Chapter 11
"You look great." Tara said as ran my fingers through my hair, breaking up the curls so they seemed less stiff and more natural. I shook my head and looked down at my cropped, band t-shirt and white shorts. Ever since coming back to Charming, I had started dressing more like I did before I left. I felt more comfortable than I did in the more "dressy" clothes that I wore in Atlanta. Tara was wearing dark jeans and an olive green shirt with her hair pulled back into a high pony-tail. Neither one of us saw any point in dressing up for a day at Fun Town.
"You're ridiculous. Are we taking your car or mine?" I realized the Mustang wasn't actually mine but I did like it, a lot. Tara shrugged and grabbed her phone and bag. "Well, we can take the Mustang. Give the old Cutlass a day off."
"Hey, the Cutlass is just fine. We'll take your car though. It's easier to park." Tara said, giving me a playful glare. I slid into the driver's seat and started it quickly, unable to hide my smile when the engine roared to life. I checked the mirrors and noticed a silver sedan driving past the house slowly. It gave me the same uneasy family that I had the day before. Tara got in the car after winning the battle with the front door's deadbolt. "What?"
"Do you know anyone that drives a silver sedan?" I asked, backing out of the driveway quickly and going in the opposite direction as the sedan. It also happened to be the opposite direction of Fun Town.
"I mean, a lot of people do, Lexie. You've been around the club too much." Tara said with a little laugh. I forced a half smile and nodded my head a little. She had a point about the club being vigilant and sometimes a little paranoid but it didn't make me any less uneasy. I kept checking the mirrors for anyone following us while I drove a round about way to Fun Town. "Lexie, relax. Nothing is going to happen, it's Fun Town. The whole town and the whole club is going to be there."
"Alright," I paused and took a deep breath. "Okay, you're right." Tara smiled brightly pointed out a parking spot beside a white Lexus. I parked the car and felt the excitement start to build up. It was silly, for an adult to be that excited about a carnival but there were so many memories I had made with my family and friends there. I couldn't help but be excited.
"Ladies." Jax said with a smile and a hug for each of us. I noticed the way he gravitated towards Tara and tried to hide my smile. I didn't want to force them together. I just wanted to let it happen naturally and gawking at them wasn't exactly natural.
"Hey, big turn out." I said, looking around the crowd of people at the rides, game booths and concessions. Jax nodded with a little smirk. I rolled my eyes and shot him a bird. He probably thought I was looking for somebody. I wasn't though. I was just looking around. If I happened to see him over by the concessions with TIg then it was just a coincidence. "So, you all don't wake up for work but you all wake up for Fun Town?"
"Priorities, Lexie. Priorities." Jax said with a laugh. He looked over at Tara and I saw his eyes light up. "Why don't we go on the Ferris Wheel? For old times?"
"I came here with Lexie, Jax. Stop trying to steal her date." Tara said with a light giggle. I could tell she wanted to go with him. I shook my head and waved them away.
"Go, go. Who am I to stand in the way of nostalgia? I want a corn dog anyways." I said, jerking my thumb towards the concession stands. Jax chuckled and I scoffed, realizing what he'd done. "Really mature, Jackson. I'm talking about the food you dirty pig."
"Yeah, of course you are." Jax said before he put his arm around Tara's shoulders and led her away. It was high school all over again. I smiled and watched them leave for a couple seconds before going over to get my corn dog.
"Alexis! Look at you pretending to have fun." Tig said, calling me over after I got my food. I shot him a bird on my way to him. "As long as you don't tell your big brother, baby."
"I'm glad that someone your age can still have dreams, Trager. Even if they are unattainable." I said before taking a bite off the corn dog. I noticed him watching me closely and kicked the back of his thigh as I chewed my food. "You are ridiculous! Pervert."
"I've been called worse, baby." He said, wagging his brow at me. I shook my head and took another bite, this time from the side so he couldn't make it awkward. Happy was sitting on one of the table tops and I caught him drop his head and start shaking it with a smile. Tig excused himself to go talk to Mom and Clay after he saw them come out of a photo booth. I walked over to Happy and nudged his boot with sandal.
"What's so funny?" I asked. He looked up at me with a smirk. His eyes were hidden behind his dark sunglasses, as usual, but I had a feeling they were looking me up and down. I knew him.
"That corn dog good, Lexie?" He chuckled when I gave him a dark glare. "Go ahead and eat. I've seen you with the real thing, remember? Food doesn't really do it for me."
"Keep on, Happy. I've never understood what you men get so excited about. Bananas, hot dogs, Popsicles, you would think that you want us to bite it off." I said, keeping my voice low to avoid upsetting any parents around. Happy moved forward quickly and grabbed the back of my thighs, yanking me towards him. I was so caught off guard that I dropped my corn dog. "You asshole."
"I'll get you another one." His voice was especially husky at I couldn't help but pull my bottom lip in. His hands were still on the backs of my bare thighs, holding me in place between his knees. "I like your hair like that."
"Thank you." I said, hearing the tremble in my own voice. It was ridiculous. We'd been here numerous times before, there was no reason to be nervous. Happy stood up and moved his hands to my hips, his thumbs resting on the exposed portion of my stomach. He looked up at me and I could almost see his eyes from the way the sun was hitting his sunglasses.
"This still your only tattoo?" He asked, his thumb running over the bottom part of the tree. I felt my muscle spasm under his touch.
"It is." I managed to say. Happy had done the tattoo all those years ago and I just didn't feel the need or desire to get any others yet. That tattoo was all about family and heritage and I never would have trusted anyone else to tattoo it on me. I remembered it taking hours because of the size and detail. He was patient with me though. He said it took a lot of tolerance to get tattooed on the ribs, especially for a first tattoo.
"Good." He said with a nod. I swallowed down all the nerves building up inside of me and gave him a smile. He shook his head and moved his hands up to just above my hips and onto my bare stomach. "You're still beautiful, Lexie. Even more than before."
"Oh? What was wrong with me before?" I asked, my entire body warming up a few degrees. He shook his head and held me a little tighter.
"Absolutely nothing, Alexis." Happy said, shaking his head slowly. I smiled and brought my hands up to his shoulders, resting them on the leather of his kutte. "Why don't we go ride somewhere?"
"Okay." I said, feeling butterflies dancing in my stomach. He nodded and started leading me towards the parking lot, one hand wrapped around me and resting on my hip. We were almost to his motorcycle when his phone started ringing. I stopped beside him and took a deep breath, starting to talk myself down. I knew he was getting called away. I could see it in tight way he was holding the toothpick between his teeth.
"Sorry, Alexis." He said, pulling his bottom lip in and shaking his head. I shrugged and stood up on my toes, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Go, Hap. I get it." The sad part was, I did understand. Dad was always leaving at a moment's notice for club business. It was the nature of the club. Things happened. I watched him disappear into the parking lot before I turned back and went back to Fun Town. Tara was walking my way with an annoyed expression. "I take it Jax had to leave to?"
"Of course he did. Were you with Happy?" She asked, a smile creeping over her lips. I laughed and nodded.
"It wasn't exactly how I planned on having fun at Fun Town. We didn't get anywhere, just flirting. Seems like something keeps pulling us apart." I said with a shrug. First it was Half-sack and now it was some other club business. "It's probably better that way."
"Maybe. Let's go eat cotton candy and ride the bumper cars." Tara said, taking my hand and leading me back into the carnival. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I found myself refocused on Fun Town. We rode the bumper cars until our sides hurt from laughing and crashing into one another so much. After that, we rode the little roller coaster and played some carnival games before finally calling it a night.
"Donna?" Tara said, tapping a brunette on the shoulder. She turned around, taking a step back in the process. The look of suspicion gave way to surprise after a few seconds. She stepped forwards and gave Tara a friendly hug while a young boy and girl looked on. I assumed they were she and Opie's kids. When she finished her hug with Tara, she gave me a hug. It didn't last anywhere near as long as her hug with Tara and it felt stiff and unnatural. I gave her a genuine smile. I had no ill feelings towards Donna.
"I didn't know you were back in Charming, Tara. Jax mentioned you being back Lexie. Did you come back together?" Donna said, looking from me to Tara. I shook my head but didn't explain any further. Tara glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before shaking her head.
"No, I came back a few months ago. I've just been keeping to myself and trying to clean up my Dad's place. Are these your kids? They're so grown up." Tara said, changing the subject. Donna smiled and looked back at the kids proudly before introducing them to us. They were both polite but I could tell the girl, Ellie was a little shy.
"It was good seeing both of you but I need to get them home and in the bed." Donna said, earning some groans from both kids. I chuckled, remembering the way I always hated having a bedtime and then eventually a curfew. Now, it felt like a gift to go to sleep early sometimes.
"I'm glad we ran in to you, Donna. You have a beautiful family." I told her, meaning every word. She glanced over at me and hesitated before smiling. It seemed genuine enough. Tara and I parted ways from Donna and the kids at the parking lot. They went left while we headed to the right to get to the Mustang.
"No really, did you see the way that clown was looking at you? It's probably a good thing he was wearing oversized pants." Tara said, still laughing and holding her sides. I rolled my eyes and turned out of the parking lot.
"Shit. See what you did? I went the wrong way." I said, laughing as well. Tara laughed it off and told me to turn around at the next driveway. "Wait, do you see that?"
"What?" Tara sat up and stopped laughing, looking down the road where I thought I had seen something move in the woods. I shook my head and unbuckled the seatbelt. "What are you doing?"
"Going to see what it was." I said, grabbing my gun from the center console. She groaned and undid her seat belt, stepping out of the car as well. "Stay behind me. I can't believe you aren't carrying."
"It's Fun Town, Lexie." I ignored her excuse and moved towards the wood line where I could have sworn I saw something move. Tara stayed a few steps behind me and used her phone as a flashlight. "Oh my god."
"Call an ambulance." I said. Tara already had her phone to her ear as I slid down the short embankment to get to the young girl. Her clothes were torn and bloodied and she had brushing on her face, arms and around the base of her neck. "Sweetheart, I'm Alexis. I'm a doctor and I'm going to help you. Can you tell me your name?"
She tried to speak but her voice was too faint. I explained that I was going to look her over. She looked terrified and I had a horrible feeling about what happened. I had seen victims come into the ER with similar injuries. They were normally older than her though. She couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen. Tara brought me the first aid kit that I kept in the car and started helping me with the larger lacerations. I heard the sirens approaching and looked down at the young girl, giving her a reassuring smile.
"You're going to be okay, sweetheart. They're going to take good care of you." I said as the ambulance pulled up. Her eyes widened and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. I looked at Tara for some help.
"I'll follow you with the Mustang, Lexie. I can call and let the attending know what they're getting." I nodded and gave the girl a smile.
"I'm going to stay with you, okay? I'm going to be right beside you." I said. She nodded and loosened her grip a little. I handed the keys over to Tara as the medics loaded the girl onto a stretcher. "What fucking animal would do this to a kid?"
"I don't know. Hopefully it isn't what we think." She said, ever the optimist. I shook my head. There was no doubt the girl had been raped. I wished we had just left a little earlier. I hated knowing we were just a little too late.
"Dr. Grant, it sounds like this girl got lucky. If you and Dr. Knowles didn't get there when you did, she could have bled out before anyone found her." Dr. Hoyt said, walking to the nurse's station. I sighed and shook my head. "Hey, there's no way you could have known this was going on. You saved this girl."
"Yeah, I know. I just wish she didn't have to go through that. It's tough enough on adults. She's just a kid." Dealing with the physical damage from assault was a cake walk compared to the emotional damage. It was tough for me to accept that counseling and talking could only do so much. In the end, the victims had to find strength within themselves.
"She is but she has a strong support system. Her family will make sure she gets everything she needs to come back from this." Dr. Hoyt said, patting my shoulder. Tara tried to hide a yawn behind her hand.
"Hey, I know you've got a shift in the morning. Why don't you take the Mustang and go home? I'll get a ride in a little while." I offered, extending the keys toward her. She hesitated before taking them with a frown. "It's fine. I'm going to go check in on Abel."
"Tell him I say hi." Tara gave me a quick hug before waving to Dr. Hoyt and leaving through the double employees only door. I was just telling Dr. Hoyt goodbye when I saw Mom walking down the hall with the Oswald's. Elliot and his wife both looked exhausted and terrified. The pieces were starting to fall into place with what the doctor said about the girl getting all the help she needs.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked, giving her a hug as the Oswald's rushed toward Dr. Hoyt. She explained how they had been looking for the girl all over Fun Town. The hospital called Elliot when we got off the ambulance and they confirmed it was her. I heard Mrs. Oswald cry out and felt my heart break for her. I wasn't a mother but I could imagine the pain she felt was unlike any other. Mom always told me her number one job was to make sure I was safe, everything else came after that, even my happiness.
"Are you okay, baby?" Mom asked, pushing some loose hairs out of my face. I blinked a couple times, wondering why she would ask about me.
"Mom, I'm fine. Unfortunately she isn't the first victim I've seen. She isn't even the youngest." It was a sad truth. Mom nodded and looked over to Elliot who was leaning back against the wall, his hand over his mouth.
"If you need anything, all you have to do is ask, Elliot." I was sure Dr. Hoyt didn't pick up on the underlying meaning to Mom's offer. She wasn't offering to make a casserole or walk the dogs while they were at the hospital like normal family friends. She was offering the club's assistance. She was offering justice outside of the law. I couldn't help but feel a little proud because I knew that any other club member or old lady standing in Mom's shoes would have offered the same thing. The club may be involved in a lot of questionable activities and the town may not always agree with them but the Sons of Anarchy looked out for Charming. They would never let some monster get away with assaulting anyone, especially a child. Not in Charming.
"Mom, do you mind giving me a ride to Tara's? I was going to go tell Abel goodnight and then head out." I said, motioning down the hall.
"Sure. I'm going to call Clay. I'll meet you outside. Give that baby my love." She said, phone out in her hand. I knew whatever she had to say to Clay was important if she was passing up a chance to see her grandson. I was turning it over in my head as I walked down the hall.
"Shit, sorry." I said, bumping into someone while I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. He was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt which made me think he was probably going to give me some hell about watching where I was going. It would be my luck.
"No problem. No problem at all." He smiled and moved his hands to his belt. That solved my worry about giving a doctor a bad first impression in the off chance that I stayed in Charming. That move screamed, 'I'm a cop'. "I'm pretty sure visiting hours are over."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just looking in on my nephew really quick." I explained before nodding and taking a couple steps backwards. Something was off about his smile. It was too friendly; he smiled like he'd known me for years. I turned around and quickened my pace down the hall. I didn't want to be forced into anymore awkward conversation.
Abel was sleeping peacefully, without his oxygen. It was such a relief to see him doing well, especially after finding that girl. It was a little silver lining to the darkness that had brought me to St. Thomas that night. He was getting better and I knew that he would be coming soon. He would finally be with his family. All that was really left was deciding if I was going to be around as part of that family or not. I was starting to wonder how I could go anywhere else.
A/N: Who did Lexie run into in the hospital? I'm sure most of you have a good idea who it could be. Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm not following the show directly. I mean really, what would fanfiction be without taking some creative liberties? With that being said, I am going to include most if not all major events. They may just be tweaked or seen from a different perspective like the FunTown tragedy. Anyways, let me know what you think, please! I really love the reviews but I've noticed a few readers that had been reviewing are missing. COME BACK, JACK! COME BACK! (Titanic reference, I'm a nerd.)
