Jax walks into the cabin. "Just ignore the large dead black man the boys are about to carry in okay?" he said and started rolling her back toward the bedroom.
Jenna laughed. "I think I might be really like evil because truthfully the only thing I care about right now is getting my truck cleaned. Are you and Chibby okay?"
"We're fine." He rolls her into the room and squats in front of her for a moment.
She grabs his face and begins to look him over for injuries. A shiner and scrape to the temple are all she can see. "This was Clay, it's gotta be Jax Frankie isn't smart enough."
"You may have a point. Stay here okay?" he kissed her cheek and her turns on her IPod. Total Eclipse Of the heart pours out.
She watches him walk out and grabs her kindle. She begins reading and ignores the guys talking trash followed by a distinct thunk-thunk sound. She reads awhile longer until her phone rings.
"This had better be good Juicy, I'm just getting to the good part and by the good part I mean sex."
"Gemma and the kids were in accident they're at St. Thomas."
"What?"
"They hit a tree, I don't know anymore."
"Juiceā¦"
"Take a breath and get Jax. I'll meet you there Jen. It's gonna be fine."
-/-/=/-
Jenna stares a head silent and unmoving as Jax drives toward the hospital. He picks up her hand and squeezes lightly. "Stay out of your head Jenna, they'll be fine honey."
She looks over at him. "I'm tired of losing Jackson."
"We're not going too baby." He kissed the back of her hand.
"Why did home boy have no hands earlier?" she asks referring to the body they'd left behind.
"I wanted to send a clear message."
"Homie No hands certainly does that. Gross Jackson," She leads her head on to her window and watches the world pass in a night shrouded blur.
-/-/-/-
Jenna is hugged by Joss and then Juice scooped her up. "Is it bad?" falls on the fabric of his Hanes t-shirt.
"We don't know they won't say," he replies then adds. " we aren't considered family." He sounds just a little hurt.
"That reminds me, I need to have Lohan draw up some stuff."
"I'll set it up for you."
Tara walks in and sees Juice holding Jenna and Clay hovering warily near Jax.
"Gemma has a mild concussion and some bruising, Arizona is perfectly fine and Abel's heart ryhtm was altered from the shock of the crash."
Juice sits Jenna carefully in her hair. "Fix it." Jenna states plainly,
"I will, I need to chemically ablate his heart muscle to repair the damaged tissue and reset his heart rate.
"Ablate?" Jax asked.
"Ablation is a process where I run a Cather from his femoral artery up to his heart and inject a chemical into heart chambers to burn away the damage."
"You're going to burn my child's heart." Jenna said slowly.
"It's perfectly safe and he won't feel a thing Jen. It'll work I promise."
"Then do it, I trust you." She nods firmly.
"Someone needs to write that down for posterity." Bobby stated.
"Bite me." Jenna retorted and rolled off.
-/-/-/-
After checking on Arie and leaving her with Joss Jenna sets out to go find Jax and stops short when she sees Juice talking to Roosevelt. She hears the term "Blood bond" and her interest is piqued but she turns and goes the other way so as not to be seen.
She turns directly into Jax. "Oh I was looking for you."
"I was talking to Unser what is Juice doing?" He says looking over her shoulder.
"I don't know come see Zona while we wait for Abe." She pushes at him abdomen to get him moving. He's distracted but relents.
"Alright." Jenna doesn't know what exactly is going but she has a feeling Juice owes her one. With one last look over her shoulder she goes into Arizona's room.
They both sit staring silently at Arizona when Jax speaks. "He's been through so much already and he's only three. Arizona too Jenna it's just starting for her and she's 11 months old."
Jenna laughed dryly and made a strangled sound. Jax looks up at the noise. And sees Jenna's tear filled eyes. "Her birthday is in two weeks Jax. We got lucky this wasn't far worse, we're lucky they aren't all dead. She hit a fucking tree Jax. What if she was high or drunk? I left them with Joss she wouldn't have handed them over if she'd smelled something but-"
"You can cover pot with perfume and eye drops and vodka doesn't smell. I've been thinking the same thing babe, if she did this Jenna, god help me if she did this I don't know what I'll do." Jax shook his head and got to his feet to pace the room.
"You do what you have too baby, and if you can't I will."
"I forgot her birthday. I forgot my daughter's birthday Jenna. I don't want to be that guy." He stared out the window.
"You won't we have a party to plan."
"Clown theme?" He teased without looking at her.
"Oh fuck you." Jax just laughed.
-/-/=/-
Jenna wasn't supposed to sleep in the spare hospital bed but that didn't stop Jax from making her do so as he slept in the plastic recliner chair in between Abel's bed and Arie's crib.
Tara walked in and saw Jax sleeping with and hand on each of them and Jenna lay curled on her side facing them. In that moment for once she wasn't bitter.
She touched Jax's shoulder and he jerked awake. "The procedure worked his rhythm is holding fine, Arie's in the clear and your mom is awake."
"Can we take them home?" he squints up at her sleepily,
"Arie today, Abel tomorrow."
Tara goes to wake Jenna. "Let her sleep, I wasn't leaving her in the goddamn chair."
"That's fine."
Jax gets up and stretches and leaves Jenna a note on the white board in bright pink dry erase marker. Went to see Mom and didn't want to wake you. He drew a heart and signed his name.
"A heart? Really?"
"It'll make her smile and here lately we need reason. Room number" he finger combed his hair and threw on his cut.
"She's in 402."
"Thanks."
-/-/-/-
Jax returns to Jenna feeding Abel breakfast. Arizona lay on her back with her legs drawn up resting the bottle she's eating using both hands and feet. Jax laughs cocking his head he smiles down at her. "You must be part monkey Zona girl."
"That was quick." Jenna states glancing at him. "Mornin'"
Jax leans down and kisses Arizona before answering. "Mom said she was run off the road. Mornin' my Jenna."
"You believe that?" she turns toward him.
"Maybe, are you feeding him Jell-O?" Jax asks moving to sit on the end of the bed.
"At the sight of malt o meal he staged a revolt."
"Can't say I blame him." Jax replied leaning over to kiss Abel's bandaged head.
"Wanna know what I think?"
"Always. I want a bite."
"Get your own Jell-O." Abel said. Jax scowled making Jenna laugh..
"I think she just ran off the road and Clay's using it to his advantage. Diversion's a good defensive."
"But why?"
"Guy's black right. Penny ante criminal?"
"Yeah"
"Just a wild guess but he'll shove it off on Pope. Saying he likes to harm our kids. Dawn being the perfect Old Testament eye for an eye example." Arizona starts to fuss so Jax gets up and holds her.
"So it gives him time to find Frankie and get whatever it is he needs while I'm distracted by Pope and it really was Just Frankie all along." He stated bouncing Arizona up and down.
"Or your mom let him lie because she was drunk."
"You're getting too good at this shit it's scary."
Jenna laughs.
"As hell." He adds.
_/-/-/-
Jenna pulls into Diosa Norte at the say time as Jax. "What are you doin' here?" they shout to each other over the growl of Jax's bike and the purr of Jenna's truck they cut the engines and Jenna accidently yells. "Lyla called me!" at him.
Jax smiles at Jenna's own personal "Lucille Ball" moment. " Red hair and all." he murmurs.
"What?" she glances at him?
"Nothing." He replies and helps her from the chair. "Nero called me."
"That's probably not a good sign we both got called." Jenna points out as Chibs and Bobby pull in.
"Don't borrow trouble Baby." Jax replies.
_/-/-/-
Jenna is first through the door. "Get the door for the lass Jackie boy!" Jenna waves them off realizing the room is too quiet and the reception area empty.
"Yo! Ly! I'm here." She calls out. She turns into the seating area to see Frankie Diamonds holding Lyla and Nero hostage. A gun is jammed into Lyla's mouth. She freezes for a second and Jax walks into her. She dimly hears Jax curse ripely from behind her.
"Frankie let's just think about this." Jax tries calmly.
"Gimmie what's mine or Ope's whore gets a bullet. Drop your guns and knives." They all comply.
"Trade for me." Jenna says and hopes Jax doesn't kill her.
She rolls away from Jax. "Look whatever it is that you need Frankie we'll figure it out. You need leverage now fine. I make more sense than Lyla. You kill her and Ope's kids have no one." She takes a breath. "So I need you to just trust me and let me take her place. "She hopes Jax can read into that." You kill me? Then I chose it no harm no foul." She holds up her hands in surrender.
He tosses aside Lyla and grabs her shoving the muzzle of the gun to her temple. Her heart rate kicks up and she prays and breathes deep hoping to stave off autonomic dysreflexia. Jax lurches forward and Chibs grabs him yanking him back.. "He will kill her, think Jackie."
"Yes, I will I never liked the little slut anyway." He growls out yanking at her hair.
"You still bitter 'cause I wouldn't let you find out if the carpet matched the drapes when I was fourteen Frankie? I Figured you'd be over it by now."
"What?" Jax growled.
"Shut up or swear to God I'll kill her yappy ass anyway."
"Ok, just don't hurt her. Please." Jax knows he sounds likes he begging and that's fine because he is.
"On your knees" He commanded them.
The men comply and Lyla cowers in a corner near were Nero is seated.
"What do you want?" Bobby pipes up.
"My 250k as promised."
"By who?" Jax clarifies.
"Clay wanted the home invasions pointed at you to make you look weak and regain his power and paid me and my crew to do it. And to give me a cut in later. I just want my payment."
"We don't have it. Money from the drugs go to the Mayans and Cartel, guns go straight to the Irish I'll need time." Jax explains trying to figure out a way to bargain for his wife's life. If he didn't love her so much he'd kill her for this shit.
He cocks the gun. "I've got it." Nero shouts. "250 is all you want then I got it. 30 thousand a couple watches in my office safe. 10-9-03 is the combination."
"You go?" Frankie directed at Bobby.
He does as he's bid and returns with the package. He tosses it at Frankie who catches it and shoves Jenna away. He snatches the keys to Nero's truck off the coffee table. "You with me Scottie. Insurance."
Chibs goes with him.
"Please don't-"Jenna tries and Frankie turns and shoots at her but misses and catches Lyla who'd come to her side in the thigh with a bullet.
-/-/-/-
Once she was sure Lyla was going to be seen to she stepped out into the hall.
"Why'd you do that?" Jax yells at her.
"Why do you think? I don't want Ope's kids to be orphans again! "She yells back.
"What about ours Jenna? Did you think about our kids? Because- dying is not the way to honor Opie and you know it." Jax paces and yells more. He'd of killed you for that shit! "He glances at her his eyes glassy. "Jesus Christ Jenna-"he mutters softly and sniffs.
"I'm sorry I scared you."
He clears his throat revving up again. "You didn't scare me Jenna! What I felt just now was terror not fear. You terrorized me to play hero!"
"Like you don't do the same goddamn thing. Every day Jax." She says calmly and grabs his hand only to be shrugged off.
"She has a point." Nero stated calmly. "I didn't sign up for this, you have got to get in front of this shit and stop it Jax!"
"I have a lot going on right now, I'm trying man." Jax replies tiredly as he squats down in front of Jenna.
"I got in this with you because you want to do better but you've got to try harder. You have a beautiful wife, granted she's bat shit crazy but I get it she's loyal. You got good kids. Stop going from disaster to disaster using band aids and think big picture. "
"That stuff with your mom, the lie it's fixable."
"What lie?" He gets to his feet and advances on Nero.
"She let Clay lie for her she was high but the lie because she was scared. Like you, with your band aid solutions."
"Oh she should be scared." Jenna stated.
"That's not going to fix anything."
"She almost killed my kids!" Jax shouts.
"You gonna beat her up? Don't you think your family's done that enough?"
"He may not but I sure as fuck will." Jenna spits out going for the door.
"You know what? You want Gemma; you got her and all her bull shit. Just don't come crying to me when you finally figure out where I get that little band aid mentality from. Partner." Jax retorted vitrolically
-/-/-/
"She asked permission to see them." Joss says whispering to Jenna and nodding her head toward Gemma...
"Alright." Jenna rolls forward and takes Arie from Gemma. "Take her out for a bit please." She hands her over to Joss. Jenna watches them leave the hospital room and makes sure Abel is still sleeping before she does anything.
Once it's all clear. "You got one shot to shoot straight with me Gem and even then it might not get you anything. I will know if you are lying so I'd think real hard before you tried it again. Right now, I'm not family, I am not your pseudo daughter who puts up with your shit because try as she might, she really does love you. Right now I am extremely pissed off mother."
"Is there something you feel we need to be told?" Jax adds.
"I- just I love them so much. I didn't want to lose time with them I never thought, I drive high all the time. Hell Jenny, you've done it too." She justifies.
Jenna snapped Gemma's neck to the side with a stiff right. "I have not."
Then it followed with a left. "That was for trying to kill my kids with your ignorance."
She grabbed Gemma by the hair and rapped her head back on the wall hard. "That was for slapping me three weeks ago."
"I'm sorry." Gemma said seemingly holding back tears and cradling her face.
"I don't believe you." Jenna replied coolly and forged on." You may never see my kids ever again I hope you know that. If you do it will be because I made you bow, scape, and beg. You'll be selling your soul first." Jenna spit in her face and left.
-/-/-/-
Jax found Jenna sitting in the center of the bed. Arizona sits next to her playing with a foam bath block.
Their serious expressions and fresh from the bath wet hair makes him smile.
"She looks just like you right now." He directed at Jenna.
"This is my side of the bed Miss Zona." He goes to climb up in the bed. Arizona points to him. "Dada!"
"No!" she shouts and tries to push him away.
"I'm thinking she's decided to sleep here tonight." Jenna looks over at him and grins.
"There's the smile I love" he climbs up on the bed and sits Arie in his lap.
"You are wearing your sneaks."
"I'll ditch em 'in a minute. Talk to me."
"I officially trust no one Jax." She turns off the TV.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes. Implicitly questionably." She pins him with an old look. He hadn't seen the "I trust you because I love you." Look in weeks.
"Then it's not no one. I have a way to catch Clay and cut him out. It will be effective but you won't like it. Even though you gave me the idea."
"How?" She asks trying to ferret out the plot.
"Beg bow and scrape. Love is a powerful motivator. She can regain Clay's trust. He still loves her. We get her to do that she can see the babies."
"If anyone did that to us, used our love for each other and our family against us I'd kill them."
"You in?" He asked.
"Jesus Jax that's using our children as a bargaining chip."
"I know, I don't like it either but I wouldn't gamble it if I didn't think she did really love them."
"Okay. Do it." She let out a breath.
"I'll go explain things and relieve Joss. I'll stay with little man."
"You can get him to sleep?"
"I know your tricks." He kissed both of them and got up. "Goodnight my girls I love you."
"My girls huh?" Jenna smiled.
"You don't mind?"
"No, it's sweet. I love you Jaxy goodnight. Ride careful." She tucked the baby in with her and turned on the TV. The door closed behind Jax in the kitchen.
She hears his bike start. "I hope you're right this time Jackson, for all our sakes."
