The Next Evening, approximately 11:30PM...
After almost 15 hours on the road, Laz, Auro and Ryder arrived in Charming. The three had their entire lives either attached to or in the truck they sat in as they pull into the long driveway of Adeline Graham, Ryder's mom. Laz pulls right in front of the house, parking. It was a large property, surrounded by trees and a concrete barrier, keeping it private. It was the home she grew up in, though it had undergone a few renovations since the last time she was here. The family business was a hit here in Charming and with club affairs Adeline was able to live comfortably with Nick, in Ryder's absence.
"Let's get this crap inside, tomorrow's gonna be a long day," Laz says, turning the truck off. A sigh escapes Ryder's lips, her eyes wandering towards the house. Odd, she thought, the woman gazes out of the passenger window as she realizes there's no light visible inside the house. Even the porch light that was always on, was off and something didn't feel right.
"Hold on, something's off," She keeps looking, "Doesn't look like anyone's home, even then they usually leave the porch light on."
In the passenger seat she puts her hand up in Laz's direction, "Laz, stay here. Auro, c'mon let's check things out."
She digs her key out of the pocket of her jeans and she steps out of the truck, hand on the gun at her hip. Auro steps out from the back seat. In a few brief movements, the two make their way to the front door of the estate. She takes the key and unlocks the it, turning the knob. Ryder slowly steps inside and flicks on the light switch. Just then, her phone starts ringing. Pulling the phone from her back pocket, her mom's number is displayed on the outer screen of the throw away and she flicks it open.
"Mom?" Ryder takes a deep breath and Auro puts his gun back in his waistband.
"Ryder, please tell me you're back in town?" Her voice had an ounce of shakiness to it as she speaks.
"Yes, we just got to the house. I just about freaked out. Where are you guys, is everything okay?"
"That's the thing, Ryder." Adeline pauses, "We haven't been home, Nicky and I are at St. Thomas," Ryder furrows her brows in confusion. The mom continues, "I need you to listen to me, don't be pissed, okay?"
"No promises, please tell me everything's okay?" She looks at Auro, a concerned look grows on the man's face as Ryder squeezes her eyes closed. He peaks out the door and gives a Laz a thumbs up, letting the other man know the coast was clear.
"Nick got shot last night at Half Sack's wake, the prospect?He had to have surgery this morning on his shoulder, doctors are doing everything they can."
"Son of a bitch," Ryder shouts, "Nobody could call me? I had to find out a day later-"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I asked Clay to let me be the one to tell you. I didn't want to worry you, I-" She could hear her mom's sniffles over the phone, "They have Happy here, keeping an eye out for us but I'll try and send him out if you could just come? Please?"
Ryder recognized the name. A member of the other nomad charter, Clay and Jax had mentioned a few guys they had pop in time and time again to check on her family, but his was one that consistently came up. She took in another deep breath to hold back any expletives and then she responds, "I'll be there quick as I can."
"Alright. I love you." She hadn't heard those words in a long time, especially from her mom. They had their moments since Ryder's departure to New Mexico, but those words made her feel uneasy, guilty. Ryder clicks her phone shut. She closes her eyes again for just a second before looking out the door, seeing Laz approach.
"I'm gonna get my shit to my room, in the meantime I need my bike off the trailer, my brother's at St. Thomas." She drops her key on the table that sat next to the door, as she starts to step out.
"Everything okay?" Laz asks, him and Auro exchange glances before they look back at her, now on the porch.
"Nicky got shot last night at the Prospect's wake, that's all I know." She starts to pace, look around the foyer, "SAMCRO better have some answers."
••••
"You can go home now, Happy." Adeline steps out of Nick's hospital room, arms crossed, "Ryder will be here any minute now."
Adeline wanted to keep Ryder's cover and though, the man had been so much help in the time her daughter had been gone, she needed him to go to prevent any friction with the club. Plus, she knew Ryder would share her truth on her terms. Happy knew of Ryder, as did everyone, but the finer details were pretty much nonexistent. He knew it wasn't his place to ask any questions, either, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious.
"Are you sure?" He questions, looking at the older woman as she looks down the hall, keeping an eye for her daughter.
"We'll be okay till then, shouldn't be long now." She continues to look, avoiding his gaze.
Giving in, he replies. "Alright. Get some rest, keep the club updated on the kid." He gives the woman a gentle side hug, before slowly walking off.
"Thank you," she mouths to him before heading back inside the room.
Just outside the building, Ryder props up her motorcycle in the St. Thomas parking lot. Looking around, she notices another bike parked a few spaces away, It must be Happy, she thought. It was the least SAMCRO could do; checking up on my family, as they just couldn't tell me my brother was almost murdered. Ryder had opted against wearing her kutte to avoid raising any red flags to her family's visitor, or anybody else for that matter, she'd save that for tomorrow. Right now her focus was making sure her little brother was going to be okay.
She unclips the helmet from her head and places it on the handlebar. Fixing her hair, Ryder dismounts from her bike and starts making her way inside. Her boots clicked against the ground as she walks. The elevator just inside the entrance gets her to the third floor and she approaches the nurses station where a woman, dressed down in blue scrubs and wearing a slick bun was sat typing away at the computer.
At the same time she approaches the counter, Ryder sees a man, who she assumes to be Happy, in a Sons of Anarchy kutte walking in her direction. He wore jeans, chains hanging from his belt and despite the white baggy t-shirt underneath his kutte, his arms were clearly covered in tattoos. He sported the bald look and his deep brown eyes matched his dark demeanor. She recognized him, those eyes, but she couldn't put her finger on where she'd seen him before. Ryder didn't have time to give it much thought, as she quickly redirected her attention to the nurse, who told her to check in on the clipboard.
Happy eyed her up in return, passing by as she started filling out her information on the clipboard. Ryder wore a grey cropped long sleeve and black skinny jeans to match. Her straight black hair fell just to her waist and her peach colored skin complimented tattoos of her own peaking out from her shirt. From what he could see, the ink covered her neck, ribs and the tops of her hands. Ryder looks back up from the clipboard, only for the two to catch each other's gaze again. This time Happy saw the warm hazel tint of her eyes as and the scar that ran across her left one. The eye contact was once again interrupted by the nurse in front of her. Her head turns instantly, only giving the man a brief glimpse at her face.
"Who are we seeing tonight?"
"I'm here to see Nicholas Graham? I'm his sister, my mom should be in the room with him already." Ryder responds in a hushed tone. He overhears the information as he continues to pass but brings himself to a complete stop.
"Yeah, he's gonna be right this way," the nurse got up from her chair, going around the counter, instructing Ryder to follow.
"Thank you," she walks beside the nurse and the two head down the hall. The woman begins updating Ryder on Nick's status as the pair make a left down the hall. Happy quietly follows behind, watching them walk towards Nick's room.
The women stop and the nurse knocks on the door. Adeline opens it and immediately throws her arms around her daughter's neck. He watches the exchange intently before choosing not to engage. Happy takes a moment to admire the sight of the two embrace before turning back in the opposite direction. Once he's outside of the hospital, Happy spots the other bike a few spaces from his own, knowing it wasn't there when he had arrived. It was then that he starts to connect the dots. "Well shit," He mumbles to himself.
Meanwhile back in Nick's hospital room, the mother and daughter sat bedside, discussing Ryder's arrival in Charming.
"I think it's time for me to come home, for good." She's staring at her brother's sleeping body. His arm was bandaged and put into a sling. "This right here, it's my fault. If I wasn't so selfish, worried about me, keeping my identity a secret, this could have been avoided." Ryder leans forward in her chair, elbows sat on her knees.
"You're part of this family, too. Keeping you safe is just as important. There's nothing you could have done-"
Ryder pushes herself to stand, "I could have taken that bullet, mom, or better yet I could have put a bullet in the motherfucker who did this. I come home and I have to see my kid brother laid up in a hospital bed because I asked the club to take care of you guys. That's my job, not theirs."
"Ryder," Adeline says just above a whisper. She closed her eyes as her daughter continues.
"People I care about keep getting hurt or dying, mom. Jones and Dirk are dead, Rome can't ride anymore, Abel's missing, Nick could have died, I-" Ryder paces, her hands at the top of her head, pulling her hair back.
Adeline stands and grabs her daughter hands from her face, pulling her into another embrace, "You're here now."
Reciprocating the hug, Ryder places her forehead on the shorter woman's shoulder. It's only after a moment she looks up and gently pulls away saying, "I'm going to talk to Clay tomorrow. I'll see about Charming being permanent. I can't spend anymore time away from you guys."
"Aren't you worried how everyone's gonna react?"
"This. Here. Matters way more to me. Every single moment the last year has been pushing me right back to Charming and honestly," she pauses. "I'm tired of running away."
_________
Unedited