Bruno's POV:
I wasn't sure how well I could race, especially with the pain in my head growing. But, I accepted the challenge. I know it was dumb. No need to remind me.
I mounted my horse and watched as my daughter and Andres took off. I urged my horse forward. But before Clover and I went very far, a bad surge of pain shoot through my head.
"Gah!" I exclaimed, my hands on my head. That was probably a bad idea, because before I knew it, my horse was neighing and reigning. I couldn't hold my grip on the reigns and fell. "AHH!" I screamed.
Kristi's POV:
My eyes were wide in horror as I saw papa fall from Clover. "PAPA!" I jumped off of my horse and ran over to papa. I knelt down and took him in my arms. "Papa, are you alright?! What happened?!"
Papa groaned in pain, wincing. He had blood on his head. He must've hit his head on a rock or something when he fell..."I-I'm...um...I don't know..."
"Bruno!" Andres came running over to us. He knelt down and looked at my papa. "Bruno, what happened? What spooked Clover?"
"Heh....It's a long story, kid..." papa stated, giving a small smile.
"Andres, we have to help him..." I looked at Andres, who looked back at me.
"Si, Kristi. I'll go to the stream and wet my handkerchief. He'll be fine, don't worry, mi vida..."
I watched as he quickly stood up and went to the stream. I looked down at papa, who was still groaning in pain. "Stay with me, papa...You'll be ok..."
Bruno sighed, looking up at me. "Kristi, I really have something I need to tell you....I should've told you a long time ago...."
"W-what are you talking about, papa...?"
"W-well....You remember when your tias would tell you I was taking a nap when you were little...?" I nodded slowly. "W-well...see, my gift kinda has side affects...Like energy tolls...And, when they told you I was napping, I kinda instead, passed out...But mostly um....."
"Mostly what, papa...? What's going on with you...?"
"I sometimes would get migraines after a vision...But um...Ever since I came back, I get them at random times...."
"Migraines?!" I exclaimed. Papa winced at my tone. "Sorry...Sorry..."
"Kristi, Bruno, I have the cloth!" Andres said, coming up to us quickly. He knelt down and carefully dabbed at the blood.
"So...that's what's been happening...You've been having bad pains...But...Why didn't you ever tell me..?"
"Yea...I-I guess I just didn't want you to worry...I'm really not used to...to opening up to people...and letting others help me carry my burdens.." papa sighed heavily, before wincing.
"Bruno...You need to open up sometime...You can't keep everything inside forever. That's simply not healthy." Andres stated, shaking his head.
"Yea...I know...." papa mumbled.
"Andres, we need to get him to Tia Julietta. Now." I looked over at Andres urgently. Papa was in pain. That much was very obvious. He needed medical attention.
"I don't think he can ride, from the looks of it, Kristi." Andres remarked.
"I'll ride with him! He's my father, Andres. We need to get him to my tia. Now." I said firmly.
"Alright, alright. Here, let me help you." He stood up and helped me lift papa up.
"Gah..." papa groaned, as we helped him stand.
"It'll be alright, papa...We're going to get you to Tia Julietta." I said gently. Papa nodded slowly, giving me a small smile. Andres and I helped him mount Clover. I mounted and sat behind papa, holding onto him.
"It'll be alright, Kristi. He's going to be alright." Andres said reassuringly. I nodded slowly, as Andres mounted Thunder. "Come on, Thunder. Let's go, Estrella, Clover." he urged his horse forward, leading Clover and Estrella by the reigns.
"Just hang in there, papa..." I said quietly.
Papa shook his head, groaning quietly. "Thank you, my little angel....Oh...this hurts bad...." he gave a small gasp of pain.
"I know, papa...I know..." I gently played with his hair.
He gave a small chuckle. "You know, I always liked it when you played with my hair..."
"I kinda like it too, papa." I kissed the top of his head. The whole time, I was just hoping that he would be ok. Falling from a horse can be serious! But having already been having a migraine at the same time?? Oh, gosh.....
We didn't ride too fast, but definitely not too slowly. I would occasionally continue to wipe the blood from his head. "I think the bleeding stopped. But his condition is not good. Hurry, Andres!"
We finally got to the village. When we stopped in front of Casita, we saw Isabella and Francisco hurrying up.
"What happened?!" Francisco exclaimed, as Andres and I helped papa down.
"His horse got spooked and he fell..." I said quietly.
"I'll get mama. Francisco, help them, por favor?" Isa looked at her boyfriend.
"Si, of course, Isa."
Isabella smiled at Francisco and kissed his cheek. "Gracias, mi amor." with that, she hurried inside.
Francisco came over to us and helped Andres and I get papa inside. "We can put him on the couch. It's closer than his room."
"Good idea, Andres." I nodded. "How are you doing, papa?"
"Alright....I guess..."
"Bruno! Bruno, what's happened?!" my Tia Julietta came hurrying into the living room, Tio Augustine, Tia Pepa, and Tio Felix behind her. My prima Isabella came hurrying in with Mirabel, abuela, and Camilo at her heels. Delores was already in the living room.
"Here, tio, let me help.." Delores said in her quiet voice.
We laid papa down on the couch. I knelt beside him, looking down at him, moving his hair gently away from his face. "Tia..?" I asked quietly. Andres stood behind me, his hands on my shoulders. Francisco was standing by Isa, his hands on her shoulders.
"Bruno, was it another migraine...?" Tia Pepa asked, as Tia Julietta knelt in front of the couch. A cloud formed above her head.
Papa nodded slowly. "Si....I guess I spooked the horse and lost my grip..."
"You fell from a horse?!!"
"Tia, please!" I looked up at my Tia Pepa. Rain began to fall from my tia's cloud, as Tio Felix held her close.
"We'll talk about this later. For now, how do you feel, Brunito...?" abuela asked softly.
"I've been better...."
"Julietta, is he alright?" abuela asked, turning to her eldest child.
"I think he will be after he eats this." Tia Julietta told her. My Primo Camilo handed her one of his arepas, as he frowned, looking at his Tio Bruno. "Just eat this, brother...You'll be alright.."
Papa nodded slowly. I lifted his head gently and my tia helped him eat the arepa. Almost instantly, my papa was looking much better. He sighed deeply before lying back, his soft snores filling my ears.
"He'll be fine. He just needs a little rest now." Tia Julietta reassured us.
"Will he be alright for the wedding...?" Andres asked.
"Si. He should be. Unless I've lost my gift again, then he should be just fine." my tia told him.
"I sure am glad your gift is healing, tia...." I said in a quiet voice, looking at papa, as he slept peacefully.
"So am I, Kristi...So am I."
YOU ARE READING
Bruno's Daughter
Fanfiction"Papa, where are you...? Why did you leave me? Papa, I love you!" the little girl cried into her father's ruana bitterly. When Kristi was just a year old, her parents were in a tragic accident. Kristi was an orphan. She was sent to the orphanage in...
