The Miracle Was You

Aftermath

(Warning towards the end of this chapter, it's gonna sound a bit alabama-y but I promise you I did not intend for it to be like that.
P.S. sorry for it being short)

Camillo ran as fast as he possibly could down the broken roads of the encanto. His main focus did not lie on his family home being destroyed, nor his powers being gone, not even on cheering people up through the crisis. No, his focus right now was getting his Tia's friend Angelo, the only other doctor that the family knew.
He slid to a stop in front of the small hut at the edge of town, catching himself on the door. He wasted no time in banging on it desperately.
"Senõr Gracia! Please! Mirabel is in danger!" He shouted, his voice breaking. The door swung open quickly, knocking Camillo back as a mid-height tubby man with glasses stepped out. He had a serious look on his face.
"Take me to her" his voice felt like the best slap in the face to Camillo as irrational hope bubbled up within him.
Julieta and Augustíne carried Mirabel to the Guzman's home. Senõra Guzman was horrified to see Mirabel's state and immediately began helping Julieta clean her up and stop the bleeding.
Augustíne waited outside the room they had given her, sitting with his hands on his head while his foot tapped the floor impatiently.
Felix sat in the living area with Antonio, trying to distract the small five year old boy from the harsh reality of what had just come about. Mirabel's sisters, along with Pepa, sat across from them. Isabella and Luisa both looked as if they were about to throw up from the shock of it all while Pepa just had a grim look on her face.
Delores sat in front of the Casita, Abuela right next to her, as they just watched the dust further settle on their ruined house.
"Abuela-" Delores started but Abuela began to talk over her.
"I'm sorry, Delores, for pushing the proposal between Isabella and Mariano..." Abuela said out of the blue, shocking Delores.
"Abuela, you were doing what was best for the family- for the enca....." Delores paused and looked out at the crumbling casita and shook her head.
"You were doing what you thought was best," Delores finished.
"Delores, I knew about your love for Mariano, so much so that I tried my best to stop you from seeing him so that he could love Isabella and only Isabella" Abuela stated with regret in her voice. She had a lot of apologies to say, but this one was the one that needed to be said at the moment.
"You.... You kept me away from Mariano?" Delores stood quickly and looked at her grandmother in shock. Before Abuela Alma could explain any further, Delores had already started towards the Guzman's house and away from her. She had tears running down her cheeks as she left.
"Pedro... que de hecho...." Abuela sighed sadly as she stared out at the ruins.
As Delores quietly entered the Guzman's residence, She saw Mariano attempting to comfort Isabella who didn't seem to be enjoying it. Her stomach became sour as she turned away, unable to watch as the man of her dreams was still going after someone who at this point obviously didn't love him.
"Mariano... can I speak to you..." Delores said, biting back the irritation so it didn't reach her voice.
"Delores? Of course, I will be right back Isabella" Mariano said and hesitantly retracted his hand from Isabella's. Isabela gave a small noise of a reply, which only served to irritate Delores more. As soon as Mariano was around the corner where the family could not overhear, the usually unbiased Delores pulled Mariano up against the wall.
"I'm doing this for both you and my cousin, she doesn't want to marry you and doesn't have feelings for you at all" she said flat out, not sparing his feelings at all.
"Delores-" he said with a defeated look but Delores held up her finger.
"Please, just leave her be. Also sometimes... please read me some of your poetry" Delores let him go and walked off to be with Antonio and her father. Before she could sit down the door flew open, revealing a winded Camilo and Senõr Garcia.
"She is upstairs" Felix said as the doctor rushed up the stairs. Camilo tried to follow but Delores grabbed his arm and shook her head.
"Let's go eat lunch, Hermano, you need some food in you" she said, trying to be the good older sister to her two younger brothers despite all the emotions flooding her brain right now.
"I will go ask Senõra Guzman if I can start lunch," Pepa said, standing up and quickly leaving the room. Felix gave his children an apologetic look and gently let go of Antonio to follow after her. The room went heavy and silent again.
Upstairs, Senõr Garcia entered the small room where Mirabel was, wasting no time in setting his medical bag down and getting to work on checking her wounds. Julieta watched in silent worry, the wrinkles on her face looking more defined and tired than ever.
"If only I had taken care of my daughter properly" was all that she could think right now underneath the constant flow of anxious thoughts behind her daughter's immediate condition.
"Julieta..." Senõr Garcia paused for a moment, looking directly at Mirabel's head wound.
"It's a miracle that Mirabel is still with us, between the blood loss and this bad of a wound, but I cannot guarantee that she will be the same after she heals... matters of the mind are very difficult to predict with wounds like this mi amiga..." he stated and then began dressing the wound. Julieta felt like she couldn't breathe, her daughter would be alive but there is a chance she wouldn't ever be the same again?
She felt a bit of anger spark in her heart at the thought.
Anger at herself.
Anger at Mirabel for putting herself on the line for the family like that.
But most of all anger towards her mother, Alma, who gave her daughter those reckless convictions about putting Casita above her own life.
"Angelo... When will Mirabel wake up?" Augustíne asked from the door. He obviously cared very deeply for Mirabel.
Senõr Garcia shook his head with a long sigh.
"Your daughter is a fighter, let's hope that she wakes up soon" he said and walked to Augustíne, patting his shoulder. Augustíne moved to his wife's side as they both stared at their daughter's motionless form.
"Don't cry, mí amore, she will be alright" Augustíne whispered to Julieta and embraced her.
Senõr Garcia left the room with the same tired look that Julieta had on. They both knew that Mirabel might not be the same and that was slowly crushing up what little respect they had left for abuela.
Another night fell and everyone retired to their separate allotted rooms. Abuela had arrived after everyone had settled down and said nothing to anyone, instead she just asked to stay with Senõra Guzman in her room until the morning.
Camillo wasn't in bed, instead he was by Mirabel's side. He had a sad look on his face as he tightly held her limp hand in his own two and lowered his forehead to it.
"I wasn't strong enough and relied too much on my powers to save the candle... but if I were a little stronger I could have saved you too..." he mumbled and then stood up from the chair.
"I promise that when you wake up, we will all be a little stronger for you" he said and then leaned down and kissed her on the head gently. He walked to the door, pausing to look back at his best friend and closest cousin with a sad look then walking out of the room.