Hi there. I'm literally several years behind on this story. I've been working tirelessly to get this chapter done since I was able to finally recover what I had assumed was lost on my laptop. I know this is no compensation for those who enjoyed the story from the start and got left hanging, but I am already working on the next chapters and have a majority of the end game chapters planned and wrote out. I want this story to be as close to the source material as I can get it. Changing some details but keeping the general timelines the same. My goal is to possibly revisit my first 5 chapters and reconstruct them to be better understood and cleaner. I hope you all reading this will choose to stick with me for the duration of this story. I've reignited my love for this fic and hope to carry it the rest of the way to done. Thanks for reading. Much love -Rammy
Asha's first instinct when hearing the explosion was to cradle Abel to her chest. She had watched as Chibs rocketed through the air, landing on his back, his head knocking hard against the asphalt. She listened as Jax hollered for Tara to come to help him.
With the startled baby still resting against her, Asha watched on in shock and awe as the people started surrounding the motionless Chibs. She could see Juice front and center, watching on, his mouth agape. She remembered Juice telling her about how when He was just a prospect, it was Chibs who sponsored him. Like a father, taught him everything he needed to know about club life.
At that moment she felt deep sorrow for the club that may lose their brother. But even more so the man she thought she loved may lose a father and a best friend.
Reflexes kicking in, Asha quickly reached for Tara's cell phone that had lay forgotten next to her on the picnic table. She dialed for an ambulance, anxiously running her fingers through her hair repeatedly.
-x-
"What did you find out?" Clay was pressuring Juice as they stood in the hallway of the hospital. The other members of the MC were all sitting in the waiting room, doing just that, waiting. They still hadn't heard anything from the O.R. doctors.
"I don't feel right about this, man. Feels like I'm spying on her." Juice rubbed the back of his head, peering down the hall into the waiting room. He could see Jax sitting in a wooden armchair, bouncing his knees in nervous anticipation.
Clay only stared him down, waiting for the answers he knew would come. "Spill it, Juicy." He pushed in a gravelly whisper.
Relenting, Juice heaved a sigh. "Nothing on Ash but petty shoplifting." He whispered, glancing back behind them again. Asha had gotten up and was standing at the payphone that was in its own little cove off of the waiting room; beyond earshot.
Clay raised an eyebrow in scrutiny, "We need to worry about her being alone in the clubhouse?"
"Nothin' like that, man." Juice's face looked pained at the thought, "Nah, just some tampons and like, beef jerky."
"That's an odd combo." Clay chuckled. What about the other one? Chibs'... Whatever the fuck? She seems flaky. Is she who she claims to be?"
Juice's eyes glared for a split second over Clay's comment on Asha, "She was a bit trickier to track down." Juice glanced back towards Asha once more, "She is who she says she is. Born in '77 to Edward and Lynn Moran. She left home just after she turned 18. But then it starts to get weird."
"Whataya talkin' 'bout?" Clay gave Juice a glare that screamed at him to quit stalling.
"I'm talking about from '95 til '98 she was a normal young adult. Rented an apartment with her then-boyfriend Ray Webber. Went to school, took some business management courses, took some writing courses. Graduated after two and a half years. And then in late '98, after her accident that scarred about 20% of her body, Poof." He threw his hand up as if to describe his frustration.
"Poof?"
"Yeah," Juice's brow was furrowed, his confusion seemed to match Clay's. He had very few answers to some of his questions. "She vanished. Well, almost. She was nearly impossible to trace. Passport record shows she traveled overseas, Euro side. But never the same place, or even country, twice."
"Where?" Clay was done with humoring a face of casual disinterest, He wanted as many details as Juice had dug up.
"Three separate occasions. Several years apart. Once in '99 to London, once in 2001 to Amsterdam, and then again in 2004 to New Castle. I couldn't find anything else on why she would have been there, except death records show that her Grandfather died in '99. But he was in Ireland. I can't figure out why she wouldn't just fly straight in."
Clay froze momentarily, "Where in Ireland?"
"Helen's Bay. Why?"
"Helen's Bay is just a few miles over, it's in Belfast." Clay leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"Sambel territory? They know anything, you think?" Juice's eyes got wide for a moment, realization dawning on him, "You think she knew about the club? Before she showed up here?"
"Don't know." He scratched at his chin, "You got anything else for me, Juicy?"
"Just when she came back from all three trips she took the same flight she took out. London, Amsterdam, New Castle. She either didn't go very far from each landing or she was covering her tracks. After 2004 nothing. I can take Asha back to her hometown. Sunny I can't get anything after '04. Every house or apartment they've lived in together was put in Asha's name. Including Spyker's place out here on old 18, that's where they're living now. It's been rented in Ash's name, Sunny's not even a co-leaser or nothin'." Juice rubbed his hand over the back of his head again, "I couldn't find her on anything really between '98 to '03. She pops up every now and again in different states, but nothing more than a blip; a paycheck, or a signature, but even those were hard to find. All those blips that occurred after 2003 roughly coincide with Asha's recorded location. Whatever Sunny's avoiding, she's doing a damn good job of it."
Clay had no words. It was strange for him to hear that this person, who is very real, and very much who she said she is, has virtually no past. Nothing for him to know what to expect. Nothing for him to base any judgment on.
Asha fished her soda from the opening in the vending machine and made her way back into the waiting room. She plopped herself down in the wooden chair between Jax and Juice.
"I was finally able to get a hold of Sunny, she's on her way now." She heaved a sigh and reached up to pinch Juice's chin playfully, "What were you and Bossman chattin' 'bout?"
Juice flushed slightly, he had hoped that she hadn't noticed that. "Not much, he wanted to know if I saw or heard anything that might help us figure out what happened." Of course, they already knew that Zobelle was behind the vicious attack on the club, but what scared Juice was that it could have been anyone behind the wheel of that van. Chibs could have tossed the keys to Juice and asked him to pull it around, or anyone else even. It could have been someone who couldn't tell the signs of a bomb, someone who wouldn't have gotten as far away before the explosion. This could kill Chibs, and that's what scared Juice the most. "Chibs is a tough old goat. He'll make it through this just like everything else he's seen." Juice said this while rubbing his hand over Asha's shoulders, as if to comfort her more than himself.
Sunny scrambled to get her things together. She quickly dressed in her usual riding garb; jeans, boots, leather jacket, and her shades. She snatched her keys and money clip off of the night table and made haste to the front door. She had pulled as much information from Asha as she could in the brief phone call. Explosion, Filip was in the O.R., no updates as of yet.
Sunny just couldn't wrap her head around all of this. She knew dipping in with the club could be dangerous, but she hadn't realized how dangerous. Sunny was worried that Filip might not be okay after all is settled.
She slammed the front door as she made her way out, the windchime that Asha had hung from the eaves when they moved in jangled with the force.
Sunny straddled her bike and pushed back the kickstand with the heel of her boot. Starting the bike, she only listened to it idle for a moment before taking off.
She weaved through the light Tuesday afternoon traffic with ease, her mind at the hospital. Sunny would have scolded herself for not paying closer attention to the road, but her mind was so sick with worry, she forgot even that.
Nudging the kickstand out, Sunny leaned the bike onto it. The parking lot at the hospital was nearly bare. The few Dyna's that were there she assumed were the clubs and she had parked near them; her Superglide with its dented and scraped side stuck out like a sore thumb next to its nearly pristine sisters.
Making haste, Sunny wound her way through the parking lot and into the hulking building.
"Any news?" Sunny wove her way through the chairs in the waiting room, her helmet swinging in her hand and bumping chairs as she passed. The only people left when she got there were Gemma, Juice, and Asha.
Asha met her halfway and hugged her tightly. Sunny noticed that while Juice was sitting in a chair, Gemma paced a few feet from the doors leading into the O.R.
Asha held onto Sunny tightly. Sunny could feel Asha's wet cheek pressed to her own. Asha sniffled quietly and whispered in her ear, "He's not out of surgery yet. But they're hopeful."
Sunny felt her knees start to get weak. She wanted to cry, tears of joy, stress, and relief, and yet, still fear for the unknown. Asha directed her to a chair and sat next to her. "Jax is talking to Tara now, getting any updates."
Sunny found herself chewing on her fingernails, the toe of her boot tapping in time to Gemma's pacing, the faint elevator-esque music making her head spin. She had raced to get there before knowing any solid details of Chibs' condition. But she wanted to get there as quickly as possible as if just her presence in the waiting room would will Chibs to recovery.
"What the hell is taking them so long?" Juice asked the room, irritation burning in his voice. As if on cue, the O.R. doors pushed open as Gemma rounded to make another pass. Jax walked out with Tara just a pace behind.
"He's out of surgery!" Jax announced grinning with relief on his face.
With a slight smile, Tara nodded. "He's out, and in the ICU. He's not awake yet. But I'm sure we will start letting him have visitors here shortly." She clutched her clipboard to her chest and gave a hesitant smile.
"I'll call the others, thanks, babe." Jax kissed Tara's cheek quickly and pulled his cell phone from his hip pocket. Turning away to walk down the hall a bit as he dialed for the clubhouse.
Sunny looked from Jax back to Tara, "Soon, right?" She asked trying not to sound too confident.
"Soon." Tara smiled warmly at her, then turned to go back the way she came.
Gemma rubbed Tara's arm lightly, "Thanks for the help, Doc." Tara only nodded at her, her smile still lingering.
Picking up their belongings, the crew moved up two floors to the ICU waiting room. After another hour and a half of waiting there, Tara finally returned.
"We're able to allow visitors now. Just one at a time until he wakes up. Then after assessing him a bit further, we may up it to two. For now, it's family only." She glanced at the five people huddled around her, "so if anyone asks..." She trailed off, not officially finishing the statement, but allowing her company to fill in the blank. Tara tapped her pen lightly on her clipboard until everyone in attendance nodded their affirmation. "Good. Who wants to go in first?"
Almost as a whole, the group looked to Sunny. Her cheeks flushed, "Maybe someone else should go in first?" Sunny supplied hesitantly. She was nervous, she wanted to spend some time with Filip, but she didn't want the expectation of someone waiting behind her to see him.
"Sure." Jax nodded, "Of course." They all followed Tara as she lead them down the hall to Chibs' room.
Asha held Sunny close as they watched the other three, Jax, Juice, then Gemma go to Chibs' bedside and talk to him. He still wasn't awake, but they talked nonetheless. Telling him how glad they were that he was okay, how worried they had been, and how relieved everyone back at the clubhouse had been to get Jax's call.
Asha had only stayed for a minute when it was her turn to visit Chibs. She told him how happy she was that he was okay, no matter how grouchy he had been before the whole ordeal. Before she left, Asha leaned in close to Chibs' ear, "Please, let her in." She wasn't sure he could hear her, or if he would even know what she was talking about. So far there was no word on whether or not he would suffer any lasting brain damage. However, she felt it was worth a shot at some sort of subliminal message.
When it was Sunny's turn to visit with Chibs, Jax stopped her in the doorway, "Ma and I are going to get something to eat from the cafeteria. Juice will be here in the waiting room if you need anything, okay?" The shadow of a smile creased his mouth when she nodded. Jax leaned forward and kissed Sunny's forehead, "He's gonna be alright." Sunny could only nod again, biting her lower lip; almost as if she feared the words that would come spilling out if she didn't. Turning away from her, Jax walked towards his mother. He rested his left arm over Gemma's shoulders and patted Juice's shoulder with his right as they walked past.
Sunny sat in the chair that had been pulled to Chibs' bedside. Choosing to sit there for several minutes in silence, arranging her thoughts. She finally leaned forward in the chair, her elbows on the wooden armrests, the springs in the tea-green cushion creaking with the effort.
"I know..." Sunny started, "I know I have been... distant." She rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, "And I'm sorry about it. I didn't mean to send you mixed signals. I just..." She trailed for a moment. "I just have some skeletons buried deep and I'm afraid of letting people in. I know your life hasn't been easy, Filip, and neither has mine." Sunny stood and paced around the room a couple of times. "People haven't always been good to me. I have a hard time trusting anyone that tries to get close. Asha was the first, and for the longest time I felt like she would be the only, and even she doesn't know everything about me. I'm not one for keeping secrets, Filip." She sat back onto the edge of the chair, her hands wringing themselves red, "I feel like you have some secrets too. Not the club; I know all about the runnings of the club. Something else, something you're keeping in the dark. That's why I've been distant, I want to trust you. I want so bad to let you in."
Sunny reached onto the bed and clasped Chibs' hand in her own, her subconscious noticing that his rings were missing from his fingers. "When you make it through this I want to try again. I want us to be honest with each other, build trust between us. I can't promise..." She paused briefly, "I can't promise when I'll be ready to unpack all of my shit for you, but I can promise that I will work towards it, I will try." She had done well not to cry up until this point, and she used the back of her hand to swipe away the couple of tears that had escaped her.
Sunny stood up and took in Chibs' form. Motionless under a white sheet and one of those ugly wool hospital blankets that are always too scratchy. His hair was in a tuft at the top of his head, pushed up by the bandages that wound tightly around his forehead. He had an I.V. drip attached to his arm, and EKG stickers stuck to the part of his chest that was visible over the top of his gown.
She leaned in, rubbing her thumb over his cheek as she had done before, and then kissed him softly where her thumb had been. Turning, she took one more look at him; "I'll be back to keep you some company," and she walked from the room.
Sunny hadn't truly wanted to leave his room, but she felt she needed to regain her composure before she could go back in.
It was getting late in the day when Sunny was finally persuaded to leave Filip's room. Even later yet when Sunny, Asha, and Juice made it back to the house. They had stopped at a diner on the highway between the hospital and home, Sunny had refused to eat hospital food ever again if she could help it after her extended hospital stay so many years before. Unfortunately, she didn't really have an appetite, and even though all she had eaten that day was a toasted bagel that morning and a bag of chips out of the hospital vending machine, she only picked at her fries and took the cheeseburger home in a box. Sunny also wanted to change out of her stiff riding leathers and gather another change of clothes to take back with her. She had resolved that she was going to stay at the hospital for a couple of days until they had some news on Chibs' condition.
Asha decided to stay home instead of sticking with Juice. Figuring it would be easier on Sunny to have the Dakota to travel with, and a friend to lean on if she so needed.
"Stay safe, okay." Asha stood in the doorway, hands on the door frame she leaned out towards Juice.
"Always." He grinned at her his teeth gleaming in the porchlight glow. "Hey," He started, getting serious, "It's probably going to be best if you stay back from the club and garage for a few days until we get that mess cleaned up and figure out what leak caused the explosion." He furrowed his brow, a tell to his lie that he didn't know he had. Asha hadn't learned that one yet, however. "I don't want you getting hurt too."
"Yeah, I guess that's probably a good idea." She frowned slightly.
"We'll still be in touch though, I promise." He grinned again and leaned in for a goodbye kiss.
After watching his journey to the end of their gravel road and out of view Asha retreated into the house once more, throwing the deadbolt on the door.
Asha wandered to the back of the house, arms wrapped around her middle, hugging herself, and leaned into the doorway of Sunny's room for a moment. "What's your plan then, love?" She asked, crossing her arms. She watched as Sunny stripped down to her underwear.
"Well, I had planned on staying with Filip tonight, until I was informed that they weren't going to allow overnight visitors in the ICU. So I guess I'll stay in the waiting room until they let me in in the morning." she went on dressing in comfortable clothes.
"Tara was talking like she was going to swing a late shift tonight and that will put ears there until late. Why don't we just go first thing in the morn-" Sunny breezed past her, pulling open the hall closet looking for something. "We can get there early and be there as soon-" Sunny made to push past her again in a rush. Asha reached out finally and grabbed Sunny by her upper arm lightly. Swinging her around to face her, "There's nothing more we can do for him right now. He'll be okay for tonight."
Sunny began to protest, to tell Asha that she really didn't mind sleeping in the waiting room, but Asha cut her off, "We'll go back in the morning." Asha rarely called the shots in their home, usually perfectly happy to just go with the flow. Sunny would always take her opinion into account, but the final decision most always fell to the elder of the two friends. Asha not allowing Sunny to do what she initially had wanted to do was a strange dynamic, but Sunny understood that Asha would not be so rigid in her stance on the situation if she didn't feel strongly about it.
Sunny was suddenly very grateful to have this strong and caring woman in her life.
"Fine," she had finally relented, "But we go first thing, like you said. I want to be there as soon as they start allowing visitors again."
Asha nodded and pulled Sunny to her chest and hugged her lovingly. Sunny was almost a full head shorter than Asha and so she was able to lay her cheek comfortably into the crook of Asha's shoulder.
Exhaustion taking hold, Asha led Sunny to the bed and pulled the already ruffled covers to the side, allowing her to crawl in. Asha removed her jacket and jeans, climbing in next to her. She pulled Sunny to her again, cheek to chest, and she began stroking Sunny's short hair humming. "Goodnight my love." She amended softly when she heard Sunny's breathing slow, and kissed the top of her head.
-x-
Visiting hours started at 7 o'clock. The girls rolled out of bed around 5 to get ready. Asha made good on her promise to make sure Sunny got to Saint Thomas early, and she made scrambled eggs and toast while Sunny showered. Tara had texted to let them know that Filip's vitals had steadied in the night and they were hopeful he would wake up in the next day or two.
Elated to hear such great news, the girls couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. Walking onto the ICU unit carrying their coffee cups, Sunny and Asha visited with each other for the twenty-odd minutes before they would start letting visitors into the rooms.
"Thank you," Sunny sat slouched in the waiting room chair, coffee gripped in both hands with one leg crossed over the other in front of her. She bumped Asha's knee with her dangling foot. "For talking me down last night. I'm thankful I have such a level-headed person in my life, lord knows I need it."
Asha smiled at her lazily, "You definitely needed something last night. With your attitude, if I had just hidden our keys you would have just walked here instead." She chuckled ruefully. "Too stubborn for your own good."
A nurse walked briskly into the waiting room, at this time it was just Sunny and Asha, and two others. The girls straightened up in their seats.
"You can come back now." It was the same nurse from the day before. Middle-aged with dark hair that had streaks of silver at her temples. She seemed like a no-fuss type of nurse, with no smile, no greeting.
Sunny let the other two people get up before them, one a middle-aged woman and the other an elderly gentleman, possibly father and daughter.
As Sunny got up to go she leaned in and kissed Asha's cheek, "I won't keep you out here alone long."
Sunny made it to the doorway, smiled briefly, and walked past.
The nurse, her name tag read 'Frankie', paused in the doorway for a moment looking in at Asha who had started to slouch down in the chair again, opening a paperback book. "Pst." Frankie hissed. When Asha looked up at her she indicated the door with a head nod. When Asha didn't immediately understand she gestured again with her eyes and a head tilt. Asha scrambled up quickly.
"You're sure?" She asked tucking the well-worn book under her arm, Insomnia by Stephen King, Frankie saw.
"Just keep the volume down, I don't want to have to ask you to leave."
Asha rose her brows and her eyes got wide, raising her hand with two fingers up, "Scouts honor."
Frankie cracked the smallest of grins as Asha passed her to catch up with Sunny.
The day passed lazily with Asha reading her book quietly and Sunny listening to the radio on low and flipping through magazines.
The second day passed just the same way with the girls sitting in comfortable silence. They had noticed the odd lack of Filip's brothers, but didn't comment on it. Gemma stopped by periodically to check in, and so did Tara.
They had sat with the sleeping Filip until nearly noon that second day when a light tap at the door had both of them jerking their heads up.
"Hey, Chief," Sunny whispered acknowledging Unser as he opened the door.
"Hello, ladies." He grinned back entering the room. "How's our friend doing?"
"Well, actually!" Sunny couldn't refrain from grinning too. "His vitals have done nothing but improve all morning."
"I'm glad to hear it. Listen, I'm on my lunch break so I can't stay, I just wanted to swing by and check in on my way to grab something. I'll leave you alone." He made to close the door but Sunny stopped him.
"We were just talking about getting something to eat too, would you mind if we joined you?" She asked, disentangling her legs from the covers of Filip's bed where she had them propped up.
Unser puffed his cheeks out and shook his head, "No, I don't mind at all. In fact, I would welcome the company."
Straightening in the chair, Sunny leaned down to put her shoes back on, Asha set her book down and stood, "Thanks Chief."
"Wayne, please." He held the door for them while Sunny whispered a fast goodbye to Filip and placed a kiss on his forehead. She hurried out after Asha, smiling at Unser as she slipped past.
At the Chinese buffet that Unser had suggested, he watched as Sunny and Asha deftly used their chopsticks while he fumbled to keep neat with a fork.
"Do you know yet what caused the blast?" Asha asked halfway through an egg roll.
Unser glanced at both women before looking at his plate and considered for a moment. Pretending to chew his bite a little longer than necessary to give himself some time to think. He knew both were women of the club, but he also knew that neither of them had the same kind of clearance. He settled on the path of least detail.
"Not sure yet what leaked to cause it," he wiped his napkin between his hands fussily, "but figuring probably faulty wiring sparked when Chibs tried to start the van and is what ignited it." Well, he pulled that out of his ass. If the club wanted them to know what happened then one of them could damn well tell them themselves.
Asha nodded slightly, but Sunny only cleared her throat. Wayne couldn't tell if she believed him or not, but figured it wasn't really his problem.
"Well ladies, as much as I've enjoyed this, I better get back to what I get paid for." He took one more long pull on his Pepsi, draining it to just the ice in the bottom, wiped his mouth on his napkin, and leaned over to pull his billfold from his back pocket.
"I've got it, Wayne." Sunny beat him to the bill. She laid two twenties on the table and stood up, letting Asha out of the booth. "Do you have time to take us back, or should we call for a ride?"
"Thanks!" he grinned at her, "Nah, Saint Thomas is on the way, I've got the time." They converged at the door and he led them back to his cruiser.
Once back into the hospital and making their way to Filip's room they saw Gemma on her way up to see him too. They hurried into the elevator with her. Gemma smiled amicably at them, "With a cheer squad this size, he has no choice but to get better."
Once off the elevator, Gemma led the way to Filip's room, Sunny and Asha trailing just a few steps behind. They hadn't noticed Gemma's brief pause at the door to the room, looking in the slim window before heading in, but they heard the faint "Shit" she had uttered.
Worry spiked in Sunny's throat. Hot on Gemma's heels she followed into the room, expecting to find something wrong with Filip. Instead, she found a devastatingly beautiful woman sitting in Asha's chair, casually reading the book Asha had left there.
The brown goddess closed the book with a snap and stood up, her dark curls bouncing to frame her face, a single corkscrew of white fell near her deep brown eyes, her mouth a severe line.
"You're a long way from home, sweetheart," Gemma stated, setting her bag down somewhat aggressively. Sunny was pulled from her reverie, suddenly aware of the circumstance; there was a strange, albeit gorgeous, woman at Filip's bedside, and she had no clue to who it could be.
Before the woman could answer Tara walked in behind the others, she stopped short seeing the congregation before her. Her eyes locked on the new person in the room. "Hello..."
Gemma nodded at her, "Dr. Knowles, Fiona Larkin." She inclined her head to Fiona. It was almost as if Sunny and Asha weren't even in the room, not one person had indicated they even noticed the pair there.
Tara seemed a little confused, "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry but visitation is currently restricted to family only."
Gemma huffed and rolled her eyes, "She is family."
There was a pause while Fiona took in Gemma, then she looked back at Tara, "I'm his wife."
Please let me know if there's anything that I may be missing or forgetting. I have gone back and reread my lore, and have started rewatching the episodes that correspond with the stories location on the timeline. I've also been reading as much about the episodes and characters as I can find to help build my world. I truly hope this shines through. Oh, and let me know if any of you lovely readers would like to have chapters after finishing the base story of random encounters. Probably not full chapters, and not anything that fits into the timelines. Just fun chapters showing a glimpse into the relationships that are formed. Much love to you all.