It Was Always You

Ch. 22 Together

Angela woke to the sound of her alarm blaring; she'd set it for earlier than usual, knowing she had a lot to do before Donna's funeral. She scrawled a quick note for Juice, pressing her lips to it to leave a lipstick kiss before getting dressed into a simple outfit of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and one of Juice's sweatshirts. She'd made sure her suit was pressed and looking good, tucking it into a garment bag so that it was ready for the day. She didn't bother with making coffee, knowing she could make it at the funeral home if Skeeter hadn't already. The town of Charming was peaceful as she drove through it towards the funeral home. The hearse was parked in front of the garage in the back. It was sparkling clean. Clearly, Skeeter had gotten up even early to make sure it immaculate for Donna. When she walked in, she was greeted with the smell of coffee. Smiling, she headed towards main lobby to find Skeeter setting up prayer cards and arranging fresh flower bouquets. "Morning Skeet," she greeted, going towards the office.

"Mornin' Ang," he replied, taking a step away from the center table. He gestured towards it. "Prayer cards came out great. Bouquets are beautiful too. Arrangements have been comin' in since last night. Got some set up around the gravesite already."

She picked up one of the prayer cards, smiling sadly at the picture of Donna on it. On the back were lyrics to 'Forever Young' by Bob Dylan that Opie himself had chosen. "Yeah," she agreed, tucking one into her sweatshirt pocket. She glanced at Skeeter who had a kind of manic energy to him. "Espresso or Redbull?"

"Got a Red-Eye at the bakery," he stated, swiping a shaking had over his head. "Got you one too. And that croissant you like so much. Got a tea for your little friend out there. Two of 'em today."

Angela grabbed the coffee from her desk, taking a long sip and relaxing as warm drink hit her tongue. "Two?" she inquired, grabbing a pastry and the extra cup. She bit into the croissant as she took a seat at her desk, checking on her usual things.

"Think Jax is out there too."

She stopped what she was doing, pushing away from the desk. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Walked by there to make sure he was breathin'. Tried to get him to move, but he almost knocked me out. Stinks like booze. Not sure what happened there."

Angela raised an eyebrow wondering if this had something to do with the girl the guys had gone after the night before. Maybe he hadn't gotten there in time and was drowning in his own guilt. Maybe he had and something worse had happened. "Guess I'll head out there and check."

She grabbed the extra coffee and another pastry from the little pastry box with some napkins before heading towards the cemetery. She stopped beside where the local homeless woman was sitting with her belongings. The woman was without her usual grey blanket and had Jax's sweatshirt on instead. Her eyes were on Jax, who was laying on the steps of one of the crypts, an empty bottle of booze beside him, the woman's blanket covering him. "Breakfast?" Angela asked, offering her the coffee and pastry. Most days, the woman took it but every so often, she waved her off.

The woman accepted it today, taking the offerings with dirtied hands. "Thanks, sweetheart," she said in her raspy voice.

Angela nodded, taking a sip of her own coffee. "He been out here all night?"

"Yeah. Came in drunk. Bloody face. Passed out a few hours ago," she answered on a nod.

Angela nodded, approaching him wearily. She nudged his leg with her foot. "Teller, wake up," she muttered, wrinkling her nose at the stench of alcohol. He muttered something drunkenly and pulled the blanket closer around him. After a few more attempts, she gave up and nodded towards the woman. "You mind keepin' an eye on him for a bit longer? I got a big service I need to prep for, and he's not budging."