Butterfly (Prequal to Burn)

T W E L V E

"Faster!" Michelle snapped.

"I'm going as fast as I fuckin' can!" Jax snapped loudly. His truck whizzed past the cars in each lane. His heart pumped a million miles per hour. That was his kid.

It repeated over and over and over. Riley was in the hospital. What had happened? Why hadn't he been there? Why was he such a goddamn jackass? He hit his fists repeatedly over his steering wheel, his black hair flying back and forth with each hit. His blue eyes focused on the road and he watched the hospital get closer and closer the more miles he burned.

He wasn't sure if he even parked right as he flew from his truck and sprinted into the hospital.

"Where's Riley Miller?!" He demanded. The nurse was startled.

"Family?" She asked.

"Goddamn!" Jax snapped.

"Yes, we are." Michelle said more calmly.

"This way." The nurse pushed through two double doors and then turned a corner. She pushed open another set before turning into a waiting room in full view of the surgical area. Riley lay unmoving as surgeons tried to stop the bleeding.

Jax's eyes remained on her bruised face.

ℛℳ

They'd stayed all night. Jax sat with his face in his hands listening to Jake sob about not wanting to lose a sister and a dad all in the same week. Marilyn hugged him to her closely. A mother comforting a son.

The surgeon walked into the waiting room and called out, "Whose the father?"

"What?" Marilyn asked.

"Jax is." Michelle said as she stroked Ella's back.

Everyone turned to Jax.

Michelle explained, "Riley is pregnant with Jax's baby."

"You son of a bitch!" Marilyn snapped and launched herself at Jax. He stayed still as Marilyn's husband held her back.

"We need the father to make the decision." The surgeon said.

"What decision." Jax demanded.

"Come with me Mr....?"

"Taylor."

"Mr. Taylor." Jax followed the doctor into a secluded room. He tried to ignore Riley's sobbing mother outside.

"There's internal bleeding." The doc told Jax, leaning against a counter, "I've realized that the patient-,"

"Her name is Riley." Jax snapped.

"Yes, Riley, is pregnant. The internal bleeding is right to the left of her kidney. In order to go in and fix it, we have to move the baby to save Riley." The doctor explained.

"So? Move the baby!" He snapped.

"It will kill the child."

Jax's body went still.

"We can save the child as well. It's a bio freezing technique that will keep it alive long enough to get it out. It will be Hospitalized for a long time. A few more months at least to make it to premature but in the process....Riley...would have to die.." The doctor rubbed the back of his neck as he awaited Jax's decision.

Jax knew Riley would want their baby to live. Riley would gladly die for her baby.

Jax looked at the doctor and spoke...