The door is open. Why is the door open?
Bella panicked, scared for the worst possible out come, as her Ada rushed up to Polly's house.
Looking at her friend, who gave the same nervous look back, they moved a little faster.
Once inside, they heard yelling. Instantly they knew it was Polly and Michael.
Bella knew Michael had been trying to care for his mother, but he was getting more and more frustrated when she wouldn't try to take care of herself.
Ada walked into the room first "what's going on? The door was wide open!"
Polly started to cry when she saw her niece, pulling away from Michaels grip
"Oh Ada...I wanted it to be nice, I wanted to make this nice."
She cried, feeling as if Ada's visit was ruined
Bella stepped into the room as Ada brought her aunt into a hug.
"It's okay Pol, let's sit down...let's sit down and put things back together."
As soon as Michael saw Bella he knew something was wrong.
She looked distraught and there was no reason for her to be here on Christmas Eve.
"Bella...what's happen-"
"What is she doing here?!" Polly cut off her son, also noticing the girl enter the room.
Ada quickly tried to advert her attention back to her "Pol...Bella's here to help...somethings happened..."
Bella looked anxiously between the three of them.
"Pol-"
"No! You're here to be his mouth, his thoughts. And I wont listen, not anymore." Polly argued as soon as Bella tried to explain herself
Bella glanced at Michael, who was waiting for her to tell them what happened. While Ada held Polly's arms trying to get her to listen to her.
There wasn't time for this.
"Polly! Luca Changretta is in England and has called a Vendetta against this family." Bella spoke loudly
Polly's movements froze, Ada used this time to speak as well.
"Have you checked your post today?"
*****
It was a hard conversation to have with Polly.
But after a long night, they got her to understand that this wasn't about her relationship with Tommy.
This was about her survival and the rest of the family.
She finally agreed to attend the family meeting.
Polly sat on the sofa with Ada, while Michael and Bella stood in front of them.
Everyone still trying to comprehend the situation at hand.
"Polly...I know you don't want me around right now but...you understand that I've been through this before and we all need to be together if we want even a chance of getting through it."
Bella spoke gently and sincerely to Polly. Who seemed to be staring off into space, but still nodded. Understanding what the girl was saying.
This was the same family and vendetta that Bella had against her and the Rossi's years ago.
The same vendetta that killed everyone except Bella.
The same family that the Shelby's killed a brother and father.
It was going to take a miracle to survive this.
"Bella and I will be traveling to the countryside first thing tomorrow morning. We'll get John and meet everyone at Charlie's yard." Michael explained
Ada looked nervous about the whole thing. While Polly, who still wasn't fully here, slowly stood walking over to her son, pulling him into a hug.
"You get our John and get safe." She asked him
He nodded, wrapping an arm around her
After a moment, she pulled away. Hesitantly turning to Bella, who looked down at the floor when she saw this, not wanting to be caught for watching their moment.
Polly surprised everyone when she made her way over to the girl, placing her hands on her cheeks bringing her face up.
"I'm sorry for everything, doll. Thank you for what you're doing, stay safe."
Bella felt her bottom lip pout but not having anymore tears to cry, she nodded. "Thank you, Polly. We'll get through this."
The aunt looked her over for another second, glancing down at the ring on her left finger, trying to believe her statement.
*****
It was a rough drive through the country.
Michael drove as Bella held onto the door of the car, trying to keep her balance from the speed and bumps in the road.
"C'mon, C'mon" Michael said as he sped down the road
They were both anxious and wanted to get John and get to Charlie's yard as fast as possible. No where was safe.
"Watch out, up a head!" Bella yelled to Michael when seeing a car pulling a wagon of hay.
"Fuck." Michael curse and started honking at the vehicle "move, move, outta the way!"
Bella watched as the car thankfully pulled over letting them past, they didn't have time for that.
Finally pulling the car into the drive, the two jumped out. Bella brushed down her dress as she walked, looking around for any sign of the Shelby brother.
A whistle caught their attention when they passed by a shed. Turning to their left, they saw John standing there with a shot gun.
"Oi, what're you two doing here? Got nothing better to do on Christmas morning?"
Michael stepped forwards, "came to get you. Tommy called a family meeting. Everyone's at Charlie's yard, let's go."
Hoping off the stone wall he was on, John shook his head pushing past the two. "Nah. I'm staying here. I'll protect me family here, no wops will get to us."
Bella immediately followed after him, he didn't understand the depth of what was happening.
"John. You need to listen to me. This isn't something you can handle on your own. We need to be together."
Before he could respond, Esme came bursting out of the front door, pointing at Bella.
"You! I don't want you on me property!"
"Esme, enough. I'll handle it." John told her. He didn't want to go back to Small Heath, he couldn't do that to Esme and the children. But he also still cared for Bella and wouldn't let his wife talk to her like that, no matter what's happened.
Bella ignored her, feeling Michael come up next to her "Tommy needs everyone at-"
"Tommy says! Tommy say! What are you, his fucking parrot?!" Esme yelled at her
"Esme! Get inside!" John pointed at her now, having enough of her interruptions.
In the middle of all the fighting, the car that had the wagon of hay stopped at the edge of the land.
And before any of them could think, three Italian men jumped out from behind the hay, guns held high and started firing in their direction
"Fuckin' Wops!" John yelled cocking his gun, going to shoot back.
he wasn't fast enough though, bullets flying through the air, and straight into his chest.
Everything was a blur.
One second she was standing there, trying to talk to John.
And the next thing she knew, Michael was throwing his arm back, pushing Bella to the ground behind him.
But not Before a force to her left shoulder threw her back as well,...two bullets had already hit her.
She went down hard, her cheek connecting with the concrete, the left side of her body went numb. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak.
All she could do was lay there and watch as bullets went through John and him slowly falling to the ground.
Michael's body jerked next as they hit him as well, trying to protect her.
There was so much blood. Their blood.
Her vision started to fade as she watched the pool of dark red flow around her.
The last thing she heard was Esme's screams, then her vision went black...
*****
She was moving.
It was too hard to open her eyes, they felt so heavy...
"Bella!" She heard someone calling her name, but it sounded distant.
"Bella!" He yelled again
It was Tommy. She knew it was his voice, he sounded panicked. Where was she?
"Sir, sir! We need you to move." Someone else spoke to him
"No! Get the fuck off me! Bella!" She heard his voice again. She's never heard him sound so desperate before...
Using all her strength, she forced her eyes open.
Everything was blurry and they hurt against the bright lights.
"Bella! I'm here, I'm here love!" Looking to her right, she saw the outline of her fiancé, he was walking next to her with the nurses as they pushed her down the hallway of the hospital.
One of the nurses was trying to get him out of the way, but he couldn't leave.
He wouldn't leave her!
"To-mmy" she barely got out before her eye lids started to feel like bricks as they rolled to the back of her head
"She's lost a lot of blood! Sir we need you to stay here!" The nurse yelled again.
Tommy stopped moving, watching helplessly as they pushed her unconscious body into the operating room.
Rubbing his chin. Wanting this holiday to be some terrible nightmare.
"FUCK!" He yelled turning and slamming his fist into the wall of the empty hallway.
Resting his forehead on it, he tried to collect himself.
She'll be okay. She's okay. She has to be. He repeated in his head.
Michael was also in surgery. He knew the boy did his best to protect her, he took most of the bullet that would've hit her.
They couldn't die...
Not when he had already lost his brother...