La Mujer de Lalo (Lalo's Woman)

Métemela, Don Eduardo

Lalo was quick enough to catch the falling Ana just in time. He tried calling her name and gently slapping her face to wake her up. Nothing. The others in the room had surrounded the couple and looked as Nacho rushed to get some water. Lalo carried Ana upstairs to one of the rooms and lay her down like a mother laying down her new born baby. God she was just so perfect. Those pink lips, the black eye liner, those pretty curls.

"Hey sleeping beauty, please wake up." Lalo mumbled.

Nacho came with the water and splashed it on her face. Moments later, Ana's eyes moved as she gently opened them. At first she didn't know where she was, all she could see was a bright light in a new environment. She panicked and started kicking around.

"Shh... querida, it's me. Your with us. Relax."

Hearing his voice calmed her down. Lalo gently lifted her head and made her drink some water, as Nacho gently rubbed her head.

"You alright, hermanita?" Nacho asked.

Ana felt hungry and tired. She nodded her head sideways.

"Qué pasó, mi amore?" Lalo questioned her.

She told them that it was probably dehydration from all the work. Lalo kept scolding her for taking her health for granted. For once, Nacho agreed with him.

"He's right. You always do this to yourself. How hard would it have been to ask someone to get you something to drink? You could at least told me." Nacho exclaimed.

"We were all busy, plus it was all... I don't know." Ana said.

"What did you eat today, Ana?" Lalo questioned her.

She hesitantly spoke the truth. They both sighed. Lalo asked Nacho to get her something to eat. She said her tummy was burning and didn't feel like eating even though she was terribly hungry. Lalo stormed out of the room, only to return 10 minutes later with a bowl of fruits. He fed her the cut fruits one by one. She told that she could eat them herself, but he refused to give her the spoon.

As Nacho witnessed the scene unfolding in front of him, he was delighted and shocked to see the way Lalo cared for her. He's usually a self centered person, but today, he got to witness a different side of him. Maybe Nacho was too quick to judge him? No. As much as he cared for her, he was still a danger to her life. Besides, just this morning, Nacho had witnessed him torturing a guy for information. The Salamancas were known for their extreme methods, but this guy was one step ahead of the rest of his family. That scared Nacho the most.

The newly wed couple knocked and entered the room. Andrea ran to Ana and enquired her state. She asked everyone to come down for dinner. Ana said she wanted to stay and rest, but she urged Nacho and Lalo to go down and finish their dinner. Lalo said he wasn't going to go anywhere till she finished the bowl of fruits. As the others left the room, Lalo held her face in his palms.

"You gave me quite a scare."

"It's just dehydration. It happens to a lot of people."

"I keep telling you, you don't eat proper food. Hereafter, I'm going to prepare a... what do say...eh... a diet timetable. You will follow that and eat whatever I ask you to eat. Comprende?" He asked in a bossy tone.

"God, you're so cute when you do that." Ana smiled.

Lalo laughed at her remark.

"Oh... are you blushing Lalo? Your cheeks look awfully pink."

"Not as pink as yours, Chiquita."

As she finished her fruits and drank water, she asked Lalo to cuddle her. He did as she requested.