The Borrowed Blade

Chapter One

Esperanza never imagined anyone could scream quite as loud as that. 

Hiding behind the door,  she had listened and Doctor Mejia instructed her two younger brothers and father to hold down each side of her older brother, Joaquin. With a short countdown, the scream pierced the air of the whole house. She ducked back around the corner as he bucked all three of the men off him. 

"I told you it was going to hurt like hell." Doctor Mejia's voice was annoyed and amused. 

"There's a difference between hurting like hell, and having Satan himself slicing into my leg." Joaquin's voice was filtered through his gritted teeth. 

"Joaquin, you will hush while the doctor binds your leg." Father's tone was one of a very angry, and very displeased parent. 

The doctor rustled through is bag, and Esperanza wished she could risk peeking around the corner. "I have never seen anyone break their leg quite so badly as you have. I usually don't do this, but I can't even imagine the pain." 

Her brother squealed again. "By inflicting more pain!?" 

"It's morphine." 

"Oh... yes, it is." The sigh was one of utter relief. 

Doctor Mejia rustled his bag a little more. "Now. I will leave some of this with your mother and father. Never more than one dose a day, ever, and only as long as the pain is intolerable. I'd say a week to ten days. If you need more than a week, I will send more." He coughed. "Now, just because you get to the point where you can tolerate the pain doesn't mean anything. Your leg is broken, and you cannot move from this bed for six weeks."

Father and Joaquin both gasped. "Six weeks!" It was Joaquin, and his exclamation was full of a new kind of pain. 

"Six. Weeks." The doctor was firm. "At the sixth week, we will get you hobbling around on crutches for another four weeks. I cannot stress how bad this break is, Joaquin. If you plan on walking without  limp or hitch, you will not move from this bed. I may takes month to regain the strength in the leg. Once you have started walking again, you'll appreciate the bed rest." 

The silence forced Esperanza to peek again. Joaquin had a hand over his face and Father looked defeated. But, as usual Father recovered first, and clapped his hands, send her back behind the corner again. 

"Luis, Diego! Thank you boys. Back to your studies." 

The rambunctious twins jumped off the bed, their feet hitting the floor with a bang. As if two of them were a heard of horses instead of just two twelve year olds, they stampeded out of their brother's room and down the hall, completely ignoring the figure of Esperanza in the shadows by the door. 

Father spoke again. "Doctor Mejia, thank you. The young have such wild spirits." 

"That they do, Don Alejandro. That they do. But they learn, eventually. My Hector has come back from Valencia and he is new man. I could not be more proud than when I received the letter from Spain congratulating me on my son's doctorship. That he chose to follow me make my heart leap. Ah, which reminds me! I should like to introduce Hector to your Esperanza, perhaps tomorrow night?" 

Listening to his delayed answer, Esperanza smiled. She knew the sigh that accompanied his pause. It was the 'my dear dutiful daughter who is so meek I question if she really is mine and Elena's daughter' pause. "Tomorrow night is not a good night, Doctor. But perhaps, this Friday at the Alcalde's dance?" 

"An excellent idea, Alejandro," the doctor agreed. "Now, I will leave the medicine with you and your wife, with explicit written instructions. I will stop by to make he's doing well in a few days. Joaquin, I think, will sleep for at least three days." The bag snapped shut. "Buenos dias, Alejandro, Joaquin. Be well."