Chapter 28: Everything's Fine?

Buzz-buzzzzz.

Hearing her phone vibrate snapped Raniyah out of the light sleep she was in. When Bobby left she had set her alarm to wake Juice up in four hours but she hadn't slept at all herself. She was unable to stop worrying that she'd rock the bed too much or lay on him in her sleep, hurting him. But she was also not willing to leave his side to go sleep on the couch. The best thing she had going for her was that her job didn't really expect to hear from her on Friday mornings. Everyone had given their updates and some got new assignments but Fridays were kind of a free day so she knew she could get a bit of sleep in later.

Wiping down his face and hands with a warm, soapy cloth she felt better about what she saw. The removal of the dirt and dried blood made his swelling and bruising less garish. His knuckles were still puffy and there were only a few cuts but at least now there would be no infection. He slept through most of her tending to him, but she did manage to rouse him enough to get a little participation in taking off his dirty, torn jeans. She got him to drink some water, surprised that he refused any more pain medicine, mumbling, "Lemme sleep…jus' lemme sleep."

His return to sleep was instant, he didn't even flinch when she held a homemade ice pack to his eye. Putting the things she used away, Raniyah wondered who would normally be looking out for him and how often this…whatever it was, happened. Honestly, she wasn't even sure if he knew that it was her wiping him down. She thought about the smaller scars, indentions and little imperfections she'd traced on his skin and whether or not some dangerous event was their origin, too. Keeping the bathroom light on just in case, she watched him sleep, occasionally kissing an uninjured spot on his face. The need to curl up into him was so great she had to turn over in order to stop staring at him. Forcing her mind to shut down, she eventually fell asleep.

Buzz-buzzzzz.

Seeing that Juice was still out, she grabbed her phone and quickly slid out of bed. Bone tired, she answered as soon as she stepped into the hallway without looking at the screen, "Hello?"

0.o.0.o.0

Juice woke up, groggy and sore, to an empty bed. Then hearing Raniyah's voice talking somewhere in the house, he was doused with guilt. He didn't remember how he got home. What did I say to her? What did I do? Wincing, he took shallow breaths as the sharp edges of pain and simmering anger crept in, taking over his senses and thoughts.

It had been a disaster from minute one.

"What the hell are you getting us into?"

Lin turned to look at Jax, coolly dismissive as always. "Your role remains the same, Jax. Your people simply make sure that no one enters or leaves this yard."

He spoke as if they were hired hands which infuriated Jax all the more. His eyes snapped to Clay, waiting for the older man to say something…anything. The assistance they were there to provide wasn't to deter any escape attempts of Lin's illegals as they were transferred to a different vehicle. It was to stand guard while he broke into the transport bin he believed was holding something precious to his people back home. Lin had been informed by his great uncle, one of the heads of their organization overseas, that his cousin had been taken during a sweep for illegal workers and he was charging Lin with getting him back.

What Lin didn't reveal to the SONs was that it had been clearly communicated to him that failure was not an option. He had conned the SONs into a reverse kidnapping to get his family member back, effectively putting a mark on their backs if the plan didn't succeed…and possibly the same if it did. There was nothing for their club to gain yet now they had just as much skin in the game as Lin and his people. Clay meet Tig's eyes, their silent communication was vibrating with anger and Tig broke eye contact first, running his hands through his hair roughly. Every man standing around them was thinking the same thought...this son of a bitch.

Lin claimed to have been watching the crew's activities for three weeks. There would only be 30 minutes to make this happen. The transportation bin was driven from the docks into the yard and deposited into the locked warehouse. The driver would then leave, locking the loading dock's roll-up door and the gate to the property. His travels were monitored by the crew to make sure he wasn't stopped by law enforcement. And once he was clear, then another 18-wheeler would come, with a four-man crew to distribute food and water to the victims inside. They would reload and take them to wherever they were expected to be delivered. It was efficient, quick and thankfully predictable. The timeline was tight and Lin's life depended on getting it right.

They held their positions while Lin's people broke in. Coming in behind them, the SONs scattered to their places in the yard. From where Juice was crouched down, he could see their flashlights going over the faces inside. Them whispering the name of the man they were looking for seemed too loud and his adrenaline was at an all-time high. As they were exiting the back of the truck, with an extra person in tow, Juice released the breath he was holding…then all hell broke loose. They were ambushed.

0.o.0.o.0

"How's tha' kid, love?"

Even though his voice sounded strained, Raniyah didn't have to wonder who was on the line. Chibs sounded tired.

Sleepin'," she sighed, flopping down on the couch, too distracted to question how he had her phone number.

"Mmm. Tha's wha's best."

"Yeah."

"Alrigh', love. 'ave him check in when he gets steady."

"Sure." She couldn't help but ask, "Chibs? Are you okay?"

She could hear the smile in his voice, "Aye, Angel, these bones 'ave seen much worse than this."

She didn't know if that was a positive or negative statement in this case. Snuggling down into the couch, she stretched and rubbed her face to finish waking up, "Why did you call my phone instead of his?"

"Figured he'd not come 'round fer a bit. Tha boy gave me yer number, ah…"

His tapering off confirmed it for her. Grateful he wasn't there to see the angry set of her jaw, she asked, "Just in case, huh?"

Chibs knew by her tone that Juice was going to get an earful whenever he got up. He didn't answer her but she knew and her stomach rolled knowing Juice had walked out of the house with a kiss goodbye, without warning her of how dangerous it was.

Chibs' voice brought her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Are you alrigh', darlin'?"

The deep concern in his voice had her rubbing her nose to get rid of the sudden sting of coming tears. "Yeah. I'm…I'm okay."

They both let the span of silence stretch on, each not wanting to betray Juice by talking about it separately from him. The urge to do what she was raised to do during chaos couldn't be helped and she opened her mouth without considering Juice's feelings about it in the slightest.

"I was gonna get some breakfast started…wanna come eat?"

0.o.0.o.0

From the kitchen, Raniyah could hear Juice go into the bathroom. They hadn't spoken yet and she didn't know what to say. Part of her was furious at him and the other part wanted to hold him because he made it home safe from whatever madness he got caught up in. Stirring the fried potatoes and onions one more time, she dropped the heat down to keep them warm and put the platter of bacon into the oven. She was going to have to face him some time and the sooner she did the faster she could get the sick feeling she was carrying to go away.

Hearing the toilet flush, she tapped on the door with her nail speaking quietly, "Hey. You good?"

He opened the door a bit and she assumed he was letting her in so she pushed it the rest of the way open. He was brushing his teeth in slow motion. When he turned away from the mirror to face her, she was not fully prepared. His face had deeper bruising now but at least some of the swelling above his eye had gone down. The bridge of his nose was slightly swollen and he was standing a little hunched over, intermittently holding his side and the sink. Blood was showing through the bandage on his thigh and she took a deep breath trying not to dive headlong into thoughts about somebody actually trying to stab him.

Raniyah was no innocent. It wasn't like she had never seen a man after he got whooped on. Or even that she had never seen Juice fight, she had…but she had never, ever seen him take on this much damage and her heart was shredded over it. Turning back to the sink, he finished with his teeth while she looked over the small spread of scratches on his back, touching as lightly over his skin as she could. Wiping his mouth, he turned back around to see if the disconnection and the rejection he feared were in her eyes, but all he saw was sadness and concern.

Taking his face in her hands as carefully as possible, she raised up to kiss him. "Hey, boy."

Juice couldn't meet her eyes. He didn't want this for her. To see this, to have to deal with it. As far as he knew he only had a few more days with her in Charming and now they would be shadowed by this. He wouldn't be surprised if she left early. His heart rate was ramping up and an apology started to form but she placed her hands on his chest, the effect was instantly calming.

"Are you okay?" He asked, finally focusing his eyes on hers, giving her what she needed - reconnecting them.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Juice rested his hands along the curve of her neck and shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"Don't." She stopped him. "Not now, okay? Just…not now."

Juice's face fell, dejected, not knowing what would happen next with them. She stepped closer, not wanting to aggravate his injuries but needy for the contact she had wanted since he was drug in the door the night before.

"I need this for a minute, okay? Please?"

Juice was flooded with relief when she stepped into him wrapping her arms around him lightly. He could feel her restraint, trying to keep her hold light, and pulled her closer not caring about anything but the fact that she still was choosing him. Hissing as the pain in his ribs sprung to life, sharp and piercing, he loosened his grip a bit. She relaxed in his arms, moving her hands to his chest again. Standing there, they both kept their thoughts to themselves until a loud knock on the door made them separate. Juice frowned pushing her firmly off of him, standing up straight to see who was there.

"Get dressed. It's just Chibs." Juice's brows dipped in question as to how she knew that. "I kinda asked him to come to breakfast."

"You talked to him?"

"He called me this morning." Juice saw something flicker in her eyes and immediately wished he hadn't asked. She patted her hand on his chest and went to answer the door but Juice pulled her back. Searching her eyes again for the rejection, he cupped her cheek and kissed her. "I'm sorry."

With a dimpled smile, she assured him with a kiss that lingered on his lips. "Hurry up."

With Juice headed for the bedroom, Raniyah could hear more than one voice at the door and was all smiles when she opened it.

"Gooooood morning, dollface!"

Tig strolled through the door, double tapping her forehead with a kiss, followed by Chibs who patted her shoulder, relieved to see her smiling and not feel the tension in the house that he anticipated. Hugging her he asked, "Where is he?"

"Getting dressed," she answered standing back to let Happy in before closing the door. He graced her with a nod as he came in, quiet as ever and she smiled to herself. It was more than she expected but there would be enough food for them.

They were a motley crew. Chibs had discoloration around one eye. Tig had little cuts all over one side of his face and arm and a deep bruise on his jaw. Happy's face was fine but he sat down a little gingerly on the couch instead of flopping down so there had to be something to that. Whatever had happened to them didn't slow Tig down one bit. He threw his arm around Raniyah's shoulders with a wide smile and a mischievous wink when he announced, "Figured I'd invite myself to come by since shithead is outta commission. See if you needed my…services."

Chibs smacked the back of his head at the same time Raniyah jerked away and popped him on the arm.

"Ew! Don't say it like that!"

Rubbing the back of his hair back into place, he looked contrite, "Have I been bad?" He pressed a finger to his practiced pout. "Punish me."

Raniyah burst out laughing. Being angry at Tig was impossible but she still issued out a threat to keep him in line. "Keep talking and no food for you!"

Juice came out of the hallway shirtless and stiff-legged to immediate applause and cat calls.

"Lookin' good, Juicy!" "You'll be back on stage real soon."

"Fuck you," Juice chuckled, holding his side.

"What's the matter, gorgeous? Chicks dig scars."

Tig nudged him in the side and Juice folded over groaning, "You-! Ah fuck!

"Knock it off!" Chibs grunted, "Playground brats!"

Raniyah dropped off mugs and put the carafe of coffee on the table, putting them on notice that she was cooking but she was no waitress. In the kitchen, they served their own plates while she made eggs. Tig ate the potatoes and onions plain and had scrambled eggs with a mound of bacon, so did Chibs but he added a large dollop of sour cream to his plate. Happy started to scoop up some potatoes but then Raniyah took the lid off of the potatoes mixed with chorizo she had made for herself. Seeing him eyeball it, she held out another spoon, "Be my guest."

Crowding in at the small table, they all ate with enthusiasm. Raniyah was just dropping off the bottle of Tabasco when Happy stopped shoveling in bites long enough to warn Juice in a low rasp, "Fuck this up an' I will hurt you."

Before Juice could formulate a response, Raniyah came back out of the kitchen and put the whole frying pan of the remaining potatoes and chorizo down in front of Happy. She hugged him from the back mid-mouthful and kissed him on top of the head for the compliment on her cooking before breezing away as if she had done nothing. Happy stopped chewing with a what-the-hell-just-happened scowl on his face.

Chibs popped the last of his bacon into his mouth, "She does tha'."

They didn't get the chance to laugh at Happy's expense often so Juice was grinning up a storm. Enjoying his bewildered reaction, he confirmed, "She does."

Raniyah swung back by and placed a travel-sized bottle of Outlaw Gun Powder New Mexico hot sauce next to him. Opening the top, he sniffed it and immediately had to rub his nose at the spicy heat he had inhaled. Shaking some on his finger, he sucked it off and started dumping it all over his eggs over easy. Fixing Juice with a glare he gave his final warning, "You die."

Juice swallowed his bite muttering, "I know, I know."

They had never come and hung out at his house before. Chibs, sure - for whatever reason but nobody else. His house was full right now because of Raniyah and he needed to see her. Slipping into the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her neck. "This is great, you know."

Turning around to return the kiss, Raniyah wanted to know what he meant by that but Tig yelled, "No fornicating in the kitchen! My food is in there!"

Raniyah swooped out of the kitchen with her face set and hand extended. Tig saw her coming and the self-satisfied smile dropped off his face.

"Hey! No wait!" Tig protested as she took his plate and headed for the kitchen. "C'mon, sweetheart!" He called out to her retreating back. "Dollface! I'm sorry!"

She came back, eyebrows raised, "What did I tell you?"

"It's just my nature, sweetheart." Tig looked up at her with the puppy dog eyes that she was growing to love. "I need my nourishment" Dramatic as ever, he did a little cough and held his bruised cheek, daintily. "I'm hurt."

Pressing her lips down on the laugh that she was holding back, she put it back down, rolling her eyes. Tig grabbed her hand before she could leave and kissed it. "You're too good for him, baby."

Raniyah cut her eyes at him, "For him? No. For you? Yes."

Chibs and Happy, amused and entertained, returned to their plates while Tig grabbed his chest and groaned in agony at the dig.

0.o.0.o.0

There was a bit of hushed talking once Raniyah disappeared into the bedroom. She waited until it was quiet to come back out. Surprisingly the table was cleared, wiped down and the dishes were stacked neatly in the sink. The living room was empty and she heard their bikes rumbling before Juice came back into the house.

"Thanks for cleaning up," Raniyah called out from the kitchen.

Juice appeared, hugging her from the back. "Not me. Happy."

Turning around, she raised her eyebrows at that bit of information. Seeing that he looked wiped out, she asked. "Want your meds?" He shook his head in the negative. "You should go back to bed for a while."

"Nah." Juice felt like every hour he was asleep was time away from her at this point. Easing down onto the couch, he turned on the t.v. and gave a crooked smile, stretching out when she sat near the armrest patting her lap in invitation. Despite his intentions to stay awake, a full stomach plus Raniyah stroking his scalp and ear had him snoring lightly in minutes. Watching him sleep, she wished she could climb inside his brain to find out how he got here. What the hell happened to you guys last night, Jay? And why is everybody being so calm about it? Knowing that worrying wasn't going to get her anywhere, she promised herself that she would make him talk to her later. He shifted so she stroked his head a few more times, wanting him to rest well. Grateful that he was there with her, at home instead at the clubhouse, she silenced her phone thinking…at least his phone isn't ringing off the hook with somebody wanting something.

Giving in to her exhaustion, she let her head drop back and joined him in his nap.

.

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A/N: Okay y'all...my man took a little unexpected vacation time off work, so I was occupied :) Can't say I'm sorry cuz it was much needed for him and alot of fun for me. Thank you for your patience and continuing interest in this story. I appreciate y'all more than you'll ever know! *kjx*