Chapter 4
"Gemma! Gemma! She's being released! Isla's going to be released tomorrow afternoon!" Luann's feverish excitement made even Gemma crack a smile.
"That's great sweetheart, is she staying with you?" the smile faltered for just a second but long enough that it didn't go unnoticed
"Yes" Luann resolved "Yes she is, I'm all she's got left" she looked over her shoulder and into the private room. Isla was still asleep but the tubes were gone, she no longer looked so ghostly.
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The first thing she became aware of was the smell, still that sterile, chemical smell with a hint of something else, something more familiar. The second thing she became aware of was the sound of voices just outside her door, someone who sounded familiar; like a distant memory. The third thing she became aware of was the other person breathing heavily next to her. Once again that all too familiar fear filled her chest, her throat tightened and her ice blue eyes snapped open before Isla let out a high pitched scream.
The police officer at her bedside just about jumped out of his skin as he was rudely awakened from his sneaky little nap. "Jesus—"
"You better get your sorry ass outta here!" the blonde porn queen stormed through the door, for such a short woman she sure towered in her six inch heels. The officer nodded and scurried off; no doubt one of Hale's little minions, though he didn't quite have the balls to stand up to the two woman glaring at him in the room.
Luann sat down on the edge of Isla's bed, trying to soothe the girl. Her screaming quickly subsided and the fear left her eyes as they widened.
"Lu-Luann?" the porn queen nodded, her own blue eyes murky with unshed tears
"Hello baby" she sobbed as the girl flung herself into her aunts outstretched arms as if she were still only 13.
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It had been two weeks since Isla was released; Luann sat before her computer screens, her head in her hands. The sound coming from the screens started to become fuzzy and darkness behind her eyelids took over.
"Luann?!" she jumped up, almost knocking over her coffee in the process
"In here!" Gemma appeared in the door way, she gave Luann a once over and her slight smirk turned to concern.
"Sweetheart when was the last time you slept? You look dead on your feet?" Luann rubbed her eyes and gave a small smile.
"Things have been ... a little different to what I was expecting" Gemma cocked her head to one side waiting on an explanation.
"Isla isn't sleeping very well, she's having some real bad nightmares" Luann frowned "It's bad Gem, I went in last night, she was screaming, thrashing around. Looked like she gauged a chunk out her own arm" The porn queen let out an exaggerated sigh; she wasn't really sure where to go with this. Luann looked up to see Gemma staring intently at her with a small smirk on her face.
"Take a few nights off sweetheart, Isla can come and stay with me for a couple of days. Clay has been spending a lot of time at the clubhouse so it's just me" she raised her eyebrows as her friend opened her mouth to protest stopping her in her tracks.
"Bu—"Luann stopped after a moment's thought. "Thank you Gem" she smiled, not wanting to admit that a good night's sleep was very much welcome in her book. Luann loved her niece more than anything but she was struggling however that was not something she was about to admit to Gemma who she knew would happily go through many sleepless nights for her family.
Later that evening Gemma went back to give Isla a ride from Luann's place, Jax had offered to go and get her himself but after seeing how jumpy and nervous Isla was around Clay, Chibs and Tig earlier in the week Gemma decided it was best for her to do the job herself.
"So how are you finding it with Luann?" Isla's blue eyes focused round to her.
"Oh yeah, it's great; I mean Luann does everything she possibly can for me." She smiled at the thought of her aunt. Isla had never been happier to be home and safe but she knew her aunt felt a little awkward around her, didn't really know what to say. Gemma nodded; she could tell Luann was a little out of her depth. "How hungry are you?" Gemma asked as she unlocked the door and led Isla inside. "Soup okay?" Isla nodded and followed her lead.
"Make yourself at home" Gemma called out as she lit up a cigarette and started to bustle around the kitchen, pulling a saucepan out here and a ladle from there. Isla stopped in the living room, her rucksack dropping to her feet as she looked around. There were so many pictures everywhere, so many different faces; a few that she recognised from years ago. Pictures of happier times.
Isla smiled slightly at a picture of Gemma's son Jackson, and his best friend Opie. She remembered them from school just the way they looked in the photo, all satisfied smirks and floppy hairstyles. There were photos of other club members and Gemma's other son Thomas who Isla could just about remember. She stopped in front of the photos that stood on the mantel piece and bit her lip as one photo in particular caught her eye. Three women with their arms around each other, all of them pulling the silliest faces they could, they all looked so happy. Isla could feel her eyes welling up with unshed tears; she was so lost in staring at their faces she didn't notice Gemma come up behind her.
"You okay sweetheart?" the younger woman jumped a little,
"Oh, um... yeah, just got a little smoke in my eyes or something" She rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper, not quite meeting Gemma's eye.
"I didn't realise you were friends with my mom too" She whispered, her voice catching slightly as she spoke. Gemma leaned over and picked up the photo, smiling softly at it with affection she nodded. "Yeah. Me, your mom and Luann. We were best friends in high school" Isla nodded and scrubbed her eyes again. Luann had sat down with her not long after she got out the hospital and told her the truth.
About ten years after Isla had disappeared her mom had given up all hope of ever finding her daughter again. Her entire life had collapsed when her baby girl went missing, her business went to ruins and she didn't care at all. She blamed herself, believing that if only she had been a better mother and watched over Isla better, she would never have been taken. Eventually it had become too much for Emily and she'd taken her own life.
"Keep it baby" Gemma looked at Isla, who sniffed a little bit and nodded. The older woman pulled her into a hug and let her cry out her feelings. Te two of them sat together on the floor in front of the fire place. Isla sobbing quietly and Gemma stoking her blonde curls. She knew there was nothing to say that would soothe Isla, she had to just wait it out. Eventually the crying subsided and Gemma told Isla to go and get some sleep, the girl looked exhausted. The soup had long been forgotten and neither woman were particularly hungry anymore.
"Hey mom?" Jax called out as he kicked the kitchen door shut behind him.
"SHHH! Isla's asleep!" Gemma looked up from the newspaper she was reading and shook her head. Jax gave an apologetic grin and came to sit down beside her "Sorry I forgot she was staying." He took the spliff that Gemma had been puffing on and inhaled deeply.
"How's she doing anyway? Chibs said she seemed a little freaked out when she came by the shop with Luann the other day?"
Gemma sighed and took her spliff back. "Well yeah, I don't think she's exactly very trusting of you guys right now" she explained her voice dripping with sarcasm. It would take a while before Isla was able to trust a man again.
They both stopped dead as a scream pierced the silence. Before jumping up and rushing to the spare bedroom.
"Holy shit" Gemma gasped as she flung the door open. Isla was obviously in the middle of one of the nightmares Luann had warned them about but she really wasn't joking when she said that Isla had taken a chunk of her own arm. The skin on her forearm was bloody and bruised.
"Jax help me" Between the two of them they managed to pin Isla's arms back and prevent her from hurting herself any more, for such a small girl she was deceivingly strong.
She could hear him whistling as he came closer and closer to his trailer "Precious I'm back!" he called out and she felt sick to her stomach. He was in one of his strange moods again and they never ended well for her. The door was flung open and sunlight filled the trailer for a moment, the sound of people laughing could be heard somewhere outside and the smell of fresh air reached her nostrils. Then he slammed the door and she was once again surrounded by the smell of dirt and unwashed people. "Hello my precious play thing" The clown wore that evil smile that never truly reached his eyes. In fact his eyes seemed full of hatred and anger. She pulled nervously on the ropes that bound her wrists and tried to move away from the grubby hand that was snaking closer and closer to her face. He paused and pulled back for a split second before slapping her sharply "What have I told you about pulling away?!" He roared in her face. "After all this time you still never learn" Lifting his hand he struck her again and she was plunged back into total darkness.
"Isla! Sweetheart wake up!" Gemma almost yelled as she tried to shake the girl awake. "Isla?! It's okay, you're okay!" she let go of Isla as soon as she opened her eyes and pulled her closer into a hug, assessing the damage to Isla's arm as she cried into Gemma's shoulder.
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Jax can you take this through to Isla?" Gemma handed her son a cup of chamomile tea before massaging her temples slightly. "Look I need to run down to TM, all the decent first aid stuff is down there and I really wanna get some antiseptic cream and a bandage on those scratches" Gemma huffed a little knowing there was no point in sending Jax as he'd just get dragged into the clubhouse and never come back.
"Hey Isla? Can I come in?" Jax knocked on her door before going into the bedroom and placing the mug down on her bedside table. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before sitting down in the chair across from her bed
"You okay Darlin?" he frowned as she stared up at him with wide eyes.
"Umm yeah I'm all good. Sorry" Jax couldn't help but laugh at her
"No need to apologise" After what she'd been through he wouldn't really expect anything less. Isla nodded and took the tea, sipping it slowly. Chamomile had always been her favourite she wondered briefly how Gemma knew. "My mom has just gone down to the shop she wanted to get a few things for your arm" Jax looked over at the deep scratches which seemed to have stopped bleeding. Isla bit her lip and tried to cover them with her hand; Jax smiled almost sadly and got up to leave.
"Umm, Jackson?" he couldn't help but smirk
"Call me Jax Darlin, only my mother calls me Jackson." He leaned against the door frame, his own blue eyes locking with her icy ones.
"Right. Sorry. Um... Would you mind staying for a bit?" Isla chewed anxiously on her lip. Although she didn't like to admit it, the darkness terrified her now. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with it. Jax seemed surprised at her request, after the warning from Gemma he had thought the last thing she would want was to be left alone with another man.
"Yeah sure, I can stay for a bit" he took up his seat by the window again and looked out, trying not to stare at Isla. Only when her breathing had slowed right down did he look back, she was fast sleep, her blonde hair sprawled out on the pillow behind her like some sort of golden halo. Resting his head on his hand Jax couldn't help but stare at the girl. Although she was looking much better than she had when he had found her, Jax could still see the dark circles and the drawn back look about her however he couldn't deny it. She was still beautiful, in a strange, haunting way. He sighed turning back to his view out the window.
'No point going there Jackie boy, you do not wanna go there'
A/N: Thank you for your continued support everyone, would especially like to thank Eowyn628, who's stories y'all should definitely check out! I wasn't sure how I wanted this chapter to go but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Sorry it took me so long! Please read and review, I love hearing all your thoughts! Thanks again my lovelies x
