Living with the Club

Ablation

"Ricky called me," Juice told Veronica as she got out of her car.
"About what?" She asked, seeing the concern on his face.
"Jax and Chibs got shot at and pushed off the road," he said, pausing.
"Holy shit."
"That's not all. Gemma was in an accident."
"Fuck. She had Abel and Thomas in the car. I'm going to the hospital," Veronica turned and jumped into the car.
"I'll meet you there in a little bit, baby. I have to tell Jax."
"Okay," she drove off and dialed Tara.
"Hello," Tara answered.
"I don't want to scare you, but I'm on my way to the hospital..." she trailed off.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but Gemma...Gemma was in a car accident. I'm going to check on Thomas and Abel. I think you should come back."
"Shit," she paused, "call me when you find out anything. I'll be there in forty minutes."
Veronica went into the hospital and rushed to the front desk.
"Are Abel and Thomas Teller here?" Veronica's voice was uneasy.
"What relation are you to them?" The nurse asked, but that was enough to tell her that they were, indeed, here.
"What's wrong with them? I'm their aunt. Their parents are on the way. Dr. Knowles is the mother, she wants to know what's happening."
"Abel is in surgery, but Thomas is fine so far, he's being examined."
"I want to see Thomas," Veronica says.
"You can't right now, ma'am. You aren't his mom or dad," the woman said.
Veronica sighed, "okay, thanks anyway."
Veronica turned and called Tara, giving her information on her children.
"Thank you, V. For being there so quickly. Jax and I are still ten minutes out."
"I'll be here. Drive safe."
They hung up and Veronica turned back to the nurse.
"Abel is in surgery for what again?" Veronica asked the nurse.
"He has an irregular heartbeat, so the surgeons are going in to fix that."
"Okay, is that an easy surgery? Will he be okay?"
"No surgery is easy, but I can say that our surgeons here are quite skilled and I can say with confidence that your nephew is in good hands."

Bobby, Chibs, Tig, and Veronica sat in the waiting room, wanting to know more.
Eventually the rest of the club came, including her old man.
"What's going on?" Juice asks.
"Abel had an irregular heartbeat so they took him into surgery to reverse that. Thomas is okay," Veronica says.
"Poor kid," Juice says.
"Gemma is banged up, but she's gonna be okay," Tig says.
"How about you guys?" Ricky asks Chibs.
"Fine."
"Do we know who the shooter is?" Hap asks.
"Jax is gonna bring everybody up to speed. Just stay available," Bobby says.
Juice sat down beside Veronica, holding her hand, "I need some food. What about you?"
She shrugged, "I guess I could eat."
"You guys want anything?" Juice asks the guys.
They shook their heads and so Juice and Veronica went down to the cafeteria.

"Ortiz, let me see you for a minute," the Sheriff said as Juice and Veronica came out of the elevator.
"Why?"
"Now."
Ricky let's out a sigh and follows Roosevelt.
"So Where's Frankie Diamond?"
"We got no idea," Ricky says.
"Is he the one calling the shots?"
"I don't know, man."
"Well, then find out."
"Who do you think I am, dude? I don't know shit, man."
Ricky got hypersensitive when he heard a door open at the end of the hall. He was worried the club would overhear him.
"You seem a little nervous. I bet you Clay's real curious about our private little chats right here, our blood bond we share."
"You are gonna get me killed."
"That concern left me when I watched my wife die."
"Ricky!" Veronica called.
"What V?"
Roosevelt had walked away as Veronica approached, "everything alright?"
"No, V. It isn't. Roosevelt is gonna hang this over my head until I'm dead," he said in an angry whisper.
"Why? What did he say?"
"He keeps asking me about club business."
"You don't answer to him anymore, Rick. You burned the file. You're free."
"Not if he tells the club what went down then I'm fucked."

Ricky went back to work on some paperwork at the clubhouse.
He sat in his dorm, feeling a similar feeling to that of when RICO was weighing down hard on him.
He turned after hearing a knock on the door and saw Clay coming in, "hey, what are you doing here?"
"I hate hospitals."
Ricky chuckles, "yeah, I get that,"
He picks up some paper, "All I have is dues payments from the Nomads. Think that's cool with Roosevelt?"
Clay takes it and examines it, "yeah. Thus stuff won't tell them shit."
Ricky nods.
"Anything you need to tell me?" Clay looks Rick in the eye, "about Roosevelt?"
Ricky shakes his head, "no. Why?"
"He's been pressing you pretty hard since we got out of Stockton."
Ricky tries to keep a poker face and shrugs, "yeah, I guess."
"Why just you?"
Ricky adjusts himself in his chair, "I don't know."
"I think that you do," Clay says.
"He's just an asshole cop, man," Rick gets up to leave, but Clay shoves him back into his seat.
"What's he know, Ricky?"
"Nothing," Ricky says and notices that Clay isn't budging, "Come on, Clay."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not."
"Hey. You can tell me the truth, son," Clay says, his voice is soft and yet hard.
"Please, Clay, I can't," Ricky says, keeping his eyes on Clay.
"You got no choice. Tell me, Ricky."
Ricky looks behind him and gets quiet, "my father...he's black. Eli found out. He tried to get me to work with the Feds."
"Why? For what?"
"There's a RICO case. Otto flipped. Gave them past crimes. Eli threatened me. The Feds want the Irish and the cartel. He said that if I gave him some evidence that he would spare the club."
"Jesus Christ."
Ricky pushes back tears.
"What did you do?" Clay asks, his eyes keen on him.
"I stole a brick of coke. Miles caught me doing it. But I panicked. We fought. He came at me with a knife," Ricky felt a tear run down his cheek.
"The RICO case went away?"
"I guess they couldn't make it, the Feds. They cut me loose. I'm not sure about Otto."
Clay let's out a long exasperated sigh, "I sent the Nomads to the trailer. Unser took down Gogo. I killed Greg."
"What happens now?" Ricky asks.
"Well, you take this bullshit Intel to the sheriff, and I catch up on some paperwork."
"Clay, I didn't..."
"Listen to me. Everybody at that table's done something that puts them outside the reaper. Self-disclosure kills the group. Now, what we shared here makes us even-- honest. We're connected. Nobody else needs to know. That's how it works," Clay gives him a pat on the back and walks out.

Veronica stepped out of the clubhouse when she hears bikes approaching, instead of Juice, she saw Bobby and Jax.
They stood by their bikes, talking then split up when a car pulled up. It was Roosevelt. Bobby went to the garage while Jax met Roosevelt by his car.
Veronica becomes nervous because Jax looks tense when Roosevelt gets back into his car and drives away.
"What was that about?" Veronica walked up to Jax.
"Roosevelt wants the guy that killed his wife and unborn child..." He trails off.
"In exchange for what?"
"How did you...?"
"Jax, I know you. I can see it in your face that somethings itching at you."
"Roosevelt says there's a rat in the club."
"Really?"
"Really."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I don't know yet."