Chapter 10

As Nelly predicted, the word of her overnight stay at Opie's house soon got to Jax. She wasn't surprised to see him pull up to her house a few days later on a warm fall afternoon, while Molly and Toby were blowing soap bubbles on her porch.
"Hey, guys!" He smiled at the kids. They smiled back and went on playing. The blonde biker turned to Nelly. "I need to talk to you, darling."
"Keep the sweet talk for the hoes, Teller." She was anxious to know the reason for his visit.
"You've got a tongue on you!" He hooted, as he propped himself on the porch railing next to Nel. "Does Opie know?"

"What is it you want to talk about?"

"If you think it's about the rumours that you've been staying the night at Ope's, well, it ain't."

"So you've heard."

"Sweetheart, the whole town knows."

"It's a sad state of affairs when this town has nothing better to talk about than false rumours." She reminded herself that she knew the truth of it and he didn't. She met Jax's gaze with a steady eye. "Not that it's any of your business, but nothing happened, Jax."

"I believe you."

"Then what is it?" Nelly asked impatiently, still anxious.

"Opie's been reckless on the job lately. Taking unnecessary risks." Jax kept his tone light, but his forehead was creased with worry. "I've told him to shape up, but he's in denial. I thought maybe you'll have better luck talking to him. For some damn reason he won't listen to anyone, but you."

"So you need me to do you another favour?"
"Do him a favour, and ask him if he has a death wish." Jax voice became serious. "Remind him he's got two kids to think about."

Nelly's blood turned to ice. "I'll see what I can do."

Jax nodded in thanks and turned his attention to Molly and Toby. "How are the kiddies doing?"

"Mostly subdued and miserable, but that's to be expected."

"They seem happy enough."

"They do now, not so much when they wake up in the middle of the night crying and wanting their mom."

"Is that why you stayed?" Jax's eyes were thoughtful on hers. Nelly nodded once in reply and some of the ice between them thawed.

"Opie's been really good with the kids," she told him quietly. "Between Donna and being locked up for the last five years, it hasn't been easy for him to reconnect, but he's making an honest effort. He's a good dad, Jax, but he's a single farther in your line of work and he needs help."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister." He gave her an ironic smile and Nelly smiled back, realizing Jax was a new dad himself. He watched the kids enjoying the bubbles and added, "Ope and the kids are lucky to have you."

His comment struck her mute for a moment and then prompted a thoughtful question, "Why the change of heart, Jax?"

"If it means Ope is home, where he belongs, it's all good." Jax smiled, his usual charm back on. "You're good to him, you're good to his kids. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Are you speaking from personal experience?" Asked Nelly lightly, thinking of his reunion with Tara.

He gave her a sly smile as he replied, "So I am."

A perfect opportunity to pick up the topic of Ope's death wish had presented itself that very evening, when he came home sore and half deaf from blowing up the meth lab. Jax called Nelly ahead and filled her in on the details. She had all the ammunition by the time Opie walked in the door. After a long shower he got a beer from the fridge and he sat down by the kitchen table. He let Nelly attend to a few cuts that peppered the back of his neck. Strangely, he found it soothing and relaxed under her touch. As she washed wounds and applied bandages, Nelly said evenly, "I'm not your old lady and don't have the right to nag you, but Jaxed asked me to talk to you about this death wish you seem to have."
"So you're doing his dirty work again?" He hated it when they ganged up on him.

"Come on, Opie, he's worried about you, and that stunt you pulled today just added fuel to fire. And now that he told me about it, I'm worried too." He saw real concern in Nelly's eyes, and felt bad for being an ass.

"I'm sorry, Nelly," his voice softened, "I swear to you, I don't have a death wish. Working hard helps me forget, kills the pain." He saw it was a tough sell, but he almost had her convinced.

"Jax asked me to remind you that you have two children who need their daddy."

"I'll be more careful." Opie's promise was in earnest, but he knew that another day would bring another job and he'd do it all over again. He didn't want to die, but he still felt hollow and numb, a shell of a man he used to be. He found it difficult to comprehend why would it matter to anyone whether he lived or died.