Summer Dreams (21 page)

Shrieking in terror, she cried out, "Pura,
abuela, abuelita mía
, speak to me. Are you alright?" 

Lying on her side at the bottom, her grandmother didn't speak or move. A fluttering of wings was the only sound, followed by a cackle. Zeus, the missing rooster, sat complacently beside her grandmother's prone form.

Sobbing, Natalia sank to the ground, inching as close to the edge as she dared. She tried calling again, but only raised a squawk from the rooster. Blinking back the tears streaming from her eyes, she trained her gaze on her grandmother and concentrated as hard as she could. It was difficult to be certain, but she thought she could see her grandmother's body moving slightly, up and down, as if she was breathing.

Clinging to that thin shred of hope, she backed away from the well and got to her feet.  She ran for the house, banging through the front door and grabbing her cell from her purse. She hesitated for one second, surprised that her first impulse was to call Esteban. But she pushed that thought aside and dialed nine-one-one.

Trembling and near hysteria, it took all of her control to explain what had happened to the dispatcher.The dispatcher tried to soothe her, promising an ambulance and rescue squad would be sent immediately. Relieved help was on the way, but worried sick about Pura, she clicked off her cell and then hesitated. She scanned her contacts and hit Esteban's name.

His phone rang and rang and went to voice mail. She left him a message, summarizing what had happened.

She grabbed a blanket from her bedroom and rushed through the front door and into the night, stopping long enough to fetch a lantern from the barn. Returning to the well, she found Zeus fussing and preening his feathers. To her surprise and relief, her grandmother had shifted slightly, rolling her head to the right.

Her abuela was alive and she could move!

Natalia gulped back the tears burning her throat. She'd brought the blanket to cover Pura. Luckily, it had been a dry summer, and the water was only a thin trickle. Still, it must be cold and wet down there. And her grandmother was seventy years old, the feeling of hysteria started to bubble again, making her hands shake and threatening to swamp her reason.

She slowed her labored breathing and studied the situation. It didn't seem wise to drop the blanket over her grandmother like a dead weight. But she wanted to cover her. After thinking for a moment, an inspiration seized her, and she ran back to the barn and retrieved a coil of rope. At the edge of the well, she loosely looped the rope around the blanket, fashioning a kind of rope cradle. 

She leaned over the well and lowered the blanket slowly down, positioning it to cover her grandmother. Despite her best efforts at maneuvering the unwieldy bundle, she only managed to cover part of Pura. But it was better than nothing. When the blanket settled over her torso, though, Pura emitted a low groan and shifted again.

Natalia had a wild impulse to laugh and cry at the same time. Her grandmother's groan tore at her, lancing through her, tying her stomach in knots, and starting a painful throbbing at her temples. At the same time, the slight movement gave her another brief spurt of hope.

Zeus, obviously upset by the unusual situation and startled by the blanket, hopped onto the rope and inched himself up its length, flapping his wings for balance and squawking. When he was within reach, Natalia leaned down and lifted him from the well, shooing him back to the farmyard.

Once Zeus was out of the way, she had nothing left to do but wait. She gazed at her beloved
abuela
, trying to reassure herself. But her mind spun on, playing out myriad scenarios.  Even if her grandmother survived the fall, what would the exposure and shock do to a woman of her age?

Sinking to the ground beside the old well, the tears came again, spilling down her face, scalding her skin. She gave free vent to her feelings, sobbing and praying at the same time. 

With time hanging heavily on her hands, she realized Pura's accident was her fault. When she fell down the well, she should have told her grandmother. Instead, she'd sworn Esteban to silence and kept the discovery a secret so as to not upset Pura. If she had to do it all over again, she would warn her grandmother, not cozen her like a child.

Which brought her back to the present. She wished she hadn't argued with her
abuela,
either. After all, Pura was a grown woman, with her own strongly-held opinions. What right did Natalia have to tell her grandmother how to run her life?

And because they'd argued, Natalia had felt estranged, purposely staying away. And because she'd been out late, Pura had rounded up the chickens. Her grandmother must have noticed Zeus missing and gone looking for him and fallen down the well.

Natalia could kick herself for the unwitting part she'd played in her grandmother's accident. But Pura was strong and active, she would be okay. She had to be okay, Natalia prayed, or she would never forgive herself.

She'd learned a painful lesson, though. When dealing with Pura and the limitations of her advancing age, she needed to tread a careful line. She could help her
abuela,
but she shouldn't try to dictate to her. It would be tricky, walking that fine line, but she vowed to herself she would learn to do it.

From now on, she'd be there for Pura, no matter what.

Humbly praying, she promised never to leave Pura, if only her life and health would be spared. Having made her promise, she rose from the well and paced beside it, waiting for the rescue team to arrive, urging them forward in her mind.

The road came to her mind again, and she knew it would slow down the rescue vehicles.  Ironically, even if she had gotten her grandmother to agree to Hector's offer, the road wouldn't have been completed.

The bright beam of headlights bounced off the hill behind the farm, and she heard a vehicle approaching. With hope reviving her, she glanced at Pura to find she was still lying under the blanket, and then raced off to intercept the rescue team.

As she rounded the barn, expecting the flashing strobe lights of an ambulance and rescue car, her heart sank when she recognized Esteban's Corolla. But when his familiar form emerged from the driver's seat, she forgot her disappointment and threw herself headlong into his arms, babbling incoherently, relieved to have him here.

He might not be the rescue team, but she knew she could count on him. He must have gotten her voice mail and come straight away. Just his presence held the worst of her fears at bay. And his strong embrace comforted her. When he was holding her tightly, she knew everything would turn out okay.

A movement caught her eye, and Hector climbed from the passenger side. Surprised to see him with Esteban, she didn't ask why. She was too worried about Pura.

Esteban held her at arm's length and demanded, "What's happened, Natalia? Try to go slowly and explain, okay?"

She gazed at Esteban's puzzled expression and realized he probably hadn't listened to her voice mail. "You didn't get my voice mail?"

Esteban fished out his cell and checked. "No, I didn't. My battery's low. Tell me what's wrong, Natalia."

"It's Pura. You remember the old well we found. The vandals must have torn the cover off, and we didn't notice. Pura didn't know. She went looking for Zeus and fell in."

"
Por Dios
," he gasped and raced for the well. Natalia fell in behind him, and Hector trailed uncertainly after. Again, his incongruous presence piqued her interest, but there wasn't time.

She found Esteban pacing beside the well, stroking his chin and considering. "Who rigged the blanket to cover her?"

"I did," she replied.

"You did great." Grabbing her shoulders, he gave them a squeeze. "Have you called for help?"

"
Sí
, about thirty minutes ago."

"
Bueno
, they should be here any minute. Has she moved?"

"
Sí
, twice. Oh, Esteban, I can't tell how badly she's hurt. What do you think?"

Shaking his head, he admitted, "It's hard to know."

"Can you help her? Go down in the well and lift her out? The sooner we get her out---"

"Natalia," he interrupted, gripping her shoulders again. "Try to keep calm and understand what I'm saying. I don't think I should move her. I'm not trained in first aid, and I don't want to hurt her more ... more than ..." He stopped, obviously upset but trying to stay calm. "I know you're worried about the cold and the damp, but I think we should wait for the professionals."

"But what if she ... she ...?" Natalia couldn't finish the awful thought. Only moments before, Esteban's presence had cheered her, making her feel as if everything would be okay. Now she faced the depths of despair again.

"I love her so much," she sobbed into his shoulder, clinging tightly to him for support.

A siren wailed in the distance, followed by headlights and flashing lights. Natalia lifted her head and blinked, almost afraid to hope. Esteban grabbed her hand, and they ran toward the farmyard. Esteban shouted over his shoulder, telling Hector to stay with Pura.

Using ladders, cables, ropes, and a stretcher, the rescue team brought Pura to safety within minutes. After that, the paramedics took over, checking her vital signs with portable equipment and giving her an injection. Then the medics placed her inside the ambulance and directed them to follow.

Returning to Esteban's car, Natalia felt relieved her grandmother was on the way to the hospital. But the medics had refused to tell her anything, saying she would need to wait and talk to the admitting doctor.

Esteban helped her into the passenger seat. His mere touch calmed and comforted her. Why had she been angry with him? She shook her head. She couldn't remember, and it didn't matter.

He'd been here when she needed him ... was still here, taking her to the hospital. She studied his handsome profile, noting his clenched jaw and rigid posture. He was just as worried as she was. Their mutual love for Pura was a strong bond.

Hector climbed into the back seat. For the third time, she wondered what he was doing with Esteban. He looked guilty somehow, and his presence bothered her.

She'd get to the bottom of what he was doing here---just as soon as she knew how her grandmother was.

***

Natalia dragged her feet slowly, placing one in front of the other, plodding back to the waiting room. Though her heart was filled with joy and relief, it was as if her body, riding high on adrenaline for so long, had lost its capacity to function. She was exhausted, feeling as if she'd run a marathon.

The admitting doctor had been cautiously optimistic about Pura's condition, believing she had sustained only a mild concussion and some scrapes and bruises. 

Her prayers had been answered.

She pushed open the swinging door into the waiting room and saw the two men. Esteban rose to his feet and rushed to her side, taking her arm. "How is she? Do they know yet?"

"The doctor said she should be fine. Nothing's broken, only a slight concussion and some bruises. They'll keep her a few days for observation and to run tests. But he doesn't anticipate any problems." Gazing up at him, she smiled wanly.

"That's great!" He exclaimed, grabbing her and lifting her off the ground, hugging her tight.

"I'm so exhausted, Esteban," she murmured, glad he was happy but unable to show much enthusiasm. "Pura's resting, and they won't let me see her until morning. Take me home,
por
favor.
"

"I will," he agreed and then hesitated. "I know this has been hard on you, Natalia. And I wouldn't press you, except I think you should know." He took her arm and guided her to Hector.  Her ex-fiancé rose to his feet.

"Tell her," Esteban commanded.

Hector stared at his feet for a long time and then his head came up. His old arrogant mask slid into place, and he said, "I hired the kids who vandalized your grandmother's farm."

"You did what?" She gasped.

"I think you heard me the first time, Natalia," he replied. "I'm not proud of it, but I was desperate. Everything I have is riding on this ski development. If I don't get the right-of-way, then no development. Nobody was supposed to get hurt, and I gave specific orders not to touch the house." Pausing, he pulled his fingers through his perfectly-styled hair. "All I wanted was a chance to prove how long it took for an emergency vehicle to reach the farm. Your grandmother falling into a well wasn't part of it. That was a freak accident."

"A freak accident," she repeated. "There was nothing freakish about it. Your hired goons who pulled off the cover, left a dangerous hole that could have cost my grandmother's life." She pointed her finger at him and shook it in his face. "That's your problem, Hector, you never think of anyone but yourself and your get-rich-quick schemes. It's one of the reasons I broke off with you. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined ..."

She stopped and gulped in air and then said, "I'm going to press criminal charges against you. This is one time you won't get away with doing exactly as you please."

Hector gaped, opening his mouth to speak. But he must have thought better of it because he closed it again. Shutting his eyes, he rocked back on his heels, his features contorted. 

Esteban intervened, touching her arm. "I don't think that will be necessary, Natalia. I've spoken with him, and he's willing to make restitution. I'm deeding over my valley to Hector's project for a right-of-way. That way, Pura's farm won't be cut up. But his syndicate will pay to resurface her road, and instead of giving her a cash settlement, he's agreed to give her a small share in the development. That should give her good income for retirement, and he will cover the extra cost from his share." 

"I can't let you do it, Esteban, give up part of your land. This isn't your problem. It's between Hector and me."

"No, that's where you're wrong, Natalia. You and Pura are a part of my life, a big part.  So this is my problem too. And I want to do this. If for no other reason, think of it as a small token for all Pura has done for me over the years."