I apologize for it being so long since I last upload a chapter! I've been extremely busy lately, the holiday season is here and there's been a lot of things going on lately; festivals, social gatherings and especially concerts! I've attended 3 shows within the past 2 weeks and I've been too exhausted to write. But no more excuses! I'll try to be more urgent when it comes to uploading new content, even though I always get nagged at whenever I'm on my laptop :P
One of the concerts that I attended was a Blink 182 show in Los Angeles and seeing them perform their song "Not Now" motivated me to finish writing this, thus, it being the name of the chapter. (If you haven't heard this song, I HIGHLY suggest that you do! It is beautifully written and overall an amazing song!) This next chapter takes place during "The Sleep of Babies" episode, which always makes me tear up, and this song definitely put me the state of mind that I think Opie would be in.
And one last thing, thank you to C.C for the review, I'm glad you approved of the changes I made! Okay! No more stalling! After proof reading this 3 times before posting it because I tend to be a perfectionist, I will now let you all enjoy! And I hope the length of this chapter makes up for my tardiness! Please let me know what you think!
It was a calm morning. Opie had left for the clubhouse and Emily had stayed behind with Donna, making something to eat for the kids. "You don't have to make breakfast, you know that right?" Donna said as she handed Emily a mug filled with her favorite brewed beverage. She inhaled the fresh smell of coffee before taking a sip. She sighed with content.
"It's no trouble. I wanted to make something for Ellie and Kenny." She glanced at them as she took a bite from the warm pancakes. "You can never go wrong with chocolate chip pancakes, right?"
"Right!" they said in union, making the two women laugh.
Emily looked over to Donna, who seemed to be spacing-out as she absentmindedly kept turning the fork in her hand. "Is everything okay?" she asked Donna, making direct eye contact with her sister-in-law. With Opie? The Club? Emily knew Donna had understood what she meant.
She looked over to her children, who were too busy digging into their breakfast to hear their conversation."Yeah, I think everything will be just fine." She smiled.
Emily nodded and returned the gesture. "Good to know."
Just then, the house phone started to ring, Donna quickly rushed over to answer it. Emily stuck her tongue out at Kenny before taking another bite of her breakfast, grinning as she continued to play fight with her nephew. Ellie shyly laughed at them. As soon as they finished their breakfast, the kids ran over to the couch and turned on the television set. Emily stood up and collected the dirty dishes on the table, walking toward the sink. She wanted to help Donna in any way, no matter how small the deed.
Donna walked over to her, looking a bit confused. "That was Mary." Donna stated.
Emily looked at her and frowned, putting away the clean dishes. "Something wrong?"Donna quickly shook her head.
"No, nothing's wrong. She…wants to take the kids to Fun Town AND dinner."
Hearing this, she quickly looked over to the kids, who were too distracted watching cartoons to hear their conversation. "Really? I mean, I can't blame her for wanting to spend time with them, they're sweet kids." Donna smiled at her, raising a hand to tuck some of her dark hair behind her ear. "So? You're gonna let them go?"
"It's not just my decision anymore. I have to ask Opie…"
"Then let's go." Emily flashed a grin, but after seeing Donna hesitantly agree, her smile faltered. "You still feel uncomfortable around the club?"
Donna looked up to her and quickly shook her head, sighing. "I know they're trying to help. I can't keep Opie from the club, they're his family. Your family."
"Our family," Emily corrected. "They're here for you and the kids, too."
Donna gave her a small smile as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that." She turned to the Ellie and Kenny. "Hey kids, want to go to Fun Town with Grandma?"
Their heads quickly jerked up and smiled at their mother. "YES!" they cheered in union; Emily smiled at how adorable the two of them were.
"Alright then, let's go ask your dad for permission, okay? Now go change." They quickly jumped off the couch and ran down the hall towards their bedrooms. Donna walked over to couch and reached for the remote, turning off the television set.
After the kids got ready, they made their way towards the clubhouse. "How was it with the club yesterday?" Donna asked, trying to make small talk until they arrived.
"Better than I thought it was going to be."
"That's good." She looked over at Donna, who was busy paying attention to the road to notice her stare. She looked happier; she really was trying to look at the brighter side of this situation. She loved Opie, it was the only reason why she had stuck around when he went to jail. She could have left him and the club behind, but she chose to stay.
"I think I might want to walk around Charming today."
Donna gave her an odd look."Really?" Emily laughed.
"Yeah, why not? The kids will be with Mary and with me out of the house, you get some time alone with Opie." Emily smirked when she saw her sister-in-law's face turn a bright shade of red as they pulled up into the lot of Teller-Morrow.
"Kids stay here, alright? We'll be right back." Kenny and Ellie nodded their heads as the two women stepped out of the car and made their way towards the clubhouse. They walked through the doors, looking for Opie, but only saw a hang-around with a Crow Eater by the couches.
Just around the corner near the bar, Emily spotted Juice as he fumbled with his laptop. "Hey, Juice." She smiled at him as he looked up at them with a tired look on his face. He quickly tried to straighten up as he closed his computer.
"Oh, hey. W-What are you guys doing here?" he stuttered.
"Looking for Ope. Have you seen him?"
He looked back toward the hallway, and turned back to face them. "Yeah, I'll get him for you." He said as he walked away from them with a tired strut.
"What's up with him?" Donna asked as she stared at Juice's back as he disappeared down the hall. Emily looked over her shoulder, eyeing the Crow Eater who continued to flaunt herself in front of the hang-around.
"They had company last night, must have tired them out." Donna gave her a disgusted look as Emily merely shrugged.
Juice reappeared from the hallway and walked back over to them. "He'll be right out."
"Thanks, Juice." Donna smiled at him, earning a nod from him. Sure enough, Opie emerged from the hallway seconds later. Emily glanced between Opie and Donna, taking a step back and bumped her elbow into Juice's side. His body jerked away from her, giving her a surprised face expression. She tried to hold in her laughter, only giving him a big grin as she mentioned for him to follow her out the clubhouse.
Emily sat on top of the bench outside, deciding it would be her go-to spot. Juice chose to sit at the edge of the table, crossing his arms while eyeing Emily. "What are you up to?" she asked casually, trying to get a conversation shrugged, looking down at the ground as he tried not to stare into her blue eyes that reminded him a little too much of Piney.
"Nothing much, just making sure our surveillance is up to date." He stated, not sure how open he can be with her about the club's business. He believed she could be trusted because she was the daughter and sister of patched members, but he was still very hesitant.
She nodded her head in approval. "So you're the club's tech guy, huh? It's definitely something SAMCRO needed. Bringing the club to the 21st century." She chuckled as she looked over towards the garage, waving a 'hello' to Lowell as he looked up to their direction.
"Yeah, well, it's gotten me in trouble back when I lived in Queens." He stated as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. She gave him a curious look.
"New York? You're a long way from home." This time, it was his turn to laugh.
"Yeah, but I had to get out of there fast or else I would've been in some real deep shit. I'm just happy I met Jax and made it into SAMCRO; they saved me."
Emily let out a smile when she noticed him stroking his forearm, where his reaper tattoo was imprinted in his tan skin. She was proud of the fact that her father and the rest of the First 9 formed the club. It had helped many of the club members become loyal and hardworking people and, like Juice's case, saved them from their past lives. Although a lot of good came from the club, it had its downfalls; people getting killed and families being torn apart, such as her own. She frowned at the thought, quickly pressing it to back of her mind.
"Well, I'm happy you're here."
"Me too." They exchanged smiles and looked up to see Donna walking out the door.
"I'll see you guys tonight at Jax's!" She waved at them as she walked back to her car. Emily turned to Juice.
"What's happening at Jax's house?" she asked, wondering what plans had been made for the night.
"Abel is coming home. Gemma is throwing him a homecoming party at Jax's place tonight." Juice answered as he stared at Donna's car leaving the lot. "You going, right?" he asked hesitantly, which made her laugh.
"Of course I am, what kind of question is that?" I have some shopping to do. She smiled to herself, excited to finally meet the little boy.
"Can't wait to see him." She grinned at him, which made him let out a light chuckle.
"Same here." A car pulled into the lot, making them look up as Clay and Tig jumped out from it. "No bikes today?"
He shrugged his shoulders."Guess not." He straightened up as Clay made his way over to them, looking directly at Juice.
"Get Jax and Ope out here. We have to head out." Without another word, Juice sped off into the clubhouse.
"How you doing, Em?" Clay asked, his posture very stiff. Abel's homecoming couldn't have come at a better time. This party was a chance for them to relax and just enjoy the company of the baby and of each other.
"I'm doing good. Are you excited to see your grandson tonight?"
Hearing this, he let out a huge grin. "Not as excited as Gemma. She's going all out for the little man. She already loves that kid more than she loves me." He said with amusement as he walked off toward the black van.
She looked up and waved at Tig, who merely gave her a nod. It might have been a while since she's hung around the MC, but she could tell he was being more uptight than usual. What's up with you, Tiggy? Her thoughts were interrupted as Juice popped up and once again leaned against the table. "Things are busy around here." She stated as she continued to eye Tig, who stood by Opie's truck. "Hope everyone can make it tonight." She hopped off the bench, tired of sitting on her ass. Being a nurse, she was use to moving around all the time, she couldn't stand being in one spot for too long. Juice was about to say something when Opie stepped out, making him immediately shut his mouth.
"Why are you still here?"
Emily shrugged as she looked up to her brother. "Just hanging around. Juice is keeping me company. "Opie shot Juice a look, which made him take step away from the both of them. He rubbed his head and let out a nervous laugh. Real smooth, Juice. She rolled her eyes. "I thought I'd walked down to Main Street. Heard Abel is coming home, I want to buy him a present."
He nodded as he looked over to Tig, who continued to wait. "We got some shit to do right now, but meet me back here and I'll drive us to Jax's house?"
"Yeah, sounds good." He smiled at her and kissed her temple before walking off towards his truck.
"Better watch it, Juice. You don't want to make the wrong move around big brother." They both turned to face Jax, a smug smirk planted on his face. Juice glanced at Emily, and then quickly looked back to Jax, his mouth open.
"W-What?" he managed to stammer out, feeling his face heat smirked at Juice, clearly entertained. This guy really doesn't know how to keep his cool, does he? Jax is just teasing.
"Stop it." She playfully punched Jax on the shoulder, he didn't budge. Her eyes looked down to see him holding two black bags; she didn't need to ask what was in it. "Business?" she asked, already knowing the answer. They turned their head as they watched Opie's truck pass them, Jax looked over Emily's shoulder to look at Clay.
"Yeah. You know how it is. I'll see you guys later." He slapped Juice's upper arm, giving him a quick nod. He lifted his hand and ruffled Emily's hair before scurrying away.
"He's lucky he's on his way out." Emily mumbled as she tried to smooth her hair down. Juice scoffed, trying to hide a smile.
"What could you possibly do to him? You're at least half his size!" he teased, making sure he was out of her reach so she wouldn't punch him like she did to the Vice President.
She looked up to him with a smug look on her face. "I could leave some damage."
"Short, blonde hair, blue eyed girl like you? Yeah, I hardly doubt that." She instantly frowned, causing Juice to laugh at the ridiculous look. While Opie managed to grow up to be taller than their father, Emily was only slighter taller than their short mother.
"Oh yeah? Want to say that to my trainer?"
He eyed her, keeping that a grin on his face. "And who might that be?" She turned her body to fully face him, getting ready to see his reaction. She looked at him, a smirk on her face. It wasn't until Juice got tired of her stare that he raised an eyebrow, signaling her to go on and spit it out.
"The Tacoma Killer himself." She let out a huge grin when she saw Juice's eyes widen, clearly shocked.
"H-Happy taught you how to fight?" he stuttered, which made her irrupt in laughter.
"Yup."
Her laughter died down as she reached over for her bag on the table and hauled it over her shoulder. "I gotta go."
Juice straightened his posture as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Want me to tag along?" he asked hesitantly.
"You shouldn't be walking around by yourself." Trying to be slick? Having Happy as an instructor, it was made sure her 5'5 stature wouldn't be an issue if she were ever to fight someone, whether it be a woman OR a man.
"I can take care of myself." She said confidently as she walked away from him, toward the gate.
"Well, if you ever need any rescuing, I'm always up for the job." He called out. Emily didn't bother turning back, she simply waved her hand towards him and continued to walk.
After arriving in Main Street and walking around all the stores, Emily finally managed to find a gift. Being a small town, Charming was never the greatest place to shop at, but having no car to drive into the next town, Emily had no other choice. She bought a soft baby blue blanket along with some colorful fabric letters and different sized stars, a small sewing kit and a gift bag. She decided to have a cup of coffee at Hanna's Diner as she tried her best to sew on the big letters onto the right corner of the blanket. She earned a couple of stares from arriving customers, but she didn't care. She managed to finish the last stitch and held up the blanket to see ABEL and all the fabric stars neatly sewed into the soft fabric. Not that bad. After she paid her tab, she neatly folded the blanket into the gift bag and made her way out of the Diner and headed back to TM.
She made her way into the lot and walked over the bench where just a few short hours ago she was sitting with Juice. She looked up to see Opie and Clay sitting on the bench, Tig standing next to Jax as he spoke with someone on the phone. "Hey guys." She greeted them, holding the gift behind her, making an attempt to conceal it from Jax's view. With a tired expression on their face, they all nodded towards her before facing Jax as he hung up the phone.
"I gotta go pick up my kid." He stated.
"We need something good right now; go get him." Clay told him, approving his dismissal.
"Alright. See you at the house." They all gave him a quick nod as he walked off toward his bike.
"Let's Go." Opie quickly spoke to Emily as he pushed himself off the bench, strolling off towards his car. She gave one last glance at Clay and Tig before jogging over to catch up with her brother.
As soon as she hopped into the truck, she eyed Opie, studying his face for any hint of what may have happened since the last time she saw him. No scratches or bruises. "Did something happen?" she asked, wanting to know why everyone was in such a tough mood. She heard Jax's motorcycle pass by before Opie put the truck in reverse and exited the lot.
"Our job for the day didn't go as planned." He said, not wanting to get into details on how they got ambushed and could've ended up dead.
"But everything is okay, right?" He looked over to her sister and gave her a quick nod before looking down at the gift bag that sat between them.
"What did you get for Abel?" Emily didn't like the fact that Opie changed the subject, but she decided to roll with it.
"Have to wait and find out."
They arrived at Jax's house and met up with Donna and the kids who were parked across the street, waiting for their arrival. As they knocked on the door, a familiar face swung the door open. "Emily!" she cheered as she rushed forward to give her a hug.
"Nice to see you too, Luanne!" Emily laughed, returning the hug.
"I didn't know you were back in town! When did you…You know what? Never mind, you can explain later. Come on in, before Jax shows up with the baby!" she rushed everyone inside. She gave Lowell and Chibs a quick hug and walked over to her father, kissing his cheek before taking a seat next to him.
Jax has a nice place. They did a good job on it. She observed. Jax had bought the house before Opie ended up in Chino. Emily never had a chance to visit his new home when she came back to Charming to help Donna. The house was a fixer-upper; everyone from the club helped him rebuild it and even threw a big housewarming party, inviting everyone from the club and even some crow eaters. This is where Wendy showed up, her first time hanging around SAMCRO. She and Jax messed around but it wasn't until a year later that they got serious and eloped. Emily had never met Wendy, but she always thought she was just a rebound after Tara left town. She didn't know how to feel about her now, since she had just become the mother of his new born child.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Chibs handed her a plastic cup. Without looking what was in it, she looked up at him with a smile on her face. "Whiskey?"
"You know me too well, lass." He laughed and moved over to her right side, sitting on the couch's arm rest.
"How are things going for you, Chibs?" He took a swig from his drink, the alcohol having no effect on him whatsoever.
"Ehh, same ol,' same ol', ya know? But things are about to change with this lil scrapper around." She nodded her head, agreeing with him as she took a sip from her cup, the alcohol burning down her throat.
She continued to talk to Chibs and just a few short minutes later, Luanne rushed to open the door, Jax walked into the house, holding baby Abel in his arms. Everyone cheered as he made his way into the living room, making everyone jump out of their seat. They exchanged smiles as Jax reached over to shake her father's hand.
"Congratulations, Jax." Piney said before leaning in to kiss his forehead. Emily looked down at the boy, his small chubby face resembling his father's.
"He looks exactly like you, Jax."
"Thanks, Em." His face with filled with joy, a grin planted on his face from ear to ear.
"Getting ready for his first brewski?" Clay lifted his beer up to the baby. "Just you and grandpa, huh?" They all laughed and continued to smile at Jax and his baby.
One by one, everyone had a chance to meet and hold the little boy. The kids were playing and laughing with Piney, different conversations scattered across the house; everyone was having a great time at this small but cheerful celebration. Emily had managed to sneak into Abel's nursery and left the gift she got for the baby in his crib. She gave one last glance around the beautifully decorated room and exited out to the hallway. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed her bag from off the counter, digging for her cell phone. As the screen lit up, it revealed a missed phone call from Kim; she quickly checked her voicemail. "Sorry, you must be busy. I just wanted to check up on you. Call me back whenever you have free time, okay? I'll talk to you later!" She smiled to herself as she hung up the phone and put it back in her bag before she threw it back on the counter.
Donna handed her a beer and gave a quick shrug as Emily raised an eyebrow when she saw her holding her own bottle of beer. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself."
"I am." Donna admitted, taking a sip from the bottle.
"That's good. I'm happy to hear that." She smiled at her sister-in-law.
"I think we might be leaving soon. Don't want the kids getting too exhausted."
Emily chugged some of her own beer as she looked around the kitchen; scattered beer cans and plastic cups everywhere. She peered into the living room and stared at Gemma as Jax handed the baby over to her. "I want to stay a bit later and help clean up. I'll crash at Gemma's tonight, and sleep in Jax's old room. I'm sure she won't mind." Donna nodded and took a seat at the dinner table, relaxing into the seat as she stared at Piney and her children. She loved seeing Ellie and Kenny spending time with their grandfather, laughing and playing together.
"The kids are having a great time." Emily looked up to the long blonde haired women who stepped toward them, a small friendly smile on her face.
"Yeah, they are. We're happy Abel is finally home."
"Thank You." She looked directly at Emily and extended her hand out. "We haven't met. I'm Wendy." She shook her hand and smiled at her.
"Emily. Opie's sister." Hearing this, Wendy's eyes widened, obviously caught off guard.
"I didn't know Opie had a sister." If Jax had once been married to this woman, she expected him to have at least mentioned Emily, who was practically like his sister. What DO you know?
Emily scoffed and tried to keep the smile on her face. "Yeah, well, I haven't been around for a while." She sipped some more of her beer as Wendy tried to think of what to say next.
"Well, you're here now." Donna suddenly said, taking Emily's hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I bought Abel a gift, left it in his crib. I hope he likes it."
"Oh, uhm, thank you." Wendy muttered, unsure of what to say. In the corner of her eye, Emily noticed a figure walking into the room quite hesitantly; it took her a second to realize it was Tara. Wendy turned her head, her body immediately turning stiff as she turned back toward Emily. "I have to use the restroom. Excuse me." She headed for the hallway, her eyes glued to the ground as she passed by Tara.
Tara looked up at Emily and gave her an unsure smile. "Hey, Emily." She looked over Emily's shoulder and gave a quick nod. "Donna."
"Hi, Tara." She replied standing up from the table and heading toward the refrigerator. "Beer?" She offered, not waiting for her to answer as she handed her the cold bottle.
"Thanks." She pulled her dark hair behind her ear, eyes scanning her surroundings, clearly nervous about being at the celebration.
"I didn't know you were back in town." Emily said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yeah, I could say the same."
Emily shrugged."Yeah, I guess so. I've only been back for a few days. How is everything? Heard you made it as a doctor?"
"Oh, uhm ,yeah, I did. I got offered a job at St. Thomas, it's the reason why I came back." Are you sure about that? Emily wondered, taking a sip from her beer.
"Jax told me you're in the medical field too."
"Yeah, Registered Nurse. Finished school up in Washington, got a job in Pierce County, everything has been good so far. Jax wants me to work at St. Thomas so I can stick around a bit longer, but that's not going to happen"
"I think it's a great idea." Donna spoke up as she sat back down at the table. Emily opened her mouth to respond, but Tara beat her to it.
"St. Thomas would be lucky to have you, and I'm sure your family and the club will love it if you'd stay. You'll do great here."
Not you guys, too. Emily scoffed, shaking her head at the two women. "You guys are ridiculous. It's easier said than done."
"You should think about it." Emily eyed Donna as she said this, and finally let out a long sigh.
"Fine. I'll think it over." Donna and Tara shared a smile as Emily rolled her eyes. "Glad you two enjoy my misery." Donna let out light hearted laugh as Emily turned around and headed toward the living room.
Emily made her way toward Gemma, who held Abel lovingly. "Glad he's home." Gemma leaned over to her and kissed her temple before looking her straight in eye.
"We're glad you are home, too." They exchanged a smile and continued to admire the baby as he let out small squeals. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to see you sooner, Em. It's been very busy lately; Abel being in the hospital, Wendy moving into a sober living facility and Tara…" Gemma glanced into the kitchen, where Tara was talking to Donna and Opie. "I don't know what's going on between her and Jax. Then there's the club…" She continued to sway the baby back and forth, running her finger gently down his little chubby cheeks. His little blue eyes fluttered as he looked back and forth between Emily and his grandmother.
"It's okay…and I'm sure it'll all work out soon. You have this little angel to distract you for now." She smiled as the little boy continued to stare at her.
"Let's try makin' one, darlin'?" Chibs teased as he hovered over shoulder and looked at Abel. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Stop it." She finished the rest of her drink, Chibs immediately taking the bottle from her hand.
"How bout another one, then?" She thought about having another round of whiskey, but decided to shake her head. She was a lightweight, and the mixture of the whiskey and beer was already causing her to feel a bit dizzy.
"No thanks, but I could use a smoke?" He pulled out his cigarettes and offered her one, along with a lighter, without hesitation. She kissed his cheek and whispered a "Thank You" before giving Abel one last smile and walked towards the front door. As she waked passed everyone in the living room, she couldn't help but notice Tig and Juice, who sat next to each other on the couch, suddenly stop their conversation and looked down when Emily walked by them. She didn't give it a second thought and simply continued for the front door.
It was a cold night, the light breeze making her shiver. She quickly lit the cigarette and inhaled, slowly blowing it out the smoke as it lingered in front of her face before finally fading away. She wasn't much of a smoker, but after having a drink or two, she would usually have a cigarette before ending her night, whatever the occasion. She sat down on the steps and enjoyed the cigarette as she gazed at the bikes lined up on Jax's front lawn. Around this time, she would have been getting out of work and driving back to her apartment where Kim would have dinner, and whatever TV show she felt like watching at the time, waiting for her. It had only been 3 days, but she missed her small group of friends back in Tacoma, especially Kozik.
Wonder what that idiot is up to. He was one of her best friends, always being there for her whenever she needed him to be. Sometimes she'd forget that he was apart of the club, let alone the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Tacoma Charter.
Her body jumped at the sound of the front door being slammed shut. She looked over her shoulder and stared at Tara as she rushed passed her. "Hey, Tara-" She ignored Emily and walked down the sidewalk, off to her car. "Tara!" she called out to her again, but she didn't respond. What the hell? The door opened and closed again, this time it was Juice who appeared. She looked up to him and quickly back at Tara, who was stepping into her car. "What's up with her?"
Juice shook his head, not knowing what to tell her. "I don't know. Jax asked me to follow her home and make sure she gets there alright." Emily stood up and threw her cigarette onto the first step, stepping on it before she looked back up to Juice.
"Mind if I tag along?" He felt a smile tug on his lips before he gave her a shrug and walked down the steps.
"Y-Yeah, sure." She smiled and followed him to his bike. He quickly pulled out his spare helmet from his saddlebag and handed it to her. As soon as they hopped on his bike, Juice turned on the engine and raced down the street to catch up to Tara's Cutlass down the block.
Emily didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his waist when they took off, which caught Juice off guard, but he decided to not let it distract him. "You okay?" he asked when she didn't loosen her grip after riding down a few blocks, still on Tara's tail. She let out a chuckle and moved her hands from around his waist and placed them on his hips.
"Sorry. The alcohol snuck up on me. I got dizzy for a second."
"You sure you're alright?"
She couldn't help but smile when he slowed the bike down. "Yeah, I'm fine."
The bike came to a full stop when they approached the corner of Tara's block. They saw her exit the car, make her way to the front porch and walked into the house. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it'll pass." He revved the engine and continued down the road, keeping the bike's speed to a slow pace.
"Are you sure about that? Jax said their relationship is good but…it doesn't seem like it." She felt him shrug his shoulders and let out a sigh as he turned a corner.
"The Doc is a good person. She helped out with Abel, being in the hospital and having all those operations. She even helped the club, too. She's trying." But is it enough?
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
They heard a buzzing sound and Juice pulled out his cellphone from his pocket. "Yeah?" he answered the phone with one hand while keeping the bike steady with the other. His body suddenly stiffened as Emily heard a faint response come from the opposite line. She couldn't make out any of the words, but it was short and urgent. "We're on our way." He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "Shit. Something happened, hang on."
Emily didn't have a chance to ask what was wrong; the second her arms were around him again, the bike roared to life and sped down the street. She clung onto Juice, the fast turns making her head swim, almost nauseatingly. They soon heard another engine down the street and just as they passed the corner, Tig joined them. Juice nodded at his brother as they sped down the street side by side. What the hell is going on? As they approached the next corner, over the sound of the motorcycle's engine, the noise of wailing sirens filled her ears as Emily saw police cars and ambulances at the end of the road, the street surrounded with cops and onlookers.
They immediately stopped on the side of the road before jumping off the bike. Just beyond the yellow caution tape, Emily could see the flashing of cameras surrounding Opie's truck; the glass of the back window shattered. She felt her heart thumping up against her chest as she threw her helmet down on Juice's bike and rushed over. She leaned under the barricade tape, slowed down until she came to a complete halt and she stared at the scene in front of her. She heard her brother's cries as she saw him down on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably over Donna's still body. She felt tears sting her eyes as she looked up at Jax and stared at him, begging for answers. He stared back at her with a long face, and shook his head. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, trying to muffle the cry escaping her lips.
"Come here." She felt a hand clasp her shoulder, gently pulling her until she buried her head against a firm chest. "Don't look." She heard Juice whisper just above her ear, his arm around her shoulder. Tears fell down her face and rubbed off on his cut, her hands still over her mouth as she tried her hardest not to let out another sob. She looked back up at Jax, who leaned down to whisper something into Opie's ear before Chibs helped peel him away from Donna's body. He clenched onto his best friend, crying into his shoulder, before the two men pulled him to the opposite direction of his dead wife. "Come on, let's go." Emily lifted her head, Juice still holding onto her, trying to keep her steady, and walked toward the rest of the club. Jax and Chibs sat Opie down on the hood of the car, where he leaned his elbows on his knees and buried his face into his hands.
When they stood in front of the guys, Jax quickly reached over for her and held her close for a second before kissing the top of her head and looked at into glistening eyes. "I'll call Piney and let him know what happened." His voice was shaky, letting out long sigh before shaking his head."Just….take him home."
Emily pulled away from Jax and jogged toward her brother, wrapping her arms around his trembling shoulders. He grabbed onto her and continued to cry, the street lights shining on his tears. She couldn't talk, couldn't think of what to say to her older brother who was drowning in despair, so she did the only thing she could do; she held him close and let him cry.