37. Responsibilities

Not me posting again because I am STILL at the damn airport. I was supposed to be home on Saturday T-T SATURDAY! I work Wednesday T-T I'm so glad I asked for extra days off after I was supposed to be home. I can't imagine the clusterfudge I would be in if I had to explain to my job "I can't come in, my flight cancelled".

Literally as I'm typing this it was just announced that the plane will be arriving at 11:59pm, so fingers crossed I FINALLY go home!

Anyways, enjoy the follow-up from the previous chapter.

~Star

Shortly after Hernando, Félix and Dolores had left, Alma arrived on the scene. When Pepa informed her in tears what had happened, the Madrigal Matriarch locked her heart away in order to take care of her familia. Swiftly, she called for villagers to help bring her grief-stricken family to Casita. The children were especially a handful, crying uncontrollably in light of the news. No one blamed or tried to shush them. Agustín and Julieta eventually managed to get Bruno to his feet, the man carrying Diego. And Marlena—

Marlena hadn't moved from her spot, staring unseeingly even as she held onto Bruno's ruana. Her eyes were glassy, but no tears fell.

Alma took it upon herself to gently coax the woman to a standing position. When she tried to uncurl her fingers from the piece of clothing, the blonde woman had shook her head, stepping closer to Bruno. Allowing her to hold onto him, Alma gently led them back to Casita. When they finally arrived at their home, she sat the two on the couch and left with instructions to Casita to watch over them.

After that, it was a matter of soothing the rest of her family. Being strong for them. She held her hijas as they cried, cooed softly to her nietos to help them calm down, and hugged Agustín to reassure him. An hour later, when Hernando and Félix returned with a distraught Dolores and Milagros in their arms, she took them into her arms, comforting them the best she could.

That was also when Marlena finally reacted. Seeing an inconsolable Milagros, the barely contained anguish in her twin's red eyes, a crying Dolores in an equally upset Felix's arms. That's when it hit her.

This was real.

He wasn't coming back.

'Bertito isn't coming back.'

Marlena let out a harsh gasp, unable to suck in enough air before she collapsed in Bruno's arms and wailed. She cried for her lost hermanito, she cried for her sobrinas, she cried for Bruno, for her children, for her twin, for her parents. She cried with no end in sight. The pain just wouldn't stop. It felt like it would never stop.

She cried even harder when Alma came to comfort her. She cried for the older woman who had become a second madre to her. Who was keeping her tears at bay for the sake of her family.

"It's okay," Marlena tried to whisper through the sobs as she held onto Alma. She knew her suegra was hurting, too. "I-it's okay."

Alma squeezed her eyes tightly as those soft words broke the lock on her emotions, tears quickly seeping from her lids and spilling over. She held Marlena tighter and allowed herself to weep softly for the man who had unexpectedly become like a son to her.

When they had calmed and pulled apart, Marlena was pulled into Hernando's arms. The twins hugged each other fiercely, falling to tears again as they grieved for their hermano.

That night, the ones who slept were those who had cried themselves into exhaustion. The villagers, respecting their wishes but wanting to help, had sent unprepared food to the house. The vendors that the Madrigals usually bought from stayed to cook for the family in their time of need, making sure everyone ate. It truly was a time of coming together. Even those that had issues with the family couldn't bring themselves to act unseemingly towards them. Not after such a raw and public display of grief.

It was during the night, when she was alone, that Alma allowed herself to cry the hardest.

The next day, Padre Julio stopped by with Miguel Aguilar to offer condolences to the family. Miguel even hugged Bruno, his ire with the soothsayer nowhere to be found as he comforted the grieving man. They spoke with Alma to inform them of the funeral the Diminutos were organizing. She lifted a hand to silence them, her expression suddenly resolute.

"Please let the Diminutos know I will pay for everything." Alma announced, much to their surprise.

"Señora, are you certain?" Miguel asked hesitantly. He, along with the whole town, knew of her dislike of the couple despite how close she was with their niños.

Alma nodded. "Roberto was a part of this family, too. It is the least I can do to lessen their burden in these dark times." Promising to pass along the message, the three discussed a few more details before Padre Julio left the two and approached Hernando.

Hernando had not left Milagros' side, either keeping her in his arms or situated near him. She didn't seem to mind, as she all but clung to her tío. They both looked up as Padre Julio took a seat next to them, pulling out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

"Hola, Hernando, Mili." Padre Julio greeted. Milagros hid her face against Hernando's side, and he smiled sadly at the niña. She hadn't spoken since the event, which was also worrisome—understandable, but still worrisome. His gaze flicked up to meet Hernando's tired eyes. "I forgot to give this to you." He handed the paper to Hernando.

"What is it?" Hernando asked as he took it, opening the paper.

"Roberto Diminuto's will." Padre Julio explained as Hernando's eyes got progressively larger the more he read. "It states that if anything were to happen to both him and Sofía, that Milagros would go to you. You specifically."

Eyes glassy, Hernando looked up at the priest, tears falling as he blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"I know it's a huge responsibility to take on after such a tragic event, pero…it's what he wanted." Padre Julio said softly. He smiled kindly when Milagros peaked at him with teary eyes. She was old enough to understand his words. "Are you okay with your tío taking care of you?"

Milagros nodded, sniffling. He reminded her of her papá, making her feel safe. More tears filled her eyes at the thought. 'Papí…I want mi papá.' She turned back to Hernando's side as she started to weep again.

Padre Julio laid his hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles while Hernando squeezed her into his side. "Are you okay with this?" He asked the younger man.

"Sí, of course." Hernando said immediately, but his eyes were still wide. "I just…I've never been responsible for a child." He helped with his sobrinos everyday, but this was an entirely different thing.

"You won't be alone." Pepa said suddenly, Dolores in hand. She sat on the blonde's other side, pulling her daughter into her lap. It was a bit uncomfortable as her hija had taken after her in height, but Pepa didn't care and let her child cuddle into her. She met Hernando's gaze with kind green eyes. "We will all help you adjust. The both of you. I'm sure we could move one of the beds from the nursery into your room. I don't think she'll want to sleep alone for a while." The last part was said softly, her eyes sad as they landed on her sobrina.

Taking a shuddering breath, he nodded. He gave a tearful smile when Dolores reached out to him, taking her hand in his. "Gracias."

That night, a new face with yellow butterflies surrounding it appeared in Mirabel's room beside Hernando's.

OwO

~Star