Charming, California 2008
The rumblings of multiple engines roared in the parking lot of St. Thomas Hospital as SAMCRO filled in.
Not bothering to park his bike properly, Jax immediately made a run for the entrance, his club brothers trailing behind him.
Gemma pushed toward the front through the sea of Sons before having them follow her to where Angelise was being held.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small box and showed it to Jax. "I found these matches not far from where she was passed out," she explained. "Hairy's Dog."
"Shit!" Clay cursed as the group continued down the hallway.
Bobby shook his head. "It's gotta be the Nords dealing out of the Dog again," he stated. "Darby got out of Chino two weeks ago."
Jax paid no mind to the chatter going on behind him as he walked faster. His only focus was to make sure that Angelise and the baby were okay.
Rounding the corner, they see Angelise in a room at the end of the hall, surrounded by doctors when a familiar face in the room spots them.
Opening the sliding door, they step out into the hallway as the group drew closer. With a sigh, Jax addressed the person. "Tara, what the hell happened?"
Many people knew of Jax and Tara's long history with each other. Once high school sweethearts, they were young and in love until their time came to an end.
Tara had gotten accepted to a university in Chicago and wanted Jax to go with her but because of his loyalty to the club and his family, Jax refused and that gave Tara the motivation she needed to leave in the dead of the night without a goodbye, leaving a heartbroken Jax behind.
Ten years have gone by since then, and it's been a few months since Tara's return to Charming. No one's sure about what made her come back but few have an idea as to "who" she came back for.
Tara crossed her arms in front of her chest. "When was the last time you saw her?"
Jax ran a hand down his face. "Yesterday," he answered. "And I spoke to her earlier today and she was fine."
Tara was slightly shocked by Jax's answer. She hadn't expected him to be so distressed and felt a pang of jealousy.
Clearing her throat, she continued. "Her toxicology screen came back showing a heavy dosage, most likely crank."
"Jesus Christ." Gemma muttered as she paced. "What about the baby?"
Tara turned to look at the group. "We had to do an emergency C section," she explained. "He's ten weeks premature."
Gemma let out a gasp as Jax's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "Holy shit!"
Tara turned back to face Jax and reached her arm out toward him. "Come on, let's sit down and I'll walk you through it."
Jax took a step back from her. "Just tell me." He demanded.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, she tucked her arm back. Tara went on to tell them that the baby had a congenital heart defect and a tear in his abdomen due to the drugs and that there was a 20% chance that the baby was going to live which caused the weight in Jax's chest to grow bigger.
Looking into the room where Angelise laid unconscious, all he wanted to do was hold her.
He still remembers when Angelise told him that she was pregnant as a result of their last night together. Jax had felt anxious but excited about the idea that they created a little person.
And if Jax were truly honest with himself, he'd admit that he thought she would change her mind about the divorce and they'd have a chance at being a family but Angelise stayed firm on her decision and Jax had no choice but to respect it.
Keeping her eyes on Jax, Tara moved a little closer toward him. "So," she cleared her throat. "Is this the first time she's overdosed?"
Jax's head snapped toward Tara as Gemma scoffed in the background.
"My daughter-in-law ain't no junkie Doc." She defended.
Tara's mouth stayed agape as she tried to find the right words. "Oh I-I didn't know," she stammered. "I just assumed with the amount—"
"She doesn't." Jax snapped at her.
Feeling everyone's harsh stares at her comment, She tried to soothe the situation by asking Jax if he wanted to see the baby. A sudden rush of anger and determination lit up in Jax as he shook his head and made his way toward the exit.
"Jackson?" Gemma called out to him.
"Stay here with Angel and the baby," he said. "I got something to do."
Gemma quickly turned toward Clay who looked at Chibs and Bobby. "Watch his back." He advised.
The men nodded and followed after Jax.
Down at Hairy's Dog, a bunch of stragglers were walking in and out. Inside, a few of the clingy hang arounds were tending to the wounds of the two men sitting by the pool table when suddenly the doors burst open and in walked Jax with Bobby and Chibs behind him.
Noticing the wounded men, Jax quickly made his way toward them before grabbing one of the cue sticks and jamming it into the face of the man that had a large cloth wrapped around his left arm, causing him to cry out as the girls scattered.
Jax continued his assault as Bobby and Chibs held down the other man by his dislocated shoulder causing a pained hiss to slip from his mouth. Knocking the man on his back, Jax pressed the cue stick against his throat.
"You gave crank to my pregnant wife?" he sneered.
The man struggled to speak as Jax pressed down harder. "Answer me!" he barked.
"We were paid!" he yelled out hoarsely. "We got paid to attack her and make it look like a overdose."
Bobby and Chibs looked at each other in confusion as they continued to hold down the second guy. Jax's furrowed his eyebrows has he processed the words. "By who?" he questioned.
The guy was pleading for mercy when Jax gave him strong left hook. "By who?!" he growled.
"I don't know! I don't know!" the man cried. "They never gave us their names, they just gave us the task and gave us the money! Please! Please!"
Not satisfied with his answer, Jax continued to beat down the man, blood covering his knuckles, before Chibs grabbed him by his torso, pulling him away.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he spoke. "Alright Jackie boy, I think you made your point."
Wanting to make a final statement, Jax spit at the man before pulling away from Chibs. "Stupid peckerwood shithead!"
Slowly catching his breath, Jax turned around and made his way toward the exit with Chibs and Bobby in tow.
A little while later, back at the hospital, the beeping of the monitors echoed in the silent room as Jax stood next to a sleeping Angelise. Raising his hand, he gently removed a piece of her hair that was stuck to her beautiful face.
The small touch caused Angelise to stir before slowly opening her eyes. Looking around the room in confusion, she turned her head to the side and saw Jax standing there with a sad smile on his face.
"Jax?" she whispered raspingly.
"Hey there darlin'" he responded.
Angelise shut her eyes as her head began to pound heavily. "What happened?" she asked.
Jax sighed as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. "You were attacked this morning baby."
Squeezing his hand tightly, tears start to well up in her eyes as she remembers the masked men. Placing her hand on her stomach, she doesn't feel her bump. Eyes quickly opening, she sits up as Jax tries to calm her down.
"Shhh baby, it's okay," he tried to reassure her. "It's okay."
"Where is he?!" she panicked. "Where's the baby?!"
"Angel—" he began.
She ignored his pleas as she tried to get up from the bed. Her heart monitor was beeping rapidly causing Jax to grow distressed and frustrated by her stubbornness.
Standing in front of her to stop her from moving further, Jax placed his hands on the sides of her face to hold her steady. "Angel, look at me." He demanded softly.
Her chest moved up and down as she let out labored breathes. Looking into Jax's eyes, she slowly felt herself calm. Jax gently swiped her cheek with the padding of his thumb as another tear rolled down her face.
"Where is he?" she whispered.
Jax let out a deep sigh as he sat next to her in the bed. Pulling her to his side, he had begun to tell her what Tara had said earlier.
As he got further into the details, he felt her go rigid for a moment before she let out a sob. Once he was done, he could feel the shakes in her body as she buried her face between his neck and shoulder and cried for their son.
Tightening his grip on her, he placed a comforting kiss on her head as he let a few tears slip down his face. A few minutes went by, when the only thing heard were the sniffles coming from her nose after she ran out of tears. Pulling away from Jax, she laid back down.
Grabbing his hand, she slowly played with his fingers. "Do you know who did it?" she asked quietly.
Jax nodded his head. "It was these two peckerwoods that hang around Hairy's Dog," he explained. "One of the idiots left their match box at the house so it was easy to find them."
"Hairy's Dog," she questioned. "That's where Darby runs his business, did he do this to me?"
"We think so," Jax sighed. "They said someone paid them but wouldn't say who, makes me think they're protecting him."
"That racist fucking cunt," she snarled. "I'll kill him!"
Jax let out a soft laugh at her declaration. The two sat in silence as they thought over the situation and how they'd recover from this unfortunate incident.
Soon, a nurse came into the room to let them know that visiting hours were over. Placing a kiss on her forehead. Jax let Angelise know that he would be back the next day to check in on her before leaving the room, leaving her to her thoughts.
Pulling up to the house, Jax parked his bike in the driveway next to his mom's Cadillac. Letting out a sigh, he walked toward the front door and opened it. He was greeted with the sight of his mom cleaning up the kitchen.
Hearing the door open, Gemma looked to see her son walk in.
"Hey baby." She greeted.
Jax made his way toward her. "It's almost midnight." He stated.
She let out a sigh. "This kitchen was a mess," she explained. "I just wanted to get it cleaned up for when Angel and the baby come home."
She continued to wipe up the dry blood from the floor as Jax let out another sigh. "Mom—"
"I'm gonna have to replace some of the flooring," she continued. "Some of the blood seeped through underneath and I don't want Angel to see any of that."
Jax grew frustrated. "Mom, for Christ's sakes, stop cleaning!" he snapped.
Gemma looked at her son as she stop her movements.
Jax shook his head as he looked to the ground. "He's not gonna make it."
Gemma's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you- -," she stuttered. "What are you talking about? What happened?"
"He was born with half a stomach and a hole in his heart," he exclaimed. "He's gonna die."
Without even thinking, Gemma smacked him across the face.
"Don't you say that!," she fumed. "You and Angel are the only ones this boy's got and if you don't believe he's gonna live then you might as well go down there and kill him yourself but be mindful that your wife might kill YOU before you get the chance."
Angrily, she turned away from him and grabbed her pack of cigarettes before lighting one up. The sound of the clock ticking was the only thing heard in the passing minutes.
Letting out a sigh, Gemma scratched her head before sitting down on the chair. "I'm sorry." She said before taking another pull.
Jax followed his mother and sat in the chair next to her.
Blowing some smoke out, she looked at him. "You gotta go see him Jax."
Jax shook his head. "I can't."
Grabbing his hand, she gave him a reassuring squeeze and began to state how no matter the hardships they've faced, they still manage to make it through as a family.
Not wanting to argue with his mother, he gave her nod of acknowledgment before placing a kiss on her cheek and walking toward his old bedroom.
Removing his clothes, Jax let out a sigh as he heard the front door closing, indicating that his mother left.
Left in just his boxers, he walked toward the bed before lowering himself on the mattress. Looking to his right, he could see the small impression Angelise's body left behind.
Reaching to the side, Jax grabbed the pillow and held it to his chest as he took a deep inhale, the smell of cherry blossoms filled his nose as he felt his body relax and slowly drifted to sleep.
The next morning came and it was already looking to be a long one. Jax had gotten up and prepped for his day.
Exiting the house, he decided to stop by a flower shop and get an arrangement before making his way to St. Thomas. Once he got there, he went straight to Angelise's room, where she laid still asleep.
Placing the bouquet on the table next to her bed, his pre pay rang with Clay on the other line, letting him know where their meet with Darby would take place. Hanging up the phone, Jax placed a soft kiss on Angelise's forehead before leaving the room.
A few hours later, Gemma made her way into Angelise's room with a bag of her clothes and was greeted by a now, fully awake, Angel.
"Hey Gem." She gave her a sad smile.
"Hey baby." Gemma replied giving her a kiss on her cheek. "How you feeling?"
Angelise placed her hands on the mattress and shifted herself up to sit straighter. "I've been better."
Gemma sat down beside Angelise and grasped her hand before giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
Looking over her shoulder, Gemma noticed the flower arrangement on the bedside table and gestured toward it. "Where'd you get those?"
Following her gaze, Angelise playfully rolled her eyes as she turned her head back toward Gemma. "Your son brought them this morning, he sent me a text to let me know."
Gemma gave her a knowing smirk and Angelise quickly shook her head.
"Don't start Gem." she warned which prompted Gemma to raise her hands innocently.
"I wasn't gonna say anything." she shrugged while still holding a smirk on her face.
Quickly redirecting the conversation, the two began to talk amongst themselves as Gemma told her daughter-in-law about the surgery being done to save the life of her newborn son, seeing as the doctor helping tend to him, seemed to be neglecting on informing the mother herself.
Speaking of said doctor, Tara walked passed Angelise's room. Slightly peeking through the mini glass window on the door, she caught the attention of the two women in the room, before proceeding down the hallway, causing the older woman to scoff.
"Can you believe that stuck up bitch?" Gemma sneered. "Walking around like she's better than everyone because she's a doctor... please."
Angelise's eyebrows raised slightly as she smirked at her mother-in-law's ranting.
Gemma continued on. "And she still has Jax's crow sprawled on her lower back!"
That statement wiped the smirk right off her face. "What?"
Gemma nodded her head. "Yup, says she leaves it there as a reminder that all this shit is behind her, sounds like a bunch a bullshit to me."
Angelise felt a slight heaviness in her heart at the thought of Tara still having an attachment to Jax.
She's aware of their history, courtesy of Jax and mostly Gemma, and a woman wearing a patched members crow is a big deal in the MC world, so the fact Tara still wore hers, worried her but she had no right to feel that way, after all, she's the one who filed for divorce.
Not wanting Gemma to noticed her slight discomfort, Angelise let out a tired sigh as she got up and made her way toward the bag full of clothes for her to change. "Jax is a big boy Gem, he's free to make his own decisions."
Gemma furrowed her eyebrows. "You're okay with that tart moving in on your husband?"
"All I want," Angelise exasperated. "Is to find out who did this to me and make sure my son survives."
Hearing the finality in her tone, Gemma knew not to push the topic further, quickly changing the subject.
A few hours later, Dr. Namid came in to let the women know that Angelise was discharged and the surgery for Abel was a successful, giving them the permission to see him.
Angelise felt relief spread through her body, while tears welled up her eyes as she let out a breathy smile.
Gemma pulled her into a hug and let her know she was gonna call Jax before leaving the room. Angelise turned to give her thanks to Dr. Namid, who gave her a wide smile of gratitude.
Turning to leave, a look of realization spread across Dr. Namid's face before he turned back around. "By the way Mrs. Teller," he spoke. "Someone left this for you at the front desk."
Pulling out a manila envelope from his clipboard, he handed it to her as Angelise looked at him in confusion.
"Did they say who dropped it off?" she asked causing the man to shake his head in response and bid her a farewell before exiting the room.
Eyeing the envelope, Angelise opened the flap and looked inside. Only thing present was a single piece of paper. Pulling it out, she noticed the paper was slightly heavy and laminated, letting her know that it wasn't a piece of paper but a photograph.
Most importantly, it was a photograph of her, laying unconscious in the hospital bed of the room she currently stood in.
Feeling her heart beat harshly against her ribcage, she let out a shaky breath as she read the writing scribbled on top. "Found you."
Almost losing her balance, she felt the harsh thumping of her heart beat against her rib cage as the bile started to rise up her throat.
"No," she tried reassuring herself as her hands shook with anxiety. "no, no, no."
Turning around, she placed her hands on the bed to give herself a flat surface as she tried to control her breathing.
Angelise couldn't believe it. For the last six years, she had been successful in evading Ace and his men. Moving from state to state, she was always three steps ahead and by the time Ace got word of a sighting, she was already gone.
Now things were complicated, she's not by herself this time around, now she has a son she needs to protect, as well as a husband, who still had no idea who she really was. For the first time in a long time, she felt that familiar sense of helplessness she always felt and once again, it was because of Ace.
So deep in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed Jax entering the room. Jax wiped a hand down his face as his mind was also running with thoughts.
He just got back from helping the club take back their guns from the Mayans and blew up their warehouse while killing a few of their members.
Wanting to forget what happened, he looked toward his wife and a small smile graces his lips.
Walking up to her, he softly placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump and quickly turn around.
Seeing the alarming look on her face, he furrowed his eyebrows. "You okay darlin'?"
"Yeah," she swallowed harshly. "You-you just scared me, I didn't hear you come in."
Looking at the envelope in her hand, he makes a slight gesture with his chin, "What's that?"
"Oh, it's nothing," she waved her hand dismissively. "Just a copy of a discharge paper the doctor gave me."
Skillfully putting the photo back in the envelope, Angelise shoved it in her bag before running her hand through her dark hair as she turned back toward Jax.
As she took him in, she saw a haunted look glazed over his eyes. Moving closer, she placed a hand on his cheek.
"You okay?" she whispered.
Leaning into her comforting touch, he slightly turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her palm while keeping his gaze locked on hers. "I'll tell you later."
Giving him a slight smile and a head nod, she noticed a stain of dried blood covered the collar of his t-shirt. "You should clean yourself up before we go see our son."
Looking down at his shirt, he gave her a silent nod before making his way to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Jax emerged from the bathroom with a spare hospital shirt before grabbing Angelise's hand and exiting the hospital room.
The two made their way to the ICU floor where Gemma and Clay were waiting. Stopping in front of the door, Jax turned to Angelise, giving her hand a slight squeeze, "You ready?"
Letting out a sigh, she nodded her head before they entered the room. There, in the middle of the room, laid a box, where a small body laid inside with monitors surrounding it.
Walking closer, Angelise let out a ragged breath as she let go of Jax's hand and placed it softly on the incubator. Feeling her heart swell within her chest, tears welled up in her eyes. "Hi baby," she let out. "I'm your mommy."
The tears ran down her face as she looked upon her son, thoughts of Ace were lost in the back of her mind as she lived in the moment.
Jax walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest as her hands reached up to hold his forearms.
Placing a kiss to the side of her head, he let out a breath as the tears flowed down his face. "He's perfect."
Outside the room, Gemma and Clay stood watching through the glass with content smiles on their faces while further down the hallway, stood Tara, watching with envy and disdain toward the new parents before walking down the hallway.
A few states away, a man was sitting at a mahogany desk with a cigar in his left hand as papers were scattered throughout the top. Taking a puff, he let out a smoke as he picked up a few of them in his right hand and skimmed through them.
Written on top were arrest reports of each member of the Sons, Gemma, Tara, and a report of Angelise's life in Charming.
The man smirked sickly as he eyed Angelise's photo in his hand. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm coming for you."
.....
And that's a wrap on Chapter 2!
I'm really excited for you guys to read what I have in store for this book, it's gonna be a bunch of crazy shit!
This chapter is a little longer than the first one, I hope you guys don't think I'm dragging the story with how detailing it is, writing in 3rd person definitely requires a lot of details and I want you guys to get a feel and imagine the characters movements and expressions while reading. I love reading your feedback so I really want to know what you guys think.
-Next chapter is gonna be a glimpse of Angel's past and a few more details of her relationship with Ace. He's the antagonist so far and I'm really excited for you guys to know more.
-Jax and Angel have a really good relationship with each other despite the bumps in their past and feelings they both have but it's not gonna be an easy ride for them.
-Are we wondering who this mysterious guy is?! Cause he's gonna stir up some trouble!!! (Angel thinks it's Ace but is it really?? *evil smirk*)
-As I said before, Tara isn't an antagonist but she definitely has the traits and will put them to play in this story, so if you're a Tara fan, I apologize!
-Also, there's gonna be time skips in the chapters because the story is centered around Angel and Jax, so some episodes will be skipped and time frames will be slightly different so they fit the story.
See you next chapter!
*Please comment and vote! :)*