Chapter 20

ALEX

When I woke up it was around eight thirty in the morning and Gabriela was still asleep. My grandmother was already pacing the room and stops at the foot of the bed when she notices I'm awake.

"Hello my boy, how are you feeling today?" Grandma asked, "It couldn't be better. Do you know if he woke up at any point?" I asked, looking at Gabriela, who's still with her head on my chest and one hand on my abdomen. "No, she didn't move all night. It seems like she hasn't slept well in a while."

"Her grandmother was in the hospital and she was there until her mother told her to go home and after the whole problem with Carlos she didn't sleep well." I admitted, "Which grandmother?" She asked, frowning. "I don't know her name, but she's her father's mother." I simply said "Rebecca." She answered "Yeah."

"Do you know what happened to her?" She asked, "From what Gabriela told me, she had a stroke or something, but I don't know much. It's not like I knew much when the doctor said it." I said sincerely, because what I had gone for was to support her and spend time with her, nothing more than "Wait, were you with her at the hospital?"

"Yes, why?" I asked, "Now I understand what you've gotten yourself into. Your mother called me a couple of days ago telling me they had no idea where you were, when she arrived you weren't home." She admitted, "Well, I'm with her." I assured, "I supposed you were with her, but not in the hospital. Still, I'm glad you were with her."

"I'm glad I was there too. but grandma, do you think she'll come soon?" I asked, looking now at her. "Your mother?" She asked and I nodded "Yeah. I don't want Gabriela here when she's here."

Just then, my mother appears at the door, very alarmed until she stops and looks at me. "Can I know what this girl is doing here?" She asked, and I could tell she's getting angry. "Well, she's the one who brought me, that's what she does here and she has every right to be."

"No, she doesn't after everything she made you suffer." My mother protested and I took a deep breath, trying not to get angry and wake Gabriela. "Mom, please don't start." I asked, "Of course I'm going to start, after everything this girl made you suffer and you have her here like it was nothing?"

"Because it was what Alex wanted her to be, I'm not going to prevent my grandson from being with who he wants." Grandma said, "Mom, don't you realize this girl will eventually disappear from his life?" My mother asked without quite believing what my grandmother had said. "She won't do it and stop being dramatic because you're going to wake her up."

And at that moment Gabriela wakes up. At first, she seemed to have no idea what's happening, but when she looked closely, she got up from the stretcher and looked like she was going to leave, but I grabbed her hand to prevent it, I didn't want her to leave yet, not before saying goodbye.

"You're finally awake, girl, now can you go and leave us alone?" She asked not at all politely, which made me angry, "Sure." Gabriela responded; I would say trying to understand what's happening. "You're not going anywhere Gabriela, you're going to stay here, she's the one who shouldn't be here."

"You're going to stay with her, she has more right to be here than me." Gabriela said, without looking away from me. "That's not true and you know it." I assured her, "Listen to him, I'm sure she's already looking forward to leaving you." my mother said ironically, "That's not true, ma'am, if I stayed, it's for a reason."

"Yes, of course, to hurt him more than you already do." mom said, rolling her eyes. "Mom, don't talk to her like that." I said as calmly as I could, "I'll talk to her however I want. You've been suffering for her for years and now you defend her? I'm not going to stay to see her hurt you again."

"I'm not going to hurt him." Gabriela stated "Oh, of course you plan to do it. What do you think is going to happen when you leave him?" My mother asked, crossing her arms, which made Gabriela tense and become defensive. "Look, ma'am, I understand you're angry with me for everything I have made your son suffer, but if you knew everything, you would understand what's happening and I'm not going to hurt him, much less leave him."

"Of course, I know the whole story, you can be sure about that, but I think I preferred him to be with that girl, Paula I think, than with you. Something always happened to Alex when he's with you." As soon as my mother named Paula, Gabriela's face changed. I knew she didn't like to talk about what had happened, much less about Paula who did everything she could to separate us. I wasn't going to let my mother continue saying nonsense like she's doing, to hurt Gabriela, I wouldn't allow it in life.

"Mom, enough, Gabriela is my girlfriend and I'm not going to allow you to treat her like you're doing." I said, containing my tone, but angry at how she's talking to her. "Since when have you been with her?" She asked, surprised. "Since I feel like it, now you leave me alone and go away if you can't bear to tell them the nonsense, you're telling her."

"Let's calm down." Grandma intervened. "Can't you hear how is he talking to me?" mom protested to grandma "I see it, but look at how you're treating the girl. She doesn't deserve it. You are behaving like a little girl." replied the grandmother. "She deserves it, she made Alex suffer and you know it better than anyone."

"And you also know why she did it, right? Because Alex isn't a saint either and he hurt her more than she hurt him." I had held Gabriela's hand so she wouldn't leave. I could see something like pain on her face and I didn't like seeing her like that, I had to take my mother out now because it's getting too much, and I'm going to do it right now if it weren't for Gabriela speaking.

"Stop arguing, I'm leaving right now. There's no need to fight because of me." Gabriela said and I started to deny, because I didn't want her to leave, not like that at least "Don't go, love, she's the one who's going to leave."

"No, I'm not going to leave. We are family and she's nothing." my mother assured, "I don't want to have a family like you. I'd rather have her staying than you, mom." I snapped "Alex, she's right, I'm not family and she is. It's Ok, I'll come another time." My girlfriend responded, but something wasn't right, and I didn't like the feeling. "No, you're not coming because I won't let you come in to see my son."

I couldn't stop looking at Gabriela, because it seemed like she was getting worse and worse, and she didn't deserve it. My mother is being cruel with her and if it weren't for the fact we are in the hospital, I would make a fuss about how she's talking to her. "Look, I'm leaving. I don't want you two argue because of me." 

"Gabriela…" I started, but it doesn't take long for her to turn in my direction with a sad smile on her face. "We'll talk on the phone, don't worry." She approached me and gave me a short kiss, released my hand from hers and walked out the door without saying anything else. She looked like she's about to cry and I couldn't do anything to stop her feeling that bad. I had to get out of this bed and go to her, I couldn't allow her to leave like that because of my mother.

I started to take out the tracks to go after her, but my grandmother stops me and makes me lie down on the stretcher again. "I'm going to talk to her, don't worry." Grandma said, "Mom, you don't need to go talk to that girl." My mother protested, "I'm going to do it because she doesn't deserve the treatment you gave her Victoria."

With that my grandmother went after my girlfriend and left me alone with my mother who I didn't want to see in front of me right now. I'm furious at how she treated her, she has no right, but she would listen to me, that was more than clear to me.