Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy.
The week since dealing with all threats to his old lady and the Club had been much more hectic than Jax had anticipated.
Having just returned to Charming late this morning, Jax sat back in his seat at the head of the table and lit a cigarette as he only half-listened to Chibs give a detailed account of his recent trip to Belfast. Just a couple days ago, as Jax, Opie, and Tig made their way to Tucson, Chibs had returned from his mission to personally deliver to the Irish Kings Luke Moran's videotaped confession. While on the road, Jax had gotten the details of the Council's reaction straight from Declan Brogan. Needless to say, after the acres of shit the Club had to wade through to get to this point, the future of SAMCRO was looking as bright, if not brighter than ever. The Kings had been extremely pleased with the success and efficiency with which SAMCRO had handled the elimination of all threats to their long-standing business relationship.
Declan advised that the Sons' new RIRA contact, Cameron Hayes, would be arriving in California imminently to introduce himself personally to SAMCRO. Cammy Hayes, cousin to Michael McKeavey and a long-time soldier of the Cause, had met with Victor Putlova the minute he arrived states side.
Cameron had explained to the ROC boss that Jimmy O's intention had been to swindle both the RIRA and the ROC out of millions. After discovering this treachery, Jimmy and his cohort had been tracked down and dealt with accordingly. In the process, the RIRA had recovered $1.5 million that had been in their possession and which the Irish Kings felt obligated to return to Putlova.
Putlova, who had been justifiably angry, informed Hayes that the money being returned to him was short $500K. Cameron claimed ignorance as to the missing money, but promised Putlova that he would discuss restitution with the Kings, although he was unsure if he could get the ROC more than just a steep discount on their next shipment. Unfortunately, however, because the deal to bring in the ROC as the new NorCal distributor had been brokered by Jimmy without the Council's knowledge or consent, it was null and void. The Sons of Anarchy would continue as the RIRA's NorCal connection, but to make up for it, the Council was willing to roll back the price of their merch to what it had been before Jimmy came along.
Declan then advised Jax that the High Council had agreed that the Sons deserved to be compensated and, along with their next gun shipment, Cameron would bring to them the $500K that the Council had held back from the Russians. Word that SAMCRO would be generously recompensed not only for their assistance in cleaning house for the Irish, but for all the inconvenience Jimmy O had caused was greeted by a raucous round of applause. As his brothers celebrated the unexpected windfall, Jax also advised that the Council was considering opening up their full arsenal of weaponry to the Sons, which could generate even more business for the Club.
As for the ATF's investigation into the SAMCRO-RIRA connection, Agent Stahl's "suicide", and the media frenzy that followed it, left a stain on the progress she had made since taking over for Agent Reinhardt. For now, it seemed, the Stockton Division was more concerned with saving face as they were overwhelmed by Washington's audit of all of Stahl's cases going back as far as ten years. With several Senate committees being formed to investigate the Stahl debacle, the ATF pulled its remaining team of agents working on the RIRA-NorCal gun connection out of Charming to aid in the federal investigation.
With the presumed death of Jimmy O'Phelan and the disappearances of his second-in-command Luke Moran and the ATF's only Confidential Informant, Wendy Case, the investigation was thrown on the back burner, with no one willing to take on a case last handled by an agent that had ended her career in such disgrace. The ATF heat on the Sons of Anarchy seemed to have cooled off. For now.
It seemed to Jax that in the last few days he had done enough talking to last him a lifetime, so he turned to his VP to fill in the rest of SAMCRO on their recent visit to the Tucson charter. Even though the SAMTAZ President was aware of the circumstances surrounding Huff's patching out, Jax felt he owed Little Paul the respect of discussing the situation face-to-face, even if the decision had been the mother charter's alone to make.
Jax smiled to himself as Opie recounted Little Paul's reaction.
"You should have buried that asshole neck deep in the desert!" Little Paul had growled. "I hope he's somewhere in Tijuana by now because he's dead if he ever shows his face in Arizona again."
Jax, Opie, and Tig hung around for the patching in of Armando Gonzalez as SAMTAZ's new VP before heading back to Charming. For now, Jax advised Little Paul, the plan for SAMTAZ to expand its gun business was off the table. SAMCRO would continue assembling and transporting the merch to the Tucson charter for its regular 25% fee.
"How did he take tha' bit o' news?" Chibs chuckled.
"Not good." Opie replied.
"Considering Little Paul's lapse in judgment," Jax added. "I really couldn't give a shit how he took it. He's just lucky I didn't strip him of his President patch, too."
There was a sudden and urgent knock on the Chapel door. "Jax!" It was Gemma. "Jax!" The pounding continued.
At Jax's nod, Tig jumped from his chair and opened the door.
"Can't whatever this is wait? We're in the middle of something, Ma." Jax advised Gemma as she pushed her way past Tig.
"Oh sure." Gemma replied sarcastically. "It can wait, that's why I was pounding on the door!"
"What is it?" Jax asked as he rubbed his face with both hands, road weary and a little irritable.
"Nothing, really, unless you don't mind sharing the doghouse with Chopper." Gemma answered as Jax gave his mother a look that pleaded with her to get on with it. "You should have been at the hospital fifteen minutes ago."
Jax's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh shit! Why didn't you say something sooner?" He got up and ran past Gemma and out the Chapel doors.
"I just got here and saw your bike outside, asshole!" Gemma called out, but it fell on deaf ears as Jax was already in the parking lot.
Tig smirked. "Baby mama-duty calls, so I guess this meeting's adjourned, boys."
Jolene was sitting alone in a small conference room on the fourth floor of St. Thomas' Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Unit. With her elbows on the table and her hands on her forehead, she was nervously bouncing her right leg on the ball of her stiletto booted-foot. With Jax gone for the past few days, she had made the extra effort this morning to look hot and sexy for her old man when he returned. Who knew how long before she couldn't pull off the hot biker chick-look anymore, or at least until Lil' Peanut was born? However, Jolene realized, it had obviously been a wasted effort as she looked at the empty seat her husband should be sitting in and frowned.
Deep in thought, Jolene's head suddenly snapped up when she heard the conference room door open. Ready to tear into her old man, she was disappointed to see Dr. Negron, her heart specialist, enter the room with his colleague, a middle-aged, darkly handsome man with silvery-gray hair, who Jolene was unfamiliar with.
"I am so sorry, Jolene," Dr. Negron started. "I know you wanted your husband here, but Dr. Namid also has an office in Stockton and an appointment book full of patients to see today. We must start our meeting now."
"I completely understand," Jolene got up from her seat to greet both doctors. "It was very considerate of you to postpone the start time by half an hour."
"Mrs. Teller, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Dr. Namid extended his hand.
"Please, call me Jolene, Dr. Namid." Jolene smiled as everyone took a seat at the conference table.
"As I'm sure you know—" Dr. Negron started, but was interrupted as the conference door flew open.
"I'm so sorry I'm late." Jax apologized as he quickly entered the room and closed the door behind him. Jolene crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, her lips puckered up with tons of attitude.
"Mr. Teller," Dr. Negron got up to shake Jax's hand. "No worries. We just started. Please come in and join us." Jax quickly shook the other doctor's hand as well before taking the seat to Jolene's right. Jolene looked away again without acknowledging his presence as he came into her line of sight.
She's pissed.
"This is Dr. Yusef Namid," Dr. Negron finally got the opportunity to properly introduce his colleague. "He's the head of our Pediatric Unit here at St. Thomas. Not only is Dr. Namid an excellent Obstetrician, but he's also a pediatric surgeon specializing in congenital heart defects or CHD. St. Thomas is lucky to have him on staff. His stellar reputation has enabled him to assemble a magnificent team of Obstetricians who specialize in high risk pregnancies. Considering a family history of CHD, I thought it best to have him on board from day one."
As Dr. Namid took over, explaining his experience regarding newborns with heart defects, Jolene swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and reached for Jax's hand. Squeezing her ice cold hand reassuringly, Jax knew exactly what his old lady was feeling. He could feel the cold fingers of fear wrapping tightly around his own heart.
Dr. Namid did his best to assure the couple that they had nothing to worry about yet. He did, however, want to get preliminary tests out of the way and had taken the liberty of making an appointment for Jolene at the hospital's pre-natal clinic later this afternoon. They would take it from there once he got the results back.
"I must run now, but if you have any questions at all," Dr. Namid started as he handed Jolene one of his cards. "Do not hesitate to call my office. Unless there is an emergency, my surgical days are Mondays and Wednesdays. Otherwise, I am always available."
As the soft spoken man departed the conference room, Jolene fingered the doctor's card with her free hand while mentally compiling a laundry list of things that could go wrong with this pregnancy. That's why even though Dr. Negron's next words did not take her by surprise, they did scare the shit out of her.
"Well, that was the easy part." Dr. Negron said before holding up a finger and scolding her with it. "I am not happy at all with you, Jolene. We have much to discuss."
Sitting upright in her hospital bed, Jolene Teller was still reeling from how quickly her ass had been put in lockdown.
Looking at the I.V. which was currently inserted into her arm, Jolene groaned softly. "I guess this is what I get for trying to manage my own healthcare." She muttered under her breath.
"You're lucky this is all you're getting . . . for now." Jolene looked up at her old man, whose arms were folded across his hard, muscled chest, his handsome face grim. She could feel the angry heat emanating off of him from clear across the room.
Jolene cringed a little as she realized he was looking at her like he wanted to put her over his knee. Damn, that is one pissed off biker.
Normally, an angry Jax was a hot Jax and it was too bad that, after a three-day separation, Jolene couldn't take advantage of it. She could already picture her feet on his shoulders as he angrily pounded into her. For her sake, however, and that of their baby, Jolene was right where she needed to be. Even if she wasn't happy about it at all.
Jolene bit her lip as she eyed her old man. His silence roared in her ears as he had said very little to her since arriving at the hospital. "Are you going to be mad at me forever?"
"Probably."
"Shit, Jax!"
"Yeah, and your ass is hip deep in it, darlin'." Her old man growled.
Thinking that she had been better off with him being silently angry at her, Jolene threw herself back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her I.V.-free arm. She looked distraught and Jax was starting to feel guilty for laying on the guilt so thick. Uncrossing his arms, Jax pushed himself away from the wall and went to Jolene's bed side.
"Come here, baby." He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into a sitting position. Careful not to disturb her I.V., Jax cradled her against his chest as Jolene wrapped her arms around his lean waist.
"I'm sorry." Jolene apologized, her voice small and broken.
"I know." Jax stroked her hair before kissing the top of her head. "It's just so unlike you, Jo. You are the most responsible person I know."
"Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal." She replied. Closing her eyes, Jolene recalled the meeting with Dr. Negron only hours earlier.
The meeting lasted only about twenty minutes, but to Jolene it felt much longer as Dr. Negron proceeded to read her the riot act. After abruptly ending the meeting, Dr. Negron had Jolene taken down to the pre-natal clinic where, after a thorough examination by a staff OB/GYN, several nurses had descended on her and took what must have been at least two quarts of her bodily fluids for testing. After being traumatized by several large needles and a huge plastic cup she was expected not only to pee in, but fill up, Jolene had been whisked off to a private room for the next five frickin' days.
Dr. Negron had started the interrogation as soon as the door closed behind Dr. Namid. He revealed that he and Dr. Namid had met several days before to discuss her case. After they had both reviewed all of her and Abel's medical files, they had both agreed to assemble a team of specialists, including themselves, as well as a mid-wife for high-risk mothers to look after Jolene during her pregnancy and beyond.
With her husband present, Dr. Negron asked Jolene to discuss in detail how her own heart condition had impacted her first pregnancy and what impact, if any, was it having on this one. Not given much of a choice, Jolene had to go into explicit detail once again regarding her difficult first pregnancy, even though Dr. Negron had all but memorized her medical files forwarded to him by her doctor in Seattle. The situation became even tenser when Jolene advised Dr. Negron that she had recently taken herself off of several medications he himself had prescribed five years ago. That, needless to say, had not gone over very well with Dr. Negron or her seething husband, for that matter.
As a result of the shooting that had put her under the heart specialist's care, Jolene had one of the valves in her heart replaced with a bio-prosthetic one. Before leaving the hospital, she had been prescribed several medications that were extremely necessary and it was important that she take them regularly, Dr. Negron had explained angrily, unless her intention was to, indeed, kill herself. Two of the medications were for regulating her heartbeat and the other—the most important one of all—prevented her blood from forming blood clots that could ultimately prove to be life-threatening. Apparently, along with her birth control, Jolene had decided to slowly wean herself off of all medication as she and Jax actively tried to get pregnant. Not really taking into consideration what affect doing so would have on her own health, Jolene did not want the meds causing her unborn baby any harm.
Jolene, it turns out, had done the same thing during Abel's pregnancy, which went a long way in explaining all of the complications she had suffered after giving birth. According to Dr. Negron, pregnant women who have had heart valve replacement surgery faced significant risk to both themselves and the child they carried. It was standard practice for Dr. Negron to advise a woman with such an implant against having children. Jolene had almost walked out of the meeting when Dr. Negron suggested she consider aborting the fetus, but not before giving him piece of her mind.
At that point, the meeting had come to a screeching halt as Dr. Negron made arrangements for Jolene to be seen at the pre-natal clinic as she and Jax sat in silence. As much as Jax loved the thought of having more children with Jolene, he loved his old lady much more, which was why Jolene avoided making eye contact with him as they sat alone in the conference room. She knew what he was thinking and was probably just waiting for the right moment to say it out loud. The last thing she wanted was for Jax to break her heart by opening his mouth and confirming that he agreed with Dr. Negron.
After having determined that her recent fainting episode, arrhythmia, and flop sweat might be an indication that her heart was working twice as hard to circulate the extra volume of blood needed during pregnancy, Dr. Negron advised that he was admitting Jolene into St. Thomas ASAP. There were alternative treatments that would keep her heart healthy and keep her blood from clotting without harming her baby. Unfortunately, the fact that she had been without medication for months now made it necessary for the new meds to be administered while under observation. Jolene would be put on a new regimen intravenously, with blood tests done twice a day. Once it was determined that the new meds were working and her blood work came back normal, she would be free to go home with a new prescription.
"How long are we talking about, Doc?" Jax had asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose to release the tension in his head.
"Five days." Dr. Negron had replied grimly as his patient groaned. "Maybe now you'll think twice about doing my job for me, isn't that right, Jolene?"
So here she was, sitting in her hospital bed, trying to figure out a way to keep the news of her brain fart from going viral.
Lord knows that Jax is prolly the least of my problems.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Gemma raged as she paced back and forth in front of Jolene's hospital bed.
"Ain't it obvious? She wasn't thinking, damn it!." Bobby argued. "Otherwise she wouldn't be here, isn't that right, Kit?"
"I knew that you looked too pale for your own good. I should have listened to my gut and dragged your ass to the doctor myself." Donna fumed.
"You know Jo, it's not like you to be so irresponsible." Opie chided.
"Apparently, you've never met my daughter-in-law." Gemma shot back sarcastically.
"Do you even know how hard it was for Jax to tell Abel that his momma is in the hospital?" Neeta folded her arms. "The poor baby has barely recovered from his Papa's recent stay in St. Thomas and is still not convinced that you're okay. He won't believe it 'til he hears it from you, so you have to call your baby before his bedtime."
"Let's not even get started with your father. He feels helpless enough cooped up in that house. If he could, he'd be down here kicking your ass his own damn self." Gemma countered. As her cell phone vibrated in the front pocket of her jeans, she pulled it out to look at the caller I.D. "Speak of the devil." Answering her phone, Gemma grimaced. "Hold on a minute! Don't go jumping up my ass! Here she is!" Gemma stuck out her hand with her cell phone in it. "Go on. Take your ass-whupping like the smartass know-it-all you are."
Jolene ran a hand through her hair and sighed as she reached for the phone. "Hi, Dad." She said hesitantly. "How are you—"
"Fuck that, baby girl! What the hell were you thinking?" Clay barked over the phone.
"I—"
"I don't want to hear it, Jolene!"
"Daddy, you asked—"
"Don't you 'Daddy' me! Did it ever occur to you that maybe not taking your meds was the reason you'd been looking like hell lately?"
"Gee, Dad, that's a bit harsh." Jolene replied, a little hurt. "I didn't think I looked that bad. Just tired."
"Why in the world wouldn't you take better care of yourself? Why wouldn't you let your family be there for you?" Clay shouted.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe my family needed me more, Dad?" Jolene managed to shout back.
"Not when you're carrying my next grandson! Not when you're putting your own health at risk to take care of shit that other people can handle! Obviously, baby girl, you need to take a few more lessons from my old lady and learn how to fuckin' delegate." Clay growled.
Jolene rubbed her hand across her forehead as she heard a little voice piping in the background. "Is that my Mommy? I wanna talk to Mommy! Pleeease."
"Here, speak to your boy, but know that this conversation is far from over." Clay warned.
"Hey, baby." Jolene's voice wavered a little as she heard the concern in her little boy's voice.
"Mommy, are you okay? When are you coming home? Me and Chopper miss you."
"I know, sweetie, and I miss you, too. I'm fine. I really am, but my doctor needs me to stay in the hospital while he gives me some new medicine."
"Are you gonna come home soon?"
"Yes, baby. I promise, but until then, I want you to be a good boy for Neeta and Grandma, and Papa, Daddy, and Bear, okay? You promise?"
"I promise, Mommy. I love you."
"I love you too, baby." Jolene swiped at her tears. "Tell Papa I'll talk to him tomorrow, but I'll call you later when it's time for you to go to bed. I want you to read me your favorite story over the phone."
"Okay, Mommy."
As Jolene closed the phone, she grabbed a tissue from the box on the table to wipe her eyes.
Seeing Jolene get emotional, Neeta was the first to back off. "Oh, child, don't start crying, or I'm going to start, too."
"Yeah, Kit. It's going to be okay. You'll be home with your family before you know it." Bobby agreed.
"That's right," Gemma replied. "And we're all going to do our part to keep an eye on you."
Jolene smiled weakly, her shoulders suddenly shaking uncontrollably as she finally broke down and sobbed.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Jax looked at the time on his pre-pay. It was almost eleven o'clock. Even though visiting hours at St. Thomas started at 1 p.m., as the father of their baby, he had 24-hour access to his old lady during her stay on the maternity ward. Jolene, who was having trouble resigning herself to staying in the hospital when she felt perfectly fine, had taken advantage of that fact last night by not letting him go home.
Sharing her hospital bed, Jolene had slept soundly cuddled up against him. Jax, on the other hand, woke up several times during the night to the sound of a woman first weeping in the room next door, and then wailing. The nurse, who had come to check on Jolene during the night, had informed Jax that the crying woman in the next room had miscarried. Jolene was being kept in the section of the maternity ward reserved for the high-risk cases and that's when the severity of their situation hit Jax like a ton of bricks.
As the morning shift at the hospital started their day at 7 a.m. by taking patient vitals, Jax extracted himself from Jolene in order to get her some decent decaf. Walking towards the elevator, he ran into Dr. Namid, who was about to begin his morning rounds.
"Good morning, Mr. Teller." Dr. Namid greeted the young man and shook his hand. "I was just on my way to check on your wife."
Still a little shaken up by all the thoughts rattling around his head, Jax ran his hand over the hair on his chin. "Dr. Namid, if you have the time, could we talk for a minute?"
Dr. Namid was not unaccustomed to dealing with anxious fathers-to-be. This, however, was his first time dealing with an anxious, obviously worried, and otherwise menacing biker father-to-be.
"Absolutely." Dr. Namid smiled and led the way into a small meeting room at the other end of the hall.
"First off, I wanted to thank you for the excellent care Jolene is getting." Jax started.
Dr. Namid nodded. "I am just glad she came to see us when she did. It was rather foolish of your wife to take herself off of her medication without consulting her doctor. The results of her initial blood work were quite alarming. Let's just say that it's a very good thing she's back on a blood thinner. Dr. Negron made the right call."
Jax swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Was it really that bad?"
"I wish I could say otherwise, but by thinking she was doing the right thing she was actually setting herself up for dire consequences. Had Jolene developed clots, she could have suffered a stroke or an embolism, which could have killed her as well as your baby." The doctor explained.
Jax rubbed his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. Hearing that Jolene could have died sent a sharp pain right through his own heart. The look on Jax's face, however, had Dr. Namid wanting to set his mind at ease.
"Mr. Teller, please understand that Jolene is getting the treatment she needs. The blood work done over the last few days has come back normal and it seems that the worst is over, but she needs to continue her new regimen once she leaves the hospital." Dr. Namid advised. "If she does, both of you will get to enjoy a happy and normal pregnancy because, not taking into consideration the injury Jolene suffered five years ago, she is in extremely good health."
Jax took a deep breath and let it out with great relief. "Thanks, Doc. I actually feel a lot better knowing this."
"I completely understand your concerns and, judging from the time I have been able to spend with Jolene, I can see that you certainly have your hands full. She comes across as extremely independent and single-minded, is that the right term?" Dr. Namid asked with a half-grin.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'stubborn', Doc." And that's just one of the reasons I love her. They probably wouldn't be the couple they are today had Jolene abandoned her stubborn pursuit of him so many years ago. "And yes, I know exactly what I'm in for."
Both men laughed.
"Now, I don't want to further alarm you, Mr. Teller, but we should really discuss the other situation that could result in complications." Dr. Namid started just as Jax thought he was getting out of the conversation with his mind finally at ease.
"The CHD?" He asked and Dr. Namid nodded.
"I know it runs on your side of the family, but according to what I've read, you managed to outgrow the hole in your heart without surgery, is that right?"
Jax agreed, and went on to explain that he must have been around two or three years old when the results of a heart scan came back normal. He was tested annually until he was a teenager. His younger brother Tommy had not been so fortunate. Tommy's heart murmur had progressively worsened as he got older and even after numerous operations to repair the hole, the murmur just kept coming back. Eventually, Tommy had died of heart failure at just 8 years old.
After outlining the various scenarios that could be expected, Dr. Namid assured Jax that he would monitor both mother and child every step of the way. They would be more than prepared to deal with the situation should the baby be born with CHD. He then offered to have one of the nurses compile a packet of information for him to read, both on CHD and bio-prosthetic heart valve implants. While Jax's features had remained calm, inside he was trying to do his best to contain his shit.
This could get ugly.
Jax finally closed the file containing the information Dr. Namid had promised and that he had been pouring over for the last hour or so in the meeting room. Jolene was probably wondering if he had flown to Columbia for their coffee. Jax rubbed his face with both hands. Thinking of the little slip of woman he loved more than life itself, Jax chuckled. She might just very well succeed in unknowingly breaking him when even the Irish, the ATF, and a crazy ex-wife combined had failed to do so.
Jax knew he had his work cut out for him with Jolene, but most important to him was being the rock she needed to rest on. Hearing and reading about all the shit that could go wrong had been difficult, but now he felt empowered by that knowledge.
With Jolene responding so well to her new medication, Dr. Namid had consulted with Dr. Negron and they both agreed that Jolene could go home in the next day or two. Now, with Dr. Namid's blessing, Jax was going to do something he had been promising himself since before the summer began.
He was taking his family away on vacation.
Even though both doctors agreed that flying should be avoided, travel by car was fine as long as frequent stops were made, allowing Jolene to walk around in order to keep her circulation flowing. A family vacation, Dr. Namid had said, was probably the best thing for Jolene right now. A stress-free getaway with her loved ones would definitely be a benefit and the perfect way to leave this recent scare behind and start fresh.
Determined to make that happen, Jax left to go get the decaf he had promised his old lady about two hours ago. But first, he was going to call Opie's house. If he wanted to make this getaway special, he needed Intel and who better to provide it than the one other person that knew Jolene better than he did.
Donna.
Now this is relaxing!
Jolene wriggled all over, much like a frisky little lap dog as she stretched out on the beach chair she was occupying, the warmth of the California sun bearing down on her gleaming body.
Jolene still had a little trouble grasping onto the idea that she was actually on vacation. It had taken three solid days away from Charming for it finally sink in and she was reveling in it. Jolene loved her family, but she wouldn't be lying if she said that just getting away from them for an extended period of time was all the rest and relaxation she needed.
After her release from her enforced lockdown at St. Thomas, it had taken her collective SAMCRO family all of two minutes to have Jolene wishing she was still there. With barely a moment to reconnect with her ecstatic son, Jolene had been subjected to the full-on angst of her family regarding how stupidly she had managed her pregnancy up to that point. Banding together once again, they had picked up on their righteous ass-ripping just where they had left off in the hospital, with Clay being by far the worst offender.
So much for Jax's plan to start fresh, Jolene thought mournfully as she sat on the couch with her head in her hands.
And, apparently, after seeing his wife's distress, Jax felt the same way. Her old man had quickly swooped in, coming to her rescue by putting his foot down that everyone was to cut her a break.
Oh my, the things I will do to him to show him my gratitude, Jolene thought at the time.
Unfortunately, her gratitude, much like her reprieve, was short-lived. Jolene cringed a little as she reflected on the sudden reappearance of the hot and angry biker she had seen at the hospital.
After celebrating her return with a family dinner prepared by Neeta, who had knocked herself out making all of Jolene's favorites, Jax suggested they call it a night earlier than usual. After taking turns reading Abel several bedtime stories, they had left their son in a deep slumber before retreating to their room. However, the bedroom door had barely closed behind them before all thoughts of a naughty good time escaped her mind. Jax had picked her up and placed her in the middle of their King-sized bed and crossed his arms over his chest, with his Grrr-face firmly in place.
That's when I knew I was really in the shit.
Hoping to cut him off at the pass, Jolene got up on her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed. Coyly grabbing onto the SAMCRO belt he wore with his jeans, Jolene slowly pulled herself up and snaked her arms around his waist.
"I'm not having it, Jo." He warned, his face still set in stone.
"Not having what, baby?" Jolene practically purred as she nuzzled his neck, dotting his skin with kisses.
"You know damn well what the fuck I'm talking about." With his voice raspy and his breathing uneven, Jolene knew she almost had him. That is, until he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "You really think that I'm just gonna let slide the danger you put yourself in with a couple of well-placed kisses?"
Unfortunately for Jolene, Jax had plenty of time to follow up on the literature given to him by Dr. Namid. The additional information he had been able to find did very little to set his mind at ease. As a matter of fact, it had painted a far clearer and more realistic view of what he could expect over the course of the next few months. Without a doctor around to soften the blow of what he had read, seeing the information in all its stark black and white glory had a deep impact. And he wasn't happy about it.
Jolene crossed her arms underneath her chest and sighed as she eyed her grim-faced biker. "I guess not, but what I had in mind was way more than just kissing, baby." She batted her eyelashes at him and still nothing. Flustered, Jolene finally pleaded, "Jax, please tell me that you at least realize that I didn't do it on purpose. Honestly, I really didn't think it would be a big deal coming off my meds, especially since I did it gradually."
Jax anxiously ran his hands through his hair. "That's probably the only reason you're still alive." He retorted bluntly. "Had you gone cold turkey and stopped your meds all at once, there was a real chance of a clot forming. Do you even know what would happen if a clot comes loose and travels to your lungs or your brain? You might not even make it to the hospital." Jax cupped Jolene's face in his hands. "Don't you know by now that losing you would fuckin' break me?"
Looking into his moist blue eyes, Jolene was shocked by the raw emotion she saw there and rapidly blinked her own. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I didn't know. It never occurred to me that I was in danger. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't harm the baby by taking heart medication."
Jax pressed his forehead against hers. "I really want everything to work out for us, darlin', I really do, but maybe I should have just been happy with Abel." He started, but Jolene was shaking her head, her eyes closed. "Maybe we should think about what Dr. Negron suggested—"
Jolene quickly put her mouth over his, kissing him until she was sure he'd forget to finish his thought. "Don't. Please don't regret this baby, Jax. I don't, not for one minute." Wrapping her arms around his neck, Jolene clung to Jax as he held her tight. "After everything we've been through, and not just this summer alone, but throughout so many years, I have to believe that it's all been for something. It can't play out like this for us. It's not fair. Besides, I love you too damn much to even contemplate getting rid of a part of you."
"Jo," Jax was lovingly stroking her back. "If the risk is me losing you forever this time, that's not a risk I'm willing to take."
"Baby, I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that Lil' Peanut and I make it through this together." Jolene said earnestly. "I made it through with Abel with far less support and knowledge then I have now. We'll be fine because above all, and God help me with this, I have my big, strong, and sexy biker around to keep my ass in check."
Jax smiled down at her, somewhat pacified by what she had said. "Damn straight you do," He confirmed. "But aside from keeping your ass in line, I am solely responsible for making sure that you are taken care of in every other way possible, too."
And to Jolene's great relief, he proceeded to fuck her six ways to Sunday.
Otherwise preoccupied, Jax had surprised her the following morning with the news of their soon-to-happen family vacation.
Redwood National Park, located along the coast of Northern California, is one of four state parks that together protect 45% of all remaining coastal redwoods. While Redwoods are known for being the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth, not many know that they are also the oldest, with some trees living for 2000 years.
The park, located about 360 miles away from Charming, was a treasure trove for those who loved exploring the great outdoors and was home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna. It was also a popular destination for families who enjoyed all types of outdoor recreation such as camping and hiking, horse back riding and kayaking, fishing and swimming.
And swimming in the cool waters of the Northern Pacific was exactly what her old man and baby boy were doing as she watched.
Surrounded by the ancient Redwoods, Crescent Beach was one of five beaches located near the park. Even though it was also the most popular and had a tendency to get overcrowded during the summer, Jax had outdone himself by securing for them beachfront lodging that offered access to a private section of the beach. Aside from other guests staying at the oceanfront motel, the beach was closed off to the public, allowing some measure of privacy.
Jolene propped herself up on her arms to look for her two men and spotted them at the water's edge. Her baby Abel had loved the beach the one time she and Ronnie had managed to take him and he was having a wonderful time with his daddy. Jolene smiled as she saw the two of them chasing the waves, with a yipping Chopper at their heels as they ran into the surf.
Jolene was so engrossed in watching them that it took a minute for her to realize that she was suddenly in a shadow. Looking up from her beach chair, Jolene took in the grinning man standing over her. Seeing that he was practically leering down at her, Jolene barely managed to keep herself from rolling her eyeballs.
Damn it! I'm on vacation and I really don't need this right now.
Unfortunately for her, the young man didn't read minds, or facial expressions for that matter, as he decided that maybe it would be a good idea to hit on her. Jolene smiled to herself, after all, she knew she was looking pretty good. The one-piece, hi-cut white swimsuit with a halter top emphasized all of the curves she had in all the right places.
After almost ruining their vacation earlier in the day by arguing over her choice of swimwear, Jolene was suddenly glad that Jax had made her take off the bikini she had initially picked out for their outing. It had been a vacation present from Donna, who insisted that Jolene would be the only woman on earth capable of pulling it off, even in her current knocked up state. Although Jax agreed that she looked hot, he wouldn't let her look out the window while wearing it, much less step outside in it.
To her old man's mind, the one she was now wearing wasn't much better, but it was the only other one she had, so he had dealt with it. All bets were off, she was sure, if Jax caught wind of the fish that the suit had managed to lure, even if it had not been her intention of reeling him in.
"Well, hello there. You are definitely too pretty to be out here all by yourself. Mind if I join you?" All hopes that the man was a reasonable and normal guy were dashed the minute he had opened his mouth. The oily tone of his voice made her skin crawl. It was obvious to her by the way he managed to flex his bulging muscles without even trying that her annoying new friend thought he was all that and a bag of chips.
Hoping to put him off before Jax noticed, Jolene flipped the towel lying next to her on the chair over her body as the man visually stripped her of her bathing suit.
"Actually, I'm not here alone."
Standing directly in front of her, the dark-haired young man with the perfect beach body smirked at her. The sun was glinting off of his silver Speedo trunks, which Jolene was sure had been chosen to display his somewhat impressive package.
"You've been sitting here all by yourself for at least the last twenty minutes. Tell me, what kind of fool would leave such a beautiful woman alone for such a long time?"
Jolene was about to reply when she heard a voice. "Daddy, who's that with Mommy?"
Oh shit! Jolene rubbed the bridge of her nose with her index and fore fingers. I tried to warn ya, buddy. There's no use running now 'cause in a minute it's gonna be light's out. Fuck! I wonder if a sand dune is a good place to hide the body.
Stepping from behind the man to confront him, a totally wet and completely pissed Jackson Teller stood, holding their son in his arms, with a wet Chopper at his feet.
"Are you lost?" Jax glared at the man. "Because I can tell ya, you're not gonna find what you're looking for here."
Jolene eyes widened as she realized that a jealous and possessive Jax was way hotter than an angry Jax.
I swear, if he takes a swing at this poor fool, I will jump on his ass right here and now, he's so fuckin' hot!
Jolene almost burst out laughing as her new beach pal proved to be a lot brighter than he looked. He had taken one look at her old man's solid physique with his bulging muscles, coupled with the look of pure murder in his eyes and the man practically took off running.
"That's right! Move it along, asshole! Because that fat fuckin' ring on my old lady's hand isn't enough of a clue that she's not here alone!" Jax called out as Abel grinned from ear-to-ear.
Scrabbling down out of his father's hold, Abel reached out to his mother, who quickly wrapped him in a towel to dry him off. "That's another ten dollars, Daddy. That makes fifteen you owe me."
"You remembered, baby." Jolene smiled at her little squirt, as she dried his mop of blond hair that had grown quite a bit in recent months. "When did he say the first bad word?"
"When Chopper almost went out into the ocean. Daddy had to run in after him and fell flat on his face in the water." Abel giggled. "He was so mad! Didn't you see it, Mommy?"
"No, baby, I must have missed that." Jolene snorted with laughter.
Abel grinned. "If Daddy says another bad word, I'll have twenty dollars."
"As long as nobody else tries pressing up on your Mommy, Little Man, I'm afraid fifteen bucks is all you're getting out of me today." Jax finally managed a grin as he watched his old lady and son. "I think it's time we head back inside. We need to take your Mommy shopping for a new bathing suit."
Sitting in front of the fire pit Jax had set up on the beach outside their room after dinner, the Tellers were toasting marshmallows on the long branches he and Abel had collected earlier. In spite of the late hour, the sun had just set. Happy that his bedtime had been set back by an hour, Abel was enthralled with toasting and eating the hot sticky treat as he relaxed in his mother's lap.
It was the last night of their vacation and, even though they were completely relaxed and refreshed, Jolene was a little sad to see it come to an end. It had been a wonderfully idyllic week and as focused as Jax had been on Jolene getting plenty rest and relaxation, she knew that no one had needed the time away from Charming more than he did. Amazingly enough, SAMCRO's Acting President had managed to leave duty behind for seven days and nights and for that, she was glad.
Recent events had put the huge weight of responsibility on his shoulders and he had managed to protect their family and the Club virtually unscathed, aside from the emotional toll it had taken on him. Jax had needed the down time that allowed him to be nothing more than just her husband and lover and a father to their son.
Jolene smiled broadly as he seemed to pull her thoughts out of her mind when he spoke. "I really needed this, babe." Jax reached out, burying his hand in her windblown hair as he softly kissed her lips. His skin was sun-kissed and his hair bleached a shade lighter than normal by the sun.
"Just what the doctor ordered, huh, baby?"
"Absolutely. We need to do this more often." Jax smiled. "You know, before us, whenever I needed to clear my head, I would just hit the road. It always helped in getting me focused and re-energized for the work ahead. You know I love the Club, Jo, but that hasn't been enough for me for a long time. Having you and Abel, that's what I need. Being with you is what keeps me grounded. It keeps me alive, Jo."
Jolene cupped his bearded cheek and kissed him back. "You know I feel the same way, baby." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her still-flat tummy, which wouldn't say that way for long. "And once Lil' Peanut comes along, our family will be complete."
Abel, who up until that moment, his parents believed had fallen asleep, yawned hugely. "When is my baby sister coming?"
Jax reached over to grab his son from his mother's arms. "I thought I told you, Little Man. We need to root for another boy. We've gotta keep your mother in the minority."
"Oh, yeah, Daddy. I forgot." Abel let out another huge yawn.
Jolene crossed her arms as she eyed both of her men. "Well, Neeta seems sure it's gonna be a girl, so I wouldn't bet the farm just yet." She snarked.
"Miss Neeta is really smart. She might be right." Abel sat up. "But what I wanna know is when is the baby coming 'cause Grandma said that the stork was gonna bring it and I don't wanna miss it."
"Uh oh, babe. I think we're treading into some dangerous territory here." Jax joked. "I think it's time for you to put that big brain of yours to work and come up with an explanation."
"Chicken." Jolene muttered.
"Buck-bah," Jax imitated a chicken with a shit-eating grin.
"Come here, baby." Jolene cooed as Abel crawled back into her lap. "Grandma was just teasing, Abel. A stork won't be bringing the baby."
Abel looked up at his mother with a frown on his face. "Then how's it getting here?"
"Well," Jolene started. "Your little sister—"
"Or brother—" Jax added.
"Will grow inside of Mommy."
"Inside?"
"Yes, that's right." Jolene pointed to her stomach. "The baby's here right now.
Abel looked at his mother with narrowed, skeptical eyes. "How did it get in there?"
Jax coughed. Loudly.
Rolling her eyes at Jax, Jolene giggled. "Daddy gave it to me."
"He did?" Abel said as his father started a violent coughing fit after almost inhaling a scalding hot marshmallow.
"That's right. Right now, the baby is very, very small, just like a tiny little seed, but soon, it's gonna start growing and my belly will start getting bigger as well."
"Really, REALLY, big, Abel." Jax managed to contribute before his coughing started all over again.
"Oh, I get it. Just like the flowers me and Grandma made for you. We put the seeds in the dirt and put water on it and then it grew and got big." Abel said triumphantly.
Jolene smiled proudly as Abel made the connection. "Yeah, just like that, honey. Just like those beautiful flowers, it will take some time, but after a while, the baby will be big enough to be born."
"Will it need an operation like I did and stay in the hospital a really long time?" Abel asked, his eyes round with worry and concern.
At that, Jax and Jolene looked at each other, with tears about to spring from her eyes.
Finally, Jax spoke up. "We hope not, Little Man, but Mommy's been to the doctor and you and I are going to make sure we take really good care of her."
Abel smiled. "Okay, but I still don't understand how you gave Mommy the baby."
Jax smiled as he reached over and tousled his boy's hair. "I know, son, and I'll explain it all to you, I promise. Just not tonight."