A/N: 3rd to the last chapter. Thank you, if you're still reading this. You've all been great...& it's been a ride. :)
Arya hated hospitals.
She hated the white walls and floors because they unnerved her. It felt as if it was so clean and pure, which was the total opposite of what the place was meant for. The smells from inside made her want to throw up. The smell of meds and disinfectant mingled with the smell of illness and death.
After hitching a ride with the paramedics, she tried calling Gendry but it went straight to voicemail. Fresh from a fight, she hesitated at first but knew she had to do it. Tommen is his brother and Gendry has the right to know. Petty quarrels between boyfriends and girlfriends are nothing compared with delivering bad news to a family member. Next, she tried calling Joffrey, but there was no answer. She decided on calling Robert and Cersei last, but they were both unavailable as well. Finally, she got through Jon's number. They were still on their way back from the trip, but her brothers promised that they would be there, and that they would try contacting the rest.
"You look like you should head home and rest."
Arya looked up from her seat and saw Edric standing there with a paper bag in his left hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
"Hey," she whispered. "Thanks for coming. I didn't know who to call anymore when I couldn't contact the others."
"It's okay, Arya. I'm glad you called me," he said, taking the seat beside hers.
Arya rubbed her hands over her face. She was still feeling dazed and confused over what happened. "I feel like this is my fault."
Edric took her hand in his and said, "Arya, stop it. It's not your fault. It's not Tommen's. If there's anyone who should pay for it, it's Ramsay Bolton."
Arya groaned loudly. "Seven hells! I haven't even thought about checking with the cops if they've found him yet."
"I could do that. I'll make calls, so try not to worry so much. "Here," he said, thrusting the cup of coffee in her hand. "You look like you need the boost."
Arya took the coffee and mumbled her thanks. "I think I need booze instead of a boost."
Edric chuckled. "No you don't. You're not much of a drinker anyway."
Arya laughed softly. "You know me too well."
"What time are your brothers coming in?"
Arya shrugged as she took a sip of the hot liquid. "In a couple of hours, I suppose. They're on their way back from the trip."
"And the Baratheons?"
"I couldn't get through them, but Joff's probably been informed because he's with Jon, Robb and Theon."
"Gendry?"
Arya shrugged a second time. "He's not picking up. We kind of…got into a fight before it happened."
Edric raised his brows but chose not to say anything. Arya was in too much distress over Tommen that he felt it wasn't the right time to discuss her problem with Gendry. Without anything better to say, he stood from his seat and asked, "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?"
Arya shook her head. "No, thanks."
"I'm getting you something to eat anyway," he replied with a smile.
"I know you will, Edric. Thanks anyway."
"Still getting you something."
Arya laughed this time. "Okay, okay! Anything you get will be fine. Thank you."
When Edric left, she pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket and sighed. Nothing. The wait was killing her. She didn't know how the Baratheons would react to the news. And considering Tommen is a minor and under her care at that time, she could only imagine the worst reaction from them. And she wouldn't blame them if they threw her out of the house. They've been nothing but kind to her and her family and she ends up getting their youngest son hurt because of Ramsay's need to get back at her.
"Don't think too much or you'll get wrinkles."
Arya was startled out of her thoughts when she saw Sandor standing there with a small smile on his face. She stood and hugged him, she didn't know what made her do it, but maybe because he's the one person aside from the Starks and Baratheons who knew about the incident with Ramsay. The hug Sandor gave her was awkward, but it felt welcoming still. He was patting her back like he would a lost puppy, and Arya laughed as she pulled away.
"I'm sorry," she said as she stepped back. "I just needed that since the time I stepped out of the ambulance."
Sandor raised his hand. "It's okay, Arya. I understand why."
Arya introduced Edric to Sandor when the former returned carrying a bag of food and some couple of sodas. They shared the food, eating quietly as they tried to avoid discussing Ramsay even for just a while.
"The cops are out looking for him," Sandor said in between bites of his sandwich. "I hope they find him asap, or I'm thinking things could get even more worse than it already is."
Arya shuddered at the thought. "I just don't know how to face Robert and Cersei. It's all my fault. I should have just driven home instead of bringing Tommen out to that spot."
Edric turned to Sandor and said, "Can you please tell her that she's not to blame for all this? I've told her so many times already."
Sandor frowned. "He's right, Arya. If there's anyone to blame here, it's Bolton. Stop beating yourself up over this."
Arya sighed deeply. "It's just that-"
"Are you the one who brought Tommen Baratheon here?"
They all turned to look at the doctor as he walked up to them. "I'm Dr. Selmy. Tommen just got out of surgery and he's brought straight to the recovery room for now before we send him up to his room. Are his parents around?"
Arya stepped up and said, "I'm sorry, they're on their way. But I was the one who was with him during the accident and when they brought him in."
Dr. Selmy nodded. "He's in recovery right now, but I'll be back to check if his parents are around."
Arya grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Please, Dr. Selmy. I need to know how he is. Will he be alright?"
The doctor studied her for a while before answering. "He will be out of the recovery room in half an hour. If his parents are still not around, I'll come get you. I'll explain to you when we get there."
Gendry waved as his friend drove away. He was beyond exhausted and was thankful that he didn't have to drive all the way back from out of town. They got their uni work done and now he can finally relax at home.
And think about Arya and their little fight.
With a sigh, he walked up the driveway and was almost to the door when Joff's SUV parked up front. His brother and the Starks got out of the vehicle, their faces masked with worry.
"Have you heard from Arya?" Robb asked, pausing in front of him before fishing his phone out of his pocket to check for messages.
Gendry shook his head. "No. My phone battery's dead and I haven't recharged it yet. What's going on?"
Joffrey gently grabbed his arm and said, "It's Tommen…it's bad, Gen…"
Gendry's entire being seemed to go on alert all of a sudden. He grabbed his brother's wrist and said, "What happened, Joffrey?"
Jon placed a hand on Gendry's shoulder and said as calmly as possible, "A drunk Ramsay lost control of the wheel and ran over Tommen."
"WHAT?! Where did this happen?" Gendry cried out in anger.
"Arya's at the hospital right now and she's waiting for us," Jon explained. "We need to go over there now. Your parents are on their way too."
"I'll fucking kill Ramsay Bolton," Gendry said as they walked back to Joff's SUV. "I'm going to skin that bastard alive, don't say I won't do it!"
"Gendry..." Theon said in an attempt to calm him. "That guy's crazy. Don't go thinking about doing something heroic for Tommen now. The police are out there looking for him."
"Heroic?" Gendry spat out with a sarcastic laugh. "What I have in mind is hardly heroic."
"All the more reason to leave this to the authorities," Robb said. "Remember, Bolton's a little unstable at the moment. I don't think his mind works on logic and reasoning at this time."
"Don't do anything stupid, bro," Jon repeated in a firm tone. "I mean it."
"Will he ever walk again?"
Cersei asked Dr. Selmy as they stood beside Tommen's hospital bed. The boy was still asleep; looking frail with all the tubes stuck to him and the machines beeping continuously to indicate his condition. The rest of the group were scattered around the room as they listened in on the conversation.
"He will be able to walk again, but not without physical therapy," Dr. Selmy explained. "The good news is, his vital signs are okay. Not good, but okay. Heart rate and blood pressure are all normal although occasionally rising, so we have to keep him under close monitoring. But he might wake up soon, so it's best if someone stays here with him."
"Of course," said a tearful Cersei.
"I'll let you know if anything else comes up, but for now, we just wait for Tommen to wake up."
Robert held his hand out for a handshake. "Thank you, Doctor. Please keep us posted."
As soon as the doctor left, the room fell into an awkward silence. The Baratheons were standing around Tommen's bed, watching his chest rise and fall and listening to the beeping sound of the machines. The Starks were huddled in one corner, afraid to interrupt a very private moment between them.
"Ramsay Bolton's going to pay for this," Gendry said through gritted teeth. "That fucker's going to pay for what he did to my brother!"
"Leave the authorities to this, do you understand me?" Robert said to his eldest son. "You're not going to do anything stupid because of this."
"He's a psycho," Joffrey said with a shake of his head. "How can he do this to Tommen?"
"That's what he is," Gendry replied. "He's a psycho & he deserves what's coming to him."
Robert sighed deeply. "I understand your anger, son. I'm probably twice as angry as you are, but I'm begging you to stay out of this. I don't want you to end up sharing a cell with that Bolton kid, do you hear me?"
Without a word, Gendry turned around and sauntered towards the door. "I'm going for a walk."
Arya watched as he walked out of the room, the door shutting loudly behind him. Turning to her brothers, she said in a whisper, "I'll be right back."
She scanned the length of the hallway but she couldn't find him. It was only when she got to the hospital lobby that she found him walking out of the entrance, his hands tucked firmly in his pockets and his shoulders hunched in a tensed manner. Arya ran quickly to catch up with him, and he didn't say a word when she fell into step beside him. It was only when she noticed that they were in a park near the hospital when Gendry stopped and sat on the grass.
"Gendry, I'm sorry," Arya said as she took the space beside him. "I should have brought him home after his lessons. I shouldn't have-"
"Yes," Gendry replied in a terse tone. "You should have. But I don't blame you. Bolton's crazy."
Arya closed her eyes as she took in his bitter words. "I'm sorry. If I could turn back time, I would just drive straight home. He would probably be awake and well if only I had done that."
Gendry said nothing after that and Arya was feeling the tension in the air.
"Don't do anything stupid, Gen," she pleaded.
Gendry snorted. "How many times have people told me that today? I've fucking lost count."
"I know you. Your love for Tommen and anger over Ramsay will cloud your judgement. It won't end good if you do what you're thinking about doing."
Gendry finally turned to her, his eyes filled with anger. "You're not my mother."
"Gen…"
"Leave me alone, please. I need to think."
With that, she stood and watched him for a while before giving him the time alone he needed.
Arya dove facedown onto the mattress when she finally got to her room. It was half past midnight when they reached the house, Cersei being the first one to watch over Tommen. She hasn't spoken to any of the Baratheons since she told the story earlier that day, and she was already feeling antsy about it.
She was about to drift off when her phone rang. Seeing her father's face on the screen, she heaved a sigh and took the call.
"Hi, Dad."
"Arya? Are you home now?"
"Yes, Dad," she replied. "We just got in ten minutes ago."
"How's Tommen?"
"He's still unconscious, otherwise he's okay."
"How are you?"
Arya sighed. "Still a litte shaken, but otherwise good."
Ned was silent for a moment.
"Arya, your mother and I have decided that it might be best if you come home to us at Storm's End. We'd feel safer with you here with us."
"What about Jon? Robb? Theon?" Arya asked, her voice a little shaky. "Should they come home too?"
"I'm worried about you all, but right now you're my concern. I'm booking your flight to Storm's End. I've already spoken with Robert."
Arya's eyes flashed with anger. "And you didn't even ask me, Dad? What about school? What about Tommen?" Her voice suddenly broke when she said, "What about Gendry?"
Ned sighed. "Things won't change. It's just that you're going to be here with us."
"No, Dad. Give me the rest of the year and I'll go to Storm's End. Just not now, please. Gendry needs me."
"And we need you here, Arya."
How can a daughter say no to that? She was feeling torn between wanting to stay for the Baratheons…for Gendry…but this is her dad asking her. If it were her mom, she would have fought from hell to back. But Ned practically begging her is breaking Arya's heart to a million pieces.
"Okay, Dad."
She heard her dad's sigh of relief upon her agreement. "I'd feel safer with you here. I love you, princess. I'll see you soon."
Arya choked back tears. "I love you too, Dad. See you soon."
The tears came as soon as she ended the call. Burying her head under her pillow, she cried for Tommen…for Cersei and Robert…for her family…for Gendry.
Can this day get any worse?
She was about to curl up and go to sleep when her phone beeped to signal an incoming text. Without moving an inch, her hand crawled lazily towards the edge of the bed where her phone was lying.
Ramsay's been arrested. He's under the custody of KLPD, so at least we're sleeping soundly tonight. Get some rest. Tommen will be okay. – Robb
Placing her phone on the bedside table, she fell asleep worrying about Tommen and her impending departure to Storm's End.
Gendry & Arya (*whispers* and smut) in the next chapter. I promise. Just hang in there. :)