Chapter 14

Breakdown

But you can't stop nothing

if you got no control

of the thoughts in your mind

that kept you in, you know

you don't know nothing

but you don't need to know

the wisdoms in the trees

not the glass windows

you can't stop wishing

if you don't let go

and you lose, and you know

Haley gasped as she woke up, she jolted up in the bed, crying out as the iv tugged in her arm. She fell back against the bed, glancing around in confusion. She pressed the call button, her fingers scratching at her palm as she waited. She pressed the button again, again, and again.

A nurse came in, a bright smile on her face. "How are you feeling?"

"What happened to me?"

"What do you remember last?"

"I don't want to play this game, just tell me what happened," Haley snapped.

"You were attacked, by your step-father. Juan Carlos Ortiz, he was shot, he was protecting you. Your step-father...," the nurse began explaining.

"Ryan, his name is Ryan, he's not my ... don't call him my step-father," Haley requested. "Where is my brother? My dad?"

"They are all in the waiting room, you have a lot of people waiting for you to wake up."

"How long have I been out?"

"Just a day, we had to sedate you. You were... you were a bit frantic."

"Frantic," Haley asked.

"You kept shouting about your step... Ryan trying to kill you. You said he wasn't going to stop and that he was going to kill you, just like he killed your mother," the nurse explained. "The doctors were worried that you were going to hurt yourself, you were fighting us. It was actually really impressive, you kicked one of the male nurse's ass."

"Oh my god," Haley mumbled. "Is he ok?"

"Please, he's fine, ego's a little bruised, but he totally deserved it. He called you angel, you said no one got to call you that but Jax Teller."

Haley's eyes widened dramatically as she heaved a sigh. "Oh god. Jax probably heard that, didn't he?"

"You caught a break there, the doctor had just kicked everyone out of the room," the nurse replied. "I'm going to tell your family you are awake. They can only come in two at a time."

"Good luck with that plan, they'll be back here," Haley warned her.

"I think after what you've been through, you deserve to break the rules just a little."

Haley leaned back against the pillows and heaved a sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment, ignoring the door when it opened. "How bad was it," she asked without opening her eyes.

"It was pretty bad, you freaked us out. You kept screaming, you wouldn't let anyone touch you, you were pretty out of it," Opie explained.

"You kicked that one guy's ass," Piney added.

"I bet that was your proudest moment pop," Haley said as she opened her eyes to look at them.

"Second proudest," Piney said with a shrug.

"What was your proudest moment," Opie asked curiously.

"When she graduated from college half-wit."

"Is Juice ok? The last thing I expected him to do was take a bullet for me."

"I don't think I've ever seen him so excited before. He earned his top rocker last night for what he did," Clay said as he came into the room. "How you doing baby girl?"

"Aside from my nervous breakdown last night, I'd say pretty good. Judging from the way you guys are looking at me though, I'm pretty sure I look pretty bad."

"Well you did get slammed into a door," Opie pointed out.

"Did you get him," Haley asked.

"We were a little more concerned with taking care of you, but Tig, Chibs, and Jax are out looking for him," Clay replied.

"Oh, ok," Haley said, obviously disappointed that Jax wasn't there.

"I'll call them, tell them you are awake," Opie offered. He left the room to make his call. Gemma came in as he went out.

"Baby girl, what are we going to do with you? You can't go around beating up nurses, I don't care if they use pet names on you or not," Gemma admonished. "You are going to get yourself arrested."

"Please, you know you are proud of that," Clay said with a grin. "You laid him out in one punch baby girl. I think you've been keeping things from us."

"So maybe I took up kickboxing in my spare time," Haley said with a shrug. "A little boxing never hurt anyone."

"He's not pressing charges, don't worry about it," Piney grumbled. He shook his head at her before looking at Clay. "We need to increase her protection."

"Already on it, she's staying at the clubhouse once she's released," Clay replied.

"No way, I am not staying there with all the guys!"

"Easiest way to keep you safe baby, its just until you've had a few days to recover. Then you can go back to your house, but two of the guys will be there with you," Gemma replied.

Haley heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Sure, do you want to stay alive," Clay asked with a smirk.

"Not funny," Piney snapped.

"Sorry, too soon," Clay said as he held his hands up. "Look, its for your own good. I'm tired of this guy messing up your pretty face. He shot one of my guys. The rest of the guys are ready to kill him. We just need a few days."

"I'm not staying there longer than four days, Tig will drive me up the wall. He's a strange, perverted man," Haley said.

"You get used to it after a while," Gemma said with a shrug. At the look Haley gave her, she laughed. "Well, I did!"

"That's because you are almost as crazy as he is," Clay said teasingly.