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Taming Ava & Fixing Jax - A Modern Fairytale
Chapter 21 It's All Your Fault
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Gemma came by TB's hotel suite to thank him for the hotel suite. TB had the ability to be kind and considerate while never making the recipient feel degraded or indebted. They arranged to meet in the hotel lobby at 8:30 to go see Jax.
Ava and her father got room service and ate a late dinner in their large hotel suite. TB ate while he worked in the office that was part of the suite. Ava had gone to her bedroom and watched TV while she ate her club sandwich with French fries.
The next morning, Gemma, Clay, Tig and Opie were waiting in the lobby for TB and Ava. It was probably the first time the Hotel Platinum had bikers complete with cuts in their lobby. Hotel staff were keeping a wary eye on the men of SAMCRO almost as though they were afraid they might start stealing or fighting at any moment.
Gemma introduced the men to TB. His expression was exactly like he was meeting anyone else. No disgust, no fear and no surprise. He shook hands with the men. The men of SAMCRO were surprised by his reaction.
"I'm flying to LA in a couple of hours. I'll be back tonight in time to visit Jax this evening. My driver Elliot will be free to drive you if anyone needs transport."
"We'll handle our own transportation," Clay said self-importantly.
"Just so you'll have options Gemma," TB said. "We'll meet you over at the hospital's prison ward."
Ava followed her father out of the hotel into the waiting car.
"So that's the MC?" he asked as Elliot shut the car doors.
"There are more members. I haven't met them all."
"They weren't as fierce as I thought they would be."
"They're just blue collar guys," Ava said.
"When I go through the airports, there are always cookie places. I'll get Jax his chocolate chip cookies. You are going to need to learn to bake."
"You can't bring outside food into the prison."
"He's going to get out."
"Twenty years gives me plenty of time to learn."
TB smiled at his daughter and looked at his phone.
When they got to the hospital, they discovered that Jax's condition had deteriorated overnight. He had a high fever and had been transferred from the prison ward to intensive care.
"He'll be fine," TB reassured Ava. "They'll pump him full of antibiotics."
"I hope so," Ava said in a sad voice. She expected to find Jax sitting up in bed and back to normal. She was hoping they could get back to Charming in the next day or two. It didn't really matter. It wasn't like she had much to do.
Gemma and her entourage of bikers arrived and they walked from the prison ward to ICU. The volunteer told them only three visitors at a time were allowed to visit. They decided that Gemma, Ava and TB would be the first set of visitors. TB would be leaving soon and then Clay, Opie or Tig could take his place.
The nurse introduced himself as Trace. He explained Jax's fever and that he'd been sedated, but they were free to go into his room and sit at his bedside. He said sleep was the best thing for him now.
Gemma gasped when she saw her healthy vibrant son in a hospital bed looking pale and almost frail.
"Did he look this bad last night?"
"No," Ava said. "He looks a lot worse now. Last night, we spoke for a few minutes and it seemed like he was going to be OK."
Jax's bruises had filled in with more purple color while his face and hands were more swollen. There was a security officer sitting outside his door, but at least he wasn't cuffed to the bed. Maybe someone had realized he was too sick to escape.
TB stayed a few minutes working on his schedule for that afternoon quickly changing appointments so he could make his court appearance that afternoon and make it back to Ava and Jax that evening.
Back when Ava called him scared because she'd found her mother with a needle in her arm and she couldn't wake her, he'd called an ambulance and sent his assistant. He had no idea how to deal with his young daughter, so he'd delegated it. It's what he did in business all the time. He'd spent years regretting it. This was his way of making it up to her. It was also easier because she was adult and adult Ava rarely cried.
"I've got to go catch my plane. If my plans change, I'll call you. I don't anticipate a change. Elliot will be back at the hotel once he drops me off on standby for you until he needs to pick me up from the airport."
"We can always give her a ride back," Gemma said.
"Thanks Gemma," TB said.
"Remember the cookies," Ava reminded him again.
"It's already in my phone and scheduled as a reminder."
"Cookies?" Gemma asked as TB left the room.
"My father asked Jax if there was anything we could get for him and he asked for some good chocolate chip cookies."
Gemma had gone out and told the guys that Jax was asleep. They decided to hand out in the cafeteria while Gemma and Ava sat at his bedside.
The nurse came in and used one of those sort of gun devices that he aimed at Jax's forehead to take his temperature.
"His temperature isn't going down. I'm going to contact the doctor. He may want to add another antibiotic."
"This infection isn't going to hurt him that much is it?" Ava asked.
Gemma gave her a scornful look.
"Yes. This could be serious. Infections can kill."
The nurse left and returned a few minutes later with a bag of liquid.
"We're going to give him another antibiotic."
The silence between the two women was tense. Finally Gemma had enough.
"This is all your fault," Gemma hissed at Ava.
"I haven't done anything wrong," Ava said indignantly.
"If he hadn't been in line for the phone to talk to you, he wouldn't have gotten shivved."
Ava jumped to her feet. She didn't like Gemma, didn't have to be nice to her and she wasn't about to put up with her attitude. She was also in a bad mood.
"You want to talk about blame? You raised your son and fucked it up so much he joins a motorcycle club because he needs a family," Ava said hotly. "If you had been a better mother, he wouldn't be in prison."
Ava's superpower was knowing what to say to get under someone's skin and saying it.
"You little bitch," Gemma spat out the words. If Jax's hospital bed hadn't separated the two women, Gemma would have gone for Ava. Her cat fighting days were not that far behind her.
"Can't take the truth? What kind of mother encourages her son to join an outlaw MC? Were you too stupid to understand what the words outlaw meant? Most of the guys including your husband have been in prison. What kind of mother wants that kind of life for her son? You are a horror movie mother."
"Bitch," Gemma said. She wasn't used to anyone standing up to her. She expected Ava to give her some measure of respect as Jax's mother and wife of the president of the MC. There was no respect in Ava.
"I don't mind being called a bitch. That's better than being a failure as a mother."
Gemma stormed out of the room. She'd had enough. No one had treated her like that. She treated people like that.
Ava was glad that Gemma had left the room. It was nice to have all that tension in the room gone. It was creating bad karma for Jax.
She resumed her seat. She was a little shaken from her fight with Gemma, but she didn't regret what she'd said to her. Every word she said was true. She'd learned from Jax over the course of their phone conversations and visits that he had been expected to join the motorcycle club since birth. Gemma had practically condemned her son to prison as a result
After an hour or so, Jax began to stir. His eyes fluttered open.
"Ava," he whispered. Ava leaned closer to hear him. "You want to go into the bathroom?"
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Author's Note: Ava's misbehavior reaches a whole new level.