Chapter 7:
"Every word you've ever said, is written somewhere in my mind."
―Crystal Woods, Write like no one is reading 2
When we got back to the clubhouse, it was nighttime and after I took his helmet off, I thanked Jax for giving me a ride. He said it was nothing, but seemed preoccupied with something. He was the first to pull out of the lot and after Clay gave Gemma a goodbye kiss, she got in her black Cadillac. Tig was right behind her when she pulled off and Juice handed over Magnus, he was the next to leave. Looks like Clay, Bobby and I were the only ones staying at the clubhouse tonight.
Bobby and Clay were having their own conversation, business stuff about the garage from the sound of it, and they stayed in the bar while I went to the back with Magnus. As soon as I opened the door to Dad's dorm, I was sweetly greeted by a furry shadow rubbing against my legs and I smiled at Melinoë. I set Magnus in the armchair and got on the floor to give her some love. I noticed a purple and blue Mylar ball a few feet from the bed and wondered where that came from. Melinoë was a fan of the toy and colorful catnip mice, but I didn't get a chance to buy her any toys. When I went to grab it, she meowed and pounced on my hand to keep it down while she hit the toy to make it roll away. Someone was in a playful mood tonight.
While Melinoë was entertaining herself, I went went rummaging through my little drawer for something to sleep in. I noticed that there were some SAMCRO or Reaper Crew shirts and tanks neatly folded in here and guessed Gemma made another drop off earlier. I could fit most of the tanks, but the t-shirts were man-sized and would fit me like a dress, which I loved. After a quick shower, I pulled on a navy Reaper Crew shirt and decided against the cotton shorts, siding with the fuzzy tie-dye pants to walk around in.
"Marci, we're ordering Chinese! Pick your poison!" I heard Bobby's voice through the walls.
Melinoë was still preoccupied with her toy, but I managed to get it away from her with my foot. She followed me as I kicked the glittering ball and I let her have it back when we were in the bar. Bobby was at the bar and Clay was playing a solo game of pool, but smiled at me before he took his shot. I went to see what was good on the menu and told Bobby what I wanted.
Interested in the game, I went over to Clay's pool table and watched him shoot the solid balls with ease. I was a visual learner and decided that I could probably learn the basics by watching. I made sure to keep out of his way when he was moving around the table to get a good angel and he was on the black 8 ball now. There were striped balls scattered all over the green surface and made a maze of obstacles for the white ball to get through.
Clay was practicing his shot with the utmost concentration in his eyes and when his cue clacked against the white ball, another black object was on the table. Melinoë started chasing the white ball down the table and she made all the other balls move, so she was having one hell of a time trying to capture them before they went into one of the holes.
"You messed up his game." I scolded, taking her off the table. She went dashing off to find her Mylar ball and I shook my head. "Sorry about that. She's convinced herself that she's the queen of the goddamn universe and that means she can do whatever she wants."
"No worries, darlin'." Clay chuckled and he had some triangular thing in his hand as he felt the sides of the table for the slots the balls were sitting in. "I wanted to apologize for my unfriendly welcome the other day."
"It's fine. You guys have problems and you were just being cautious." Clay nodded in thanks and I smiled at him.
"I wanted ask about your gun too. I've never seen a Kimber like that, it's beautiful."
"Thanks, it was a gift."
"Whoever gave it to you must love you to pieces." He smiled again and I had to be a bit forceful with mine, but returned the gesture. I was trying not to think about Zane and I've been doing pretty good so far. With Jasmine around, I'm sure she'd keep my mind off him. "Didn't look too broken in. You never used it?"
"Only once, shot some guy in the leg."
"Never fatally?" I shook my head and Clay straitened up. He was lining up all the balls, but he took his hands off the triangle and set his eyes on me. "Come find me tomorrow or whenever you're free, bring your gun."
"I know how to shoot." I offered.
"We'll see." I softly scoffed at Clay and he smiled, but his attention went to the door when it opened. Kip just came in and he had 2 white bags in either of his hands.
Kip set the bags on the bar and took out the takeout boxes or trays. He made his round to Bobby and Clay, but motioned for me to come over to him. I took a calming breath before I found the courage to walk over to him and sit in a stool. He gave me my box and I thanked him, but I didn't look at him. We started eating in silence, but I smiled to myself when I realized how easily I was using the chopsticks, remembering how I've used them as both utensils and hair accessories.
"...did you have fun today?" I bit the long noodle and stiffened a bit when I heard Kip's soft question. Again, I nodded and I don't think he wanted me to, but I heard him sigh. He set his box down and I did too, peeking up at him. "I'm sorry about...you know, what happened...in the photo booth. I didn't mean to scare you off or-"
"I wasn't scared." I cut him off, using the same hushed voice he had. "I just...it wasn't something I was expecting you to do. It wouldn't have happened and you could've taken pictures with your girlfriend and won her a stuffed animal if you weren't stuck babysitting me."
"I don't have a girlfriend." Kip's voice suddenly transformed from a nervous one to a more confident tone and it made me look at him again. His eyes were focused on me and he looked determined about something. "And I didn't feel like I was babysitting anybody. Today felt like me having fun with Juice, an amazing girl and her silly best friend. You're too old to be babysat anyway...right?"
"How old do you think I am?" I asked, amused at how he reverted back into his uncertain vibe so quickly. Kip thought about my question for a minute, then shrugged.
"...jailbait."
"I'm 19." I assured him and he looked relieved, which made me smile, but it faded. I ducked my head again and nibbled at a bit of my food before deciding to just ask him what was on my mind. "...why'd you kiss me? You could've just pulled away and brushed it off like it never happened, but...y-you kissed me."
"I just...it was..." Kip trailed off and sighed again. When I stole a glance, he had that faint blush across his face again as he fought for the right words to finish his thought. He sighed again and leaned on his folded forearms on the bar. When he looked at me this time, he looked like he was prepared to be...disappointed. "Honestly, Marci, I kissed you because I-"
Kip was cut off by the door slamming open and the commotion starting to flood the previously quiet bar. Bobby and Clay were on their feet and Kip was already around the bar, tugging me behind him. I peered around his arm and saw Opie coming in with Dad. They each had one of Happy's arms over their shoulders and he looked like he was in pain. Granted, he just looked severely irked, but I saw how tight his eyes would shut and how he would cringe as they made their way over to a leather couch. Once Happy was laid out, Dad came to me to give me a quick peck on the head, then he went racing back to the hall of dorms.
Clay, Opie, Bobby and Kip were surrounding Happy and Bobby just asked me to go wet some paper towels. I did as I was told and brought them to the group of Sons. I got to see Happy up close and he was clutching his thigh, but there was blood staining his ripped white shirt. I took a look at Opie and his was clean of blood, but his lip wasn't and I wondered where Quinn was.
The men were having overlapping conversations that I couldn't understand, but I was easing Happy's ripped shirt up. I cringed a bit when I saw the scratches on his tattooed stomach. They weren't from a woman either, these were harmful scratches. Hell, I could see little thorns of metal caught in his slightly shredded skin.
"What'd you'd do, use yourself as a blanket to get over a barbwire fence?" I asked, dabbing at the cuts on his stomach and making sure to avoid the metal shards in his skin.
"I don't need your shit right now, little girl." Happy hissed at me and I narrowed my eyes at him. "There's an open wound on my leg and I'm bleeding out, don't I have enough problems? Where the fuck is Chibs?!"
"He went to get his kit." Opie explained. "But we gotta deal with that wound now or you won't be around later, brother."
Happy pried his hands off his thigh and I heard the man growl as I rolled his pant's leg up. The wound itself wasn't anything horrific, but Opie was right. Happy was losing blood and the longer we waited, the better the chance of risking infection. That could lead to all kinds of things and the worst one was amputation. He needed stitches and he needed them now. Everyone's head snapped to the hall when we hear Dad let out a yell of either anger or annoyance. I heard him punch the wall on his way back out here and he looked heated.
"Go get Tara!" He barked and Kip was up and off before I could give him a parting glance.
"What's the verdict, doc?" Happy asked in a darkly sarcastic voice.
"My kit's dry and everythin's closed by now." Dad started and he positioned Happy's hands to apply pressure on his wound. He had a few alcohol packs in his hand and he was tearing them open to sterilize the wound on Happy's leg while I cleaned the ones on his stomach that didn't have any shards in them. I remembered the first aid kit behind the bar was scarcely full and Jax said it was Dad's, but I thought he'd stock it up. I already knew taking the Nomad to a hospital was out of the question. If one of them so much as went to a clinic, I'm sure the FBI would be waiting to take them to some maximum security prison. "If Half-Sack can get Tara here, you'll be fine. She'll get ya' stitched up and you'll be on your merry way."
"And if he can't?" Dad took something out of his kutte's pocket and ripped the tin foil packet open. 2 red capsules fell in his hand and he told Happy to take them, but didn't answer his question. I'm sure we all knew what his silence meant.
I couldn't standby and just hope that Kip would be able to get this woman, who I guessed was Jax's high school sweetheart, here in time to save Happy, so I left the men. I went into Dad's room and to his bathroom. I found an unflavored case of dental floss and a safety pin in his medicine cabinet. While I rushed back out to the bar, I was biting the head off the pin and I took one of the alcohol packets from Dad's lap, wiping down the spear.
"The hell are you doing?" Happy demanded in that harsh tone of his while I was threading the floss on the pin.
"I'm saving your life. You either let me give you temporary stitches now and wait until Tara gets here to give you proper ones or you can sit there, be a baby and kiss you leg goodbye. I'm pretty sure none of the Crow Eaters would be open to blowing a one-legged Son, so you'd better get used to jerking off."
"Watch your mouth, kid."
"Do you really think I'm afraid of a psychotic, overgrown Milk Dud?" I spat back, highly irritated at the pigheadedness of one man. "Just sit still, shut up and let me work. Christ, a 6-year-old would be more cooperative."
Happy didn't say anything back, but his jaw was tightly clenched and I rolled my eyes at how uncompromising he was being when all I was trying to do was help him. All the irritation I had was let out when I started on the running sutures for his leg. I didn't have the gentlest touch and I wasn't being tender as I tugged at his skin. I'd smirk whenever Happy would start lowly grumbling or when I'd see his hands bawl into fists, but I did take my time to ensure I did everything right and got the wound closed in the next 3 or 4 minutes.
"That should hold until Tara gets here." I told Happy, as well as the other Sons watching, and started cleaning up the minor mess we made. I stopped picking up the alcohol wrappings and looked at Happy. He stared back at me and I could see effects of the blood loss in his face. He lost half a shade of his tanned skin color and it looked like the crescents camping under his slightly bloodshot eyes were getting darker. "I just prevented you from bleeding to death. The least you could do is say 'Thank you for saving my life, Marceline. Bless your charitable heart, child.' A pat on the back would suffice too."
"You expect me to thank you for closing a wound with floss and a safety pin?" He glowered at me as the words rumbled out of his throat. I nodded and he scoffed. He asked someone for a cigarette and Bobby gave him one, but I yanked the fag from his lips before he could lite it. It was bad enough that he took the painkillers with Vodka, but he was adding fuel to the fire by smoking. "You're pushin' it, little girl."
"I'm shitting my boots, old man." I retorted and went to dispose of the light rubbish, but I didn't miss how the Sons were oohing at my little comeback. I distinctly heard Clay say that I had an attitude like Dad. Happy had no idea how sarcastic I could be, but I'd be more than willing to let him get a sample.
When I came back to the group, Dad was getting the cut on Opie's lip cleaned up and Happy was flooding his system with the bottle of Vodka he had clutched in his hand.
"You're not doing yourself any favors by drinking." I scolded and he glared at me, but he didn't set the bottle down. "You're thinning your blood. You're gonna bleed more and it's gonna hurt more when Tara takes my stitches out to put the real ones in."
"What are you, my mother?" I had an ever-growing horde of comebacks for that single line, but I bit them back and decided to let him be in more pain when Tara got here.
After washing my hands, I went to get my box from the bar and finished eating dinner. One I was full, I offered my box to Dad or Opie and the taller man accepted. I knew Dad had a thing for spicy food, but it probably wasn't worth eating due to the after effects on his heart or stomach, not that he cared. Once we actually got a roof over our heads, I'd love to make him some home-cooked meals.
"You have fun at the carnival with Jasmine?" Dad asked and I beamed.
"It was awesome!" I chirped and began telling him everything we did today...excluding that photo booth incident with Kip.
As Dad's daughter, I'm pretty sure I was deemed off limits to any of the Sons. The older members seemed to understand that because they haven't tried anything and I prayed it would stay that way, but I didn't miss the wandering glances they'd give me. Jax's little flirts reminded me of how Jasmine's were and I had a feeling he was just poking fun with me and I think that VP patch was getting to his head. But Kip...that was different. He probably thought I was going to tell Dad that he shoved his tongue down my throat and that would've gotten him into some deep shit he didn't need to be in, especially since his prospecting year was coming to an end. I think that was why he was so nervous afterwards, why he thought he scared me.
I wasn't going to snitch on him though. I was never the tattletale type and I liked being around Kip. He was funny and sweet and I was comfortable around him, just like I was around Juice. Then again, Juice didn't kiss me today and I wouldn't want him to. Not only was Jasmine obviously crushing on him, but I just didn't like Juice in that way. I didn't have unrealistic standards when it came to guys, but to be frank, he was a goofy dunce. Besides, Juice didn't make butterflies swarm in my stomach or make me tingle when he'd smile and I never got goosebumps when he'd touch me...that all happened with Kip.
I was pulled from my thoughts when the clubhouse door opened again and Kip came in with a woman trailing behind him. She just barely came to his shoulder and her dark brown locks were pulled back in a slightly messy bun. I noticed that her eyes were like Gemma's, but more of a forest-green rather than emerald. That must be Tara. She had a bag slung over her arm and when she got closer, I saw the white caduceus symbol on the side.
"What happened?" She asked as she kneeled down and pulled a pair of blue gloves on, starting to take tools from her bag.
"Nick in the leg and he's got some metal thorns in his gut." Dad explained. "Marceline gave him some short-term stitches."
"...is this dental floss?" She asked and looked over her shoulder at Dad. When he nodded, Tara smirked a little and turned to me. "You're stitching's top notch. I might have to get you a job in the ER."
"Just wanted to help a stubborn jackass." I smiled back at her and hers got bigger, but I could see Happy scowling at me behind her.
"Is anybody gonna explain how he got metal in his stomach? I need to know when and what made this 'nick.' too." She asked and the Sons didn't answer her right away. They'd glance between me and her and I was getting a bit uncomfortable with their eyes flicking to me.
I think it was Clay, but I couldn't be sure, who cleared his throat and Kip asked me if Melinoë was getting along with Magnus. I looked around the bar and found her on the pool table again, watching the balls as if waiting for one of them to move. I picked her up and led Kip back to Dad's dorm. After setting Melinoë down, I started cleaning up all the toiletries I left on the bed and I heard the door shut. I felt Melinoë go between my legs and under the bed, so she was getting iffy about Kip's kutte or she was turning in for the night.
"We should make a code word for when I need to leave the room." I said and finished arranging the bottles in rows by size on the top of the dresser. I grabbed my laptop and sat on the bed, glancing at Kip sitting in the armchair as I unlocked it.
"Like?" He asked and I took a minute to think, but shrugged.
"What do you say in the army when you need to get going?"
"Evac, get to the extraction point, Mike-Oscar-Victor-Echo, step off. Those were more professional terms though. We used to hear, 'Move your ass or get a bullet in it' most of the time. We'll work on it."
I smiled behind my laptop screen and went to open a tab for Netflix, but I didn't have an internet connection. I groaned when I realized I needed the clubhouse's WiFi password and Juice was probably the only one who knew it by heart. It was pretty late, but I called him anyway and he answered on the 2nd ring, so he wasn't sleeping. I asked him for the password and he asked me for my IP address. After he told me how to find it and I gave it to him, I watched as my laptop sprouted a mind of it's own. Settings were getting opened, I saw something about firewalls and malware protection, scans were being run and no matter how much I ran my finger over the touch pad, I couldn't gain control of anything happening. I hoped he couldn't do that to my phone.
All that was done in less than 5 minutes and Juice bid me goodnight. I tried logging on to Netflix again and immediately noticed the increased speed. I found Brickleberry and played where I left off, already smiling at Malloy's crudeness.
"Come watch?" I offered and Kip took his eyes off the door to set them on me, his eyebrow tweaking in slight surprise. I scooted over in the bed and pat the space next to me. "Take your shoes off before you get in."
It took a second, but Kip complied and took off his boots before he came to sit at the edge of the bed. I gave him a disapproving look and was rewarded with the fake puppy dog eyes, but he smiled. He came up to the head of the bed and I balanced the laptop on both of our legs. I wasn't sure if Kip was going to like the show because it was a little raunchy, but everyone likes Family Guy and this wasn't that different. I was relieved when I heard him chuckling at the cartoon and relaxed.
We got through 3 more episodes before I was drifting off.
~.~.~.~.
A buzzing noise made me groan and I knew I wasn't going back to sleep, so I guess my day was starting. I softly sighed and kept my eyes closed, but nuzzled into the comforting presence I had my head on. I probably woke up in the middle of the night to get Magnus and he was being a damn good cuddle buddy. His steady heartbeat was soothing me back to sleep though. If it wasn't extremely early, I could-
I stopped my mental planning and replayed my thoughts. Heartbeat. Since when do stuffed animals have thumping organs?
I opened my eyes then and looked up to see what the hell I was so comfortable sleeping on. The redness I felt take over my face slowly started to coat me from head to toe when I saw that Kip was still next to me. He moved the laptop off the bed and into the armchair, his kutte draped on the top of it. He was wearing the same black shirt from yesterday, but his arm was around my shoulders, curled around my waist and his hand was draped over my hip while his other one was tucked under his pillow, probably clutching his gun. I had my head on his chest and right over that beating organ, my arms wrapped around his torso.
With us being so close, I could study his face and that's exactly what I did. I noticed his hair was naturally choppy, but not uneven and in the sunlight, it had more of a golden-blond hue. The facial hair he had covered his jaw, upper lip and chin was more like growing stubble than a beard or goatee. I don't think he'd look too good with a long beard like Bobby or Opie had. My eyes fell on his lips, pale rose and still looking softer than anything imaginable. I basked in how handsome he looked, so young, but not juvenile.
Unlike the other Sons and Juice, Kip didn't have a rugged charm, but I'm sure it'd come in due time. He'd be put to hard work and the toll of being a member in an MC would set in on him as the years passed. He'd probably get stronger and his voice would get deeper from all the smoking or drinking he'd be doing. I wondered how his patch-in ceremony would play out. Gage never told me what happened, so I was left to imagine and all I could think about was the amount of Crow Eaters trying their hardest to fuck the newest member dry. Kip would be a fresh animal overrun on the highway and they'd swarm him like the buzzards they were. I hoped he didn't make the mistake of deeming one of these whores his Old Lady. None of them would be faithful to him and they'd probably try to bang one of the other Sons.
As I silently watched Kip sleep, getting a little spark of joy from how peaceful he looked, I thought about what he said last night. He never finished telling me why he kissed me and I was left to fill in the blanks.
Honestly, Marci, I kissed you because...
I was caught up moment and it was a mistake. I should've had control over myself. You're just a kid and I should've been more responsible.
I frowned when that was the only thing I could think of. Kip probably didn't start thinking about what he was doing until it was over and that's when he realized it was 'wrong'. He said he didn't mean to scare me either and I knew that had something to do with how old I was. Kip had to be in his late 20's because he couldn't be older than Juice. From the years he served in Iraq, I think he was 27.
My frown only got deeper when I started thinking more. Kip probably thought I was just some unstable teenager that was running off her wild hormones. I'd want to be his friend one day, try to seduce him into sleeping with me the next, hating and ignoring him for a week, then repeating the cycle nonstop. I don't think I was any good at seduction, but why would he fall for my tyro charms when he could have experienced Crow Eaters and pornstars pleasing him whenever he wanted? He could think I was trying to use him too.
Dad basically made him my mobile protector and Kip could think I was taking advantage of that to make him do whatever I told him to, but I haven't been bossing him around. When we were having breakfast, he told me about the hazing he often got from the Sons and the teasing that came with it. It was all in good fun and he never took anything personally, but he could think I was doing the same thing, that I'd just be joshing around with him until I needed something. Christ, I wasn't that selfish.
But if he thought that I was playing him like a pawn or was freeloading off the order he was given, why did he stay here all night? He could've left as soon as he knew I was going to stay in Dad's room, but he didn't. He stayed to keep me company and he didn't leave when I fell asleep. If I thought someone was using me, I sure as hell wouldn't do something like that. I wish I could just ask him what was going on in his head because there was a catastrophic disaster exploding in mine.
With a soft sigh, I gently grabbed Kip's wrist and slid out from under his arm. I've had practice slipping out of Zane's hold without disturbing him and the flutter of moth's wings could wake him up. Kip didn't move or stir and I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my eyes before I stretched. My phone was charging on the nightstand and I had a text from someone. I recognized Jasmine's number, but she must've changed her name to 'Bae' with a long string of love-centric emojis.
❤️βαε❤️: i'm surrounded by idiots, plz help
I smirked at her text and looked at the time. It was almost noon and that surprised me. Without an alarm going off, I was usually up by 10:45, but then again, yesterday went from a day at the Carnival to me playing temporary surgeon.
M: you'll be kk love
I texted her back and my phone buzzed again before I could set it down.
❤️βαε❤️: contemplating mass murder. give me 1 reason NOT to waste these fools
M: there r no hot guys in prison
❤️βαε❤️: -_- fine, everyone gets 2 live
I giggled at her, but knew she'd be fine for the rest of the day. After a shower, I was going to get some grub and see if Dad was awake. I wondered where he's been sleeping since I was bunking in his dorm. I wanted to see how his house hunting was coming along because I was already dying to have my own room again. The clubhouse was cool and the Sons weren't pests, but nothing beats unlimited privacy.
Remembering the sleeping Son that shared a bed with me, I glanced over my shoulder and flinched a little when I saw that Kip's eyes were open, watching me.
"That's creepy." I scolded and he smirked.
"Good morning to you too." He sat up and stretched with a groan, but the sound of it made my cheeks flush. I refused to let my thoughts wander to that intimate place and took a breath to calm myself. "Do I get breakfast again today?"
"Nope." I smiled when he pouted and he honestly looked heartbroken. I never knew my cooking was good enough to get a guy hooked, but a plate of eggs wasn't really a meal to drool over and I knew I could make something truly mouthwatering to prove it. "You do get the honor of getting the hell out of here, so I can take a shower."
"Use me and throw me away, I feel like a Crow Eater." He chuckled and I smiled. Kip got up and I went to the dresser to rummage through the drawer for something to wear today. I had a feeling Jasmine was going to want me to come see her when she got out of school, so I was going to be prepared. I decided on skinny jeans, a black tank that had 'Normal is Boring' written on the middle and my boots. "So, um, are you...gonna be doing anything later?"
"I'm not sure yet." I plainly answered and didn't turn around to look at Kip, but he sounded like he was closer to the door now. "Jasmine's probably gonna wanna drag me around California."
"Oh, okay..." I quietly sighed when I heard his tone. He sounded utterly disappointed, like he was expecting me to say I was free and maybe he'd want to do something...together? I still wanted an explanation for that kiss and the only opportunity I'd have to ask again is if we were alone. He was supposed to stick to me anyway, but I think he was going to avoid me now.
"We can still hang out." I quickly added and turned around. Kip was halfway out the door with his kutte on, but he was already looking back at me. "I'm sure Jaz would wanna come here to see Juice, but we've got a couple hours 'till she's outta school...if you wanted to do something..."
"I'm just gonna be working in the garage, probably do some towing." Relief washed over me when I heard the lighter tone in his voice. Did he really like hanging out with me that much? It was really sweet if he did. "I, um, actually didn't have any plans for...us...I just gotta keep close 'cause, you know, your Dad and everything..."
Kip blew out a breath and it made his cheeks puff, which made me smile. He was a rambler like I was and I noticed he'd say 'You know' a lot when he was nervous. After telling me he was a call away if I needed him, Kip excused himself and I had to bite my lip to stop my laugh when he walked right into the door frame. He laughed it off too, but hastily left.
Like I planned, I took my shower, basked in the feminine smelling hygiene products I had in my possession, got dressed and tucked my gun in my pants. I got on the floor to look for Melinoë under the bed, but I didn't see her eyes anywhere and they didn't open when I called her. Maybe she found a few hiding place or she could've found her way into Juice's room. I shrugged it off and left Dad's dorm to go into the kitchen to set out another can of food for her to eat.
The bar was pretty vacant, but Happy was sleeping on one of the couches and he had that same Vodka bottle clutched to his chest, but it was almost empty now. He was probably unconscious. I crept over to the snoozing man and shook my head at his sleeping expression. He looked pissed off even when his brain was shut down. I managed to slide the bottle out from under his arms and I put it on an empty space on the shelves behind the bar. There was a brown paper bag on the bar top and there was a delicious smell coming from it. Curiosity got the best of me and I peeked inside the bag, discovering the muffins stacked inside.
I went straight for the chocolate one and the damn thing was huge, but it was making my mouth water. I went back into the kitchen to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and was sighing in complete joy when I got my first bite. These weren't store bought, someone set aside time to bake these treats and they did a damn good job with them. Ms. Lavinia and Maisie would probably start a baking war if I ever told them that I ate someone's muffin and it tastes as good as their goodies.
I turned in my stool when I heard Happy grumbling and he coughed, so I went to get him a cold water. As quietly as I could, I slid a chair next to him and held the bottle in front of him as he woke up. His eyes lost their redness from last night and he looked well-rested, but the man just couldn't stop scowling. It was like he was angry at the world for everything.
Happy took the water from me and I didn't expect a 'thank you', so I didn't try to coax one out of him. With 2 gulps, there was less than half a bottle left, but he screwed the cap on and laid back down with a sigh.
"How's your leg?" I asked and kept my voice down. I knew how bad hangovers sucked and I didn't want to make his worse. Happy opened one eye to lazily glance at me, then shut it again.
"Fine." He muttered.
"And your stomach?"
"Do you want something?" He bluntly asked and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm just checking on you. Christ, don't be so standoffish."
"I don't need you worrin' about me, little girl." He grumbled. "I'm a grown ass man. I can take care of myself."
"I was raised in a Catholic home, everything's a worry for me." Happy opened his eyes again, but I let mine fall to the muffin sitting in a napkin on my lap as I picked the hard pieces off it. "And would you stop calling me 'little girl'?"
"You're short and you're a girl, what's the problem?"
"I'm not short." I scoffed and looked at him again. He was already looking at me and he cocked an eyebrow.
"You're 4 feet from the ground."
"Go to hell, old man." I jokingly spat and for the first time, I saw Happy crack a smirk. It was only there for a second, but I saw it and thanks to my photographic memory, I was going to remember that forever. Maybe I could sketch it. "I'm almost 5'5 and that's a normal height for a girl. Excuse me for not being an 8 foot tall skyscraper like Quinn and Opie."
"What do you want?" He asked again, but he didn't sound as irritated as he did a minute ago. Could he actually know how to be a little nice to someone? I was about to sit here and explain that I didn't want a goddamn thing from him and that there was this amazing thing called common courtesy, but an idea popped into my head.
"Kip said you do tattoos."
"Kip?" He asked and I sighed. I kinda hated the nickname the Sons gave him because it was an insensitive blow to the youngest member, but Kip didn't seem put off or disturbed by it.
"Half-Sack." Happy grunted or hummed, it was hard to tell the difference, and opened his eyes to look at me. "I've got some sketches and I wanna get them inked. When you're feeling okay, will you do them?"
Happy stared at me for a long minute, then he pulled himself into an upright position and got on his feet. I wanted to help him, but I knew he'd just get irritated and brush me off, so I didn't. Despite Tara's stitching, he didn't have a limp in his walk and he didn't look like he was in pain. Someone was a tough old bastard. Happy made his way over to the other side of the bar and I couldn't see him after he went past the wooden beam. He reappeared a second later and he had a paper in his hand, but I saw how his arm was pressed against his stomach.
Happy gave me the paper and plopped back down on the leather couch with a groan. I shot him a look of censure, but he didn't seem to care. I scanned the paper he gave me and my jaw was slowly inching closer to the floor with every line I took in.
"A parent consent form, really?" I glared at Happy and his eyes were shut again, but he nodded. "I'm legal, Happy."
"Show me an ID." I was about to say something incredibly sassy, but I didn't because he had me there. I did have to get a new ID. "That's what I thought. Show Chibs what you want, where you want it and if he's cool with it, I'll ink you."
With the opportunity, I stuck my tongue out at Happy, but folded the paper and stuck it in my pocket. Happy seemed like he was going back to sleep and I decided to see what the Sons did during the day. If Gemma was around, I'd have to ask her to keep an eye on the Nomad because he seemed like the type that never asked for help if or when he needed it and I didn't want him in anymore pain. I got up and went outside, my eyes falling on all the men shuffling around in the garage.
All the men working were wearing mechanic shirts, but I could tell which ones were Sons. I didn't spot Clay working the garage, but I did see Opie and Jax working on a motorcycle. The Sons' bikes were are parked in a line against the railing and I wondered who's ride they were working on. Dad was almost shoulder deep in the hood a dark red Toyota Avalon and Tig just rolled under a silver Chevy Impala. Quinn was still missing, Bobby, Juice and Kip were out of sight too.
I decided to go see if Gemma was running the office and I poked my head inside the door. There was a snooty-looking woman waiting in here and she looked disgusted at some of the racy pictures of models tapped around the small room. Clay was at the desk and he was rummaging through all the papers piled on the tabletop. When I was in her sight, the woman gave me a tight-lipped smile and Clay made a noise of praise. He turned to us and had a pink paper in his hand for the woman and she took it between the very tips of her fingers.
"Watch the office for me?" Clay asked and I nodded.
Clay led the woman out and I went to tame the mess of papers on the desk. The OCD side of me was internally freaking out. I organized everything by the color of the paper and hoped I didn't just make matters worse. I stopped my stacking when the phone rang and took a second to decide if I should answer. I didn't work here, but Clay did ask me to keep an eye on things. I picked up the phone and glanced at the banner on the top of one of the colored piles of paper.
"Teller-Morrow Automotive." I said clearly.
"Hey, Gemma. How's it going?" A man greeted, but his light voice had a steady hint of sadness in it.
"She's not in, sorry."
"...who's this then?"
"Marceline Telford."
"I didn't know they hired a new girl over there." The caller muttered to himself. "Um, since Gemma's not there, could you pass a message along to Clay Morrow?"
"Sure." I grabbed a blank paper and pen. The man relayed his short message to me and I ensured him that I'd get it to Clay. He thanked me and hung up.
"Was that a call for a tow?" Clay asked and he had more papers in his hands, but he set them in the correct colored pile when he came to the desk.
"Someone named Elliot Oswald just called. He said ring him as soon as you can, sounded pretty important." I gave Clay the note with the number the man left and noticed that his full attention was on it.
"Thanks, sweetheart." Clay muttered, seeming to be distracted by something. "Gem's number is on speed-dial, the first button. Could you ask her if she'd be kind enough to spare a few hours away from her grandson to come handle the office?"
"No problem." Clay smirked at me, but peeled his mechanic shirt off as he left.
Like he asked, I called Gemma and asked her to come down to manage the office because Clay was leaving. She said she'd be here in 10 minutes. I heard a bigger car pull into the lot and separated the blinds to see the tow truck coming in, Kip and Juice riding inside with a Honda Civic on the back. A hand went to my shoulder and I saw Piney behind me. He said he'd take care of the office until Gemma got here and I stepped out to watch Kip unload the car. Juice smiled at me when he walked by to go in the office, then he came back out and nudged me with his arm to greet me.
"Have you seen Melinoë?" I asked him. "She's gone into hiding."
"She was wandering around the hall playing with her confetti puff this morning. I had a feeling she'd like it."
"You bought her that toy?" He nodded and I smiled. "Aw, thanks, Juice."
"It was nothing. I saw her this morning, but I'll keep an eye out for her to make sure Tig doesn't stuff her in the oven or something."
Juice pat me on the shoulder, but went to his station to wait for Kip to bring the car in. When it passed, I saw Jax getting on his bike and he traded his mechanic shirt for his kutte. Clay's bike was already gone and Tig's was too. These guys moved way too quickly. Jax spotted me when he put his helmet on and beckoned me to come over.
"Let's go." He smiled and gave me his helmet.
"And just where are we going?"
Jax didn't answer me and I rolled my eyes at him, but strapped the helmet on my head. Once I was secured on the back of his bike, he pulled out of the lot and we were cruising down the streets of Charming. About 20 minutes in, Jax stopped at a short strip of stores and said he needed to stock up on cigarettes. I decided to wait on his bike and managed to keep myself balanced as I spread my legs out, my feet resting between the handlebars.
I glanced at the store and from the window, I could see Jax at the counter, but he was smiling at the cashier. Someone was trying to get laid. A few feet down, I saw a woman sitting crossed-legged on the sidewalk and she had a sign in front of her: "Bailout my kids. We need food." I slid off Jax's bike and made my way over to the woman. Her chocolate-brown hair fell in her grubby face, but her deep-coffee eyes lit up with hope as she looked up at me.
"You've got kids?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yes, ma'am. 2 hungry little boys that haven't eaten since last night." The woman looked down at the can she had for people to donate money, then back to me and I knew she wanted me to give her something, but I left her to go into the store Jax was in.
The blond biker was still at the counter and I could see the jade-eyed, butterscotch-blonde he was making giggle. I went down the isles until I found the canned goods and took 4 cans of spaghetti. I went to the fridges next and got 3 waters, grabbing 2 fruit punch flavored Capri Suns. I brought my haul to the counter and Jax glanced at everything, but went back to flirting with the cashier as she rung me up. I used my own cash to pay for it and left. The homeless woman was still sitting in her spot and she looked up at me again when I was close.
"This is for you and your sons." I held the bag out to her and she looked confused, but took it. I heard her gasp when she saw what was inside it and her eyes were full of tears when she looked at me again. I squatted down to her and gave her a pair of $20s. She reached out for them, but I pulled my hand back a bit. "Promise me you won't use this on dope or alcohol."
"I promise. Thank you so much." I smiled at the woman and gave her the money. She closed both her hands around mine and gave it a squeeze. I saw a grateful light in her eyes and she thanked me a million times. Jax finally came out of the store and I stood up, starting to walk away.
"Abel's gonna like you."
"What?" I turned around and the woman looked up at me. "Did you say something?"
"My boys gonna be able to eat because of you. Bless you, ma'am." She smiled at me again and folded her sign, putting it in her cart with the bag I gave her. I watched the woman until she rounded the corner and was out of my sights again.
I still glanced back to see if the woman would come back as I went to get on Jax's bike again, but she didn't and we were off. A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of a hospital. I followed behind Jax and he didn't even stop at the desk to sign-in or get a visitor's pass, just went straight to the elevator. He was effortlessly gliding down the halls and I didn't miss the pep in his step when we got to a room. There was a big window on the outside, but I didn't get a chance to look inside because Jax was tugging me into the room.
There was an incubator in the middle of the room and a few beeping machines surrounding it. Jax pulled a cushioned rocking chair in front of the incubator and motioned for me to sit, still smiling. When I did, I finally got a chance to see what was being held inside the incubator and I thought my heart stopped when I did. There was a baby in there. A tiny baby that was entirely too small and there were all kinds of IVs or cannulas attached to it, but I noticed the blue cap on its head. It was a little boy.
"Hey, buddy. It's Daddy again." Jax said to the incubator and put his hand on the top. He sounded so happy and I've never heard such a joyous tone in his voice. "Grandma told me she read to you today. I hope you like the books I picked out. I know you're probably sick of hearing me, so I got some more family for you to meet."
Jax turned his head to me and smiled, motioning for me to introduce myself to his son. I quietly scooted the chair closer and put my fingers on the side of the incubator.
"Hi, little man. I'm Marceline. I can't wait for you to come home. I'd love to babysit you." I smiled at the baby boy and Jax's hand squeezed my shoulder, making me look up at him. "He's precious, Jax. What's his name?"
"Abel." He answered and smiled at his son while I was thinking back to earlier.
I could've sworn that homeless woman said something about an Abel, but she said she didn't. Maybe I was just overthinking things...or maybe I wasn't. Charming was a little kingdom, not a huge, bustling city, and drama easily got around. Jax was considered the Prince and that made Clay and Gemma the King and Queen. If anything happened with them, everyone in town probably knew about it. Maybe that woman overheard some gossip, saw me with Jax and brought up his son.
"I'm hoping Wendy had Cain and Abel in her thoughts when she was naming him, something religious and wholesome." Jax said and pulled me from my thoughts. He was gazing at Abel with complete adoration and love in his eyes. "My son's not gonna die though. He's a Teller and we don't die easily."
"You die bloody." I smiled, thinking about what Kip said about John. Jax smiled back and nodded. He went behind me for a second and with the silence, I just listened to Abel's beating heart thumping on one of the monitors.
I looked down when a book was put in my lap. I couldn't stop the small laugh when I read the title, Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs & Ham. I took the hint and opened the book to start reading to Abel. I'm sure this is how Jax and Gemma have been bonding with the newest Teller and getting him familiar with their voices.
With me reading and Jax providing some very animated sound effects, my heart was reduced to a pile of a liquidated organ. Jax seemed like he was really excited to be a Dad and I could tell he'd be having one hell of a time raising his son. I did want to see who Wendy was because she must be Abel's mother and I wondered how she would get along with Tara.
Jax didn't tell me she was back in town, but I knew he was going to get closer to her again. A mentally stable and law-abiding woman with morals would be a good distraction from his his life with the club. She might even be something normal for him to enjoy.