CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. Chapter 36 is the one with the reservation wedding, to be posted on Tuesday my time.

As to the queries about my health; I'm doing okay at the moment. I have had horrible back pain (muscular only) since I came home but anti-inflams and pain killers are helping a bit. I also picked up a cold which was nice enough to wait till 3 days before I go back to work to come out. I go to see the surgeon in 1-2 weeks to find out when the GB is coming out.

When we reach the reservation it's immediately obvious how much thought Gemma has put into it, on either side of the gates we're using are huge white posts wrapped in purple ribbons, the banner she'd had made hanging between them, every 5 yards or so down the drive there's another ribbon wrapped post.

Reaching a fork in the road Donna pauses "Which way are we meant to go?"

"I don't know, ring your husband and ask, or mine. They brought the trailer here the other day for us. Jax apparently forgot to tell me where it is." I tell her, leaning forwards like it'll help me see where we're meant to go.

Donna makes a very quick phone call to Opie, turning towards the right and driving less than 100 yards before taking a left into a tree enclosed field where Unser's huge silver trailer is attached to the back of the TM tow truck. Gemma's Caddy is parked to one side of it with one of Unser's trucks and half a dozen other cars, people walking through an arch in the trees into what seems to be another field carrying chairs, others carrying boxes with white and purple material poking out the top. Gemma spots us as she's passing a box from the back of the truck to one of the people helping.

Donna parks the car right beside the front of the trailer, Al pulling up beside it. It's almost funny watching Gemma work her way through the cars towards us, a huge smile on her face.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd gotten lost." Gemma says, hugging Donna and I after we reach her sides. "Not to mention my son was starting to think you weren't coming."

Al laughs "Like that would happen. The only way she wouldn't be here is if she couldn't walk."

Lyla snickers, shaking her head "Nah, she'd be here even then. I think it would take a full body cast for her to not be here."

Gemma nods "Good. Now you girls go get dressed, you've got 3 hours till you need to be ready."

Cam nods "That's hopefully enough time."

Gemma waves towards the trailer "There's enough water in the tanks for you all to have very quick showers, Wayne said not to bother trying to wash your hair, it won't happen."

Shaking my head at her "I wouldn't attempt to wash my hair in a trailer anyway." Donna leans forwards, tugging the ends and laughing.

"Thank god for that. I think it'd take you an hour just to wash your hair if that's the same as any normal shower in one of those things." Cam says with a shudder.

Gemma turns back to the truck leaving us to head straight for the trailer. Sitting down on one of the sofas inside the cramped space Cam heads straight to the end where the door's open through to the bedroom, setting her case up on the bed she turns around and grins "I think it'll be easiest starting with the shortest hair first so I'll do yours first Donna, then my own, Cherry, Al, Lyla and then our bride's last cause it'll take me the longest."

Donna jumps up and heads into the tiny cubical that acts as a shower, stepping out backwards she grimaces "No way, not happening. Looks like that thing hasn't been cleaned in months."

"Umm, D, no one lives in this, it can't be that bad." I say with a lifted eyebrow.

"Yeah it's not dirty; it's dusty and full of creepy crawlies. I'm pretty sure there's a mommy and daddy spider in there along with their 900 children." Donna says, shuddering in revulsion.

Cam peeks her head through the door sliding it closed and holding out her hand "Phone."

Sliding my phone into her hand she flicks it open "What button do I push for Gemma or a Son."

"Jax is 1, Opie's 3, Gem's 5 on speed dial." I recite making Donna cock her head to the side.

"How many speed dials do you have set?"

"All of them." I reply with a giggle "And as long as I remember which one is who I'm all good."

"Who else is on there?" Cherry asks with a giggle.

Sighing I hold up both hands. Folding down each finger as I name someone "Jax, Donna, Opie, Clay, Gemma, Happy, Al, Cam, TM & the clubhouse."

Donna nods "Fair enough, the only difference is I don't have Clay, Happy, Al or Cam I have Piney, Mary, the house and the preschool."

Cam closes my phone and passes it back "Gem's bringing over the pack of baby wipes, it's not as good as a proper shower but it'll do seeing no one is going in that box with the eight legged invasion."

I shrug "I should be fine, I showered this morning and it's not like eating and having nails done works up a sweat."

Everyone laughs at me as there's a knock on the door, Gemma sticks her head in "I should have checked the shower this morning."

Al shrugs "No problem. Apparently neither D nor Cam want to shower with visitors."

Gemma passes over the huge pack of wipes and steps backwards "Less than 3 hours girls. You better be ready."

The door snicks closed and her voice sounds through the door "No! That's not meant to go there yet."

My eyes lock on Donna's and we both start laughing, everyone else looking at us strangely, neither of us can stop laughing and it's not till Cam snorts and throws the wipes at me that we stop laughing, well Donna does, long enough to explain "Jax's birthday just before S left, Gem wanted him to have a huge party and he just let her go with the plans. The days leading up to his birthday she was all Drill Sargeant ordering us all around, but he'd slipped and told us that he wasn't going to be there."

Donna picks up the wipes and goes through to the bedroom, closing the door behind her continuing to talk through the door "Jax had planned to go to the cabin with Tart-y, they'd just made up after their latest fight. The morning of his party Gemma had us all running round making dips, salads, marinating steaks and stuff like that. Gemma kept shouting that things were in the wrong place. I swear for almost 4 hours the only sentences that came out of her mouth started with 'no' followed by whatever was wrong."

"And then she got mad at 6pm when Jax wasn't there, she tried calling him for ages but there was no answer. 7pm and he still wasn't there she started ringing him, every 10 minutes for the next hour. 8pm arrived and she threw a Gemma sized fit." I continue, remembering the ranting tirades she spat out. "9 she finally gave up on him coming at all and finally fed us, but she was more interested in bourbon by that stage. Jax was M.I.A. till almost four days later when he finally came home. Gemma refused to speak to him for almost a month, Clay ended up being the errand boy till he put his foot down, locking them together in TM's office till they actually talked."

Donna opens the door, dressed in a satin dressing gown I don't recognise. Turning around shows me the back where 'bridesmaid' is written in curly script. "There's 5 of these and a black one for you with 'bride' on the back."

Cam directs her towards the stool she'd pulled out from under the tiny table telling her to sit. Recreating the hairstyle that had been done for the wedding doesn't take her long in Donna's hair, but she'd sat and watched each pin being put in on both D's and Al's while in New York, her reasoning was so she could fix anything if it started coming out.