Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy.
"Mommy!" Abel shook his mother's shoulder hard. "Mommy, it's time to go!"
Bleary-eyed, Jolene raised a hand to rub the sleep from her eyes as she gazed on the excited face of her son.
Abel Teller stood next to the bed, the early morning sun from the French doors off the balcony dimly lighting the darkened room. Wearing a pair of jeans, white sneakers, and a black Incredible Hulk t-shirt with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, Abel had on a small backpack and was holding his brand new lunchbox. Not to be left behind, Chopper was excitedly wagging his tail at Abel's side.
"We gots to hurry, Mommy, or we gonna be late."
"Abel, baby," Jolene smiled ruefully at his eager little face. "It's 6:00 in the morning. School doesn't start until 8:30."
"But I don't want to be late." The little boy protested.
"Little Man, you're as anal as your mother." Suddenly, Abel found himself being lifted in the air by his father's strong arm and he was quickly settled in between his two parents, while Chopper leapt onto the foot of the bed and settled himself comfortably.
"What's 'anal', Daddy?" Abel looked up at Jax, his little head tilted to the side.
"It's another word for crazy." Jax replied sheepishly as his old lady gave him the stink eye.
"But Mommy's not crazy." Abel spoke up in defense of his mother.
Jolene kissed the top of her son's head. "Thank you, baby." Removing his backpack, lunchbox and sneakers, Jolene caressed the top of his newly cut hair, which, despite the trim he got at Floyd's, was still rather curly. "Besides, baby, Miss Neeta is coming in early to fix you a special breakfast and see you off to school. Don't you worry. We'll get there in plenty of time."
"That was really good, Miss Neeta. You only make pancakes on Saturday." Abel beamed up at Neeta as he brought his plate over to her by the sink.
"Well, this here is a special occasion." Neeta grinned at her little charge. "And I got a real nice lunch for you, too." Exchanging Abel's dirty plate for his lunchbox, she continued. "There's a nice tuna salad sandwich, some chips, grapes and milk. I also put three of your favorite double chocolate chip cookies in there."
"Hey!" Clay said as he spooned up some oatmeal. "That's an awful lot of cookies for one kid."
"Don't be jealous, old man. One cookie is for Abel to eat, another to give to a classmate he would like to make friends with, and the other one is for his teacher."
"You trying to turn my kid into a kiss-up, Neeta?" Jax grinned as he tucked into a breakfast of ham and eggs.
"I prefer the term 'Teacher's Pet'. Ain't nobody gonna treat my baby bad on his first day." Neeta bent over and dropped a kiss on Abel's head.
"They sure as hell better not." Gemma chuffed as she finished her cup of coffee. "I have no problem using my foot to drop-kick some bully rugrat." Gemma headed to her bedroom to retrieve her handbag.
"Is she losing her touch that she's gotta use her foot nowadays?" Jolene playfully elbowed her husband.
"Yeah, I remember a time she could stop a kid's heart with an icy glare." Jax kidded.
"I heard that!" Gemma called out even though she was out of view.
"Now remember what I told you, Abel," Neeta started as she helped him put on his backpack. "You be nice to everybody and everybody will be nice to you, but if somebody steps out of line, just remember, you ain't no punk, got it?"
Abel nodded. "Got it." Reaching up he hugged the older woman and then grabbed his lunchbox from the table. "Okay, Mommy. It's time to go."
Pulling into the parking lot of Charming Elementary School, Jolene wasn't sure if what she felt was excitement, trepidation, or both. His first day of school was a huge and very important milestone for Abel. There had been a time when Jolene, fearful that he would not survive the circumstances of his birth, had been afraid to plan for his life beyond his first birthday. For that fact alone, today was a joyful day. With Abel in the clear regarding his health, Jolene was grateful that, like other young parents, she and Jax could now feel comfortable planning for their son's future, even if their individual plans were as different as the couple themselves.
But Jolene still had some very real concerns for Abel. As much as she had loved school growing up, Jolene had had her share of difficulty adjusting. Jolene, along with Thomas Teller, had been home-schooled by Gemma since her arrival in Charming. Her first day of school after Tommy had passed away had been a shock to the system, to say the least. As the new kid in school starting with the year already half-way through, she had not made any friends and felt isolated by the other students. Jolene soon learned that it wasn't her "new kid" status that was keeping other children away, but ignorance and fear regarding who and what her father was and the infamous company she kept—town terrors Jax Teller and Opie Winston—that prevented kids her own age from getting to know her as just a regular kid. Thanks to her father's fiery temper whenever trouble found its way to young Jolene, she quickly became known as "that biker brat." She could only hope that Abel's experience wouldn't mimic her own.
Exiting the car, Abel looked around, taking in as much as he could of his new environment. Children of varying ages, sizes and colors were practically pouring out of cars and school buses and running towards the red-bricked school.
Gemma stood next to Jolene as she looked at the teeming crowd. "Boy, does this bring back memories. And not good ones either." She snarked.
"Why, Grandma?"
Gemma bent down to look her grandson in the eye. "Well, let's just say that your daddy and Uncle Opie weren't exactly perfect little angels like you."
"What about my Mommy?"
Gemma laughed. "Abel, the stories I could tell you. You wouldn't know it by looking at her now, but your mother was known as the notorious Nut—" Gemma started, but Jolene interrupted.
"As a notoriously good student," Jolene eyed her mother-in-law with a scowl. "Just like I know you're going to be, baby." She cooed at her son.
Straightening up, Gemma muttered to her own son, who was chuckling under his breath, "I guess some people don't have a problem rewriting history."
"You excited, Little Man?" Abel looked up to smile at his father.
"Yeah, Daddy." Abel thought his father was the biggest and the tallest of all the other men who were at the school and he was proud of him. Jax Teller made a pretty impressive figure, riding into the lot behind Jolene's Mustang wearing his cut and a pair of shades, the muscles of his upper body straining the white short-sleeved t-shirt he was wearing. With Jolene wearing a figure-hugging red wrap dress and black high heels, they made a distinctly contrasting, yet striking pair. And the men on the premises weren't the only ones tripping over themselves as they took notice.
Jolene was cautiously eyeing a pretty young woman as she approached her family, noting that the woman's eyes were currently riveted on her husband before finally making their way down to her son.
Abel looked up at the woman with caramel colored-skin and short dark hair. Flashing the patented Teller smile, Abel said, "Hi! Are you my teacher?"
The young woman's hazel eyes twinkled. "I might be, handsome. What's your name?"
"I'm Abel Teller. And this is my Mommy and Daddy and Grandma."
"It is really nice meeting you and your family, Abel. My name is Miss Brenda and you are in my class."
"My Mommy is a teacher too." Abel replied.
Reaching out to shake the younger woman's hand, Jolene smiled, letting her guard down somewhat. "That's right, but my monsters are a lot bigger than yours. I teach math at Excelsior Prep."
"Oh my, you are certainly brave." She smiled kindly before quickly shifting her attention to Jax. "I don't believe we've met." Miss Brenda extended her hand towards Jax.
Jax tried to mask the smirk playing on his lips as he stole a glance at his old lady. Jolene was smiling, but her eyes told a completely different story. "Jax Teller." He introduced himself as he shook her hand.
Jax almost laughed out loud as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jolene's hip cock as she crossed her arms. Miss Brenda was taking longer than was socially acceptable to shake his hand and he could tell it was driving his wife insane.
"It's very nice to meet you." Miss Brenda directed at Jax. "Is Abel riding home on the school bus or will you be picking him up?" She asked, once again, addressing Jax.
"My Grandma is picking me up." Abel chimed in happily, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.
"That's great." The young teacher said, the disappointment evident, or at least it was to Jolene. "Well, there are a lot of children for you to meet." Miss Brenda replied, pointing to group of about ten children waiting with another young woman. "That's my aide, Miss Mandy. We're going to have a lot of fun."
Without hesitation or fear, Abel took hold of his teacher's hand and followed her towards his classmates.
"I'm his Grandma, by the way!" Gemma called out sarcastically with an exaggerated wave, irked—right along with Jolene—that she was practically ignored.
Miss Brenda turned along with Abel and at least had the decency to look contrite as Abel waved to his family. "Bye Mommy and Daddy! Bye Grandma!" Abel yelled as he headed towards the front door. "And bye Peanut!"
Jolene was dying to get home, her lead foot heavy on the gas as she peeled through her neighborhood in her effort to get home as quickly as possible, anxious to hear how her baby's first day went.
It was only her first day back to school as well and Jolene was already starting to feel the guilt of all working mothers. With Pre-K being only four hours a day, Jolene wanted to be there when Abel got out of school, but had been dragged into a faculty meeting when she should have been taking her lunch. Luckily, with the first day of classes at Excelsior being a half day, Jolene would hopefully get home shortly after 1:00 and in time to hear a first-hand account of her son's day.
Pulling into the driveway of the Teller homestead, Jolene looked down into her lap and smiled as she rubbed her belly. The recently-popped baby bump that was only slightly visible when she was standing up looked huge from her vantage point when sitting down. Although she would gladly relinquish her title as the hottest teacher in Excelsior Prep in favor of being a mommy again, her insecurities and low self-esteem had her wondering how Jax would react as her waist line continued to expand.
Determined to keep any negative thoughts from creeping in, Jolene finally hopped out of her car and slammed the door. Heading into her home, she could already hear her son's sweet voice, followed by peals of laughter from his grandparents and Neeta.
Looks like my little boy has inherited the SAMCRO man's ability to tell a good story.
"Hey, baby girl, looks like our boy here is already working the Teller magic!" Clay crowed at his daughter as she entered the kitchen.
Sitting on his grandfather's knee, Abel grinned at his mother and held up his arms. "Hi, Mommy!"
Scooping him up and peppering his face and neck with kisses as he giggled, Jolene thoroughly eyeballed her baby.
"You look none the worse for wear." Jolene smiled. In fact, Abel was literally sparkling with excitement, eager to tell his mother about his day. "How was school today, baby? Did you have lots of fun?"
"Uh huh." Abel nodded his head emphatically. "Lots and lots of fun. I got to work on the computer and played with the girls and—"
"Notice he said the 'girls'," Gemma snarked as Neeta laughed.
"What about the boys?" Jolene tried not to laugh.
"I played wit them too, but John didn't like me too much 'cause I gave one of my cookies to Jenna."
Uh oh, here we go, Jolene smiled to herself. "And who's Jenna?"
"She sits next to me at my table and her cubbyhole is next to mine, too. She's so pretty, Mommy. She's got red hair."
"Nice! So my son's got a thing for redheads?" Jolene looked up to see her old man leaning in the kitchen doorway.
"Hey, baby. I didn't know you were coming home early, too."
Sauntering across the room, Jax dropped a lingering kiss on his wife. First day of school still sucked like he remembered. Only this time, it was because he had sorely missed his old lady and son.
"Everything's under control down at T-M." Jax grabbed Abel out of her arms and winked at his son. "I wanted to hear how Abel's day went, too. Looks like he at least learned one thing today. He likes red hair."
Abel nodded his head. "Yeah, but I like hair like Mommy's too. That's why I gave my cookie to Becca."
"Who's Becca?" Neeta asked as she placed a platter of cheese and crackers on the table.
"She sits at my table too. She likes me, so I had to give her a cookie. I gave the other one to Miss Brenda. Miss Neeta, I'm going to need another cookie tomorrow to give to Miss Mandy. She's my other teacher."
Jolene snorted with laughter. "Neeta, something tells me you'll be doing a whole lot of baking this school year."
In the privacy of her classroom, Jolene Teller indulged herself with a full-body stretch, raising her arms high above her head as she writhed and twisted her body to work out the kinks from standing on her feet all morning. Ending her stretch with an unlady-like gaping-mouth yawn, Jolene rested her hands on the small bump on her midsection, which announced to all who saw her coming that she was no longer traveling solo.
Even though she was enjoying a healthier and happier pregnancy this time around, thanks in part to her new meds and a loving, yet slightly obsessed old man, Jolene still wasn't feeling 100%. No matter how much sleep she got, and lately she had been hitting the sack as early as Abel, she couldn't shake her constant tiredness.
"You are wearing me out, Lil' Peanut," Jolene smiled as she rubbed her belly. "But we'll keep that little bit of Intel from Daddy for the time being." Especially since it had been a minor miracle that she had managed to get out of the house that morning. Unhappy with her color, Jax had insisted that she take the day off and stay home. Except for her need to sleep sixteen hours a day, Jolene felt fine and was not about to ruin the perfect attendance record she's had since she started teaching again. She felt bad enough that she wouldn't be finishing the school year with her students once the baby was born.
Fortunately, Jolene had been able to distract him.
Almost at the end of her second trimester, Jolene felt that she outranked her husband in terms of knowing her own body and what it was capable of. She had no intention of bringing any harm to herself or their baby, so he was going to have to trust her or they would spend the rest of her pregnancy butting heads. And with her hormones kicking in big time, the last thing she wanted was to spend all of their alone time arguing because, Lord knows, Donna wasn't kidding about pregnant sex.
Plopping herself down in the swivel chair in her classroom, Jolene swung her feet onto the neat little desk and decided that, instead of using her lunch period to eat, she would take a little cat nap before her next class.
After a drama-filled summer, it was a relief to be back to the routine she had set for herself at Excelsior Prep. For a while, Jolene had started to believe that a normal life for her and Jax would always include some sort of turmoil and, maybe that was still true. After all, Jax and every man who meant anything to her at all were outlaws. Some new crisis could always threaten their happiness, but they had been through too much together to let anything steal it away.
With the Club finally at peace and her father on the road to a full recovery, Jolene could now focus on carrying the precious little life inside of her to term.
From the moment she had found out that her old man had knocked her up again, Jolene had tried her best to remain positive that being with her loving family would make all the difference in the world and that, unlike with Abel, this pregnancy would be smooth sailing. Although not as severe, Jolene had already been subjected to the near-strangling love and concern that her family had for her during her recovery after she had been shot more than five years ago, and her old man was proving to be the worst offender thus far.
Jolene loved Jax to the point that she knew she couldn't live without him, so she could only hope that he would relax a little or she was going to kill him!
Stopping abruptly at the doorway of her classroom, Jax's heart literally fell to the pit of his stomach when he first caught sight of his old lady. Lying horizontal in a prone position in a chair, Jolene was very still, and in the minimal lighting of the room, she looked as pale as death.
Quickly striding towards her, Jax let out a small sigh of relief when he noticed the steady rise and fall of her chest. But the fact that Jolene was napping in the middle of the day did not still well with him.
This morning, Jolene had accused him of overreacting and of generally being a pain in the ass when he insisted that she call in sick, but Jax knew his old lady. Even though she swore that she was feeling fine, there was something off with her normally golden complexion and she looked like she could use a few more hours of sleep. But Jolene had him wrapped around her little finger and he had given in to her pleas that he let her go because she was fine enough to work.
Technique-wise, it was more than just her finger as the hand job she sprung on me had gone a long way in changing my mind.
But even as he tried to go on with his day, Jax still couldn't escape the persistent, nagging feeling that Jolene wasn't as well as she made herself out to be. In order to ease his mind, Jax had decided to leave Tig and Half Sack working on the latest gun shipment at Bluebird while he came back to Charming to check up on her. And it was a good thing he had, too.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave his old lady a gentle shake.
"Um, what?" Jolene blinked her eyes blearily and looked up into the cold hard flinty blue-eyed stare of her old man.
Oh shit!
Trying to sound alert, Jolene managed to bring her feet down from her desk and sit up in her chair. "Hey, baby. What are you doing here?"
"I'm checking up on you. What are you doing?"
Jolene decided that the best offense was defense. "What does it look like?" She challenged. "I'm just taking a little nap. It's no big deal, Jackson."
"See, you're trying to feed me a line of bullshit, Jo." She only used his given name when trying to get one over on him. "You told me you were fine enough to go to work, yet here you are, passed out." Jax growled.
"I was NOT passed out." Jolene tried to rein in her growing anger. "I was just taking a power nap before my next class. And you need to stop nagging me." She retorted.
"Nagging you?" The ire in Jax's voice was becoming apparent, but Jolene, in her half-asleep state, didn't quite notice.
"Yes, nagging. I am perfectly capable of assessing my own well-being." Jolene stood up to make her next point, but she never got the chance.
Because, quite suddenly, Jolene's world spun on its axis and went black.
Jackson Teller made an intimidating picture as he escorted his wife down the hallway with a firm grip around her shoulders. Jolene gritted her teeth and tried not to look like a sack of potatoes being forcibly dragged down the hallway, grateful that he hadn't made good on his threat of throwing her over his shoulder if she didn't hurry her ass up.
When Jolene had come to, she found herself lying flat on her back and looking up into Jax's anxious face.
"What the fuck just happened?" She croaked.
"You just passed the fuck out, that's what happened." The SAMCRO Acting President tried not to show how panicked he actually was as he noted her flushed cheeks and sweaty brow. "I am so done with you thinking you can fool me with this superwoman act, Jo. I knew something was wrong this morning and I should've listened to my gut." Grabbing the bottle of water that was sitting on the corner of her desk, Jax held it to her lips as she protested.
"Stop it!" She whined as she pushed the bottle away. "I'm pregnant, not stupid. I haven't forgotten how to drink water all by myself. I can go potty too, you know."
The whining was a bad move, Jolene quickly realized, as she saw his jaw clench.
"That's it! Don't say another fuckin' word." Jax said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm taking you to St. Thomas. Right. Now."
Her stubborn pissiness was why Jolene currently found herself being hustled out of her classroom and down the hall towards the exit, only barely escaping with at least a tiny bit of her pride intact as classes were still in session.
Unfortunately, much like all of her reprieves as of late, that one was short-lived as well.
As they exited the teacher's elevator and turned the corner to make their way to the main entrance of the school, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Suddenly, the hallways were flooded with students and teachers alike—and in the case of the female students and faculty—all starry-eyed and out of breath seeing the sexy blond biker practically dragging his wife out of the building, making a ginormous spectacle of them both.
"Jax!" Jolene hissed. "I can't just leave without letting someone know."
Indicating all the gawkers that stopped as they cut a path through them, Jax smirked. "Looks like everybody knows you're leaving, darlin'." Jolene tried to squirm her way out of his hold as they approached the school's main office. She had to let someone know. "Don't!" Jax warned as he stopped ever so briefly. "Or I will carry you out, Jo."
Seeing the Head of the English Lit Department staring at her husband, Jolene managed to snag her attention away from him to herself. "Deidre, can you please let the Assistant Vice Principal know that I'm leaving for the day?"
The woman, seeing that Jax was not stopping to allow Jolene to talk, ran alongside to keep up with the couple. "Sure, no problem. Is everything okay?" She asked with concern in her voice.
"It's no big deal. I'm just going for a quick check up at St. Thomas. I'll be back tomorrow."
"I wouldn't count on that, Deidre." Jax contradicted as his nostrils flared slightly.
Watching the couple walk out of the school and head towards Jolene's car, Deidre let out a dreamy sigh.
"That sexy beast can drag my ass off anywhere, anytime!"
Sitting in Dr. Namid's office in the maternity ward in the East wing of St. Thomas, Jax tried to get his Restless Leg Syndrome under control while waiting to hear what the doctor had to say.
Sitting behind his desk, Dr. Namid smiled at his irritable patient and her even more irritable husband. "First off, let me start by reassuring you both that what happened is not at all unusual."
Turning to her old man, Jolene crossed her arms under her chest. "Told you." She started triumphantly, but the doctor held up his hand.
"May I continue, please?"
As Jolene subsided meekly, Jax smiled to himself. Anybody that could keep his old lady in check and keep her from talking back, especially when she was hell bent on justifying her bad behavior, was his personal hero.
"I am happy to report that the heart scan and blood work have ruled out your heart condition as the cause of this episode. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to feel woozy and sometimes even pass out when they change positions suddenly, especially while trying to get up after lying on your back. The weight of your expanding midsection can put pressure on the vena cava slowing the circulation of de-oxygenated blood. Changing positions suddenly can cause the sudden rush of blood to make you feel off-balance." Dr. Namid explained. "Now, from what you described, Mr. Teller, it sounds like that is exactly what happened, but other factors can also cause fainting spells, especially during pregnancy."
The doctor opened Jolene's file and examined the notes made by his nurse. "Low blood pressure and anemia are usually the likely suspects and, unfortunately, Jolene, you have both. Have you been taking your pre-natal vitamins?"
"Everyday." Jax piped up as both Jolene and Dr. Namid turned to look at him. "I make sure she takes them."
"Because, apparently, I'm incapable of opening a pill bottle as well." Jolene muttered under her breath.
"That's good," Dr. Namid replied. "Keep doing that and I will prescribe an additional iron supplement. Patients on blood thinners have a tendency to develop anemia, but it can also be caused by a poor diet. Tell me, how have your eating habits been since your last visit?"
Before answering, Jolene bit her lip as her shoulders tensed up a little, which Jax was quick to notice. "Okay, I guess." She hedged.
"You guess?" Jax snapped, causing Jolene to look at him with wide eyes.
"I eat." Jolene defended herself. "When I'm hungry."
"And just how many times a day are you 'hungry'?" The doctor was able to ask before Jax jumped in.
Jolene squirmed a little in her chair. "I eat a couple of times a day."
The doctor eyed his patient with a raised eyebrow. "Jolene, I know you're not one of those women who diet during pregnancy in order to maintain their figure, right?"
"Of course not, Dr. Namid, I would never do that," Jolene replied, truly shocked. "It's just—well—sometimes I forget to eat because I'm just not all that hungry and I'd rather sleep instead." She did her best to avoid her husband's narrow gaze.
"That stops today, Jolene." Dr. Namid admonished. "Your baby is depending on you for its nutrition. If you're not eating regular meals, the baby will take what it needs from you, leaving you tired and suffering from anemia. Also, at this stage in your pregnancy, you should be gaining weight, not losing."
"She lost weight?" Jax was stunned.
"Five pounds."
"Five pounds?" Both Jax and Jolene said simultaneously, with Jax looking at his old lady like he wanted to twist her neck until her head popped off.
"When was your last meal today?" The doctor asked.
Suddenly, the thought of sharing every moment of her pregnancy with Jax was starting to lose its shine. With Dr. Namid helping her dig herself into a deeper and deeper grave, Jolene was considering ditching Jax for her next check up.
Jolene sighed. "This morning."
"Holy shit, Jo! It's after two." Jax thundered. Jolene opened her mouth to argue, but one raised ringed-finger was all it took for her to snap it shut. "Don't say it 'cause I already know you know how to tell time."
Dr. Namid tried to hide his smile as the couple sat locked in a staring contest, one as stubborn as the other, refusing to be the first to look away.
"It's not like I lost the weight on purpose, Jax."
"You might as well have with the way you're taking care of yourself." Jax countered.
"Well, I didn't." Jolene said petulantly as she crossed her arms again and turned to face Dr. Namid. "What do I need to do, Doctor?"
"She needs to regain the weight, right?" Jax asked.
"Yes, but it doesn't mean you stuff her like a Thanksgiving turkey. She needs to gain healthy weight, which is why I want you to speak to the nutritionist on staff here before you leave. Because of the anemia, she will probably recommend a protein-rich diet, but because you are taking blood thinners, you need to stay away from green leafy vegetables which might thin your blood too much." Dr. Namid started. "At this point, I'm sure you're past morning sickness, so you should be eating five to six small but calorie-dense meals a day, not empty calories either, so stay away from overly processed and sugary foods."
"I'll be eating all day long." Jolene protested.
"Which will go a long way in keeping your blood sugar levels up and hopefully prevent you from passing out again. And until I get the results of some other tests, I want you off of your feet as much as possible."
"Doctor, I teach high school—" Jolene began.
"And they don't have chairs in your school?" The doctor looked at her with a teasing glint in his eye. "Look, Jolene, I normally encourage mothers-to-be to remain as active as possible, but with your history, it's best that we set stringent limits now and gradually ease up a little as you continue to make progress. And that means NO MORE WEIGHT LOSS. Are we are the same page?" He asked and Jolene nodded mutely.
Looking over at her old man, Jolene knew she was better off toeing the line with as little resistance as possible because the expression on Jax's face, while unspoken, pretty much said it all.
Do as the doctor orders or have to deal with one pissed off biker!
"Okay, Frick and Frack." Jax eyed his two partners-in-crime as he sat down in his chair in his man cave. "I never thought it would come to this, but I'm gonna need your help."
It was an early fall Saturday evening and Jax had just returned to Charming from a quick run to Eureka with Opie and Juice earlier in the day. With Clay, Bobby, Chibs, Phil, and Abel setting themselves up in the living room to watch the fight on pay-per-view, Jolene had gone upstairs to take a long relaxing bath. Not knowing that Jax was home, her plan was to spend some time preparing for a pop quiz she planned on springing on her students on Monday.
Jax realized that his old lady's absence was the perfect opportunity to fill in his mother and her friend on Jolene's last visit with Dr. Namid and what he needed them to do. But it seemed that the two women were intent on pulling his chain good and hard first.
Neeta crossed her arms under her chest. "You have any idea who we are dealing with here?" She snarked. "Your old lady has little patience for busy bodies sticking their noses into what she considers her personal business."
"Excuse me," Gemma interrupted. "But that's not the only problem. I specifically recall how on several occasions, the last being your wedding day, you spelled out in under no uncertain terms, you and only you had the right to lay down the law with your old lady, so why come to me now?" Gemma eyed her son. "The SAMCRO Princess is not as easy a ride as you anticipated, huh?"
"Nope!" Neeta chimed in before Jax could open his mouth. "Plus, he doesn't want to end up riding the couch down here neither by playing bad cop. That's where you come in, Drill Sarge."
Seeing her son's eyes widen at his old nickname for her, Gemma raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you really think I didn't know what you kids called me behind my back? Baby, get real. I will outsmart you from the grave."
Jax sighed as he rubbed his temple as Gemma did her best to hide a grin. Hah. He didn't really think he was going to get off that easy, did he? Gemma loved her son dearly, but the times that she could yank on his chain were few and far between now. Therefore she considered it her right to put her boot up his ass whenever the rare opportunity presented itself.
"Look, bottom line, Jo now knows how important it is to take care of herself, but things are picking up again for SAMCRO and I can't be around all the time. I'm not asking you to do my job for me because I can take care of my old lady, a'ight?" He said defensively. "I just need you guys to step in when if it looks like she's getting a little forgetful and is about to go off the reservation. Ma, you know exactly what I mean, so stop twisting the knife."
Imitating her housekeeper-companion, Gemma threw her hands up in the air with a look of mock astonishment on her face. "Hey, I'm just reminding you of the boundaries that you set in stone. I'm sure you're right and now that she's had the fear of God put in her, she'll probably do the right thing, but in case she doesn't, I want to be absolutely clear—if you are going to take the leash off us two pit bulls, your ass better not start whining about it when we start biting, that's all."
"What I want to know is whether or not this new title of Baby Mama watchdog comes with some sort of combat pay," Neeta chimed in. "'Cause the SUV parked in your driveway don't count. That was long overdue for my trials and tribulations for dealing with this one." Neeta pointed a thumb at Gemma. "This here is some new shit."
"Yes, yes, of course. Now, are you two done yet?" Thank God my brothers can't see me cowering in front of these two. They'd strip my patch.
Gemma and Neeta both looked at each other. "Yeah, I think we're good. You just better be ready to back our asses up when your woman starts getting uppity." Neeta crossed her arms. "Cause she will get uppity."
"Believe me, between the two of us, Clay, Bobby, Donna and the rest of the crew, we should be able to keep her in line." Gemma declared.
Neeta suddenly smiled. "We won't need to pull all those innocent souls into duty. All we need to do is employ our secret weapon and we'll have Jolene eating out of the palm of our hands."
As all three looked at one another they all answered with one voice.
"Abel!"
Not only was Jax a patch member of the Sons of Anarchy for 12 years, but he had served time in prison. Twice. And not only has he seen some bloody shit go down, but more often than not, he had been the instigator of bloody shit storms and had the patch to prove it.
I have seen the bloodiest shit imaginable, Jax thought as he nearly swallowed his tongue as his eyes focused on the 50" flat screen on the wall. But none of that has prepared me for this!
Sitting on the large comfortable sofa in the family room, Jax did his best to keep the contents of his stomach from revisiting the surface while his mother, his wife, and her best friend made ooh-ing and ahh-ing sounds as they watched the miracle of birth in HD.
God, how much longer is this shit gonna last? I should have listened to Ope.
After their last check up with Dr. Namid, the doctor had suggested the Tellers watch a few birthing videos so that Jax could prepare for what he would experience in less than twelve weeks.
He had never thought of his old lady as the misery-loves-company type, but Jolene thought it would be a great idea for the whole family to gather—minus their son—in order to watch the video together. She had initially suggested watching it on Clay's TV, but her father had quickly put his foot down.
"You ain't watching that shit in here." Clay said. "I'd just as soon keep believing that the stork brought you into the world, baby girl."
Clay loved his grandson and he could hardly wait for the new one to arrive, but he had no interest in an up close and personal view of the birthing process, not at his age. His heart couldn't take it.
Instead, the older man had grabbed his grandson and Filthy Phil to play one of Abel's favorite board games at the kitchen table.
At first, it hadn't been too bad. At first. But as the birthing progressed and Jax swore that he literally saw the woman's head spinning around like Linda Blair from the Exorcist, he started fading fast.
"Girl, how quick did you give birth again?" Donna asked, her eyes riveted on the screen as she shoved a handful of Jolene's homemade spicy and buttery popcorn in her mouth.
"Girl, once my water broke in Ronnie's hallway, Abel popped out like a cork out of a bottle of champagne about an hour later." Jolene said almost gleefully as she eyed her slightly-green faced old man. "I was supposed to have a C-Section, but there was no time."
"Girl, that shit happens a lot." Gemma hooted. "Or so I heard because, unfortunately, it didn't happen to me. When I went into labor with Jax, we had just moved to Charming and we didn't own a cage. Good thing Wayne was at the Clubhouse and he gave me a ride to St. Thomas in his squad car 'cause there was no way I was getting there on JT's bike. And after the fuss that my water breaking early caused, I was in labor with this little shithead for 12 hours before he finally decided to join the land of the living."
Donna snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry, but 12 hours ain't shit! Try being in labor for 18 frickin' hours with Ellie's big head stuck in your cervix. Fool that I was, I wanted a natural child birth. I didn't know shit until that first realpain hit!" Gemma and Jolene were screeching with laughter as Donna continued. "There I was, hollering and screaming for drugs and Opie was like, 'Come on, baby, you can do it. You've got child-bearing hips!' I tell ya, I almost got up outta bed and knocked his ass onto the floor!"
Pouring another glass of pinot noir from the more than half-empty supersized bottle she and Gemma had consumed, the more than slightly inebriated woman took a large gulp, and continued. "I finally pushed them two boogers out and then after he cut the umbilical cord, my old man, the big bad biker, went down like a fuckin' Redwood tree, smack dab in the middle of the delivery room."
"What?" Gemma, Jolene and Jax yelled.
Donna, with an empty wine glass in one hand, clapped her other hand over her mouth. "Oh shit! I wasn't supposed to share that bit of Intel."
Jax nearly fell off the couch laughing. "Ope?" He gasped. "Fuckin' fainted?" Howls of laughter filled the room.
"Look, you can't tell him I said that. I swore I would take that shit to my grave." Donna pleaded as her BFF nearly rolled off the couch herself.
"I'm sorry, D. You are my bestie for life, but all bets are off. This shit's too good not to share!" Snorting like a pig from the laughter, Jolene managed to point to the screen. "Hey, here it comes."
Jax wished he hadn't looked.
The high-definition 1080 pixel screen displayed the event in all of its bloody glory. With a close up shot of the woman's lady bits stretched beyond recognition, a wet bloody and slippery wailing mass of arms and legs with a head the size of a cantaloupe suddenly slipped out from between the woman's legs and into the waiting hands of the doctor.
Oh! My! God! I may never have sex again.
Jax sat horrified as the SAMCRO women screamed and hollered with excitement.
"That was awesome!" Jolene clapped her hands excitedly. "Wasn't that beautiful, baby?" She cuddled up against her old man.
"Yeah," Jax mumbled and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Awesome."
Gemma smiled as she noted her son's pale face. "Great. Now let's watch the C-Section one since that's what Jolene is going to end up having this time around."
We're going to watch them cut some woman's belly open?
"You know Gem, I have to talk with Dr. Namid. I really hope he can avoid messing up my crow tat. It would be a shame if he has to cut through it."
"Sweetheart, by the time you're ready to pop, that crow tat's gonna be the size of a California Condor!" Gemma snarked as Jolene first glared at her mother-in-law and then, in spite of herself, bubbled over with laughter as Donna imitated the bird with the nearly ten-foot wingspan.
"Bitches!" Jolene declared. As Jax warily watched his old lady get up to change the DVD, someone decided to have mercy on his soul as he felt his pre-pay vibrate in his pocket.
Grabbing at the phone, Jax didn't even bother to find out who was on the other end of the line. "Okay, I'll be right there. I said I'll be at the Clubhouse in 15." Closing his phone with a snap, Jax got up and placed a hasty kiss on his old lady's lips. "Sorry, darlin', but I have to run. Club business."
"Oh, but baby, you're gonna miss out on the best part. We can wait 'til you get back." Jolene grinned as she saw the disconcerting look on her old man's face.
"No, babe. You go ahead. I'll watch it some other time." Quickly heading to the door, Jax practically ran as if the dogs of war were chasing him.
"That was fun." Jolene said snarkily, managing to do a fair imitation of a football victory dance in her condition.
"You and your passive-aggressive shit. You are a wicked, wicked woman." Donna piped up, causing all three women to holler with laughter.