The Kick
Juliano woke up earlier today, he felt weird, he didn’t know why, there was nothing wrong ... weird, just weird.
The yesterday’s explosion wasn’t that bad, it was not for real, just charm; in a moment, she could call him on the radio, "Hi, tiger" and everything would be okay.
He cut the cows in heat, made the inseminations. He followed the previous selection in the mating table; each cow, each bull.
The job was done, but there was a heifer hurt by barbed wire, he was handling with her. The morning was fresh and calm. Mariana haven’t called, she might have other things to do. Women are like that, better let her cool down before anything – Juliano thinks.
Mariana also didn’t sleep well. I had been immature – she assumed –, jealous, why? It was not her nature.
She used her only child prerogatives to stay a little longer in her room, she watched the news, organized drawers, anyway, she was a little ashamed.
Suddenly Maria Pia enters desperate into her room, crying:
– Mariana, Juliano had an accident in the corral, please help him, for God's sake!
She runs out and sees Jurandir running to her.
– Mariana! Oh my God, Juliano got a kick in his face, I think he's dead!
Juliano is fallen, unconscious, his face covered in blood, an ugly wound in the mouth, a cut from the lip to the nose.
Maria Pia raises her hands up.
– Pia, give me your apron, brings me water and a clean cloth. Jurandir, go! Get some mats, bring another man and my truck, quickly – Mariana takes control of the situation.
She starts cleaning Juliano, mud, dung, blood, skin, really ugly and bad. Finally she could listen to his breath, weak, but still there, she can hear it. In vain she tries to wake him up .
– Where is my father? – Mariana screams.
– He left early, Dona Mariana, to the garage, I think.
She accommodates Juliano in the back of the truck on the mats. Mariana holds his head in her lap, now all stained with blood, trying to contain the bleeding, Mariana opens Juliano’s mouth, cleans his nose, he can‘t stop breathing.
– Pia! Look for my father by phone, send him to the Hospital.
– Fast, Jurandir, accelerates this pickup.
It will be seven miles in a dirty road, five miles on the asphalt, the longest twelve miles in Mariana’s life.
The shake awakened Juliano, who babbled confusedly with his smashed mouth:
– Tie her leg, Jurandir, be careful...
It sticks a thorn into Mariana’s heart; she holds the unconscious and disturbed fiancé’s head. She looks at the sky in a pray and cries. Why she had mistreated him yesterday? For nothing, he hadn’t said a word. She looks above and asks: – My God, forgive me, if he gets out of that, I’ll do anything.
A helicopter crossing the blue sky was all the answer she had, maybe God was too busy to help them.
Approaching the hospital, Mariana saw her father, he was waiting at the entrance with the doctor and a stretcher. Juvencio was livid.
They carry the unconscious Juliano into the hospital.
Juvencio asks her daughter:
– How is he? What happened anyway?
Mariana is all blood and tears, falls down into her father's arms.
– He tried to tell a few words, disconnectedly, he is badly hurt.
– Seu Juvencio – Jurandir is desperate, it hurts him more than in Juliano – I asked him: – Do you want me to hold the heifer, Juliano? From the early morning, he was acting oddly, tongue-tied. He said: "– No, thanks, go and get a bottle of iodine for me." I was going, I looked behind. The heifer had been squeezed in the chute and I saw him opening the rear door to examine her injury. A little dangerous I thought, but this heifer is so kind, everything was quiet; he made it so many times before. Then I heard the noise. Pah! I turned back and saw. Juliano had his hands over his mouth, trying to get out of the cattle chute, spun and fell down, unconscious. For God's sake, Seu Juvencio, Will he survive?
A Sister of Charity took Mariana inside the small hospital and aided her to recompose herself, helped her to wash up, gave her a glass of sugared water and a pill. One of the nurses lent her a clean shirt. When she returned outside, she found her father and Jurandir sitting over the balustrade, at the porch, waiting, devastated.
It would be useless to call Pia, they didn’t know anything. Should they have gone straight to the next big city, Rio Preto? No, better stop here for first aid, what agony, my God.
Finally, the doctor comes out bringing news.
– This guy is strong like bull, it could had been worse. He has regained consciousness, remembers who he is and where he is. He is still confused, but it is normal. We made an x-ray, the nose is broken, he lost a tooth, not a big deal in this scenario, the lip is really bad, must be reconstructed. He is awake and responding, but the real concern is about the brain, we have to keep him under observation for twelve hours, this is the usual thing to do in cases like that.
– Jurandir – said Juvencio –, look for my cell phone in the van, call Dona Maria Pia and updates her.
Jurandir goes away, Juvencio pulls the doctor and Mariana aside by their arms, and says:
– Well doc, you know, this boy is like a son to me. Of course I trust you, we are friends, so I’ll risk this question. Should we take him to a bigger hospital like in Ribeirao or Rio Preto?
– Yes, I am sure. Rio Preto is near and also as good as Ribeirao, a CT Scan would give us a better diagnosis. I am using compression bandage to stop the bleeding, I can sew it here, but in a big hospital, a reconstructive plastic surgery specialist can do miracles in our days. He is already medicated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tetanus. He could go tomorrow. Do you want to do this? Great, I'll make a transference guide to the Hospital de Base there; they are the best for traumas.
– Doc, please, who is the best surgeon of Rio Preto?
– I can make a recommendation. I'll join the test results we did here.
– Thank you, Doctor.
Mariana, who had been silent, asks:
– Can we see him, Doctor?
– Just for a moment and don’t be alarmed. Like I said, he's still confused, it is natural.
They follow the doctor through the nursing home, Juliano is already clean, lying on a hospital bed, the swelling took his whole face, his eyes are blood red. Mariana holds his hand; he outlines a smile that becomes a grimace of pain, then he speaks softly between his teeth:
– Pincess, a’you… goin…to carnaval?
Only then she notices, the nurse's shirt was from a recent party. Mariana collapses in tears.
Juvencio returned to the farm to support Maria Pia and pick up some things for Juliano; the rancher was also down.
Mariana categorically refused to leave the hospital until she is sure that the hit on Juliano’s head wouldn’t have major consequences.
She was devastated by the agony, by the remorse about the yesterday’s disagreement. Jurandir said that Juliano was silent this morning. She sat back on the balustrade and looked at the ending afternoon. What a sad hour, my God!
She slowly comes back from this blankness; Manuela is walking up the entrance ramp.
She is still dressing the lab coat, opened, the belt dragging behind her.
– Hi – Manuela said.
– Hi – Mariana replied.
Manuela sat next to Mariana and stayed there for a while, until Mariana asked:
– Did you heard about the accident?
– Yes, John told me, I ended my last class, the school is in front, I saw the pickup, and then I saw you, here, sad, looking down, holding your knees. I came to say hello. How is he?
– Bad, a cow kick… I mean… can you imagine? On his face, my God! He is strong, still resisting well and is going to Rio Preto tomorrow, needs a plastic surgery, his face is
disfigured – tears drop from Mariana’s eyes.
Manuela puts his arm around Mariana’s shoulder and remains quiet while she cries. They are still there when the sun sets.
The nurse comes out.
– Juliano is getting better, more conscious, and now he can take a strong painkiller and probably is going to sleep until tomorrow.
– He must be hungry, won’t he eat?
– No way, but he is having intravenous feeding, don’t worry, he will be fine, the doctor took care of everything before leave. Juliano can be transported by an ambulance tomorrow by noon. We have your phone number, go home now, any news, we call you.
– Thank you.
The nurse came back into the hospital and Mariana said:
– Sorry, we barely know each other and I've been doing this pantomime, I look like a little girl.
– Well, you are a girl… John told me how brave you have been, you saved Juliano taking care of him all the way… and everything. In fact, I have to apologize, I am new here appearing from nowhere. You know, you were the first people welcoming me. This is important for someone alone and far from home.
– My dear – more relaxed Mariana responds –, you did a tremendous success, the men spoke only of you, we had an argument.
– Stop! I'm ashamed; your father is a charming man, different from the ranchers I used to know, so polite. Your fiancé, kind, a handsome man... Oh! Poor guy, I am sorry, the kick, I'm sure he'll be fine.
Mariana cries again.
Manuela, embarrassed because of the gaffe, starts talking over and over.
– Please, don’t take me seriously, I’m only talking nonsense, "dumb blonde", indeed, the men on your house are great to me, but I was really impressed with you.
– What? – Mariana blowing her nose.
– I liked seeing you comfortable in the middle of a men group talking about semen and things like that. Cool! And also that story you told me. I loved; it didn’t get out of my mind. You are so funny.
The babble of Manuela comforted Mariana, she felt a little better. She was being friendly at a difficult time.
– Well, now we gotta wait, I think I'll go back to the farm, bringing the news, Pia must be ... Poor her, Juliano is all she has. Want a ride?
– I think it will be on your way, then you can see where I live. I'll give you my number, if I can help, just give a call.