Chapter 43: A Wedding and an Accident
"If they love you to death, never die on them." ~Drake
The feeling of relief washed over Liv as the Portland skyline came into view. She had been on the road for close to nine hours and she knew if she didn't make it back to Portland in time for Bri and Sam's wedding rehearsal, they would have her scalp. Liv pulled her phone out and dialed Chase.
"Hello Lovely." Chase's happy voice filled the line, "please tell me you are close to home because, Bri will lose her shit if you are not here on time. She is turning into bridezilla." Bri had already been on a rampage over the slight color difference of the flowers and ribbons.
"I will be there be at the church before rehearsal. I can see the skyline and will probably be there in 15 to 20 minutes." Liv said rolling her eyes, she knew that Bri was going to turn into a bridezilla, even if she had claimed she wouldn't. Olivia saw a glimpse of it when they went dress shopping, Bri and her mother argued about everything. Olivia was just thankful she was not on the receiving end of the stress at that moment, however, she might be soon if she didn't speed her car up and get to the church on time.
"Beautiful! I will let her highness know." There was a note of sarcasm in his voice. "I cannot wait to see you, Oliver. I've missed you. Shoot I have to go, Reese just got here." Chase sounded reminiscent before hanging up.
The remainder of the drive Liv let her mind wander to Charming, Gemma and the aftermath of it all.
Gemma glared at Liv as she went to Happy, the little gash was probably fucking the whole of the club. Gemma glanced over at her son, he looked older than he had only a few years before but that is what being president did, aged a person prematurely. Gemma was clueless that the murder of Tara and the aftermath of it all caused him to look older not his presidency.
"Jackson…" Gemma started gently.
Jax glared at Gemma, "Stop! I don't want to hear it. I want you to know I am giving you the chance that Tara never had. I will let you leave here today in once piece but if you ever return to Charming or try to contact MY sons ever again, I will kill you." Gemma winced as hate oozed out of Jackson in waves. This woman may have given birth to him but she was no longer his mother, his mother died the day that he found out all the lies and betrayals were because of her. Tara and Bobby were dead because of her; he would never forgive her for that.
"Jax, I just want to say goodbye to the boys." Gemma pleaded with him.
Jax slammed his hand down on the table hard, "NO! Abel is having nightmares because of you. He was doing so well and now because you resurfaced he isn't sleeping more than a few hours at a time throughout the night. Get the fuck out of here now before I change my mind and kill you right here, right now!" Jax growled.
Liv shivered against Happy as she watched this scene unfold. She hadn't become numb to the violence or the threat of it, it still scared her to death. Happy wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You want to leave?" Happy whispered into her ear. Liv nodded in response.
"Chibs, were out of here." Happy said quietly to the VP before he took Liv's hand and lead her out of the bar. "You okay to drive?" He asked protectively. He didn't know how worked up Liv would be after her encounter with Gemma.
Liv gave Happy a small smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to put this all behind me." She couldn't wait to lose herself in Happy. Liv just wanted to spend time with him again, that night was all they had left before she had to return to Portland.
"Alright, I will meet you at my place." Happy said quietly as he watched Olivia get into her car before mounted his Harley and kicked it to life. He was concerned about her, she had just faced Gemma which was a feat in its self. She was braver than he was because as much as he hated to admit it, he was intimidated by Gemma. Liv took on the beast face to face and left in once piece.
Happy arrived at his house and Liv was already there. He walked in and he heard the bath water running. He followed the sound into the bathroom where he found Liv buried to her neck in bubbles. Happy smiled wickedly at her. "Am I invited?" He asked Liv, who opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Well that depends." Liv had a playful look in her eyes.
Happy pulled off his shirt, "And what is that?" He asked as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them and his boxers off in one swift movement.
Liv lazily lifted an eyebrow at him. "Well, you have to ask me nicely." A small smirk flashed across her face as her eyes traveled down his body; enjoying what she saw.
"Hmm," Happy said as he slid Liv forward in the bathtub. She let out a small squeak. "Move forward woman and I will ask you nicely."
Liv obliged him and moved forward so he could settle in behind her. She slid back up against him and instantly Happy's hands traveled to her sudsy breasts. "Is that your idea of being nice?" Liv asked with humor in her voice.
"Yes. You might not know this but I am not a very nice guy especially to sweet, innocent girls like you." Happy ran his hands down Liv's stomach and stopped just below her belly button.
"Then, you may as well get out of my bubble bath." Liv turned her head just in time to catch the malevolent grin on Happy's face.
"Is that what you think?" Happy asked as he ran his hand between Liv's legs teased hear sweet spot. Olivia tried to hold back the moan that was building within in her, but she failed miserably. Happy's knew what he did to her and he would play dirty to win. "Ah, that must mean you want me to stay…"
A car horn quickly drew Olivia out of her head and back to the road; it was probably a good thing because her exit was only a mile away. She felt all flushed and worked up after thinking about her evening with Happy. He had been rough and gentle all at the same time if that was even possible. She could still feel where he had been. Liv loved the playful side of him that he seemed to reserve for her. Their romp in the bathtub was definitely one of those times. She couldn't hold back a smile when she thought about Happy. He certainly knew how to put her in a good mood. The only down part was she didn't know when she was going to see him next. Liv needed to hear his voice, plus she had promised she would call him when she got to Portland.
Liv hit Happy's number on her phone as she pulled into the church parking lot. She sat there and listen to the rings. "You better be calling me to tell me you made it." Happy said, his voice was gruff, like he had been sleeping.
Liv smiled, "Of course I am. I just pulled into the parking lot of the church and if I don't get in there, I am going to be in deep shit with the bride."
Happy let out a quiet chuckle. "Well you tell that bride if she hurts one hair on your head she will have to deal with me."
"Oh, I will be sure to tell her that. I should go; I love you Hap." Liv laughed.
"Love you too Liv. We'll talk soon." Happy knew that the next few days Liv was going to be extremely busy with wedding business so he didn't expect to speak to her much during that time.
"Bye, Happy." Liv's voice had a quiet sadness about it. "I will call you tonight before I go to bed."
Happy was glad to hear that, "Alright, enjoy yourself but not too much."
Liv let out a laugh, "Of course." She said before hanging up her cell.
Olivia opened her car door and stepped out, she smoothed down her light blue eyelet dress and slipped on her silver heels before making her way towards the church. Liv couldn't remember the last time she was in an actual church, maybe her parents funeral or Joey's wedding; either way Liv couldn't remember and it had been ages. She wondered if she would catch fire when she walked through the doors. Olivia let out a small laugh as she walked through the doors of the church. She was still in one piece as was the building.
"Oh my god, there you are!" An exasperated Bri walked out of one the rooms near the door. Bri's thick auburn hair fell in curls around her shoulders. She was wearing an olive green strapless cotton dress that fell to her knees. Bri's makeup was light and accented her eyes and cheek bones just right.
"Hey, I am on time. Give me a break I sped through two states to make sure I was here before rehearsal started and here I am with 10 minutes to spare. "You look beautiful by the way."
Bri sighed deeply. "Thank you. I am sorry about barking at you as soon as you walked through the door but I have been so stressed out these last few days." She smiled at Liv, glad she was there; Bri couldn't wait to get this wedding started so her stress level with diminish. What was she thinking planning a wedding right after the school term ended?
"Well let's get you fake married then. I cannot wait to see you all glammed up tomorrow. You are going to make a fabulously breath-taking bride; you know that right?" Liv smiled as she linked her arm into Bri's and walked towards the sanctuary of the church.
"Of course I will." Bri smirked. "Let's get this part over with so we can have a pre-party tonight." For the first time in a week Bri felt like everything was going to go smoothly and her wedding was going to be the event of the decade.
Happy rolled over in his bed, he ran his hand over the spot that he expected Liv to occupy but was cold. He moaned begrudgingly, realizing that Olivia wouldn't share a bed with him again for a while. Happy would never admit it to his brothers but he missed Liv more than ever. He missed the way she smiled lazily at him when she first woke up and how she smelt and her voice; hell he missed everything about his old lady. Shit, he had an old lady; he hadn't taken much time to think about it. Happy knew he wanted his future to be with Liv but he never thought about what it meant to him. It meant a hell of a lot and he would never let Olivia slip thought his fingers again.
Happy rolled out of bed and stretched his body, it ached slightly but nothing that starting his day wouldn't take care of. He had a busy day ahead of him, the club had some business to take care of at Diosa with the Mayans. Alvarez had found some new girls and wanted to be sure that the Sons approved of them; normally this would thrill Happy to no end but he wasn't really feeling it. He had promised Liv that he wouldn't fuck around with anyone else; Happy knew doing so would be the ends of them.
He dressed quickly and made his way out of the house. There would be food at the club so he didn't bother to eat or get any coffee into his system. Happy kicked his Harley Davidson Dyna to life and backed out of his driveway. He enjoyed the ride to Red Woody, it was one of those beautiful California days there was perfect for riding. Not too hot and not too cold, just perfect. If he didn't have to help out the club, he would have just continued his ride. Happy found it cleared his head when he road aimlessly though the desert. He pulled into the lot at Red Woody and it was filled with cars; they must have had a porn shoot. Lyla had been producing a lot more than normal lately; maybe she was trying to keep her mind off of Opie.
Happy made his way towards the door and met a smoking Chibs outside. "Hey Brother." He took a drag off of his cigarette.
"Chibs." Happy nodded as he opened the door. No surprise he was met by the sound of exaggerated female moans. It annoyed him slightly but only because he didn't know the next time he would get laid. Normally he would have enjoyed the sounds but he was already aching for sex and it had only been 24 hours. Happy made his way to the bar and grabbed a coffee mug and filled it with whatever was in the coffee pot. He took a quick sip and wanted to spit it back in his cup but swallowed it down. The new prospect needed to learn to make coffee, Happy swore that there more grounds in his cup than coffee, it was fucking sludge. He rolled his eyes and dumped the coffee out into the sink. Fucking prospect.
"Hey Hap." Jax stood next to him.
"Prez." Happy glanced over at Jax and then towards the scene that Lyla was directing. It was a blonde girl riding one of the new guys that Liv helped hire.
"Happy, I just wanted to let you know I am really sorry about what happened with Liv." Jax said.
Happy frowned and looked over at Jax. "What do you mean? What happened with Liv?"
Shit, Liv hadn't told Happy. "Fuck." Jax muttered under his breath knowing that there was no way he was going to get away with not telling Happy now. Jax watched Happy's face cloud over. "I thought Liv would have told you what happened."
"What happened?" Happy held back a growl that was building within him.
Jax shook his head and prepared himself, he knew Happy would be pissed. "I knew Gemma was watching my house so I kissed Liv. I was hoping it would bait Gemma into following her, it did." Jax was matter of fact. "You should know that Liv slapped me and threatened me."
Happy snapped, "Why the fuck didn't either of you tell me?" He roared so loudly that Lyla had to stop filming. Happy didn't wait for an answer he stormed out of Red Woody and pulled out his phone and dialed Liv's number.
"Hi, you got Liv. Leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can." Liv's voice said over her voicemail.
"Call me when you get this we need to talk!" Happy growled into the phone. He hung up quickly and strode towards his motorcycle. He needed to get away, to clear his mind and most of all he wanted to get away from Jax because he knew if he didn't he would do something he would regret.
"You look almost as beautiful as the bride." Chase whispered in Liv's ear as they stood waiting to walk into the sanctuary with the rest of the bridal party.
"You look quite dapper in yourself." Liv smiled at Chase as she smoothed down the lapel on his black tuxedo jacket. His brown hair was styled and his face was cleanly shaven. Liv couldn't remember the last time Chase was cleanly shaved, he looked so young.
Chase smiled over at Liv, she really was breathtaking, her hair was up with wisps of it falling around her face. Her makeup was light in which contrasted her burgundy lips. The dress she had chosen for hugged her curves; the lace was a nice distinction to the keyhole back and the plunging neckline. She wore the dress better than all the other bridesmaids. He was proud to have his best friend on his arm for the wedding, the made quite the couple. "This is our cue buttercup." Chase smiled as the music changed.
During the ceremony Liv wondered if Happy would ever ask her to marry him. It was hard enough to get him to settle down. She knew that if they did get married it wouldn't be at all like Bri and Sam's wedding. There wouldn't be tuxedos, seating arrangements or dress codes; there would be booze, bikers and leather. Not exactly what Liv had in mind for her perfect wedding. However, she had already planned the "perfect" wedding and that turned our far from flawless and she was left without a groom. If she married Happy one day, it would be small and intimate, just close friends and family; funny how that as now her idea of perfect. Olivia priorities had changed so much in such a short time.
"And you may now kiss the bride." The pastor said. Liv had day dreamed through the entire ceremony. But she watched ecstatically as Sam took his new wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. Liv clapped as the pastor said, "I would like to present MR and MRS Samuel Fischer." She felt so blessed to be able to share that special day with her friends, her new family. The only thing missing was Happy.
The reception was in full dancing force when Liv realized she hadn't checked her phone all day. Her heart ached for Happy, maybe it was the fact she was feeling sentimental or maybe it was the fact that there was so much love in the air and it made her feel lonely. But either way she wanted him to know how much she loved him and missed him. Liv pulled her phone out of her bag and walked through the crowd of people near the door and pushed her way outside. She felt like she was at a nightclub.
Olivia powered up her phone once she made it outside, where she found a quiet spot on a bench that faced a pond, that was romantically bathed in the soft moonlight. When her phone finally powered to life Liv found she had 4 messages and a text. The text was from her dad.
Sweetheart call me when you get this, no matter what time it is. Dad.
Liv frowned at the ominous sounding text. She took a deep breath and listened to her voicemails. The first one was Happy, he sounded pissed off. Liv chewed on the inside of her cheek as she went on to the next one which was her dad, he wanted her to call him ASAP. The other two messages were also from Tig, each sounding more and more urgent. What the hell was going on? Liv couldn't help but the foreboding feeling that was growing inside of her as she hit her dad's number on her phone.
"It's about time you called Baby girl." Tig's voice sounded relieved.
"Do you want to tell me what is going on?" Liv asked straightaway, her heart throbbed hard against her chest.
"Shit, baby. I'm so sorry." Tig started. Liv knew it had to be something bad, tears started forming in her eyes.
"What is it Daddy?" Olivia said in barely a whisper. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes now.
"Happy was in a motorcycle accident today. He was hit by a truck. He is in intensive care at Charming Memorial." Tig said quietly. Liv let out a sob that made Tig feel helpless. He wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and embrace his daughter.
"Is..he going to be okay?" Liv managed to weep out.
Tig shook his head, "We don't know baby."
"I am going to leave right now." Liv shot up and started back towards the wedding. She had only had two glasses of wine, she was far from drunk.
"Baby, I do not want you driving all the way from Portland to Charming tonight. There isn't anything that you can do here other than worry." Tig said.
"Daddy, I need to be there with Happy. I HAVE to be there. I cannot just stay here and wonder. What if he…" She couldn't let the word slip from her mouth.
"Olivia Grace, Happy is not going to die. He is too fucking stubborn and pigheaded to do that." Tig said sympathetically.
"But I can't just sit here, while he is there!" Liv argued.
Tig knew that his was going to be an argument he wasn't going to win. Olivia was just as stubborn as Happy. "Alright then, at least humor your old man and let me buy you a plane ticket from Portland to Sacramento. They usually fly out every few hours or so. I will buy you a ticket you just head to the airport."
Liv wiped the tears from her eyes, "Alright Daddy. I will see if I can get Chase or Reese to drive me to the airport." She sniffled.
"I will be there to pick you up." Tig said reassuringly.
"Alright. Thank you. I love you and please if anything happens before I get there let me know." Liv tried to sound stoic but she knew Tig could hear right through her act.
"Be safe angel." Tig worried she would do something reckless. He knew she was upset about Happy and that she wanted to get to Charming as quickly as possible. There was really no time to spare and she would be a nervous wreck until she got to Charming.
Liv ran into the hall and squinted her eyes searching for Chase or Reese. She spotted them dancing in the middle of the dance floor to the throbbing bass. Olivia made her way to them. Chase turned his attention to her but didn't notice that she was upset.
"Oliver! Dance with us!" He slurred slightly as he grabbed on to her and tried to pull her into him and Reese.
Liv could see that Chase was not going to be any help. Liv pushed back and shook her head. Chase stopped pulling and looked back at her and then over at Reese who was obviously his sober cab. "I need to go."
"What? The party is just getting started!" Chase said loudly.
"Maybe we shouldn't push Liv." Reese said softly as the music died down. "What is going on Love?"
Liv bit her lower lip trying to fight the tears that were building again in her eyes. "Happy was in an accident today and I need to get to Charming tonight. My dad is buying me a ticket to Sacramento for tonight so I can get there…I will just be worried until I get to Charming and I can see Hap for myself." Liv sniffled.
"Do you need a ride?" Reese asked. Liv nodded. "Alright. Go get your stuff I can take you. Chase do you want to come with or do you want to stay?" He asked his boyfriend.
"I will stay, it shouldn't take too long to get Liv to the airport and come back. I think it would be rude if all of us left." Chase was sad for Liv but wanted to enjoy this party, however if Reese wouldn't have volunteered to bring Liv to the airport he would have even if had, had too much to drink. It was the thought that counted. "Be safe Liv."
Liv looked around trying to see if she could find Bri and Sam but she didn't see them. "Liv don't worry about. I will let Sam and Bri know what happened." Chase touched her shoulder and nodded at Reese, who took her arm and led her out to his car.
On the way to the airport Olivia received a text from Tig stating where she needed to pick up her ticket and when here flight was leaving. It was a relief to Liv to hear that her flight was leaving about an hour after she got to the airport. She knew that, that hour would be one of the longest of her life as well as the hour and a half flight to Sacramento. Liv just wanted to be by Happy's side, especially if anything bad were to happen to him.
"We're here Liv." Reese's soft voice pulled Liv out of her thoughts.
She gave him a sad smile. "Thank you so much for leaving the wedding to bring me here. I don't know what I would do without friends like you and Chase."
Reese let out a quiet laugh, "you're welcome. Be safe and just let us know if you need us to pick you up."
Liv nodded at she exited the car and made her way towards the ticket desk. Her stomach was in knots. She wondered what caused Happy to be in an accident. She hoped that it had nothing to with some sort of retaliation or club issues. It was so unlike Happy to be unsafe on his motorcycle. Liv frowned at the thought.
"May I help you?" The gray haired woman behind the ticket desk called to Liv as she took her in. The woman took in Liv, kind of strange to see a woman dressed so nicely at the airport at that time of night. The attendant shrugged it off and figured to each their own.
"Ah yes, my father has a ticket on reserve for me on the next flight to Sacramento. Olivia Trager." Liv fidgeted impatiently as the woman typed on her keyboard. The flight was due to leave in less than an hour at this point.
"Oh here you are. Looks like we have a first class ticket to Sacramento leaving in 45 minutes." The woman's hazel eyes looked up from her computer screen at Olivia.
"Perfect. The sooner I get there the better." Liv bounced on the soles of her feet which were beginning to hurt after being in heels all day.
"Do you have any luggage to check?" The elderly attendant asked her.
"No, just what you see here." Liv held up her purse. "Emergency trip, going with what I am wearing; straight from my friend's wedding."
"Alright dear, well here is your ticket you are going to want to go to gate D3. Good luck dear." The woman patted Liv's hand as she passed her the ticket.
"Thank you." Liv smiled politely as she made her way to the security line which was short. Liv was thankful for that; she didn't have the patience to sit through another line. She would be happy once she was in the air on her way to Charming.
It seemed to take forever to get called into the airplane and then take off to Sacramento. Liv hadn't heard anything from her dad which made her feel slightly better but she also knew he would be on the way to pick her up from the airport as well. Liv hoped that the guys in the club would be smart enough to call her if something happened. There was nothing she could do at that point since she was in the air somewhere over California, so all she did was worry and drink a few strong alcoholic beverages to take the edge off some.
Tig waited outside of the baggage claim on his motorcycle, the summer air hot and stagnant and caused him to sweat profusely under his leather cut. He couldn't wait to get back out the road so he could feel a bit of a breeze to cool himself down again. He knew that Liv would want an update; he pulled out his prepaid and dialed Jax, who was still at the hospital when Tig left.
"Yeah?" Jax answered his voice was tired with sleep. It had been a long day for the club.
"Anything new I can tell my kid when she gets here?" Tig asked.
"Doc was just in with Hap and he said he is stable but they don't know how long he will be unconscious and that he has a decent head injury. I should have never told him about kissing Liv." Jackson had been blaming himself for what happened to Happy. He still hadn't found out that the man who hit Happy with his truck was driving drunk and there was no avoiding the accident.
"It wasn't your fault Jax." Tig ran his hand through his hair which was damp with sweat. He wanted Liv to hurry up and get her ass out of the airport before he died from loss of fluids. That is when he spotted his daughter in the entry way of one of the doors. She stuck out like a sore thumb, she hadn't changed out of the dress which must have been the one she wore in the wedding. Her hair was disheveled but still looked nice, the only thing about her appearance that was off was her make up, he could see she had obviously been crying. "Hey. Got to go the kid is here. We will be there in about an hour." Tig said as he hung up and glanced over to where Liv had been standing, she was no longer there but making her way to him.
"Hi Daddy." Liv started to cry as she embraced her old man.
"Hey sweetheart." Tig hugged Liv back, it was really too warm to do this he thought to himself. "Let's get you to the hospital." He held out his extra helmet to Liv.
"Do you know how he is doing?" Liv couldn't bring herself to say Happy's name as she strapped under her chin.
"Jax said that he is stable but the doc doesn't know when he is going to come out of the coma." Tig said as he started his bike.
Stable was good, coma was not. Liv didn't know whether to be relieved or if she should still be worried. She needed to see Happy before she made any decisions about how she felt. The last time someone Liv loved was in a vehicular accident they died. Olivia never wanted to lose another person that way again. She was the one who had to identify her parents after accident, it broke her heart to see both of her parents that way so still, so lifeless. She refused to let Happy go that way, she was too stubborn to let him go especially since they just found their way back together.
The ride into Charming took less time than Liv thought it would. By the time they reached the hospital she was freezing, her dress didn't cover enough of her body and left feeling cold from the speed of the Harley down the freeway. Olivia wondered if she would ever feel warm again. She shivered briefly but wasn't sure if it was the cold or if it was her nerves.
Tig held Liv's hand as they made their way to the waiting room. The placed was filled with club members and some croweaters. Jax stood up when they walked in and made his way over to Liv and Tig.
"Thanks for comin' darlin'." Jax pulled her into his arms. "He's in room 210." He said as he released her and pointed down the hallway.
"Thank you, Jax." Liv gave him a quick and fleeting smile before walking in the direction that Jackson had pointed.
Liv's heart picked up pace as she got outside of Happy's room the door was closed and the blinds were pulled so live couldn't see in. She took a deep breath before opening the door, not knowing what to expect behind the door. No one could have prepared Liv for what she saw. Happy's head was wrapped in a bandage and his face was badly scraped up and bruises were forming. A gasp escaped Liv's lips as she moved closer to him seeing his left arm and leg were in casts. Olivia sat in the chair that was on the right side of Happy's bed and took his hand into hers. Tears fell freely from her face; Hap looked so weak and helpless. Liv cried until she had no more tears left to cry.
"Don't you dare leave me Happy Lowman. If you do, I will heaven and hell to drag your stubborn ass back here. I need you." Liv sniffled as she wiped her eyes as she listened to the steady beeping of Hap's heart monitor. The steadiness of it gave her a sense of relief and it made her realize that all she cared about was Happy and making sure that she was there when he woke up. She wanted her face to be the first thing he saw; Liv wanted him to see how much she loved him and how she dropped everything for him. "I love you, Happy." Olivia whispered.
A/N: Thank you all for your continued support and love! You make my writing worth it. So as I said in the last chapter I said that I had some news…well I haven't been writing much because I haven't felt super creative because I have a baby sucking all my energy and creativity from me. I am going to try to have this story finished by the time the baby comes in September because from what I hear babies suck your energy right out of you and I would hate to leave you hanging. Let me know what you think of this chapter; the next one should be out soon. Enjoy!