[[Author's note: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews! I am super excited you guys are enjoying my story and hope it only gets better and more enjoyable. As for this chapter, it's a bit shorter than the last one and I'll be working on the next one soon. Let me know what you think! I'm not a doctor or a nurse so, some of the things the nurse says may be total bullshit. Anyway, please review and I hope you like it. You can tell me if you don't, too. ;)]]

Drained

—Jax—

~The Next Day~

"All right," Clay said from the head of the Reaper table, "next order of business and our number one priority. How's our girl today, Jax?"

"She had a rough night. She's in a lot of pain. Can't get comfortable."

"And her mental state?" he asked.

"That's a little more touch and go since it's still fresh. One minute she's okay, then she's crying. Overall, she blames herself."

"It's our fault," Opie said from his spot next to me. "If we'd have just gone to the graduation instead of using some bullshit excuse to get shit-faced."

"You couldn't 'ave known, brother," Chibs said. "No one is to blame except the man who did this to her."

"How can you say that? My little sister was beaten and raped and it wouldn't have happened if I'd have been there."

"That's not a guarantee, Ope," I said. "But I understand how you feel. I was supposed to be there too. But she isn't blaming us."

"No, she's blaming herself."

"She shouldn't," Tig said, "some of her injuries are from fighting back. I'm willing to bet the bastard didn't get away unscathed."

Piney, who up until then had been silent, growled. "I want a goddamn name."

"I got one, Piney."

"What's the story then, kid?" Bobby asked. "How did all this come about?"

"Apparently, this guy's been a problem for her once before. He was a classmate of hers who took a liking to her but she repeatedly turned him down. She said he got mean and angry and started taking it out on other classmates. Charlie went to the dean and got him kicked out of the program."

"Why didn't she come to us?" Opie asked. His eyes were bright with tears he couldn't shed and I could see the same heartbreak in his eyes reflected in every face at the table. Charlie was adored amongst the club. Had been her whole life.

"She told me she wanted to be able to handle some shit on her own and she did get it handled. She never expected he would turn up on graduation night and attack her."

"Give me a name!" Piney shouted.

"His name is Jeremy Davis. New to Charming. Comes from someplace in Idaho."

"We'll have a location in two hours. Tops," Bobby said.

"We find him and we bring him here. I think our new friend could do with a little lesson in beating and raping one of ours," Clay said.

"Fine, but his death is mine."

Piney was usually a gruff, drunk old man. He was rough around the edges and had no problems telling people what he really thought. He loved Opie but Charlie was his pride and joy. Charlie was his baby girl. The man I was looking at wasn't a gruff drunk. He was a dangerous, deadly outlaw and he was set to give justice to the man who raped and almost killed his daughter. There was no one more scary than the man in front of me.

"Fair enough," Clay said. "Find Jeremy Davis and bring him here. We meet for Church again at twelve noon tomorrow." He slammed the gavel and like that, our meeting was over. We all stood and one by one walked from chapel and into the bar. I was digging for a cigarette when Piney stopped in front of me.

"Are you looking for this scum or are you going back to the hospital?"

"Honestly, I'd rather go back to the hospital. I know the prospect is guarding her and my mom is up there but, I would feel more comfortable being up there."

"Me too," Piney's eyes softened just a little when he looked at me. "I know you'll look after her, son." After that, he went and sat at the bar where Chibs had started the search for the bastard who did this. I pulled a cigarette out of an almost empty pack and walked outside, where I found Opie and Donna sitting on a picnic table. He saw me and nodded and Donna pulled away from him a bit to acknowledge me.

"Hey Jax."

"Hey Donna. What brings you here so early?"

"I have to be at work soon and wanted to see Opie. I'm planning on going by the hospital when I get off. Do you think Charlie would be okay with that?"

"Absolutely," I said and lit the cigarette. I inhaled and exhaled the smoke slowly, feeling my own exhaustion. I wanted to get back up there soon. At Charlie's insistence, I came to the clubhouse a few hours before the meeting to get some rest in my dorm but, I couldn't sleep. I knew my mom was up there and that the hospital staff was competent enough to keep her safe but, I wanted to be there.

"She loves you, Babe," Opie said but I heard the sadness in his voice. "She was asking about you yesterday."

"Shoot, I hated that I had to work. I wanted to be there."

"She knows that. She understands and I know her. She doesn't want anyone's life messed up by this."

"Maybe but, her life has been messed up. How is she doing? I know you stayed with her the last two nights."

"She was sedated the first night so, she didn't feel much. But last night, she tried to put on a brave face but, it's all sinking in and she's in a lot of pain."

"You look worn out."

"I am."

"I'm going to go up there as soon as Donna leaves for work," Opie said, rubbing her back. That pang of envy popped up again but, I pushed it down. "You can come up later if you want to catch some sleep."

"I tried earlier. She insisted I come back here and get some sleep before church but, I couldn't knowing she was there alone."

"Isn't your mom up there?"

"Yeah but she wasn't when I left."

"You know how she is. You think she just wanted to be alone for a little bit?" Donna asked. I nodded, taking a final puff on my cigarette before tossing it on the concrete.

"Most likely. That's the only reason I went with it. But I'm about to head up there now."

"Tell her I'll be up in a little bit?"

"Sure, brother."

"See you later, Jax," Donna said.

"You too. I'll let her know you'll be up this evening."

I made my way to my bike, snapping the helmet on my head when I got to it. Seconds later, I was out of the Teller-Morrow lot and cruising the streets of Charming. There weren't a lot of people out and about which made for a smooth ride and light traffic. Given my level of exhaustion, not having to deal with a bunch of assholes in sedans was a good thing. Once in the hospital, visitors and staff alike parted the way when they saw me. I didn't take it personal. Most people were leery of me when they saw the cut on my back. I'm sure my face wasn't the most welcoming anyway, given the nature of why I was there. I just didn't have it in me to be superficially nice when someone I loved was going through what Charlie was going through. I turned down a hallway and ran into my mom outside of Charlie's room. She was wiping tears from her eyes and trying to stop crying...a sight rarely seen on Gemma Teller. Then I knew why. On the other side of the closed door, I heard Charlie cry out and a nurse trying to soothe her. My heart raced.

"Mom? What's going on?"

"The doctor wants her to start getting up and you know how she had a catheter?"

"Yeah."

"They asked me to leave the room so they could remove it and get her up and in the bathroom."

"What about her ankle?"

"I don't know, Jax. I listened as they removed the catheter and soon after, she screamed and has been sobbing since."

"Jesus," I whispered. Her steady weeping could be heard through the door and then she wailed and I couldn't stop myself. I threw the door open and the nurses were startled. They were beside her as she sat on the bed. Once over their shock, one of them glared at me for daring to come in.

"Sir, you need to leave."

"What's happened?"

"Jax!"

"Sir, please wait in the hall."

"No!" Charlie cried. "Jax!"

The pain and anguish in her voice cut me. Logically, I knew they weren't hurting her. She was already in pain and they were trying to help her. Yet, hearing her cry that way and knowing something was causing her more pain made all logic go out the window. But before I could respond, the second nurse in the room, who was older, spoke to Charlie.

"It's okay, honey. Your handsome man isn't going anywhere, okay? I know this has been hard work but we are almost done. We'll get you back in bed and then I'll bring you something for the pain."

"Okay," Charlie said, and sniffed. With minimal effort on their part, the nurses got her back in the bed and then helped her adjust. My anger with them, as irrational as it was, faded when I watched them do their job and take care of her.

"You can relax now, honey. In time, the stiffness will fade and it won't be so hard to move. We'll get you back on your feet and back to work as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Sharon," she said but she was still in tears.

"You're more than welcome. I'll be back in with your meds in a few minutes."

"Okay." The nurses left, the younger one glaring at me, and I made my way to Charlie's bedside. I slipped the cut off my shoulders, leaving me in a plain white t-shirt, and put it on the back of the chair. I sat next to her and grabbed her right hand which promptly squeezed mine.

"Hey, baby girl," I said and took my free hand to wipe tears from her face. She whimpered.

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not." Her tearful eyes met mine and she fell apart.

"I'm not okay," she wailed. A lump grew in my throat in the presence of her misery. Yet again, I found myself without restraint as I crawled in the bed next to her and pulled her to me as gently as I could. She buried her face in my chest and continued to weep. I kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay to not be okay, baby."

"I'm…I just…I'm trying to..."

"I know you're a tough chick raised around a bunch of bikers but, you don't have to be strong right now, okay? Me, Mom, your dad and Opie…the club…let us be your strength. I got you, okay? As long as I'm here, no one is ever going to hurt you like this again."

At this point, the older nurse came back in, my mother at her heels, and came to the opposite side of the bed.

"Here, honey. Let's get you to take these pills. It will take the edge off the pain."

Charlie rolled over enough to take the pills in her hand. In no time at all, she took them and chased them with the water Sharon, the nurse, handed her.

"Thank you, Sharon," Charlie said and it looked like her tears had stopped for the moment. She rolled back to the position I had her in and I could feel how stiff she was.

"You're welcome. I'm going to talk to the doctor about getting you something for your stiffness."

"More meds?" My mom asked. I held Charlie tighter against me and some of the tension seemed to leave her.

"Yes. Just a mild muscle relaxer so it's not such a chore for her to get out of bed."

"Why is she so stiff?"

"It's just tension her muscles. A lot of it is just physical exertion and some of it is due to the bruises. It's not uncommon after an attack like this. Especially since she was placed on oxygen after her arrival."

"I thought that was just because she was overwhelmed."

"Not exactly. Her oxygen saturation was low which the doctors determined was a direct result of someone closing off her airway. Low oxygen in the blood can cause muscle cramps and stiffness."

Words couldn't describe how angry hearing that the bastard choked her and likely tried to kill her made me. I didn't know what all the club had planned when we found him but, torture wouldn't be enough. The things I wanted to do to him for hurting my girl were unspeakable. Wait... My girl? When did Charlie become my girl? I shook my head, unwilling to explore that idea. The most important thing was getting her better.

"As for the other thing," Sharon said, looking directly at Charlie, "I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done. You'll have to let it heal on its own." I felt Charlie nod but she didn't say anything. I wanted to press about what they were talking about but, I left it alone. She didn't need to answer a thousand questions. I saw my mom open her mouth to say something and caught her eye, shaking my head. Glancing at Charlie, her eyes softened, and she nodded. Charlie, however, saw my mom about to ask and she sighed.

"It burned when I used the restroom. A lot. But it has to heal on its own," she said quietly, trailing off at the end of her sentence. I rubbed her arm, not saying anything. What could I say? I couldn't even imagine what that must feel like for her…or what any of this must feel like for her.

"I'll come check on you in a little while," Sharon said, "I want you to try and get some rest and it looks like you may be able to with your handsome man here. If you need anything, hit the button, okay?"

"I will. Thanks Sharon."

The nurse left the room, leaving us in silence…silence that was soon interrupted by my mother.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"No. I wish they'd have left me alone."

"I do too," my mom said. "But it's probably for the best. The longer you remain in bed, the harder it will be to move."

"I know that," Charlie snapped. "I goddamn well know it will be harder to move, but it's fucking hard now!"

My mom sat on the other side of her bed and pat her leg lightly. "I know, sweetheart." Charlie's anger evaporated and her eyes teared up again, spilling over as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Gemma. I shouldn't yell at you like that."

"Honey, it's okay."

"It's not okay. Nothing is okay, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself right now. And everything hurts so bad, I wish I were dead."

My eyes me my mother's and we were both clearly thinking the same thing. In her right mind, Charlie never would consider taking her own life. However, she wasn't in her right mind. She was in a lot of physical and emotional pain, pain she shouldn't have to deal with but, she was. I didn't think she would really do anything rash but, I didn't want to treat the situation like she wouldn't either. It cemented the fact that I didn't want to leave her alone. I didn't want to leave her at all but, I had no desire to further analyze my reasonings other than to protect her and be there for her while she got better.

"You should wish for the bastard who did this to you to be dead," my mom said.

"I do. I want him to pay for what he did."

I kissed the top of her head, feeling her burrow into me even more, and whispered, "don't worry. He will bleed for what he did to you." She nodded but otherwise remained silent.

"Did the club find him yet?"

"Not yet, Ma. We just talked about it in church before I came here. But Chibs was working on it when I left. Opie said he would be here in a little bit and Donna is going to swing by after work. Is that okay?"

"It's fine," Charlie said, her voice muffled in my chest.

"All right, Charlie. Since Jax is here, I'm going to head to work but, I'll be back later this evening. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Gemma," Charlie said and grabbed my mom's hand before she could walk away. Gemma turned to look at her. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here. You've been more of a mom to me than my own mother."

"Well, you're definitely the daughter I never had, sweetheart," she said and bent to kiss her forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too."

"Get some sleep, baby." I felt Charlie nod against me but she didn't say anything. My mom kissed my cheek before she stood to her full height. "Take care of her. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay, Mom."

The heels of her boots clicked against the tile floor as she walked from the room and when she was gone, things were silent. I noticed a lack of beeping and realized they'd taken Charlie off the heart monitor. That was a positive sign. Things were quiet for so long, I thought she'd fallen asleep but she shifted slightly and hissed. I pulled back a bit so I could see the top of her head.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, lifting her head to look up at me. "The medicine kicked in a few minutes ago. It still hurts to move a lot but, I don't feel like I'm being stabbed to death right now."

"I'm glad to hear that," I said and tucked hair behind her ear. She smiled at me and then buried her face in my chest again. I wrapped her in my arms and yawned after I kissed the top of her head. We had always been fairly affectionate as friends but since I found her the way I did, I couldn't seem to stop touching her as if reassuring myself she was okay. At least lying with her, I knew she would be safe in my arms. Her voice was quiet when she spoke again.

"Did you get any sleep?"

I shook my head. "No. I couldn't get comfortable."

"But I kept you up all night with my shit. You need sleep, Jax."

"Honestly, I got better sleep here with you than at the clubhouse. I'd rather be here with you."

"Why? All I'm doing is crying and whining."

"Well, you're in pain. That's to be expected."

"I guess."

"Come on, don't you know I'd rather be with you most of the time, anyway?"

"Really? Even as an invalid?"

"You're not an invalid," I said, laughing through my nose. "And of course I'd rather be with you. You're far more interesting than anyone else I know."

"Not right now," she muttered. I squeezed her for a second and then relaxed.

"Maybe not right now but, you can hardly be blamed for that. The doctor say when you could get out of here?"

"Probably sometime tomorrow as long as I get out of bed and move around every couple of hours."

"That's good news," I whispered, my eyes drooping.

"Mm-hmm."

"You sleepy?"

"Yeah. The meds…"

"No, you're exhausted. The meds are only helping the pain. Go to sleep, baby."

"Only if you do."

"Stubborn thing," I said with a laugh. She gave a little giggle. "Don't worry about me. I'm already halfway to dreamland."

"Okay," she mumbled and I knew there would be no more conversation. Her getting out of bed combined with dealing with the pain wore her out. I kissed the top of her head and she snuggled closer. It brought a smile to my face for reasons I was unwilling and unable to even begin to figure out.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered and soon, we were both asleep.