Dance with Death

3

Arabella walked through the hospital halls.
The heel of her boots making a click clack sound with every step.

She walked through the doors of Michael's room. She froze in her spot. Michael sat at a table and looked shocked to see her.

They stayed like that for a moment. Arabella standing shyly at the door and Michael frozen in his seat.

"What are you doing here?" Michael was the first to speak, breaking the silence.
"I wanted to check up on you, silly." Arabella softly said and took a seat next to Michael.

"How are you feeling?" Michael asked her after a pause. Arabella chuckled.

"I should be the one asking you that. I heard you took 4 bullets." She said.

"One more then you" Michael teased. Everything has to be a competition with the Shelby men.

"Yea, but all in the wrong places." Arabella teased back. Michael finally cracked a smile.

It was true, Arabella was able to walk out the hospital after the fourth day of her stay, in order to get to John's funeral. Michael on the other hand needed a full 6 week recovery before he could walk again. That was just his luck.

"I heard some people from your past are popping up." He said.

"Tell me about it. Tommy hired gypsy hit men that happened to be my godfather and old friend, and Luca Changretta used to be the bastard that protected me from dad, back in New York City." Arabella laughed bitterly.

Michael's eyes widened as he processed what he just heard.
"Wait you know Luca
Changretta?" He asked alarmed.

"Yea, his family ran the streets back home. My dad got into some trouble with them, so that's how they know me. When they found out he beat me and my mom, they beat the shit out of him. Told him if he ever laid a hand on us, that they'd know, and they'd would find him.... That's actually why we had to leave American, when my dad killed my mom. My dad wasn't scared of the police. He was scared of the mafia coming after him." Arabella paused for a moment. Michael was listening intently.

"Yea, anyways, after that I'd see Luca at the corner store, every morning. He'd buy me a sandwich and then send me off to school." Arabella confessed.

Michael nodded with a hint of anger. He inhaled sharply.
"Well don't forget he's the bastard that shot us, and killed John." Michael said with slight aggression. His lips began to tremble.

"I watched John go down. Then you." Michaels voice cracked.
"I thought you were
dead... I thought you died." His voice strained as he tried to hold back the tears.

Arabella swooped him in an embrace. She sat on his good leg while she held his head to her chest.
"I saw you go down too. I thought I lost you." Arabella's voice trembled. They stayed like that for a while. It wasn't in a romantic way, it was a family moment.

Arabella and Michael entered the Shelby family around the same time, and around the same age. They've see each other grow. In their eyes they are family, stronger then blood.

They sat together in an embrace, sharing the trauma, they had together.
Michael looked up at her. He wiped a single stray tear from her face. Arabella couldn't help but laugh at the fact, causing Michael to laugh himself. She sat back down into her seat.

"Look at us. Entered the Shelby family in 22', young and innocent, now in 25', we're full of bullet holes and got blood on our hands." Michael darkly chuckled.
"At least we got something we didn't have before." Arabella smiled.
"And what is that?" Michael asked amused.

"A family that would kill for us."

Tommy, Michael, Polly, Lizzy and Ada sat around a round table in Michael's hospital room. Papers scattered the small table.
"I hereby declare this Shelby company limited meeting over." Tommy said after finishing up the meeting.
"Alright, now down to the real business. Bell, Finn, come in." Tommy raised his voice and the two teens walked in. They silently greeted the Shelbys with a smile.
"Right, now where the fuck is Arthur." Tommy said.