A/N - Hello team! Sorry for the delay, I'm at peak capacity at work but trying to squeeze in what I can when I can! Hope this keeps you going! S x
"You'll be okay with her?"
Nero looked at Chibs condescendingly as he slipped Nina's head onto his lap and continued to stroke her with the same obsessive rhythm Chibs had been using. She murmured sleepily as she turned into her father, her eyelashes fluttering for a brief second before she fell back out of consciousness, and Chibs sighed with longing as he watched her. She had been so damn unresponsive to him, maybe it was the movement, or the change of heat, or just the smell.
"What have you given her?" he asked matter-of-factly. Chibs shrugged like a child and shoved his hands in his pockets, swinging his hips forward.
"Codine. Had a bit from our last little outing to Belfast," he said, dragging his toes on the floor. "Just a little, but should shock her system. She's been out for hours, Nero."
"Babygirl's healing," Nero murmured, crunching his stomach as he bent down to kiss Nina's forehead. "She'll be up by the time you get back." Chibs nodded and turned to leave when Nero called out to him. "Where are the girls? They should be here."
Chibs swallowed. He hadn't wanted to lie to Nero about Galen having both Natasha and Emily but the last thing he needed was Nero Padilla gun-slinging his away across town to find his granddaughters. "Beach day," he murmured absently. "I've left them messages, they'll be home soon, I'm sure."
Skipping out quickly before Nero could get another word in, Chibs rallied the remaining club members around him. He eyed Juice and Bobby, two of his strongest left in the clubhouse, and then turned to Abel, Thomas and Quinn. Quinn gave him a respectful nod and Chibs grimaced, waving his hands at them.
"Not many of us left, boys," he said with a little jest. Juice laughed and looked down at his hands.
"It's not number, it's quality," he chipped in. "Plus we got T.O. and a couple of the Grim Bastards backing us up." He motioned to the screen of his laptop perched on the bar. "They've taken a stop, if we go now, we'll be able to make up some ground."
Chibs nodded, tugging at his beard. "Aye, let's do that. No word from Jax?"
They all sat in a grim silence, looking awkwardly at the floor. Eventually, Bobby muttered, "It'll take time for him to get a burner. Black's pulling us favours, I'm hoping we'll be back by the time he calls." Chibs gave him a sad smile and nodded, he just needed them all back in one place. God, it was all he longed for.
He motioned for them to rally up and they took to their feet. Abel slapped Thomas' back as they strode out towards their bikes, bumping him hard. "First proper ride, brother," he said. Thomas' lip twitched.
"Gotta get my girl, right?"
Chibs swallowed as he overheard his words. He hadn't dared mentioned Emily's insane and erratic behaviour at the hospital to Thomas, he needed to keep the boy calm and in check. He just needed Natasha home, out of Galen's grasp.
The bikes pulled out, ready to go, and Chibs glanced in his mirror to see his guys behind him. Who was he kidding, he was destined to lead these men, there was no doubt about it. He revved his engine to hear a roar in response from the others, and they set out, peeling away from TM as they drove out. The wind licked around him as they raced to the highway, once they were moving, they'd be able to rip through the route. With Charming behind them, a couple of state patrol guys were easy game to outrun.
Juice drew forward, waving for where Chibs should turn off and the club pulled off towards the route. It was a good couple of hours' drive out but at their speed, free of the restrictions of the town, they were able to enjoy the smell of gas and burning rubber as they raced through the heated desert. Chibs glanced back to see Bobby right behind him, Juice in Happy's spot. Thomas had a grin plastered across his face as they travelled at such speed, enjoying the new experience.
"They're not moving," Juice barked across as they started to slow down. "Hospital's possibly cut off the trace."
Chibs gave him a thumbs up as they stopped at the very same gas station Galen and the others had stopped at not all that long before. He watched as Abel got off his Harley, stretching out his legs and trying to shake the pins and needles out of his hand.
"Too much for you, boyo?" he teased, standing and turning. Abel blushed, trying to draw himself up, and Thomas sniggered behind him.
"I'm a Teller, nothing's too much for me," Abel muttered bluntly. Chibs chuckled and rolled his eyes at Bobby, it was such a Jax-like answer it made them both smile.
"You and Juicy here can go and scout then," Chibs smirked, motioning further up the road. "Two miles, up, then come straight back. Any signs of trouble, you call me. Got it?"
Juice was already pulling his sunglasses back on and Abel nodded nervously. He had never been asked to take the lead on anything, and he looked around with a little caution. Thomas gave his back a supportive slap and leaned close.
"You got this."
Watching as the two set off, Chibs stretched, bending his arms back and flexing them as he stared out at the stretch of road. He noticed that they hadn't even made it over the hill before Juice motioned for them to stop, and immediately dismounted his bike. His figure moved to the edge of the road, right above the steep bank down into the valley, and he put one hand to his mouth before immediately reaching for his phone.
"You need to get up here," he said the instant Bobby answered. "Now."
Bobby relayed the message quickly and Chibs led those remaining to catch up. "Jesus fucking Christ." He was off his bike within seconds as he saw the ambulance, nose-first in the dirt, and he immediately clambered over the barrier to slip down the dirt slope towards the vehicle. Chibs could feel his heart in his mouth as he rattled the doors of the thing, trying to open it but finding it locked. "Tash? Em?" He shook the damn handles in an attempt to open it but they didn't budge. Thomas bounced down and skidded around him, edging towards the front cab. He let out a low whistle.
"Prez, you gotta come here," he muttered. Chibs followed him around to see Galen's face smashed against the front windscreen, bloody and broken, his throat impaled on a shred of bloody glass. He crossed himself as he climbed across, reaching through the ragged window frame to reach the door lock.
"Tash?" he demanded anxiously as he heard the doors unlock. Juice was already at the back, pulling the vehicle open, and he groaned as he saw Tig and Emily squashed up against Natasha and Tara. Tara had just about managed to protect her head with her arm, and she moaned as the light flooded into the back of the vehicle.
"Chibs?" His voice roused her. "We're here. We're… we're here." She coughed, blood dripping from her mouth as she did, and Abel climbed in, helping his mother out as quickly as he could. Thomas was the next in, trying to pick up Emily, but her body seemed limp in his arms. He looked at Juice in panic.
"Em, baby?" He tried to nuzzle her as he hoisted her out of the back of the car to the muddy bank. "Emily, please, sweetheart?"
Chibs ignored all of them as he ploughed past them, looking for Natasha. He whimpered as he saw her body pressed up against Tig's, she looked so small beside him. "Tash? Love?" He looped his arms beneath her and held her, pulling her away, and he felt the urge to vomit surging through him. He couldn't hear her breathing, he couldn't even feel her pulse as he fumbled with her wrist. "Natasha, it's me, it's your Da." He could feel his eyes watering. "Can you hear me?"
Before he could even get her out of the car, the eery quiet was suddenly shattered by the sound of guns cocking. Chibs looked up to see Juice and Bobby with their hands up outside of the vehicle, and he started to move forward to discover Abel and Thomas in the same position as a dozen Irishmen surrounding the ambulance. Still cradling his daughter to him, Chibs gazed at their assailants in contempt and only paused when he saw Brendan Roarke standing there, his arms crossed.
"Things are out of hand, Filip," Roarke muttered with a sneer. "I think we need to have a chat."
