Chapter 14
"What are those two fighting about now?" Tara asked sitting in Gemma's chair at TM while Charlotte stood at the window looking into the garage watching Tig and Kozik argue.
Both women had agreed they'd help out with Gemma gone but neither had tried to contact Jax nor had he tried to reach them. They'd both cried equal tears over the last days with each other and in private.
Charlotte stretched, yawned, and sat down on the nearby couch exhaling audibly as she rubbed at the current ache in her side. "You, okay?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, just tired been having contractions on and off since late last night nothing consistent though just enough to be a pain in the ass."
"You want to go get checked?"
"No, they'll just tell me the same thing I'm not in active labor and walk more. Or have sex or drink castor oil. Neither of those are going to happen so I guess it's more walking."
Early afternoon the two were on another walk around the TM lot and clubhouse both timing Charlottes contractions. Walking slowly next to her Tara asked, "Have you thought about what you're going to do when Jax comes back?"
"No, just focused on getting my baby here. I told him he'd never see me again and wouldn't meet his daughter, but I can't really stop that, and I don't want to keep her from her father. But I guess it doesn't really matter until he serves his time. I'll be taking her to see her dad and grandma in jail. What about you?"
"I've thought about it, I'm between just buying a one-way ticket out of here and then I think about Abel. With Jax and Gemma in jail who takes care of Abel?"
"Me I guess."
"We should both leave then you and me. You come with me and bring Abel, raise him and our babies together. We make a good team Charlotte."
"So, you're going to have the baby?"
Tara looked off into the distance sighing before she responded "No, just a pipe dream. It'd never work, Jax would always be a part of my life then and we'd keep pushing and pulling each other until one of us winds up dead. I'm doing the responsible thing; I have an appointment tomorrow after work. But I do mean it Charlotte you could come with me, we could start a club of our own, the Jax Teller broken hearts club. Get matching leather jackets have club meetings." Tara let out a giggle that Charlotte returned.
She was still laughing when another contraction hit her taking her breath away as she hunched over her face clenched. "Breathe Charlotte, breathe through it." Tara coached rubbing Charlottes back.
Charlotte took deep breaths standing up when the contraction ended exhaling her last deep breath, she could feel the sweat forming on her brow "Wow that was a bad one." She said trying to catch her breath.
"It's time Charlotte you need to go to the hospital. You don't want to have your baby here in the lot of TM or the clubhouse."
"I'm scared." Charlotte admitted swallowing hard.
"It's going to be fine; you know the anesthesiologist personally you'll get an epidural right away and the good drugs. Everyone at St. Thomas is going to cater to you, you're one of our own."
"I'm not scared about the birth, it's the after. I don't know how to be a mom; I don't know what to do with a baby what if I don't feed it enough or drop it." Charlotte exclaimed. "What if I turn out like Wendy, abandon my kid, she wasn't raised like that you know. My mom was fucking Donna Reed, stay at home mom, head of the PTA."
"Oh, Charlotte it's going to be fine you'll figure it all out and I'm still here with you we'll do it together. And you're not Wendy, what happened with Wendy had nothing to do with your mom or how you two were raised. Wendy made her own choices and that's not you. You're going to be a great Mom."
26 hours into active labor and one hour into pushing Charlotte cried out exhausted "I can't do this."
Tara stood next to her holding her hand and soothed her while she wiped sweat away from her brow "Yes you can Charlotte, you're doing great she's almost here. You can do this just a few more pushes."
An hour later Sophie Natalie Case-Teller came into the world. She had Jax's blue eyes you could get lost in and golden-brown hair matching Charlottes already showing its curls from the Case women.
After the two were moved from labor and delivery to the maternity ward, Charlotte, meaning to only close her eyes for a second, awoke to the gentle cooing coming from Sophie's hospital crib. When she opened them, Tara was standing over Sophie rubbing her tummy. She spoke when she saw Charlotte was awake. "She's perfect Charlotte." Tara's smile beamed.
"Yes, she is." Charlotte said pulling herself up gently to sit up, "she's perfect, but don't let her change your mind though."
"What do you mean?" Tara asked leaving Sophie's side and sitting at the end of Charlottes bed.
"I love her more than anything else in this world, and I'm so thankful to have her but her being here ties me to Charming, to Jax, Gemma, and the club." She said nodding her head towards Sophie "it means I'm never going to leave and if you have this baby, it's the same for you."
"I know," Tara sighed out "I have my appointment in two hours. I'm only staying in Charming until I see Abel one last time. I need to know he's okay before I go. I know Gemma will tell
Jax about the baby and he'll hate me, but I've earned the right to see Abel to say goodbye." Tara reached out grabbing Charlottes hand in hers "The offers still on the table you can come with me."
"I can't do that to Jax take Sophie from him or Gemma. He still deserves to see his kid grow up even if it's from behind bars. I know the awful shit he's said, and his actions recently aren't really who he his. But he's always going to have those demons with the club, his own moral compass, his struggle with right and wrong, the need to keep the people he loves safe is going to cloud his judgment. But that won't overshadow my need to protect my daughter, I'll bail if things aren't safe for her."
"The offer is always on that table Charlotte if you need to leave, I'll just be a phone call away. I'll see you tomorrow get you and Sophie home. Help out where I can until they get back from Ireland."
"Thank you, Tara."
It wasn't Tara who came to her hospital room when Charlotte was dressed and packing up Sophie in her carrier it was Tig.
"Hey sweetheart, you ready to go?"
"Where's Tara?"
"I'll tell you on the road, you're not going to be happy but looks like you're going to have to camp out at the clubhouse for a bit."
"Jesus Christ what now?" Charlotte sighed out but allowed Tig to grab Sophie's carrier where the baby was safely tucked in and followed him down the hall of St Thomas.
"Sorry, doll I know this isn't what you envisioned when bringing home your baby." Tig stated behind the wheel of Charlottes car after he'd gone over in detail of Tara's kidnapping.
"I don't know what I envisioned but it certainly wasn't this." Charlotte responded from where she sat in the back seat hovering over Sophie. "We'll need to go by my house get somethings for the baby."
"Already handled, did that this morning before picking you up."
"Do I even want to know how you got into my house?"
"Surprisingly easy, you'd never know I was even there, need to get your locks upgraded."
Charlotte remained silent looking out the window watching the familiar streets of Charming pass by, she was still looking out the window when Tig spoke again. "Good name, Sophie."
Charlotte turned her gaze again to the peaceful sleeping baby and smiled "Yes, after my mother Sophia means wisdom."
"And Natalie after Gemma's dad Nate?"
"More after Jax's middle name Nathaniel who is after Nate, so I guess so. Wanted her to have part of her father."
"It's a good name Nate being gift of God and Natalie birth of the lord. Good you went with Case Teller, I like that. You did good Charlotte."
"Can't have her starting out life with a bad name. A friend told me a name is one of the most important things you can give your child." Charlotte smiled looking into the rearview mirror she couldn't see his whole face but the smile in his eyes was undeniable.
When they got to the club house Tig helped Charlotte with Sophie. Tig carried Sophie inside stopping where Piney sat at the bar, he gave a once over Sophie giving her a nod "You did good Charlotte, you need anything?"
"Someplace clean, no whores." Charlotte said back, side eyeing the brunette hanging on Kozik at the other end of the bar.
Tig motioned down the hallway "cleaned up Jax's old room, I promise clean sheets everything bleached."
Charlotte followed Tig down the hall and he sat Sophie still in her carrier on the bed. "Thanks, Tig." Charlotte said, seeing the room had been thoroughly cleaned fresh linens on the bed. Sophie's portable basinet was set up next to the bed and there was a stack of diapers and clothes on the now clean dresser.
"If you need anything else you let me know."
"I need to feed her and take a long hot shower and then sleep."
He nodded headed towards the door "I mean it Charlotte you need anything."
"I'd like to go back in time a couple of months. Redo everything before Donna."
He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on top of her head. "Me too, but we'll get through this, and we'll get Tara back and Jax will be back soon with Abel. You just worry about her." He pointed at Sophie "We'll take care of everything else."