Thanks for the reviews! I would like to thank anyone who stuck up for the story. You guys are awesome! As for the whole pregnancy thing, I think they are write. It does happen in real life, there's always that risk, and it wasn't like Juice and Nora planned it and are suddenly happily ever after. Juice still has his doubts and fears, and it's Juice. He's gonna fuck up. And don't worry about conflict. The thing that sticks out in this story is that there are two couple. Juice and Nora can have their fluffy moments, but you still have the conflict between Happy and Lana. As for neglecting my other story, I am not. I just finished it and I took a break so I didn't ruin it by forcing the writing to come. I've written ahead on this story so I'm able to update more frequently.
I do not own anything in this chapter, besides Laci, everything else belongs to their rightful owners. Co-written with Chevygirl815
Chapter 25
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After finding out she was pregnant, things had been different. A week had gone by, and Nora still couldn't believe it. How was she suppose to tell Juice if she couldn't even accept it. Tara even ran a test for her at the hospital to make sure the pregnancy test wasn't a false positive. The part that surprised Nora the most, was Lana had been the most supportive and helpful. Seeing the two of them together threw Juice off. If Nora could let bygones be bygones, then he'd have to too.
One thing he wasn't okay with, was that Nora had been avoiding him. They still hung out at her house, they still had sex, but it was only really when he caught her off guard. She'd sleep on the other side of the bed away from him, she'd insist on taking showers alone. Hell, she banned him from coming into the office while she was working. At least alone and when it had nothing to do with work. That one though, might be only because they got walked in on and she didn't want it to happen for a third time.
He could see her from where he was standing in the garage. She was sitting on the picnic table, leaning back as she let the sun hit her. Even from here, the sight of her legs drove him crazy. She was currently talking to Lana about something, but he was too far away to hear what it was. He was tore away from his thoughts when Jax clapped a hand on his shoulder, trying to his attention. "I know I said it was okay for you two to be together, but eye fuck her on your own time, man. We got work to do." He said, motioning his head back to the cars behind them.
Juice cleared his throat, nodding his head quickly. He spared the girls one last look before heading back to work with Jax. He would just have to worry about it later.
Out at the picnic tables, Nora was talking to Lana about how to tell Juice about her being pregnant. It completely terrified her to no end. It was one thing for Juice to want to be with her, but it was something else entirely to start a family with him. He liked his single guy life, she knew that. It was hard for him to give it up for her. Hell, there were still times she knew he would ask like his old self. Asking him to step up and be a father, she wasn't sure if that would be pushing it.
The fact that they were still so new to this relationship thing, didn't help her nerves. Juice was a young guy, older than her but still young compared to the other guys. She doubted being a father was on his life plan right now. It wasn't in her plan either, she was only twenty years old. Having a baby wasn't in her plan either, but she couldn't see herself getting rid of it like Lana had when she was pregnant. One thing she had to remember, was that Juice wasn't Happy.
Glancing over to the garage, she couldn't stop the smile from slipping on her face when she saw him joking around with Jax. If she was being honest with herself, she knew Juice would be a good father. He was like a big kid, he'd get along great with a baby. He might not change any diapers, but she knew he would love the baby. It was just the part of her that doubted herself that kept her from saying anything.
What if Juice didn't want the baby? What if he left her because it was a deal breaker? They had only been officially together for a few weeks now, he could decide it's not worth it and bail. She'd be left to raise a baby on her own. "Earth to Nora. Hey, you're zoning out. You look a million miles away. What's going on in that head of yours?" Lana asked, snapping her fingers to get the younger girl's attention back.
"Sorry." She muttered.
Nora glanced over to see some of the guys crossing the lot over to the clubhouse. Only Happy and Juice stayed behind. Her eyes flickered over to see a car coming in. It wasn't one she recognized, meaning it had to be a new customer. Any chance of talking to Lana about how to tell Juice was gone. "Looks like break's over. Come on, the office has air conditioning." Nora said as she slipped off the table and motioned for Lana to follow her.
Lana let Nora work while she poked her head into the garage. Her eyes found Happy, working hard on whatever car he had. Talking to Nora about her pregnancy, made her think of her own past. Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like if she had kept it, if she had told Happy about the baby. She knew him though, knew he would have never accepted it or her.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a man's voice, yelling at poor Nora over by the office door. Looking over, she saw that some guy was being rude to the young blonde. She couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Nora looked. It was like she knew this guy, and whoever he was freaked her out. Lana couldn't understand exactly what he was saying, but by the way he was pointing to the office, he was telling her to go look for something.
Lana curiously watched as Nora went inside the office to look for whatever the man wanted. She was about to turn back when she got a bad feeling and then noticed the man pulling something out from the back of his pants. It was a gun. Before her mind caught up to her mouth, she blurted out "Nora, get down!"
Suddenly two shots went off, both girls screaming out.
Nora shut the door to the office, locking it before ducking down under the desk. She could hear the man trying to get inside. The sound of more shots going off made her yelp, covering her ears as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Nora! Nora!" she heard a voice calling out to her.
It was Juice.
Her nerves got the best of her, but she knew he would very well break down the door if she didn't say something soon. "I-I'm in here!" she called out, hoping she was loud enough for him to hear her.
She heard the other door that led into the garage open, followed by heavy footsteps. No sooner did Juice's face appear. He reached out, stroking her cheek as he scanned over her, checking for any injuries. The idea of her being hurt terrified him. Hell, he and Happy had been right there and that asshole still got in a few shots at the girls. He just hoped both of them were alright. It seemed like Nora was fine. "I-I'm okay. I'm not shot." She told him, squeezing his hand as he helped her out from under the desk.
A sudden scream of pain got their attention. Moving past Juice, Nora hurried to the door leading outside and almost tripped over her own feet when she saw Happy holding a bleeding Lana in his arms. He was trying to keep pressure on the wound to her shoulder, but it was causing her a lot of pain. "No," She gasped, horror filling her. Her stomach dropped, and suddenly she wanted to throw up everything she'd eaten today.
A few feet away, laid the now dead body of the man who had tried to kill her. He was lying in a pool of his own blood. The color drained from her face, her body shaking in fear and confusion about what just happened. "Hey, get away from there." Juice said, pulling her away from the dead body. He didn't want her to be any more afraid than she already was. Things were stressed between them for god knows what reason, he didn't need this to be the last nail on their coffin. "What happened?" Juice wondered out loud. Everything had happened so suddenly and they needed to figure out who this guy was and why he had targeted the girls.
"I don't know." Nora said, in shock. "She just jumped in front the gun."
"What the fuck were you thinking, little girl?" Happy asked Lana.
Nora wasn't the only one who was pale, Lana had already lost a lot of blood and the ambulance she heard heading their way couldn't get there soon enough. Juice was holding onto Nora, not letting her go or out of his reach for a moment. Nora's eyes were on Lana, wondering herself why she had saved her. If she hadn't said anything, or ignored the raised voice, Nora and her unborn baby would be dead.
"She-she's pregnant."
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Nora rode in the ambulance with Lana seeing as they both needed medical attention. Lana for the obvious reason and Nora to make sure she and the baby were okay. Thanks to Lana's big reveal, Juice was in shock when she left. Once the shock resided, she was sure he would have a lot of questions and she wasn't sure she was ready for them. Once the EMT was finished with her, all the focus was on Lana.
The younger blonde squeezed her friend's hand, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched them scramble around. Blood was everywhere, and that couldn't be a good thing. "Come on, Lana. You-you need to fight. I need your help with all of this. Pl-please, you're one of the strongest women I know." Nora begged, hoping she could get through to her. They might still be rocky when it came to their friendship, but it was improving since finding out she was pregnant and Nora needed her.
Getting to the hospital, the EMTs hurried to get Lana out and inside. The driver helped her out of the ambulance and inside. Walking into the waiting room of the ER, she noticed right away that some of the guys were already here. Happy and Juice were among them. Both looked worried out of their mind, but Happy was better at hiding it. "J-Juice!" She called out, knowing he was looking for her.
His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. He was across the waiting room in seconds before she was embraced. His emotions were on over drive, he didn't know what to think right now. On one hand, he wanted to rip her a new one, but then he wanted to make sure she was okay too. Pulling back slightly, he brushed her hair back behind her ear as he checked her over. His eyes paused on her exposed stomach. A baby was growing in there. His baby. He still couldn't believe it.
"How-how long have you known?" He asked, ending the small moment of relief.
Pulling back, she almost looked guilty. It had been a week since she found out. It wasn't like there was no time, there had been plenty of time to tell him. She was just afraid of how he'd react. Nora would go to bed wanting to tell him, but the words would never leave her mouth and actually say she's pregnant. "Um, about a week. I-I didn't know how to tell you." She confessed.
His anger and frustration got the best of him. It might not be really about her not telling him, but because she could have been hurt and he couldn't do anything about it. Hell, his kid could have been hurt before he knew he was having a kid. All he could think was, she kept it from him, if Lana hadn't warned them all in time, she and their baby could be gone. "How hard is it just to say 'hey, Juice, guess what? I'm pregnant'? Huh? You could have been killed today." He snapped, startling her with his tone.
She didn't know what to tell him. He was right, it shouldn't be that hard to just say that, but her nerves got the best of her. Before she could even get a word in, he was in her face. "Is it even mine? It could be Happy's, I mean, I don't know what you two did in the back. Only takes a minute to make a kid, even I know that." He accused, not thinking to stop the words from leaving his mouth. "Is that why you've been avoiding me all week?" He asked, not stopping until she slapped him across the face.
Hearing him question the paternity made her blood boil. What happened between her and Happy was well over a month ago, and if she was being honest with herself, nothing even happened. It was a few rough kisses before she shoved him off and stormed out. Juice didn't know that, but she didn't think he needed to. "For your information, I didn't sleep with Happy, or anyone else. This baby, is yours. So screw you!" She said angrily, trying to keep her voice down.
A growl rumbled in Juice's chest as he held his cheek before turning his glare on her. He took a step toward her, anger radiating off of him. "Alright you two!" Jax piped in suddenly, silencing Juice and Nora as he got between them. The last thing they needed was anymore attention focused on them today. "You can do this later, somewhere else." He said looking at Juice. It was an order, not a request.
Just then one of the doctors, who was covered in what they could all only assume was Lana's blood, came out through the doors leading back to the ER. Nora stepped forward, being the one who had ridden in the ambulance she was the one they knew who was here for Lana.
"Nora, right?" The doctor asked.
She nodded quickly. "Is she gonna be ok?"
"She's stable. We're gonna have to operate to remove the bullet. There's an entrance wound in her shoulder, but from what we can tell, no exit wound. Shattered her collar bone and seems to be buried pretty deep in the muscle, but fortunately didn't hit any major organs. She should be fine."
Nora breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I see her?"
"Only direct family members until she recovers from anesthesia. We're taking her in in just a few minutes."
They all suddenly heard a loud thud as Happy threw the door open and stormed out of the waiting room.
"Tig, follow him. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Jax said, not sure what his Sergeant at Arms was capable of at the moment. He knew a little about Happy and Lana's past drama, but wasn't sure if there was still something there.
Happy sped down Main Street and parked his bike in front of the Hairy Dog. He had seen the tattoo on the man he shot. It didn't take a genius to know which gang he belonged to. If anything, it just made looking for the person reasonable for this that much easier. He pushed his way inside just as Tig pulled up next to his bike and hurried to catch up to him.
"Where the fuck is Darby?!" He yelled at the first guy he saw with a swastika tattoo as he grabbed him by the shirt.
"I don't know, man." The guy said, panicking. Happy pulled his gun out and pointed it at the asshole's head. "I swear, I haven't seen him for a couple days!" He said, putting his hands up in surrender.
"Hap, man, let him go." Tig urged calmly from the doorway.
Happy hesitated for a minute before lowering his gun. He started to turn away, but had a change of heart before turning back around and slamming the grip of his gun down into the other man's temple, knocking him unconscious.
Leaving, he and Tig headed back to the clubhouse for church.
#%$#^%$&^
Back at the hospital, Nora refused to leave while Lana was in surgery and Juice wouldn't because even if he was upset, he didn't want to leave her alone. Nora had been the target of that failed attempt of a hit, and especially after finding out she was pregnant, he wasn't about to be stupid enough to leave her alone. Jax told Half Sack to stay behind with Juice before the rest of them left for the clubhouse, to try and figure out what the hell was going on and what to do about it.
Half Sack glanced over at Juice, who was just starting to calm down after his earlier fight with Nora. He noticed that the guy Happy shot looked familiar. It was the man who bumped into Nora only a week ago when Juice had him tail her. It was one of Darby's guys, and he knew then and there this attempt on the bartender's life hadn't been just a random thing.
Nora had been targeted, and he knew Juice needed to know that. Half Sack liked the blonde bartender, he even had a crush on her until Juice pulled him aside and told him to back off his girl. That didn't mean he didn't care about her any less. Glancing at Juice again, his Hispanic brother caught him this time. "Something you want to say, prospect?" He snapped, his mood clearly not getting any better.
Glancing at a confused Nora, he cleared his throat. He had half a mind to just keep his mouth closed, but if he did, this could hurt Nora in the end. The fact that she was pregnant only made his decision more clear for him. Clearing his throat, he got up and took the spot beside him. "The guy . . . he bumped into Nora last week when she was in town. He made a point of bumping into her." He explained, his eyes locking on with Juice's. He wasn't even going risk looking at Nora.
The look of pure anger on Juice's face only made him feel guilty. It felt like he had ratted out his friend and unleashed an angry pitbull that was Juice on her. Which, it seemed like he did just that when Juice turned his glare onto the girl in question. "Why the fuck would you not come get me the second you saw him?" He snarled, getting a few stares from the few people who were still here.
Unfortunately, Jax wasn't here to step in. Half Sack might be here, but Nora knew he would never interfere in Juice's business. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Juice just shook his head, his anger getting the best of him. "You couldn't have been thinking, because if you were, you wouldn't have put my kid in danger like that." He continued, stalking his way up to her.
Standing up, Nora tried not to look hurt. She knew there were a dozen of other things she could have done. She could have kept Lana with her or told her to get Happy and Juice. She could have gone inside the office and got their attention through the window. Anything else she could have done, it would have kept Lana from being shot. She knew that, and she hated herself for not doing anything. "Don't you think I know that? Lana got shot because of me, I feel bad enough. You don't have to make it worse." She said, her eyes flickering past him to see the other people watching them.
A part of him felt guilty when he saw her eyes tear up, but he was still freaked out over finding out he was going to have a kid. He didn't know how to handle that news. The idea of having a kid scared him. Sure, he was like a big kid himself, but raising a kid? He wasn't sure he could do that and not screw up. Hell, he was already screwing up. His girl, his kid, were put in danger today and it wasn't him that protected them. She was targeted because of him. Not just because he was a Son, but because he was Hispanic.
He knew he was taking all this out on her, it wasn't right to do. He knew it wasn't really her fault, but he was doing it anyway. The words left his mouth before he could stop them. He knew it wasn't fair, but he couldn't help it. "We're gonna need to set some damn rules here, Nora. You fucking tell me if anyone, and I mean anyone, ever approaches you again. Second of all, this kid? If we're going to do this, we do it my way. I want to know everything. I don't want you keeping anything from me." He instructed.
Nora was almost surprised. She half expected Juice to still be on the 'is it even his' kick, but this was a step in the right direction. At least she hoped so. She wasn't about to argue on either of those terms. It was smart, she might get annoyed with him at a point, but she knew he had a right to know everything. "Al-alright." She muttered out, her eyes only locking on his for a quick moment.
He opened his mouth, as if he was going to argue with her, but soon realized she had agreed with him. Juice almost looked surprised. His mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Clearing his throat, he surprised her by kissing her head. His lips lingered for a moment, before resting his head against hers. "Lana getting shot wasn't your fault. Just . . . just believe me on that. We'll figure this out." He said before wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him.
Tears fell down her cheeks as she held onto him. Resting his chin on top of her head, he just let her cry. He rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. He wasn't used to doing this. He wasn't used to being the guy a girl cried on and leaned on for support. The fact that this would probably happen again before she had the baby only made him even more nervous. Glancing around the room, he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure he could do this.
SOA
After church got out, Happy headed back to the hospital. Lana should be out of surgery soon and he wanted to know she was ok. It bothered him that he had to know, but it did all the same. He pulled his bike into the parking lot and headed inside and upstairs.
He passed by the waiting room and saw Juice and Nora sitting in there still. Juice had been the only one not at church, Jax understanding he needed to stay with Nora who had insisted on waiting for news on Lana. The two were sitting away from each other, clearing they hadn't made up yet. Not that Happy cared, all he wanted was to make sure Lana was okay and go.
He passed the waiting room and went straight to reception to find out what was going on with her.
"She just got out of surgery, not awake yet. I can page the doctor for you, but only direct family members will be allowed in to see her until she's awake." The receptionist said.
Happy nodded slowly. He was pissed that they wouldn't let him in . . . unless he lied. The wheels started turning in his head and the doctor came out a few minutes later.
"Are you a relative?" The doctor asked, recognizing him from his earlier outburst.
Happy hesitated. "Yeah." He said quietly. The doctor just looked at him expectantly. "She's my wife." He lied, making his voice sound more convincing. It was the only way he'd get to see her now.
"I see." The doctor said, believing him. Apparently that explained his earlier behavior. "She's doing fine. Still very out of it, but beginning to wake up. I'll take you to see her."
The doctor led him to Lana's room and left to give him a few moments. Happy almost lost it again seeing her lying there, hooked up to various machines, shoulder bandaged, and looking completely helpless.
He shook his head. What the fuck was happening to him? Being this worried over a croweater? Lying and saying she was his wife for fuck's sake just to see her before anyone else?
He was just about to turn and leave when he heard her groggy voice from the bed. "Hap?"
"You ok?" He asked not moving from his spot by the door.
"Whatever the fuck they gave me is some good shit." She smiled. She was looking at him, but her eyes were glazed over. She was clearly on some heavy shit. "I don't feel anything." She laughed.
Happy almost wanted to laugh with her. He walked over to the bed and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "Get some rest, little girl. I got some shit to take care of."
Lana weakly grabbed hold of his arm as he pulled away from her. "Hap?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry." She said, not even realizing what had come out of her mouth as her eyes closed.
He brushed it off as the drugs talking and left.
