Tribulation | Jax Teller

Tellers

A YEAR LATER

Jax's eyes fly open. The same recurring nightmare he has been having the past months paralyze his body. Since Noelle's kidnapping, he has been having dreams of what could have happened if Hector succeeding in killing his wife. Or worse, sometimes he imagines if Hector had managed to get one of his kids instead of taking Tara. However, the one that currently has his body tense and his breath coming in short hard spurts is the one of finding Noelle dead in their kitchen. The cozy warm kitchen where she makes all their meals with love and fills their belly to the point they might burst. Their kitchen in his dreams turns into a battlefield as blood stained the floors and walls. Jax is always taken back by how much blood is literally everywhere in the kitchen.

Everything time without fail, he comes in the kitchen after seeing Noelle's feet. He'll call out her name and won't receive a response. He will pull out his gun as he slowly walks in. Then he sees his wife laying still on the floor in front of the sink. He drops his gun at his feet and as his feet move forward he stumbles over it as he tries to process what he is seeing.

The most jarring part is that when he reaches her still body is he can feel the weight of her in his arms. How her body feels warm, but he knows it not. Or that when he holds her close and he caresses her face as he has done a thousand times, when he presses his lips against her he doesn't receive a response.

But then he looks up to find an empty baby car seat signaling their taken child.

As the images recedes from his eyes, he turns over and immediately turns to where Noelle is sleeping peacefully on her side. Her back is facing him and he scoots over and wraps his arms around her. He places a hand on her stomach and relief flows through him as he feels the movement. It feels like butterflies' wings against the palm of his hands.

He begins to rub her belly hoping to still the movement.

Thankfully, this pregnancy hasn't been difficult nor does their child have the family flaw. Yet, now that Noelle is heavily pregnant in her last few weeks, her discomfort is obvious.

After Salazar and the healing that followed when it came to their family, they both were blindsided when she announced her pregnancy. He knew Noelle wanted to throttle him. And he knows his wife has contemplated doing that every day as she progresses further along with this pregnancy.

After all, the family is still on shaky ground almost a year later. The kids never want Noelle out of their sight. It took them awhile for them to not check on their mother even in the house if they didn't hear anything for a couple seconds.

AJ was the quickest one to bounce back. He, at first, had been startled and scared when he had first seen Noe. The beating Hector had done to her had been severe. The image of her face so blue and swollen will forever be seared in his mind. And he hates that it will also haunt his children. As Noelle's bruises had healed and faded away so did AJ's worry and fear.

Noah was second. He kept close to his mother. He practically waited on her hand and foot. Noelle and Noah had always had this remarkable bond. He knows there are things he isn't privy too in how Noelle had help assure him eventually that things were okay. That things would be okay.

But he can tell that the fear of losing his mother will never leave his son. He can see how he lingers on his mom with every hug. Or he goes out of his way to help her out with things.

And it took a while for Noah to look him in the eyes. Even then Jax can feel the blame that he had failed to protect Noelle. Things were still awkward between him and his oldest as with Noelle's kidnapping the truth had been exposed fully of the world they were living in because of him.