Chapter 6 - The First Thing Mariana Asked
Mariana woke to the sound of a monitor.
Beeping.
Steady.
Too loud.
She tried to move.
Pain stopped her.
A woman appeared beside the bed.
“Mariana? Can you hear me?”
She blinked.
The room came slowly into focus.
White ceiling.
Gray curtain.
A plastic tube near her nose.
Her mouth felt dry.
“Where…”
The nurse leaned closer.
“You're at St. Catherine's Hospital.”
Mariana tried to sit up.
The nurse gently stopped her.
“Don't move too quickly.”
Mariana's eyes widened.
Her hand flew toward her abdomen.
The swelling was gone.
Not completely.
But enough.
She stared down.
“No.”
The nurse reached for the call button.
“Mariana, I need you to stay calm.”
“My baby.”
The words scraped her throat.
“Where's my baby?”
“Your daughter is in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
Mariana began shaking.
“No. No, she wasn't supposed to come yet.”
“I know.”
“Is she alive?”
The nurse held her gaze.
“Yes.”
Mariana's face crumpled.
“She's alive?”
“Yes, sweetheart. She's receiving specialized care.”
She began crying.
Not loudly.
Just quiet, terrified sobs.
“Can I see her?”
“As soon as your doctors say it's safe.”
“Please.”
“We're going to help you.”
Mariana covered her face.
The nurse gave her a moment.
Then asked, “Is there someone you'd like us to call?”
Mariana looked up.
“Luis.”
“He's on his way.”
She swallowed.
“Don't call Rosa.”
The nurse paused.
“Who is Rosa?”
“My mother-in-law.”
“All right.”
Mariana gripped her wrist.
“Please.”
“I understand.”
“She'll say I did something wrong.”
The nurse's face softened.
“Right now you need rest.”
Mariana shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
“Tell me.”
Mariana stared at the blanket.
“She kept saying the baby was fine.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“She said I was trying to get attention.”
The nurse pulled a chair closer.
“What happened?”
Mariana breathed carefully.
“Yesterday morning, I woke up with pain.”
She closed her eyes.
“Not the normal kind.”
The nurse waited.
“I told her something felt wrong.”
“What did she say?”
“She told me to eat breakfast.”
Mariana wiped her face.
“Then the pain got worse.”
Her voice trembled.
“I asked her to drive me to the hospital.”
“And?”
“She said no.”
“Did she give you a reason?”
“She said I was lazy.”
The nurse continued listening.
Mariana stared toward the window.
“After lunch, I felt the baby move less.”
Her hand tightened around the blanket.
“I knew.”
A sob escaped.
“I knew something was wrong.”
She had tried to drive herself.
But Rosa had taken the keys.
Mariana had searched the kitchen drawers.
The table.
The hallway.
Then Rosa appeared.
“What are you looking for?”
“My keys.”
“Why?”
“I need to go to the hospital.”
Rosa folded her arms.
“No.”
“Rosa, please.”
“Stop making everything about you.”
Mariana had started crying.
That only made Rosa angrier.
“You think tears will get you out of cleaning this house?”
“I'm scared.”
“Then call your husband and tell him what a terrible mother-in-law you have.”
Mariana had tried.
Luis didn't answer.
She called Isabel.
Her sister offered to drive over.
But Isabel lived almost an hour away.
Rosa overheard the conversation.
She grabbed the phone.
“Don't drag your sister into our family business.”
Mariana tried to take it back.
Rosa held it away.
“You want to embarrass me?”
“Please give me my phone.”
“You want Luis to think I'm mistreating you?”
“I'm asking for a hospital.”
Rosa's face hardened.
“You'll go when I say you can go.”
Mariana had retreated upstairs.
She locked the bedroom door.
For two hours, she lay on her side waiting for the pain to ease.
It didn't.
She called Luis again.
Then she wrote the message about the nursery drawer.
That was when she remembered the photograph.
And the document.
The secret she'd found.
A secret Rosa had been trying to bury.
At 8:15 p.m., Mariana made her third request.
She opened the bedroom door.
Rosa stood in the hallway.
Mariana was holding the wall.
“Please.”
Rosa looked at her with disgust.
“What now?”
“I think the baby needs help.”
“You've been saying that all day.”
“I'm serious.”
“Then stop crying and go to bed.”
“Rosa, please.”
Her mother-in-law stepped closer.
“You have made my son miserable since the day he married you.”
Mariana stared.
“What?”
“You want him all to yourself.”
“That isn't true.”
“You've been digging through his childhood things.”
“I was cleaning the dresser.”
“You found something that wasn't yours.”
Mariana went still.
Rosa's eyes narrowed.
“Where is it?”
Mariana didn't answer.
“Where's the paper?”
“I'm not giving it to you.”
Rosa grabbed her arm.
“Don't test me.”
Mariana pulled away.
Pain shot through her abdomen.
She gasped.
Rosa released her.
For one brief moment, something like fear passed over the older woman's face.
Then it disappeared.
“Go back to bed.”
Mariana whispered, “If something happens to my baby…”
Rosa pointed down the hallway.
“Your baby isn't my problem.”
The words landed like a slap.
Mariana stared at her.
Then closed the door.
She tried calling Luis again.
No answer.
She tried Isabel.
The call failed because the phone battery was nearly dead.
She plugged it in beside the bed.
She planned to call 911.
But the pain became overwhelming.
And sometime after midnight, she began bleeding.
The next thing she remembered was the wooden stick striking her blanket.
When Mariana finished telling the nurse, she was trembling.
The nurse remained beside her.
“Thank you for telling me.”
Mariana looked frightened.
“Will you tell Luis?”
“We can help you talk with him.”
She nodded.
Then whispered, “He needs to know about the drawer.”
The nurse paused.
“What drawer?”
Mariana closed her eyes.
“The nursery.”
At that moment, the door opened.
Luis entered.
He stopped when he saw her awake.
For a second neither moved.
Then Mariana whispered, “Luis?”
He crossed the room in three steps.
He took her hand.
And began crying.
“Baby.”
She looked at him.
“Where's Sofia?”
Luis nodded quickly.
“She made it.”
Mariana stared.
“Sofia?”
He smiled through tears.
“I hope that's okay.”
She let out a tiny, broken laugh.
“Yes.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Our girl is fighting.”
Mariana began crying harder.
Luis held her hand.
“She's beautiful.”
“Can I see her?”
“Soon.”
“Promise?”
“I promise I'll do everything I can to help you see her.”
Mariana closed her eyes.
He sat beside her.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then she whispered, “Did your mother tell you?”
Luis looked up.
“About yesterday?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Mariana stared at him.
“And?”
He swallowed.
“And I believe you.”
She began crying again.
This time differently.
As though something she'd been carrying alone had finally become too heavy to hold.
Luis leaned closer.
“I'm sorry.”
Mariana shook her head.
“You didn't know.”
“I should've.”
She looked away.
“Luis…”
“Yes?”
“I was scared you'd choose her.”
He closed his eyes.
Those words hurt because they were deserved.
He took her hand between both of his.
“I'm not asking you to forgive me today.”
Mariana looked at him.
“I'm asking you to let me prove I can be better.”
She studied his face.
Then asked a question he wasn't prepared for.
“Did you open the bottom drawer?”
Luis nodded.
“Yes.”
Her eyes widened.
“You found the letters?”
“Yes.”
“The photograph?”
“Yes.”
“The tape?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
Mariana squeezed his hand.
“Luis.”
“What?”
“There's something else.”
He leaned closer.
“What?”
She looked toward the door.
Then whispered, “Your mother wasn't just hiding who Elena was.”
Luis felt a chill.
“What do you mean?”
Mariana's breathing quickened.
“She found me in the nursery yesterday.”
“I know.”
“She tried to take the papers.”
His jaw tightened.
“But there was another envelope.”
“What envelope?”
“I hid it before she came in.”
“Where?”
Mariana swallowed.
“Behind the lining of the bottom drawer.”
Luis stared.
“What was inside?”
She closed her eyes.
“A bank statement.”
He frowned.
“Why would that matter?”
Mariana opened her eyes.
“Because someone has been withdrawing money from an account in your name.”
Luis went still.
“How much?”
Mariana's voice dropped.
“Almost nine hundred thousand dollars.”
He stared.
She gripped his hand.
“And Luis…”
“Yes?”
“Your mother wasn't the only person who knew.”
He felt cold.
Mariana whispered the name.
“Your father knew.”
May you like
Then her eyes filled with tears.
“Before he died, he tried to stop her.”
