Chibs pounded on the glass window with his fists and howled at the top of his lungs. Jimmy merely turned around with a Cheshire Cat grin and stepped to the side, showing off his handiwork. Aoife sat slumped, bound to the chair. The knife in Jimmy's hands dripped huge blood drops onto the floor. Jimmy resumed slicing the flesh of Aoife's cheeks into a horrific grin.
Chibs sat bolt upright in bed, dripping with sweat. He ran his shaking hands through his hair and took deep, gulping breaths of air. When the trembling subsided enough to grip the bottle next to the sofa bed, he took a swig of Jameson. He didn't think that a sea of whiskey could erase the images from his nightmare. He dug deep into the pocket of his saddlebag until his hand found a tattered cobalt velveteen drawstring bag. He untied the knot holding it shut and drew out the blue glass rosary. His fingers fumbled as he prayed through the first decade, but then muscle memory took over.
McKeavy's heavy footsteps crossed the room and he settled into the recliner across from the sofa bed. Chibs stared down at his rosary, seeing McKeavy's brown loafers in the background. Then a flash of silver distracted him and he looked up.
"I didn't mean to disturb you. I decided to go through my morning devotions, just like you." The delicate pearl and silver filigree rosary looked out of place in McKeavy's rough, sausage-like fingers. "It belonged to my great-grandmother."
"This was a present from Kerrianne my last Christmas in Belfast. She was so proud of herself for picking it out." Chibs closed his eyes, pretending to resume his praying but thinking back on that precious holiday. That Christmas Eve, he and Fiona had walked the two short blocks to the cathedral with Kerrianne in her little red and green velvet dress riding on his shoulders. During midnight Mass, his pigtailed little girl had fallen asleep with her arms around his neck, and he couldn't bear to put her down when they got home, so he spent Christmas night on the couch with her in his arms and Fiona curled up against his side. Kerrianne had woken before six as small children are wont to do on Christmas morning, but instead of ripping open her small stack of presents, she had shoved a small box into her groggy father's hands and begged him to open it first.
McKeavy interrupted Chibs' reminiscing. "We have one more meeting today for brunch. We'll be back in Oakland by early afternoon."
Gemma opened the door for Aoife. "I put fresh sheets on the bed. If you give me your keys, I'll run over to your place and pick up some clothes and stuff for you."
And snoop, Aoife thought to herself, but she handed over the keys. She toed off her shoes. "Fuck." Aoife muttered, digging through her purse for her cell phone.
"What's wrong, baby girl?" Gemma asked.
"I have to call Della. She's been baking for two hours already." Gemma put a manicured hand on Aoife's arm.
"The shop's taken care of. I called an old friend and she's taking care of it. She used to run her own restaurant. She can handle the shop for a few days to give you time to heal."
"But-" Gemma put a hand up to silence Aoife.
"You need your rest. If Marilyn needs anything, she'll call me. Bed. Now."
Exhausted as she was, Aoife stood in the center of Chibs' dorm room after Gemma closed the door. She took in the Scottish flag over the bed, the framed photos of Kerrianne that decorated the top of the battered dresser, and the bookshelf of poetry next to the bed. On the other side of the queen-sized bed that occupied most of the floor space, there was a nightstand. On the nightstand, there was a lamp, the Complete Works of Shakespeare, reading glasses, and the photo of her and Chibs from the botanical gardens. Even though she had never been in Chibs' room before, it was comfortable and safe to her - just like Chibs. Pulling off the scrubs Jax had conjured up from somewhere to get her out of her bloody clothes, she picked up a t-shirt and boxer shorts that were lying folded in a laundry basket. She wiggled under the sheets and down comforter and fell into a much needed sleep.
Chibs couldn't find Clay when he returned. He briefed Jax on McKeavy's travels in a few sentences. The VP nodded and pushed him towards his dorm room. "We can talk later. Go see your old lady."
Chibs hung his cut on the hook behind the door. He stripped to his boxers. He slid under the covers behind Aoife and pressed his chest into her back, his arm clutching her gently but protectively. "God, I've missed you lass," he breathed into her hair, kissing down the curve of her ear and the side of her neck. Aoife sighed in her sleep and snuggled against him. He drifted off almost immediately. The two were sleeping so deeply that neither one stirred when Gemma tapped on the door twice and then pushed it open. The queen of Samcro smiled at the sight of the two lovers resting peacefully together. She dropped the suitcase next to the dresser and closed the door with barely a sound.