Marianne Armstrong moved to Charming to be closer to family, they just don't know she's there yet. When Chibs Telford is hurt in an explosion, he thinks he's seen an angel upon waking because she disappears and he can't find her anywhere. When her l...
Mari walked down the hall carrying the flowers in a vase, looking at the room numbers as she went. She finally found the right room and pushed the door open slowly, not wanting to intrude if someone was being visited. She stepped lighter and slower when she saw that the man in the hospital bed was either asleep or unconscious. She frowned sadly as she saw that his head was wrapped in gauze and he had bruises and small cuts everywhere she could see.
She set the flowers down on the small table beside the bed and stepped closer to the prone man, something about him drawing her to his side. When she was closer, she noticed scars on both cheeks and gray in his goatee and what hair she could see under the bandages. She bit her lip as she thought that she hadn't seen a man so handsome in a long time, even with the apparent wounds. It took her a moment to realize that somehow she was holding his hand in hers, marveling at the difference in size from his to hers. She felt his fingers squeeze hers and looked up to see him looking at her through pain-filled eyes.
"Are ye an angel, luv?"
Mari grinned at the thick Scottish accent and shook her head, the long braid down her back swinging with her movement. "No, I've never been compared to an angel."
The man shifted in the bed, wincing when he moved his head. "Aye, well then, yer my very own angel, yeah?"
Without thought, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek closest to her as her free hand came up to caress his other cheek, being mindful of the cuts and bruises. "If you think I'm an angel, then yes. I need to go tell someone you're awake."
He frowned then, gently shaking his head. "Dinnae leave. No' yet."
Mari smiled and shook her head. "I'm afraid that I have to. You need something for pain and I'm late for my next stop."
The man nodded slightly. "Will I see ye again?"
Mari shrugged as she took her hand from his and stepped back. "If you're meant to, I'm sure you will. Rest now."
She stepped around the bed and headed for the door, her step faltering when she saw something hanging in the open closet by the door. She sighed as she saw the reaper and the writing on the back of a well-weathered leather motorcycle kutte. Sons Of Anarchy. Her lips twisted into a half-smile as she wondered if perhaps it was a sign.
Chibs shook his head as both Tara and Gemma frowned at him in confusion. "I know wha' I saw."
Tara looked at Gemma before giving Chibs a small smile. "I'm sure you do, it's just that we don't have anyone working here that looks like a flame-haired porcelain doll, to use your words."
Gemma grinned. "You sure it wasn't the meds? You're on some good shit, sweetheart."
Chibs sighed and shook his head, wincing when his stitches pulled slightly. "Nae. She was standin' where ye are now. She was a tiny thing, and the light from the window made her look like an angel."
Gemma shrugged. "Well, hopefully, you'll see her again, but right now, you need to heal so you can get back to work."
Chibs nodded. "Aye. How long am I ta be laid up here, doc?"
Tara shrugged. "A few more days, at least. You still have some swelling that we're watching."
Chibs sighed as he let the women talk while his mind went back to the woman from before. If he had to knock on every door in Charming, he was going to find his angel again.
Mari hung a picture on the wall and stood back to admire the result. She smiled sadly as she reached up to straighten the frame, her brother smiling down at her from the wall, his young wife standing behind him with an arm draped across his chest as he sat at the head of a long redwood table. She sighed and shook her head. They were all so young back then, full of hope and a dream that they could be free to live as they wanted.
She wondered what happened to that dream? That promise? She sat down on the couch and pulled a box over to her, picking up the picture albums and sitting them beside her. She slowly flipped through them, smiling at some pictures and frowning at others as the memories came back of a time that was now lost to all of them. Finally, she put the albums on the empty bookcase and took the box to the back porch to be broken down later.
Mari thought that in the next few days, she was going to have to make her presence known, but she wasn't sure how that would be received. There were years to bridge and she wasn't sure if she was up for the task. She thought of her sister-in-law and smiled, wondering how the years had treated her. She had been able to keep track here and there over the years, but she never made the extra step to come find out for herself.
She sighed as she grabbed her phone, earbuds, and keys and walked out the front door. Once she had her music blasting in her ears, she jogged down the driveway and down the sidewalk, picking up speed as she went. She'd always loved running, feeling free as long as her feet were beating the pavement below her. Her brother had always teased her, calling her roadrunner and telling her that she wasn't going to get where she was going any faster by running. She'd always teased him back, saying that he wasn't going to get there faster on a motorcycle either. She sighed as she thought that maybe they were both right.
