I'm SO SORRY it has taken me FOREVER to update! Real life has been a little crazy, and I also took a little vacation to de-stress a bit! But I'm back and hope to update more frequently!
I cannot thank everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow enough! You guys are awesome for sticking with me! I really appreciate your patience! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: Sabrina (Thanks for checking in! I know its taken me awhile to update, but everything's okay over on my end. Hope you're doing well too!), Brittney, Guest 1 (A friendship between Piper and Ken is in the works. They are technically brothers after all ;)), Candace, and Katrina.
BIG thanks to TeamBlaus4Ever and Ang R for their help with this one! :)
WARNING: Someone dies in this chapter. In the first part. Don't hate me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, and Evie. The rest is all from the mind of the brilliant Kurt Sutter. :)
Overexposed
Chapter 15: Blood
By Love Ink
Chloe didn't know where they were taking them. Her captors had come in, thrown bags over their heads, and brusquely picked them up to take them somewhere. Luz had asked a few times where they were going, Lyla too, but neither of them had received answers. Somewhere along the way, they'd gotten split up too. From what she could tell, she was with Lyla meaning they were probably going to meet with the Sons. At least, she hoped so. A meeting with the Sons could mean they were one step closer to being freed from this hell. She shifted nervously in her seat; it felt like they'd been stopped and sitting in the hot car for hours now. She closed her eyes, tilting her head against the plush leather seat trying her best to fall asleep just to pass the time. It wasn't like there was much else she could do. The sound of Harleys in the distance had her wide awake though; they were there. Happy was there. She could feel it.
She leaned closer into what she assumed was a window, trying to hear anything she could. The voices were muffled though. The man she assumed was sitting in the driver's seat's phone rang, and he answered, speaking in quick Cantonese. She felt her heart speed up as she did her best to translate what they were saying. She hadn't spoken the language since her Mother had died, but she found she understood bits and pieces. What she could understand chilled her to the bone. This meeting was a front. They were using it to distract them so they could go after someone else.
"Jesus Christ," she murmured, realizing she knew exactly who they were going after. Angela. They were getting both clubs together so she'd be left unguarded. But there was no way. No way would they leave her unattended. They weren't that dumb.
The door beside her opened, hand grabbing her arm and forcefully pulling her out of the car. The bag was ripped off her head, and she breathed the fresh air in deeply; it felt like years since she'd last been outside. She blinked in the bright sun, her eyes adjusting to the change. Then she saw him. Sitting on his bike beside Chibs, doing his best to look nonchalant, above it all, tough. He stood when their eyes met, though. Unfolding himself to his full height, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of anger and worry, his jaw ticking as his hands curled into fists.
She stood strong, breathing in deeply knowing that to panic in front of them would show weakness and that was one thing she didn't want to do. She could keep it together, though she couldn't say the same about Lyla who was sobbing beside her. Her eyes met Happy's, holding his gaze as Chibs and Shang, one of Charlotte's most trusted men, discussed whatever business deal they were doing. "Angela," she mouthed to Hap, hoping he'd understand. His brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, so she did it again. He didn't understand what she was saying but Tig did. The wild haired man cursed softly under his breath, hitting Happy's arm before backing towards his bike.
"Hey! You guys not taking me seriously?" the main Triad shouted, taking his gun out from behind his back. He pointed it straight at Lyla's head, pressing it to her temple. "Best start listenin' or the blonde gets a hole in her head."
A sob left Lyla's lips as she almost crumbled to the ground. Two of the other Triads grabbed her, holding her up right. Chibs held his hands up. "Easy there. Don't do anythin' rash."
"We want the guns and the turf. You've been givin' the guns to the Mayans. That ain't gonna fly anymore. You give us the guns, we give you your women. Get it?"
"Guns aren't in our control anymore. Irish deal with the Mexicans now. Give us our girls back 'n' we'll see if we can make a deal of it."
Shang shook his head, chuckling. "Don't play me. You're still pullin' the strings, Scotty. Ain't no way those Irish crackers would work with anyone else but you. Hear they're not a big fan of color."
"They tolerate color just fine nowadays," Chibs lied, nodding his head. "We got no play in this, Shang. You want the guns 'n' the turf, you're messin' with the wrong club."
Chloe heard the door of the car behind them open. A throat cleared before Charlie Lin stepped forward dressed impeccably in her pencil skirt, blouse, and suit jacket. She walked confidently towards them in her stilettos, the red soles of them standing out in contrast to her dark outfit. "Do you think we're stupid, Mr. Telford?" she asked with a small grin. "You and your band of thugs obliterated my brother and his silly little troupe of idiots. Henry was an idiot. He underestimated you rednecks in leather."
Chibs stood a little straighter then, holding out a hand to block Rat who took a step forward as if to lunge at her. "Now, wait just a minute…"
"But I did my research," she continued, cutting him off with a little smile. "A lot of it. And I found not only are you helping the Mexicans orchestrate the gun trade, because Lord knows they can't handle that on their own, but you're also in the whorehouse business with them, helping them earn the money they needed to take their turf back from the Niners. And when the Niners needed you to help them make sure the Mayans stayed true to whatever bullshit agreement you guys had, you turned your back on them. Said you weren't in the business anymore. That was your biggest mistake. Got them on our side giving me the numbers I needed to take everything back. And I will take everything back."
"Wha…"
Charlie didn't let him speak, though. "Now, what I want from you is easy. You connect us to the gun trade, dissociate yourselves from the Mayans and Diosa, and go back to just being simple mechanics with your cute little garage and porn studio. Give the reigns to someone more capable."
"And you think that's you, dearie?" Chibs asked, smirking at her.
She smiled a little, walking closer to where Lyla was still whimpering, Shang's gun pressed to her temple. "I do," she replied, taking the gun from Shang. She held it in her palm for a moment, her thumb tracing over the metal handle. "You don't?"
He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "We can't give you what you need. We're just liaisons now. Should be the Irish you go after."
"Should be. But they're in Ireland. You're here. And you can help me get what I need," she said, taking a step towards Chloe. "Set up a meet with the Irish, get them to give us the gun trade, and I'll give you back one of your precious women."
"It's not that easy."
"Oh, I think it is that easy," she replied, tracing the barrel of the gun across Chloe's cheek. She gulped in response, pressing her lips together to keep from making any noise. Charlie smirked back at her; she could probably see the fear in her eyes and was getting off on it. "As easy as getting rid of one of these women would be for me, at least."
Tig moved a hand to Happy's chest just as he stepped forward. Chibs turned to glare at his Sergeant. "Easy, Hap."
"She's a pretty girl, Mr. Lowman. Perfect, smooth skin. I can change that," she said with a wicked smile before smacking Chloe across the face with the butt of the gun. Chloe felt her cheek split open with the force of it, the warm trickle of blood coming after. This time, she couldn't hold in her cry of pain.
"Don't fuckin' touch her!" Happy barked, a move that shocked them all; it wasn't like him to lose his cool like that especially not in front of an enemy.
Charlie's grin grew, her dark eyes pleased. "Look at that, Shang, I've struck a chord. Broke through the Tacoma Killer's ice cold façade."
"Nobody else has to get hurt, sweetheart. We'll figure something out, all right?" Chibs tried to reason, doing his best just to give the girls some time.
"Missy, sweetheart, dearie," she repeated, shaking her head at them. Her gun still tracing across Chloe's cheek. "He's underestimating me, Ms. Braun. Calling me pet names as if I'm not just as dangerous as they are," she stated with a soft snort, her gun pressed to Chloe's temple. "Shall I show them just how dangerous I am?"
Chloe met Happy's stare; if these were truly her last moments, she wanted his face to be the last she saw. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she prayed to God someone would intervene, that something would stop the crazy bitch from pulling that trigger. Lyla was sobbing now, loud, heart-wrenching cries for her dead husband. Chloe closed her eyes as Charlie cocked the gun, her breath catching in her throat as the sound of the gunshot filled the air. She expected it to be quick, a wave of pain, and then nothing, but the pain never came. Instead, there was a soft thud by her side. Opening her eyes, she saw Lyla on the ground, blood soaking her blonde hair. Chloe had seen blood before, had worked in the ER and watched someone die before her eyes, but seeing Lyla there, still made her stomach churn. Her eyes immediately went to Happy. He was staring at her with wide eyes, his jaw clenched. She swallowed hard, nodding to him, letting him know she was okay. It took him a moment, but he nodded back, his hands balled into tight fists.
"I want Ope," Charlie mocked, wiping the blood from the gun while the rest of her crew drew their guns on the Sons. "Pathetic." She turned back to face the rest of the boys who'd gone silent with shock. "Don't underestimate me, boys. Get me that meet with the Irish or you're going to have two bodies to bury. And please, do give my love to Mrs. Ortiz. If you can find her."
With that, she nodded towards her men and they followed her back to the van, covering Chloe's head with a bag as they pushed her inside. She was thankful for the bag this time; it meant they couldn't see her tears. She prayed Angela would stay safe. Prayed Happy would get to her before they could hurt her, and prayed like hell he would find a way to save her from this hell before she met the same fate as Lyla.
Juice smiled as he led Evie around the different gravestones, not at all surprised by how comfortable she was walking amongst them. She'd gotten bored with just sitting in front of Kozik's with them and had asked to be introduced to more 'angels', so Juice had left Angela sitting with Koz to go visit his other dead brothers and friends. "You know, I met your Mama here," Juice said, nodding to the exact gravestone where he'd first actually met her after Sack had dug up the big Mexican for a decoy. The way she'd looked that day was forever ingrained into his memory. He'd been hooked the second she'd smiled at him. Not that he'd wanted to admit it at the time. "Luckiest day of my life."
Evie smiled as if she understood before pointing at the foreign gravestone. "Who he?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Dunno, really. Was a big guy though, smelly too," he replied on a laugh.
She wrinkled her nose as she giggled. "Stinky man?"
"Yeah, Monk. Super stinky," he said, ruffling her hair.
"Yuck," she muttered, shaking her head. "Where Auntie Tara?"
Juice blinked at her in surprised; his kid had one hell of a memory. Angela didn't talk much about Tara, only when she was telling Evie about strong, smart women did her name come up. He hadn't been her biggest fan towards the end of her life, but he had to admit, she was a good role model career wise. As long as Angela kept her club connections out of the stories, Juice was fine with her telling them. "Umm…I don't really know. Let's see if we can find her, huh?"
"She smart like Mama and me. That what Mama said," Evie said, holding tightly to his hand as they wound their way through the headstones.
"She was." He had a feeling she was close to where Opie and Donna were, but he hesitated going there knowing Jax was most likely buried there too and that was one headstone he did not want to visit with his daughter. He was well aware of Lino and Quinn talking nearby; they were their shadows for the day. Evie was entranced by Quinn; she'd never seen anyone so big and tall in her life. When he'd lifted her onto his shoulders, she'd squealed in delight. Quinn loved every minute of it. Despite his size and brawn, Quinn was a big softie when it came to kids.
"Mama!" Evie screamed, starting to run towards where Angela was.
Juice looked up to see a black van parked nearby his wife, two men jumping out of the back and heading towards Angela. "Shit," he breathed, pushing her towards Quinn. "Go to Uncle Lino and Quinn, Evie. Now!"
Evie ran towards them, already screaming for help while he sprinted towards Angela. She was already on her feet, her hands out in front of her, Kozik's headstone at her back for protection. He didn't call out to her, not wanting to distract her, just pushed himself to run faster so he could help her before they hurt her.
The first man closed in on her, going to grab her and earning himself a kick to the groin. He fell back, rolling on the ground while the other man stepped in his place. He'd ducked her first punches, grabbing her wrist and using his hold to twist her arm behind her back. She dropped her weight, shifting to the side and elbowing the attacker in the groin. As soon as he relinquished his grip, she turned and locked her hands behind his head, bringing it down so she could knee him in the face.
The other man had recovered by that time and grabbed her by the hair. She spun around, grabbing his wrist and trapping it behind his back, pushing upward to dislocate his arm. That's when Juice got there. He grabbed the second guy from the ground, putting him in a carotid hold, determined to knock him out so they could question him later.
Angela was busy smashing the man who had her's head into her knee. He fell back, the back of his head smacking into Kozik's tombstone with a loud crack. The man went limp on the ground, leaving Angela breathing heavily above him. "Thanks for the assist, Koz," she breathed, moving her hair out of her face.
Juice smirked as he let the unconscious man slide down to the ground. "You okay?"
"Don't fucking move!" a voice shouted from farther away. The driver was slowly making his way from the van, towards them, his gun drawn. "You, come with me and no one's gotta get hurt," he said, pointing the gun at Angela.
"Okay! Okay," Angela replied, holding up her hands. She exchanged a quick glance with Juice. "Go back. Take care of Eves. I got this."
Juice shook his head. He knew what she was doing; sacrificing herself so he would get out okay, but there was no way he was going to let that happen. No one was going to take his wife away from him again. "No, you're not going anywhere."
"I love you, Juice. So much. You gotta let me go," she stated, taking a step closer to the man with the gun.
With her arms in the air the way they were, he could see blood seeping through her tank top right over where her chest tube had been. She was hurt. She was hurt and surrendering herself over to someone who wouldn't take care of her, of his kids. "No, fuck that," he spat reaching for her.
"Don't get ballsy, asshole. Just let her come with me and no one else has to get hurt," the gunman urged.
Juice caught something out of the corner of his eye behind the gunman and in one quick move, ran towards Angela, knocking her out of the way at the same time a loud gunshot rang out.
Angela clung to him, her eyes wide with fear. "Juice? Juice! Are you hit?" she asked, her voice shaking as her hands moved all over his body to make sure he was still in one piece.
"I'm good, I'm good," he assured her, pushing her off the ground and holding himself above her. He nodded over to where Lino was standing where the gunman had once been, his gun aimed at the gunman who was now on the ground bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. "Nice shot."
"Holy shit, I did it," Lino breathed in disbelief of his own aiming skills. "Thought I was gonna miss!"
Juice ignored his freak out while he looked down at Angela. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she rasped, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly and then inhaled again, testing her lungs. "Yeah, I think I'm good."
He got to his feet slowly, reaching out a hand to gently help her up. Once she was standing, he moved to her side, slowly lifting up the corner of her shirt to see the blood soaked bandage underneath. "Angel…"
"I'm okay," she insisted, though her clenched fist told him she was doing her best to hide her pain. She looked to Lino. "Are they all dead?"
Lino shook his head as he checked the one Angela had taken care of's pulse. "Two dead, one unconscious."
"Good. Get him to Hap. Hopefully he'll be able to get somethin' out of him once he wakes up," Angela stated, doing her best to distract them from her situation. "Where's Evie?"
Lino grabbed a zip tie from one of his pockets and tied the unconscious man's hands behind his back. "With Quinn and the rest of your kids. Inside the funeral home. Totally safe. Didn't see anything but the guys comin' at you."
"Jesus Christ," Angela breathed, carefully lowering herself to the ground again. She leaned back against Kozik's headstone and let out a long breath. Grabbing her cell phone from the ground, she pressed one of her speed dial numbers, putting it on speaker so they could all hear.
Kenny answered on the first ring. "What the hell's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, kiddo. We're all whole. Listen, I need you to turn on the ovens, okay? Turn them on and then go back to the office with Evie. Close the door. Do not let her go out of that room, all right?" she instructed, holding a hand over her side. At Kenny's confirmation, she let out a sigh of relief. "Let me talk to Quinn."
Juice could only marvel at her calm and quick thinking. She was surrounded by men who'd tried to abduct her, yet she was carrying herself as if nothing happened. He took a deep breath, knowing he should be doing the same. He nodded to Lino. "We should get these bodies into the van."
"Yeah," Lino agreed quickly. "I'll move it closer."
He nodded before turning back to Angela. She was sitting at the base of Kozik's headstone, her eyes closed, jaw clenched. His heart twisted in his chest; she was in pain, and he had no way to fix it. "Angel?" he said, squatting down in front of her and brushing a hair out of her face. Her dark eyes opened, a mixture of anger and pain swirling around in their depth. "Think we should get you to a hospital, baby."
She shook her head slowly. "Not right now. The blood, the bruises, they'll ask too many questions," she said, holding her hand up to him, so he could help her up. "Lee, how fast can your guys' doctor get here?"
Lino shifted awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. "We don't really got one at the moment. Not a good one at least. Ours keep getting shot."
"Are you serious?" she asked, holding her side. Juice could see her slowly breathing in and out, measuring her breath. For the first time in a long time he could see she was honestly worried about herself which meant she was hurting a lot more than she was letting on.
"Yeah pero I'll see what I can come up with." He shrugged in response, looking a little relieved when he saw Quinn heading over to them. "One knocked out, two dead. Angie broke the dude's neck," he told the larger man.
Quinn's light eyes landed on Angela, a proud smile spreading across his face. "Nice one, kid. We got TO and Rat back at the funeral home with the kids. Blocking the office door. We'll get you over there, get you all washed up, have Chibs take a look at you."
"No!" both Juice and Angela said in unison.
"Chlo's gone, so we don't got anyone else. 's either him or the hospital," Quinn said, already hauling up one of the dead guys. "Head to the home. Get cleaned up. We'll take it from here."
Angela leaned her head into Juice's shoulder, closing her eyes. He saw a small tear leak out of the corner of her eye at the same time she let out a quick breath. "Shit," she managed to get out, swallowing hard.
"Angel?" he questioned, even more concerned then he'd been before. She looked paler then before, her brows furrowed in pain. He wondered if the mention of her friend had added to her pain, if that cruel reminder was what broke her.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she assured him, sniffling a bit as she wiped at her eyes. She took in a deep breath, strengthening herself. "Lee, call my Mom. She'll help us out."
Lino raised his eyebrows in shock. "Seriously?"
She nodded quickly. "Yeah, much rather her than Chibs. It'll be fine. Just tell her I fell or something."
"Whatever you want, chiqui. Must really hate that Scot if you're willing to call your Ma."
Angela nodded, a grim look on her face as she touched her side. "Yeah," she breathed, wiping the blood that came off on her fingers onto her jeans. Juice was at her side in an instant. "I'm good, I'm good. Just need to sit down for a sec."
Juice narrowed his eyes at her, tempted to sweep her off her feet and carry her to the funeral home apartment, but he knew she wouldn't let him. "All right, baby. Lean on me. Let's get up there."
She gave him a thankful look, moving her arm around his neck and letting him support her as they headed back towards the funeral home. He marveled at her strength as they went, knowing she had to be in some serious pain. She was pushing through it though, the way she always did.
Kenny was waiting for them at the top of the steps, a concerned look on his face as he watched them slowly climb up the stairs. "You okay, Mama?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.
The smile she gave him was more of a grimace. "I'm good, kiddo. Just need a quick shower and a minute to rest," she told him, kissing his cheek. "You go be with your sister. Make sure she's okay."
Kenny nodded, his eyes following after her as she walked inside. Juice set a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kendo. I got her."
"Okay," Kenny breathed, messing with his big ring. "Um…Boner's got fresh towels there and El laid out some clothes for her."
"Thanks."
He shifted uneasily before scratching at the back of his neck. "What happened, Dad?"
"Those assholes came after her like they did for Dia and Chlo. Guess they realized who she is," Juice explained, running a hand through his hair. He knew what an asset Angela would be to Charlie Lin and her crew; he'd been surprised when they hadn't taken her in the first place.
"Fuck. Are they…did you…"
"They're handled," he assured him.
Kenny let out a long breath. "This is so fucked up," he muttered, shaking his head. He looked over his shoulder to the hallway Angela had walked down. "We should take her to the hospital, Dad. The twins…"
"You take her all bruised up like that 'n' you'll have Child Protective Services on your ass for endangering a pregnant woman," Piper chimed in from his seat on the couch. Juice and Kenny both glared at him at the idea of either of them hurting Angela. The blonde shrugged a shoulder. "You can deny it all you want, but with Juice's record and association with the club, they could take Evie as a precaution."
"Doesn't matter. Graci's on her way," Juice said quickly before Kenny could flip out. "No Sons, no Mayans, just family. Go take care of your sister. Make sure she's okay. She needs you, all right?"
Kenny nodded slowly. "Yeah."
He looked over at Piper, who was focused on his phone, waiting on an update from the Sons no doubt. "Pipes, you armed?" he asked. Piper reached into his cut and pulled out a Glock, waving it in response. Juice smirked at the lazy answer. "Go with Ken. Keep 'em all safe."
Piper got up off the couch with a grunt. "You tryin' to get some alone time in or somethin'?"
Juice couldn't help but chuckle at him. "Shut up and go protect my family. Both of ya," he said, pushing them towards the door. He waited until they were gone before letting out a soft breath of relief.
Slowly, he walked down the hallway towards the master bedroom. He knew that little apartment like the back of his hand. Every inch of it was filled with memories of the beginning of his relationship with Angela. Those were some of the best times. Everything had been going well with the club back then. He had a family, he had his girl, he'd been happy. Letting out a long breath, he shook his head, he had to stop thinking about the past. If he focused on it too hard, he was going to have a damn panic attack and that couldn't happen. Not when Angela needed him to be strong for her.
He headed into the bedroom, smirking at the way she'd left a trail of her clothes leading to the bathroom. Picking up her t-shirt, he grimaced at the large blood stain, now dried and stiff. He folded it, doing the same to the other articles of clothing as he found them. He stepped into steam filled bathroom, setting her clothes on the counter before undressing himself, leaving his own clothes in a messier pile.
Without a word, he pulled back the shower curtain, his eyes raking over Angela, inspecting every inch of her skin. Dark purple bruises were already forming on her arms and legs, but thankfully not on her torso. She'd known how to protect herself. A small part of him hated that she'd had to do it herself instead of him protecting her while another, larger part was proud as hell of his wife.
"I'm okay," her rough voice cut through his thoughts. His eyes left her body and met her gaze, trying to read the expression in her face. "Promise."
He nodded, though he didn't quite believe her. She held out a hand to him, a silent ask for him to join her. Slowly, he climbed into the shower with her, pushing her wet hair out of her face before leaning down to catch her lips in a soft kiss meant to convey how much he cared for her, how happy he was to have her in his life. When the pulled away, she wrapped her arms around him, her face pressed into his neck. He moved his arms around her, making sure they were both under the warm spray of the shower. He heard her sniffle a bit as she let out a shaky breath, allowing herself to be vulnerable in the safety of the locked bathroom. He gave her a squeeze, kissing her forehead. "You don't have to be strong right now, Angel. I got you. You're safe with me."
She nodded, sniffling again. "I know."
"How can I help you, baby? Just want to make it better."
"Just hold me."
He nodded, that he could do. He held her as close and as tightly as he possibly could. "I got you, Angel. Never gonna let you go. You're safe here."
Angela stood beside where Juice was sitting on the bed, her shirt hiked up so he could see the incision on her side as well as the cut Chibs had done in his attempt to save her life. His eyes were fixed to her side, fingers gently prodding the skin around her wounds. His thumb ran over the stitches in the larger one, carefully inspecting each one. "I don't think you popped a stitch," he said, getting as close as he possibly could to her skin. His brow furrowed in the most adorable way. He looked at the smaller one and frowned. "This is the one I'm worried about. It's still bleeding a little."
She moved her hand through his hair, still wet from their shared shower. "Least I don't need stitches, right?"
"Hmm," he hummed, frowning as he prodded it. She hissed in pain, and he pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned, a look of pain on his own face. "Shit. Sorry, sorry."
" 's okay. You stick your finger in there, you can probably touch my lung," she teased, trying to make light of the situation.
He glared at her a little, shaking his head. "That's not funny."
"Lighten up, Juice. I'm fine," she insisted, giving a lock of his hair a quick tug. "Babies are fine too. Just relax."
Juice let out a long breath, his hand moving to cup her belly that was just starting to show. She turned toward him, smiling when he pulled her in closer, placing an open mouthed kiss on her stomach. His kisses moved lover, teasing the waistband of her yoga pants as his hands hooked into them, dragging them down a little. A shiver went down her spine, her fingers sliding deeper into his hair to hold him there. "Love you," he murmured against her skin.
"Mmm, love you too," she said on a sigh. He tilted his head back to look up at her. She moved her hand to his cheek, rubbing it lovingly. "You okay?"
"Better than you," he replied, turning his face to kiss her palm. "Just hope it doesn't happen again," he said, sighing softly. "Not gonna lie, you scared the shit outta me. Tellin' me to let you go, steppin' closer to that asshole…you're not invincible, Angel."
"I know," she murmured, her thumb brushing over his cheek. She leaned down to kiss him. "Neither are you."
Juice stood then, pulling her in close to his chest. "I'd do anything to protect you. You're my everything. Couldn't just let them take you away like that."
"One of us has to stick around for the kids, Juice. We can't keep putting ourselves in danger."
"So stop. 'cause I'm not gonna stop trying to protect you."
She smiled a little. God, she loved this man. If someone would've told her years before she'd end up with the goofy biker with tattoos on his head, she would've said they were crazy, but now, she couldn't imagine life with anyone else. "And I love you for that, but I would've been fine. Trust me."
He shook his head at her. "Trust has nothin' to do with it, Angel. He had a gun in your face and you took a step closer."
"If Lino hadn't gotten there when he did, he would've shot you and taken me anyway. Then where would we be? If I went with him, we'd have a chance of it all working out. If he'd killed you, then I'd end up alone again, the kids without a Dad, and if I didn't come back…then they'd be all alone without anyone," she explained on a frown. "Its not just us anymore. Gotta think big picture."
Juice scowled at her, shaking his head again. "I don't want to picture any of that shit. I shouldn't have to any more! This is why we got outta Charming to begin with, remember? To be safe! To not have to worry about guns or bad guys and gangs! This is insane, Angel!"
Angela could see the fear in his eyes , feel his nerves radiating off of him. If she didn't calm him down, he was going to have a panic attack. "Hey, hey, easy there," she said, taking his face in her hands. "I'm okay. We're okay. You kept me and Evie safe. Nothing's gonna hurt us now that you're here, okay? You're in control of that."
He let out a long breath, running his hands through his hair. "That what the websites say to say? Tell me I'm in control?"
She nodded slowly, knowing he hated when she quoted the PTSD websites she spent hours reading. Usually she was better about masking it, putting it in her own words, but she was too tired to think so hard. "Yeah," she answered guiltily. "It's true though. You are in control. If you weren't there, I'd be fighting off two guys instead of just the one. You saved me back there. Without even killing anyone. Now we got a chance at getting info from that guy and saving Dia, Chlo, and Lyla. That was all you."
He let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he absorbed what she said. "Guess so," he muttered, sitting down on the bed. He looked up at her, grabbing the hem of her shirt again and lifting it to see the wounds in her side. "Surprised you told Lino to call your Ma."
"I don't want Chibs here. Know he saved my life 'n' all, but I don't want him touching me again," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. The idea of the Scot with his hands on her made her skin crawl, even if it was for her own benefit. "She probably knows more than him anyway seeing as she's an actual nurse and all."
Juice nodded slowly, a look of relief on his face. "Yeah," he agreed, hanging his head.
She narrowed her eyes at him, worried by his reactions. He was on the brink of a panic attack; she could feel it. "Talk to me, Juice," she urged, sliding her fingers into his hair to push his head back and meet his gaze.
"I'm good, I' good," he insisted stubbornly. "This is about you."
"No, its about us," she corrected, tugging his hair the way she loved to now that it was long. "Get out of your head, baby. Talk to me. Don't pull your Charming shit again."
Juice smiled a little, sighing softly. "I don't want to stress you out. Not with the babies."
"I know, but you're stressing me out by not talking to me because I can guarantee you, I'm blowing it out of proportion in my head."
He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "I don't know how to explain it the…chaos going on in my head right now. Feels like a fuckin' pin ball machine. Thought I was comin' here to help you with Lena and take care of my girls and the twins and then all this shit happens. Feel like I brought it with me. Like if I'd stayed home none a this woulda ever happened. I'm a jinx, Ang. Always have been."
Angela frowned, scratching at his scalp in a soothing motion. "You and Ken have this ridiculous idea that your presence influences these crazy things when it really doesn't. There's no jinx. There's shitty people in this world who do shitty things. If you want to blame it on a jinx than blame it on fuckin' SAMCRO."
"Doesn't feel that way," he said sadly. "We were normal, Angela. Safe. I'd almost…almost…"
He trailed off in a way that made her a little uneasy. "Almost what?" she insisted.
"Forgotten," he said, his voice hoarser than before. "About all this shit. I got used to normal. Used to not carrying a Ka-Bar and a Glock every day and lookin' over my shoulder anymore. I loved that. Loved that I didn't have to worry about you getting hurt or my daughter getting kidnapped or my son being shot in the street. I felt safe. Hate not feelin' that way anymore."
"I know the feeling, and it sucks. I told you not to come back."
Juice scowled at her. "How am I gonna stay away? If I didn't come back after hearin' you were pregnant, you can bet your ass I'd be here the second I heard you were in the fuckin' hospital."
"So you're not a jinx," she pointed out with a little grin.
"What?"
"You said you woulda come back as soon as you heard I was in the hospital. If you thought you were the jinx, you wouldn't say that because you thought the only reason I got hurt is 'cause you were in Charming, remember?"
Juice smirked. "Guess you're right."
"Dangerous words to say to this one," Graciela said as she strode into the room, her medical bag slung over her shoulder. "Y que hicistes ahora?" (And, what did you do now?)
Angela sighed, wishing she had more time to talk things through with Juice. "I didn't do anything. We were attacked," she answered on a scowl. "I'm not even bleeding anymore."
"Here you go, mi cielo," Nero said, walking in with a plastic carrier in his hand. Juice immediately stood, a panicked look crossing his face as he looked from Nero to Angela nervously. The older man held up his hands. " 'ey, easy there, Juice. Don't got to worry about me. We're good, mijo."
Juice seemed to relax a little bit, though he couldn't stop shifting from foot to foot. "Yeah. Right," he said on a nervous breath.
"Good to see you again, Juancito. You got a lovely family."
He managed the smallest smile and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."
Angela could sense the tension radiating through him and felt her own stomach turn nervously. "Juice, why don't you go get some air? Give me and Mom some time to catch up."
"Si, mi amor," Graciela said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Go, breathe. I'll call you back when its time for the ultra sound."
"Ultra sound?" he asked on an eyebrow raise.
Graci nodded to the plastic case in Nero's hand. "Of course. I took it from the hospital so we can make sure my grandbabies are okay."
Angela couldn't help but smirk at her mother. That piece of equipment had to be worth thousands of dollars, and she taken it just to make sure she was okay. Calling her mother wasn't such a bad idea after all. "So you stole it?"
"Don't be stupid. I borrowed it," she stated, clicking her tongue. She moved in closer to her daughter, pulling on gloves with a snap. "Now, let me see what you did."
Juice moved to stand next to Graciela, looking over her shoulder while she examined the wound. Angela could see her mother was getting annoyed with him and wondered how long it would take her to kick him out. "How's it looking?" he asked, clearly nervous.
"Juancito, yo te quiero mucho pero you need to get outta here. You're making me nervous," Graciela said, glancing towards Nero. (I love you a lot but...)
Nero snapped to attention, slapping Juice on the back in a fatherly manner. "C'mon, Juice. Let's take a break…and a shot. There's bound to be booze around here somewhere."
At Juice's hesitation, Angela gave him a reassuring smile. "Go, baby. I'm good here."
He nodded, leaning in to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "I'll be right back," he told her, kissing her again. "Love you."
"Love you too, goofy. Now get outta here," she replied on a laugh. He smiled a little at her before heading out the door with Nero leaving her alone with her Mom. She let out a long breath, trying not to think about Juice and how upset he'd been. "How is it looking, Mama?"
Graciela was quiet for a moment, muttering to herself in Spanish as she dug through her bag. After a moment, she came back with a little bottle in her hand. "You'll live," she said simply. "The stitches are not torn. Pulled a little. I'm going to put the liquid adhesive on it, and it will be okay. I'm more concerned for my nietos."
Angela felt a lump form in her throat as she nodded in agreement. With Juice gone, she didn't feel the need to be strong anymore. Everything she had been holding back to keep him from freaking out, his her like a freight train. She was terrified. Seeing those men come after her, having defend herself like she had...was terrifying. Sure, she'd been trained by Happy and by Kozik on how to fight off the bad guys, but it'd been years since she'd had to do it. When she was young, she'd thought the hours she spent with Koz and Hap going over defense moves were a little excessive, now she was thankful for them. Thankful she had the moves ingrained in her muscle memory to use them when she'd needed them. As grateful as she that she'd gotten herself out of danger, she was scared as hell to find out if it'd affected the babies growing in her belly. "Me too," she breathed, sniffling a bit, staring at the ceiling as she tried not to cry.
Her mom finished what she bandaging her side and straightened up. Snapping off the gloves, she took her daughter's face in her hands, her soft thumbs rubbing over her cheeks to wipe away her tears. "You are a strong women, mi cielo. Ruiz women, we're tough. We can handle anything. And you? You have a whole team of guardian angels up there looking down on you, keeping you safe. Your father would never let anything happen to those babies. He protects you. Your Tio Chico protects you and Kozik too. You have three strong men keeping you safe, mi amor. You don't have to worry about nothing."
"I know, Mama, but it was bad this time. And I…I lost one before, and it was so hard to get pregnant again. What if I lost them?" she said, hating the way her hands shook as she raked them through her hair.
Graciela pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. "Oh no, mija. Don't think like that. Your babies are going to be just fine. Vas a ver," she assured her pulling her in for a tight hug. (You'll see)
Angela wasn't used to her mom hugging her or comforting her. She honestly was surprised she knew how, but somehow, she'd known exactly what to say. "Hope so."
"I know so," she shot back, squeezing her tighter. She pushed her away and held her out at arm's length. "And I am never wrong."
She rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. "Whatever you say, Mama."
I know this was a hard one to read. It was a hard one to write! Hope y'all don't hate me too much for it, but it had to happen to push the story along!
Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Good, bad, ugly, just put it all out there! ;)
Hope you all have a very Happy Halloween filled with loads of treats!
~Love Ink