CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

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After dropping me at the garage Jax and Opie take off for the warehouse, but before they leave Jax gives me a searing kiss and the promise that he'll be at the hospital in an hour.

I walk into the office, slightly dazed and flushed from the heat that's rushed to my face with Jax's kiss. Gemma chuckles and drops the pile of paperwork on top of her relatively empty desk. "What's up baby?"

I sigh and drop down onto the couch in the corner "Bluebird shit, Ope and Jax are up there for an hour or so and I was hoping that Grandma could take me to the hospital to spend some time with Abel."

Gemma smiles, pushes a few more bits of paper into a pile and nods, picking up her keys as she gets to her feet "I'll just let Clay know and we can take off."

Minutes later we're in the car on the way to the hospital when Gemma glances at me out of the corner of her eye "How ya doing? Really?"

I shrug "I'm still a little overwhelmed with some things, but it's so natural being here, being with Jax is as easy as breathing."

Gem nods "And Abel?"

I smile widely as I turn in my seat "He's the icing on the cake. Oh, Gem, he's perfect. I never knew that I could love someone as completely as I love Abel."

Gemma nods once, a firm motion of her head "Good. Cause you know he's part of Jax's package now?"

I roll my eyes, a motion that she catches and I'm only barely able to duck enough to miss the hand that goes to lightly slap the back of my head. "I love Jax. I would love him if he had 20 children to different women. Which we both know could have been entirely possible."

Gemma giggles as we turn a corner, the hospital looming into view in front of us "Thank god that he always remembered to cover up. Apart from with Wendy."

The end of her sentence is a growl that holds a promise of bodily damage, and for a split second I'm grateful that Wendy is dead, only cause I wouldn't want Abel to grow up without his Grandma.

"But if not for that unfortunately lapse we wouldn't have Abel." I say as Gemma pulls into a park a few spaces from the doors.

A quick glance at my watch as I get down from the Caddy shows the hands just ticking to 1120, knowing Abel gets a bottle at around 1130 I hurry up my steps a little, hoping that he hasn't gotten hungry and had it early. I hear Gemma lock the car behind me and hurry to catch up.

"Where's the fire?" She says as I push the elevator button with a little more force then was needed.

"1130 feeding. I don't want to miss it, unless garbage guts has already eaten." I stab the button with my finger one more time and the answering ding is one of the greatest sounds I've heard.

We're barely through the door before I'm slamming my finger on the floor button and the close door button at the same time, ignoring the voice calling to hold the lift.

Gemma chuckles "Impatient are we?"

I nod as the lift starts moving "Damn straight, I have to go to Fresno tonight so I want every second I can with Abel now."

"Not surprising, your boy is gorgeous." Gemma says.

I giggle and shoot a glance over at her "So's yours."

"Sarah! I didn't want to know that." Gemma exclaims as the lift slows and the doors open.

I step out and start walking down the hall, my steps just as hurried as I call over my shoulder "Its genetics Grandma, get used to it."

Gemma catches me as I slip in the cracked door of Abel's room; Anne is standing just by the incubator and catches the movement from the corner of her eye. She looks up and a wide smile crosses her face "Just in time."

I sigh and sit down on the lazy boy in the corner waiting while Anne goes through the routine of getting Abel out of the contraption that he'll hopefully be free of in a week.

Gemma grabs the bottle from the warmer and tests the temperature as Anne settles Abel in my arms, his tiny eyes open at the movement and his mouth cracks open and a high pitched wail comes out just as Gemma sets the bottle into my hand. I aim the rubber nipple towards his mouth and as it comes in contact with his lips he latches around it and starts sucking hard.

Anne leaves the room with a wave and lets us know she'll be back later to put him back in his toaster. She's picked up the word that Jax uses for the contraption that's worth its weight in gold as far as I'm concerned. I idly wonder how much I would have to donate for the hospital to get another one; surely there are never enough things like this. I file it in the back of my mind to talk about with Jax later and turn my attention back to Abel.

He's waving his arms around, occasionally coming down and smacking part of the bottle. His wildly moving hands wrap around my braid and he pulls his arm down, thankfully the strength in his tiny arm isn't enough to pull my hair hard, but it's enough for my head to follow the movement. Abel giggles, well tries to, around a mouthful of rubber teat.

I pull the bottle out of his mouth and set it beside me, hoisting his little body so he's over my shoulder and gently rub his back till he burps, settling him back down I offer the bottle to him again and watch quietly while he finishes the rest of the milk in it before burping him again. The entire process taking almost half an hour because he kept getting distracted by his hands, my hair, the bottle in my hand and my fingers wrapped around it.

I pass the empty bottle to Gemma and glance up at her, my brow furrowing at the odd look on her face. "You okay Grandma?"

Gemma shakes her head, but the motion is a gesture to clear her head, not a negative response to my question. "Sure baby, I'm fine. Just can't believe I'm a grandmother. I'm not old enough to be a grandmother."

I hop to my feet and motion for her to sit down on the chair "Here, have cuddles then tell me you're not old enough to be a grandma."

The second Abel is resting in her arms a smile crosses her face and I quirk my eyebrow "Still think you're not old enough to be Grandma?"

She glances up at me "Shh." She's lightly tracing Abel's face with her finger, running down from his temple, over his cheek and down to his chin before doing the whole line again.

I slowly leave the room, taking the empty bottle with me to try and find Anne. As I come up to the nurses station I hear a conversation that instantly sets my blood boiling.