"Ana, you look horrible." Tara inhaled sharply as she looked me over. I nodded and ignored her comment, reaching out for my sleeping daughter that was in her arms instead. Harper cooed as I held her against my chest and pressed my lips to her forehead. She was just as perfect as when I had left her at the cabin. I bit my bottom lip and felt tears start to fall down my cheeks.
"I left her. Just like Briana." My tears cascaded into waterfalls and my chest heaved with ragged sobs. Tara was shaking her head and gently rubbing my arm to try and soothe me. I shook my head and turned away from her.
"Ya didn't leave neither one of 'em, Ana. If Harper woulda been with ya, she wouldn't a made it. Ya saved ya'r daughter." Chibs had a slight scowl on his face as I turned to look at him. He was right about what would have happened had she been taken to that house. The men that had taken their turns beating me had said it themselves. They only hit me harder when I refused to tell them where she was.
"I'm going to lay down. The stitches and everything can wait, Tara. I've been through worse." She was ready to object and argue her side, but I didn't stick around to hear it. I cradled Harper and barely took my eyes off of her as I walked back into Opie's room. The minute I opened the door, I knew something wasn't right.
While Opie was gone, I was making sure to keep his dorm picked up and tidy, but I had yet to give it a deep cleaning. It went against everything I had learned in the military, but it was my way of keeping him around. The sheets smelled like him and I left certain things just as he had. Now, the bed was freshly made with red sheets instead of gray and the room was spotless. The carpet even had pristine diamond shaped vacuum lines. Harper's crib and necessities were to the right of the bed when I had kept it on the left so she was closest to me when I slept on Opie's side of the bed.
"You okay?" Happy asked, pausing at his dorm room door with a yawn. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning and looking at him. His lips turned down into a frown as I turned around and looked at him.
"I should be. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." I turned away and shook my head. Happy reached out for my arm and turned me around gently. His Adam's apple jumped as he swallowed hard.
"I can't help worrying about you, Ana. You know better than to lie to me." His voice was gravelly and his eyes fell on Harper with a smile. I took a deep breath and rest my head on his kutte, just above the unholy one's patch.
"I need to get away for a while, Happy. Ever since I came back to Charming, this club has consumed my whole life. I don't even remember the last time I didn't factor the club into my decisions." As I realized what had been bothering me for so long, my head became clearer. I brought my blue eyes up to look into Happy's dark brown eyes and gave him a small smile.
"Sleep on it, Ana." He brushed my hair out of my face as I nodded. I glanced back into Opie's room and frowned, realizing that no matter how the room was organized, he was still in prison and would be for almost half a year.
"Happy, can I go home? Please?" I knew it was a long shot but I would never know unless I asked. His brow was furrowed and I knew he was torn between making me happy and keeping Harper and I safe. He ran his hand around the back of his neck and sighed.
"Just for tonight, Ana. I'm staying with you though." He said in a defeated tone. I smiled and nodded a thank you, glad to finally be going back home with my daughter.
Happy's POV
I woke up with a groan and slowly opened my eyes. Ana's back was pressed up against my chest and she was sleeping soundly. There was no light coming in through the bay window in her bedroom and Harper's breathing was steady and rhythmic. My exhaustion won over and I closed my eyes again, falling back into a comfortable sleep.
There was light coming in through the window when I woke up again. I rubbed my eyes and tried to remember how Ana and I had ended up sleeping in the same bed. After coming back here from the clubhouse, Ana put Harper down for the night and then offered me a beer. We drank through the refrigerator and freezer while sharing "war stories" and talking about life in general. It irritated me that I couldn't remember the last thing I remembered.
We'd shared a bed before, on more than one occasion. In the past, I always slept on top of the covers and slept in my jeans if not completely dressed. This morning though, I woke up under the sheets in my boxers and I could remember the feel of Ana's back against my chest. It wasn't clear to me if she had been wearing a shirt or not.
Now, she was out of bed and the sheets were cold. I propped myself up on my elbows and noticed Harper wasn't in her crib either. My head was pounding and I let my back fall back down to the mattress. I listened for any movement down the hall or in the bathroom as I thought about the worst-case scenario.
"You always wake up grumpy?" Ana's voiced piped as she strolled into the room. I rolled my head over and watched as she walked into her closet. I'd be a liar if I said she wasn't beautiful. Her shirt came to her midriff and showed off her tattoos, some of which I had done myself. My gaze lingered on her ass until I forced myself to close my eyes and turn my face towards the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" I groaned as I felt something hit the bed, mere inches away from my foot. I heard her laugh and raised a brow, still refusing to open my eyes.
"I'm packing, Hap. I told you I needed to get away for a while and you told me to sleep on it. So, I did and I'm going away for a while." Ana said as she hitched her shoulder. I vaguely remembered that conversation ending with me agreeing to let her come back here instead of staying at the clubhouse again.
"You going to just leave without talking about last night?" I knew I sounded like a bitch but the conversation needed to happen. Ana stopped packing and looked me in the eyes.
"There's nothing to talk about, Happy. I'll be back in a few weeks or so." She zipped the suitcase and pulled it off the bed. I shot out of her bed and moved to block the doorway. She sighed and looked up at me.
"Where are you going, Ana? You really think I'm not going to talk about this shit with you?" Ana rolled her eyes and slammed the suitcase down. I could see the anger flaring up behind her eyes.
"There is nothing to fucking talk about. I'm going out to New York to visit my old unit." She spat with fury behind her voice. I narrowed my eyes at her, but I couldn't stay mad. Her black eye was more open and her cuts seemed to be clotting, but she still looked beaten and bruised.
"Fine, Ana. Go." I moved out of the door and motioned towards it. Her anger subsided to a sad look for half a second as she picked her suitcase back up and turned away from me.
ANA's POV
"Delta flight 706 to JFK is now boarding all passengers." The flight attendant announced cheerfully over the intercom. I rose and carried Harper's car seat over towards the terminal. We had yet to leave the ground and I already realized that travelling with a baby was a lot harder than I expected.
"Damnit, how long do I have?" I asked the attendant as I pulled out my vibrating phone. She looked up at the clock and twisted her mouth.
"I'm going to make a last call in five minutes, ma'am." She smiled down at Harper and gave her a little wave. I nodded and flipped the phone open.
"Hey baby, you caught me at a bad time." I said as I put the car seat back down on a bench. Harper was batting at the plush motorcycle that was dangling down towards her.
"I'm sorry. That's why I called, Ana. I shouldn't have asked you about the prison clause and all that shit, baby. I'm getting cabin fever or something, I guess. I'm surprised you even answered." Opie's apology sent a lead weight down to the pit of my stomach. After everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours, I barely even remembered the fight with him that had started it all.
"I get it, Ope. I wasn't going to tell you but since you called I guess I have to. Harper and I are getting out of town for a little while, Opie. I'll be back before you come home and I'll keep my phone on me, but I need this. I need to remember who I am." I spoke quickly and braced for the worst. I heard his heavy sigh and held my breath.
"Just be safe, Ana. If this is what it takes to make you happy, then go. Tell Harper I love her babe. I love you, muchkin." His voice was soft and I knew he wasn't exactly thrilled I was leaving. I made a point not to mention that I was going to the other side of the country.
"We love you to, baby. Call me tomorrow, babe. I miss you." I closed my eyes to keep from crying as I said goodbye. Getting out of town was the best thing for Harper and I, but that meant not visiting Opie any more. I ended the call before his voice broke my heart even more.
Harper and I found our seats and settled in for the flight to New York. I strapped the car seat down securely and stored her diaper bag underneath my seat. Flying wasn't something I ever got used to over the years, but Harper seemed to be content. I watched her gaze around the plane as I ran my thumb over the crow on my arm.
Once the plane was safely in the air, I leaned my seat back and lent my hand to Harper to hold and mouth. My thoughts were back in Charming as the plane carried me further and further away. Happy stepping aside and letting me leave had surprised me almost as much as his desire to talk this morning. To be honest, a part of me had considered staying last night. When I woke up in his arms this morning, I knew I had to leave.
He looked peaceful as he slept in my bed, which was an adjective I never thought would describe Happy. What was worse was the way I felt comfortable in his arms. It took a few cups of coffee for me to remember what had happened to lead up to this morning, but when I finally did I knew I had to leave.
"Can I get some coffee?" I asked the flight attendant as she passed by for a twelfth time. She nodded and poured me a cup with a smile.
"Your daughter is beautiful. She's so well behaved." The woman said as I took the cup. I glanced over at Harper who had her baby blanket in her mouth and smiled.
"Yeah, she's a doll when she wants to be. She seems to like flying a lot more than I do." I laughed at the woman's nod.
"Well sweetie, I'm glad to see you doing the right thing for both of you." She nodded and patted my shoulder before continuing on down the aisle. It took me a minute to understand what she was talking about. I had done what I could to cover up my bruises and cuts, but it must have looked like I was running from an abusive relationship all the same. If she only knew the truth.
The flight was free of any major turbulence and Harper only fussed a couple times when she needed a change and a bottle. I finished both the gun and motorcycle magazines I had bought at the magazine store in the airport and taken a nap by the time we started circling JFK.
As soon as the wheels hit the ground, I started questioning my decision on coming out to New York. I had lied about my reason in coming here in hopes that Happy would find an Army base safe enough to let me leave. In reality, my unit had been redeployed several months ago. I felt my stomach start to knot as I carried Harper off the plane.
The marble was cold beneath my hand as I ran my palm over the headstone. It reminded me of the coolness of Briana's hands at the viewing before her burial. I could almost hear the twenty-one-gun salute ringing in my ears again. The sun was shining just as it had the day her coffin was lowered into the grave I was kneeling on now. I laid the roses at the base of the tombstone and bowed my head.
"I had a feeling I'd see you here eventually." I jumped up and spun around with my Beretta in my hand. Jensen White laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender. I flipped the safety back on and holstered the gun before giving him a tight hug.
"It was going to happen eventually, might as well be on her birthday. What are you doing here? You didn't deploy?" I stepped back and glanced over at Harper who was still sleeping peacefully in her car seat. Jensen followed my gaze and I saw his eyebrows shoot up a little.
"I didn't re-up. Signed my DD-214 last month. I see you haven't been keeping me up to date on your life either." He said with a laugh. I shrugged and took a deep breath.
"Touché. That's my daughter, Harper Briana Knowles-Winston." I said, looking back up at Jensen. He nodded and knelt down to put his own bouquet of roses down at Briana's headstone.
"Let's go get coffee or something, Ana. There's something you need to know." I nodded and passed a kiss from my fingertips to Briana's engraved name. Just seeing her final resting place already made me feel better than I had in over a year.
TARA's POV
"Where's Ana?" I asked, barging into the garage and kicking Happy's boot that was sticking out from beneath a car he was working on. I heard the familiar sound of a metal tool falling onto the concrete floor and a grumbled string of swearing. He looked particularly angry as he rolled out from under the car.
"Went out of town with the kid for a while. Why?" He turned away from me and grabbed a shop rag to wipe his hands off on. I shook my head a little to clear my ears.
"I'm sorry, did you just say she went out of town? She needs to be in a fucking hospital." I snapped, no longer caring how intimidating Happy could be. He didn't look at me and started fooling around in the engine bay of the car he'd just crawled out from under. I shifted Thomas to my other hip and glared at the back of the man's tattooed head.
"She's fine, Tara." He growled as his hands finally came to rest on either side of the radiator. I closed my eyes and tried to keep from screaming at him. It wasn't his anger that kept me quiet but the fear of disturbing my son that was finally drifting off in my arms.
"You realize she may have a concussion and she's got to be in pain, Happy. I can't believe you let her leave town." I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes as he spun around to look at me. He glanced at Thomas before taking a step towards me.
"I told you, Tara. I don't answer to you. It's probably a good thing she went to New York." He rasped before brushing past me and storming into the clubhouse. I frowned after him as the hurt in his voice registered in my mind.
"He's been pissed off all day. Don't take it personal." Kozik said as he tossed his wrench into the toolbox and looked out after Happy. I glanced over at him and shook my head slowly. Kozik shrugged.
This chapter may have some of you worried, but I assure you that this is and will continue to be an Opie/Ana story. Take note that nothing has been confirmed or denied between Happy and Ana as of yet. It will come to light in the next chapter or so, as will the guy's homecoming. As always, let me know what you all think!