Chapter 15 - The Hospital BedSofía woke to machines.
That was the first insult.
She hated waking to machines when she was not the nurse in charge of them.
The second insult was Nicolás Velasco asleep in a chair beside her hospital bed, looking like a man who had fought the night and lost.
His suit jacket was gone. His shirt sleeves were rolled. His bandaged arm rested awkwardly against his chest. Stubble darkened his jaw. His phone sat in his hand, but his eyes were closed.
Sofía tried to sit up.
Her throat burned.
Nicolás woke instantly.
“Don’t.”
She lowered herself back with a grimace.
“Bossy even in hospitals.”
Relief crossed his face so violently he almost looked angry.
“You collapsed.”
“I remember.”
“You inhaled a concentrated irritant. Dr. Torres said it could have damaged Mateo badly if you had not moved him.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes.”
“Valeria?”
“Shaken. Safe.”
“Leonor?”
“Blaming herself for crimes she did not commit, which is new but not useful.”
Sofía almost smiled, then coughed.
Nicolás handed her water.
Their fingers touched.
Neither moved quickly away.
“You stayed,” she said.
“Yes.”
“You hate hospitals.”
“I hate many things.”
“That is not an answer.”
He looked at her.
“You were here.”
The room softened.
Sofía drank the water to avoid answering with her heart.
A knock came.
Valeria entered with Mateo in her arms.
The baby wore blue cotton pajamas and a serious expression, as if he had personally decided the hospital lacked standards.
When he saw Sofía, he reached both arms toward her.
Valeria laughed through tears.
“Traitor.”
Sofía’s eyes filled.
“I shouldn’t hold him. Irritation exposure—”
“Dr. Torres said you’re safe,” Valeria said. “And he has been looking for you all morning.”
Nicolás helped adjust the bed. Valeria placed Mateo carefully against Sofía’s side.
The baby patted her hospital gown, then laid his head on her chest.
Sofía closed her eyes.
For a woman who had built her life on not needing anything, being needed felt dangerous.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Valeria sat at the foot of the bed.
“You saved him again.”
Sofía opened her eyes.
“You listened. You ran. That saved him.”
Valeria nodded, accepting the shared truth.
Then her expression changed.
“We found something.”
Nicolás handed Sofía a printed report.
The canister contained an airborne irritant, not lethal to most adults but dangerous for an infant with inflamed skin and breathing sensitivity. It had been purchased through a shell vendor connected to Bianca’s clinic.
“And Rafael?” Sofía asked.
“Gone,” Nicolás said.
“What do you mean gone?”
“His house is empty. Accounts moving. Private plane scheduled but canceled. He is hiding.”
Sofía looked at the paper.
“He won’t stop.”
“No.”
“Then we need Bianca.”
Nicolás’s eyes narrowed.
“She is protected.”
“She is arrogant,” Sofía said. “That is better.”
Valeria leaned closer.
“What are you thinking?”
Sofía’s voice was rough but steady.
“Rafael wants control. Bianca wants Mateo. But she also wants to be admired. Women like her do not hide forever. They need an audience.”
Nicolás’s mouth tightened.
“There is a charity gala tomorrow night at Santa Aurelia.”
Valeria stared. “She’ll attend?”
“She chairs it,” he said. “Canceling would make her look guilty.”
Sofía nodded.
“Then make her talk.”
“No,” Nicolás said immediately.
Sofía looked at him.
“You don’t even know the plan.”
“The plan involves you near Bianca. No.”
“Do not confuse concern with command.”
His jaw tightened.
Valeria stood.
“I’ll check on Mateo’s discharge papers.”
She took the baby gently, leaving the room with the diplomacy of a woman escaping a storm.
Sofía folded her hands.
“Nicolás, evidence wins this. Not rage.”
“She tried to hurt my son and put you in this bed.”
“Yes. Which means I understand exactly what she risks.”
“I will not use you as bait.”
“You won’t use me at all. I decide.”
He stood, pacing once to the window.
“I cannot protect you from everything.”
“No one asked you to.”
He turned.
“I am asking myself.”
The honesty stopped her.
He looked away first.
“When the shot came through the courtyard, I felt your blood on my hand before I felt my own wound. In that second, I understood something I did not want to understand.”
Sofía’s voice softened.
“What?”
He looked at her.
“If I lose you, I will not survive it cleanly.”
The words entered the room and changed it.
Sofía’s heart pounded.
“Nicolás…”
“I am not asking you for anything,” he said. “I have no right. I am telling the truth because you demanded no secrets.”
She looked at him for a long time.
Then she reached out.
He came to the bedside.
Her fingers closed around his.
“I’m scared too,” she whispered.
He bowed his head over their joined hands.
For the first time since she met him, Nicolás Velasco looked almost peaceful.
Only almost.
May you like
Because outside the hospital, cameras were already gathering.
And across the city, Bianca Mondragón was choosing a white dress for the gala where she intended to look innocent under every light.
