Gemma and Clay laid together for another hour before Gemma spoke. "It is time for us to go home Clay. Jax and Tara have been watching Sean for a couple of hours now. Besides, we need to get you back on a regular schedule when it comes to your medicine. I just need to check out of the hotel. You can head home and I will meet you there." Gemma got out of the bed and put on her shoes. She grabbed her purse and cell phone and waited on Clay.
Clay reluctantly pulled himself out of the bed. It wasn't that the bed was all that comfortable he just didn't want to let Gemma go. "Okay…I will meet you at home then." said Clay. Gemma got ready to walk out of the door and Clay stopped her grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. "I love you." said Clay. He pulled her in against him and kissed her. "Never forget that…" said Clay looking into her eyes.
"I love you too Clay…" said Gemma. She kissed his cheek and left the room and went down to the front desk. She checked out of her room and paid and then left the hotel. Gemma took her time driving home. She pulled up at the house and saw Clay leaning against his bike.
Gemma raised an eyebrow. "Have you been waiting out here long? I took the scenic route back to town."
"I'd wait forever baby…" said Clay with a smirk. Clay walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Clay walked with her up to the house.
Gemma saw that the glass in the front door had been replaced. She took out her keys and unlocked the door and walked into the house. She said "Smells like someone decided to cook." She looked down at the keys in her hands. "I'll get copies made for you tomorrow…."
Clay nodded and said "Okay…thank you Gemma. I should probably head to the club and get my stuff…I don't have anything here and I need a shower. It is okay if I move my stuff back in tonight right?"
"Of course. But why don't you take Jax with you so that he can help you. Jax?" called Gemma walking into the kitchen
Jax was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer watching Tara cook dinner. Jax asked "How are you feeling mom?" Jax hugged Gemma.
"I am feeling okay, just a little tired. It is nothing that a little rest won't cure. I need a favor from you. Can you go to the club and help Clay bring home his clothes…?" asked Gemma.
Jax nodded and said "Sure, I can do that. When?"
"I was hoping now..." said Gemma.
"Of course you were. Okay, well dinner won't be ready for another hour or so. I think we can get him packed up and back home before then. Jax looked at Clay. Come on old man." said Jax looking at Clay. Jax walked over to Tara and kissed her. "I will be back soon baby." said Jax. Jax walked out of the kitchen with Clay and they left the house heading over to the club.
Gemma poured herself a glass of the expensive vodka Elliot had left behind. She drank from the glass and tried to settle her nerves. Gemma wasn't sure how well this was going to work or if it was going to work at all. They were still a long way from reconciliation and she worried that Clay didn't truly understand that. Gemma was so much in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Tara sitting at the table with her.
Tara said "Are you really okay Gemma?"
"Okay as I can be under the circumstances…" quipped Gemma with an ironic smirk. She drank more of the vodka and settled down more.
"Well, Clay is moving back in that is a good thing right?" asked Tara.
"Things aren't the same as they used to be…and I don't know that they will ever be…at least not in the near future. Now it is about managing Clay's expectations. I am not ready to just fall into our old routines like this didn't happen. I cannot pretend like he didn't betray me…in the worst possible way. But at the same time he needs me…not just for himself but for Sean as well. He is moving back in but he will be staying in one of the extra rooms…" said Gemma.
"It will take some time and forcing things to be the way they used to be won't help either one of you. But letting him move back in is progress. Right?" asked Tara.
Gemma said "Truth be told…if Clay and Sean didn't need me…I don't know that I would even let Clay move back in right now. I don't know that I am ready to be his wife again. I love him…but there is anger still burning in my heart. And Alexis is still out there…I appreciate you and Jax being here but I think tonight you two should probably go home…"
"Well, you know Jax isn't going to go for that. Alexis still hasn't been found and he isn't about to leave you alone with that lunatic on the loose. Secondly, he doesn't believe that Clay didn't slap you so he definitely is going to want to keep an eye on that situation. And my suggestion to you is…if Clay did slap you…never let Jax know…because he will retroactively kick Clay's ass." said Tara.
"Trust me… I have no intention of ever telling Jax details about our fight…that is another thing Clay and I have to work out. I can't lie…being away from Clay was hard. The entire situation was tough. Everyone in the club knew about Clay's affair with Alexis. The town was talking about why Clay no longer lived here at the house it was humiliating when rumors of an affair started to circulate. All of that was pure hell. But I also enjoyed being single…I haven't been single since…I was a teenager. I enjoyed being by myself sometimes. Doing what I wanted to do." said Gemma. Gemma got up and looked at the flowers sitting on the counter.
"Sorry about moving them I put some more water into the vases for you. Don't worry we took the cards out but I didn't let Jax read them…they're from Elliot aren't they?" asked Tara. "Jax and I did our best to make sure we…erased Elliot's presence in the house…Jax didn't want you to have to explain anything to Clay until you want to…if you ever want to."
Gemma nodded and said "They are from him. Thank you for doing that…Clay would hit the roof. It is fine for him to screw anything in a skirt…but if he knew that I had been seeing someone else…"
"Is Elliot one of the reasons you don't really want to take Clay back right now?" asked Tara looking at Gemma with a curious look. "A package arrived for you today…I didn't open it or anything." Tara got up handing Gemma the package.
"Yes, my time with Elliot is one of the reasons…but not the main reason. Elliot was a good friend to me and he was there for me in a way I needed him to be there for me. I was able to be carefree for at least a little while…and have someone worried about my needs and not the other way around. It was a good feeling…but I think we both knew that our relationship couldn't go anywhere…Elliot is as straight-laced as they come and I couldn't walk a straight line if my life depended on it." said Gemma with a chuckle. "He was just a friend that had been in the same spot I was standing in…and he offered a hand. And I gladly took it." Gemma opened the package and looked inside. It was a stuffed animal version of her former high school's mascot. Gemma chuckled softly and took the card out of the box. The card read:
Whenever you feel out of sorts just remember the person you have always been. You have always been a strong woman that knew her own mind. Get well soon. If you ever need a friend I am around.
E.O.
"Maybe you and Clay can see a marriage counselor to help you work through your issues?" asked Tara. "Sometimes it helps to have an unbiased third party to help you sort through all of your issues." Tara watched her reading the card. "Is it from Elliot?"
Gemma shook her head and said "I don't believe in that touchy-feely crap to begin with. Besides, I can't tell the story of my marriage without lying or tap dancing around the truth. The counselor will want to know the dynamics of the relationship…and you can't really know that without outright talking about the copious amounts of felonies Clay has committed over the years. Not that I mind that my husband is a criminal. I've always found it rather sexy. Clay has always been a badass and I have always loved it" She chuckled. Gemma looked at the time and said "Oh…I have something I need to do…" "I will be back soon…"
"You are leaving again? What should I tell Clay?" asked Tara.
"That I will be back soon…" said Gemma. She said "I won't be gone very long." Gemma got up taking the stuffed Lion to her bedroom. She set it on the bed and tucked the card away in her nightstand. Gemma picked up her keys and purse and left the house. She drove over to the town hall wondering if the debate had already started. She walked inside seeing that it hadn't. She picked a space toward the middle of the room and had a seat as the room started to fill up.
The debate lasted an hour. Afterward Gemma left the town hall and climbed into the car. She drove home and realized that Clay and Jax had already made it back home. Gemma's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID before answering. "Hi Elliot."
"Hi Gemma. I saw you in the crowd tonight. Thank you for coming out and supporting me." said Elliot.
"Well, I couldn't miss you raking Jacob Hale over the coals in front of half of the town. When you brought up his land grabbing scheme he turned four different shades of red. Nice touch bringing the faked letter he sent you…I wanted to thank you for the gift you sent." said Gemma.
"I can't believe so many people started shouting that he had tried the same scam with them. I think I really got through to people that Jacob is willing to sell our little town part and parcel to the highest bidder and force all of us out in the meantime. The crowd really seemed to have gotten fired up about the whole thing. You don't have to thank me for the gift…It is dorky I know…" said Elliot.
"You did a great job Elliot. If they don't elect you then they are fools. You showed them exactly who Jacob really is…he is a liar and thief and he doesn't give a damn about this town or the people in it. No, it wasn't dorky at all…okay maybe a little. But it was sweet and it is appreciated. Thank you El…" said Gemma.
"Well, I just took your advice from the night of my rally. You are welcome Gemma. How are you doing?" asked Elliot.
"I am doing alright…I have a lot of things to figure out but I am okay. I just wanted to be there for tonight to cheer you on." said Gemma "I think you are going to be an amazing mayor Elliot. You really love this town. I know that you will do right by it. I should get going…" said Gemma.
Elliot said "Thank you Gemma. Oh yeah…well it was nice talking to you. Goodbye." Elliot hung up. He felt conflicted. He felt a connection with Gemma but he couldn't tell if it was camaraderie, friendship, or something more.
Gemma dropped her cell phone back into her purse and got out of the car heading inside. She closed the door behind her.
Clay walked into the living room hearing the door close. "Hi baby. Where did you go?"
"I went to the town hall debate. Did you and Jax get all of your things moved back in?" asked Gemma.
"Most of them…I will bring the rest of it home tomorrow. Are you hungry? We've already eaten but Tara left your food in the oven for you to keep it warm." said Clay.
"I am not hungry right now I will eat later. Where are Tara and Jax?" asked Gemma.
"They were putting Abel to bed the last I knew. They are in the guestroom. Jax said he isn't leaving until Alexis is taken care of..." said Clay.
"I need to take a shower." said Gemma. She kissed Clay's cheek and walked out of the living room leaving him there. She went into her room and closed the door. She went and grabbed a hot shower letting the water just wash over her. She stayed in there until the water turned lukewarm. Gemma stepped out of the shower and dried off. Gemma reapplied her bandages and winced in pain. She wrapped a towel around her and walked into the bedroom.
Clay was sitting on her bed.
Gemma was startled for a minute. "Hi…" said Gemma. She walked over to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. She stepped back into the bathroom closing the door to get dressed. She came back out and said "What are you doing in here?" asked Gemma. She was carrying his injections. "Come on…show me those hands."
"I wanted to talk to you…alone…I didn't mean to scare you Gemma." said Clay when she came back out. Clay stretched his fingers tiredly and said "Maybe it will help."
Gemma sat next to him on the bed and gave him the injection in both of his hands. She got up and threw away the syringe. She sat back down. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I was hoping that you would want to meet Sean…" said Clay.
Gemma nodded and said "Sure I would like that. Why don't you go and get him?" Gemma scooted back on the bed so that she was resting against the headboard.
"Okay I will be right back." said Clay. He left the room and came back a few minutes later with 5 month old Sean. Sean was wide awake when Clay brought him into the room. Clay handed Sean to Gemma. "We both need you Gemma…I can't raise him on my own…he needs a mother…to love him…take care him…" "Alexis abandoned him…she doesn't know how to be a mother and she doesn't want to be a mother…"
Gemma looked down at Sean's face and saw his piercing blue eyes that reminded her so much of Clay's eyes. She cradled the baby in her arms and watched him suck on his pacifier contentedly. She had a million different emotions running through her. There was this precious baby that Clay was asking her to love and take care of as her own. And yet at any moment Alexis could walk back into their lives and try to take him away. That was a pain that Gemma couldn't stomach. Gemma lightly smoothed down Sean's blonde hair. "He is going to be a heartbreaker for sure. We are going to need to go shopping for him…I don't want anything that came out of her house."
Clay nodded and said "We can do that…whatever you need you know you can buy it." Clay was relieved to hear that Gemma was on board.
"Not me by myself. You will go with me. He is your son…you are going to help shop for him." said Gemma.
"I know this isn't the way you wanted a family Gemma…but thank you." said Clay.
"We don't always get to choose what life gives us…we just have to make the best of it…and I couldn't turn my back on any baby in need…especially not a baby…that shares half of his DNA with the man I love." said Gemma. "What about Alexis?" asked Gemma.
"We will find her…she won't be a problem Gemma. You have my word. I know that isn't worth much right now…but it is all I have to give." said Clay.
Gemma just nodded. She looked at the clock and saw that it was close to 10:00. She rocked Sean and for a moment shut down everything else buzzing in her head and focused on this perfect little baby in her arms.