September 2008
Things had been relatively quiet despite not being quiet at all. The BlueBird factory was blown up. Although Hap never confirmed it, Sara was pretty sure it was the factory for the guns they were running which meant that things would be heating up and Hap would probably be working some late nights in Charming. He'd been running security on the regular gun shipments (allegedly—he wouldn't confirm anything to her when she guessed) that came in.
After Abel's unexpected early arrival and Wendy's suspicious OD in the hospital, Sara had offered to help get her into a program but Jax was pretty much disconnected from the whole thing and didn't want to talk about it. When she'd turned to Gemma, the matriarch had been surprisingly flippant in her dismissal of her former daughter-in-law. Sara had been stunned to see the matriarch, who never missed an opportunity to give speeches about the importance of family, turn away from the mother of her grandchild. When she'd finally said something to Hap about it, he said to leave it be; it wasn't their business.
Donna had been busy with Opie's return. Sara knew things were a bit strained between them and had given them some space to try to figure out their new normal, but she couldn't help but feel her friend pulling away. She always seemed distant or disinterested. Any time Sara brought up the club, Donna got a sullen look on her face and Sara would quickly change the subject; it made her feel alienated once more to have no girlfriends with whom to discuss club life. Back to square one.
Since they'd decided that she would move to Tacoma in December, Sara had been seriously looking into grad schools in the SeaTac area. Happy had been on his best behavior as far as she was concerned; he'd been on the road less and was trying to be home with her though he had been down to visit his mother more frequently as she got sicker. Sara knew he was getting her some of her meds on the black market and running them down to her, and it tore at her heart that the poor woman couldn't afford the quality medical care that she deserved.
The general tone in Charming felt… weird. Like a storm was brewing but no one was willing to check the weather. Sara kept her mouth shut, head down, and hoped she would be passed over by whatever bad karma was coming down the pipeline.
That was wishful thinking...
"Hey Sterling, sorry I missed your call, I was at work. What's up?" Sara asked as she fished her keys out of her bag. She'd been a little surprised to see the two missed calls from her friend, but it had only been about an hour ago so whatever it was, she figured it could wait.
"Sara… You need to come to Reno." The serious tone used by the normally playful young man made her stop in place in the parking lot.
"What… what happened?" Her voice shook fearing the worst.
"Jason's been in an accident." He stated bluntly.
"Is he okay? What-What happened?" She had already asked that, but the connection between her brain and her mouth seemed disconnected. The racing of her brain was slowed by her dumbfounded mouth.
"He's in surgery right now… it's pretty bad, Sare. You just … you need to come."
"I'm leaving now…. I'll… I'm on my way." Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with her car keys.
"Take your time and drive safe. Call me when you're here." She hung up and immediately dialed Happy.
"Hey baby." His raspy voice greeted, pleasantly surprised. He'd just left for that morning, so he wasn't expecting her to call so soon. He just happened to he stopping for a quick bite.
"Happy I—Jason—Um—I don't—"
"Sara, slow down, what's wrong? Are you okay?" His voice immediately shifted to alarm. She whimpered slightly as she pulled off the lot.
"No, I don't think so...I mean, yes, I'm fine but it's Jason; he was in an accident and I need to go to Reno and I don't know what to do and I'm freaking out and—what if he dies?" Tears filled her eyes and she sniffed as she stopped at a red light.
"Sara, slow down. What'd they tell you?"
"Sterling called and said he was in an accident and he's in surgery and I need to go to Reno."
"Okay, where are you now?"
"I'm driving home from work."
"Go home, pack a bag, and call your mom. I'll call Juice and he'll drive you to Nevada; I don't want you driving long distances like this. I'll head down also. It's gonna be okay, baby."
"Okay... yea, okay; thank you Hap… I don't know what I would do without you. I love you."
A few hours later, Juice pulled into a parking space outside of the hospital in Reno. Sara was out of the car before he cut the engine. He followed her hastily as she headed towards the waiting room. They ignored the front desk woman's statement about it being too late to visit anyone. Sterling had said that Jason was still in surgery when she had checked in an hour ago. The waiting area had about ten guys in kuttes sitting around but she spotted her friend quickly.
She flung herself into the familiar man's arms and clung to him.
"Sterling, what happened?" She asked and he released her with a sigh.
"Some car pulled out in front of him and cut him off. He was tossed from his bike… landed bad on his back."
"Do we know anything about the other driver? Shit's been going sideways with Mayans up in Charming…" Juice stated with a pointed look. Sterling shrugged and shook his head.
"We're always at odds with the Mayans here in Nevada… But it was some middle-aged lady; seems like a legitimate accident and not club related so far as we can tell. Just a piss-poor driver."
"Do you have her name? I can look into it anyway, just to be sure." Sterling gave him the name and Juice went to the nurse's station to ask for the Wi-Fi password.
"Is it bad?" Sara asked swallowing the lump in her throat and turning back to the young man before her.
"… Yea, it's pretty bad Sara. His head took a nasty hit, the EMTs said they think his spleen is ruptured, maybe some other organ damage, and the ER doc ordered a bunch of scans and shit to check on his spine. They're in there now trying to repair a bunch of shit. We keep trying to get updates, but they don't want to tell us much of anything since we aren't 'family'." He spat bitterly.
"Oh fuck. Sterling, what am I supposed to do?" Tears spilled from her eyes as her brother's best friend wrapped her into his arms again. A few of the other guys had noticed her come in and were now offering their support. She politely accepted, but she didn't really know the Reno guys and was too distracted worrying about her brother to hear their words. Sterling guided her over to a chair and sat her down as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Jason was a fuck-up most of the time, but she loved her brother; couldn't imagine her life without him. What if he died?
A few hours more passed, and Sara's eyes were red and dry from crying. She stared blankly at the wall ahead of her, out of energy for more grief and settled into the emptiness that filled its void. She'd been up since 6:30am and it was going on 10pm; her body was exhausted, but her brain was firing on all cylinders and refusing to stop going through all the scenarios. Juice was clicking away on his laptop on one side, Sterling still on the other, fiddling with his empty paper coffee cup. Most of the guys had left; a few new ones had arrived. She hadn't cared enough to keep track. It had been literally hours since she got there, and she hadn't heard anything from the doctors. All the nurses could say was that they would ask for an update but then they'd never come back with anything. Sara supposed that was a good thing; meant Jason was still alive. Finally, a doctor approached them.
"Family of Jason Harris?" Sara hopped up from her seat, flanked by Sterling and Juice, and a few of the other guys. The doctor looked overwhelmed by all of the men in leather.
"Please, I'm his sister." Sara urged and the doctor nodded, composing himself before eying the men questioningly and offering to speak in a more private location. "It's okay, they can hear. Is he okay?"
"Jason sustained significant injuries from the accident. Other than the significant abrasions from the 'road rash' and laceration to his arms and torso, he suffered a concussion, a ruptured spleen—which we were able to repair in surgery. His helmet seems to have protected his head and brain from more significant damage. He has a compound fracture in his right arm and a fracture in his left leg. We were able to set the bones for now; although he will need a follow up with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to assess the injuries further. Finally, and most concerning from a medical standpoint, Jason has sustained a significant spinal cord injury."
"Oh my god." Sara murmured, covering her mouth. "What does that mean? Is he paralyzed?"
"We won't know until the swelling goes down and we can run some tests. Frankly, he's lucky to be alive at all and the next few days will be very touch-and-go as we monitor the swelling from his various injuries. We fused some of the thoracic vertebra in surgery to help support the cord for now, and it possible that he could recover from the cord damage but you should prepare yourselves for the very real possibility of, at least, temporary paralysis from the waist down."
Sara nodded, stunned by the doctor's words. He could be paralyzed. If he was paralyzed, he couldn't ride, and if he couldn't ride, he can't be in the club.
"Thank you, Doc." Sterling offered, having the wherewithal to shake the man's hand. Sara let Sterling wrap an arm around her shoulders as she continued to just stand in place, processing what she had just been told. A few of the other men came over and discussed the accident quietly, but Sara couldn't bring herself to speak.
She sighed tiredly and glanced up the hall, hoping to see Happy or her mother, a small part of her even would have been okay with seeing her father coming down the hall. Instead, the face she saw sent a violent surge of lightning through her limbs. She brushed Sterling's heavy arm from her shoulder and started down the hall with a quick, meaningful stride. Distantly she heard Sterling question her movements, but she was already across the room before she heard the hushed 'oh fuck' from behind her.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Sara spat at the woman. The woman recoiled slightly and sighed.
"I didn't know you would be here, Sara—"
"You didn't think I'd come to see my brother?" Sara hissed, shoving her causing the petite woman to stumble back a few steps. Her perfectly shaped brows furrowed.
"Sara, please. I just wanted to check in and see how he is doing. He's my friend." How dare she make this about her?
"Get the fuck out of here." Sara stated flatly, pointing towards the door. "You're not welcome."
"Sara…" Sterling's nervous voice warned her. The brunette woman looked around Sara with a look of disbelief. Sara saw red.
"Sterling, please—" Her plea was interrupted by a screech as Sara's fist collided with her nose.
"I SAID LEAVE, YOU STUPID BITCH!" Sara's attempt to dive on the other woman was stopped by a pair of strong arms around her waist. "THIS IS FOR FAMILY ONLY YOU HOMEWRECKING CUNT." Sara screamed, flailing in an attempt to break free. She managed to land a solid kick and her brain registered it with glee.
"HEY! BREAK IT UP!" A large security man placed himself between the scrappy blonde and the cowering brunette. Sara's chest was heaving as her face was flushed, red eyes wild.
"Sorry, officer. A lot of tension running high." A man in a kutte offered with a shrug and an amused smile.
"If you can't control yourselves, you'll have to leave." The guard glared less than amused, eying the leather vests around him.
"I'd like to see you try." Sara spat, wiping her mouth and looking past the guard as a nurse helped the whimpering brunette. Sara took the opportunity to lunge at the other woman again, but she was easily detained.
"Stop playing the goddamn victim, you whore." Sara spat watching the nurses dote on the brunette. With a sigh the guard grabbed her and spun her around, slapping on cuffs before she could even register the movement.
"Oh, come on, man." The guys whined, silenced as the guard shot a warning look over his shoulder as he led a fuming Sara to the security office.
"Wanna explain?"
"No." Sara pouted, rubbing her freed wrists petulantly from the plastic chair in the security office.
"Let me rephrase. Explain yourself or I call the police to come get you."
"I asked her to leave, she didn't. Nothing else to it." The guard huffed and rolled his eyes.
"Who is she?"
"She's the homewrecking bitch my fiancé was dating on the side." Sara responded flatly. The guard whistled lowly but nodded.
"Well you're gonna stay put for a bit to cool down. Can't let you settle scores in the waiting room. Nurses say your brother is in surgery, so I'm gonna err on the side of you letting this go and not making more work for me. If she wants to press charges, I can't stop her."
"She won't if she knows what's good for her." Sara threatened with a smirk and the guard winced.
"I'm gonna go ahead and pretend I didn't hear that." Sara crossed her arms and kept her mouth shut, staring blankly at the wall. She cooled down but felt zero regret for her actions and would certainly do it again if she had the chance. She wasn't sure how much time passed—at least forty-five minutes she presumed—before there was harsh rap at the door. The guard pulled himself from his plastic chair to answer it, and her ears perked at the sound of a raspy voice.
"I hear you have Sara Harris detained?"
"Yes, sir, that would be correct."
"I'm here to relieve you of her." Happy joked, although Sara was sure that the guard didn't hear the humor in his tone.
"And you are?"
"Her man."
"With all due respect, sir, not sure she wants to see you."
"Its fine." Sara chimed in, the guard glancing at her from the doorway. "He's not my fiancé." She added, missing the flash of emotion cross Happy's face.
"Whatever, lady. You and your complicated life can get out of here if you promise to stop hitting people on the hospital premises."
"Promise. I'll take it to the parking lot if I need to throw down again." She confirmed with a mock salute. The guard sighed mumbling about the parking lot still being hospital premises but had her sign some paperwork before holding the door open to let her pass.
"Thanks man." Happy offered a hand and the guard took it hesitantly.
"Let's go, Cassius Clay." Happy stated, grabbing Sara's arm firmly and leading her away without another word.
"You wanna tell me what that was about?" Happy asked as they stopped by the hospital cafeteria for a coffee. Sara still hadn't eaten dinner, but her stomach wouldn't stop churning.
"Pretty sure you know already." She supplied with a shrug.
"Still wanna hear it from you."
"What do you want to hear? That I went nuts on that stupid bitch because I was under duress? I wasn't, and I'll do it again if I see her. She's a fucking cunt and deserves to get kicked in the tits."
"She the side chick?" He asked dropping an ice cube in his coffee and sparing her a quick glance. Sara hummed in affirmation, refusing to say it out loud. "What's she doing here?"
"Heard about the accident I guess, I don't know. Stupid bitch seems to think she's family just because she was fucking my fiancé." Sara spat venomously before taking a sip and wincing as it burned her tongue.
"'t's hot." Happy warned seeing her reaction and she shot him a look.
"Figured that out, thanks." She responded sarcastically before opening the lid and blowing on it gently. He let her remark slide given her state, but he still gave her a dark look.
"You just get here?" She asked, grabbing a bag of chips and an apple from a basket and moving towards the cash register.
"Yea, had about enough time to check in with the front desk and hear about your little smackdown before the guys sent me to claim you."
"You made good time." She stated, glancing up at the clock on the wall. He tossed a few bills at the lady and took the change before wrapping his arms around her, fulling engulfing her in his warmth. With her senses full of his smell and body heat, her lip started to quiver again. She sniffed loudly and pushed him away, not wanting to cry more, especially not in front of him.
"Hey..." He rasped, leading her into the nearly empty cafeteria and taking a seat, pulling her into his lap. She curled up against his chest and she couldn't help herself. Her small body wracked with tears although she wasn't making a noise. Her face was buried in his neck and he could feel the heat radiating off her coffee which she clutched between them. He simply rubbed her back and sipped on his coffee, allowing her the catharsis she needed without smothering her. Frankly, he wouldn't know what to say anyway. After a few moments she pulled away to take a deep breath.
"I just want to know he's okay." She sighed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Seeing the smudged make-up, she groaned. "I bet I look awful."
"You've looked better." He agreed and she nudged him with an indignant 'hey!'. "Relax, you're still beautiful."
"Prettier than the stupid cunt?" She asked with a quiet but joking tone as she sniffed. He shrugged.
"Didn't get a look at her, but probably. You're a knockout." He quietly murmured, not meeting her eyes. She smiled to herself at his words, knowing that they probably made him deeply uncomfortable to say and appreciating them more because of it. "As for your brother, don't get all spun out until we know anything. I've seen some guys come back from some terrible shit and be fine."
"You know he has a little scar on his thigh... four little dots. It's probably faded completely by now but..." She started, not sure why this memory came back. She laughed a little and sniffed. "When we were kids, I dunno, god, I must have been like... six or something? Anyway he'd done something to piss me off, I can't even remember what now... Probably ripped the heads off all my Barbies or something. I dunno, brother-shit. Anyway, I confronted him in the kitchen when he was eating lunch and he just kind of made fun of how upset I was and I was just so mad. Like, how dare he, you know? I mean, I was furious. I just completely lost it. I reached over and grabbed his fork and just stabbed him right in the leg." She giggled a little. "I can still remember his stunned face. We both kinda just stared at each other for a moment before Dad came in and saw us just dumbstruck, a fork sticking out of Jason's leg... I remember Dad was so pissed. We were broke and now he had to take his kid to the ER. He was screaming at us and demanding to know what happened and you know what Jay did? He lied. Just straight-up lied to Dad to cover for me. He said he had slipped or something stupid. I'm sure Dad knew it was a lie, but he let it slide and I squeaked out of the hiding of a lifetime." Happy smiled at her story. He'd never really understood the bond between the two siblings. He hadn't any siblings of his own, so he couldn't relate. The closest he had was the club, but he'd never let them treat him the way he'd seen Sara let Jason treat her. Hearing her talk about Jason having her back when they were kids made more sense than any of the actual shit he'd actually seen between the two siblings when they interacted. Jason had grown up and become a club man like his father before him; she'd grown up and become a club woman. Sara sighed, wiping her eyes and coming back to the present. "They said he might be paralyzed."
"Then we will cross that bridge when we have to. No good will come out of you going down all the dark tracks." She nodded in agreement. He was right. People get in motorcycle accidents all the time and end up fine. And the doctor said any paralysis might be temporary anyway.
"We should probably get back and see if there are any updates. They won't tell them to anyone but direct family members."
"Your Ma is out there."
"What? Already?"
"Yea she caught the first flight. Probably paid a fortune but…" Happy shrugged.
"And she's here?"
"Yea one of the guys picked her up. She got here right as I did."
"Did you meet her?"
"Briefly. Didn't really talk because I had to go bail someone out of Monopoly Jail." He stated pointedly.
"Oh good. I want to be there when you guys met. Or at least, really meet." She sighed. "Although these weren't the circumstances I had in mind…"
"Come on, let's go check to see if there are any updates."
A/N: Oh shit. Poor Jason. He's a real dick but I love him. I've written so many little snippets from their childhood. Review to let me know what you think about Sara's smackdown with Anya. More drama coming you way. Be kind and be well. -L