All the Money in the World

Chapter 10

Long after visiting hours had already ended Katie poked her head into Happy's room. He was up, eyes glazed over as he stared at the TV, looking exhausted.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Sorry were you trying to sleep?"

"Hey," Jax's scratchy voice came from the other side of the room as she entered.

"Jax!" Katie beamed and rushed to the side of his wheelchair. "How are you?"

"Been better," he cracked a weak smile.

Katie smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yeah looks like it. Sorry, were you guys talking?"

"Nah, it's good," Jax assured her. "I wanna sleep anyway."

"Need help?" Kate gestured to his wheelchair.

"I got it," he assured her on his way out the door.

"What are you doing up here?" Happy asked her before Jax had even completely gone from the room. "It's late and it's a long drive."

"I wanted to see you," she said sadly.

"I heard we got parole 'cause of you," he said.

She shrugged, "Kind of. I uhh, convinced the parole chairman to give you guys the all clear."

"Sleep with him?" Happy asked in a harsh tone.

Kate tensed. "No. I didn't. I don't do that anymore."

"Alright," he believed her but he didn't like having to ask at all. "I don't want the house and the kids and shit. You gotta be cool with that. You can't try to trap me or some shit."

"Trap you?" Katie asked incredulously. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You told me you couldn't have more kids," he said bitterly. "And now I'm hearing you're knocked up."

"Who told you that?" She wrapped her arms around herself as if it would help protect her from the emotional pain his caustic words were causing.

"Shoulda been you," he snapped.

"Well I'm not," she spat, "Not anymore. I...I lost the baby."

His face fell, not for himself or the child but for her seeing how crushed she was just saying it. "I'm sorry."

"Well now I can't trap you," she sniffled. "And now I know it wasn't Jax or Tara because she knows what happened. It was someone else who told you."

"Doesn't matter," he uttered. Happy regretted trusting Gemma and clearly hurting Katie but still didn't like the situation not being kept in the dark.

"It wasn't a trap, either," she said defensively. "I had my tubes tied when I had Charlotte. Sometimes it fails or whatever," she stammered. "Usually when there's a pregnancy after it's dangerous for the woman. I wouldn't have ever put myself through this shit to try to trap you."

"I don't get trapped," he said, agreeing with her veiled point.

"Exactly," she sneered. "You'd toss whoever it was some cash and walk away if you really didn't want it."

Happy knew he wouldn't have done that with her, if the circumstances were somehow magically different, but he didn't tell her that. "Yep."

"Where do we stand?" She asked, feeling pathetic.

"I'm not standin' anywhere," he whipped the sheets off to show her the giant brace on his swollen knee.

"You know what I meant, Happy," Katie whimpered.

Happy nodded, "I want you, Kate. I almost burned down my life, almost got me and my club killed for you."

Smiling sadly at that she nodded. "That would be big for a normal man but it's even bigger for you."

"Come here," he said, sliding over gingerly. "It's far to drive at night. You tired, you look like shit."

"Uh thank you for your concern," she huffed. "I know that was actually sweet in Lowman's language."

She climbed carefully into bed beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. There was so much more she wanted to say, rage and fear and sorrow she wanted to express, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Love you, Hap," she mumbled.

"Love you too," he whispered as he kissed her nose.

—

The next morning Katie raced back to Charming on the phone Tara the whole way. They brainstormed shortly but easily came to the conclusion that Gemma was to blame. Her name on the visitor's list at the hospital provided proof but Katie knew it was her almost from the moment Happy mentioned it. It had to be Gemma, there simply was no one else. Not surprisingly she was at Diosa that morning so Kate went straight there from the hospital.

"Hey," Kiki said as Katie charged in. "Hey, what are you doing?" Kiki followed her back as she hurried toward Nero's door. "Come on, you can't do this."

"Back off," Katie snapped at Kiki. "I just wanna talk to Gemma." Turning back to the door Katie pounded her fist against the wood. "I know you're in there."

"Kate?" Nero swung the door open. "What's going on?"

"I need to talk to Gemma, now."

"Let her in," Gemma said from across the room where she sat with a cigarette. "You can give us some privacy."

"How dare you?" Katie sneered at Gemma.

"There's a lot I dare," Gemma chuckled. "You'll have to be more specific."

"Telling Happy," Katie glared at Gemma. "You had no right to tell him about our baby."

"You're pregnant?" She asked, promptly stubbing out the cigarette.

"Was," she said sadly. "I lost the baby."

"I'm sorry," Gemma said apologetically. "Were you not going to tell him?" 

"That's not your business!"

"Those boys are my business," Gemma corrected her.

"No they're not," Katie laughed. "Clay is long gone. You're just Jax's mom, you're not the queen or an old lady."

Gemma's eyes narrowed. "You've been talking to my dear daughter-in-law."

"Yeah, and we know you, Gem."

"What do you know?"

Katie opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She had hateful, awful words ready to spew at Gemma but it would only fuel whatever war was between them now.

"I know you told Happy I was pregnant, the only other two people who knew also knew I lost the baby."

"Secret babies are painful things," she said bitterly.

"So are dead ones," Katie's voice cracked. "Yay out of my relationship with Happy. This is my life and you have no place in it."

"You're in my world," Gemma warned her.

Katie shook her head. "Why are you doing this?"

"We all have our reasons, darlin," she said as she stood and forced a hug on Katie. "I'm sorry you lost your baby."

Katie pushed her away, "Go to hell."