Sanando Tu Corazón

Despertando

The cart flew through the streets of the Encanto, which were mostly deserted by this time of night. The sun had fully gone down at this point, and a chill was settling in as Félix urged the horses drawing the cart to go even faster. Julieta was in the back, monitoring the unconscious man's weak vital signs. At Julieta's request, Dolores had draped her jacket over him to help him stay warm. She also found a bag of some soft material to put under his head. Surely whoever ordered it would understand that there were more pressing concerns than the cleanliness of a bag. The cart pulled up to Casita, where Abuela was waiting at the door.

"What happened?" she asked as Julieta ran inside to start heating soup.

"We found someone badly hurt on the trail coming back, Alma," Félix said. "He needs help, and he needs it now."

Abuela nodded. "Luisa!" she called into the house. Casita was already bringing her, though, so Luisa appeared behind her almost immediately.

"Sí, Abuela?" Luisa replied.

"Take this man upstairs to the nursery quickly, please."

"And be very gentle," Félix added. "He has a few broken bones already, and we don't even know how badly he's hurt."

Luisa nodded. She held back a gasp when she saw the man's face and picked him up extremely carefully. When she took her first step, she felt something move, and she froze. "I think I hurt him," she whispered, sounding close to tears.

Abuela came over to her side. She cringed when she saw the man. It wasn't the first time she had seen someone hurt so terribly. Life before the Encanto was difficult in many ways, and there were many times she saw friends with injuries like these, just not quite as extensive. "Was it in his chest?" Luisa nodded, a tear sliding down her face. "Mija, it's probably a broken rib from his injuries. You didn't hurt him. I know you must be worried, but we need to get him upstairs, and that needs to happen right now."

"Okay," Luisa sniffed. "Can Casita help? I'm afraid that moving him too much will make me hurt him."

Rather than try and get her to walk, Abuela just nodded. That was a conversation they could have later. Casita whisked Luisa up to the nursery, with Abuela and Dolores following closely behind while Félix took the cart back to town. Pepa was riding in the front with him, holding his hand like she would lose him if she ever let go. Casita opened the door to the nursery and moved things out of the way for Luisa so she could set him on the bed in there. Ever since the magic came back, Mirabel had her own magical room in Casita, even though the whole house was essentially hers. So the nursery had stayed empty for almost two years, waiting for a new Madrigal to join the family before getting their own Gift and room. Luisa set the man down on the bed gently and grabbed a light blanket to throw over him. He was cold. Too cold. Luisa sat down next to him and stood guard while Abuela and Dolores went back downstairs to help Julieta however they could. She couldn't get the feeling of something moving in his body out of her head. It was horrifying. Luisa had seen some hurt people before, but never something as bad as this. After a few minutes of staring at him, Abuela and Julieta came upstairs with señor Gutierrez, the doctor who had found his way through the crack in the mountains shortly before the magic returned and stayed because he fell in love with one of the shop owners. He had a little modern equipment, and he could even perform minor surgeries back at his office. The second he saw the unconscious man laying on the bed, he gasped, did a cross over his chest, and looked at Abuela.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked.

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," Julieta replied. "Félix thought it would be a good idea for you to look at him before I healed him."

"It's a good thing you did." The doctor pulled back the blanket, making everyone cringe. "Just by looking at him, I see a broken arm, horrible ankle, dislocated jaw, probably some broken ribs."