I might have a reckless streak
At least a country-mile wide
If you're gonna run with me
It's gonna be a wild ride
When it comes to loving you
I've got velvet hands
I'll show you how a real bad boy
Can be a real good man

-Real Good Man, Tim McGraw

THREE
- Faith -

The days had passed and she had yet to hear anything further about the issue. She hoped to God that it didn't mean things had taken another twist but improved, that is if God had answered her prayers. If He didn't respond to hers, she at least prayed that He would for the little boy in front of her. Rita had taken a shift in the children's ward and the young boy Phillip sitting on the carpet with a matchbox car was battling with lung cancer. He was at an age where he should be bursting with energy instead of been confined indoors. He could at any time have his life taken from him, one that has only begun and should have multiple adventures ahead of him outside the white walls of the hospital.

"Miss Mathews, can we go for another walk?" He quietly asked.

The young boy was always polite, and that made the smile on her lips wider as she answered the only way she could. "I'll get the wheelchair." His face reflected her own smile as he stood taking the matchbox car with him. Rita got him settled in and started for the doors that exited to the rest of the house. "And where do you plan to take us today?" She asks with a smile

"The gardens!" He exclaimed. She smiled at his excitement and was already steering the chair in that direction as it was had been the answer the last time she asked. "Do you think that blue bird will be there again?"

"We'll have to search for it and see," she said as they continued on their way.

"Can we name him?" Phillips voice grew eager as they went through the doors into the garden, the grass was surprisingly green in the sun's heat and the fresh air made the boy seem healthier than he did inside the hospital.

"How do you it's a him?" she asked Phillip curiously.

"Because his blue!" he says completely sure. She tried to keep the laughter at bay at the simple thoughts of the child, if only the world was so easy with black and white instead of the hazes greys in between.

"What name do you have in mind?"

"Bob!" Phillip happily exclaims.

"Bob? Why Bob?" Rita asks as she pushes the wheelchair in the direction they had spotted the bird last time.

"Because of Bob the builder! He was making a nest the other day." She smiled in recollection of the childhood show that she had seen sometimes on the television as she flicked through the channels.

"I like it. Can you see Bob anywhere?" Phillips eyebrows dripped downwards as he tried to get sight of his friend.

"He's not here," He said sadly and the drop in his tone automatically made her want to fix the problem that was out of her hands. "He'll be here tomorrow." Phillips voice trailed as he spotted something behind her, she hoped it was Bob. She followed his line of sight to see that his attention was on a black object that was much larger and a polar opposite to the blue bird. "Can we get a closer look?"

"Phillip, I don't know if-" The boy was already stepping out of the wheel chair before she finished her sentence. "Phillip, please get back in the chair," Rita said urgently. There was a reason why the boy was wheeled around; his energy levels were a burst and nothing that lasted.

"I want to see th-" This time Rita was the one to cut him off, pushing the wheelchair near the back of his knees.

"We will if you sit," Rita said as she tried to get the young boy to sit. Phillip had a huge smile on his face as he sat down, any other time she would have been happy to see him expressing such emotion but as they got closer to the motorbikes, she could have screamed bloody murder.

"Isn't it so cool!" Phillip said excitedly. She rolled her eyes at the excitement in his voice as she caught sight of the reaper on the tank confirming just who owned it, the damn thing seem to be haunting her these days. "I want one just like it," he said excitedly. What was that saying? Boys will be boys, no matter their age. "Can I touch it?" He asks in awe.

Rita did not think that was the wisest choice and was about to protest when a voice behind her answered differently. "Go ahead lad." The Scottish accent confirmed who was behind her as he took a step towards the wheelchair, actually bending down to Phillips height and speaking to him softly as the kid traced parts of the bike with his delicate fingers.

"It feels good to do a simple thing that makes someone else happy," said a voice behind Rita. Rita tried to ease her heartbeat as Jax took a stand beside her. She almost questioned why he was at the hospital when she realised that Tara did work here. "Can you believe we were all that innocent at one time?" He asked. She sure as hell wasn't anymore, she could almost forget about the event if she thought of Tig as her brother's friend instead of, well her body guard in a sense. "How bad is he?"

She couldn't bare looking at Jax as he answered him. "If the doctors can't find a way to slow it down, weeks or if his lucky months," she said sadly. She knew the months were pushing it, the boy did have his good days such as today, but tomorrow could be another story, and sadly he had to live in the present. She silently watched the boy, noticing the slight shake in his hands of the clear sign of the tiredness slipping into his bones. "Phillip honey, how about we head back inside. Lunch will be ready soon with ice cream," she said softly to the young boy. He seemed reluctant but the mention of sweets brought back the shine in his eyes.

"Will there be chocolate?" The excitement in his voice made her nod with as much enthusiasm and he sat down in his seat, hands on the wheels impatiently. "Thank you," he said looking up at Chibs before looking at her.

Rita gave the two men a smile and started to wheel him back through the garden to the entrance. She may not like spending her company with the Sons but she was grateful for the experience they gave Phillip, yet another side of a Son that was exposed to her and Rita wondered when she would learn her lesson about listening to rumours.

As she finished her shift, Rita popped her head in Julie's room and chatted to her, enjoying the older woman's company before her phone vibrated in her pocket. She knew who it would be before she glanced at the text message. "You have yourself a man," Julie stated, her confident words made Rita's head snap up from the phone is shock. She had no idea how the old woman came up with such conclusion.

"The only man in my life is my brother," Rita quickly said.

"Well sweetheart a brother doesn't put a smile like that on a woman's face." Rita went to argue again but Julie cut her off. "You don't have to admit to anything, but you deserve someone to look after you." Once again the phone in her hand vibrated with another text coming through, she didn't dare glance at it with Julie still intensely staring at her. "Now off you go, have a night for romance," Julie said causing Rita to just shake her head at the woman.

Rita grabbed her bag from the chair and slowly made her way down the hallway to the parking lot; her mind going over Julie's words. She knew that if the older woman knew the reason for Tig being in her company, she would probably never let her visit her again or come within a touching distance. There was also the hard fact that Tig wasn't like other men, he's a part of a motorbike club, and their Sergeant at arms. Romance and Tig just don't seem to fix together in the same sentence. She shivered as she remembered their conversation the other night about the club, and his answer when she had finally asked what his title meant. She could tell he held back some details on his job description but she reserved a clear picture without anyone else influence, after all her own situation gave her an insight on the Sons.

Rita was almost at the door when she remembered she had paper work in her draw back in the staff room that she needed to get done tonight to be ready for tomorrow morning. She thought about telling Tig but dismissed the idea as she made her way back to the staff room. The man was already impatient; a few extra minutes wouldn't hurt the guy.

She smiled at the few staff members that were on for the night shift and entered the silent staff room. The coffee machine and full coffee pot on the counter caught her attention and she was tempted to make herself a cup. Instead she walked straight to the staff pigeon holes and pulled out the clamped paper only to notice that someone had left a note for her. She ripped the sealed envelope open, there was no note involved only photos that was enough to cause her to freeze. Each and every photo was of her, this morning with Luke, at the hospital doing her duty, to only hours ago with the Phillip in the garden.

The sudden firm grip on her arm made Rita jump into action at the intruder's hand, she struggled against the weight and she took a breath to let a scream only for another hand to clamp over her mouth. Her body was pulled against the intruder as her mind yelled for her to do something, anything to not become a victim. "Rita, Rita, Rita," the male voice spoke against her ear, drifting through the fog of panic. "Calm down, it's me." At hearing who the 'intruder' was her body instantly slumped against Tig's as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall over her cheeks. "Le0'ts get you home," he said quietly. The sudden change in his tone made her attention shift to the photos spread over the floor. He eased Rita into a chair and bent down picking both the papers and photos that had been in her hands a moment ago, he placed them safely inside his cut before taking stand next to a shaking Rita.

They walked down the hallway back towards the parking lot; Rita kept her head down as she let Tig guide her. She wanted to be home behind the safety of the walls, her safe haven. Rita's hands shook inside her pant pockets and she balled them into fists to try and lessen the shakes. The only thing that eased her rattled mind in the slightest was the pressure of the hand on her lower back and the angle of his body, it was as if he could shield her away from the world, and she wished he could.

Once they got to her car, Tig asked that she was able to drive and with a shaky nod from Rita he started for his bike. He didn't dare take his eyes from the car driving in front of him, she was driving slower than usual but in this case he didn't mind as long as he was able to get the woman safely into her house. He should have known something was going to happen, it had been too quiet since the incident, but truthfully he didn't expect the next reaction to be so planned out which meant that whoever was now after her had gotten themselves a partner.

As they turned into her street, he kept an eye on everything from the flicker of a curtain to each of the parked cars in front of each house. When they pulled up to the drive, he indicated that she was to stay in the car while he grabbed the front key to check inside. The house was pitch black but empty, he was thankful to Half Sack for taking her brother out for dinner, that really didn't need to be added to the list of bodies piling up. "Can I come in now?" He heard Rita ask from behind him. The sound of her voice made a flare of anger rush through him as she stood at the doorway with her hands on hips.

"What didn't you get when I told you stay in the car?" He asked angrily.

"If God wanted me died, I would be." The anger only spiked at the mention of her God, he was tempted to tell her that God could go fuck himself but with the evening events he didn't think it was wise getting into religion now. The woman that he left sitting in the car wasn't the one present in front of him, she had somehow pulled herself together though he didn't want to be the one around when she finally let the threads go. A crying woman was never an easy creature to comfort. "Where's Luke?" Rita asked curiously looking behind him into the dark house. Yet again Rita always put another's well being ahead of hers, which just showed how she happened to get herself in this mess to begin with.

"He's with one of the boys," he said gruffly. Once she turned the lights on in the house, he closed the blinds on the windows and headed for the fridge.

"Luke wouldn't go-"

"Half Sack served in Iraq," Tig quickly pointed out. The statement was enough to make Rita rethink her sentence. Yes, Luke hardly ever left the house not even to check the mail box on the front lawn, yet he actually left the house with a strange. Maybe the connection they shared ruled out the rest and God was hearing her prayers.

"Do I want to know the story behind the name?" She asked shaking her head at the nickname. With the Sons, she could imagine the reason for it. "Is it..." She pointed downwards to her groin to emphasis her point, only to receive a grin from the curly haired man in front of her as he confirmed it. "What's the reason to yours?" she curiously asked. Tig just shrugged as he took his usual place in front of the TV, it seemed that tonight he wasn't in the most talkative mood. Of course this would occur the one time she needed to keep her mind busy. "Is it because you like Winnie the Pooh and his friend Tigger?" She prodded. The glare that was sent her way brought a smile to her face, her green eyes getting brighter every minute as Tig appeared unimpressed by her conclusion. Before the man could seriously do anything to show why he was the Sergeant of Arms for the club, Rita quickly made her way to the kitchen to make dinner, in other words to keep her mind and body busy.

Rita set the table as Tig chatted on his phone, she had no doubt that it was about the photos. He had given her the papers she needed, but the photos never left the pocket of his cut. She laid the plates of steak on the table and took a seat waiting patiently for him to finish. Gran always said that no matter the situation, it's considered rude to start eating without or before those you're sharing a meal with. She wondered what would have happened if her Gran had stayed alive until her and Luke were of legal age. There would have been no foster home, no violence. There would be a high possibility that she wouldn't even be seated in this kitchen or even in this town if the older woman was still living.

The sound of a chair being pulled out brought her attention to Tig taking his spot on the other side of the table. He didn't wait for any formal invite; he simply picked up his knife and fork and dug into his dinner. Rita watched him for a second before realising she was waiting for Luke to take the empty seat beside her. However, Luke wasn't in the house and the sudden realisation that she was alone with the man in front her unnerved her stomach more than the events from this evening, and that in itself wasn't a natural reaction. Slowly she picked up her knife and fork, cutting a piece of steak off before chewing it with the same motion. "Do you know when Luke's going to be home?" She asked trying to make conversation. The shrug of his shoulders made a frown appear between her eyebrows, he was carrying on like the first time they had met and she didn't appreciate it. She pushed the barely touched food to the side. "I'm going to bed." Her announcement didn't get a single reply from him; if she didn't know better he was acting like someone in a coma with his unresponsive body language or remarks. The sign that he wasn't was the fact that he was still eating. Rita didn't wait any longer, she went straight to her bedroom and locked the door behind her much like she had done the first time he stayed in the house, though the tears of agitation was something new.

Tig finally let himself breathe at the sound of the lock on her door; he let his guard down and slumped against the table for a moment to collect his thoughts. He was still angry about the woman's ability to put herself in danger even when given instructions. That wasn't the full extent, the intensity of his feelings at the threat, it wasn't a threat directed at him but that's what it felt like and this evening proved his point that the damn woman couldn't take care of herself if he wasn't around. Tig wasn't sure about his next course of action; he was travelling on a very thin line either way he looked at his situation.

::::

The next morning Rita had to check the bedroom down the hall way. She quickly opened the door and felt a rush of calm run through her at the sight of Luke under the covers in his bed. If she didn't know better Rita would have said he had spent the whole day in his room, but the new phone on his dresser was proof that he had indeed left. "I don't think he would appreciate having his baby sister check on him," she heard from behind her. She clenched her teeth at the sound of Tig's voice and closed the door so not to disturb Luke.

She waited until they were in the kitchen before saying anything. "God is answering my prayers." She went to the bench and started to make her usual coffee to wake up in the morning.

"God hasn't done shit, Half Sack came over himself," he gruffly.

"I believe that-"

"What you believe is bullshit." The coffee was abandon as she turned her full attention to Tig. She knew he disagreed with her views but after the silence last night she wasn't about to let him get away with this stunt. "He must think pretty low of women or have you forgotten what you've been through the last couple of weeks. First He was going to let Tara be killed and let's not forget about your own near death experience. Yet he lets the drug selling bastard to continue live on while they butcher women."

"Don't you dare start on what God does and does not do, and take a look at yourself. Your club uses women like an everyday toy with their strips of clothing that you use for your own pleasure, fucking them before kicking them to the corner and moving on to the next one. Your women have no respect in your club, what is the point of being an Old Lady if you're not seen or treated as an equal to their men? So don't you dare start telling me that God has done no good."

"Tell me than Rita, what good has He done for you?" The deadly tone was an opposite of the one he had used before and yet she couldn't have cared less, she didn't want to be near the man at the moment.

"Plenty," and without another word to him or waiting for a response she grabbed her handbag off the counter and left for the door. He could go fuck himself for all she cared.

It wasn't until she arrived at the hospital parking lot that she realised what had happened and the words that had spilled from her mouth and her actions. It was early morning and the parking lot was just about empty except for the night staff. Rita knew the coffee shop would be open at this hour and headed for that direction as a public place would be better than one where she would be alone after yesterday evening. She couldn't even call Tig because she had left her phone connected to the charger at home. Then again she wouldn't have called him even if it was on her, whether she liked it or not he made her second guess her beliefs.

She ordered her coffee and waited for it to be made as she stood at the counter off to the side. She glanced at her wrist watch to find that she still had half an hour before she need to start work. She just hoped to have her mind set as there was no way she could work the day with her thoughts pulling her every which way.

With her coffee in hand, she took the table at the back of the cafe and sat with her back to the wall to have the view of the room, like she had seen Tig do many times over the last couple weeks. The man was killing her and he didn't even know it, he wasn't with her and yet his words played in her mind, "what good has He done for you?" Truthfully she couldn't even answer the question herself as she took a sip of the coffee. Everything she had gone through with life boarded on the dark side, her parents, Grams death, and the foster homes with the drinking and abusive people. The only good that had really happened in her life was working her ass off and getting the degree in nursing, and who did that? Much like Tig's answer about Half Sack, herself. Was she losing faith? She couldn't be, one man couldn't change a woman with a few words, not even one such as Tig Trager.

She finished off the last of her coffee, she could have gone for another one but she needed to keep her hands busy. Grabbing her belongings she made her way for the hospital, she'd just clock in early and get the medication trolley ready for the morning round.

It was around midday and she didn't feel any better than she did this morning, and the patient Ray Martin was having one of those days in which everything she said or did made the older man agitated and he'd fire back a response. Rita hated to think badly of a patient but she was thankful that he would be going home soon. His kidney surgery had gone well and he was well on the mend though she did pity the people that have to live with the man.

Exhausted, she knew the right place to get some rest and nice company, so Rita made her way to Julie's room though she didn't get far when she realised that her afternoon break wasn't going to be as she had imagined. Sitting in the chair with his own set of cards was probably the last man she wanted to see, Rita would have taken Mr. Martin over the curly haired blue eyed demon in front of her. The damn man knew she would come here sometime during her shift. Even as she watched him play Rita thought that the word demon would have to be changed to dark angel with his handsome roughish features.

"It's nice of you to finally join us my dear," Julie said with a smile, still playing cards, but once she placed her chosen cards down, the old woman's eyes turned to Rita and her look made Rita want to backtrack her steps. "Don't even think about it," Julie said without missing a beat. Rita took a glance at Tig finding him completely at ease in the woman's company. "Why didn't you tell me that your man was a Son?"At Julie's words making it sound like she and Tig are a couple, a blush erupted across Rita's cheeks. "My Juan is one too, smart boy he is," Julie said with pride, as she placed one more card down before setting her cards to the side. "I heard you had an argument with Alex. Now darling, James and I use to fight all the time and let me tell you a little secret, the makeup sex is always the best," Julie said seriously. Rita didn't quite know what to say in response, they were friends but she never once spoke of anything remotely sexual in her company, not to mention the damn woman seemed to know everyone in this small town.

"I'll take it from here Julia, thanks," Tig said as he stood up from the table, planting a kiss on the older woman's cheek before making his way towards Rita. He grabbed her by the arm and started walking down the corridor. She saw a few co-workers giving her looks before he pulled them into one of the vacant patient rooms.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Tig?" She asked as she pushed him away to give herself some space only for him to come back like a damn yo-yo. "I'm at work; could you be a little more proper?"

"Proper?" His voice came out as a whisper but she heard it with his close distance. Her eyes flickered down to his lips for a half second and that's all it took. Before she knew what was happening he had her turned around and up on the bed without hesitation, and when she went to question his actions the words were simply lost as his lips melted into her own as he pulled her into him. Any resistance she might have had skipped town, leaving her ready and willing at the sensations he caused in her. She opened her mouth and his tongue slid inside, gentle first and then growing urgent, sending waves of heat all the way to her toes. She moaned and slipped her hands into his hair, pulling him closer.

The sound of a phone ringing made his lips rip away from her skin as he flipped open his phone, he was speaking but her mind couldn't piece together the words as her head dropped to his right shoulder. She felt all over the place from head to toe with her shaky hands, swollen lips, and aching heat.

The light kiss brought her away from her body, "I'll see you later, club business." Before she could so much as protest he was out of the room. She sat there for awhile, once her mind came back to reality she snorted at the situation she was in. Proper? Instead of the wooden door, he placed her on a bed and the whole situation was not her definition as proper; the ache between her legs was proof of that. She was definitely going to kill that man next time she saw him.

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AN: Again, thanks to my beta - Baloo18 :)