Author's Note: I'm sorry it's been a while since I've updated. November was a rough month…I was sick for two weeks and then Thanksgiving was a busy affair. I actually had this written before the season finale, but decided not to post it because it hit way too close to home.
Please let me know what you think.
"Thank you for coming with me," Madison said. "I really didn't want to do this by myself."
"Anytime," Tara said with a smile. "I'm glad I can help."
"Jax was worried that things would be awkward between us, but I haven't exactly told him just how often we get together," Madison said with a chuckle. Tara joined in with her laughter. In the time that Madison had been part of her sons' lives, Tara had come to love the woman whom her boys absolutely adored. They had gotten quite close over the past year and Tara was glad they could have this kind of relationship.
"So you didn't want to ask Gemma to help you?" Tara asked with a smirk on her face.
"Oh God no," Madison replied. "I love her because she's Jax's mother and the kids' grandmother, but she can be very overbearing."
"Trust me, I know all about that," Tara said.
"Do you know she actually demanded that she be present in the delivery room when Ella is born? Jax about blew his top. It was all I could do to keep from laughing," Madison said as she and Tara strolled through the department store towards the baby section.
"I'm not surprised. Gemma has this uncanny ability to believe that she is entitled to everything," Tara said as they stopped to look at a rack of baby dresses.
"I can't believe she'll be here in just a few weeks," Madison whispered as she held up a newborn pink dress.
"You're going to be so happy when she gets here," Tara said with a knowing smile. "I'm glad Jax is going to be there to see her birth."
"So am I. I hated that he missed that with the boys," Madison said sadly.
"You've been good for him," Tara replied. "He seems peaceful now."
"Girl, if you were at our house, you wouldn't be saying peaceful," Madison said before they both starting laughing.
Several hours and one full Tahoe later, Madison pulled into Tara's driveway. She invited Madison in so she could grab a few of the boys' baby items that she wanted to give her. While Tara went to the back where the bedrooms were, Madison looked through a photo album Tara had set out on the coffee table. She became engrossed while looking at the pictures of the boys throughout various stages of their lives that she didn't notice the person moving quietly through the kitchen.
"Madison!" Tara shouted causing her to look up sharply. The man standing in front of them was holding a gun while pointing it at Madison.
"What do you want?" Madison asked shakily as she stood slowly. Tara inched closer to her. The man just stared at her before taking a step closer to her. Before Madison could react, Tara had jumped in between her and the gun just as a loud pop reverberated throughout the house. The man ran out the back while Madison rushed to Tara who had collapsed on the floor. There was blood seeping out of a wound in her abdomen. Madison quickly pressed both of her hands against the wound to stop the bleeding.
"HELP!" she screamed.
"Mr. Teller, your wife is in shock. We're keeping her sedated so that her blood pressure does not go up again. If that happens, we'll have to take the baby," the older doctor explained to Jax as he paced outside of the room where Madison was at St. Thomas'.
Jax nodded before he quietly let himself in the room and moved to sit beside her bed. When he'd received the call from Unser that there had been a shooting reported at Tara's house, his heart had stopped. He left the boys with Gemma while he rushed to Tara's house. What he saw when he got there would haunt him for the rest of his life. Blood was pooled in the living room floor. Tara and Madison had both been taken to St. Thomas' Hospital. He got there as quickly as possible only to discover that Tara had died while in surgery. His heart broke as he thought of a life without her.
A very nice nurse who'd known Tara well took him to Madison. When he first saw her, he broke down in tears. She sitting up in a hospital bed with blood stained clothes and skin. Tears streamed down her face and she was wailing. The nurses were trying to help her get changed, but she couldn't even hear what they were saying. After some convincing, he was left alone with her. He was able to get her to calm down enough to get out of the blood-stained clothes. He then helped her wash the blood off her hands and arms. They both cried while he rubbed the wash cloth over her skin. Then, the monitors hooked to her began to go off and a sea of nurses and two doctors invaded the room. He was ordered to leave while they worked on her.
"Hey," a quiet voice whispered behind him. He turned to see Chibs standing there.
"Hey," Jax whispered back before walking out into the hallway with him.
"How's my baby?" Chibs asked.
"She's resting right now. They gave her a mild sedative to calm her down," Jax explained. "She was a mess when I got here. Covered in blood and crying so hard she could barely breathe."
"God," Chibs whispered. "They told us about Tara. I'm so sorry."
"I don't even know how I tell the boys," Jax said as tears pooled in his blue eyes. "I can't believe she's gone."
"According to Unser, the police say Madison told them Tara saved her life. The guy was going to shoot Madison, Jax," Chibs shared.
"Dammit!" Jax exclaimed. "Who the hell would try to shoot an eight-month pregnant woman?"
"We'll find him," Chibs promised.
"We'd better. I swear, Chibs, I'll kill him with my bare hands," Jax swore.
"I know, son, I know."