Julieta wanted more than that, but she didn't think Bruno was in any state to really think about it. He knew he was unwell. Maybe that was enough for him to recognize that he needed help.
She wanted to know if he could stomach food. She wanted to know why he was in the walls of Casita. How long had he been here? Had he even left at all? And why had he left in the first place? They were all very important questions, but she didn't want to overwhelm him. Bruno needed rest, and Julieta was scared that if she upset him then he would just vanish all over again.
So Julieta kept her questions to herself. She stroked Bruno's hair and provided quiet reassurances when he made the smallest sound of distress.
It wasn't too long before Dolores returned with Agustín behind him. She smiled fondly when she heard her husband hit his head. He was so clumsy, and he didn't let that stop him from trying.
"Juli," Agustín sounded a little breathless. "Is everything okay? What's…oh." He stopped when he saw Bruno. Dolores probably hadn't told him about Bruno, just as she hadn't told Julieta. She wished her niece would have said something, but that was another thing that she wouldn't ask about until later. Dolores had to have her reasons. She tried her best, but she was still so young. It was only expected that she would make mistakes. They could address that later, but Bruno's well-being was more important.
"We need to get him to our room." Julieta said. "Can you help?"
Agustín got over his shock very quickly. "Of course." He went to Bruno's side. Julieta moved out of the way to give him room. Agustín said something quietly to Bruno, speaking in a gentle tone that he reserved just for him. Julieta couldn't hear his words, but whatever he said must be comforting. Bruno relaxed and nodded. Agustín gently picked him up and held him close.
They carefully made their way out of the walls. Dolores led the way, with Agustín following slowly behind her. Julieta took up the rear, holding Bruno's ruana. She held it tightly, like it was the only thing keeping her sane.
It took Agustín a long minute to figure out how to climb out of the hole in the wall while carrying Bruno, but he eventually managed it. He carried Bruno to their bedroom. Julieta carefully followed behind, just making sure that Agustín didn't accidentally drop his brother. She shouldn't have had to worry. As careless as her husband could be, he was careful with those he loved. He was one of the most gentle and caring people that she knew, and that was why she loved him. But Bruno was fragile right now, and Julieta thought that she had a right to be worried.
Julieta and Agustín's room had an extra bed in it. She had always seen it as Bruno's bed. He liked the solitude of his room, but sometimes he was scared of being alone, and he needed company and reassurance. Julieta and Agustín had always been more than happy to let him sleep near them.
Julieta didn't want to let her brother out of her sight, but she had things she had to do. Agustín would keep an eye on Bruno. She could afford to walk away.
She kissed her husband's cheek. "Take care of him." Agustín nodded. Bruno said nothing. Julieta wondered just how aware he was. She reluctantly left the room. First thing's first, she sent Dolores back to bed. She appreciated the girl's help, but she was only thirteen. She needed her sleep, and she shouldn't have to worry about Bruno. That was the job of the adults.
When she finally got Dolores to return to her room Julieta went to wash the ruana. Bruno loved this thing, and she knew he would feel more comfortable when he had it back. But he couldn't have it when it was so dirty. It just wasn't safe. She wouldn't be surprised if the ruana was infested somehow, and that wouldn't help his sickness.
She cleaned the ruana more thoroughly than she'd ever cleaned anything else before. She had to clean out the water a few times, but eventually she had a ruana that looked cleaner and brighter than new. She had avoided using strong-smelling soaps. It had been tempting, but Julieta knew that sometimes Bruno could be bothered by scents. She didn't know why they bothered him, or why sometimes he could be fine with a smell and other times he seemed genuinely distressed by it.
By the time she was content with the state of the ruana she carefully hung it up to dry and then she went to the kitchen. Bruno deserved far better than leftovers. She wanted to make him some of his favorite soup. And it was so late now that it could be considered early morning. She doubted that she would be able to get to sleep now. She might as well get started on breakfast. If she prepared something now then when she returned to her room and to Bruno's side then she wouldn't have to leave him again so soon.
Julieta got the soup to simmer, and then she started on arepas and some rice. She usually found great comfort in cooking, but this time she was just trying to get it over with. She wanted to take care of Bruno and make sure he was okay. She couldn't shake the feeling that if she didn't have her eyes on him then he would vanish all over again.
The sky outside was just starting to lighten when the soup and other food was done. Julieta covered the food for breakfast and left a note for Pepa, asking her to take care of the rest of breakfast. Julieta did most of the cooking, but her sister understood that she couldn't take care of it all the time. Pepa could handle it for a day.
She took a large bowl of the soup and the now dry ruana and went back upstairs to her bedroom. She had hoped that her brother and husband would be asleep, because her brother needed rest, but she wasn't disappointed that they were awake and talking quietly. At least Bruno could eat. That was, if he had the stomach for it.
Bruno yelped when he heard the door open. He seemed like he was trying to hide behind Agustín. He sounded genuinely panicked, and the sound made Julieta's heart pang.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." Agustín whispered comfortingly. He held Bruno close. "It's just Julieta. Nobody else is here."
Julieta hurried to close the door. She felt bad for not knocking first. "Sorry. It's just me." She put the soup on the side table and sat on the bed. Bruno was still cowering behind Agustín. He was trembling, scared out of his wits.
"I come with a peace offering." Julieta held out the ruana. It took a long moment for Bruno to even look her way. His eyes were still very unfocused. There was fear there, but for all she knew he was scared of something that wasn't actually there. His eyes brightened and he cautiously reached for the ruana. He took it as though he was scared she would snatch it away from him.
Bruno buried his face in the fabric of his ruana, sighing contently. "Soft." He muttered.
Julieta hesitated before asking what was on her mind. "Who were you afraid of?" She wanted Bruno to answer, but she expected Agustín to do so for him. Agustín knew that he'd been afraid. He probably knew what was wrong. He had a way of getting Bruno to talk to him.
Agustín looked at Bruno, waiting for him to talk. When he didn't say anything Agustín spoke up.
"Alma." Agustín said with an apologetic wince. "Or Pepa."
Julieta gave Bruno a flabbergasted look. She expected him to deny her husband's words. For him to correct what surely had to be a misunderstanding. But Bruno said nothing. He just shuddered and leaned against Agustín. Julieta was horrified. He was afraid of their family? Why?
Yes, Bruno and Pepa's relationship had always been a little tense, especially since her wedding, but they were still siblings. They still loved each other. Pepa would be far too relieved to see him to jump into a fight. Bruno had to know that.
As for their mother, Bruno had always been a little frightened of her. Julieta had never understood why. Yes, their mother was too hard on him, and she pushed Bruno out of his comfort zone when he wasn't ready for it, but she was still their mother. She had protected him from the town's animosity, always acting as a barrier between him and the people.
But then again, Bruno had been in the walls of the house for who even knew how long. Julieta had no idea how much he had heard. For all she knew he had heard Pepa's stern insistences that they shouldn't talk about him, as though he had never existed at all. He might have heard their mother condemn him and declare him a coward who had abandoned the family.
Maybe he was just scared because he was sick and couldn't think clearly. Julieta hoped that was all. But if there was something more…no. She didn't want to think about that. She would just work herself up. She needed to focus on getting him better, and then she could think about why he had left and what was going through his mind.
"Bruno?" Julieta took her brother's hands. There was so much she wanted to say. She didn't know where to begin. She didn't want to scare him off. She just wanted him to be okay. "Can you have some soup?"
Bruno finally pulled away from Agustín. "Soup. Don't remember when I last had soup." He said it casually, with just a mild curiosity, but it was painful for Julieta to hear.
"It would have been two years ago." Julieta said. She grabbed the bowl and settled next to Bruno, who looked stunned.
"Two years." Bruno said. "Huh." And that was the end of it. He wasn't in much of a conversational mood. She was surprised he had talked this much. He'd always been really talkative, rambling on and on about absolutely nothing at all.
Bruno ate a little. He looked nauseous before he was even halfway through the bowl and he had to lay back down. Julieta would prefer that he ate more, because he was far too skinny, but she was glad he'd had anything at all. Even just a few bites would have been enough to heal his head injury and hurt foot. It would take time for his sickness to go away, but this was one more problem that they would need to worry about.
Bruno laid down, looking tiny on the bed. "Not s'pposed t'be here." He muttered. Agustín looked a little tired at those words. Julieta had the feeling that this wasn't the first time Bruno had said this very thing.
"You belong with the family." Agustín said gently and firmly. "And family takes care of each other. You're supposed to be with us, and we're supposed to be here, taking care of you. That's how it works."
Bruno hummed and nuzzled into his pillow. He already seemed half asleep. He didn't talk too much more. A few minutes later they thought it was safe to say that he was fast asleep.
"How is he?" Julieta asked anxiously.
"I don't think he really understands that he's not dreaming." Agustín said. "He's going to try to leave as soon as he knows what's going on."
"But why?' Julieta's voice cracked. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Why doesn't he want to be with us? Why did he leave?"
Agustín shook his head. "I don't know." He slowly got up, leaving Bruno on the bed. He sat next to Julieta and pulled her close. "He's going to be okay. We'll take care of him."
"How can we if we don't even know what's wrong?" Julieta was far too tired, scared, and hurt to calm down and pull in her emotions. Agustín grounded her.
"We'll figure it out." Agustín said. "And at least we know that something's wrong. We'll keep an eye on him."
"I'm not planning on leaving his side ever again." Julieta said. It was only a mild exaggeration. Agustín chuckled and kissed her forehead.
The two of them settled on their bed, but they didn't sleep. They were both too worried about Bruno. They just sat and watched him as he rested. Julieta's concern spiked every time Bruno's expression shifted to one of pain, or when he coughed. She couldn't calm down and breathe until he relaxed.
She would have been more than happy to sit there all day, but far too soon there was a knock on the door. Julieta jolted. She and Agustín exchanged concerned glances before quickly looking at Bruno. He was still sound asleep, but she didn't know how long that would last.
She knew it was too much to hope that whoever was there would just leave. She really didn't want them to come inside. Not when Bruno was in this state. So Julieta reluctantly left her husband's side and went to the door. She opened the door and froze when she saw her mother.
"Mamá." Julieta hated how concerned she felt to see her mother. It was a very unfamiliar feeling for her.
"Julieta." Alma's voice was no-nonsense, just as it always was. "It's late. Why are you still in bed?" She didn't sound angry yet. Alma could accept them taking a day off every once and a while, but she wanted to at least know why. Laziness was not an acceptable excuse.
Julieta looked behind her. She hated lying to her mother, but she couldn't tell the truth. Not now. "Agustín isn't feeling well. He's sick."
There was sympathy in Alma's eyes. "How bad is he?"
Julieta swallowed thickly. The problem was that she really didn't know. "He has a high fever."
Julieta knew what her mother was going to say before she started. "Do you feel comfortable leaving him alone for the day?" That was the question. Julieta had to think about it.
She didn't want to leave Bruno. She wanted to personally see to it that he was okay. She knew that if she said she was needed here her mother would be disappointed, but she would understand. But it might also raise more questions. It would bring more of the family to the room, and that wasn't what Bruno needed right now.
"He should be fine on his own." Julieta looked over his shoulder, making eye-contact with Agustín, a question in her eyes. He nodded, immediately understanding what was needed.
"Good." Alma sounded relieved and pleased. "I'll see you downstairs shortly." She left. Julieta closed the door and leaned against it. It was far too early for her to be this drained.
"I don't want to leave him." Julieta said.
"I know." Agustín said. "I'll take care of him."
"If anything happens-" Julieta trailed off.
"I'll tell Dolores." Agustín said. They didn't like to do it too often, but when they urgently needed to exchange messages between each other they would ask Dolores to be the messenger. It was a lot to put on a young girl's shoulders, but sometimes they didn't have too much of a choice.
Julieta was still nervous about leaving, but if she stayed for much longer she wouldn't be able to walk out the door. She forced herself to get ready for the day. The last thing she did was go to Bruno's side.
"I'll be back tonight." Julieta said. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his, just basking in his presence. "You'd better still be here." She had barely handled his disappearance the first time. She wouldn't be able to take it again.
She reluctantly left Bruno's side, gave her husband one more hug as they wished each other luck. Then she left the room and started the day, knowing that her heart wouldn't be in it. It would be back here with her brother, and she wouldn't feel right until she was with him again.
