Chapter 2
Happy stayed in Bakersfield for four more days after getting the results from his mother's latest scans. While he fixed a few things around the house that she'd been nagging him about for the past six to twelve months, his main goal was getting around the clock care set up for her. Charlie was right, his mother was livid when she found out he was getting a nurse to stay with her. He agreed that she was doing okay by herself but that was probably going to change. They finally compromised and Happy agreed to hold off on the in home nurse if she would be honest with him about how she was feeling. He'd also talked to Charlie and made her promise to keep him informed, no matter what his mother told her not to tell him.
"You sure about this?" Jax said after they killed the rumbling engines of their bikes. Happy took his helmet off and nodded. He needed to get back to work and find some kind of normal. The job had been put off long enough. "He's in room 16."
They transitioned into the truck with the prospect and rode a couple miles up the road. Once the truck pulled off, Happy pulled his hood over his head and led the way up the stairs of the small, dingy motel. His footsteps were almost silent. Jax crossed the doorway and gave Happy a nod. He took a pick out of his back pocket and unlocked the door quickly. The target was sound asleep and butt naked. Happy and Jax entered the room and closed the door softly. The man snored and rolled over to his back, exposing his family jewels.
"Let's get this done." Jax gagged. Happy chuckled silently and tugged the black bandanna up to cover his face from his eyes down. He covered the man's mouth with his leather gloved hand and pressed the barrel of his gun to his sternum.
"Make a sound or try and fight, I'll shoot your dick off." Happy rasped. Jax picked up a pair of jeans from the empty bed and threw them at the man. "We're going for a ride."
"I'm not going..." he stopped when Happy cocked his head to the side and aimed the gun a little lower. Jax peeked outside the window and saw the prospect flash the truck lights. He was right on time.
Once they got the man into the truck, Happy directed the prospect to drive out towards Chigger Woods. He knew the layout of the land well and had pre-dug a decent grave. The man started pleading and begging them to let him go.
"I can get you money. You don't have to do this, okay? Just take the money and go to Mexico or something. I won't tell anyone." Happy cracked his neck and slowly turned his head to look at the man. He was a piece of shit. Just over a year ago, the guys started going to the prick's strip club. Tig and Juice hooked up with a couple of the girls and started finding out everything else the piece of shit was into. The strip club was just a cover for some human trafficking shit. When Clay confronted him about it, the prick threatened to rat to the cops about Tig hooking up with some jailbait. The club voted and decided to take care of the threat and the human trafficking problem for good.
"Here. Start digging." Happy tossed a shovel to the man once they'd reached the hole he'd dug. The man blinked and looked from the shovel to the hole and back to Happy. He gripped the shovel like a bat. Happy grinned as the prospect drew his gun. "Let him try, kid."
The man swung the shovel wildly. Happy dodged it and drug his knife across the man's stomach. He howled in agony but there was no one around for miles. The prospect was getting nervous and Happy knew he wouldn't get to keep having fun for long. His phone vibrated in his pocket, dividing his attention just long enough to open the window for the man to swing the shovel at his head. Happy was able to deflect it with his arm but got a nasty gash from it. He pulled his Glock and put three rounds into the man's chest.
"Yeah?" Happy answered the phone and cradled it between his ear and shoulder. He motioned for the prospect to start burying the body. His ears were still ringing from the gunshots.
"Are you busy?" It was Charlie. Happy stepped away from the shallow grave and took the bandanna off his neck. His arm was bleeding pretty badly, so he pressed the bandanna against the cut to try and slow it down.
"Nah, what's up?" Happy had talked to his mother earlier in the day and she sounded fine. He wouldn't be too worried but it was well after midnight and it wasn't like Charlie to call that late. "Did something happen?"
"What? No, sorry." Charlie giggled a little and Happy realized she was drunk. He smirked and stepped a little further away from the prospect. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"Yeah? You needed to check on me at about 2 in the morning?" Happy growled. Charlie groaned and he knew he was right. "You a little drunk, red?"
"Ugh. My ex called me that." Charlie grumbled. Happy shook his head and tied the bandanna around his arm. He hissed through his teeth. "What's wrong?"
"Just a scratch. I gotta go, girl. Go to bed." Happy looked at his arm and gritted his teeth. He was going to need some stitches.
"You can't tell me what to do." Charlie fussed. Happy was about to snap at her for calling him, but then she giggled again. "I was going to bed anyways but not because you told me. Goodnight, ass."
"Goodnight." Happy smiled and dropped the phone back in his cut. The prospect wasn't making much progress and his arm wasn't getting any better out there in the middle of the woods. "Give me the keys."
"You're leaving me out here?"
"I'm bleeding. You'll be fine. I might send someone back for you later." Happy's head was starting to feel light and his sleeve was soaked with blood. He knew the smart thing to do was to lead the guy to the grave and shoot him. The shit with his mom had him all twisted up and looking for a fight though. It was a dumb move. He called Jax on his way to the clubhouse and asked if Tara could stitch him up when he got there.
"Happy, what happened?" Tara asked, hissing at the wound. He drank tequila straight from the bottle and grunted. She knew he wouldn't tell her. "How long ago did this happen?"
"Hour or so." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked to see what time Charlie had called. "Hour and ten minutes."
"It's pretty deep. I would feel better if I could put some internal stitches in but I don't have any." Tara said, pouring antiseptic into the wound. Happy gripped the tequila bottle tightly and glared at her. "I'm sorry to hear about your mom."
"Thanks." Happy growled. He didn't want to think or talk about his mother. As Tara started stitching him up, he drank the rest of the tequila. He ended up with twenty-three stitches and strict orders to stay out of fights and water for the next ten days.
"If I get you antibiotics, will you take them?" Tara asked as Happy stood up. She was shocked that the blood loss and bottle of tequila didn't send him stumbling around. He nodded. "Okay, how much do you weigh?"
"185." He grabbed the arm of a sleepy looking croweater and looked at Tara. "Anything else, doc?"
When she shook her head, Happy left the room with the blonde croweater in tow. She smiled up at him once they were in the clubhouse apartment. He had been with her before but never bothered to get her name. She was a little too skinny for his liking and her tits were fake but she didn't talk too much. He let her take his jeans off, amused that she didn't even ask question about the blood and dirt. As she took his dick into her mouth, he leaned back against the dresser. Her long nails raked across his abs and he closed his eyes. Happy found himself thinking about the frustrating redhead that had called him during the job. He could have been mad that the call distracted him but her drunk giggle made him smile. He imagined her toned body pressed against him and remembered the way she stretched and twisted as she did her yoga in front of him. He emptied himself into the croweater's mouth and motioned for her to leave.
Charlie rolled over and groaned at the sight of the man in her bed. She remembered going on the date and drinking a lot but not waking up alone was a surprise. Her hair was sweaty and stuck to her forehead but she'd slept too late to take a shower. She needed to get over to Anita's so they could go to the grocery store. Charlie rushed out of the bed and grabbed fresh clothes before kicking the foot of her bed partner. He barely stirred.
"Dude, get up and get out." Charlie snapped. She bounced up and down to get her jeans over her thighs, wishing someone made clothes for girls with muscles and smaller waists. She watched the guy get out of her bed and racked her brain for a reason she hooked up with him. He was short, maybe only a couple inches taller than him. It wasn't necessarily his height that turned her off now but the slouchy way he stood. She rolled her eyes and cursed her drunk self for making poor choices. "If I leave are you going to rob me or just leave?"
"I'm a lawyer." He sounded offended. Charlie shrugged and double tapped her call button to call Anita and let her know she was running late.
"-ello?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and saw that she had called Happy instead. She swallowed hard, completely blanking on calling him last night. She panicked and ended the call, tossing the phone on the bed. Of course, her phone started ringing mid air. She groaned and answered it apprehensively. "Charlie?"
"Sorry, I was trying to call your mom." She said, hoping he would just say okay and hang up. He sounded sleepy and it was kind of sexy.
"That who you were calling last night?" Charlie groaned. So they had talked last night. How much did she actually drink? "You even remember that?"
"No?" She laughed, pulling her sneakers on.
"Do you know where my tie is? It's silk." Tony 'the lawyer' asked. Charlie winced, hoping Happy hadn't heard the man. She wasn't sure why it mattered but she didn't want him to know she had a guy there. She pointed towards the couch.
"Who was that?" Happy's voice had changed harshly. Charlie sighed and stood up, grabbing her keys off the counter.
"A guy, why? I was trying to call your mom. I have to go." Charlie didn't wait for him to respond and ended the call. She didn't owe him an explanation nor was it any of his business who's company she kept. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun as she got into her car.
Anita walked outside to meet Charlie before she even got out of the car. As usual, she was dressed to impress, even though she was just going to the local grocery store. Her bright green blazer brightened up her black dress and complimented her polka dotted shoes. Charlie's own grandmother would have worn something similar to church. Anita smiled as she got to the car but her eyes weren't bright like they normally were. Charlie closed the car door and walked back to the drivers side, hoping she was just a little tired.
"Sorry I'm late, Anita. I had a long night." Charlie didn't bother lying about it but she wasn't going to go into detail if she didn't have to. Anita just nodded with a smile. "I accidentally called Happy this morning."
"Good. You should call him more." The older woman perked up a little at the news. Charlie chuckled and slowed to a stop at the intersection. She turned her blinker on, the rapid click of the indicator reminding her that her taillight was still busted. "How is he?"
"I think I woke him up. He sounded okay though." Charlie shrugged. Anita started telling her a story about how grumpy Happy could be in the mornings. He had tried to throw the door shut and ended up falling out into the hallway in front of his aunt and cousin. He was only eight or ten but was extremely embarrassed because he was just in a pair of boxers. Charlie wondered what a child version of Happy would have been like.
"I only need a few things today," Anita said. Charlie parked the car and hurried to the passenger side to help her out of the seat. Anita swatted her hands away. "Don't you start fussing over me like my son."
"Come on, Anita. You're old. You've earned some fussing over." Charlie teased. Anita shook her cane at the laughing redhead. The two walked into the store, Charlie pushing the shopping cart and Anita handling the shopping list as usual. They chatted about local gossip and Charlie's latest date while they walked around the store. After ten or fifteen minutes, Charlie started noticing Anita slowing down. She adjusted her own walking speed to keep from leaving her behind. When she started hearing some wheezing when Anita inhaled, Charlie stopped.
"I can handle the rest of the list. You should take a seat up front or in the car." Charlie's normally light tone was serious. She was worried. As she expected, Anita shook her head stubbornly. "Don't be stubborn. You're going to hurt yourself if you don't rest."
"I'm fine. Quit standing here talking or the milk is going to warm." Anita snapped. Charlie blinked, surprised by her friend's anger. She clinched her teeth together and pointed back towards the registers.
"Then meet me at the register. I'll grab the eggs and bread." Charlie hoped she would listen to reason. Anita huffed and turned away without a word. Charlie watched the way her normal gait had changed to a shuffle. It made her nervous to go in different directions but it seemed the lesser of the two evils. She didn't know what she would do if Anita fell or something worse before they got to the register. With the worst case scenarios weighing heavy on her mind, Charlie rushed to finish off the list.
"Here." Anita held her wallet out to Charlie. She had made it to the register safely and had taken a seat like Charlie originally suggested. She seemed exhausted. The cashier smiled and started scanning and bagging items. "I don't want my bread on top of the eggs."
"I know, Mrs. Lowman," The young girl said sweetly, continuing to scan items. She looked at Charlie with a little frown. "She's not doing too good is she?"
"No, not really," Charlie said quietly. She knew Anita wouldn't be able to hear them from her seat several yards away. Anita refused help out to the car, insisting she had only taken a seat because Charlie had taken so long. The two women didn't speak until a police car turned their lights on behind Charlie's car. They were less than a mile from Anita's house. "God damnit."
"Watch your mouth." Anita fussed. Charlie sighed and reached over to open the glovebox. Anita looked from the gun laying in the glovebox to the nervous looking redhead. Charlie grabbed her insurance and registration before slamming the glovebox closed.
"Good afternoon, ladies. I'm Officer Jones with Bakersfield Police. Do you know why I stopped you?" The officer looked to be a few years younger than Charlie. She turned her body towards him and shook her head with an innocent frown. "Your right tail light is busted."
"What? Oh no." Charlie brought her palm to her forehead and inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, officer. I'll get that fixed as soon as possible. I appreciate you letting me know."
"We have perishables in the car, son." Anita said, leaning forward. Charlie closed her eyes, wishing she hadn't tried to rush him.
"I understand, ma'am. Let me just run this information real quick and we can try and get you two on your way." Officer Jones smiled and walked back to his patrol car. Charlie slouched in her seat and looked over at the older woman.
"Please don't rush him when he gets back. I know you're tired but I can't afford a ticket." Charlie pleaded. Anita scowled.
"I'm not tired. It's just the pollen. My allergies are bothering me." Anita snapped. Charlie decided she was going to call Happy after she got home. Anita wasn't acting like herself. It wasn't just the fatigue. She had never snapped at Charlie like that before. She knew from experience that medications could affect moods and Anita was on a handful of new medications.
"Here you go, Charlotte. Just make sure to get that taillight fixed. I had to put a warning in the system so if it isn't fixed soon and you get pulled over again, you may get a citation," The officer handed the paperwork back along with her driver license. She smiled, despite being called Charlotte. Few people had called her that since she was a little girl. With the warning in hand, Charlie and Anita continued on their way. Anita remained silent during the drive and while Charlie helped put groceries away. The longer the silence went on, the more Charlie worried.
"Do you want to play some cards or dominoes?" Charlie suggested happily. Anita shook her head and lowered herself into the recliner. Charlie was going to let herself out when she noticed tears rolling down Anita's cheeks. Dropping her handbag on the floor, Charlie slowly approached her. "Talk to me, please."
"I'm not ready to die," Anita sighed. Charlie frowned. "Years I've been fighting this cancer and it's finally catching up with me."
"It isn't over yet. You're a stubborn old lady, Anita. Don't give up," Charlie tried to sound optimistic. She walked over to the loveseat and took a seat. "I'm here for you, okay?"
"Go on home, child. I'm not dying tonight." Anita broke the silence after a few minutes. "I'm tired."
"Okay. You know I don't mind staying if-" Charlie paused as Anita set her with a scowl. "Okay. I'll go."
Once her car door was closed, Charlie dug her phone out of her bag and called Happy. She didn't even bother starting the car as the phone rang. It wasn't a long drive to her house but there was a good chance she'd start crying soon and her mascara wasn't waterproof. The last thing she needed was a car wreck caused by stinging, mascara filled eyes. She was about to end the call when Happy finally answered the phone.
"Three calls in one day?" Happy sounded much more awake and irritable. She could hear loud music and power tools in the background. Charlie started feeling heavy pressure on her chest. She couldn't bring herself to speak. "Charlie? What's wrong?"
Happy rolled out from under the car he was working on and tossed the wrench into the toolbox as he walked towards the office. His blood was starting to run cold as he imagined all the bad things he could hear from Charlie. He swung the office door open, causing Gemma and Tara to jump a little. Charlie still hadn't said a word but he could hear her breathing heavily. Happy nodded towards the parking lot.
"Can you give me a minute?" He asked Gemma. She motioned for Tara to follow her quickly as Happy mouthed a silent 'thanks'. "Charlie, talk."
"She's getting worse, Happy. I knew she would but I thought it would take a while. It's like the test results broke her." Charlie was speaking quickly and he felt like she was close to a panic attack. He barely knew anything about the woman but she never struck him as overly dramatic.
"Hey, stop," She continued breathing faster and faster. "Charlie. Stop!"
His loud demand seemed to snap her out of it long enough to let her explain what had happened. He sat on the desk and hung his head as she told him what Anita had said once they got back from the grocery store. It sounded like Charlie was right. The doctor's bad news seemed to get to his mom and start eating away at her along with the cancer. His right hand started stinging and he realized the edge of the desk was starting to cut into his skin. Happy hadn't noticed he'd been squeezing it that tightly.
"I'll call the nurse and have her go over there tonight. I'll be down tomorrow," Happy interrupted Charlie. She had been rambling ever since she started talking. "Don't let her see you like this, got it?"
"Yeah. No. I know. I'm in my car," Charlie stammered. Happy sighed, feeling some kind of need to comfort her. That feeling frustrated him. It wasn't his job to comfort someone else when his mother was dying. It had just been him and his ma for years. A stranger like Charlie didn't have a right to be upset. He knew his ma would be mad if he yelled at her, so he just ended the call and stormed out of the office. Gemma snuffed her cigarette out and started towards him. He didn't stop to talk. He was done talking to emotional women.
"Hap! Wait up. I just finished printing all this on that woman you asked me about," Juice slid to a stop as Happy abruptly stopped in front of him. He took a step back, uncomfortable being that close to the Tacoma Killer. Happy was intimidating in the best mood and he looked livid. Juice offered the folder to him nervously.
"What's in here?" Happy asked, flipping through the pages quickly. Juice listed off several things including banking statements, military record and criminal record. Happy nodded and folded it up, stuffing it in his cut. "Have you seen Clay?"
"He and Tig are on the way to Indian River. Jax is in the clubhouse." Juice said quickly. Happy nodded and continued towards the clubhouse. As a Nomad member, he wasn't obligated to let anyone but Quinn know that he was going to be off the road for a while; but, since he primarily operated out of Charming, he thought Clay or Jax should know. He found the charter's VP sitting at the large, redwood table.
"What's up?" Jax looked up from a pile of papers as Happy entered the room.
"My mom is getting worse faster than I thought. I'm going to take some time off the road and stay with her until-" the thought got stuck in his throat "-things change."
"I'm sorry, bro." Jax stood up and pulled Happy into a hug. Happy clapped him on the back appreciatively. "Let me know if you need anything."
"I appreciate it. I'm leaving in the morning. Gotta take care of a couple things." Happy wasn't comfortable leaving until he made sure the prospect hadn't butchered the clean up from the night before. Happy paused at the door. "You know if we've got a spare taillight for a '95 Accord?"
"We've got an Accord sitting on the back-lot. Owner never claimed it so take what you need, brother." Jax sat back down at the table and nodded. Happy started making a mental list of everything he needed to do in the next twelve hours. He hadn't taken more than a week off the road since he got out of prison six years ago and it was already making him anxious.
**Thank you each for your reviews, follows and favorites! It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter! I am trying to keep my writing about four chapters ahead of posts, so I hope to be posting at least once, maybe twice a week.**
