EPISODE 165

 

Back to Gabriela and Hannibal,

Gabriela is trying to keep Hannibal calm and entertained, when the second alarm, rings. She instinctively holds onto her son, then looks around. She has a bad feeling. She asks herself where the gunshots came from. She barely has time to think about the issue further, when two of Horacio's main henchmen, come to where they are. Both Gabriela and Hannibal are quickly, taken away. Hannibal begins crying, as Gabriela tightly holds onto him.

Elsewhere, at Montes De Alba Inc.,

Hernan is in his office. As it often happens, since the shooting at his father's wedding, Hernan thinks about Gabriela. He thinks about them as children. Sometimes they were playing together happily, sometimes, they were arguing. He thinks about their earlier years with their father, and about the years they spent growing up with the Ortiz's. Through the good times and the bad times, the only person who has always been there for him from day one was Gabriela. Gabriela was more than his twin sister, she was his best friend and partner in crime. He silently prays to God to protect his sister and nephew.

A little while later,

Gabriela and Hannibal are being taken through the garden back to the main house when they are ambushed by the attackers. They are heavily armed. The attackers, move to take away Hannibal. Gabriela is horrified. It was a from the frying pan into the fire kind of situation. Could things get any worse? She felt helpless. She tries to go forward to get her son but, one of Horacio's henchmen pulls her back. Gabriela again struggles forward to get her son. Horacio comes and tries to grab Gabriela.

Despite the fear and uncertainty of not knowing what is going on, she glares at him and tells him that she isn't going to leave Hannibal behind. 

As if things couldn't get any trickier, one of the armed attackers grabs Hannibal and carries him. Hannibal meanwhile is screaming and calling out to her. Horacio shoots the leg of the person carrying Hannibal. They scream in pain. Gabriela screams and rushes forward to get her son. She hugs a now crying Hannibal. Horacio tells Gabriela to follow him. Having no choice, she carries Hannibal and begins following Horacio.

He glares at the child. 

Horacio tells Gabriela that he doesn't want to see the little brat because he looks so much like Antonio. Gabriela says that she isn't leaving her son. The situation is very tense, with guns ready to fire and being pointed in every direction. Horacio roughly grabs Hannibal from Gabriela's hands. Gabriela struggles to wipe away the tears that have begun furiously falling by now. Horacio says that he has her and therefore he has no more need for the child (Hannibal). Gabriela's eyes go wide with horror. 

Back at Antonio's house,

He carries his cousin, Rosa Milagros. She is adorable and bubbly. Clara walks over and puts an arm on him. Antonio looks up at her. She tells him that as hard as it is, he should keep the faith and be strong. Antonio sighs and says that he is trying but it is so hard. He adds that thinking of Gabriela and Hannibal with a psycho like Horacio makes him feel useless. Luisa hugs him and tells him that all will be well.

Back at the secret location,

Horacio smiles horrifyingly and wickedly. He tells one of his henchmen to hold the child. Horacio then moves back and glares at Hannibal. He says that it is time. Gabriela screams and tries to go and rescue her son, but is held back. Horacio starts getting ready to pull the trigger but, a voice is heard telling him to not even attempt that. Gabriela says to herself that the voice is oddly familiar. Even Horacio is temporarily distracted. It's Juan Patricio. He walks over to the front. He glares at Horacio and warns him not to hurt Hannibal.

Horacio glares at him and says that he will have Gabriela and no one will prevent that. He adds that he will get rid of Hannibal whom he calls little Antonio. Gabriela silently prays for herself and her son. Juan Patricio moves and stands near Hannibal. Horacio snarls and points towards Hannibal. He then fires a shot. Gabriela, who is still being held, screams in horror. Juan Patricio, who was nearest to Hannibal, steps infront of the child. He is shot. He winces in pain and clutches his injury. Horacio snarls but before he can shoot again, all hell breaks loose as shots are fired from every corner.

Juan Patricio moves to shield Hannibal from the shots. Gabriela squats then crawls carefully to her son. Juan Patricio has dropped down. Gabriela turns him over and examines her son. There is some blood on his leg and shoulder. He is crying and in pain but thankfully, he is okay. She quickly hugs him and then checks Juan Patricio for a pulse. There is none. She says a quick thank you then looks around. She says that she has to get Hannibal to safety. She feels something sticky on her shoulder. She has been shot.

Meanwhile,

Helena and Carlos have moved to a new place. Carlos complains that it is the third place, they have moved to in the past few months. Helena reminds him that getting too familiar with one place or with people is dangerous for them. She adds that they cannot afford to be recognized by anyone. Carlos says that they cannot live on the run forever.

Helena says that things will continue taking a long time before they can cool off long enough for them to escape the country. She adds that the shooting at Gabriel's wedding and Gabriela and her son's kidnapping complicates things because it ensures that the Montes De Alba's are still being talked about and the public will easily recognize either of them. Carlos sighs in frustration.

Back at the secret location,

Gabriela begins carrying Hannibal to safety. Another stray shot lands on her, this time on her thigh. She momentarily, stumbles and yelps in pain. One look at her son, in pain, is all it takes to get her to fight through her pain. She has to rescue her son. She as gently as possible carries Hannibal and quickly moves away from the shooting. Horacio starts to say, Gabriela, no and tries to shoot her but someone shoots him first. More bullets fly in his direction and he falls. Gabriela screams. She looks at Hannibal and kisses his forehead.

Her son, the greatest gift God gave her. She feels for a pulse. It is weak, but still there. She carries him further back and hides behind a bush. She then gently places him on the ground. She looks at him. She says to herself that they both need medical help, especially Hannibal. She then goes back to the shooting. People are too busy shooting at each other to bother with her. Many people are down. She isn't sure how many are dead and how many are alive. She crawls to the nearest fallen person and feels for a pulse. The pulse is there but weak. He has passed out. She feels his pocket for a phone. 

She gets one and pulls it. Wincing, as moving around causes her wounds to be more painful, she puts the phone in her pocket. She then looks around for guns and picks two. As she retreats, she locks eyes with one of Horacio's henchmen. They try to shoot her. She shoots them twice and they fall. She hurries back to the hidden bush, before any more bullets, targeted or not, fall on her. She checks on her son. He is alive. He has lost some blood, but he is fine. She has one gun in her hand and the other close and accessible. She looks around, then removes the phone from her pocket.

Elsewhere,

Isabella and Alejandro have also moved to a new motel. For them, it is the second time, they are moving. They know the importance of moving regularly. They need to avoid familiarity, being recognized, and also to avoid brewing suspicion. The new location is not too far from the other one. They have already settled into the new place.

Shortly after,

At Montes De Alba Inc.,

Hernan is in his office, going through some reports. He takes a break and opens a bottle of water that was on his desk. He takes a sip when his phone, which is on his desk rings. He closes the bottle of water and picks up his phone. He doesn't recognize the number and frowns. He rejects the call but the person keeps on calling. Curiosity to know who wants to talk to him so urgently gets the better of him and he picks it up. He says his full name (Hernan Montes De Alba) and then asks the other person, how he can help them.

Gabriela begins crying and calling Hernan, big brother, asks him to help her. Hernan is momentarily shocked. He then calls out to his sister, Gabriela, and asks her where she is. Gabriela says that she doesn't know. She then remains quiet and Hernan hears gunshots. Fear for the safety of his sister and nephew overwhelms him. He asks Gabriela if what he heard were gunshots. Gabriela, through sobs, says that they were.

At the Montes De Alba Mansion,

Gabriel is up and about. He is walking around the compound when he runs into Anna Patricia. She shakes her head and reminds him that the doctor told him to rest and take things easy. Gabriel kisses her and then says that he is too worried about his daughter and grandson to fully take it easy.

Back to Hernan,

He is still on phone with Gabriela. Hernan asks her if both she and Hannibal are fine. Gabriela doesn't answer him. Hernan, calling her Gabby, again asks her if she and Hannibal are fine. Gabriela sighs and says that there is a shootout and both she and Hannibal have been shot twice. On hearing that, Hernan quickly stands up. He runs a hand through his hair. Gabriela tells her brother, that she is scared and asks him to get her out of there. Hernan tells her to be calm and try and take care of herself and Hannibal. He tells her that help is coming.

Hernan pauses and then tells her I love you, sis. Gabriela says that she loves him too and that he is the best brother anyone could ask for. Hernan gets his keys and rushes to the door. He opens it and then closes it. He goes to his secretary's desk. He tells her that he won't be back, for the rest of the day. She reminds him that, he has meetings in the afternoon, with some of their important clients. Hernan says that his sister is more important, so she should call the clients and cancel all the meetings. He then continues walking on. How does he even begin?

Hernan runs into Martin, who was coming to his office, to inquire about something. Martin has files in his hands. When he sees Martin, Hernan asks him to follow him back to his office. Once, the door to the office is closed, Martin asks Hernan what is going on. Hernan takes a deep breath and says that Gabriela called him and he could hear gunshots in the background. He adds that both she and Hannibal have been injured. Martin takes out his phone and tells Hernan that the first thing to do is to call an ambulance and the police, then everything else can follow.

Five days later, on Monday,

Antonio is in the cafeteria, having tea and a bite to eat. The past five days have been horrible. He remembers, seeing both Gabriela and Hannibal being wheeled in. Hannibal had passed out after losing some blood. Gabriela though conscious was in worse shape. He then remembers going to Gabriela's room, two days earlier. The door was open. He could hear voices and knew that Hernan was in there with her. He hears Gabriela thank Hernan for always looking out for her. Hernan says that he loves her and that he will always be there when she needs him.

Gabriela says that he will forever hold an important part of her heart. Antonio comes back to the present. He has hardly slept in the past few days and was physically and emotionally tired. He takes a sip of his cup of tea and looks around. He sees his grandmother approach him. She greets him and sits. Claudia looks at Antonio like she suspects him of having done something bad. Antonio looks at her and asks her, what is going on. Claudia shrugs and tells him that it is he who should tell her what is going on.

Antonio asks her what she is talking about. Claudia says that she can tell that something else apart from Gabriela and Hannibal's health is on his mind. Antonio tells his grandmother that he is just tired, otherwise, he is fine. Claudia looks at him like she doesn't believe him and says that she knows him too well and she can tell when he is lying. She then reminds him that she is nosy but she means well. Antonio smiles. Nothing gets past his grandmother. Antonio sighs then he says that it bothers him that Gabriela called Hernan first, at her moment of need. 

Claudia asks him why it does. Antonio says that sometimes he feels jealous of the bond Gabriela has with her brother and father, especially, when she asks them for help. Claudia frowns at Antonio. She tells him that he should be more understanding of Gabriela. She says that given that their mother died at birth and they were separated from their father when they were children, her brother has been the only constant presence in her life.

Meanwhile, in Gabriela's hospital room,

Gabriela is still in pain. She looks around the room. Just then the door is opened and her father comes in. He walks over to her bed and kisses her forehead. He asks her how she is. Gabriela winces and says that the medicine makes her feel drowsy and she is still in a bit of pain but otherwise she is okay. She asks her father how Hannibal is. Gabriel tells her that her son is still in a coma but he is gradually improving. On hearing that her son still hasn't woken up, Gabriela starts to cry. Gabriel moves closer and puts a hand on her forehead. Gabriela says that if anything happens to Hannibal, she will never be able to take it. Gabriel tells Gabriela to be positive and to pray for the best.

Back to Antonio and Claudia,

Antonio says that he understands everything Gabriela and Hernan went through as children, but he still feels that Gabriela should have called him first. He says that sometimes he feels like a third wheel because of how close Hernan and Gabriela are. He says it's like she trusts and loves her brother more than anyone else including him. Claudia pats his hands and says that Gabriela loves him and that isn't debatable. 

She adds that he should accept that she is very close to her brother and he is probably her best friend but he also shouldn't over-think things because Gabriela's heart is big enough for both him and her brother. Antonio smiles and hugs his grandmother. He tells his grandmother that he loves her. She says that she loves him too. She reminds him that Gabriela has a huge capacity for love and forgiveness. Antonio agrees that she does. Claudia says she realised that when Gabriela forgave her.