One week later...
It has been days since Maya's last encounter with Isabela, but it felt like decades. She was so close, yet miles away, only discussed in conversation and only heard her coughs, but her presence weighed heavily. It was though she was a ghost rather than a living human being clinging to life. Staying away was a grueling task but something she wanted to do for the girl, to give her mercy.
From what she heard; the woman's health did not improve in the slightest since she stopped visiting her. She was to the point of being bedridden and her family desperately wanted surgery though unfortunately there weren't any surgeons anyone knew of in or outside of the Encanto. Julieta, Agustin, her sisters, and her own mother were the ones that kept her company the most, doing whatever they could do to get her to smile.
They started to sadly expect Isabela's end, but Maya didn't.
Her patience wore thin as the days went on, the idea of losing the woman she was supposed to reconcile with twisted her core. Her hushed "I love you" before indefinitely shutting her out haunted her. She was tired of being stagnant.
After the families finished putting the lasting touches on Casita, they walked back to her house expecting to give the news that their beloved home had been finished. She hoped that Isabela would be able to see her rebuilt home until she witnessed her mother standing outside with the door open and a somber expression.
Her heart sank before her mother spoke to them all, mainly Casita's residents.
"You need to come see Isabela, she's dying..."
Those words sent unforgiving chills down all their spines as the family members rushed in along with Maya.
The bedroom door was soon jerked open by Luisa and Mirabel, as Maya approached the doorway, she could hear the cries of Julieta and Agustín. Her heart pounded as she slid past a distraught Pepa and Dolores to get closer to a sight that would be forever burned in her mind.
There lay Isabela, her body twitching, gasping desperately for an ounce of oxygen, her eyes teary, swollen and partially closed with a blueish tint. Vines accompanied by thorns and bright geraniums grew out of her mouth, tangling themselves around her neck. Maya stared at her, the voices of family members talking all at once fading from her mind as she stepped closer to the bed.
She softly put her hand on the woman's wet cheek as water welled up in her own eyes, she saw Isabela glance at her, running out of strength to fight for her life.
In that moment, nothing else mattered but her. If she was going to let her truth out, this was it.
"I love you too Isabela."
Maya confessed before softly kissing her hand, praying that she could spare her this painful, harsh death.
After a few moments, the woman's sharp breathing returned, her eyes opening with the same twinkle as before. Maya placed her hand and an ear to the woman's chest, hearing her rapid heartbeat and the sound of branches receding.
In determination, she turned to see the shears Agustín was holding and gestured towards them.
She slipped her fingers under the tight vines around her throat to give space before Isabela flinched in hesitation.
"Stay still mi niña de las flores, I'm not going to hurt you... not anymore."
She reassured softly before using the shears to cut through the plant life that was strangling the woman before her.
She detangled the mess around her neck and prepared to pull the remaining vines out of Isabela's mouth. She looked down at the woman, who was staring back in uncertainty.
"This might be uncomfortable amor, close your eyes."
She muttered as the woman did what she said.
Maya then carefully pulled the vines, stems, and flowers out of the girl's body before throwing them into the trash can by the bed. It was like she was undoing every heartache, every mistake and every lie that existed between them. Cutting away the infections that festered and threatened what they had.
The girl sat up and coughed before vomiting up what remained in her stomach. Maya took a tissue from her bedside and patted Isabela's lips; the women shared a tender smile.
Shakily and without warning, Isabela pulled Maya into a tight hug which she quickly reciprocated. They embraced; with unapologetic passion they were longing to feel. They were both raw and honest for the first time in so long. Maya lovingly pet the woman's hair as she held her recovering body close.
"Come on, let me take you to your new home."
She whispered, gently picking her up like a bride as Isabela draped her arms around her neck.
She turned to see the family's faces, mixed with relief and shock. She didn't feel an ounce of fear or reluctance, instead she smiled,
"What are you looking at? Let's go say "Hola, Casita"!"
She teased, carrying the woman out to her new, rebuilt house.
*
~Isabela's POV~
Isabela could finally breathe, she stood with Maya in her mother's kitchen. The pain in her lungs vanished as she ate an arepa filled with the returned healing.
She gestured her hand over the corners of the kitchen to grow an assortment of vibrant plant life, adoring her expanded ability. Now she was sure that they both loved and forgave each other, everything she bloomed was from her own hands again instead of trapping her lungs. She had control that she never imagined she would have.
Her power was hers and she felt alive.
"Gracias Maya, for saving our daughter."
Julieta stated, surprising Isabela a little that she didn't comment on the fact that it was a woman she was in love with.
"No problem. It was the least I could do."
Maya replied, wrapping her arm around Isabela's waist.
Her mother smiled softly at them before walking out of the kitchen. Even though she was ecstatic, there was still that creeping knowledge of being exposed. She couldn't hide anymore, neither could Maya and that opened doors to possible negative encounters she didn't know how to deal with yet.
What if their families shun them?
What if the townspeople turn on them like they did with her tío?
What if it separates them and they go back to square one?
She was so tired of caring.
"You okay mi vida?"
Maya asked in concern.
Isabela looked at her with cautious eyes,
"Everyone knows now."
Maya softly grabbed her hands,
"No matter what anyone says or how anyone looks at us, we can't let it break us apart... okay?"
She nodded and smiled, assuring herself that it was true.
They were both finally so happy, no one could take that away
Both held eye contact until the sound of footsteps approached.
"So, are you two like dating now?"
Her cousin Camilo questioned curiously with his siblings not far behind him.
She looked at Maya, hoping she would confirm. All the suffering and saving would have been pointless if she didn't.
Maya smirked playfully at her,
"We are, aren't we?"
Isabela felt a large orange flower sprout eagerly from her hair, a cheerful grin plastered on her face.
"Yes!"
Antonio sprung up with a toucan flying around him,
“I didn’t know girls could date each other!”
The innocent revelation made them giggle.
For a long time, neither did she
“Sí Toñito. ¡Felicidades a los dos!”
Dolores cheered in her usual soft tone.
Everything looked like it fell into place in a miraculous way, her family was joyous, and her house was alive with its interactive and bright presence. Isabela bloomed a delicate geranium in Maya’s hair, both blushing like teenage girls.
Maya raised her eyebrow before speaking,
“So, can I ask why you chose Jaun Santiago as a cover?”
She tittered, remembering the name she gave her family.
She recalled her family after they found her retching, prying to get answers of who the “mystery lover” was that made her so ill. Emphasizing that lying would make the disease worse, and of course she lied again. All of them had cautiously guessed and her tía Pepa had been the one to bring up the name she used.
She barely knew anything about the man besides, he was married, and ridiculously hard to please.
“I panicked; they wouldn’t stop bothering me with questions!”
She affirmed.
“And you chose Jaun Santiago? The man with a head bigger than the mountains of the Encanto?”
Maya teased, making Isabela giggle and have a joking comeback,
“You’re the one to talk about ego!”
Maya then scoffed, knowing that was true for both of them.
“Watch it niña de las flores, I will tackle you.”
The woman threatened, playfully nudging her.
Isabela then sprouted vines and swung away from her giggling mischievously as Maya tried her hardest to catch her like Antonio’s jaguar catching a butterfly.
That night, Maya stayed at Casita in Isabela’s new, multicolored garden of a bedroom. They wished that no matter the trials, these moments would truly last forever.
Translation: "¡Felicidades a los dos!"- Congratulations, you two!