Jules leaned back onto the car, trying to keep as much weight off her right knee as possible. While she had really wanted to follow Pop and Tara into the clubhouse, she knew by the look on Jax's face she wasn't going anywhere for a minute.
"Babe." The tone of his voice indicating his unhappiness with her. "Why wouldn't you wait for pain pills you obviously fucking need?"
"They said the pharmacy was backed up and it would be another hour, I didn't want Tara to have to wait on me." She shuddered a little. "Hospitals are not fun places to hang out."
"And Tara's a doctor, she would have understood the need to wait for your meds." Jax shook his head. "Wanna try again?" Arms folded across his chest.
"Fine, I don't like hospitals and I was fucking done with being there." She gritted her teeth against another flare. Goddamn, she hated them. Felt like she was getting the fucking shot all over again. Using the cane for balance, she was trying to breathe through the pain.
"Babe." This time the tone was softer, and she felt his arm go around her waist. "C'mon. Let's get you inside. We can argue about this later, when you're feeling up to it."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak without starting to cry. Her knee was killing her at the moment. All she really wanted was to not have to stand or walk for a while.
They were halfway to the clubhouse when Den came and met them. He took one look at her and just shook his head. "And you say I'm the idiot." Still shaking his head, he came to the other side of her, helping Jax so she could keep all weight off the right knee. "Are they sure you haven't torn it?"
"Ninety-nine percent sure." She panted out. "There's a lot of swelling." Taking another breath, she continued. "Most of this is from those fucking flares."
Den nodded. He'd been through this with her enough times to know the drill. "Yeah." He sighed. "Pop is pretty pissed." Her brother paused for a second. "And Eric is jumping on that bandwagon as fast as he can."
She groaned and looked over to Jax. "Can we go to your place? You can come back and get Soph."
Jax shook his head. "Oh, no." His tone was still firmly in the 'I am not happy with you but am keeping my shit together until you are better' place. "You don't get to run away. And I guarantee that Mom and Tig will have words for you too."
"Fuck." Her head starting to throb as much as her knee. "Can we just get inside? Whoever wants to yell at me, can yell at me. I just want to be sitting." And what little control she'd had left, disappeared, and a fat tear fell. She brushed it away, more than a little frustrated.
Neither her brother nor Jax said a word, just steered her inside the clubhouse where she was met by Gemma and Tig. Pop and Eric standing behind them. She could see the lecture on the tip of Gemma's tongue, but she must have had some look on her face that made Gemma swallow it for the time being.
"C'mon, darlin'. Let's get you to the couch so you can sit with it up." Gemma taking charge.
She shook her head. There were a couple of things she needed to do before she could even think of anything else. She needed to see her kid. And she needed to get out of the jeans she was in. Although they accommodated the wrap the hospital had used for her knee, it wasn't the most comfortable fit.
"Gotta get out of these jeans and into shorts." She gritted her teeth again. The burning pain of another flare. "And see Sophie."
Tara appeared in front of her holding a glass of juice. "No, the first thing you're going to do it take this." Holding a pill in her other hand. "You'll be eating soon enough that this won't tear up your stomach."
She knew that with everyone around, she couldn't refuse. She hated pain meds. She'd rather smoke her body weight in weed before taking one. Giving Tara a mild glare, she held out her hand. "And here I thought we were becoming friends."
"We are." Tara replied. "And you still need to take that."
She took the pill and washed it down with a couple of swallows of juice. "Okay, now can I go see my kid?"
Eric nodded to Den, who let go of his hold on her so that big brother could take over. At least Eric was going to save bitching her out until they were almost alone. Eric looked to Jax. "I got her."
Jax just nodded and let go of her. Eric didn't bother with trying to let her limp her way back to the dorms, he just picked her up and carried her back, not saying a damn thing until they were in the room where her and Soph's clothes were staying.
Setting her on the bed, he pulled one of her bags up and sat it next to her so she could find a pair of shorts. As she was looking, he loomed over her. "So, at no point did they give you anything for pain?" His voice eerily calm. She was so screwed.
"They gave me some ibuprofen. I didn't want the hydros." She found a pair of running shorts and started to get out of her jeans, Eric helping by pulling from the legs. "I don't want to be all loopy." Hissing as they jostled her knee. "What if Soph needs something?"
"Jax is here. I'm here. Dennis is here. Even Trager is here." Eric threading her right leg into the shorts, trying to keep her knee as stable as possible. "We are all capable of seeing to her needs." Eric looked at her wrapped knee. "Want me to re-wrap that?"
"Please." She knew he mostly offered so that he could see her knee with his own two eyes. But, even though the hospital had wrapped it pretty tight, what little walking she had done had loosened it up.
After getting the ace bandage off, her brother looked her knee for a minute. "When do they want to x-ray it again?" Starting to re-wrap the knee.
"Couple of days. Have an appointment card somewhere in my jeans. Pop has the other paperwork somewhere in his kutte." Trying to breathe through another flare.
"We're movin' you and Soph over to Jax's in the morning." Eric informed her. "Less space for you to try and have to get around in." He sighed as he finished and sat down next to her. "You need to be off of it until that appointment. Dennis, Pop, and me will be there, the only time you need to be getting up is for the bathroom or going to bed. Otherwise, your ass is cemented to the couch. You hear me?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "Can you take me to Sophie?" She knew she was whining and didn't care. This was her brother, he was more than used to it.
Eric sighed back. "Yeah." Helping her up.
She stopped him for a minute, looking up at him. "I needed my head clear, you understand, right?" She really needed him to know she wasn't just being her stubborn self this time around.
Eric sighed. "I do, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be happy seein' you in this much pain." He kissed the top of her head. "Now, let's go look at Soph sleeping, and get some food in you before those pain pills tear up your stomach." He glanced at her knee. "You think you can put a little weight on it, or should I carry you again?"
She flipped him off. "I can probably hobble around." Putting a little weight on the knee, which wasn't happy about it. "Or not."
"C'mon." Eric wrapped an arm around her. "Lean on me and it'll be slow, but we'll make it."
Slowly, the two of them hobbled out of the room to find Jax in the hallway, holding a pair of crutches. Jax raised an eyebrow. "Bobby dug these out from somewhere, thought that you might need them." Holding out the old wooden crutches to her.
She took them gratefully. "Thank you." She was surprised they were the right height. "Dennis adjust these?"
Jax nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, even though he said he was morally opposed to you having them."
She just shrugged as she cracked the door to Jax's room. Sophie was dead to the world, tucked between the Sambear and Spookdog. She turned back to Jax after closing the door. "She didn't wake up at all?"
"Not even a little." Jax gestured for them to move towards the clubhouse. "Checked on her when I got back from Tara's, and then not long before you got back, she was pretty much in the same position she's in now."
Thank God for small miracles. Hopefully Sophie wouldn't have any nightmares tonight and manage to sleep through the night.
Getting the crutches under her arms, she turned towards the main clubhouse. "Excellent. Maybe she'll get a full night's sleep." She cracked a sardonic smile. "Someone should."
"Less talking and more moving." Eric admonished from behind her. "Your food bribe is getting cold." She heard Jax's chuckle from her brother's side.
"It's been a few years, Eric. I gotta get used to these things again." She turned her head to roll her eyes at her brother. "And I'll only need them while I'm having the flares." Starting to propel herself forward, ignoring whatever her brother was saying to Jax.
When she reached the main room of the clubhouse and managed to make it to the couch without stumbling with the crutches, she sank down on it gratefully. It was surprisingly comfortable. Then again, her standards were kind of low right now.
Pop and Eric helped her get settled in. They both knew the drill, having been through this a few times with her. She could feel Gemma and Tig hovering, wanting to help but bowing to experience.
Once she was settled, Den handed her a plate with pancakes slathered in butter with just a little syrup. Just the way she liked them. "Thanks, Den."
"I got you, sis." As he shoveled a forkful into his own mouth.
She nodded towards the chapel. "So, he's still breathing?"
Tara spoke up from where she was sitting with Pop and Dennis. "I went and looked." Tara looked over at Dennis with a surprised respect. "He did an excellent job for someone with no real medical training."
She smiled at the compliment that was paid to her brother. As far as she was concerned, Dennis could do anything he set his twisted, genius brain to. But it was nice to hear that from someone who barely knew him.
"How long will he have to stay here?" She wasn't sure how she felt about Sophie being around the Irishman. How were they going to explain his presence to a three-year old?
"Not sure, I would say at least a week." Clay said from the next table over. "It'll be a few days before he can even sit right." Clay's tone as dry as the California desert. There were a few chuckles from the room.
She shrugged and went back to eating her pancakes and barely listening to the chatter around the clubhouse. When she was done, one of the girls took her plate, and came back with a couple of ice packs that she took happily and placed on and under her knee.
While the others finished with their food, she took a few hits off a joint Juice had given her and let herself drift, listening to Pop and Gemma make plans to move them to Jax's and what they needed to do before everyone from Chicago arrived with her and Soph's things.
She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she felt Pop kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Princess." Pop squeezed her shoulder. "I'm headed back to Clay and Gemma's to get a few hours of sleep. I'll stop and pick up your pills on the way back in the morning."
"Mmm… 'kay." She was barely awake thanks to the pain pills plus weed. "Lo'e you, Pop."
Another kiss to the head. "Love you too, honey." She was back to sleep before her father made it five steps away.
When she woke next, the clubhouse was darker, just the light from behind the bar lighting the entire room. Struggling to swallow with how dry her mouth was due to the pain meds, she scanned the room sleepily until she found what had woken her up; Tig sitting at a table with a coffee mug, watching her with an intensity that was a little overwhelming.
Swallowing a couple of more times to get her vocal chords to work, she gave Tig a weak smile, trying to hide the pain that was coming back. "Hi."
It took him a moment to register that she was speaking to him. He blinked hard a couple of times and gave her a weak smile back. "Oh. Hi."
/
After Jake left with Clay and Gem, Tig noticed that things were winding down in the clubhouse. Juice had left before Jake, and Chibs and Happy had headed to bed not long after Juice left. Chibs taking a bottle with him. He supposed it wasn't everyday you did surgery on someone. He'd say Chibs had earned it.
After Jake left, both Dennis and Eric headed off to set some sleep. Dennis announced he'd be up in a few hours to take over from whoever was gonna watch over Cam Hayes.
He looked over to where Jax was sitting on a chair he'd pulled over to the couch. Jax was slumped, as if getting ready to catch a few winks. Getting up from the table he was sitting at, he went over and laid a hand on Jax's shoulder. "Hey, man. You should go get some sleep, make sure someone's with Sophie." He nodded down at Jules, who was sleeping sitting up, with her cheek resting on the back of the couch. "I'll keep an eye on her, too."
Jax just nodded blearily. "Yeah, man. Thanks." Getting up and stretching before going back to his dorm room. "Come get me if you need me."
"Yeah." He waved the VP off to bed. When he turned to sit back down, he nearly ran into Tara. "Damn, Doc!" He took a small step back to give Tara some space. After what she'd been through, he didn't want to loom over her. "Gonna put a bell on you." He gave her a slight smile. "Whatta need?"
Tara handed him the bottles of pain pills and muscle relaxers that he'd given the Doc to go through earlier, so Jules would have meds until hers could be picked up in the morning.
"When she wakes up, have her take one of each, along with the ibuprofen." Tara looked over to the couch. "She'll be in a lot of pain again when she wakes up, and the position she's sleeping in is going to tighten up other muscles." Tara sighed. "Sorry, I'm rambling and telling you things you already know." Tara looked back over to Jules. "It's just..." Tara looked like she wasn't even sure of what she wanted to say. "She..."
He had an idea of where Tara was going. Jax had told all of them about how his kid had fucked her knee for real running to help Tara. Then had proceeded to take charge of the situation like a motherfucking boss.
"I'll make sure she takes 'em when she wakes up." He said, offering Tara a way out.
Thankfully, the young doctor took it. "Good. Think I'll try to go get some sleep, myself. Goodnight." Taking the same path to the dorms that Jax had.
Hearing a sigh behind him, he turned to see that only Bobby was left in the clubhouse with him and a sleeping Jules. Cam Hayes was behind closed chapel doors, still unconscious from having impromptu surgery just a few hours ago.
Bobby handed him a glass of whiskey and the two of them sat down at a table close to the bar, away from Jules so they wouldn't wake her.
"Been a clusterfuck of a night." Bobby took a sip of whiskey and lit a smoke.
"'Yeah." How could he not agree? He sighed and looked over at his kid and smiled just a little. For as awkward as she looked, she was passed the fuck out and looking as cute as her daughter did when dead to the world.
"She was pretty anxious before you guys got back." Bobby informed him. "Enough that Red told her to sit the fuck down." Bobby gave him a wry smile. "That was a direct quote."
He sighed, knowing that his kid hadn't ever been around any shit like this, at all. He wasn't surprised to hear that she'd been on edge. "Satan's Sons keeps all their shit away from Chicago, and from family." He nodded towards Jules. "I guarantee you, she didn't know shit about what they're into until Dennis patched."
"Just how well were you kept up on her?" Bobby prodded him again. The guy was like a dog with a bone with some things, just couldn't leave it alone.
"Talked to Rip once a month from the time I found out about her." He looked into the shocked eyes of his old friend. "That was the deal Rip made with me so she could stay with Jake and the boys." He took a large swallow of the whiskey, letting the burn cast off the shiver of memory.
"The second I laid eyes on her Bobby, I knew she was mine." Taking another sip of his whiskey. "I spent most of the funeral trying to figure out how the fuck to tell Carolyn, take my kid and get the fuck back to Cali."
"But I knew from the way the Lyons surrounded her that there was no way I was getting within ten feet of her." He lit his own smoke. "Her, Butch and Dennis were hustled out of the after funeral gathering at the clubhouse within an hour of getting there." He gave Bobby a grim smile. "Man, I was pretty sure Jake's mom was gonna knife me when I walked in."
Bobby chuckled and he just raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, I've felt more love walking into a cop shop than I got that day." He snorted. "After the younger three were taken home, Jake and I got into it." He shrugged. "After he called me a sperm donor, I went to throw a punch and the next thing I know, my oldest friend is getting me fuck out of there."
He glanced over to make sure Jules was still passed out. Satisfied she was, he looked back to Bobby. "After taking a while to calm down and fucking listen, I agreed to the deal Rip proposed. I get a monthly call and letter with pictures and whatever, and I stay the fuck away." He finished the whiskey in his glass. "As much as I fuckin' hate to say it, I think I did the right thing by her."
Bobby saluted him with his glass before downing the last of his own whiskey. "You did, Tigger." Bobby sat the glass on the table. "She might have been pretty anxious for a bit, but when it comes down to brass tacks, she handles shit pretty well under pressure." Bobby nodded towards his kid. "You heard what Jax said about what happened at Tara's." Bobby snuffed out his cigarette. "It might take her a minute to get used to some things, but she'll be fine."
Sliding back his chair, Bobby stood. "Made you a fresh pot of coffee. You want me turn out the lights before I go home to get the few precious hours of sleep I'm gonna get?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I got it, Bobby. Go home, brotha." Standing himself. A cup of coffee sounded good right now.
"Goodnight. See you in a few hours." Bobby nodded to the clock that read almost four in the morning as he headed out the clubhouse door.
He waved at Bobby as he wandered around, turning off the lights, with the exception of the one behind the bar before getting his cup of coffee. When he came back out, he sat at the table closest to the couch and chapel doors.
He wasn't sure how much time passed as he watched his daughter sleep. He was lost in his head, memories of Marina's funeral and of Marina herself. God, he had loved her, and the worst day of his life was the day he left her, knowing he had broken them at their foundation.
He'd been home after his discharge for all of two weeks when a nightmare had taken such hold that when Marina went to wake him, he thought he was somewhere far worse. They were lucky that night the worst thing that happened was he left bruises on her arms where he had pinned her down. But he knows when he came out of whatever PTSD episode he was having, his hand was reaching for her throat.
A week after that, he was riding out of town heading west like the cowboys in the movies of his boyhood. Marina had lost her trust in him and he couldn't fix it. She let him go, already pregnant with Jules.
He reached over and fixed the blanket Gemma had thrown over Jules before she left. Sitting back, he studied his daughter closely. He felt a little stalkerish, but he'd loved her for so long without ever being within five feet of her, he relished a little time to just look his fill at this human he and Marina managed to create.
He knew that Jules didn't think she looked like Marina much at all, but she did. She also sounded so much like Marina, that at times he can close his eyes and almost imagine Marina standing in front of him when Jules was talking.
As he sat, still unashamedly looking his fill, his brain registered that his daughter's eyes were open and her mouth had moved. But he was still so deep in his memories, that it took a minute for his brain to kick back to the present.
"Oh. Hi." He gave her a weak smile, noticing the grimaces she was trying to hide.
His daughter swallowed a couple more times before trying to talk again. When she did her voice was still rough. "Could I get a glass of water, please?" Giving the crutches leaning against the couch a mild glare.
"Sure, doll." He scrambled back behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of water.
Bringing it back to her, he stopped and grabbed the bottles of pills Tara had given him. Handing Jules the water, he got the pills she would need out. "Here, doll. Tara said to take these when you woke up."
Jules looked at the pills in his hand and took all but the pain pill. He frowned down at her. "Doc said all of 'em."
His kid shook her head as she threw the other pills back and took a drink of water. "Not until I'm over at Jax's." Her voice still a little rough, so she took another drink of water. "I really don't need an entire clubhouse watch me sleep." A tiny touch of a smile on her face. "It was weird enough having you do it."
He couldn't help himself. "Actually, before everyone left, we all sat around enjoying the site of you drooling into the couch." Laughing a little as his kid tried to slyly check where her head had been lying on the couch. He reached over and patted her hand. "I'm just fuckin' with you, doll." He shook his head. "Everyone pretty much headed out or to bed right after Clay and Gem left with Jake."
He watched as his kid racked her brain. "I vaguely remember Pop leaving." She looked at the clock by the bar. "How long ago was that?"
He looked at his watch, it was almost five. "About three hours ago." He stifled a yawn. It'd been a while since he'd pulled an all-nighter. At least when he was sober.
"You should get some sleep." He heard Jax's voice behind him. He turned, seeing Jax standing there, holding Sophie.
Sophie held her arms out to him while looking worriedly at her Mommy. He took her happily and gave her a kiss on the head. "Mommy will be okay, Baby Doll."
Jules looked to Jax, obviously not thrilled that her daughter was up at five am. Jax shrugged. "She had to go potty and then wanted to see you." Making his way to the sofa. "She wasn't gonna go back down until she saw you."
Jules nodded and held out her arms. He took Sophie over and sat her by Jules. Both he and Jax had to hold her back from climbing on Jules' lap. "Whoa, sweetheart." Jax's voice stern, but kind. "What'd I say back in the room?"
"No on Mommy, only by Mommy." Sophie looked at Jules' wrapped knee cushioned by the pillows. "She hurted her knee." Sophie looked to Jules. "How'd you hurted it?"
He and Jax glanced at each other, both wondering how Jules was gonna spin last night to a three-year old. He gave Jax a slight shrug to indicate he had no fuckin' clue on what his kid was gonna say.
Jules wrapped an arm around Sophie and gave her a squeeze. "Well, Miss Thing, how I hurt my knee is quite the story." Jules looked to Jax and him, trying to gather a story together. They both gave her a look that said she was on her own. She gave them both the finger. He didn't bother hiding a smile.
Sophie was looking at her mother anxiously. Jules sighed and hugged her daughter again. "Well, you know how Daddy and Other Papa had to leave with Clay to go see their friend?" Sophie nodded and Jules went on. "Well, when they were with their friend, he fell down and hurt himself."
Sophie's eyes got big. "He did? How?"
Jules gave her daughter a small smile. "Well, he fell and something sharp went right here." Poking Sophie in the spot where Cam Hayes took a bullet."
"He hurted his bottom?!" Sophie giggled a little. "Like when Auntie Jamie fell?"
Jules shook her head. "No, Auntie Jamie broke her tailbone. Clay's friend actually had something sharp go in, kind of like a sliver, but a lot bigger." He liked the fact that she was trying to be as honest as she could be with her kid. "Well, we brought him back here, because you know that Uncle Den can fix some hurts, and this was an Uncle Den hurt and not a go to the doctor hurt."
"Like when Uncle Red cut his hand?" Sophie not looking surprised at all at Dennis' playing doctor.
"Exactly." Jules' kissed Sophie's head. "But, Uncle Den needed something, so Mommy and Daddy..." He had to bite back a chuckle, the look on Jax's face every time Jules or Sophie referred to him as Daddy was priceless. At some point, someone would have to get a picture of the dopey grin that showed up on Jax's face when the girls did that.
"Daddy was with you when you got hurted?" Sophie interrupted.
"He was." Jules answered. "Because we had to go see Dr. Tara, to see if she had what Uncle Den needed. But when I was walking up to her house, I didn't see the crack in the driveway, and I tripped over it and twisted my knee. Dr Tara went to the hospital with me and then came back here with us so she could keep an eye on Mommy and Clay's friend."
Jules looked to both him and Jax, her eyes asking if what she said was okay. All either one of them could do was nod. Jules had explained why things were the way they were as well as anyone could to a three-year old without traumatizing them, no matter how smart said three-year old was. And there was no way to spin what happened at Tara's that wouldn't give Sophie more nightmares. Better to just leave it out.
Sophie looked around. "Where's Dr. Tara?" Then squealed a little as Dennis came into the room. "Unca Manny!" Squirming down from the couch and running over to her uncle. "Mommy said you fixed Cway's fwiend's bottom! Like you did with Unca Red's hand!"
Dennis picked her up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I did, because I'm awesome like that." Dennis looked at him. "You check on him?"
"Bout an hour ago, temp was fine, he was still passed out." Dennis nodded at the information and then looked at Jules.
"Where are you at?" Looking hard at his sister, who grimaced at him.
"Between flares, about a five/six. Flares? Then it spikes up to an eight/nine." Jules laid her head on the back of the sofa. "It's better than it was last night, for sure. And hopefully the flares will be done by tomorrow morning."
"You take anymore pain pills?" Dennis sounded like he knew the answer was no already.
Jules shook her head, looking at both Jax and Dennis, defiance in her eyes. "I took the ibuprofen and the muscle relaxant, I'll wait on the pain pill until we get over to the house."
"We're all up, you guys could go over now." Dennis shot back. "Red's in the shower, he should be out any time. We can drag all of your stuff over later, just grab what you'd need for now." Dennis cut his sister off before a word could even come out of her mouth. "And I can text Pop and tell him to bring your meds to the house instead of here." Dennis grinned at his sister. "He'd be thrilled you two are out of here."
Jules still shook her head, and Dennis looked perplexed. He had to come down on Dennis' side. Seemed to him like Dennis had covered all the arguments.
"Gotta wait until after hospital visiting hours start." Jules looked to Jax. "They aren't gonna let me leave the house until the next x-ray once I'm there. I want to see Abel before I'm housebound."
"I put you on the same list as Jax and Gemma, you can get in any time to see him." Tara's voice came from behind him. Damn, was anyone in this fucking clubhouse asleep? Other than Cam Hayes, who was actually unconscious.
Both Dennis and Jax turned to Jules, who had slumped down on the sofa, giving Tara a bit of a look. "You keep saying that we're becoming friends, but yet, once again..."
"I'm completely acting like a friend and making you do things that are in your best interest." Tara smiled back at his kid. "And if we went soon, then no one would have to make a trip to pick your meds up."
Jules sat back and crossed her arms over her chest and looked at all of them. Glancing at the others, he looked back to her with the same look. They would be leaving as soon as possible.
Jules threw up her hands and sighed. "Someone needs to go find me a pair of sweats to go over these shorts." He had the feeling this was as close to her admitting capitulation as they were gonna get.
Jax stood, grabbing Sophie from the couch. "Let's go get dressed, sweetheart." Leaning down and giving Jules a quick kiss. "I'll bring you a pair of my sweats, they'll go over the wrap."
Jules waved them away. "Okay." Putting her head down. He could see her jaw clenching and could tell she was doing everything in her power not to grab at her knee. Seeing the concerned look on Jax's face, he waved them on.
"Go get dressed, Jax." He took the chair next to the sofa, trying to block Jules from Sophie's eyes. "Sooner you guys are ready, the sooner the girls are at the house."
Jax just nodded and headed back to his room, Sophie in his arms. Dennis followed, he presumed to let Red know what was happening. Tara had already left the room.
Jules eyes were squeezed shut, and her hands were trembling. He knew that cortisone flares could be extremely painful. He hated like hell that his kid was having to deal with this.
He took her hands in his. "Breathe, doll." His breath catching when she put her head in his chest.
"I hate this." She gritted out. "So much hate for this."
He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her. "I know, baby, I know." He kissed her curls. "It sucks out loud right now, but you know in the end, it'll get you back on your feet faster."
"I know." She mumbled into his kutte. "Still hate it, though."
He chuckled at her petulant brat tone. "Yeah, I think we've all gotten that." He gave her a final hug and let go. "Go see the little man, then get settled at the house. You'll be able to take your pain pill in peace."
He outright laughed when his daughter twirled a finger in the air. "Yay, me." She looked up at him. "Thanks for staying with me."
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "It was my pleasure, doll." He stood back up. "If it's okay, I'll come by later today and check on you."
"That's fine." Jules gave him a pained smile. "But, you need to get some sleep first." Looking at him with concerned eyes. He could feel his throat tighten just a little. The twins had never even shown the slightest concern about him, and this kid, that he had no hand at all in raising, was telling him to take care of himself. If he weren't so badass, he'd bawl.
"Yeah. As soon as Piney or Bobby get here." He nodded towards the chapel. "So someone can keep an eye on him. Then I'll grab a few hours of sleep."
"Good." Jules nodded. Then she looked past him to see her brothers following Jax and Sophie out from the dorms.
Tara came out as Jax and Red were helping Jules get into the sweats and get shoes on. He smiled as Sophie marched over to the doctor. Tara knelt down to be eye to eye with the toddler.
"You helped Mommy when she got hurted, she told me." Sophie threw her arms around Tara's neck and gave her a messy kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for helping my Mommy."
Tara returned the hug, looking at Jax and Jules with confusion. "You're welcome, Sophie."
"I told her how we came to your place for something that Den needed, twisted my knee in your driveway and you stayed with me at the hospital." Jules giving Tara a rundown of the story spun for someone too young to understand the reality of what all had gone down last night.
Tara nodded in understanding. "I called ahead to the hospital, your prescriptions should be ready not long after we get there."
Jax picked Sophie up as Jules was getting the crutches under her arms. His VP looked over to him. "You'll let Bobby know what's goin' on?"
"Yeah." He drank the last of his coffee. "I was gonna wait for him or Piney to get here before catching a couple of hours of sleep." Giving Sophie a kiss goodbye.
"Sounds good. Tell them I'll be back as soon as I get them settled in." Jax starting to follow Jules to the clubhouse door.
"Yeah." Grinning at the kisses Sophie was throwing him.
"Bye, Other Papa!" Sophie waved. "I see you later!"
"Absolutely, Baby Doll." He waved back as they disappeared through the door.
Slumping down on the closest chair, he laid his head on the table. He was motherfucking beat. Between Clay almost being shot, Cam Hayes taking the bullet meant for Clay, the whole thing with Tara and his kid, he was spent.
While he was contemplating a last cup of coffee, Bobby walked in the door, looking like he'd barely slept. "Saw a parade leaving here. What the fuck is goin' on, Tig?"
Following Bobby to the kitchen, he started to give him the run down of the last hour. As he was talking, Bobby started to gather things and put them in bags. When he finished, he looked at Bobby. "What the hell are you doing?"
"This is the stuff Jules bought the other day." Bobby replied while reaching into a cabinet. "Doubt they've stocked up over at Jax's yet." Putting more things into a bag. "I'll call Gem, see if her or Jake want to come get these and take them over." Setting the two bags aside on the counter. Bobby looked at him. "You look like shit, Tig. Go get some sleep."
That sounded like a fanfuckingtastic idea. "Yeah. Have one of the girls wake me up in a few hours." He rolled his eyes. "Unless somethin' else comes up." He grinned a little. "Then have one of them wake me up sooner."
"Yeah." Bobby waved him away.
By the time he reached his room, his feet felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. He fell onto his bed, fully clothed, and was probably asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it! Please, please feel free to leave any comments, concerns or constructive criticisms. I love hearing from you all! Big thanks to all who have followed, favorited and reviewed, they are much appreciated.