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Overexposed

Chapter 26: New Paths

by Love Ink

Chloe watched Angela rub at her temples as she sat in the waiting room close to Elena's hospital room while the doctor checked Elena out. Angela was seated between Happy and Juice, a position that would usually make her happy, but she seemed miserable. If everything went okay with the doctor, Elena would be going home, and the two cousins had been at odds with each other ever since the older woman had decided to do so. "You okay, Ang?" she asked her friend.

"Mm," she hummed in answer, letting her hands fall onto her pregnant belly. "Headache."

Juice reached out to tuck a stray hair behind Angela's ear. "You've had that for awhile, baby," he murmured, a look of concern on his face.

That caught Chloe's attention. She raised her eyebrows at Angela. "Really?"

Angela shifted uncomfortably, shrugging a shoulder. "I'm just tired and anxious."

"Maybe you're dehydrated. Want a Coke? I'll get you Coke," Juice offered gamely, pushing himself out of the chair and going to the vending machine in the corner.

Chloe sent him a look of disapproval. "How about some water? You should watch your sugar intake."

Juice nodded, paying for a water bottle and holding it out to his wife. She waved it away, closing her eyes and tilting her head back against the wall. "I'm okay," she insisted stubbornly. "Just a headache. Relax."

"Drink it, kid," Happy ordered in his rough voice.

Juice waved it in front of her face, gently placing it on her forehead. "C'mon, Angel. You know you want some of this ice cold water."

"Goof," Angela murmured to Juice, taking the bottle from him and taking a long sip. Chloe saw the smallest hint of a smile turn up the corners of Angela's lips. She couldn't help but smile herself at Happy and Juice's antics. Both men loved Angela so much, yet had such different ways of taking care of her. Happy with his terse orders and Juice with his kind-hearted goofiness. Chloe still firmly believed the two men were more similar than people would first believe. Juice had the same staunch love and loyalty for his family as Happy did, the same will to go above and beyond to protect their loved ones.

"And now, we go home!" Elena said with a big smile as she was ushered into the room in a wheelchair by a nurse. The nurse nodded to Chloe in greeting before she made her way out to give them some privacy.

"Now you guys go talk to the social worker," Chloe explained on a sigh. She had a feeling the social worker might frown upon the makeshift room the Sons had built for Elena in the garage since Elena and Graciela were stubborn about keeping Evie's old room as it was. "She's gonna ask all about the living situation. Might have to make some changes for them to agree to it, but you should be fine. Her office is up a floor. Ang, you'll let me know how it goes?"

Angela gave her a confused look. "You're not coming?"

She was surprised by the question and shook her head. "I wasn't planning on it. It...it's kind of a family thing."

"Don't be ridiculous," Elena said with a scowl, "you are family, mijita."

Chloe didn't know where the lump in her throat had come from, but it made it hard for her to speak. She swallowed hard, smiling as best she could to keep from crying. She'd always felt like she was part of their family but hearing Elena, the matriarch of it, say it now made it feel even more real. For some reason, her eyes went to Happy who nodded his head almost unperceptively. She caught it though, and a sense of calm came over her. "Okay. Yeah. 's not like I had anything else going on."

"Good," Elena said with a smile. "Happy, you push me."

Happy nodded, going behind Elena's wheelchair and starting to push her down the hallway with Juice following along after. Chloe went to follow them, but Angela grabbed her arm, holding her back. "You're okay with this, right? Don't let my aunt force you..."

Again, she was touched by the genuine concern in her friend's eyes. She hadn't spent this much time with Happy since she'd been shot, and Angela was clearly attuned to that. "I'm good, Ang. Thanks," she assured her with a tight smile. "You're head okay?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"When's your next check-up?"

"In like three days. Chill. I'm fine."

Chloe sighed, wondering what other aches and pains Angela was having that she wasn't telling anyone. It worried her how much she tried to keep everything in. Any kind of warning signs she may have, she kept to herself. "If you're feeling sick, you gotta tell someone. Keepin' it in could lead to serious complications down the line. This isn't a normal pregnancy, you know."

"I know, I know. There's two, I feel 'em," she said, rubbing her hand over her belly. "Doing somersaults and dancing on my internal organs."

She laughed lightly, though she still felt worry tugging on her heart. "Right. And you'd tell me if anything was really off, right? You wouldn't try to hide it?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Of course, Chlo. I know this is high risk. I'm not hiding anything. Just a lot going on right now. Lots of extra stressors this time around."

"Ang, you were abducted and Juice left you the last time. What could be more stressful this time?"

She grimaced in response, her dark eyes focused on Happy, Juice, and Elena as they walked in front of them. "Losing my aunt in the slowest way possible? Lyla getting killed? My best friend and my third mom getting abducted and injured? Chibs wanting desperately to be in our life for some god-unknown reason and bugging the shit out of Ken about it? Evie being traumatized by watching Dia get kidnapped? And I'm not even going to go into Juice and Hap's stuff but...yeah, pick any of those."

Chloe felt her stomach clench as she realized how right Angela was. A part of her felt guilty knowing the worries Angela had about Happy were, in part, because she herself had decided to keep him at arm's length. "Right. Fair enough."

"I'm going to be fine, Chlo. I got this, "she assured, her with a wink before approaching Juice. Her husband grinned at her, leaning in to quickly catch her lips in a quick kiss.

Chloe shook her head at them before sighing heavily. "Whatever you say," she muttered under her breath, she went to push Elena into the elevator, but Happy interceded again.

Happy held out his hand. "I got it."

She fought the urge to smirk at his need for control. He probably felt all out of sorts, knowing he really didn't have any control over the situation they were currently in. Elena had made this decision on her own, and he still wasn't pleased with it. "Go for it."

"We'll meet you guys up there. Gonna grab a snack or somethin'," Juice said, leaning over to kiss Elena's cheek. "Make sure these two behave."

Elena laughed, patting his cheek lovingly. "I will, mijo."

Angela kissed her Aunt's cheek before hugging Chloe tightly. "You want out, the safe word is anal rain dance," she whispered in her ear.

Chloe's eyes practically bugged out of her head at that. She smacked Angela, who was hiding a laugh behind her hand. "Why the hell would that be the safe word?"

" 'cause you'd never say it," Angela called over her shoulder as she and Juice started walking towards the cafeteria. "See you guys in a bit!"

"Crazy girl," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head.

Despite not hearing what Angela had said, Elena nodded in agreement, chuckling softly to herself. "Ever since she was born."

The home evaluation was not going well. Despite Graciela being a nurse and doing her best to express just how clean her house was, the social worker did not seem too pleased with the situation. Her lips were pursed together tightly, a frown on her face as Graciela described how often the Teller boys and Evie were in the house. To top it all off, she was not thrilled about the makeshift room they'd built for Elena in the garage. Happy cursed himself for not making Elena take Evie's room as her own when they'd first moved into Angela and Juice's old home. Both Graciela and Elena had been insistent on preserving Evie's room as it was and after that, Elena had insisted Graciela take the master bedroom in case she found a new man...which she had.

"We can um...we can put the hospital bed in the living room," Angela offered, messing nervously with her rings.

"Do the children often play in the living room?" the social worker asked, raising her eyebrows.

Graciela's browns furrowed in confusion. "Of course. They're children. They play everywhere."

"Hmm," the social worker hummed, looking over the paperwork. "Doesn't seem quite so conducive to rest."

"They are not always there," Graciela explained nervously. "They go to school and the boys, they sleep somewhere else. Eva is...she's only there some times."

Juice nodded exaggeratedly. "And she's...she can be really quiet if she needs to be."

Happy appreciated Juice's attempt to reassure the evaluator, but Evie was a precocious young girl and quiet was not really a volume she had. She was always laughing or singing, running about like the happy kid she was. "She's a good kid," he added to try and help.

The social worker's eyes fell on him again, raking over him with a nervous look to them. He made her uncomfortable, something he was used to. He'd tried his best to be less intimidating, but it didn't seem to work. "And if Mrs. Ruiz is focused on watching the children, who'll take care of Mrs. Lowman?"

"I mean, I can," Angela offered.

"In your state?" the social worker asked, looking pointedly at her pregnant belly. "I hardly think that's acceptable. I doubt you'll be able to lift her as your pregnancy progresses."

Happy cleared his throat. "I can help."

"Me too," Juice put in, crossing his arms over his chest.

The social worker didn't look too impressed with their offers. "It says here you both have full time jobs. And you, Mr. Ortiz, live in Texas most of the time, no?"

"Elena has more than enough people to take care of her, I can assure you," Chloe stated, her jaw clenched. Happy was surprised to see her whole body had become tensed as if she was ready to pounce. The social worker had pissed her off, and she was doing her best to keep collected. He loved how much she cared about his family. How passionate she was about their well-being. About his own well-being.

"Be that as it may, there's a step leading down into the bathroom, steps leading down into her room, and the room in the garage doesn't have heating. A space heater is an absolute safety hazard and will not be allowed with her oxygen tank," the social worker explained testily. "She might fare better in a skilled nursing facility."

"Fuck that," Happy spat before he could stop himself. He regretted it instantly when the social worker set him with a dark look. He sneered at her. "No one's gonna take better care a my Ma than family."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lowman, but the..."

"She can stay with me," Chloe blurted out to everyone's surprise. The room went quiet, all eyes on her. She shifted uncomfortably before clearing her throat. "I am almost fully healed. I have an extra bedroom downstairs with a bathroom that has no stairs and a stand up shower. There's one flight of stairs that leads up to my bedroom but that's it. I have the sweetest dog, and I am on leave from work for a while longer, so I can provide round the clock care. I'm also a registered nurse, so I know how to administer prescription medications a-and take care of her. I...I think I'm the best fit."

"Are you serious, Chlo?" Angela asked, eyes wide. She looked pointedly from her to Happy. "I mean..."

Chloe stood up a little straighter, looking more confident as she squared her shoulders. "Yeah, it'll be no problem. I can do it. I um...I don't live too far from here, so it would be easy to take her to appointments and stuff."

Happy wished he could hug her, kiss her, tell her how much he appreciated her. But that wasn't what he did when they were together; he certainly couldn't do it now. He didn't know what to do in this situation. How to react. He was thankful as hell Chloe was willing to take on the task, but did it mean she was also opening up a door for him to come back in her life? Or was she doing this because of how close she'd become with his Ma and Angela? Was he even a factor in her decision? He tried to catch her eye to get a better gauge on how she was feeling, but her hazel eyes were looking anywhere but at him as if she didn't want to meet his gaze.

"Is that something you would be okay with, Mrs. Lowman?" the social worker asked Elena.

Happy watched as his Ma's smile grew, almost as though she had planned the whole thing. Her dark eyes went from him to Chloe as she nodded, reaching out her hand to grab Chloe's. "Yes, of course. Chloe is like a daughter to me."

"Okay, then," the social worker said, grabbing a new packet of paper. She cleared her throat and begun the same questions she'd asked earlier all over again.

Happy watched in awe as Chloe calmly went through the questions, answering them much better than they had before when they were talking about Graci's house. Once they were finished, the social worker looked much more relaxed and even smiled at them as she said, "Well, everything looks good then. We'll keep Elena here one more night while we get all the equipment set up, and she can go home tomorrow."

"Great," Chloe said on a nod. "Thank you so much."

Chloe grabbed Elena's wheel chair and started walking out of the room with her, Graciela, and the social worker, leaving the rest of them to trail behind in stunned silence.

"She's insane," Angela said around a nervous laugh. "I'm so glad we're friends."

Juice nodded in agreement, smirking to himself. "You're welcome. If it wasn't for me gettin' shanked in prison, you'da never met."

Happy ignored the comment, though he saw the displeased look Angela had shot him; she was still irked no one had thought to protect the idiot when he'd been reintroduced to the general population after setting up Dion, and he didn't want to go anywhere near that argument again. He nodded towards her and asked, "You good with this?"

"Of course. Can't think of a better solution, and Lena's not going into some home," she replied on a shrug. "Are you?"

Happy wasn't sure what to think. He liked the idea of his Ma having better care, of her being in a good home filled with warmth and all the comforts she could ask for. He just didn't know what that meant about his relationship with Chloe. He'd been keeping his distance while he could, but he definitely wasn't going to let her presence keep him from visiting his Ma. He was going to be there as much as he could. Hell, he'd sleep on the couch there if she let him just to be with his Ma as much as possible. "Dunno," he replied honestly. "She gonna let me come in?"

"If you're lookin' for a sign that she's openin' a door for you, think this is it," Juice replied, on a chuckle. "Seems like an open invitation if you ask me. Like a bright pink neon 'open' sign."

"Shut up, idiot," Happy muttered, though he had a feeling Juice wasn't wrong.

Angela stopped in front of one a bathroom. "Bugs are dancing on my bladder. Give me a sec," she stated before slipping into the bathroom.

"She's gonna hound me about you gettin' shanked again?" Happy asked as they went.

Juice grinned widely at him and nodded. "Oh most definitely. Don't think she's gonna forget that one."

"Ain't like you died."

"Not that time. Don't bring up that either 'cause that whole fake death thing is another really sore subject," he said, slapping Happy on the back. "The only reason she hasn't said anythin' about that is 'cause I'm still breathin'."

"For now," he said, though he didn't mean it. He was past the point of being so overprotective of his little cousin he was willing to kill Juice. He had come to terms with their relationship and actually liked having the idiot around. He knew how much Juice loved Angela, knew how much she cared about him. He was good for her in a way no one else had been, and he would never do anything to mess that up. At Juice's nervous look, he chuckled. " 's a joke, idiot. Don't worry about it."

Juice shook his head at him, flipping him off. "You got no idea how funny that isn't."

Kenny was just setting up the computer on the kitchen table of the Air B&B Angela and Juice had rented in Charming when Evie came toddling in, baby doll under her arm. "Nee-nee, what you doin'?" she asked, tugging on the chain of his wallet.

"Was going to talk to Jazzy," he explained, pushing away from the table a bit. "Want to say 'hi'?"

Evie nodded enthusiastically, clambering onto his lap. The baby perfume Graciela had been putting on her tickled his nose as she leaned back into him. "We see Zee-Zee on the 'puter?"

"Uh-huh, but you can't touch the keys, okay? Then it won't work," he explained, already gently moving her hands away from the keyboard. It was more to keep her from touching the wrong keys than to protect his keyboard. Unlike other kids her age, Evie's little hands were never sticky. His little sister was adamant about having clean hands. Kid didn't even like to finger-paint.

She pulled her hands back, hugging her doll and staring up at him. "I be good."

He kissed her cheek lovingly, and she giggled at the feel of his scruff on her cheek. She reached a little hand back to pat his cheek. "Love you, Monk," he told her, meaning it with his whole heart. He didn't know what he'd do without his adopted little sister to bring some light into his life. To make him feel like a kid again. With her, he got to experience things he'd missed growing up, and he loved every second of it.

"Loooooove yoooou!" she exclaimed, slapping his cheek.

Jazzy's giggle on the other screen made Evie sit straight up, bonking her head against his jaw. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing at the spot.

Evie didn't seem bothered by it, though, she was too busy waving at his girlfriend. "Zee-Zee! Look! I got an Ariel!" she exclaimed, leaning forwards and shoving the doll into the computer's camera, way closer than it needed to be.

"Hi Evie!" Jazz greeted with a big smile that sent butterflies stampeding through her stomach. "What a cool doll!"

"Nana Lena give her to me! She braid her hair too!"

"Wow! She's so pretty!" Jazzy exclaimed before she began asking questions about the doll. One of the things Kenny loved most about Jazzy was her relationship with his family. Jazzy had no problem taking Evie along for a date night with them or planning girl days with Angela and Evie. Jasmine and Angela were incredibly close. Jasmine turned to Angela for guidance a lot since her own mother wasn't around, and Angela had accepted her into their fold without batting an eye. Just like she had with him and Ellie and Bones. "Hey Evie, how about you let me talk to your brother for a little?"

Kenny got pulled back into the conversation and blinked at her for a moment. He hadn't realized just how much he'd spaced out. Evie looked up at him, her brows furrowed in concern; the very same expression he'd seen many times on their mother's face. "Nee-nee okay?"

He smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "Yeah, Monk. I'm good. I do need to talk to Jazzy for some private time, okay? Can you go play with your dolls for a bit? Then we can go get some ice cream after dinner or something."

"Okay. I get rainbow with sprinkles?"

Kenny smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "So many sprinkles but only if you give me and Jazz some private time."

"Okay! Bye Zee!" she exclaimed waving at the screen. She blew Jasmine a kiss before climbing down from his lap and heading towards the room her toys were in.

He turned back to the computer and tried for a smile. Jasmine's dark eyes were concerned as she studied him. He knew the bruises Chibs had left behind on his face were just starting to fade, that he looked a mess, and honestly, his appearance mirrored what was going on in his head. "Hey big guy," Jasmine murmured softly, her voice warm and soothing.

"Hey," he replied on a breath as he let the smile slip away from his face; he didn't have to pretend anymore in front of Jasmine. "How you doin', beautiful?"

"Better than you, Mr. Purple face," she replied on a smirk. "You doin' okay?"

Kenny raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "I dunno. I'm...my brain is not workin' right now," he admitted, feeling a little relieved the second he said it. He'd been keeping a lot inside, not wanting to put more on Angela and Juice's plates since they were already dealing with so much. "Being here is fuckin' with me, Jazz. I see...I see Piper's life and wonder...would that have been me if I had stayed? If Ang and Juice didn't adopt me...would I have been stuck here with a cut on my back worried about which member of my family was going to die next? I'd...I'd be alone. Piper's alone. I mean, thank God Ellie has Bones otherwise, she'd be alone too."

Jasmine was quiet for a long time before she said, "But you're not."

He tried to comprehend what she was saying. "What?"

"You're not alone. You were adopted, you did move away, and you made the choice to not be that person. To not be part of some club," she said slowly as if she wanted every word to sink in. "It almost seems like you feel guilty that you got out and Piper is living the life you could've been, and he's...he's suffering because of it, which is ridiculous. Piper made that choice. You made yours."

She was right about that. A part of him felt guilty for leaving Ellie and Piper behind and moving on to better things. "Yeah," he agreed, leaning back in his chair a bit. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to formulate his next thought in a way that made sense. "I just...I look at Piper, and I think...would my dad have wanted that for me? Should I be wearing the cut and being a part of all that?"

Her answer was quick and confident. "No."

"What?"

"No, you shouldn't be, and I absolutely don't think your dad would want that for you," she explained as if she knew it to be true despite the fact she'd never met Opie.

Kenny shook his head. "I don't mean Jay, I mean my biological..."

"I do too," she cut him off quickly. She sighed softly, playing with the big ring hanging from a chain around her neck. Opie's ring. He'd given it to her before she'd left Charming. "Look, I didn't know Opie or Donna, but I...I heard the stories. You told them to me. Donna wanted Opie to get out, then Opie wanted to get out, and he got sucked back in. If he saw you now. Saw all you've accomplished. Shit, Ken, you were on a championship football team, you got accepted into five different colleges on a full ride because of your grades and football, and you are one hell of a big brother to Evie, and a great support to Ellie, and a great friend to Bones, and the best son to Ang and Jay and...and the most supportive and loving boyfriend to me. I think Opie and Donna would be so fuckin' proud of you."

Tears welled in his eyes as a lump formed in his throat. He'd heard the same thing from Angela and Juice but hearing it from Jasmine felt different for some reason. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, big guy," she replied, her voice warm and loving.

Chibs' words ran through his head though, creating even more doubt. He'd said the club was his future, his family, that it was in his bones. What if going to college in California put him too close to the club? Made them too accessible? What if the only reason he hadn't gotten involved was because he was in a different state? "Jazz, what if I...what if I get sucked in? Sacramento isn't that far from here. What if it's...in my blood or somethin'?"

She was quiet for a moment, studying his face before she let out a breath. "Then you join, Ken. You're not dumb. If it's something you want to do, then do it."

"What about you?"

A confused look crossed her face. "Me?" she repeated softly before she shrugged. "I love you, Kenny. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. Unless you start sleepin' with other women or treatin' me differently. Then I'm out."

"Never gonna happen," he said on a smirk. "You're my one and only. All that I want."

Jasmine beamed at him, and his heart skipped a beat. "Good. Miss you, big guy. Wish I could be there with you right now."

"Miss you too, baby," he murmured. For the first time, he wished she could be there too. "Maybe I'll come visit when things calm down here. You're not far."

"No way. You stay there for your family," she insisted as he knew she would. "You say the word, and I'm there, though. Hate being so far from you. Just want to go over there and give you a big ole hug. Get Evie to come back. She'll hug you for me."

He listened for a minute and smiled when he heard Evie singing as she played with her toys. "Think I'll leave Eves out of it for now, though. She's having fun."

"Of course she is. Girl could have fun anywhere," Jasmine said with a light laugh. "How's the rest of the fam doin'? How's your great aunt?"

"Good. Ma's getting bigger every day, and Dad's just worried about her. Lena's...she's comin' home tomorrow. Hospice care for now."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to be out of the hospital. Think it'll be a relief for everyone to have her comfortable," she stated, skirting around the fact that her coming home for hospice care meant she was going to die there and probably soon. "Heard Ellie and Bones got engaged. Ellie sent me a picture of the ring. It's beautiful!"

Kenny nodded slowly. "Was his Mom's," he explained, thinking of the ring he had hidden in his bedroom in Texas. Donna's ring. Ellie had found it when she was going through their Dad's things. It was a small, simple ring, but he knew Jasmine would love it. He just needed to find the right time to pop the question. "Ellie's really happy. Makes me happy. She deserves to be happy. She's been through so much."

"You deserve to be happy too, Ken," she reminded him.

"Keep telling him that, Jazzy!" Angela exclaimed as she walked into the house. Juice was walking behind her, a few pizza boxes propped on his arm. Angela leaned over his chair as best she could with her big belly and pressed a kiss to Kenny's cheek before waving at Jasmine. She didn't ask how she was or any questions, which meant they'd probably talked recently. "Be good over there. Let me know if you need anything, kiddo."

"Will do, thanks, Ang," Jasmine replied before she sighed heavily. "Looks like you gotta go, big guy."

"Yeah." Kenny sighed, leaning forward in his chair a bit so his face took up most of the screen. "I love you, Jasmine. So much."

Jasmine did the same, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the camera. "I love you more."

"Lucky man!" Juice's voice came from behind him.

Kenny's felt his cheeks heat up in a blush as he rolled his eyes at his dad. He knew his parents were listening; they were both eavesdroppers. Jasmine laughed in response, shaking her head. "Tell him, I'm the lucky one."

"Mmm no, it's definitely me," Kenny shot back on a smirk. He heard Evie's giggles coming closer. "I gotta go. Looks like I got a monkey attack comin'."

Jasmine laughed a little harder. "Good. Get all those snuggles!" she exclaimed before blowing him another kiss. "Talk to you later, handsome."

"Bye, babe," he said, blowing a kiss back then closing the computer. He turned and got out of the chair with just enough time to stoop down to catch Evie as she launched herself at him. He scooped her up into his arms, loving the feel of her arms moving around his neck.

"Nee-nee!" she giggled as he spun them around.

He felt her love and happiness seep into his skin as she peppered his face with kiss. The little girl would never know how much he needed that at that exact moment. Having her there in his arms was further confirmation that Jasmine was right. He may have once been headed for a life like Piper's, but he'd been saved from it and set on a path that was his own, and he was set on keeping it that way.

FINALLY POSTING!
It has been far too long!
Thank you to everyone who's sticking with me and constantly checking in! I so appreciate it! I'm sorry it took so long!
As always, let me know what you think! I'm hoping chapters will come faster now since I kinda know where I'm going. :)
💙

~Love Ink