Disastrous night led to...

Chapter 3

"MAMI!"

Julieta, Pepa, Dolores and Isabela turned around so fast, as they saw Mirabel unconscious in Luisa's arms, no one noticing Abuela standing there with a hand over her chest.

"MIRABEL?" Julieta shouted as Casita brought a table in the middle of the courtyard. Luisa saw this and straight away put Mirabel on it, gently. She tried to stay with her but Agustín pulled her back as Mariano and Félix kept Dolores and Isabela back. Abuela's eyes widened as she saw her youngest nieta unconscious on a table in the middle of the courtyard, Julieta running past her into the kitchen to whip something up for some food.

"Pepa?" Abuela asked, voice laced with worry as she quickly walked over. Pepa looked up at her with tears in her eyes, a white cloud turning black above her head, as Pepa tried to keep it from raining. She looked down again, brushing the curls and wiping the tears out of her sobrina's unconscious face, not noticing her own tears falling. Abuela's eyes watered as she stroked her nieta's hair, waiting for Julieta to come. Dolores, Isabela and Luisa watched, still being held back by Mariano, Félix and Agustín.

"Mariano, get Dolores upstairs." Félix commanded his son-in-law, worried for his daughter as she was pregnant. Dolores turned to her father, eyes wide in anger, Mariano nodding as he tried to get Dolores upstairs.

"No." Dolores said, taking her husband's off her shoulders.

"Mi amor, please you..." Mariano started saying, trying to get his wife upstairs.

"No." Dolores reprimanded, through gritted teeth, once again shoving her husband's hands off her. Mariano and Félix looked at each other before Félix nodded. Mariano sighed and had no choice but to pick Dolores up bridal style.

"MARIANO!" Dolores whispered-screamed as Pepa looked over, glad her hija wouldn't be here.

"Mariano. Put. Me down. I need to..." Dolores instructed, as Casita made stairs like they would have when it's a gift ceremony. She tried to get down but Mariano had a tight grip and held her close. He took her to their room and closed the door, hearing a faint 'MARIANO' before the door closed, surprising everyone due to the level of Dolores's voice. 

"MAMA!" A shout was heard from the kitchen, catching everyone attention. Bruno ran with Antonio on his jaguar, Parce who screamed 'Tio, show me' right beside him, coming inside from being outside in the back yard as he ran with a bright green vision slab in his hand. Parce skidded to a stop and Antonio got off his back.

"We need to find Mirabel! Now!" Bruno wheezed out, holding onto a pillar and the slab in the other hand as he caught his breath. He looked up to see his hermanas and mama around a table as his breath hitched and eyes widened, now having caught sight of a teal coloured skirt on the table.

"No. No... Noo." He whispered to himself, reciting his 'knock on wood' mantra to himself, knocking on the pillar. He, unknowingly, dropped the vision slab as Casita caught it, surprisingly without a sound, and put it in the kitchen, on the table.

"MIRA!" Antonio cried as he tried to run to his prima but Bruno caught his sobrino by the arm before he could.

"No. Tio. Stop it. Put me down. She needs me. Mira needs me." Antonio squirmed in Bruno's arms as Bruno tried to take him away. Pepa and Félix gave him a look as if to say 'take him upstairs' which he did.

The 5 year old boy screamed. He screamed and thrashed about kicking and punching Bruno, yelling for his prima as his tio took him upstairs. Parce looked at Mirabel and then followed Bruno up the stairs and to Antonio's room, with his head down.

"I WANT MIRABEL!" Antonio's screams turned to loud uncontrollable sobs as Bruno shut his sobrino's door.

In that time, Julieta ran back in with a small bowl of soup that she had made earlier and some medicine.