Chapter XIII

XIII

The end of March and the heat was already making itself felt despite it being nighttime. It was 3:30 and the clock seemed to not move forward a single second. That gunshot wound that arrived at the emergency room was putting up a fight, and despite the tension from the surgery, good humor wasn't long in coming, nor was hunger.

—Hey! Pay attention, if he dies I'm going to blame you, I'm going to put everything in the nursing note.

—And I'm in the anesthesia room.

—If I'm not God, I'm just a human with a very stressful profession.

—Pick up the pace, Doc. I want to go to dinner.

—Me too, let's see you, useless one.

—Keep going and see who gives you the anesthesia.

—You're still useless, ask for something to eat, you know where.

—Yes, I'm going. Who's going to go out for them?

— You Doc.

—Why me?

—Because yes, you're the Doc, they're not going to tell you anything... now for a modest amount, Darío goes and has dinner for himself.

—Dario? Which Dario?

—The family doctor on call tonight is my friend.

—Okay, tell him to go get dinner and if possible bring her the dress because at the rate we're going, we're going to be up all night. This idiot isn't in a hurry.

— This idiot has a name and he's the one who's going to spoil our dinner, and if I'm getting ahead of myself... the bullet is fragmented, it's a miracle it didn't take out the hypothalamus.

—“Who wants the most handsome of the Greeks?”

—Hm? You love me? Oh no! That's why he didn't listen to my brother—worried.

—Yes, a lot, and asking you for a favor too, would be good for you.

• What is it? —he views the message with some suspicion.

—Dinner, and Doc Gómez Soto's wife is going to make it a good one.

• Oh, I want it! What's it going to be? Well, never mind, I'll go get her. Secundina, do you want to go home with me tomorrow? Let's go get your daughter first, then go home. I want to talk to you.

—Yes, of course, my friend. By the way, how is your brother?

• Cyrus? Okay, thank you.

—Him? I don't know him, I'm asking for Elián.

"Ah! Him," she pauses for a moment, dramatic. "He forbade me from telling you anything about him, so all I'll say is that you won't see him again for the rest of your life."

—. . . Dinner's coming in an hour —she stops texting, puts her hands to her face.

—Bring me a Gelfoam!

—I'm going! —And some cotton balls! On my way off duty.

—You did badly, my friend.

—Shhh! Shut up —eating—. You're doing me a favor.

Elian's passion

"Whoever it is," he helps her with her handbag. He hands her his cell phone.

• Call my daughter, since Elena left she's been angry with me, she doesn't talk to me, in fact she went to live with my dad.
• Because?

"I'm to blame for her misfortune, for all her ills, and it's my fault she's lost her sister. Say you want to talk to her alone. I'll lock myself in the basement."

He takes his cell phone, calls the teenager, and speaks to her in English.

• Ready, take it.

—I understood almost everything, just because I can't speak it doesn't mean I don't understand it.

—We'll go to your dad's house, I'll talk to her, from there you and I will leave, we have to talk.

—Of course, I don't know what, but let's talk.

Already at Dario's house.

—Well, Emily is mad at you, she took everything from her house, she didn't leave anything, not even a thank you.

—That's why I never wanted to let anyone into our lives, just as friends, and I never said anything to your brother. I don't know where she got that movie from.

• Let's leave my brother out of this. Well, not really, but yes. I have one or more questions for you. Do you like me as a man? You know what I'm talking about. —Seriously, waiting for an answer.

—What? No. I love you very, very much, you know that, but as a friend and nothing more. —She hugs him, snuggles into him.

"Thank Zeus!" he sighs in relief, hugging back.

I love you very much too.

• What is the point of that question?
• For nothing really and tell me what is your type of man?

—I don't even know, in fact I don't know what I want.

—Yes, I already realized that.

• What I do know is that I don't want to fall in love again. He pours her coffee.

—My friend, I know your past, I know your present, it's not pretty, neither of them. I know my brother's past and present, his past was beautiful, seeing how he went out of his way for Elora, seeing how despite being young he did so much for her and for his son Calix, then for Briseida, he was a good husband, a good father, but believe me, his present isn't.

• What I don't understand.
• Elena was born, he was with her for the first five years, then she disappeared despite being the majority partner in all our companies, Ciro and I had to focus on not letting the entire empire that my grandfather and father built fall.
• I was unaware of all that.

—It took us years to find him, and he was someone else. He lost his faith, but you didn't just lose your faith, you lost your soul.

Bow your head.

• But the two of them have something in common: they're in this world for their children. If Elena and Emilia happen to die, you'll go after them." He takes her hands. "My brother has feelings for you. Believe me, he's sincere in his feelings. Trust my words, trust what he offers you."
• I don't know how.
• Tell me the truth, you have feelings for me.