Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Hey, baby," Tara spoke into her burner cell phone, "Could you come by my office?"
"Sure babe," Jax replied, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," she looked up at the patient who sat huddled up shivering from fear in the patients chair across the desk from her, "I've got someone who needs help. She's been to the ER five times in the last six months, all domestic related."
"I'll be there in ten minutes," shrugging off his work shirt, pulling on his kutte as he talked, switching the phone from one ear to the other.
"I have a theory I'd like to test too. I could use some club help with that"
"You sure you're okay, babe?" he asked again, this time with a bit more earnest. If his wife was telling him to bring the crew with him, he wanted to make sure that she wasn't in any danger.
"I promise. Just hurry up. I'm not sure how much longer we can stall," she said.
"On our way. Be careful!" he warned before hanging up. "Mills, Red keep an eye things," he said to his main mechanics, "We gotta roll boys. Gotta visit someone at the hospital."
"Doc okay?" Bobby asked, getting on his bike quickly.
"She says so, but she may have something for the club to look into," Jax explained, strapping his helmet and putting his glasses on.
"You worried?" Opie asked, hitting the ignition on his bike.
"Wouldn't you be if your wife said she needed club help?" Jax asked before he rumbled off towards the hospital with six of his brothers quickly following.
SOASOASOASOASOASOA
Tara had seen this woman in the ER far too many times for the same injuries: bruised ribs, mild concussion and full of panic whenever asked questions her boyfriend.
Nina Barker had been to this same place multiple times by the same man. She didn't love him, she didn't have children by him, but whenever she tried to leave or breakup with him, he found her. She had a job, he didn't. He always wanted money from her, always found a way to get to her or call her. She loved on the outskirts of Charming and didn't really have any friends. She worked at one of the small factories as a cleaning lady. She had left her home town in Lodi hoping to create a new better life for herself. She meet Nick at a bar in Morada, and had not been able to shake him since. She desperately wanted to go back Lodi where she had family. She had not been able to contact them since she left because she was too afraid of what Nick might do if she did.
Dr. Knowles was the same doctor she had seen every time she came to the ER. Usually Nick was pushing his way into the exam area, talking about how clumsy she was, always tripping over things or running into things. This time Dr. Knowles said she needed to have more serious testing done. That maybe she did have some internal ear problem, or a more severe brain injury from all the previous times she had 'hit her head.' Then she had escorted Nina behind the private staff doors, and that she knew Nina needed help and that she could provide that help.
"Ms. Barker, I know you may not believe this but I have been in a similar situation as you. I've been terrorized, stalked, nearly raped, kidnapped, and beaten while pregnant. I've had authorities not believe me when I tried to get a restraining order from my stalker," she spoke gently to the woman who sat across from her, "I didn't feel safe at my job, at my home or even in my own skin. I came back to the place that I knew I could trust and feel safe. Do you have a place like that?"
Nina sobbed into her clenched hands, and nodded her head, "yes."
"Are you serious about leaving the situation you are in?" Tara asked, "Do you trust me?"
Another nod 'yes' to both questions.
"The man I just called is my husband. We have been married almost ten years, but have been together in total nearly fifteen years. I trust him with my life," Tara knew that honesty and speaking frankly with this victim would be the only way to make her feel comfortable enough to accept any help. "I have to be honest with you though. He may intimidate you when you see him. That's not to say anything negative about you, it's just imbedded in our DNA to be afraid of people that look like him. He is very rough around the edges, but the best man I have ever met. The men that will be with him, whom you will not see right now, will also probably intimidate you. None of them will hurt you."
Tara heard the scuffing of Jax's sneakers against the marble floor in the hall and the jangling of the chain to his wallet, signaling his approach to her office.
"That's him, are you okay to see him and let him see you?" Tara asked, just as he tapped on her door.
Nina's breath sped up and she could feel her body start shaking a bit more. What did she have to lose? She could either attempt to get out of this life or stay in it, right? "Yes," she finally found a voice.
"Come in," Tara spoke up so Jax could hear her.
Sticking his head in, he looked his wife over quickly, his piercing blue eyes scrutinizing her. "You're okay?" he asked stepping into her office closing the door behind him, he walked the few feet to her desk, leaning over he kissed her gently on the lips.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him smiling, after tilting her head up and accepting his greeting. Even at forty, her man could turn heads.
He looked at the woman who sat in the chair across from her office desk. She was bruised mildly around the eye, and looked like she wanted to disappear into the chair. She looked terrified, ashamed and wide eyed in shock all at the same time. He understood the terrified and shocked part. With his leather kutte, scruffy bearded face, oversized white t-shirt and jeans, and tattooed arms, he got that look all the time. He was who he was though. His wife and children loved him, his crew respected him. He and Tara looked like polar opposites, the doctor and the outlaw, but they were it for each other. He understood that it was more than his appearance that had her so afraid though.
"Nina Barker this is my husband Jax Teller. Ms. Barker needs help, Jax," she looked at him. "She has a boyfriend who takes things out on her when they go wrong. She doesn't feel like she can leave on her own, and has no family in the area to help her."
Jax understood, and crouched to his knees in front of her, his blue eyes burning into her, "If my wife says you need help, then I will help you. But I need you to trust me, us. I need your honesty. And your anonymity."
Swallowing thickly, she nodded her head in understanding. She couldn't believe she was talking to the Sons of Anarchy leader. The same guys her boyfriend was terrified of. A giggle burst out of her, "He is so afraid of you guys," she admitted. "Is it bad that I'm more afraid of going back home with him than I am of you right now?"
Jax smiled softly at her, "not at all darlin'. Most bullies like this guy are more afraid of us. That's an advantage here."
Tara's office phone rang, "Dr. Knowles," she answered, "I figured he would. I will deal with it, thank you. And Margaret, thank you for stalling as long as you could." She hung up her phone, "Mr. Thompson is getting agitated and demanding to see you," she looked at Nina, who tensed up.
"What's he look like?" Jax asked pulling out his phone. After she gave him a description, he flipped open his phone and called Opie.
SOASOASOASOASOASOA
"Ah, the guy with the mouth," Opie observed, looking at the man Jax just described..
"He's not very nice to women, brother. We'll deal with him later. Right now, crowd him. We scare him apparently. Let him feel a bit of pressure from the club."
"Where's that fucking bitch doctor?" Jax heard as Opie got closer to the guy. Jax clenched his jaw in anger. You didn't call his wife a 'bitch' or any other derogatory term for women.
"Well that wasn't a nice thing to say about my sister at all," Opie spoke into the phone, before quickly flipping it closed. Nudging his head to the side, indicating for Happy, Juice, Chibbs, Bobby and Tig to follow his lead. "Hey bro, sit down and chill," slapping Nick none-too-gently on the shoulder, before forcing him to sit in an empty chair. "We've got someone we CARE about in here too. What makes yours more important than ours?" Opie asked plopping down next to him. The rest of the crew joining suit in the chairs closest.
Nick looked at all the black vested Sons of Anarchy members surrounding him, "I ugh," he stuttered. The faces grim, all bearded or hard looking. He was raised hard. His father smacking or yelling at his mother when he got mad or something went wrong. His mother ended up ditching his father and leaving Nick behind. 'Woman were there for your needs, and if something goes wrong it's their fault,' was what his father had taught him. He knew how to handle woman, but men like the Sons made him tremble. He didn't know how to deal with men.
"Don't have much to say now, huh?" Opie nudged his arm with his elbow.
"My girl, she ugh, she ugh, fell down some stairs," he mumbled out.
"Don't they all?" Tig spoke up, leaning back in his chair, stretching his arms out across the backs of them, right along NIck's back.
"Bitches, be trippin'," Juice joked, grinning leaning forward in his seat, elbows on his knees looking Nick in the eye.
"Totally…" Nick smiled along with him, chuckling a bit.
The joking stopped immediately, all 6 sets of hard glaring eyes on Nick.
SOASOASOASOASOASOA
"Alright Ms. Barker, this decision is yours. We can do this now, which would entail 'admitting' you into the hospital and arranging for an escort out of town, or later, which would entail me releasing you and you can take your chances until we can come to you later," Tara sat next to Nina now, Jax sat behind Tara's desk giving them some space. "If I were in your situation again, and I had an out NOW, I would take it. Don't let yourself be any more of a victim. I almost got out too late. I became pregnant by him and choose to have an abortion. He found out and became more aggressive. I came back to Charming because this was always my home. I felt safe and loved here even without biological family. I had friends still here. A sheriff I used to go to school with, an ex-boyfriend who I knew would do anything to make sure I was safe," she looked at Jax over her shoulder and saw nothing but unconditional love and adoration. "You'll find someone to love you. You may not be looking for it, but there it will be."
"What happened to him? You're stalker?" Nina asked.
Tara smiled at the lie she and Jax had nearly perfected years ago, "Jax scared the shit out of him, threw him through a plate glass window, he was sent on a plane back to where he came from, and we haven't heard from him since."
"Probably found someone else to harass after he got out of prison for violating the restraining order charges," Jax chipped in.
"I don't mean to pressure you, Ms. Barker, but we need your answer now. I'll need to put things in motion, and I need to know the time line for that," Jax said after a few moments of silence.
Nina didn't even have to think about her answer. She was tired of this life and just wanted to go back home, "Now please," she nearly wept.
Jax smiled kindly at her, "Okay."
Jax went about calling everyone and getting things set up. He called the shop to have the van brought around to the loading dock. Told Opie to have Happy, Tig and the prospects ready to roll to Lodi as escorts for the van and its cargo. Told Opie he, Chibbs and Bobby would stay behind as 'crowd control' for the boyfriend, in case he decided to do anything hasty.
Tara called Margaret to let her know what she and the club were doing, aiding a victim of domestic violence in escaping her abuser. Not to be alarmed if an unidentified van pulled up to the restricted loading dock. Not to be alarmed if there was a scuffle in the waiting room, or if a patient was discharged without the person who them in knowing what happened to them. Also that she would need to take the rest of the day off for a 'family emergency'. She and Jax had something they needed to handle.
Tara and Jax escorted Nina to the awaiting van, strapped her up with a bullet proof vest, "I will go out the front door with Jax, then we will meet you at the gas station before the highway."
"What if he sees you? Asks about me? I don't want you to get hurt for helping me," Nina said to the woman who was helping her without even being asked.
Jax looked her dead in the eye, "No one threatens or lays a hand on my wife without being put in the hospital or the ground."
Nina shivered at the deadly threat that wasn't directed at her. Jax had been nothing but nice to her, but she knew she didn't want to see his protective or bad side.
Smiling at Nina, Tara watched as Jax slammed the van door shut and smacked the side of the van three times, indicating it was time to go.
Tara signed out for the day, Jax waiting by the door for her. She kissed him when she came out the door, "I love you."
"Love you too, babe," he said pecking her lips quickly again before slinging his arm across her shoulders and walking with her down the corridors.
When they made it to the ER waiting area, he quirked his lip in a smirk seeing the abusive boyfriend being 'babysat' by Opie, Chibbs and Bobby.
SOASOASOASOASOA
Nick looked up just in time to see the doctor walking out with one of the Sons draped all over her. His girlfriend not in sight anywhere. What the hell? Where was his girlfriend? Suddenly his rage kicked in, not caring who was sitting around him. He jumped up and headed straight for her, "Where is my girlfriend?!"
The Son hanging on her dropped his arm, and she smiled at him. The fucking bitch SMILED at him, "Sir, I'm not sure who you are talking about."
He stepped closer to her, "Don't play dumb with me bitch!"
Tara felt Jax tense up next to her, she put a hand up to him and for the other club members to say she had 'this', "Sir, first of all, you are going to want to step back from me. Second, I do know who you are talking about. She was released hours ago. It's not my obligation to know where the patient went after they have been released from my care. Maybe she got tired of having her ribs bruised because you had a bad day. Or maybe she got tired of 'falling down stairs' at least once a month when she gets 'mouthy'?" Taking Jax's hand, she finished with, "Now if you will excuse me, my husband and I where just leaving."
"You stupid biker whore!" Nick screamed before he moved to advance on her.
Jax grabbed the arm Nick was intending to hit Tara with, using his own momentum against him, he flipped him backwards causing his arm to snap and nearly be ripped out of the socket. Nick gasped in shock and pain. Jax knelt beside him, punching him in the nose three times in quick succession breaking his nose immediately, unclipped his knife from his belt and held it to the man's throat, "You ever talk to, look at or threaten my wife again, I'll gut you, you piece of shit. Get out of my fucking town tonight!"
He stood up, spitting in Nick's face, "Make sure he gets out of Charming. I don't care if it's by garbage truck or any other creative way you come up with."
A gurney had been brought over by some of the nursing staff. Opie, Chibbs and Bobby lifted him up, ignoring the screaming and crying out in pain.
"It's not so fun on the receiving end, is it?" Opie asked, smiling down at the guy.
Nick looked at the nursing staff, blood running down his face, "He assaulted me! You all saw that!"
"I saw a man defending his wife when you were about to assault her," the male nurse said, "and I have to say, if you'd done that towards my wife, I would have reacted the same way."
SOASOASOASOA
"Thank you, Dr. Knowles. I don't know how to repay you," Nina said sincerely, as she climbed out of the back of the van.
"Just find a happy life," Tara climbing out after her.
The two woman embraced.
She couldn't believe all that had just happened in the last 8 hours. She was now standing in front of a place she never thought she would be again. And she literally had an armed escort bring her there.
Following Tara, they walked to the lead bike. Jax already had Tara's helmet and riding goggles in his hand, "Thank you too, Mr. Teller. I will never be afraid of bikers again."
Jax chuckled, handing Tara her things, "No problem, darlin'. You ever need anything, you call us okay?"
She watched as Tara wrapped her arms around Jax's body, Jax revved the throttle slightly, "Ready babe?" he asked his wife.
"Let's go see our kids," she answered.
Before taking off Jax smiled at Nina, "Don't take shit from anyone!"
She watched the mini parade of bikes and the van she rode in leave her street, then turned around to the place she felt safest.
Home.
A/N: If you haven't noticed I kind of like Alternate Universes. I like Opie a lot and thought he would be a pretty good #2 to Jax. Huge Jax and Tara fan, and would have loved to have seen them live a long happy life together, with minor hiccups. Not a huge Gemma or Clay fan so that don't make many appearances in my ideas.