A/N: Yay! I was able to finish this chapter out today! I hope you all don't mind the pace so far, it will pick up. I just don't want to rush the story or Lexie. I have a pretty lengthy plan for this story and I don't want to cram things together for speed sake. I promise it will all be worth the wait! Thank you so so so much for the support! I love getting notifications and seeing what you think! I do want to apologize for any grammatical errors or typos in this chapter. I'm operating on too little sleep from schedule changes and a sore shoulder from almost laying my motorcycle down. Excuses, excuses, I know. Anyways, here's what you really want to read:::

Chapter 9

"So, you ignore me for over a week and then you show up here with some attitude? I didn't ask you to come get us." I said, glaring at Happy from the passenger seat. Tara had volunteered to sit in the back, leaving Happy and I side by side. He cut his eyes over at me and I pursed my lips, waiting for his answer. His eyes darted to the rearview mirror and then back on the road.

"You want to have this conversation now, Alexis?" He asked with a clip to his voice. I nodded and folded my arms across my chest impatiently. "It is impossible to ignore you. I tried. I've stayed away so that when you leave it's easier on both of us."

"You are such an asshole." I said, shaking my head and choosing not to believe him. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and I could see his knuckles turning white. "You act like you've been sitting around waiting for me to come back. Do you even have any idea how many women you've been with since I left? Fifty? One-hundred?"

"It doesn't matter how many, Alexis. I didn't fucking marry anybody." He growled, accelerating to well over the speed limit. I scoffed and shook my head, earning a glare from him.

"So that's what you're still mad about, that I got married? That's what normal people do, Happy! You date and then if it's the right person, you get married. You don't just hookup whenever you happen to be in the same zip code. Jesus Christ." I spat, feeling the urge to slap some sense into him. Tara groaned when Happy sped up some more.

"The right person. Damnit, Alexis. What was I supposed to do? You wanted to be a doctor since before I met you. I couldn't ask you to stay for me when it meant giving that up." I closed my eyes and shook my head, lost on what to say. "When I rode out to Duke, I hoped you hated it. Damn it, I wanted you to beg me to bring you back with me. When I saw how happy you were, I knew you were never coming back."

"Happy, can you slow down? I don't usually drink and your driving is making me sick." Tara said softly from the back seat. He glanced into the rearview mirror and slowed down to just over the speed limit. "Thank you."

"Then why have you been ignoring me? I'm here now." I said, feeling so frustrated and confused. Everything he was telling me and the alcohol were not mixing well. He looked over at me and shook his head.

"Lexie, I can't win against your hero husband's ghost. Even if I tried, you aren't back. You're just here for a couple weeks and then we're right back where we started." He said, moving his hand over to my thigh. I bit my bottom lip and he looked back at the road, keeping his hand in place. Even as drunk as I was, I knew he was right, at least partially. I wasn't back. I was just here until I figured out what I was going back to in Georgia. I leaned back in the seat and let the argument end there.

I woke up beside Tara the next morning, not exactly sure how we made it to her couch. I remembered telling Happy goodbye at the door and stumbling inside but the rest was just blank. Tara groaned and sat up, rubbing her temples. Her head must have been hurting as much as mine.

"How much do you remember from last night?" I asked, feeling embarrassed about my argument with Happy. Tara pushed herself up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. She returned with two bottles of water and a promise of coffee.

"As little or as much as you'd like." She smiled. I laughed, quickly followed by a grimace from the pain it shot through my temples. "I'm pretty sure he remembers everything though."

"Of course he does. He always does." I groaned before guzzling down the bottle of water. "I'm going to go shower and then go see Abel. Sorry girls' night ended like that."

"Don't be, partner. I think I'm going to go see Jax." She said it as casually as saying she was going to do laundry. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back at her with a big smile. She rolled her eyes. "About the Cutlass. I feel like it needs a tune-up."

"Uh huh." I said with a smirk. Her cheeks were still red when I finally found my boots and headed to Mom's. Luckily, the house was empty so I was able to shower, change and get ready without any questions about where I had landed last night.

The shower gave me time to think about my argument with Happy. I thought about what he had said about his visit during my sophomore year at Duke. His visit had been completely unexpected but I had been glad to see him. It was the first time I had seen anyone from Charming since I left. He humored me and let me show him around the city, even having lunch with me at my favorite place in Brightleaf Square. Happy was right. When he visited me, it was during what was probably my happiest time at Duke. After two days in Durham, Happy started getting irritable and distant. It was a complete 180 from the beginning of his visit. We ended up getting in a stupid fight about my friends that he called hippies and nerds. I was hurt, so I lashed out and told him to go to hell. After arguing well into the night, we called a truce and hooked up. The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed with no note or explanation.

Now I finally had that explanation and it was eating away at me. What if he had asked me to come back with him? What if he had asked me to stay in the first place? I was raised to be a strong, independent woman and Mom always told me to follow my own dreams, despite her own commitment to the club. On several occasions she told me that she would be just as proud if I married a Son and gave her lots of grand-babies as she would if I went on to be the best surgeon in the world. As long as I was happy. It was her only stipulation. Despite all of that and despite my dreams of being a doctor, I wondered if I could have been happy if I'd chosen a different path.

I felt a twinge of guilt for not considering what staying in Charming would have meant for Hank and I. No matter what could have been if I had made different choices, I couldn't regret the choices I did make. I didn't regret meeting and falling in love with Hank. I wished it had not ended so soon, with so much ahead of us but I still didn't regret our love, even through the pain. I ran my thumb over my bare ring finger, feeling the slight indention that was still left by wearing the rings for so long without taking them off for longer than a surgery. The rings were zipped up in the inner pocket of my bag, along with Hank's band.

I stopped thinking about Hank and what had happened with Happy before it brought my headache back. After getting dressed in jeans and a simple black top, I headed down to the hospital to see my little nephew. He was getting stronger and stronger every day and the doctors thought he may be ready to go home by the end of the month. Everyone was ecstatic. Everyone except Wendy, that was. I made a note to go by and see if she was up for visitors before I left the hospital.

"Hey, little guy. You're getting so big already!" I cooed, sitting down in the chair beside Abel. He was still in an incubator but it was less intense than his first one that sealed up tighter than a bank. He was eventually stepped down to one where we could reach in and touch him and he was able to be held outside of it for short periods. He was doing better than any of the staff thought he ever would. Even I had my own doubts. Luckily, he was proving everyone wrong. I read him the same little book that had been in his room for the last week or so and then promised to come see him again soon. I smiled when he looked over at me and seemed to not only see me but understand some of what I was saying.

"Get the crash cart! Go!" A doctor was yelling, running down the hall I knew Wendy was still staying on. I knew there weren't many patients in that unit and I had a sinking feeling that it was her. Sure, I wanted to teach her a lesson and I didn't want her anywhere near my family, but I didn't want her to die. She didn't deserve an easy-way-out. In addition to that, I was a doctor and I wholly believed in the oath that I swore. I had promised to do no harm. The only way I ever saw myself breaking that oath was if my or my family's life depended on it.

I found myself making my way down the hall after the crash team, my curiosity getting the better of me. I looked in from the hallway as the team started CPR and getting the paddles ready, all in attempts to save the junkie that had almost killed my nephew. They ended up not using the paddles, but she started seizing violently. I had seen it before. It was a classic overdose.

"What did you do?" I asked Mom, walking into the garage office and slamming the door behind me. She jumped and dropped her glasses on the desk, obviously startled. I repeated my question, emphasizing every word. "What did you do?"

"Alexis Grace, what are you talking about? Don't you dare come into my office yelling and slamming doors." There was the fiery side I had yet to see from Mom since Hank died. We got along, for the most part, but when we disagreed it could get loud. I explained what I had seen in Wendy's room after visiting Abel. She shrugged and put her glasses on, getting back to her paper work. "She's a junkie, Alexis. What did you expect?"

"She had to get it from somewhere, mother. I don't think any of her dealers would be stupid enough to bring her anything. Not after what Jax did to that Nord." I started pacing back and forth, hoping the movement would help burn off some of the anger. "Mom, she needs help, not a needle."

"Help? What are you, some social worker? She's not coming near that little boy. Not after what she did. She almost killed him." Mom was getting heated again so I shook my head quickly.

"That's not what I'm saying. She's not coming near Abel. Ever. That still doesn't mean she needs to die, Mom. She needs to recover. You could have killed her." I said, trying to get her to understand. There was no love lost between Wendy and I, even before she almost killed Abel. Still, I didn't believe in what Mom had done. I couldn't agree with killing someone in cold blood, even if she just gave her the means.

"You sound like another doctor I know." She spat. I hated that she thought I should be offended to hear that I sounded like Tara. Mom could hold a grudge like no other.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I took a deep breath and let my shoulders fall as I let it out. "Look, Mom. I'm going to be leaving in a couple weeks, once Abel is home and settled. I know having me at home is only adding to your stress and I doubt Clay is that happy about having me around. Tara needs some help cleaning out the rest of her Dad's place. I'm going to stay there until I go back."

"Lexie." She was probably going to try and talk me out of it, but I was already out of the garage and walking back towards the Mustang. I noticed Happy's bike parked in line and bit my lip, coming to a stop about halfway between the car and the clubhouse. I knew there was a pretty good chance that he was going to be busy, either with club stuff or a croweater. Still, I wanted to talk to him.

I walked inside the clubhouse and saw the double doors of the chapel closed. In a way, it was a relief. I wasn't honestly sure how I would cope with finding him occupied in some other fashion. The prospect gave me a small wave, no doubt wondering whether or not he should bring up the night before. I walked around the bar and grabbed a bottle of water, still feeling some effects of last night's activities. Half-sack joined me at the pool table as I racked the balls.

"Are you sure you want to embarrass yourself?" I asked with a smirk as he picked up a cue stick. He chuckled and motioned towards the table. "No, no. Ladies first."

"You're funny." He mumbled, walking over to line up his shot to break. I smirked and stood to the side of the table, watching his form and sizing up the competition. The balls went spinning in every direction with a loud CRACK. I blinked a couple times, surprised by the nice break and the two solids he sunk in the process, followed by the poor shot he left me with on his follow-up. "Go ahead, princess."

"Don't let my brother hear you call me that. He claimed all rights to that nickname for me when I was a toddler." I said, lining up my shot. I glanced over and caught him taking a peek at my ass. Typical. I took my shot, barely able to get a ball in the side pocket. He gave me a polite golf clap and I laughed. The kid was funny, I just wasn't sure if it was in a funny way or an odd way yet.

"You gonna let him beat you, princess?" Jax asked, walking over to the table after church adjourned. I laughed and shook my head before popping the cue ball up over the eight ball and sinking my second to last stripe. Jax chuckled and lit a cigarette with a nod. "Yeah, that's more like my sister. You come to see me?"

"No, I came to talk to Mom and then I just started a game." I knew he wouldn't buy that. He smirked and nodded, blowing smoke out of his nostrils. "I'm sure you aren't too upset. Didn't you have a visitor earlier?"

"Touché." He nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking over to the bar. I noticed him blow a croweater off and couldn't help feeling proud. As far as I knew, he and Tara weren't together yet but he was showing signs of wanting to do things right. I let myself start to wonder if Happy was doing the same thing and scratched my next shot. Half-sack seemed shocked. He took the opportunity and sank the eight ball, ending the game in his favor. I congratulated him with a friendly hug.

"Looking for somebody?" Happy's voice asked from the open door across from the gym. I snapped my mouth shut, embarrassed that he had caught me. He inclined his head and closed the book he was reading, setting it down on the nightstand. I pushed the door nearly closed behind me, leaving it just barely open to keep myself in check.

"Thank you for the ride last night." I said, trying to ignore the way he was still sitting on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of his bare chest that was backed against the wall. "I know I can be a pain when I'm drunk."

"That's nothing new." He shrugged it off and I decided to leave the subject alone. He stood up and I couldn't help noticing the way his jeans fell down just past the top of his hips. I drug my eyes back up to his, noticing his smirk on my way up. "See something you like?"

I stepped forward and put my palm flat on the right side of his chest. His skin quivered for a split second. He didn't move. He stood still, just letting me look over the intricate ink on his skin and the muscles that rippled underneath. I definitely had a type. I liked tall, muscular guys with tattoos. My hand was warming, along with every other part of my body. Happy looked me right in the eyes, as if he was seeing right through all of my fears and hesitations.

"Happy have you. Oh. Shit. I, uh, sorry." Half-sack left the doorway as quickly as he entered it. Happy caught my wrist as I was bringing it back down to my side.

"I've got to get going. I'm staying with Tara for the rest of my visit. It's a long story." I said, my heart still recovering from the racing feeling it had before the prospect walked in. Happy clenched his jaw and I knew the poor kid was probably going to wish he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. Personally, I was a little thankful he'd interrupted us. Drunk or not, I heard what he'd told me in the Cutlass. It wasn't going to be easy for him when I left. I didn't want to make that even harder, for either of us.