I'll Catch You

Chapter 21

Mae sat on the small cement wall, a row of bushes behind her blocking the noonday sun, lost thinking about the strange behavior she was receiving and Opie's complete dismissal of her worries. She looked up at the sound of voices shocked to see Kenny and Ellie coming out of the doors searching the parking lot for her.

"Guys, what are you doing?" She jumped up and headed over intent on getting her own time with Opie.

The children didn't follow her. "Dad said he was tired." Ellie said calmly. "He said he'd call you later."

"Did he?" She asked as she stopped in her tracks, enraged and forlorn. They nodded, nowhere near old enough to understand. "Sit right in here," she gestured to the main waiting room by the entrance. "I'll be right back."

Hurrying down the hall, her face cloudy, Mae was stopped by the nurse from earlier. "Miss Callahan," she didn't smile this time. "Mr. Winston is resting, he's having surgery in the morning, minor procedure, I can't allow you back to see him."

"This is bullshit," she spat loud enough that Opie could hear her angry tone but not her exact words. "What's going on? What's his real diagnosis?"

"I can't say," she said honestly. "Mr. Winston didn't sign the HIPPA forms so we can't share that information with anyone. I am sorry he won't talk to you though."

It was a relief to know the nurse noticed his strange behavior but it also stung and bruised her pride considerably. "You can share something with him, from me, right?"

"Of course."

Mae opened her mouth, wanting to shower the nurse with expletives and a hurtful message for Opie but instead she clamped her jaw shut and shook her head. "Just forget it," she sighed.

-

"What's the meeting?" Tara asked as she entered their bedroom, a cup of tea in her hand, watching Jax change.

He rolled his eyes. "Irish. Cameron wants to talk money, we're short, ordering less, and he's not happy. We gotta try to work some shit out while the guys pick up the guns."

She nodded, understanding the general idea but not wanting any more detail than he'd already shared. "Dangerous?"

"Nah, Cameron's a good guy, it's business, no one's ending relationships."

His nonchalant attitude and ever-present club confidence made Tara smile and settled her churning stomach. "You know, after last time I get nervous, more than usual."

"I get it, babe," he held her face between his hands and kissed her hard. "It's all good, we can handle ourselves."

"I know." Rolling her eyes, Tara placed the mug on the bureau and wrapped her arms around him. "Just get home," she wriggled her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah?" With a wicked grin, Jax scooped her up and tossed her on the bed.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you." Keeping her laughter in, Tara watched his face fall as he leaned back against the chest of drawers.

"What now?"

"You gotta talk to Ope, I sneaked a quick look at his chart, he's not dealing with this emotionally."

Jax nodded, unsure how he could ever begin to talk to Opie about such a monumental issue but he'd have to figure it out. "Yeah, shit, I forgot, Mae is coming over tonight; I need you to do the same."

"Sounds about right." Tara sighed and nodded understanding the position Mae was in. "After she leaves though," she spoke in a singsong voice as she climbed out of bed and yanked on his belt. "You're mine, Teller."

-

"This is business," Jax tried to explain to Cameron just as he had to Tara earlier. "We want our usual order but right now, we're recovering from a messy clean up and we're hurting."

Cameron shook his head. "Business to you is IRA lives for me. That money," he pointed to the bag Tig guarded closely, "Is lives, protection, food. We need it."

Leaning back, frustrated, Clay blew out a large puff of air. "What do you want me to tell you? We'll need a few more days, at least, to get the rest of the cash."

"A few days?" Cameron's voice was heavy with disbelief. "How long until that turns into a week, then two."

"It won't," Jax snapped. Looking to Clay for support, Jax noticed two men, the same masks as when they'd been left on the side of the road, burst into the small bar with guns out and aimed. "Get down!" He shouted, dropping behind the table Tig tipped and pulling his own weapon, firing back as the attackers unloaded their magazines with no real target.

"Whole?" Jax asked as he turned to check Clay and Cameron while Tig took over defense. "Oh shit," he groaned laying eyes on a badly wounded Irishman.

Hearing the attackers retreat, Jax peered over the table at the other patrons. A few looked injured, minor wounds really, and Jax immediately thought back to earlier that day. He was certain Mae was clear but suddenly she looked much more sinister and devious.

"We gotta get him outta here." Clay grumbled as he moved toward Cameron. "Who the fuck was that?"

Tig shook is head, having no clue, as did Jax. "No one knew about this meeting." He commented.

"Yeah," Jax nodded and made eye contact with Tig. "No other crews knew."