The Journey of Our Lives

Chapter 1

"Hey Alli we got-" Kara, one of they stylist at my salon says as she comes busting through the back room. She stopped mid sentence and started laughing as she took in the site in front of her. I had a short break so I was shoving leftover nachos in my mouth as fast as I could. 

"Honey, you have a little cheese like everywhere. Please get cleaned up. Your mother is looking for you." She manages to get out as she is laughing and walks back to the front. 

"Shit." I exclaimed as I jumped up and ran to the mirror to clean the cheese off my face. How I had managed to even get some in my eyebrow is beyond me. After quickly cleaning myself off I walked upfront to see my mother looking around at one of the blondes in the shampoo station. 

"From the sneer on your face I'm going to guess you don't like my client mother?" I asked with a smirk as I leaned up against the front counter. Mom turned to look at me with her famous "Gemma Teller" glare. 

"First off, you have got to stop scaring your poor mother with a heart condition. I may not make it through too many scares. Second, since when did you start servicing porn pussy?" Mom asks as she comes to stand beside me hip bumping me. 

"First off, if me and Jax haven't killed you yet from scares, you are fine. Second off, how do you even know that porn pussy? Got something you like watching with dear ol dad?" I grinned as I walked behind the counter to look at the schedule for anything coming up. 

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to you little shit. But I wanted to see if you were free this afternoon? Your brother's junkie ex hasn't been picking up the phone nor has she sent Jax a bill in weeks. I was gonna go check on her." Mom tells me as she rolls her eyes. I give a huff and check my schedule seeing my last client rescheduled for a later date. I let her know I am free as I run to the back room to grab my purse. On the way out I let Kara know to lock up and I turn to mom as we walk to our vehicles. "Race ya" I grin and jump in my truck throwing it in gear before mom can even get in her car.

I pulled into the driveway before mom could. I jumped out of my truck in victory while she waved me off. I walked around the truck to see several news papers laying out front. "If she skipped town, I swear to God I'll find her and kill her." I sneered as mom and myself made our way around back to look in the windows. I groaned as I looked in the kitchen window. There Wendy was laying in the floor with blood pooling around her. "Oh good. She beat me to it." I said as I stepped away from the window so mom could look in. I pulled out my cellphone and called an ambulance.

"You seriously have a morbid sense of humor. I'll gut that bitch if anything is wrong with my grandbaby." Mom tells me as we stand outside waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

"Yea, I get my humor from my mother." I smirk and pull my cigarettes out of my purse. Just before I can light one they pull up and we get busy busting in the house in hopes of saving my nephew. As soon as they were loading her up mom turned to me. "Go to the damn clubhouse and get your brother. He isn't answering his phone." She then gets in her car and follows behind the ambulance. I then run to my truck and jump in finally lighting my cigarette. I was gonna need it to deal with my brothers anger.

I pulled in to the lot within minutes and came to a screeching stop. I didn't even shut my door as I jumped out and towards my brother and Clay. They must have seen me coming on the cameras. "Hey dipshit, cellphones are mobile for a reason. Learn to answer yours." I yell as I walk up to Jax. "We were in church. Now if you don't have something life or death to tell me then get the hell out of here so we can continue club business." He returns my energy. "Oh knock off the alpha dog shit. Your junkie ex is on her way to the hospital. Ma and I found her lying on the kitchen floor surrounded in her own blood. Let's go." I say and turn on my heel and rush back to my truck. 

Clay, Jax, and I all arrived at St. Thomas in record time. We met up with mom and rushed down the hall to figure out what happened to my nephew. Mom informed Clay and Jax of he coke we found when we got there and I could practically see steam coming from my brothers ears. We soon walked up to the room Wendy was in and to my surprise Tara Knowles comes walking out in scrubs. My anger was threatening to boil over at the site of her. 

"What the hell happened?" Jax questioned.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Tara asked back.

"Couple of weeks." He says with a shake of his head.

"Her hands and feet were full of tracks. Toxicology reports aren't back yet, but it's most likely crank." She says with a very judgemental look. I start to open my mouth and Clay sets his hand on my shoulder in warning.

"The baby?" My brother asks looking like he is close to tears.

"We had to do an emergency C-section. He's 10 weeks premature." She says and looks around to us all. I throw my hand over my mouth and turn into Clay looking for comfort as she continues. "Let's sit down, and I'll walk you through it." 

"Just tell me." Jax replies with his eyes wide open. 

"He's got a congenital heart defect, and gastroschisis- a tear in his abdomen. The gastro and the early birth are from the drugs. But the C.H.D is probably-" "They family flaw." My mother finishes for her. "Yes, it's genetic. Either one would be serious, but not life-threatening. However, the two of them together-" she pauses as her and Jax lock eyes. "Dr. Namid gives him a twenty percent chance, and I'm afraid that's being optimistic."

"Oh my God" mom exclaims.

"She never wated to talk to me. I didn't know." Jax sighs.

"Her O.B said she missed her last three appointments. No one knew. Dr. Namid wants to fix his belly first. Then if he stabilizes, he'll go in and try to repair the heart. I'm sorry, Jax. I can take you to see him now." Tara finishes and starts to walk off. I wipe the tears from my eyes and see the look on my brothers face. I know he's about to go do something stupid. But I also know I would do the same thing in his shoes. 

"Tara. You don't have to do this. I'm sure you got other patients." Jax says as he steps towards her. Mom walks over to Clay and I step away allowing him to comfort her for a moment. Chibs threw his arm around me and I jumped slightly before leaning into him.

"I asked Dr. Namid if I could assist. I want to help your son."

"His name is Abel."

"It's a good name"

Jax then turns and walks away ignoring me and mom calling after him. He turns and points at us and says, "Go with Tara. I got something to do." Clay then turns to Chibs and Bobby and tells them to watch his back as he starts to walk back towards us. Chibs kisses my cheek and takes off to follow my brother. 

Tara leads us to a window where we look in and I see the tiniest baby I've ever seen before. My heart breaks  for the small life inside that box. I can't take looking at him anymore and I turn away to sit in one of the chairs. I prop my arms on my legs and put my head in my hands. After a few minutes I feel a large hand on my back rubbing soothing circles. "You ok sweetpea?" Clay asks. I just shake my head and sniff sitting up more. "This shit right here. This shit is why I don't want kids. I don't want that pain. I don't want a man and risk the fucking heartbreak. How can that junkie bitch do this to a child?" I started yelling getting further and further upset. Mom looked at me with sadness as she knew there was nothing she could say to help. 

Tara walks over and tells me, "You need to stop your yelling. You are a grown ass woman in a pediatric unit causing a scene. Do not make me have you thrown out."

" You know its funny Tara. You up and leave and think you have the fucking audacity to tell me what to do now that you walk around with that badge? Need I remind you, you still are the same girl who broke the law, several times might I add, with my brother. Do not come around acting like you are all high and mighty. Because has it escaped you or do you need me to remind you what I promised I would do the next time you stepped foot in Charming?" I say getting closer to her until I am eventually up in her face. I see a security guard walking around the corner and mom puts her hand on my arm. I jerk away from her. "I'm leaving. Dig real deep in that thick skull Doc." I warned her with my finger in her face before storming out of there. I get to my truck and sit there in silence slightly embarrassed at how I acted. I needed a drink to calm my nerves, so I headed straight to the clubhouse to do that very thing.