"I didn't expect to see you so soon."
"Am I dead?"
"Not yet"
"..."
"Now wake up my champion."
Arya felt the air suddenly return to her lungs and woke up abruptly.
She felt completely disoriented.
Something was stuck on her face.
She saw someone rush towards her but lost consciousness again.
When she woke up again, the world seemed less blurry.
But she didn't know where she was.
It looked like an operating room.
But she seemed to be a bit archaic.
She heard a door open and saw her mother come in and sit down in a chair. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked dejected.
She tried to say a few words but the mask bothered her.
She wanted to raise her arm but it was heavy, the other was less heavy and she held it out to her mother.
When her mother raised her head she widened her eyes and rushed towards her.
"Arya, honey, you're awake." she said before bursting into tears against his hand.
"Mom.."
"Don't force yourself, everything will be fine, everything will be fine" she repeated not only to reassure Arya but also her.
Her mother went out for a moment and came back with a doctor.
He approached her to examine her.
Arya saw that her arm was bandaged as well as her belly but the pain was bearable.
"You've lost a lot of blood, but the nano surgeons did their job. I would suggest you invest in a biomonitor for added security when you're older. I'll watch you for two more days, then you'll be free to go home."
Arya was surprised by the doctor's nonchalance. This type of injury in Westeros was almost always fatal.
But now a few nano surgeons were doing the work. She wasn't going to complain.
"Where's daddy?" she asked
She was surprised by the coldness on her mother's face.
"He is busy."
She didn't give her any explanation and Arya didn't want to dig deeper.
She still manages to force her to go inside to take a shower and eat.
Arya had discovered that she was in one of the few discreet operating rooms her father had had set up for the Valentinos. The man who treated him was an employee of the trauma team, who owed Campo a lot, so sometimes he came to do him a favor.
Something woke Arya during the night.
A figure sat in the seat his mother had occupied. She hadn't come back yet and Arya was sure she had fallen asleep.
"Dad?" she whispered
The figure approached her and kissed her forehead.
"mi hija you scared us so much." he said hoarsely
He looked as exhausted as his mother and the darkness barely hid the bloodstains that covered his clothes.
"I'm sorry, I tried to lose them...they killed Ziggy."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm glad you're alive and Ziggy would be too."
"And the 6th Street gang?"
Campo's face hardens then.
"They won't bother you anymore. Rest up my darling. Dad took care of everything"
And despite her efforts to stay awake Arya fell asleep.
Her mother refused to let her leave the bed even after she was discharged from the hospital.
Yet that did not mean that her days were peaceful. Despite her mother's disapproval she had watched the news. The 6th Street Gang had lost half their members and retreated to Santo Domingo.
Journalists wondered what could have led to this excess of violence, but Arya knew. For the Valentinos it had become something personal.
It took her father a week to come and knock on the door. She heard the screams, and the tears. His mother accusing him of not having protected her, his father apologizing.
The next day Arya found them sleeping together in a bed.