Seriously I love all of you. You guys are the best. Different perspectives in this chapter, hope you like it!
Wayne Unser stood in shock as he stared down at his phone. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to deliver the information that he just received. He could feel the eyes of the SAMCRO members on him as he slowly turned around to face them.
"Unser, what's going on?" Clay asked as he took off his helmet.
Wayne put his head down and shoved his phone in his pocket. "That was Palisades PD. Rowan was attacked this morning, it's not looking too good."
"Jesus Christ, that girl," Piney stated. "Is that all you know?"
"Someone dropped her off in front of the hospital, she was unconscious and they brought her right in for surgery. The police checked her house and found the weapon and some message written on the wall in blood."
"Fucking psychos," Opie stated through gritted teeth. "It had to be the White Riders."
Unser shrugged. "It's possible. She's still in surgery. It could be a while until she talks."
"How did they know to contact you?" Piney asked.
"Let's just say Rowan and I kept in touch when she left. No offense to any of you but she didn't want me to tell you fellas. I'm sorry I haven't said a word about her."
"Rowan is a convincing young lady, I don't blame you," Piney replied.
"Yeah, very convincing," Unser stated as he headed back toward his car.
At that time Jax pulled into the TM parking lot, taking the spot next to Clay. He looked at his fellow club members who obtained a sad look in their eyes.
"Did someone die, or something?" Jax asked as he got off his bike.
"It's Rowan," Opie told him. "It looks like her shit finally caught up with her."
Jax looked away. "Shit, what happened to her?"
"Attacked, she's in surgery," Clay replied.
Piney looked from Clay to Jax wondering what their next move would be. He knew in his heart that those two men didn't like his daughter for her past decisions. But Piney, well he got over it. It had been two days after her high school graduation when Piney went home to find an empty bedroom with a note explaining that she just had to get out. He had sat on her bed for a long time rethinking his own choices in life and whether or not he could truly blame her for leaving. His own wife, Mary, had left and now his daughter was gone too. He thought about going after her to bring her back home where she belonged but he only knew she would resent him even more. Their relationship never meant something and if he wanted to be a good father he just had to let her do what she wanted. It was Opie and Jax who he couldn't control. He tried to tell them over and over that it was her life and she could do what she wanted but nothing was good enough for them. So he let them look for her but he knew Rowan wouldn't leave a trace. She was a smart girl, graduated with honors, and she would leave them with dead ends. And she did. Piney had to give her a round of applause.
"I don't know about you boys but it looks like I'm taking a trip out to Palisades," Piney declared as he headed over toward his bike.
"I'm coming with you Pop," Opie said and went to his bike too.
"We'll all go," Clay decided. "If these bastards are the ones who got to Rowan than its safe to say they aren't in that hotel room in Oakland." He turned to look at Bobby. "You stay with Chibs and Juice, keep an eye on things here."
Bobby nodded. "You got it boss."
Piney didn't wait any longer as he started up his bike and pulled right out of TM with Opie, Clay, Jax, Tig and Happy close behind him. He reflected a lot of things about his life on the ride to Palisades. He wondered what his life would have turned out to be if he never started SAMCRO with JT. Where he would have been and who he would have been. SAMCRO was their freedom and instead he trapped his son and daughter into what he thought was a stable environment, what he thought would have given them a good life. He realized now that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. SAMCRO had forced him to lose his wife and daughter knowing the defeat he faced without even trying to fight. Deep down in his heart he was proud of Rowan and the life she had created for herself. She had made it even if she was quite the smart ass.
Jax kept his eyes on the road and his hands gripped tight as they finally reached the sign welcoming them into Palisades. The hospital was another ten minutes and the six of them walked right in and to the front desk.
The woman behind the counter stood up upon their entrance. "Can I help you gentlemen?"
"We're looking for Rowan Davenport," Opie told her.
The woman's face turned into a frown. "I'm sorry but Miss. Davenport just got out of surgery and is bringing brought into the ICU, only family will be able to see her when she wakes up."
"We are family," Piney said, stepping forward. "I'm her father."
"I'm sorry…The records we have on Miss. Davenport show she never had a father. There is not much I can do."
Piney slammed his fist on the counter and Jax pulled him back. "Jesus, old man, calm down!"
"She's denying me to see my daughter!" Piney shouted back as Jax sat him down in a chair.
Jax leaned down to look Piney in the eye. "Not another word, we'll handle this."
Piney shrugged Jax's hands off of him. Jax rolled his eyes before returning to the group. He looked at the woman and asked, "Is she alone? Does she have anyone?"
"No," the woman said. "Her fiancé was called, he's here. I can see if he'll come out and talk to you."
"Thanks, that would be appreciated," Jax replied.
The woman nodded before she walked down a hallway. Opie stood there dumbfounded. He wondered why she hadn't spoken about being engaged. He also found himself becoming furious with the man, the man his sister was with and he didn't even know. He plopped down in the seat next to Piney.
"Jeez, we don't know shit about Rowan," Opie said and Piney glanced over at him.
"I kind of guessed. She always had the mark of a ring on that particular finger."
"Why do you think she hid it?" Tig asked, curiously.
"Must be part of the job, doesn't want to mix work with personal," Piney responded as he looked around the room. He really just wanted to know if she was okay.
Suddenly, a breathless Rob turned the corner spotting the members of SAMCRO. He took a deep breath as he approached them.
"You all are here for Rowan right?" Rob asked as the six men looked up at him. "I think we should talk outside."
"The asshole got her three times in the abdomen. Didn't hit any major arteries but she lost a lot of blood. They had to remove her appendix and some of her intestines, guy got her even lower…She was pregnant. Baby's gone."
Silence filled all of them and Rob knew how they felt. It had been like a huge knock to the face when the doctor told him. He had said that it was early in the pregnancy and Rowan probably didn't even know. He hoped that she didn't know because of their track records with failed pregnancies. It only had been seven months since her last miscarriage and he swore Rowan wasn't coming back after that one. He didn't know why God was giving them all of these obstacles when all he wanted was a family with Rowan.
"Doc said she was early in the pregnancy, it's likely that Rowan didn't even know," Rob continued on. "But overall she'll heal."
"Jesus Christ," Piney said. "Pregnant?"
Rob nodded. "I didn't know either. She and I have had a lot of difficulty with trying to have a baby. I don't know how I'm going to tell her."
"Maybe you shouldn't, if the doc said she didn't know then you're only protecting her," Opie stated.
"Yeah, and I'll look like an asshole if she finds out from someone else. Look, she isn't up yet probably won't be for a couple of hours. She has some officers watching over her but I'll let her know you guys are here and see if you can talk to her. It's the best I can do for you all riding out here."
"Fiancé, you know about us?" Clay asked.
Rob nodded. "Rowan didn't want to keep it a secret. I have no problems with any of this. You all were special to her even if she doesn't come out and say it."
Jax watched Rob walk off and back into the hospital. He wanted to throw up. Rowan knew about that baby and now he felt like a total dick for getting angry at her for her not saying a word to him. Rowan was good at keeping secrets and leaving you to find out in the worst possible ways.
"I actually feel bad for that spunky chick," Clay said as he sat down on a bench.
"Yeah, and I dealt with that spunk for eighteen years," Piney added. "Poor girl probably didn't even see it coming."
"Should we go check the house? See if we find anything? I'm sure Palisades PD is finished for the night," Clay said and with a show of hands five of them were riding off while Piney stayed at the hospital.
There was caution tape around the front porch and Tig ran around back to see if he could get a window open. The one in the kitchen opened with ease and he slid in heading for the front door to let the rest of them in. It was then he noticed the blood…So much blood. Tig always held a special place for Rowan in his heart. She added a certain spice to the clubhouse and everyone always seemed a little bit happier when she came waltzing in the doors. When she left Charming it shocked him. He never even thought that Rowan was even thinking about leaving and when she did he felt like he had been lied to.
"Tig, are you in?" Clay shouted from outside the front door. Tig snapped out of it and unlocked the front door letting the rest in.
Yet the only thing everyone could look at were the words written across the wall in what everyone knew was Rowan's blood. The beginning…
Piney sat stone faced as he watched people walk in and out of the hospital. Some were crying, others were happy but mostly he couldn't get the feeling of sickness and death off of him. He took a sip of the water one of the nurses had given him as he continued to wait. It was almost eight o'clock and Opie and Jax had joined him about a half hour ago. The rest of the group went back to Charming knowing they couldn't do much for Rowan. He didn't want to know about the crime scene and Opie and Jax didn't share it with him.
Piney saw Rob enter the room and he waved at him as the three of them stood up. Rob walked up to them and said, "She's up. She's groggy though, the doctor is in talking to her. Nurses are putting her on some heavier pain medication."
"Are we able to see her?" Piney asked.
"I brought it up to her but she wants talk to you," Rob said looking over at Jax.
"Me?" Jax questioned.
Rob nodded. "First loves never die."
Jax looked at Opie and Piney who encouraged him to go. He followed Rob down the hallway and to her room where two officers stood outside her door. The doctor was waiting as well and gestured for Rob to speak a little ways down the hall. Rob told Jax to head on and after taking a deep breath he slowly opened the door.
Rowan's eyes were closed and they opened when he entered. She was pale, with IV's in her arms and Jax wanted nothing but to hold her. He grabbed her hand, pulling a chair up next to her.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I got stabbed," she responded and Jax rolled his eyes. Leave it to Rowan to have wit in the given situation.
"Do you know who did this?"
"Who do you think?"
"Did you see them?"
She ignored his question. "I haven't given anyone my statement yet…I'm not going to include you in it."
Jax's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"You've picked me up plenty of times when I've fallen. And you weren't short of doing that today. You followed me home?"
"I tried to stay far enough back so you wouldn't know. I saw them run out of the house and that's when I went in."
Jax saw Rowan smile. "You saved me."
"I'm sorry this happened to you."
"You mean about the baby?"
"All of this Rowan, you didn't deserve it."
"Maybe I did, getting in bed with the wrong people."
"SAMCRO fucked up by going into that house but no one ever thought they would go after you."
"Yeah, I didn't think so either." Jax held her hand tighter as Rowan stared at him, admiringly. "You're brave and I thank you for what you did. You know what could have happened."
"I'm glad we'll never have to find out."
Jax stayed with her until she fell asleep. He stood up, kissed her cheek and left. The ride back to Charming made him realize one thing; He had never moved on.
