Milk and Honey. ▸ Chibs Telford.

I need someone who knows struggle as well as I do

i need someone who knows struggle as well as i do 

someone willing to hold my feet in their lap on days it is too difficult to stand 

the type of person who gives exactly what i need before i even know i need it

- Page 69, the type of lover I need

Watching a vibrant woman become a shell of herself was a hard thing to swallow; even more so when Winnie had seen her become soft, palpable, easily affected by everything. Winnie had been careful about everything, gentle in her approach with Gemma when she told her what will help with some of the pain, how she can ease herself from becoming stiff, and to give her something if she needed it.

What Gemma didn't expect was the silent way Winnie had categorised everything; how she worked in an almost checklist kind of form to become the person Gemma needed. Silently, Winnie hadn't thrown the clothing out, but she'd saved it - just in case. Locking it into a sandwich bag with covered, shaking fingers; and folding that in a black sack which was quickly carried outside. Everything was sanitised three times over, and gentle, soothing moisturiser dispensed at every point.

She'd been through this, Gemma had to remind herself; she knew what she was doing when it came to her. In a blink of an eye, the daughter had become the mother, hauling her from place to place, waiting and listening for anything that Gemma needed. She could see the glassiness of the icy blue eyes, the softness she'd tried to remain every time they snapped to her. This was hard for the both of them.

Winnie pulled up to Jax's house, a car sitting out front. "Shit." Gemma muttered. "Neeta started today." Neeta? Her guess had to be the babysitter; what with Tara at work, Jax with the club, and Gemma busying herself at T.M.

Her head turned. "Do you want me to wait here while you grab Abel? Or do you want me to come with you?"

"Maybe just wait at the door." Winnie could do that. She shut the engine off, looking to Gemma. She slid from the car, careful in the comfortable clothes they'd placed her in. She was walking slow - mostly from the pain. Win watched her with baited breath, hand tightening on the steering wheel but not saying anything. That's why they needed the hospital, to make sure nothing else was wrong.

With one final huff, pushing her shoulders back and raising her chin; Winnie got out of the car, and walked to the door. She could hear the low thrum of voices getting closer, Gemma coming back out with Abel, another woman following behind. "Is something wrong?" She heard Neeta ask.

Gemma just kept walking, eyes watery. In a way, Neeta already knew what was up. "I'm Winnie, we haven't met before; I'm Jax's sister." She greeted, holding a hand out to Neeta, the woman shaking it.

"Neeta, I'm looking after Abel." Her eyes followed behind Gemma. "You mind telling me what's going on?"

"Gemma and Abel just have to go to the hospital for a bit, they need a check-up with Doctor Knowles." Win explained, trying to sugar coat it. Yet one look at Gemma's face, and there was no sugar coating that.