You are a madrigal

Part 9

The next day Dolores woke up in her room confused. Did last night really happen or was it just a dream? She laid in her bed and tried to recollect her memories, she had such a headache. All of a sudden there was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal her mother with a soft smile on her face.

"Buenos días, Mi Paloma." Dolores scrunched up her face in confusion as she looked at her mother as she walked in. "Mama?" Pepa hummed as she came over to her bed and ran her hands through her curly hair. "How are you feeling mi hija, is the baby okay??"

Dolores sighed. So last night really did happen. She must have cried so much that she tired herself out. She looked at her mother as she tried to listen to the sound of the little beat. "I have a mild headache. The baby is fine, the heartbeat sounds so tiny, but it's there, and strong."

Pepa nodded her head as she sighed and kept her smile. "Well the baby isn't fully developed yet. That's why the heartbeat sounds so small." She sat on the bed next to her daughter and looked down at her. "Dolores.... Does that boy, does the father know?" Dolores looked away and stared at her blankets as her heart tugged and the feeling of guilt set in again.

"No. Alejandro said that his papa had gotten a job offer outside of Encanto. His parents took him with them when they left a month ago." Pepa nodded her head as she listened to her daughter, and sighed. "What do you want to do about this, what were you planning?"

Dolores sat up and bought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I didn't know if it was going to work at first. I was going to have a child in your place so that you wouldn't get hurt. So that you don't have to fight with Abuela anymore. I was going to give the baby to you and Papi...Does he know?"

Pepa nodded her head. "I didn't tell him too much, but he knows you are pregnant..." Dolores glanced at her mirror before looking back at her. "Is he upset?" Pepa chuckled and sighed "As upset as you could be when you find out your almost 17 year old daughter is pregnant." She looked at her daughter and saw her looking away in shame. She scooted closer to her daughter and wrapped an arm around her as Dolores laid her head on her shoulder.

"Mi hija, being a mother is a very big responsibility. I understand that you want to give the child to us but I..." Before she could say another word the door opened again and Felix came walking in. Dolores looked at him for a whole second before turning her head away. 

Pepa huffed as he walked over to the bed and whispered. "Felix, I thought we agreed I would be the one to talk with her!" he held his hands up in surrender and held his head down. "Si, mi vida, I know. I just wanted to see my baby girl." Felix sat on the other side of Dolores and moved her head so that she would look at him.

"Are you okay mi hija?" She gave him a smile and nodded her head. "Papi, I-" The short man shook his head and gave her a smile. 

"Don't apologize princesa, you've done enough of that already. Just...explain to me what's been going on. "Dolores had a sad smile on her face before she began telling him what she told her mother.

By the end of it, they were both hugging her for a while before Felix decided to say something." Dolores, it wasn't your responsibility to try and fix our problems." She sighed and tilted her head down.

 "I know papi but I wanted to help. None of the other girls are old enough, and Isa is watched all the time. I just figured it would be simpler this way. Another madrigal would be born, Abuela wouldn't worry about the miracle anymore and Mama wouldn't get hurt."

Felix and Pepa shared a look before Pepa looked down to their daughter. "Lola... if this is something that you really want....than we can claim the child as our own, but you still have to be responsible for them. So you will have to look out for them and teach them how to do things, okay? No one else will know besides me, your papa and Tia."

Dolores looked at her mother determined and nodded her head. "I understand."

Felix got off the bed and clapped his hands together. "Good now, how about you get dressed and come down to get something to eat. Now that you are pregnant you have to make sure the baby gets the nutrients it needs to grow." She nodded her head and got up to get dressed as her parents left her room.