Nacre's Promise

Chapter XVI : Familiar universe

Barcelona, ​​1904.

Little by little, the small circle of light grew larger then remained motionless before starting to enlarge again. With the light, certain rustling, at the beginning imperceptible, became, little by little, more and more audible.

After a while, she could make out a window surrounded by pretty floral curtains that she had seen somewhere before.

But where am I? And why am I lying full length on this sofa in this large room?

The noises became words and they came from very close but she could only distinguish figures. She tried to call but no sound came out. Suddenly intense pain came over her. She tried to fight but this effort had exhausted her some strength and she fell into a restless sleep again.

— Isabel, can you hear me? Isabel, it's me, Ruiz.

Those words snapped her out of her torpor again and she opened her eyelids. It was almost dark and all was calm. Her surroundings seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't move or make a sound. She tried to wiggle her fingers and obviously succeeded as Ruiz took her hand and said.

— Don't fuss, Isabel, take a rest. I just wanted to verify that you hadn't fallen into tortured dreams from the painkillers you were prescribed. Rest assured, you are safe here. You had a serious accident almost a week ago. You need to sleep and take all the time you need to recover peacefully.

Several days later, it surfaced again. This time, she recognized one of the guest rooms in Don and Doña Campos del Azul y Riera's home.

So that's for sure, she hadn't dreamed, she was in a friendly house. This soothing information made her fall into a deep sleep again.

In the living room, Don Campos was talking to the doctor who was taking care of Isabel.

— What do you think, Doctor? Will she recover and in how long?

— I can't comment at the moment, explained the doctor. They did not have time to molest her but the fall was very severe, she has many broken bones and the fear has finished plunging her into this state, but I am very hopeful.

As he spoke, he tried to close his briefcase, which seemed to be full to the brim.

— It is very good that you have installed her in a familiar environment because she will be able to recover from her fright feeling safe. I will come back regularly to monitor its healing. In the meantime, absolute rest. Have a nice day, Señor Campos.

Don Campos sent for Ruiz.

— Ruiz, the doctor wants her to keep absolute rest until her next visit. Make sure that no one but you can disturb her.

— Fine, Señor, I'll watch over her.

After many days without noticeable change, Isabel finally came out of her shock, just as Ruiz entered the room. She was still weak, but she wanted to know everything and especially how she had landed among the Campos when, in her memory, she was living with Manuela Cortez.

— How come I'm here Where is Manuela Cortez? What happened to me?

— Oh dear, one question at a time, Isabel! You still need to rest, but I will tell you everything in detail. For now, know that you had a bad encounter and a fall from your horse, very close to Barcelona, ​​and that you have multiple fractures. Fortunately, I was on my way to the estate, to carry a mailing, and the driver sped up when he heard screaming.

It seemed for a moment that Isabel remembered her fall.

— It was I who found you. The arrival of the car put the attackers to flight, just at the right time. They did not have time to strip you or brutalize you, but the fall was severe and your injuries are still very serious. You are safe and I am watching over you, so just think about getting your health back and getting some sleep. I'll be back to see you for supper.