Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Fandom: Sons of Anarchy

Pairing: Jax and Tara

Setting: Pre- Season 1/Episode 1 'Pilot'

Summary: Series of One-shots (missing scene from the show), not in chronological order!

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Dr. Tara Knowles is staying fairly busy covering her co-workers shift in the emergency room tonight, but she really doesn't mind, because it makes the time go by quicker, or at the very least it seems that way to her.

Throughout the day she's seen patients ranging from all ages, races and genders, but now that it is much later in the evening, they are more of the drunken-twenty-something-fighting-in-a-bar-variety.

But then again, it shouldn't surprise her all that much, considering it is a Saturday evening here in beautiful Charming, and St. Thomas is in fact the closest E.R. that's open on weekends, near Lodi and even Rio Vista.

Jax is married, and he's going to be a father. Even with all the hustle and bustle of the E.R., this thought still manages to creep its way into the forefront of her mind several times tonight, no matter how many times she tries to ignore and forget it, because it hurts. And Tara knows it will keep on hurting until she, too, manages to move on ... someway, somehow, like Jax obviously has.

Tara stands behind the main desk, near the E.R. entrance, and grabs the next clipboard in line. The nurses were very particular in the order they were organized in.

It isn't so much the time of someone's arrival at the E.R. that put them ahead of the crowd, but rather the severity of their ailment and it's urgency of treatment, is what determines how long anyone would have to wait. It is hospital policy, really, not just the random act of some disgruntled nurse that had not been treated too kindly up incoming patients.

So now, with clipboard in hand, Tara begins to step over to room number three, but stops short when she looks down and recognizes the name on the intake form. What are the odds?

Tara clears her throat, knocks and waits the appropriate amount of seconds before she opens the door and finally steps inside.

She has been smiling brightly up on entering, yet when her eyes take in the state her impromptu date from just last night is in, the smile quickly vanishes and is replaced by a horrified look of concern. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"

She had met him just last night, at a newer, small bar in Lodi, where she'd gone out with a few of her new co-workers, in yet another attempt to get her mind off of Jax and his expectant bride.

And it had actually worked, at least of a little while. He'd been just the right mixture of sweet and cocky, and good-looking with a chiseled jaw line, too. He had only moved to the area about a year ago, too, so he was still kind of new-ish here. They had talked for hours over some burgers, fries and a couple of cold beers, only to eventually part ways with phone numbers exchanged and the promise of a text or a call.

But now he was here, bleeding from his nose, and from the looks of it, it is undoubtedly broken. His lip is busted up, too, and has swollen up to almost twice its normal size. Then there is the distinguished darkening beginning to appear around one of his eyes, that will surely be a full blown shiner in just a little while. But what stands out the most to her, is the split open wound on his cheek, which she knows will need stitches almost immediately.

But all of his injuries don't in the least diminish his charm, or his good looks for that matter. It is all very Brad-Pitt-in-Fight-Club, when his dark blue eyes look up to meet hers and he even now tries to crack the faintest of smiles. "Hey."

Tara slips quickly into doctor mode again, steps up to him, already slipping on a pair of purple latex gloves, carefully angles his face to get a better look at the cut, before she confirms the assessment she had already made in her head. "This is gonna need stitches." She shakes her head at him and pulls back enough to really meet his eyes once more, "What the hell happened to you?"

But she's not waiting for his answer, instead already methodically starting to clean up his wounds as if on autopilot, wondering momentarily what is keeping the nurse, who is supposed to assist her with this.

"Apparently you did, gorgeous." He answers her after a beat, even cracks another smile, as best as he can under the circumstances, when he meets her eyes.

Tara looks utterly confused for a second at what he'd said, but since she's noticed the smell of alcohol - albeit faint - on his breath, she chalks it up to alcohol and wonders just how much he's had to drink tonight. And then she wonders if maybe she should give him a banana bag I.V. to sober him up more quickly, before she begins to stitch up his handsome face. "You're drunk, aren't you?"

"I had one beer. So no, not drunk at all." He begins to shake his head, but then flinches for the first time since she's entered the room. "Maybe I'd be in less pain though if I was." He wonders out loud.

"Well, then what is going on, Tyler?" She tries to inquire yet again. "You're not making much sense."

"What's going on is that you forgot to mention last night, that you are Jax Teller's girl." Tyler answers without missing a beat this time, and if he is mad at what he is accusing her off, it really doesn't show on his face nor in the look he's giving her. He's curious, intrigued even.

'You are Jax Teller's girl.' His words cut through her like a scalpel. The words had been true once upon a time, she used to love when people had called her that. Jax's girl. Jax's old lady. But now they just hurt, because they're just not true anymore.

With the most serious face she can muster, Tara draws back, far enough to get a good look at him to see if he's being serious, meeting his eyes in disbelieve and confusion, but then she's just as quick to refute, and shakes her head. "I'm not. I haven't been his girl for the last ten years. Why would you even think that?" But the moment she asks that question, something suddenly dawned on her, and she puts two and two together. "Wait ... Jesus, did Jax do this?"

"Bingo." Tyler answers way too cheery for a man in his current condition.

Tara shakes her head, her heartbeat speeding up as she's trying to get her thoughts and feelings about this in order, not entirely sure what to say or how to react. "I'm sorry." She finally huffs out after much longer than seems normal.

On one hand she is feeling ashamed that this has happened to him, but on the other hand she is feeling ashamed for the butterflies she can suddenly feel in her stomach at the thought of Jax fighting over her.

She doesn't want to like it, but the fact that word of her hanging out with Tyler has somehow made its way back to Jax, and this was how he'd reacted, it elates her, even if she won't allow that elation to show openly on her face right now, ... because that would just be wrong.

But despite her poker face, she can't help the small voice that speaks up inside her head, wondering if maybe Jax does still care more about her than she thought after all?

"Don't be. Boys will be boys!" Tyler replies in a very nonchalant manner, bringing her back to the here and now, then raises one eyebrow at her in a very animated way. "You know what's interesting though?"

"What's that?" Tara asks, all the while continuing to tend to his wounds, willing her thoughts of Jax away again.

"When I first moved to Lodi, a year ago, I hooked up with this hot blonde. And yes, I knew she was a little crazy, and a whole lot married, but what I didn't know at the time, was that she was Jax's wife. So he walks in on me naked with his wife, actually in the throes, and what do you think he does?" He pauses for just a second looking at her, but Tara just shrugs, feigning disinterest, while wishing she didn't have to hear this, so Tyler quickly carries on. "Jax sees us and he just turns around and walks away. But when he hears about me so much as just talking to you, I end up on the ground bleeding, needing stitches. Interesting, don't you think?" He eyes her curiously for a reaction on her part yet again, but she still refuses to give him one.

Tara tries to swallow the sudden dryness in her throat away as she thinks over what Tyler has just shared with her. After thinking about it for just a moment, it takes everything she has to not crack a smile at his words, but instead she furrows her eyebrows at him in mock concern. "I'm more interested in why you seem to be going after unavailable women?"

"Well,..." He starts, but instantly pauses seemingly for effect. "My four-hundred dollar an hour shrink says, it's because behind this rugged and confident exterior, I'm self-destructive and self-loathing to an almost pathological degree." He full on smirks at her now, despite the pain that shoots through him as his torn skin stretches.

And this time Tara can't help herself, and actually returns the gesture with a smirk of her own, while her mind is replaying his earlier words. 'You're Jax Teller's girl.'

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Author's Note: This was inspired by a scene from Grey's Anatomy, picture Tyler as a younger Mark Sloan if you will. Please leave a review or a comment with your thoughts. Thank you.