CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

The fork in my hand falls to the almost empty plate with a clatter and I feel like I'm frozen in place.

Al turns to Happy, "What wreck?"

Happy fills her and Cam in on what went down at the lot today with my car, and both of my friends turn to me, sympathy in their eyes, but I'm still trapped inside my own head.

Donna touch on my hand breaks my inattention, "Hey, it'll be okay."

I nod half-heartedly as Opie and Jax both stand up and head towards the door into the yard, minutes later they're back inside having walked around the outside of the house.

"Not a thing out there that's different, though Sarah your dog appears to be digging up the lavender plants." Opie tells me.

I look in his direction, "Not Doj, he doesn't dig, he never has."

Jax and Opie exchange a look and part of my brain starts panicking. "What's going on!?"

I know I sound a little hysterical and Al and Cam both come round the table and crouch on either side of me, "It's okay Sarah, it'll be fine okay?" Cam tells me.

I meet her eyes and see the conviction in them, but I'm not sure how she knows that. Craig has always been able to get out of the worst situations looking like roses, the discharge from the army should have been the start of a jail sentence for him, but somehow he managed to come out the end of it all still looking clean cut and with no criminal record.

"I love you Cam, I really do. But I'm sorry I don't believe you." I push myself away from the table and stand up. Heading down the hall I push open the door to my room and throw myself down on the bed burying my head in the pillow.

I hear the door open again a few minutes later and the gentle clink tells me it's Jax that's just come in, the sound of his wallet chain a dead giveaway. His weight settles on the edge of the bed and he rests a hand on my shoulder.

"Your friends are worried about you." he tells me the tone of his voice letting me know that he's worried to.

I twist my head to the side, looking at him through the corner of my eye "That's okay Jax; I'm worried about me too. I told you that Craig doesn't like to give up, I'm hoping that he'll think the wreck killed me, but I'm sure he won't let it go that easy."

"Darlin', there's no way he's going to get near you. I promise I'll look after you until he is out of the picture 'k?"

I roll over and sit up, leaning against the headboard. "Jax, I want to believe you, but I wanted to believe that justice would be served for me when Craig was charged. I wanted to believe that he would never be able to come near me again but that didn't happen. I've wanted to believe a lot over the past months but events have completely destroyed my ability to believe anything other than that bad shit happens, repeatedly, to me."

"Bad shit happens all the time darlin' some we can't help, but this bad shit will be dealt with and that will be the end of the bad shit in your life, as long as you don't go running again."

I know that my family and friends in Charming are still dealing with my abrupt exit years ago and the return I made under less than great circumstances.

"I'm not leaving again Jax, I've told a lot of people that and I mean it. I know that it's going to take more than a week before you believe me. But if you want me to believe that you're going to protect me then you have to believe that I'm staying."

Jax's expression lightens a little and he smiles, but I can still see the doubt in his eyes. I guess I'm going to have to accept that just telling people I'm staying isn't enough, they need proof. Hopefully the massive amount of money I'm spending on the house down the road will help some people, and if that doesn't then the renovations that I'm going to be starting shortly after might.

Jax hugs me tightly, "I do believe that you're staying darlin', but I also know how I felt when you left and until all of us are 100% sure that you're not goin' anywhere you're gonna have to deal with reminding us."

I wrap my arms round him and inhale the scent that clings to his skin, gasoline, motor oil, leather and something under it all that must just be Jax's natural smell. "I'll remind you every day if that's what it takes."

Squeezing me tightly we just sit there for a few minutes before a knock at the door reminds me that my friends are outside and worried.

"We'll be out in a sec." I call and I hear footsteps of whoever it was heading back down the hall.

"You a'ight now?" Jax asks, standing up and pulling me to my feet.

I nod, "Yeah, as much as I can be."

Walking back into the living room Hap looks over, "That was fast. Jax you losin' your touch Bro?"

Jax lifts a finger to him, "If I was touching anything we wouldn't be out here and she," he nods towards where I'm still sitting on the couch, "would not be sitting that tensely."

"Perve." I snark at him.

"Yeah, we've already covered that darlin', you know I'm a perve and you love it." he winks at me and my face flames.

Al and Cam decide to leave not long after but they sit down with me in the kitchen for a while first to catch up on stuff.

"I'm going to go to San Francisco soon S." Cam tells me, "It's only a couple of hours away so I can visit all the time, but I loved it there...well what little we saw of it."

I nod, "I guess I knew it would be too small for you here. But you better be prepared for lots of visits when you get set up."

Cam laughs, "Of course, and what's more I'm going to leave the stuff in the storage here for you to set up a room for me in your house when you get it all sorted."

I nod, "How soon is soon?"

"I'll wait till all this shit with Craig is sorted then I'm gone." Cam tells me, and I'm glad she's not leaving while he's hanging round, I'd worry about her safety if she did.

Al and I sit and talk about the next session for my in-progress leg which I'm hoping will be able to be done soon.

"Hang on a second." I say and stick my head through the door to the living room, "Hey Hap, can I borrow you?"

"Need a real man huh?" His voice is rough and he chuckles at the expression on Jax's face. "Just playing with ya kid."

Jax flips a finger up and goes back to whatever he was talking about with Opie and Donna while Happy comes through to the kitchen.

"Al wants to know if you have a setup she can borrow for a few hours to get some more ink done?" I say, knowing Happy he's probably got his room in the clubhouse split in half. Half for fucking, half for inking.

"Sure, there's a room at the clubhouse I 'borrowed' the key to and set up all my gear. If you've got your own machines and shit your welcome to use it for as long as you need. Provided when you're done its left as it was when you start." he growls out and Al looks a bit scared at his words, but Happy's voice sounds like he's eaten gravel for breakfast every morning of his life.

"Sure thing Happy. It'll be left just as clean as when we start, and I'll even throw in some cupcakes for a thank you."

Happy grins, and if not for the years I knew him when I was younger I'm sure the look would terrify me. It looks like it's done just that for Al and Cam.

Ope knocks on the wall to get our attention, "Cab's here."

The girls stand up and head towards the door, hugging me just before they step out. "See you Saturday?"

I'm not sure of my presents at the club parties this weekend but I nod, either way I'll spend some time with them this weekend.

Not long after they leave I head back to the bedroom and climb into bed. Jax follows and I'm grateful for the comfort he gives me while I'm sleeping as I know without him there I wouldn't have slept since I'd heard the messages from Craig.