DISCLAIMER- I own nothing but the plot.
AN- I am so happy with the reviews this story has gotten. THANK you all to those who reviewed, followed and Favorited. To answer some questions NO Gemma will NOT be a mega bitch. I think of Gemma as a character with a heart of gold. Until you cross her or hurt Jax. Bella hasn't crossed Gemma or hurt Jax, so i just cant see Gemma being vindictive towards her straight of the bat. I think you need to give Gemma a reason not to like you. On to this chapter, it ran away with me a little bit. I have no Beta reader so please be aware of that. THANK YOU once again for all the reviews and so on. I hope you like this new chapter!
The drive to the Garage was fast but filled with idle conversation. Bella was beginning to really like Gemma. Of course the woman could be harsh and blunt but the pure honesty of her statements was refreshing. Especially after all the shit she had to endure with the Cullens and the half truths she kept getting from Renee. Yes, Bella could see herself getting close to someone like Gemma. She had been asking her about how her life was in Forks. It stung a little that Bella had to offer her the half truths that she hated so much. But she couldn't really explain to her the place was crawling with vampires and other things that should have stayed in her childhood closet. That would have gotten gotten her a one way ticket to a mental hospital and a straight jacket with her name stamped on.
When the car pulled to a soft stop Bella got out and pulled her shades down. Living in a town with perpetual clouds had left her eyes a bit sensitive. One thing Bella knew about charming was that it was nearly consistently shrouded in sunshine. Bella wished to laugh at the complete oppositeness of Forks and Charming. Bella looked around when she saw a thin-ish guy struggling with a bulky box. He wore a leather cut like the others but blazoned across his back was the word prospect. The cardboard box was heaving this way and that way and Bella went to rush to help the guy but was stopped by Gemma. "Leave him to it sweetheart. He's gotta earn his place in this club if he ever wants a true cut. It's the way it works around here."
Bella glanced back a few times as she followed Gemma. She felt a little guilty about not helping the guy but what Gemma had said was true. If anything was worth something you had to fight for it. Or earn it in this case. Plus it wasn't like he was in mortal danger. No, that was her area of expertise. The cool breeze of the bar made Bella sigh in satisfaction. It would take a while to get used to the heat again.
The bar was empty apart from two people who were standing right next to Clay. Bella recognised one from the guy Clayton had pulled aside yesterday to speak with. His hair was hard to miss. Bella followed Gemma behind the bar and smiled at the three men who watched her. The one she had not seen before had a tube running into his nose. Clayton returned her smile. "Hey Shorty, didn't think I would see you back here anytime soon. This is Bobbie and this is Piney." Ah, so the one with the tube was called Piney Bella thought.
Bella chuckled. To be completely honest, she hadn't seen herself coming back here anytime soon. "Well, I didn't either. Can I get any of you a drink?" Bobby declined and Clayton just held up his already full beer.
"Well, what would you suggest I should have?" Pineys voice was rough and deep. Bella had a feeling it was attributable to years of smoking. "In my book, you can never fail with a good ol' jack and coke. After all, it's always five o'clock somewhere." Bella said over her shoulder as she reached up and pulled down the bottle of jack Daniels and a clean glass.
Bella smiled when she heard the loud laughter coming from behind her. "If I didn't know better, I would say it was Tigs standing behind the bar." Bella's hand tightened around the glass at Bobbies statement. She was grateful she still had her back to them. Was that really something Tigs would say? Did she have anything else in common with the guy? Bella shook her head. She still was not sure whether she wanted to find out the answers to those questions or not. Bella finished off the drink and handed it to Piney.
Piney looked down at his glass and looked back at her, his eyebrow high on his forehead. "I thought you said Jack and Coke? There's no coke." Bella laughed at this. "Of course there isn't. The only people who have Coke with their Jack, shouldn't be drinking Jack Daniels anyway. It ruins the whiskey." Piney let out a wall shaking laugh. He slapped Clayton on the arm as the two guys and Gemma joined in. "A girl after my own heart!"
Clayton bent over the bar, swirling his beer around. "So where's Renee today?" Bellas mood shot down hill at incredible speeds. She had forgotten all about the mess with her mother. Bella took the box of beers Gemma handed and started to unpack them to place them behind the bar. "No Idea. Woke up this morning and she wasn't in the house. She'll turn up at some point. It's not the first time." Bella was used to Renees disappearing acts.
Back in Phoenix, she had spent the majority of her childhood by herself. Renee often got into fads and disappeared days on end. Only to return home as if nothing had happened. One time she had been away for nearly a month. She had gotten a new boyfriend and what should have been only a few days staying at his house had escalated. Bella didn't think she was an inherently bad mother. She wasn't beaten or abused. Just forgotten about. Her mother had a habit of getting so trapped in what was going on she forgot everything else. It's why she had learned to cook and clean so well. She had also had to get a job at an early age to pay the bills when Renee had forgotten. It was not the best childhood ever, but it was certainly not the worst she could have had.
Bella was busy stocking up the bar but didn't miss the meaningful look Gemma shot Clayton and the nod Gemma got in return. Bella had a sinking feeling that Gemma and Clay knew exactly what Renee was like. "So how long you staying here shorty?" Bella threw Clayton a disgruntled look. It wasn't her fault that everyone here seemed to be the size of houses. Even heading towards later age Clayton resembled a tank. "Well its going to be a busy night tonight, I was thinking of getting Bella to stay and help in the garage and then help with the night shift at the bar. I could use another female around here. The customers like her anyway. That is, if you want to sweetheart?"
Bella gave the idea a turn around in her mind. She had nothing better to do and she had no idea when Renee would resurface again. Plus Bella was really starting to enjoy it around here. "Sure, why not? I haven't got anything better to do." Bella returned Gemma's bright smile. Clayton, Bobbie and Piney stood up to exit the bar. "They way things are going, I'll be offering you a job soon." Clayton said as he patted her on the back. "That was my intention all along. Took you long enough to clock on." Bella could hear the guys laughter even after the bar door had shut.
After half an hour of helping Gemma replace all the stock and verifying the books Gemma spoke up. "Right everything seems alright here, come on, let's head into the garage office." Bella nodded as she finished wiping her hands on a washcloth. The bright light nearly blinded her as she walked outside. With the sun high in the sky, the temperature had risen. Bella made a mental note to wear shorts and a tank. Bella flicked her sunglass's back onto her face.
The office was cooler than the bar. Three fans were going and the breeze felt divine on her heated skin. Bella plonked herself down on a chair. Bella was on the verge of asking what Gemma wanted her to do when a shadow blocked the open doorway. Bella turned around to meet the newcomer but her smile dropped when she saw the state of the person. Their skin held a greyish hue and sweat glistened on their skin. The woman kept scratching her left forearm as her eyes darted around the place. What had Bella worried though was the unmistakable large bump the woman's stomach held. Bella bolted up and dashed over to the woman, leading her to her seat by her shoulders, so she could get off her feet. The woman looked wobbly on. One slight shift of wind would knock her over.
"Wendy, What are you doing here?" Bella glanced from Gemma to this Wendy woman. You could practically smell the distaste in Gemma's tone. Wendy broke out of her daze and glared at Gemma, smacking Bellas hands off her shoulders.
"Where's Jax? I need him now. Get Jax." Gemma scoffed and sat back down in her seat. She had her Queen bee aura back in place firmly. "Sorry sweetheart. Jax is out at the moment. Is it anything to do with the baby?" Bella got even more confused until it all fell into place. This must be Jax's miss's and his baby. Bella began to panic slightly. Did he know that she looked so ill? Wendy got even more agitated as she kept repeating that she wanted Jax and to fetch him.
Bella knew that getting this emotional was bad for the baby, so she walked over to the water dispenser in the corner of the office. Filling up a good two/three cups, Bella walked back over to the woman. Bell went to hand Wendy a cup of water, but Wendy glared at her and slapped it out of her hand and onto the floor. Gemma rose and as looked like she was going red in the face. Before Gemma could blow up Bella intercepted. "Look, Wendy. It's a hot day and you're pregnant. You need to drink something and calm down, for the baby's sake, okay?" The frown on Wendy's face lessened slightly and she took the other two cups from Bella, drinking slowly as she eyed Bella up and down.
After drinking a cup, Wendy placed them both on the desk. "Who are you?" Wendy sneered towards the end and Bella had to remind herself that the woman was pregnant. Blowing up at her would not be a good idea, no matter how much the woman rubbed Bella up the wrong way. Lucky for Bella, Gemma stepped in. "This is Bella, Tigs's daughter. She's a good one this one. She'd make a perfect old lady one day. Everyone agrees, even Jax." Bella was bewildered. Did they mean she was going to age well? Like wine? It appeared to be a very odd compliment to give someone.
Wendy Stood up and charged toward the door. "FUCK YOU GEMMA, AND YOU TO BELLA." Bella went to follow after Wendy but thought better of it. The woman was clearly wound up to tight and Bella had the habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Bella looked towards Gemma with a confused expression. Gemma rubbed Bellas arm up and down soothingly "Down worry about it Bella. She'll cool off soon enough. Come on, we better start cracking on this paperwork.
Bellas hand felt like it was going to fall off. She had only been helping out with the paperwork for an hour, but she did not envy Gemma having to do this day in and day out. Repetitive writing was not her forte. "Well I'll leave you two to it. Call me if you need anything Bella." Bella snapped up to look at Gemma, confused on what she was going on about until she looked behind her. Tigs was standing in the doorway looking as weary as Bella felt.
Once Gemma had left Tigs had taken her seat. He looked like he was trying to come up with something, anything to say. Bella decided it would be up to her to break the ice. "Hey so... How you doing?" Bella wanted to smack her head of the concrete wall. Was that really all she could come up with? Of all the times for her tongue could desert her, it had chosen now. Tigs ran his hand down his face and shook off his hesitation. "Look, I'm not good at this shit but...Er...I would really like to get to know you. If you don't want that, just say now and I'll walk straight out that door."
Bella Breathed deeply. Did she want to get to know him? When she asked herself just that question the answer was simple and clear. Yes she did. She wasnot going take into account her mothers feelings or any other factor. She wanted to know him so that was what she was going to do. "Yeah, I'd like that." The two grinned at each other.
By no time, Bella was laughing and joking along with the man. It felt right. It clicked. He had the same kind of sardonic sense of humour she did and the two bounced off of each other. They hadn't touched any important topics, but Bella didn't want to. She was not entirely ready for that and it seemed neither was Tigs. She had no problem with it. She liked the banter they had going on. The two were so immersed in their conversation, neither saw Gemma standing just outside the doorway, broad smile etched firmly on her face. They didn't notice when Clay joined her, smiling along with her.
Gemma stepped into the office, coughing loudly. Bella and Tigs both turned around to face her and Clay. "Hey Tigs, clay needs you in the garage and Bells I need you to come on a food run with me." Bella came out of the office with the others. "See you around Tiny." Tigs said as he ruffled her hair. Bella whacked his hand away from her head, offering him a mock glare. "All the better to bite through your bloody kneecap. Remember that." Tigs chuckled as he jogged to catch up with Clay.
The weight on her shoulders had gone and Bella found a bounce in her step. She did not realise that she was dreading that meeting until it was over. Bella slid into Gemma's car as they set out for the short drive to the shops. The shop wasn't empty nor full. There was a quiet buzz as the locals went about their day. Gemma and Bella were milling around when Bella accidently bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry." Bella said as she bent down to help pick up the things the woman had dropped. "Donna?" Bella flickered her gaze between Gemma and Donna. Was there anyone in this town that Gemma didn't know?
Donna gave Bella a hesitant look. Bella wondered if she was going to have to get used to those types of looks with the way things were going on. "Hello, Gemma." Donna looked less impressed to be a part of their company. Bella could see the same look on her mothers face if she knew she was here right now. "This is Bella, Tigs's daughter." Shock blossomed on Donnas face as she scrutinized Bella. Bella awkwardly put her hair behind her ear. She hated it when people looked too hard at her. She wasn't as insecure as she was when she was a teenager, but it was still uncomfortable. "Tigs, Tigs? Well I wasn't expecting that." Bella chuckled nervously. She really didn't have a reply to that.
A phone ringing cut through the atmosphere. Gemma reached into her back pocket, looking at the caller ID she held her hand up and backed away little before answering. "I'm just going to say it. Be carful around them, okay? You seem like a nice girl. I wouldn't like to see you getting mixed up in outlaw..." Donna did not have enough time to finish as Gemma had come back and was glaring daggers at the woman. "Enough Donna. Sweetheart were going to have to shoot. That was Jax on the phone and he asked me to drive to his to pick some things up. We can finish the shopping later." Bella turned back around to find Donna already down the isle and turning the corner. Bella huffed in agitation. "What was that about?" Bella demanded.
Bella had enough of finding herself in the dark about things. The Cullens, Her mother. She really hoped Gemma wasn't going to be another one. "Just local paranoia. They see men on motorbikes and they automatically jump to gang warfare. Trust me, you're just going to be hearing the same thing over and over again in the next coming weeks." Bella settled down a little. Even if these people turned out to be dangerous criminals, it wouldn't be the first time she had gotten herself into a sticky situation. Her life was just hoping from the frying pan to the fire.
Jax's house was, in Bellas opinion, lovely. Bella wanted to own a house like this once she figured out what she wanted to do with her life. Bella had swept the entire supermarket drama under the rug. There was no reason to be dwelling on it. Bella wondered if it was the best thing for her to go into the house after the way Wendy had reacted to her, but Gemma wouldn't have none of it. Bella and Gemma waited by the front door for a few minutes. Wendy wasn't answering. Gemma scoffed and gestured for Bella to follow her around the back.
Following just behind Gemma, Bella stopped a bit away from the door. Bella looked around and glanced at the sky. She had missed the blue the sky could be when she was in Forks. All there ever was in that little town was a depressing grey. A gasp broke her out of her unimportant thoughts. "You stupid bitch." Bella strolled up behind Gemma and took a glance in. The first thing to register was the vibrant colour red. Bit by bit the rest clicked into place like a puzzle.
Wendy was laying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood and Vomit. It looked like the flow had originated from between her legs and bloomed outwards. Wendy was all the more a sicklier colour than she was earlier. Bella pushed Gemma to the side and with all she had kicked the door in. "Ring an ambulance Gemma!" Bella didn't even check whether she was doing it as she rushed to Wendy's side. Bella crouched over her prone form. Not caring she was covering herself in Wendy's blood. Bella put her two fingers to Wendy's pulse point in her neck. Feeling nothing she checked her wrist next. "Fuck!" Bella could not feel a thing and on closer inspection Wendy's chest wasn't moving.
"There on their way." Bella flicked through everything she knew about CPR. Thanking god for once Renee had gone through a faze that actually counted for something. "Gemma I need you to lift her right hip up and maintain it elevated. Use some towels or books, anything." Gemma didn't question her as she left the room only to come back seconds later with her prize in hand. Gemma lifted Wendy's hip up and propped it securely. "Right now I need you to keep her right shoulder on the floor flat. There's no time for questions. I needed to displace her uterus to decrease aortocaval compression and hypotension." The confusion didnot come off Gemma's face, but thankfully she did what Bella had asked.
Bella turned Wendy's head so her cheek was flush against the bloody floor. Checking in her mouth to guarantee there was no more vomit was plugging up her airway. The vomit that had been resting in the back of her throat came spilling out and the smell made Bella want to heave. She kept herself together and rightened her head. "Make sure she stays like that. I'm going to try CPR." At Gemma's nod, Bella interlocked her hands and placed them on Wendy's breast bone. Breathing in deeply Bella did five compressions before she dived to breathe into Wendy's mouth. Bella could taste vomit on her lips and with massive will power pushed the thought away. Pulling away, again She re-started compressions.
Bella was losing hope after the sixth cycle. A spluttering, vomitey breathe racked its way out of Wendy. Dropping her hands to her side Bella looked up to the heavens and relaxed. Bella gently rolled Wendy onto her side so she could cough up the rest of the vomit and not choke again. Bella went to push her hair out of her face but found her hands covered in crimson blood. The world around her spun. Bella was pulled away from Wendy by Gemma as the paramedics came barrelling through the busted door.
The ride to the hospital was a blur. All she could concentrate on was the rusty smell of blood and the twirling of the world around her. Bella was shaken out of her daze when Gemma wrapped an arm around her. The world slowly came to and she found herself standing in the hospital hallway with a doctor in front of them. Before the doctor could say something the boys from the club came into the hallway like a tsunami. Jax was leading with Clay not far behind him. He came to an abrupt stop in front of the doctor. "Doc, you gotta tell me what's happening. Is she going to be okay? Will the baby?" Bellas heart broke for Jax. His hair was dishevelled and he was out of breath as if he had run all the way here. Some people in the group Bella had never met before but, they all crowded around, anticipating the answers. The doctor cleared his throat and looked down at his clipboard momentarily
"Well, There's been an emergency caesarean. The mother is fine and recuperating. The child is alive, but he will need further surgery's. He's fifteen weeks early. He has a heart defect and a hole in his stomach. After the surgery for the stomach, we're going to see how he is doing before trying for the heart surgery. Who was the one who performed CPR?" Gemma was the one that answered. Pointing down to Bella.
The first one to locate her was Tigs and seeing her covered in blood raced over to her. The rest of the boys saw her and Clay took a double take at the state she was in. After a little while Bella swotted Tigs hands away from checking her over. "It's not my blood or vomit. I'm fine." Bella did not give a fuck that she had told a bold face lie. She was feeling sick to her bone marrow. The doctor re-adjusted his glasses.
"You're lucky she was there. The paramedics would have been too late by the time they got there." he looked to face her then with a warm smile. "You should take pride in yourself young lady. Not everyone knows how to preform the correct type of CPR to a pregnant women. You saved a woman and a baby today. I have to go. I'll be back soon to give you an update on the condition of the patients."
Bella nearly lost her balance. She needed to get this blood off of her. Tigs seeing she was seconds away from fainting, started leading her away from the crowd. "I'm taking Bella to get straightened out. We'll be back in a few moments." Tigs stopped at a closet and dived in, bringing forth a small set of scrubs. Tigs had to practically drag her into the bathroom. Bella dashed for the sink and scrubbed away the flaking blood from her hands and arms. Bella took the offered scrubs and entered a stall, locking herself in while she stripped of the bloody vomit saturated clothes and pulling on the green scrubs.
After getting all the blood of her, Bella bundled up the clothes and shoved them in a bin. There was no way in hell she was about to keep them. Coming out of the stall, Bella took in a sigh of relief as she pushed her hair back. Tigs was standing there with a smile on his face. "You did something amazing today. Where did you learn CPR?" Bella chuckled as she went to give her hands on last wash.
"One of Renees fazes, turns out this one was worthwhile. Who knows? Maybe next time I can help someone with crystals that are meant to help you see into another world or dog whispering." Tigs laughed along with her as he pulled her to him and gave her a one arm hug. He opened the door and let Bella through first. "You did more than help someone tiny."
The two made their way back to the group. Bella had to re-adjust the shoulder to her scrub top a few times. Bella was received with Gemma's open arms as the woman hugged the life out of her. Clay clapped her on the back and the force nearly made her stumble but she smiled at him anyway. The crowd had died down a little, but the hallway was still pretty packed. Bella spotted Jax standing away from everyone else and she made her way to him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. When he looked at her she could see the crushed expression he was trying to cover. "I'm not going to say everything is going to be okay. Because frankly, no one knows but if you need someone to talk to. I'm here."
Bella nearly choked on her tongue as Jax scooped her up and wrapped his arms around her. Bella melted and wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't picture herself in his shoes. She did know that she would of been a mess though. He nuzzled her hair and she only heard him because he was so close to her ear. "Thank you. For everything today. Thank you." Bella let him go when she heard Clay shouting his name. Jax eventually let her go, staring into her eyes before heading off with clay, shouting over his shoulder to Gemma that he had business to take care of. Tigs came over and kissed her forehead before leaving with the rest. Gemma slunk an arm around her shoulders and lead her to a seat as the two women watched as the guys left the hospital in as much of a storm as when they entered. Bella and Jax made eye contact one last time as the double doors closed and he was cut off from her view.