*I do not own anything you recognize*
Hey all, I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far. You all make me smile on a regular basis.
This chapter doesn't have a whole lot of action but it sets us up for the next bit of drama so I hope you all enjoy.
Tia goes to work. When the world comes down what else is a girl to do but pretend everything is all right. She parks in the home's front lot an hour late but just as put together as she would be any other day. She'd tried to call Happy on the prepay he'd left only to find the phone missing from her briefcase along with her id and credit cards. It seems Ernie got creative about his stealing this time around.
Tia leans over the case, still sitting in the passenger seat, and checks on the gun now tucked into the inner pocket. Ernie's eye is packed in a ziploc bag full of ice in the main compartment. She hadn't wanted to bring the gun loaded but after a few Internet searches she figured how to remove and empty the clip and there are now bullets scattered across the bottom of the designer bag. She wonders how her life got to this point so quickly.
Checking everything one last time she climbs out of the car. She's not really here to work; she's here to make sure Noreen is okay. Tia may not be the hardest woman on the block but she's watched enough Gangland and Law and Order to know how the other side works and she's got no doubt now that Happy is a part of the other side. She knows that if he went after the men who robbed the home there are probably more that will figure it out. Tia has made one promise to the man over the last year and that's to make sure his mother finds peace during her last few months on this earth. That promise isn't going be destroyed by Ernie's bullshit.
Tia stares at the building she's poured so much of her last six years into and sighs. The home looks sadder than usual with the front window boarded up. Climbing out of the car she starts towards the home, her briefcase carefully slung over one shoulder. She shouldn't have left yesterday, she should have stayed and made sure everything was okay with the police. There are no residents resting on the sunny front porch this morning and the receptionist jumps when Tia walks through the doors.
"Mrs. Connery, we've been expecting you. Mr. Marks from the board of directors is in your office." The girl smiles and Tia forces a smile back, tugging at the scarf around her neck self-consciously.
"Thank you." Mr. Marks has the potential to be a big problem and the last thing Tia needs is to add unemployed to her current list of problems but she doesn't change direction. Just continues on her way towards the South Ward and Noreen Lowman's room. The hall is quiet and Tia clutches her case tight as she peers through the window on Noreen's door, her heart calms when she catches sight of the elderly woman sitting up in bed watching the morning shows on the room's small TV. She pushes in and shuts the door firmly behind her.
"Tia? Juan said he didn't think you'd be back today." Noreen is staring at her with wide eyes and Tia hits the lock on the door, pulling the blinds. "I see; my boy seemed to think it wasn't just a robbery either." The elderly woman's face has gone hard in a way Tia doesn't recognize and she feels like Noreen is looking into her soul. "What has my Luis brought down on you now?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's not Luis. I just wanted to come by and make sure you were okay after yesterday's excitement." Tia tries to keep her voice calm as she moves towards the bed but she knows she's failing. She wants Noreen to morph into her Nana; she wants anyone who can help her. Instead Tia takes a deep breath. "Are you feeling alright after yesterday? I know many of the residents were very scared." Tia settles herself on the end of the bed, leather case clutched to her chest.
"Don't bullshit me baby, I know my boy and I'm not blind. I know he's been seeing you behind my back and I'm sure he's brought you some trouble. I've told him before to leave that thugging behind." Noreen gives her a hard look and Tia feels the tears welling up without permission. She may love Mrs. Lowman but Noreen is not her Nana. Tia's own grandmother would have had a heart attack before she would have used language like that.
"It's not like that." Tia stares down at the lace coverlet on the bed. She has no idea what it was like. "It's my troubles coming down him really. I—" She's cut off by someone trying to turn the door handle and she's on her feet in an instant. There's a clatter behind her and when she looks back to Noreen it's to find the old woman clutching a small gun, safety off. "What?"
"Answer the door sweet girl." Noreen sounds more than calm. "I'll keep it out of sight." Tia just nods and she feels like the whole world has turned upside down. Just yesterday she was telling one resident they couldn't keep a pet and now she's got hospice patients with guns in their nightstands. Either way, there's nothing to do but obey so Tia abandons her case and heads towards the door. She looks back at Noreen once more and the old lady nods, the hand with the gun tucked under the covers. Tia turns the lock and pulls open the door slowly.
"Mrs. Connery, what are you doing? Mr. Marks is looking everywhere for you." Juan is standing on the other side his usual grin missing.
"Is that my boy?" Noreen's voice rings out from behind her and for a moment Tia thinks the old woman is confused.
"It's me Mrs. Lowman." Juan is already pushing past Tia and she feels hopelessly confused. Things only get worse when Noreen puts the gun on top of the covers again and Juan doesn't even react.
"What is going on?" Tia is moving back towards the bed and when she throws her hands up one hits the case perched on the edge. She lets out a cry trying to catch at the leather bag but it's too late and the whole thing topples down gun and bag of ice spilling onto the floor.
"Could ask you the same thing baby." Noreen is leaning over the side of the bed her eyes trained on the gun.
"Is that an eye?" Juan's gaze is fixed on the bag and Tia snatches it from the floor to make sure it's still sealed. She knows they'll never be able to put it back, not after the way it was delivered, but she can't bring herself to throw it away. It might be the last part of Ernie she ever sees.
"Yes. Now you explain and I'll explain." Tia can feel herself cracking around the edges.
"I'm going to go stall Marks. Get her out of here Noreen." Juan is already heading towards the door and Tia sinks back onto the bed, the ice cold against her chest.
"Don't waste time girl, get that gun up off the floor and back in your bag. You better not let Luis find out you're carrying it around unloaded either." There's a slam as Noreen tucks her own piece back in the nightstand and Tia scrambles to pick up Happy's gun off the floor as Juan disappears out the door. "I see you weren't kidding when you said this was your trouble. Something to do with your brother?" Tia just nods, her fingers shaking as she shoves everything back into the leather case.
"Yes, he showed up last night. Luis showed up just in time. I got the eye in the mailbox this morning." Tia sighs as she meets the old woman's eyes and they're clearer than they've looked in months. "You're off your meds. Mrs. Lowman you can't do that you must be in a lot of pain." All thoughts of her own troubles are gone as Tia jumps for the locked medicine cabinet near the door.
"Don't bother. I need a clear head for this. Luis looked serious last night and if there's one thing I know about my boy it's when he looks serious things are bad. I don't want that shit muddling me up." Tia is pulled back to the edge of the bed by a surprisingly strong hand. "Listen to me, my boy likes you, which means he's gone and done something stupid on your behalf. You get in touch with him today?"
"No, he left a phone but Ernie took it when he ran off last night, along with any cash I had and my id." Tia picks at the bedspread.
"Look at me." Noreen's tone of voice brooks no argument and Tia's head snaps up. "My Luis, he ain't the best at laws but he can take care of what's his and he thinks you're his." Tia opens her mouth to argue but Noreen just raises her voice. "Don't argue with me girl I've got you by 40 years and a hell of a lot more experience. I'm not stupid; I know he's been fucking you on the side. He's never been able to hide a thing from his Ma. He'll take care of you."
"I can't get in touch with him. I don't know how." Tia shakes her head. "He always just finds me."
"Well that's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. You can't let a man walk all over you like that. You can't reach him, bullshit. I'll tell you where to find the boy and then you make it clear he's to answer your call." Tia has no idea where Noreen is finding the strength for all this but she nods.
"What do I do?" She's ready for anything at this point.
"You go get your car fixed." Noreen's face is so serious when she delivers the words Tia almost laughs.
"What? There's nothing wrong with my—"
"Listen to me. You go get your car fixed. I know a great place, it's a drive but they'll take good care of you. Teller-Morrow garage in Charming. I'm not saying anything else. Don't want the boy thinking I approve of his gangster lifestyle too much." Tia has no idea what any of that means but she nods again and Noreen rubs her hand softly. "Don't worry about us here, Juan will take care of things, now get me those meds and get gone." Tia opens her mouth to reply but the door opens again and Juan is there.
"Come on, got five minutes to get you out. I sent Marks to the garden. Gotta be quick, Suzie's willing to tell him you're sick if I take her out tonight." He winks and Tia doesn't have time to consider the ridiculous turn of events her life is now taking. She just jumps up and grabs the meds from the cabinet. Careful to count out the right amount she makes sure Noreen takes them.
"Thank you Mrs. Lowman. I'll do what you said and then I'll be back so we can finish A Tale of Two Cities." Noreen just nods.
"Don't worry about me. Tell my boy to pull his damn pants up when you see him and give him my love." Tia nods, slinging the case over one shoulder she turns to follow Juan.
Tia feels like a spy as she lets her orderly lead her through the maze of back hallways and out of the home. It's a testament to the stress of the last few days that she doesn't ask him why he's so calm in the presence of an eyeball and two guns. They finally hit the staff entrance on the side of the building and he types in his code and pushes her out into the bright morning sun. Tia doesn't head for the car yet, instead she stops to watch him light a smoke.
"You're not supposed to smoke out here." She feels stupid for even uttering the words.
"I bet you're not supposed to have a glock and an eye in your fucking purse." There's a moment of shock at his tone and Tia realizes the final vestiges of the employer/employee relationship have been lost.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of SAMCRO, now get out of here. If Marks finds you you'll be fired on top of everything else." He exhales into her face and she wonders what happened to the bouncy always helpful man she hired.
"SAMCRO?"
"Forget it, Noreen told you where to go. Get going." He's glancing over his shoulder now and Tia can hear raised voices from the garden. It's all too much suddenly. The year spent sleeping with a man she doesn't know, the men from the day before, Ernie's eye in her purse, the gun tucked where her wallet should be. Tia wants to go home, crawl into bed and hide under the covers until it's all over and she come out and pretend it never happened. "Go." Juan's voice is softer but just as forceful and she has no choice but to follow orders.
She'll lose her job over this, of that Tia is sure but there's not much else to do. So she climbs into her happy little beetle and heads for the highway. She merges into traffic, pulling up directions to Charming on her GPS. Four hours, it'll take four hours to get there, which is four hours where Ernie could be killed if he's not already dead. Four hours for Tia to think about how far she's fallen over the last few days. Four hours to think on the fact that she's had gangsters working for her and sweet old ladies packing heat in her home.
It ends up taking six hours to make the four-hour drive to Charming, mostly because Tia turns around twice on the way. She feels like she's going crazy, literally losing her mind. She's driving to an auto repair shop on the orders of a woman who is dying with a gun and a human eye in her purse. It's not a big jump to medically crazy from here. She pulls the bug into a rest stop and kills the engine. It's the fifth such stop she's made and the leather of the steering wheel is all too familiar against her forehead. The sobs aren't surprising anymore, they've been coming pretty regularly and her eyes burn with tears but she's only thirty minutes from her destination and she needs to pull herself together.
Picking her head up from the steering wheel Tia digs through the small overnight bag she'd packed before leaving the apartment for her makeup kit. Pulling down the small vanity mirror she wipes at her face until the tears are gone and carefully sets to work covering their damage. It's not a perfect job, her hands shake and she starts crying half way through at the thought of Ernie dead or dying somewhere in Bakersfield but there's nothing to do but push through. She can't help Ernie on her own and she can't help herself with anything. Ten minutes later finds her looking a bit more like her usual self and Tia is careful to pull her hair up and tie a scarf around the bruising on her neck. It's time to find out why Noreen thinks a bunch of mechanics can fix this mess.
Reviews are always welcome and appreciated but thanks for reading either way.
The next bit should be up sometime this week.
Until next time...
