Delylah Teller was exhausted. She was astounded to realize just how much of her mother she had in her. In the six days that had passed since Abel's surgery, both of them lingered by Abel's side. When Tara needed a break, Delylah stepped in and vice-versa. While her brother hovered between life and death, Delylah made sure he was never, ever alone.
She watched Abel now. He looked so peaceful. His blonde curls gleamed against the white, starched sheets. His skin was flushed with color. The only thing that was out of place and strange was the ventilator Abel was connected to. The hum of the machines had its own rhythm, and it almost lulled Delylah into a light slumber. She hadn't slept much since all of this happened. Even though the police had obtained all their evidence, and the house was no longer considered a crime scene, Delylah just couldn't go back there. The hospital was cold and sterile, but it held no memories, nor did it hold any terror.
"Hey baby," Victor's voice was a whisper amongst the machines. Delylah's eyelids flickered open, and she smiled when she saw him. It was strange, this new love she had. She'd never thought she could experience this kind of peace with a man. It was nice, but she knew that, like all good things, it was going to have to come to an end. Victor had already extended his leave from the police department, citing Hannah's disappearance as the reason, but Delylah wasn't sure how long that would last.
"Hey," she mouthed. Her eyes felt like sandpaper, and her mouth was full of cotton balls. She couldn't remember the last time she ate, but she was far from hungry. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. She watched as Victor neared her; she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, he looked amazing. His dark eyes were bright and alert, his face was smooth and clean-shaven. The only change she really saw was his hair. The fine Marine stubble he typically sported was growing out, and it intrigued Delylah. She wondered if his hair was curly or straight, if it was dark like Hannah's, or if it had the blonde highlights from Sarah.
Sarah. She thought of Victor and Hannah's mother now. No one in the Teller family had seen Sarah or James since the wedding, but just an hour into Abel's surgery, the Sinclairs shocked everyone by arriving at the hospital. Jax, Tara, their kids, Victor and Will waited in the designated waiting area. Opie's head rested in her mother's lap, and she appeared to be napping. Jax stood at the window, looking out into the dark North Carolina night. Thomas and Will sat next to one another, whispering softly.
Tig and Venus sat across from Thomas and Will, and Althea stood near Jax. Delylah, Thomas, and Ophelia were still reeling from Tara's admission; she wasn't Abel's biological mother—some crazy crack whore junkie was. Delylah wondered how she never realized it. She never knew Tara wasn't Abel's mother. I guess love is like that, she thought. Love doesn't care if you're not the same blood. The realization that Tara never seemed any different to Abel only made Delylah respect her mother more.
Victor was running a casual hand through her hair when the door opened. It was a rare moment of relaxation for her; she was nestled in the crook of Victor's arm, reveling in the sensation of Victor's gentle touch. The door slid open slowly, and Delylah didn't bother opening her eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?" It was Victor who spoke. His voice wasn't loud; in fact, it was a low, gravelly murmur. Delylah opened her eyes, shocked to see James and Sarah standing there. Both had looked like they had seen better days. James' eyes were swollen and red-rimmed from crying. He wore impeccably cut gray linen slacks, but they were wrinkled with wear. His untucked white polo appeared thrown on.
Sarah looked just as bad. She was dressed in a long, beautiful turquoise sun dress, but that's where the elegance ended. Delylah blinked for a moment. She was so unaccustomed to seeing Dr. Sinclair's wife not dolled up, but without the artifice of makeup, Sarah looked strange. It wasn't that she wasn't still beautiful; she was, but it was more vulnerable beauty. Gone was the polished, stunning woman from her brother's wedding, and in her place was a shell of the doctor's wife. Her blonde hair was loose and wavy; her olive skin was dusky, and her eyes were just as swollen as her husband's. Delylah didn't know what they knew, but she was too shocked to see them to think about any of that.
"We came to talk to you," James spoke quietly. Delylah felt Victor stiffen by her side. She removed herself from the crook of his arm, but she held fast to his hand. A reassuring squeeze from him was what she needed, but he was in no state to give it.
"Why?" Jax's voice cut through the silence. Delylah watched as her father walked slowly towards the pompous doctor. "You had no interest in this family when your daughter married into this—this white trash clan. So why are you here now?"
"She's gone," Sarah said simply. "The police came to our house to tell us the news. That's how we heard about Abel. We came to see if you wanted our help."
"Your help?" Jax laughed. Delylah saw his blue eyes flash, and she felt an odd mix of pride and fear. Barely a foot separated the two men. Delylah's eyes flicked to Tara, who stayed seated. Ophelia slept on, oblivious to the possible chaos that surrounded them. Ophelia was always able to compartmentalize her feelings, as long as she could fall headlong into sleep. Dreaming was her twin's therapy, and Delylah always envied Ophelia for that.
"Who the fuck is this guy?" Tig didn't miss a beat. It was as if the last eighteen years never happened. He was on his feet and by Jax's side within seconds. Delylah was in awe. Since their arrival at the hospital, Tig, Venus, and Althea had tried to be respectful of Jax and Tara's children. They were almost like gargoyles; they watched and protected, but they said nothing—until now. For the first time, Delylah Teller wondered what her parents were really like before Witness Protection took over and changed everything.
"That's my father," Victor said coldly. "And the woman by his side is my mother."
"Oh, these are the assholes? Hannah's parents?" Tig whispered with a brutal, frigid grin. His ice blue eyes were emotionless as Tig scanned the couple up and down. Jax and Tara had given them the basic rundown of everything during their long flight home. Both Tig and Venus were heartbroken to hear of the Sinclairs' reaction to Jax and Tara's past, but they were even more heartbroken to hear how the doctor and his wife gave up on both Hannah and Victor. It made no sense. Delylah shivered as she watched the exchange.
"Yep, those are the assholes," Victor said. James glared at his son, but he remained silent. Jax watched as the typically dapper doctor realized he'd lost the upper hand. To say that he reveled in James' discomfort was a gross understatement. There was a part of Delylah that enjoyed the older man's pain as well.
"What the hell do you want?" Tig purred. As a rule, the old biker detested the holier-than-thou entitled rich, and that, mixed with the Sinclairs' obvious discomfort and sadness, satisfied Tig in an almost primal way. He was a lazy cat, licking his lips as he watched a mouse struggle in a mouse trap.
"You slumming?" James' voice was venomous as he turned his gaze back to Jax. "No wonder you wanted to turn Witness Protection." Tig gritted his teeth at that remark, but Jax's old friend didn't talk. He allowed James to dig his own grave.
"We want to apologize," Sarah nervously interjected, glaring at her husband. "We were wrong. Everything we said at the vineyard—the way we left—it was awful. We should've worked it out. We were just shocked by everything—"
"That's not an excuse." It was Tara's turn to speak. Delylah glanced at her mother. Tara didn't move at all. In fact, she was the epitome of calm as she continued to stroke Ophelia's hair.
"I know it's not," Sarah continued. "We handled everything all wrong. We should have stayed. We should have listened."
"Maybe if you had, Hannah would still be here," Victor said. "Maybe if you'd opened your minds instead of your mouths, Hannah would've had more protection."
"Where the hell were you?" True to form, James Sinclair couldn't stay quiet, nor could he stay humble. His eyes flashed as he stared at his son. "I mean, why weren't you there? Where was Abel? Where the fuck were you, Jax?" The accusatory tone grated on everyone's nerves, but Delylah felt a flame of anger flicker within her gut.
"Abel was working," she angrily chimed in. Her father's gaze was murderous as he stared at James. She didn't know where the words came from. She didn't normally insert herself into what she considered "adult issues," but she wasn't going to sit there and have that bastard place blame on her father and her lover. "Victor was helping my brother. We were trying to maintain a good cover. Trying to protect us all while a murderer runs loose, free do to do whatever the fuck he wants-which he obviously did with our Hannah."
Delylah watched as Thomas and Will looked admiringly on at her. The reassuring hand squeeze she'd longed for from Victor happened as she blushed. Tara offered a small smile to her daughter as her heart swelled with pride. Tell em Lala, she thought.
"And I was in California, burying a man that had no business being murdered for something that he didn't have any part of." Jax said through gritted teeth as he glanced at Althea. She remained frozen in place as the conversation unfolded. The pain in her eyes was awful, and it took everything within Jax to not punch James in the face again.
"And that was more important that my daughter?" James was relentless. Delylah watched Tig's hands ball into fists as the conversation continued. Jax's lips almost disappeared as he smiled. There was no joy in her father's eyes, only contempt.
"If you were so concerned with your daughter, Dr. Sinclair, you wouldn't have disowned her the minute things weren't up to your ridiculous standards." Delylah couldn't help herself. She listened to the words that spewed from her mouth. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you fucking insane? When James Sinclair's eyes shifted in her direction, she felt her blood run cold. Shockingly, he remained silent.
"You're right," an immediately contrite Sarah said. "You all did the best you could." James opened his mouth to say something, but with a sad glance from his wife, he closed it again. "We are sorry for being selfish, but I am begging you to give us a chance. I want my daughter home. I want Abel to live. I want everything to go back to what it was before we learned the truth."
"That's impossible," Tara said quietly. "It will never go back to what it was. We are not the people you once knew. We're the people we've been destined to be. I don't know if you could ever accept that."
"We could try," Sarah said. Her tone was sincere, but it didn't change anything within Tara. She was almost devoid of emotion where the Sinclairs were concerned. Deep down, she knew that both Sarah and James were in the same agony she was in—the only difference was that she could reach out and touch Abel. The Sinclairs weren't that lucky. Six months ago, she would have ached like the Sinclairs ached. Now, there was nothing for James and Sarah.
She hurt for Hannah. Her insides were ripped asunder as she thought of the girl that had been a part of their lives since she was sixteen. There was no telling where Hannah was, whether she was alive, or whether she was dead. Hannah was just as much of a daughter to Tara as Delylah and Ophelia were. A small pull drifted into her chest as she thought of her daughter-in-law. You have my grandbaby. She closed her eyes and said a small prayer. God, just please let her be okay. Just let Hannah and the baby be okay.
"You poor thing." The sound of Venus' voice filled the room. Tara's eyes flicked to Tig's wife, unsure of what to say. As Venus came closer, Tara held her breath. Her eyes locked with Thomas and Will's for a moment. They looked as if they were collectively holding their breaths. Anxiety plagued their beautiful faces, and even though neither man knew Venus well, Tara knew they feared Sarah and James'1` reaction to Venus Trager.
Silver Spring had never been a diverse town. Tara couldn't imagine that Dr. and Mrs. Sinclair would accept the transgender beauty, but as Venus' beautiful eyes filled with tears, Tara watched, transfixed. Venus now stood in front of Sarah. Tara marveled at Venus' huge, empathetic heart. She'd known Sarah for years, and after the brawl at the vineyard, there was sympathy, but there was still lingering anger.
Venus had none of that. She stood a good six inches over Sarah's tiny body. No one dared to breathe as they watched Venus cautiously smile. Tara watched as Jax's mouth dropped open; she saw Tig try to walk towards his wife, and she saw her husband's hand stop him. Thomas clutched Will's hand as they watched. Tara was immediately grateful that Opie slept on, peacefully lost in dreams as Delylah and Victor barely moved. Even Althea watched quietly as Venus reached out and grabbed Sarah's hands.
"You're going through hell," Venus said softly. "Now is not the time to badger you, no matter what happened. Your daughter is gone—she's pregnant—and you have no idea where she is. I can't even imagine not knowing where my kid was. We shouldn't be hurting you. We should be helping you. This is the time when family, as dysfunctional as it is, should come together. Not fall apart."
James Sinclair's eyes misted over as his mouth gaped open. Sarah began shaking. Instantly, Venus knew she'd spoken out of turn. She cast a fearful glance towards Tara, towards Jax, and finally towards Victor. She watched Hannah's brother close his eyes. As she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came. Venus was speechless. She instantly knew she fucked up.
"Hannah's pregnant?" James' voice cracked as reality set in. He felt his breath leave his lungs. He gripped Sarah's shoulders, and he felt her trembling. Sarah cast her dark eyes up to stare at him, but the agony was too great. She burst into tears. Tara watched, unaffected. She didn't know how she could be so disconnected, especially now. Venus had announced Hannah's pregnancy inadvertently, and Tara couldn't help but feel a slight satisfaction at James and Sarah's pain. How did this happen? How did I stop caring? She couldn't help but think of Gemma. I won't be you. I can't do it. As she looked at the Sinclairs, she could feel Gemma's hate-fueled presence surrounding her. It hadn't happened in so long; Tara had almost forgotten what the sensation was like. Shivers laced her skin as she realized there was a small part of her that missed it. Her gut churned in disgust.
"We found out before we went back to California," Jax spoke up. "Hannah and Abel told us before we left the vineyard."
"After we left?" Sarah croaked. Jax nodded. Tara said nothing; she kept stroking Ophelia's hair.
"I'm sorry, Jax," Venus' voice trembled as she spoke. "I shouldn't have said anything—"
"It's okay," James said abruptly. "We needed to know. And now that we do, we can help."
The room was silent. No one said anything; they all just stared at one another, waiting for the words to show up. It was an unearthly quiet that took over. When the door opened, it startled them all; they seemed to collectively jump as Dr. Parker walked in. Clad in sea green scrubs, the tiny doctor looked exhausted. Tara's eyes jumped to the clock on the wall. A lump rose in her throat. Six and a half hours had passed since Abel went to surgery. Tara knew the surgery should have taken four hours, tops.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mor—I mean-" Dr. Parker struggled with Jax and Tara's names. Her mind was reeling from the long surgery, and she still couldn't wrap her thoughts around Tara's past-life admission. James and Jax locked eyes. James said nothing; he looked to the doctor and kept his mouth shut. Dr. Parker looked at James and Sarah but didn't bother with niceties. She waited patiently as Tara divested herself from Ophelia's grasp. The younger Teller sat up sleepily, but she was instantly alert. Her large blue eyes focused intently on the physician. They all waited for her to speak.
"How is he?" Ophelia asked before anyone else got a chance. She stood carefully and walked over to Thomas and Will. She wedged herself between them, steeling herself for the news. Thomas wrapped an arm around her waist, and Will grasped her hand. When his dark eyes met hers, she automatically felt comforted. She didn't know Will very well, but Ophelia instinctively knew there was a sweet kindness about him she could implicitly trust.
"Yes, Dr. Parker," Tara all but whispered, "How is our son?"
Maya Parker sighed and cast her eyes downward. When she looked back up, Tara recognized the look in the cardiologist's eyes: fear. Tara moved closer to Jax and gripped his hand. She felt her husband's eyes on her, but she stared at Abel's doctor, ready for whatever news came.
"Abel has made it through surgery," Dr. Parker said. "We were able to relieve the pressure from the aneurysm, and we were successful and closing the hole in his heart, but there's -"
"No guarantee that this won't happen again," Tara finished. "The safety of this kind of closure was not able to demonstrate its superiority in preventing recurrence of other heart attacks."
Dr. Parker blinked, still shocked at the strange and beautiful woman standing before her. She wondered what stories Tara could tell, if given the opportunity.
"Indeed," the doctor agreed. "I worry that, with your son's specific defect, it is only a matter of time before this reoccurs." Tara nodded in understanding, but Jax looked confused. Images of Gemma now danced in his head. He thought of his little brother as well. Tommy. He remembered Gemma's long sliver of a scar, but it was Tommy's blue lips. If he concentrated, he could still hear the little boy's wheezes.
"So this is going to happen again?" Delylah asked carefully. She stood by Victor's side. Her blue eyes were wide with anxiety.
"It could," Dr. Parker stated. "But that is not my biggest worry."
"What is your biggest worry?" Tig asked, staring at the petite physician. She stared openly at the tall, silver-haired biker. She blinked rapidly as she took him in. Tig sat heavily by Venus' seat on the couch. The doctor's eyes lit on every face in the room: Althea still stood, completely quiet and barely breathing, by the windows. The Sinclairs stood alone in the corner. Thomas and Will held fast to Ophelia, and Victor followed suit with Delylah. Tara and Jax now clung loosely to one another as they waited for Maya Parker to deliver the facts.
"He is stable," she stated, ignoring Tig. "But he is in critical condition. While we had him open, he experienced another episode of cardiac arrest. We were, obviously, able to get him back and get him fixed. But he's not out of the woods. We have him in a medically induced coma—"
"To prevent additional infarctions and potential strokes and PEs," Tara finished once more.
"What are PEs?" Jax inquired.
"Pulmonary embolisms—blood clots in the lungs," James Sinclair now interjected. He cast a surprised glance in Tara's direction. He has no idea who you really are, she thought as she confidently met his stare. She'd forgotten that she and Dr. Parker weren't the only physicians in the room. Tara nodded for Dr. Parker to continue.
"I am erring on the side of caution," she explained. "I feel that his health is too precarious to take the risk. As much as we doctors hate to admit it, sleep is sometimes the most natural and effective healer there is. If we do it this way, he'll be much better for it when he does wake."
Tara nodded once more as Dr. Parker's words sank into her brain. Tara knew the younger woman was right, and it solved a two-fold problem: The coma helped Abel heal, but it also kept her son from freaking out about his wife. If Abel were awake, he wouldn't follow orders and rest; Tara knew Hannah and the baby would be Abel's only priority.
"Thank you," Tara said with a fragile, distant smile. "I trust we will see you tomorrow?"
"Yes, you will," Dr. Parker replied. "Do you have any other questions?" The room stayed silent and gave the doctor her answer. "Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight," Tara returned. Dr. Parker pivoted on her heel and exited the room.
The room seemed to breathe a little easier once she was gone. Both Delylah and Ophelia were crying, as were Venus and Althea, but Tara was more like the men; tears just felt weak, even though the news was heartbreaking. Jax gathered his wife in his arms, and Tara couldn't help but wonder if he needed her strength or if she needed his. When they broke away from one another, Tara's eyes locked with Sarah's, and she couldn't help but notice that, while she and Jax turned to one another for comfort, James and Sarah stood apart.
"I'm so sorry," Sarah murmured. Her eyes were wet with tears. "I really am."
"Thank you," Tara said kindly. Sarah had never been the problem. It was her husband. After seeing Hannah with Abel and Victor with Delylah, Tara knew any kindness came from the matriarch of the Sinclair family. Tara didn't believe for one second that James was capable of real kindness.
"I hope we can move past this," James said. Tara was surprised that the bastard could say anything at this point.
"I guess we need to just wait and see," Jax acquiesced. "With Abel in this—condition—we should focus our attention to Hannah and the baby. Let's get through one thing at a time. We'll worry about friendships when we can afford to." James inhaled, annoyed, but he nodded in agreement. Jax glanced around the room, his eyes resting on each person. Guilt overwhelmed him from every direction. He detested the feeling. Delylah watched as her father gave in to a man she hated. It made no sense to her. The Sinclairs walked away from Victor; they walked away from Abel and from Hannah, and her father was welcoming them back. She couldn't shake the feeling that James Sinclair was after more than the bastards that took his daughter.
Delylah tried like hell to figure out what that was as she stared at her comatose brother, memories of the waiting room forgotten. She stared at Victor, unsure of what to say. The machines beeped and whirled in the background, and Delylah wondered if Abel would ever wake. She knew that her father and his California friends were busy searching for clues. Thomas, Victor, and Will had joined in the search with law enforcement. Ophelia had lingered at the hospital, but there were times where her twin was hard to find.
"I just got off the phone with my supervisor," Victor stated, breaking Delylah's reverie.
"What did he say? Are they allowing you more time?" Delylah's gaze was hopeful as she stared at him. Just a few weeks ago, she was ready to run far away from Silver Spring. She was ready to go to NYU and say farewell to the quiet, boring life she'd grown up living. Now, she had this insane life built on a mountain of lies. She had a gay brother, a wonderful sister-in-law that was now missing, a comatose brother, renegade biker parents, and a whole slew of people that she barely knew involved in this mess. Still, she wouldn't trade Victor for anything. All she wanted was Hannah to be okay. She looked away from Victor and focused on Abel; she watched as the vent rushed air into his body.
"They are allowing me to take a leave of absence through FMLA," Victor explained. "I will be paid, and that'll mean I can help with the search for Hannah." A faint smile played on her lover's lips, but it disappeared the minute Delylah's met his. She looked so sad, when she should have been happy. She should have been overjoyed that Victor was staying in North Carolina. She should have rejoiced that he'd be around to help with her parents' search, but her heart just couldn't handle any emotions now. Even a sliver of happiness hurt too much.
"Are you alright?" Victor asked. Delylah's were blank as they now stared at nothing in particular.
"I'll be fine." Delylah knew it was a lie. She was far from okay, but she'd never show it. She closed her eyes as she felt Victor's big arms encircle her. He knew the truth. How absolutely untrue that was. He knew his beloved was floundering. Hannah has to be found. She just has to. The thoughts of Hannah overwhelmed him, and he knew that he was just as worried about Delylah as he was his sister. They were the two women he loved more than anything. Victor knew she wasn't fine. He heard her inhale deeply as she struggled to maintain her control.
Delylah felt manic. Her mind was racing. She couldn't feel anything, and it was terrifying. She was ripping apart at the seams. She was unsure about almost everybody and everything. Victor pulled her closer, and the tears came. Delylah just couldn't control it anymore. She was tired of being strong, and she was grateful that with Victor, she didn't have to be. They were in on this strange, dangerous odyssey. No matter what happened, she knew she was blessed to have a man like him. Her family and Victor were all she needed. As long as they had one another, she could afford just a little bit of hope. After all, failure was simply not an option.