I walked into the small private family room at the hospital carrying two hot cups of coffee. Alejandro’s mom was already in there waiting for me.
‘Here we are,’ I said as I handed her one and placed mine on the small Formica table.
‘Thank you, Alana,’ she said with a smile before she held the cup to her lips and took a sip. She winced as she tasted the bitter liquid. ‘Ostia! This is just about the worst coffee I have ever had,’ she said with a laugh as she placed her cup down beside mine.
‘I know,’ I laughed too. ‘The vending machine was all that was available, sorry,’ I said with a shrug.
‘At least it is hot,’ she smiled at me and then she patted the seat beside her. ‘Come, sit. You look tired.’
‘A little,’ I said as I stifled a yawn and sat down beside her. ‘I’m sure you didn’t get much sleep yourself?’
‘Not a wink,’ she smiled at me and her beautiful hazel eyes twinkled. ‘But, there will be plenty of time for sleep when I’m dead, cariño,’ she laughed.
I smiled at her. I knew that cariño meant sweetheart and it felt nice to hear her call me that. I loved Alejandro’s mom. She was so warm and caring – she reminded me a little of my grandma, although I would never tell her that. I wasn’t sure she would take being compared to my grandma as the compliment I’d intend it to be. ‘I’m so glad Mateo has woken up. Did the doctors say how he’s doing?’ I suspected it was all good news given her mood this morning, but I had no idea what Mateo’s prognosis was.
‘They said it will take him a few weeks to get back on his feet, and the machines will need to help him breathe until his lung is fully healed. But he is alive, and he is going to be just fine,’ she smiled again as she squeezed my hand. ‘This time yesterday, I thought I was going to lose him. So, today, Alana, is a good day!’
‘It certainly is,’ I agreed.
‘I always knew this day was coming. I suppose we have been lucky that Mateo has never really been hurt before now. But, now I see the mantel being passed to Alejandro, and while I know it is what he wants, it breaks my heart. I never want to sit in one of these places wondering whether my son is going to make it,’ she said softly.
‘I know exactly what you mean,’ I said as I squeezed her hand. ‘The thought of anything ever happening to Alejandro …’ I didn’t need to finish my sentence. Maria knew better than anyone else the worry of being married to a Montoya.
I knew this was the life I was signing up for, but it didn’t make me worry about him any less. It made me feel even more selfish for running off to New York the way I did. As if sensing the change in my mood, Maria turned her body so she was facing me.
‘Alejandro told me about what the doctor said, cariño. I am so sorry.’
I sucked in a shaky breath. In all that had gone on in the past two days, I hadn’t thought much about my test results. ‘Thank you, Maria.’
‘Everything will work out just as it should for you and my Alejandro though. I know it.’
I smiled at her. ‘You think so?’
‘I know so, cariño.’
‘It’s just that we wanted children. We had ideas of filling the house with them. I feel like I’m letting him down.’
‘You are not!’ she gently admonished me. ‘And there are plenty of ways to have a family, Alana. You just have to be a little more creative,’ she arched one perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.
‘I guess you’re right.’
‘I am right. Never argue with your mother in law,’ she said firmly but with a twinkle in her eye.
‘Okay. Point taken,’ I agreed as I reached for my coffee and took a sip before almost spitting it back into the cup. ‘Oh, this really is terrible,’ I said as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
‘Told you!’
We sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments until Maria spoke again. ‘I wanted to fill my house full of children too, you know?’ she said with a sigh.
‘You did?’
‘Yes. But it took me two years to fall pregnant with Alejandro. It was a traumatic birth. Both he and I almost died. The doctors warned me it would be risky to have another child, so Mateo expressly forbade us from trying again.’
‘And how did you feel about that?’
She looked into the distance. ‘I was annoyed with him at first. But then I saw how blessed my life was in so many ways. Alejandro was the most perfect, beautiful little boy I had ever seen. I had never felt such love in my life as I did for him. I realized that he was enough for me. And the thought of leaving him without a mother was unthinkable.’
‘I can understand that. So, you and Mateo were on the same page eventually then?’
‘Yes. And we always have been ever since. People see him as hard and unyielding, but with me, he is different. Soft even,’ she said with a smile and a tear in her eye.
‘I definitely understand that,’ I laughed.
‘Hmm,’ she gave me knowing smile. ‘I’m sure you do. I see the way my Alejandro looks at you, Alana. You have put a fire in his eyes that I have never seen before. I used to worry about all of those women he dated who had no personality. I wondered if he had closed off his heart to anything coming close to real love, but then he met you. And I have never seen him so happy … so fulfilled as he has been these past few months.’
I felt my heart almost burst out of my chest with happiness and gratitude at her words. ‘Thank you, Maria,’ I said as I blinked a tear away.
‘You are most welcome my cariño,’ she patted my hand. ‘Now, tell me about this young lady who is staying at your house with you now. Mateo tells me she is from Chicago?’
‘Ah, Lucia?’ I said, her name bringing a smile to my face and then I told Maria all about our new houseguest and how she was managing to work her way into Alejandro’s affections too.
