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She was staring out the window, seeing and unseeing at the same time. The sky was grey and the rain kept pouring down, little droplets on the window, slowly slinking down. Tick Tick Tick
The ticking going on endlessly and the sound kept her in a trance. Tick Tick Tick. She heard sounds behind her, but she didn’t because the rain was still ticking.
“Miss Stark you have a visitor.”
She heard but didn’t because the rain was still ticking.
She almost could hear the swishing of the wipers. Swish Swish
Tick Tick Swish Swish Tick Tick Swish Swish
“Arya?”
A soft floating sound, to soft to soft.
“Arya?” He called out while waving a hand in front of her face.
“What is it stupid?” She was laughing and pushing him in the side while they were driving away from the concert. The concert he sneaked her too. He was always following the rules, that Arya was extremely surprised that he was standing outside her window to take her to the concert. She was elated.
“Just wanted to make sure you could still hear with the screaming that you did all night.” He poked her in her side and she swatted his hand away.
“I can hear perfectly fine. And I didn’t scream.” She was no stupid fangirl. It was an awesome concert and she knew the songs and everyone was shouting them. He just laughed. “Thank you for taking me though. I loved it and wouldn’t want to have missed it. I know it goes against your stupid morals to sneak me out. So thank you.”
He smiled, “Everything for M’Lady.” He drove through the green light and she saw lights behind his head dooming up. It was pouring, wipers working hard to keep the water out of side and a truck honking, stopping and slipping. There was panic in her eyes and when he turned panic in his and everything went black.
She felt a soft hand on her shoulder and she knew that it was her sister. She came regularly, a bit less than dad, a bit more than Robb who had a lot of work and his own family. In the beginning one family member was there every day. But time passes and regular life went on outside these walls for them.
Her sister just came sitting next to her. A nurse asked for a drink and she asked for two cups of tea. When the two cups were standing in front of them, she pulled out lemon cakes. Their favorite food.
Arya was still fixed on the ticking. Tick Tick Tick
She woke up and everything hurt. She couldn’t move and the only thought circling her mind was ‘it is my fault it is my fault’. She wanted to go to the concert. She had begged Gendry to go with her. Never believing that he would take her. Never believing that anything could go wrong.
She took a nibble of the lemon cake just to please her sister. She never really had the patience to sit in silence with Sansa. It was weird how the ticking calmed her. Tick Tick
Sansa cleared her throat and that was the first time Arya really looked at her. Sansa gave her a small smile. “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
“I am not allowed to go and a walk isn’t really nice in this weather.”
In the beginning Arya was only silent and full of quilt, but she slowly reacted more like Arya. Even when she had her moments. Everyone smiled brighter when she did.
“You are allowed to go with me, only for a few hours.”
“Where will we go?” She didn’t really trust Sansa.
“The hospital.”
“I am already in one.” She was in the mental hospital, which was not far from the regular hospital, if you could call a hospital regular.
“Everyone is happy with your progress and the doctors might think that this will help.”
“What will we do in the hospital?” She was curious, but also sensing a trap, because there was no reason for her to go the hospital.
“He is allowed to have visitors.”
“Has he woken up?” She was almost to hopeful and with a small shake of Sansa’s head her hopes were crushed.
“Are you coming with me?”
Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick
Arya nodded her head.
The ticking continued on the drive there, together with the swishing. It was maddening and calming.
‘He will wake up when I come over. He has to wake up when I come over.’ Her thought kept telling her. It was also the only way that she could see him for herself, still breathing. Even when it was with a machine.
The crash was traumatizing and she had thought him dead for a while and she had hit her head hard. The doctors think that the hit caused her trauma, together with all the other factors. It would have been just grieve without the head, maybe anxiety and nightmares. She would still needed therapy and have mental problems. But with the head it was worse. She was sometimes absent and didn’t process everything. Especially in the beginning. It was going better, but her head was shaking. Nothing permanent they said.
Sansa grabbed her hand while they walked inside the hospital, as if she would run away or break down, but maybe it was just some reassurance. Sansa did the talking while Arya was looking to the floor and fidgeted.
Sansa lead her to the elevator and the right hallway. Arya just followed her, looking around and listening to the click clack of her sisters shoes. Click Clack Click Clack
Sansa talked to a nurse by the reception, who led them to the room. She opened the door, that they could call her if they need anything and left them be.
Arya looked cautious in the room and when she saw him laying there, she walked over. She looked at his peaceful face and wished she could see his thinking face. His hair was a mess like always and she wished she could see him shake it out of his face over and over again, like he always did when it started to grow a bit too long. He never seemed to know it.
She pushed his hair in his face and when he didn’t move it she moved it away again. Sansa was keeping her distance and her mouth shut, it impressed Arya. Normally Sansa kept prattling on.
She followed the tubes that kept him alive. All the little snakes of tubes going in his arm to hydrate, to give nutrients. It felt weird how he was breathing, but how his eyes didn’t open, hadn’t opened for a couple of weeks. He had still a few bruises and sutures. He also looked more thin. Gendry always was strong. Now she needed to be strong.
Drip Drip Drip
The water went drop for drop into the tubes. Drip Drip Drip
“Wake up.” She whispered slowly. She was pushing him a moment, just to remind him. She imagined that his lips curved up. She slumped down in the seat next to him and she looked at Sansa, who now came closer.
“I never told him that I loved him. I thought having silly dreams about boys were stupid. I never wanted to think stupid about us.”
“He wouldn’t think it was stupid. He had a crush on you for as long as I know.” Sansa remarked.
“I know.”
She felt a bit better after she had seen him and saw his chest rise and fall. She really believed he would wake up if she would come and talk to him. The doctors agreed.” Maybe just because it helped her.
“Arya are you coming?” She looked up to Robb and gave a small smile.
She immediately went to his room. The nurse at the reception greeting her.
“Hey stupid. Winter is coming.” The snow was drifting outside and it gave Arya good feeling.
Her mother made Christmas dinner and Arya was allowed to stay home. Her mother had put some turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce in a container. “Arya are you coming?” She asked. Arya never thought that spending Christmas in the hospital could be the most fulfilling thing for Christmas. She ate together with her mother, while they spoke and she talked to Gendry.
Her mom was already out the door, when she whispered. “Wake up stupid, before you miss New Year.”
He did miss New Year and the fireworks went Boom Boom Boom
“Arya? Are you coming?” She sprang off her bed and followed her father out of the door.
She heard people talking on the hallway how it has been a long time, with no improvement. But her father paid the bills and told them to keep him on. He will wake up. He was strong.
“You hear that, you are strong. So wake up.”
“Arya? Are you coming?” Jon called out. He was visiting and it felt good to be with her favorite brother again. He smiled sadly as he watched her with the boy, who he in other circumstances had threatened to not hurt his sister.
She was dismissed from the mental hospital, but still needed to have regular therapy sessions. She was not fully recovered but time heals.
She was not allowed to drive, but it was okay to take the public transport. Everyone worked and had to get on with their lives. She took the bus to get to the hospital. She had done it almost every day. Talking and even sleeping next to Gendry. The nurses led her be, brought her something to drink and with lunch she could get some.
She was just sitting next to Gendry. She had told her story and now it was napping time. She made herself comfortable and it felt great.
She felt something and she was almost irritated because something pulled her out of her sleep, while she had problems sleeping at home.
“Arya?” One word, the right voice, male and rough and maybe a bit hoarse from the lack of moist in his mouth.
Her eyes widened in elation and excitement. “You’re awake!”
The nurse heard her and before she knew it doctors were around him and he was quickly back to sleep. The next day she came as early as possible and she had told her whole family what happened. Everyone was happy, after they confirmed with the doctors that it was not her imagination. Arya couldn’t care.
Tick Tick Tick
Rain was pouring on the window and spring had sprung.
She was sitting next to his bed, waiting for him to wake up. She was talking, hoping it would help. “I regretted that I didn’t tell you how I love you. That I never let you know.”
“I know” a hoarse voice answered and she looked up and Gendry smiled at her. She smiled back.
Tick Tick Tick