Whispers of What We Were
Chapter 6
Tara froze. She had told Emily and Abel not to mention Josh to anyone in Charming but she couldn't put blame on an eight and nine year old. She didn't know how much Emily had said so she decided to play it as cool as she could in her current frozen state.
"Josh was someone I was seeing in Chicago. It's over now Gemma."
"Kids are very observant Tara. When we this they don't know what's going on, they usually do."
"What are you trying to say here Gemma?"
"Listen, I could care less who you were fucking back in Chicago. God knows Jax stuck it in more dirty skanks than you can imagine."
Tara cringed at Gemma's low blow. "Gee thanks for that Gemma."
"Jax had every right to go crazy. You left him! But you had my grandkids with you. Emily accidentally told me about this Josh guy and then she freaked out. Got really quiet. Nervous. That's not like her. I asked her more about him and Abel said that they weren't allowed to talk about him. Why is that Tara?"
Tara was relieved but what she had heard. "It wasn't a very long relationship. My only one since I moved to Chicago. I didn't think you and Jax needed to hear about it. That's all."
Gemma nodded skeptically, about to say more but her further inquisition was interrupted by Abel running into the house. "Mommy! Emily is hogging the sprinkler."
Tara laughed at her son, wearing a soaking wet SAMCRO t-shirt, his long blonde hair dripping. He looked a lot like Jax. "Abel, honey. Go back outside; you're dripping on Grandma's floor. Tell your sister to turn off the water. We're going home now."
"Ok Mom." Abel answered, running back outside.
"And grab your towels!" She called after his. She turned to Gemma. "Sorry about the mess." She apologized, hoping the conversation about Josh was over.
"It's just a little water. They really are great kids. Smart."
"Yeah, they are." Tara agreed. She walked over to the kitchen counter to grab her kid's backpacks and was startled when Gemma reached out and lifted the back of Tara's scrub top, exposing her crow.
"Hey!" Tara yelled, backing away.
"I'm sure that Josh guy didn't like that tattoo very much." Gemma smiled, taking another sip of her tea.
Tara ignored the comment. "Thanks for watching the kids. I'm off tomorrow but I'll drop them off Thursday morning before I go to work." And then she walked outside.
"That's just fine." Gemma answered her after she left. Something was definitely going on with her daughter-in-law.
Shortly after Tara had left, Gemma got a call from Clay, telling her to hurry down to the clubhouse.
"Babe, you need to get down here. Tig got hurt and Jax looks like shit."
"Jesus Christ. I'm coming."
SOASOASOASOASOA
Four Months Ago.
Tara awoke to someone's finger tracing lines along her lower back. She opened her eyes, coming face to face with her new boyfriend, Joshua Kohn, his eyes dark and accusing.
"Who's Jax? And what's SAMCRO?" He asked, tracing his fingers over the two words. Normally, crow tattoos didn't include the clubs name or a person's name but when Tara was seventeen, Jax had insisted and she had happily obliged. Jax had loved being a member of SAMCRO and he wanted everyone to know who she belonged to. She wasn't just anyone's Old Lady. She was Jax's Old Lady.
Tara moved away from Josh and pulled down her shirt to recover the tattoo. "It's nothing Josh. It's part of my past."
"It's not part of the past if it is still on your fucking skin!" He said angrily.
Tara could not figure out why this was making Josh angry. Lots of people had tattoos. "Jax is Emily and Abel's father." She confessed.
Unprovoked and without warning, Josh's hand reached out and backhanded Tara across the face. Tears formed in her eyes, her cheek stinging harshly. She was too stunned to move.
A few minutes passed and as if turning into a different person, Josh took Tara's face tenderly in his hands. "Oh baby. I am so sorry. I just got a little jealous. You understand that right? Tartar?"
This guy was crazy. Tara had to get out of his apartment. She nodded to placate him, "I uhh, I have to get back to work."
Josh nodded, smiling as if nothing had happened. He leaned in and kissed Tara. It took everything she had in her not to vomit. "Ok baby. Call me later."
Tara forced a smile and got out of bed. She most definitely would not be calling him later.
SOASOASOASOA
Later than night, Tara was in the living room reading when her phone started to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey Tara, it's me."
"Everything ok Jax?"
She could hear Jax sigh on the other end, "I really didn't want to have to call you Tara, but-"
Tara knew exactly what this was about. "Who got shot?" As soon as Tara had completed a Trauma rotation, the club loved having Tara, the bullet remover around. Not to mention, it had given her a lot of extra practice with her sutures.
"Tig. A drop off went a little wrong." Jax answered honestly, and Tara appreciated that.
"Are you guys at the club?"
"Yeah. And Gemma is here too. She said she could watch the kids. They could crash in my old dorm room."
Tara sighed. She had asked Jax not to bring the kids around the club just yet, although they had spent plenty of time there as toddlers. Taking her kids to the clubhouse while a Club Member was bleeding in an adjacent room was not high on her priority list. It was bound to happen however. Jax had said that the guys had missed Emily and Abel and were all dying to see them. "Yeah, ok. Let me just pack up my medical bag and the kids and I will be there soon."
"Thanks Tara. It means a lot."
"Of course Jax."
As she hung up, she momentarily wondered if one of Jax's 'dirty skanks' that Gemma had talked about would be there. Probably not, when a Son was hurt, they usually cleaned out the clubhouse and left only members around.
"Emily! Abel! Put your shoes on; we have to go and see Daddy."
The kids were more than happy to rush to the car to see their Dad. Tara on the other hand was shuffling her feet to pack her medicine bag. What had she been thinking? Back in Charming and month and already running to the club like some crow eater.
On the drive over, she had to admit to herself that she had missed certain members of SAMCRO. Not Tig of course; but Opie, his father Piney, Bobby and Juice, who had just been a prospect when she left. She smiled as she remembered all the times Jax had him wash her car.
When Tara pulled the car into Teller-Morrow garage, she was met by Jax, who was sporting a brand new black eye. Emily and Abel had already gotten out of the car and were running into their Dad's arms while Tara went to the trunk to grab her bag.
"Daddy... Your black eye looks like the one Mommy had."
Hearing Abel's words caused Tara to stop everything. Her kids obviously could not keep secrets and they were slowly starting to unravel hers.
END CHAPTER
A/N: I just had to put in a scene where Gemma lifted Tara's shirt. I think that's the only time we've EVER seen Tara's tattoo right? And, does she really have that rose tattoo on her back? I noticed in episode 401 at the wedding you couldn't see it? Anyone have any insight?
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. A lot coming up in the next one!
Also, I really see no end in sight for this story and was wondering if anyone could tell me more about the "family flaw". I know it's a heart condition that has proven dangerous to a number of Tellers but do we know what its called?
