Hey guys! Here is chapter 3! Sorry for the delay. I went back to work this week after a fantastic summer break, and now my life is more about teaching nine year olds and less about writing. I will definitely try to stick with a once a week update schedule. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter, and I would love it if you would review!
"Chibs, answer your phone, man," Opie said, knocking him in the shoulder and jolting him to awareness.
He was brought out of his trance relatively quickly. It wasn't as if anybody could really blame him for not being completely focused. If was 7:30 AM and he was leaning against his bike in the parking lot of Stockton Prison, waiting for visiting hours to start. Opie had insisted that they come early so that they could see the guys during the first set of visitor's hours. His day had started before 5:00 this morning, and his utter exhaustion lent itself nicely to smoking cigarettes and staring off into space. Still, he was surprised that he didn't hear his phone ring. He must have been more spent than he thought.
Chibs nodded his thanks at Op and slid the phone from his pocket. When he saw the number, he grinned. Kerrianne had made a point to call him every day after school; she called it his "wake up call". It was a couple of hours earlier than usual today, but that was no matter. His daughter was calling him, and that thrilled Chibs to no end.
"Hey Kerrianne," he answered with a smile in his voice, eager to hear all about her day; hell, eager to just talk to her.
"Guess again," came Fiona's voice over the line.
"Fi," he said, his smile widening. It may not have been who he was expecting, but it was still damn good to hear her on the line.
"Filip," she replied, and he could tell she was smiling too. "How are you, Love?"
"Doing fine," he told her. "And you? What are you up to?"
"Not too much," she said brightly, if not a little bit bitterly. "Just picking up our sweet little daughter from detention."
Filip swore under his breath and let out a low whistle. "What'd she do?"
"Fight at school," Fiona replied wearily. "Again. According to the dean, she beat the pulp out of another girl during lunch, and neither one of them would say why. This is the second time this week! He said that if it happens again, she will be suspended! She has never even stepped a toe out of line before, and now she is on the verge of suspension. I don't know what the fuck I am going to do with her."
She sounded exhausted, and he felt heartsick. He should be there, helping her deal with this shit, and the fact that he wasn't made him a strange mixture of sad, angry, and guilty. Chibs was already plotting how to get through whatever business needed to be handled in Charming so that he could get on a plane and get there in as little time as possible.
"I will talk to her," was the best solution he could give Fi at the moment. "See if I can figure out what's going on."
"I appreciate it, Love," Fi told him with a sigh. "I really do. Yell at her! Put the fear of God into her!"
"You know I won't," he told her plainly. "But I will figure out what's going on. I promise."
"Of course you will," she agreed.
Her faith in him brought a small smile back to his face. "And how about you?" he asked. "How are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she insisted. "Nothing new around here. I have our teenage boxing champion and Maureen's crying fits and basically running the shop because she is too drunk to do it. So same old thing, really."
He laughed, not because her situation was funny, but because she had a keen ability to find humor in almost anything. "Sounds like you've got it all sorted, then."
"Oh yeah," she scoffed, before going quiet for a moment. "I miss you, you know."
"I miss you too," he said softly. While her simple admission brought back the sad, angry, guilty feeling, it also did absolutely stupid things to his heart. "I talked to Op. In a couple of weeks, when we get things here sorted out, I am planning a trip."
"Oh yeah?" she teased. "Going anywhere good."
"Haha," he replied, rolling his eyes, even though she couldn't see it. "You think you're so funny."
"I know I'm funny," she corrected, before turning more serious. "I would like that, though. It would be nice to have you here, without us all having to worry about abducted babies or murder plots."
"Nah, we will just have to worry about our daughter the prize fighter," he agreed. "Well, that and sex. Lots and lots of sex."
"A charmer is what you are," she shot back, but even from thousands of miles away, he could tell that she was intrigued. He was about to call her on it, too, when a loud siren echoed across the parking lot, indicating that visiting hours were about to begin. "I suppose you have to go?"
"Aye, seems that way," he agreed. "We're at the prison visiting the guys this morning."
"Well, you have fun doing that," she told him. "Make sure that they don't try to keep you inside."
"Not a chance," he grinned. "Have Kerrianne call me when she is done with detention?"
"You can count on it," Fiona told him. "And then maybe I will call you a bit later tonight and describe in very precise detail all of the many, many things I miss about you. In case you were wondering, it's mostly sex. Lots and lots of sex."
That certainly got his attention, and he really wanted to know more, but people were already heading toward the entrance. "I'll very much look forward to it," he told her earnestly. "I love you, Fi."
"I love you more, Filip," she replied, and then hung up before he had the chance to argue that point.
He sighed as he slid his phone back into his pocket, all the while making a point to steadfastly avoid looking at Opie, who was wearing a shit eating grin across his face.
"You done?" Op asked, like the smartass he was.
"Shut up," he said as they walked toward the prison, Opie's laughter echoing across the parking lot.
"So," the weary looking blonde man said casually. "How is life outside of Stockton Prison?"
Chibs offered a quick laugh, "Not too terrible. Boring as hell without the rest of you boys around."
"Piney doesn't really offer much in the way of entertainment, I guess," Jax replied.
The two men sat across from each other, far from comfortable at the picnic tables. They both occasionally shot glances at the two men sitting several yard away. Jax had been slightly offended when Opie had insisted on speaking with Clay, but as the President and the acting President, the two had some things to discuss, leaving time for the VP and the acting VP to bond.
"What about inside?" Chibs asked. "You boys surviving in here?"
"Surviving is a good word for it," Jax replied as a shadow passed over his face. "We are straight with brown and we have protection from black, but nothing white seems too fond of us in here."
"Yeah," Chibs agreed, understanding what they young man was trying to get across. "We are stopping in to see LaRoy on the way home. We can try bolster that protection. Maybe we'll send Alvarez a fruit basket or some flowers, see if we can get you more love."
"That would be good," Jax nodded. "You seen Tara lately?"
"Aye," Chibs told him. "A couple of days ago, she came by the garage to get her oil changed. She brought Abel with her. She seemed good; been visiting Gemma quite a bit."
"Yeah?" Jax asked, a small smile on her face. "She looked like she is doing okay?"
"She looked just fine, Jackie-Boy," Chibs confirmed. "I will check in on her later today, see if she needs anything. Op is going to see your ma, so I will see Tara. She lets me hold the baby, all Gemma let's me do is feed that damned bird."
"I forgot about your bird phobia," Jax grinned.
"It's not a phobia, I just don't like them," Chibs countered. "Anyway, your girl is doing fine. We're checking in with her all the time."
"That's good," Jax said, scrubbing his hands over his face. "Thanks brother. I appreciate it; you and Op are holding things down out there, running the business and the Club and taking care of everybody. Knowing that things are running smoothly on the outside makes being in here a little bit easier. Not much easier, but a little."
"It's not a problem," Chibs insisted. "I mostly leave the hard stuff to Op. Besides, it's you guys who have it rough. Tara is easier to deal with than Juice would be in a nine by nine cell."
Jax actually laughed, "You're telling me! I swear, we need to get that kid medicated, like as soon as possible. Although Tig is his cell mate, so there is a fifty-fifty chance that he won't make it out of here at all."
Chibs laughed, but the thought scared him more than a little. These men were his brothers, and the idea of them being in here, unprotected and unsafe while he was on the outside and not able to do a damn thing for them was not one he welcomed. He couldn't easily recall a time when he felt more useless. He couldn't be in Belfast helping his wife and daughter, and he couldn't be here in Stockton protecting his brothers.
The guards appeared suddenly, signaling that visiting hours were over. "I guess that means it's time for you to go," Jax said, a resigned tone to his voice.
"Aye, it is," Chibs nodded in agreement. "Talked to Fi a bit ago; she said I'm not allowed to stay in prison."
Jax laughed at his expense and muttered something about being whipped under his breath. They all exchanged hugs and said their goodbyes with promises to return soon. Chibs and Opie made their way out of the prison, where Chibs was quick to light a smoke. Neither he nor Opie said much as they made their way towards their bikes. Chibs stomach growled, reminding him that he had skipped breakfast in favor of seven extra minutes of sleep. For a moment, he wondered if maybe he could get Op to stop for breakfast on their way to see LaRoy, but quickly realized that was out of the question. They had a packed day, and now he also had to stop and visit with Tara at some point tonight. Breakfast was definitely a pipedream.
"You good to go?" Opie asked as they reached their bikes.
Chibs stomped his cigarette out and climbed on his bike. "Yeah, let's go."
A couple of hours later as they were leaving LaRoy's place, thankfully fed and with protection fully in place for the guys, Chibs phone rang. Before he even took it out of his pocket, he knew it was Kerrianne calling for her moment of telephonic reckoning. He took a deep breath and attempted to gather his thoughts, which was no easy feat.
Things had been smooth with the One Niners for a while now, but their deal was strained at best. In the past several months, SAMCRO had made quite a few enemies. Both the Russians and White Power had reason to want revenge on the Club, not to mention quite a few Mexicans, too. Quite simply, it boiled down to the fact that protecting SAMCRO in prison now was not as easy as it would have been a couple of months ago. Opie was able to reason with LaRoy and sweeten the deal with some guns. The offer made the Niners happy enough to throw some sandwiches their way, for which Chibs was very glad.
He pulled his phone from his pockets and looked at Op. "I need a couple of minutes, brother."
Opie nodded, "Yeah. Hurry up though. If I get to Gemma's anywhere even close to dinner time, she will make me stay, which means Lila will be on my ass. Again."
"Yeah, okay," Chibs said as he picked up his phone. "Kerrianne."
It was quite for a moment before he heard a small sigh come across the line. "Hi Da," he heard her voice say.
"How have you been, Darlin?" he asked nonchalantly. "Anything exciting happen lately?"
"I know Ma already told you what happened," Kerrianne whined, sounding like she was already over this conversation.
"Yeah, well I want you to tell me what happened," he told her firmly, not really appreciative of her attitude.
"Nothing happened," she insisted shortly.
"Nothing at all?" he asked, frustrated already. She had clearly inherited her mother's stubborn nature.
"Yeah, nothing," she insisted.
"Oh, okay. So your school and your Ma must have been mistaken when they said you got into another fist fight," he said, rolling his eyes even though she couldn't see.
"No, I got into a fight, it just wasn't all that exciting," she said, sarcasm evident in her voice, and he honestly could have kicked himself. She may have gotten the stubbornness from her mother, but that sarcasm was all him.
"Kerrianne-, "he started, but was cut off immediately.
"No, Da," she interrupted. "I have already been read the riot act by Ma. I don't need to hear it from you too. It was another stupid fight and it's done now. That's it."
"That's it? Really?" he asked, feeling his blood pressure rise by the minute. "You think that your Ma will yell at you and I will yell at you and then it's done? What the hell is going on with you Kerrianne?"
"I don't know!" she yelled, and he was a bit shocked, because she had never really yelled at him before. He had heard rumors that teenage girls yelling at their parents was pretty standard, but this wasn't just any teenage girl. This was his Kerrianne, and this was not like her. "Maybe it's the fact that my life has been turned upside down! Maybe it's the fact that Jimmy and his lies and his actions have made life pretty difficult for us lately. Maybe it's because my Ma doesn't sleep at night and spends too much time crying. Maybe it's that I got my Da back and then he left again, and now I don't know what to do, and fighting feels pretty damn good, so why the hell not!"
He was absolutely stunned. He had been trying to ignore the lingering feeling that maybe whatever was going on with Kerrianne was his fault, but he absolutely couldn't ignore it now. For most fathers, a snarky teenage lash-out fit would inspire some creative curse words, but Chibs couldn't even begin to string words together right this second. He wanted to deny it; he wanted to chastise her and make her apologize, but he wouldn't. As far as he could figure, he deserved every word she spat at him. She was probably waiting for a response, for his anger, for harsh words, for literally anything, but he just couldn't make his mouth form words.
"Da, listen…" Kerrianne began, but her words jarred him from his trance.
"No, never mind," he muttered. "You're right, about everything. Of course you are. I'm sorry Kerrianne."
"God, Da, no," she groaned. "This isn't your fault. None of it is. I was being a rotten little wanker and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"It's okay," he told her, still unable to stop playing her words over and over in his head.
"No it's not," she insisted. "Do you want to yell at me?"
"Not really," he told her honestly. "I kind of want to hug you though."
"No," she told him firmly. "No hugs for me. Beatings maybe, but no hugging. Also, I am grounded. God, I am so, so sorry Da."
He cracked a tiny smile, "No to the beatings, but you can be grounded if you insist."
"Fantastic!" she agreed easily. "You still love me?"
"Always, Darlin," he told her. "Listen, I will be back there as soon as I can be, you know that, right? A couple of weeks, tops."
"Really?" she asked, excitement evident in her voice, almost as if she expected him to never actually come back.
"Really," he replied. "We have a few things to settle up here, but then I will be there."
"I can't wait!" she exclaimed.
"Me either, Darlin," he said with a smile. Opie was looking at him and he knew that he had to go. "Listen Kerri, I have to run."
"Okay Da," she said quickly. "Two weeks? And you will be here?"
"Two weeks," he agreed. "And listen, if your Ma asks…"
"You yelled at me and punished me and I am deeply regretful for my actions, I know," she affirmed. "I love you, Da."
"I love you too," he replied without a second thought. "Oh, and tell your Ma that I am kind of in desperate need of that phone call she promised."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, but I will tell her," she said, confusion evident in her voice.
"Kerrianne, one more thing," he rushed, wanting to catch her before she hung up. "No more fights, okay?"
"Okay Da," she responded. "No more fights. Have a good night!"
"You too, Baby," he told her, hanging up and sliding the phone back into his pocket.
He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. This was turning out to be a fucking ridiculous day. His wife was at her wit's end because his kid was getting into fights. His brothers were locked up. His kid rightly blamed him for her life being fucked up. On top of all that, they still had a good two hours ride home.
"Rough talk?" Opie asked, his question very casual, but Chibs knew his brother was concerned.
"You have no fucking idea," Chibs said as he swung a leg over his bike, ready to ride and hopefully forget about how fucking useless he was for a while. "Let's get out of here."