Daughter of a Son (Sons of Anarchy FF)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chloe was lying in her bed when Gemma appeared at the doorway. “I’m going to the hospital to visit with Abel, thought you might want to come along.”

Chloe sat up. “What about what Clay wanted?”

“He wants you protected and I think between you and me we can handle it if one guy comes stepping your way.” Gemma knew what Chloe was capable of; she knew all the details of the job she pulled on the Mayans and then some.

“Ok, yeah I’ll go.” She got up and met Gemma at the door.

“Here, just in case.” She handed her a fair-sized handgun.

“Just had the laying around, step mommy?”

“Can never be too careful.” Gemma smiled and patted her purse. “Let’s get out of here before one of the guys tries to stop us.”

As Chloe followed Gemma she realized her father’s wife was something else, something special. She was a fighter and did whatever it took for her family to be safe. Chloe regretted her own mom couldn’t be like that.

“Alvarez isn’t going to forget that much money disappearing.” Jax said as he and the rest of the MC sat around the redwood table inside their chapel. “The shooting at the meeting with Cameron says he already suspects us.”

“We have to make a move and send a message.” Clay added. “I’m not opposed to putting a bullet in his head but not at the risk of this club. This heat with the ATF has us all under surveillance and we can’t risk it.”

“And with Chloe carrying we can’t use her.” Opie reminded the group. “We can reach out to other outside muscle.”

“This can’t land at our feet.” Jax said. “There’s too much shit in the air for us to go to war with the Mayans.” He didn’t want a bloody war if they could help it.

Clay sighed and knew this was going to be one of those times Jax second guessed him and came up with some peace corps bullshit plan. “What’s on your mind VP?”

“If Alvarez comes up dead after shooting up our meeting we’re prime suspect number one, the cops and his MC come at us first and we don’t have enough money or guns to handle it. We gotta play this smart and deflect his attention.”

“Abel is one of the most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen.” Chloe said with awe as she watched the little guy sleep.

“One good thing came from Jax and Wendy being together.”

“Just not a fan of any of his girls huh?”

Gemma sighed; she sat in the rocking chair and kept an eye on Abel. “He makes bad decisions, thinking with the little head instead of the big one. In this life he needs a woman that can handle all the shit around him, the club, the danger, and dealing with she can’t always be first. I don’t want to see him get his heart broken and I don’t want to see him getting hurt by trying to leave this life. There is no out and I don’t need some twit giving him some false home when she’ll just leave eventually. You have to have something extra inside of you to deal with this stuff and Tara and Wendy don’t have it.”

 “You haven’t given Tara a chance. They’re not teenagers anymore and Jax really cares for her.”

“Hmm, that’s noble, standing up for them when you know it’s a dead end and when you have feelings for him yourself.” Gemma pointed out, some attitude dripping from her voice as she hoped to get under Chloe’s skin with the truth.

“No.” Chloe shook her head and kept her eyes on Abel. “Jax helped me out of a bind and that’s it. There’s nothing there.” She needed to believe that in order to leave, in order to have her heart remain in tact when this was all over.

“You’ve been lying to yourself so long its natural. You believe you didn’t need anyone, it didn’t bother you when you mom died and you were left with that man. You want to believe it was all ok and you came out of it fine. The same way you want to believe you don’t want Clay’s approval or Jax’s love.” She knew what she was talking about, she saw the answers the girl was trying her hardest to hide.

“Wow you could really earn some money on the side as a shrink. What would even make you say all of that?”

“Your eyes, they’re tired of running. They’re giving you away with each step. We all want somewhere to call home.”

She was crying as she looked at Gemma, her eyes betraying her again as the tears fell free. “It’ll never work. Clay will never accept me as his daughter or this baby and the stuff that comes along with it. And Jax…there’s nothing there.”

Gemma saw the turmoil she was fighting, the tears she couldn’t control. “You’re right baby, there’s nothing there. You have to make your own choices and I’ll help you anyway I can.” She didn’t want to see Chloe leave town, she firmly believed she could have a healthy relationship with her father and become an important part of the family but she wasn’t going to force her. Chloe was going to have to realize on her own what she wanted and what she’d be leaving behind.

“Thank you.” Chloe whispered with her hand on Abel’s belly as he slept.

The door to the nursery opened and Jax stepped inside along with Tara. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

Gemma answered. “Us two badass chicks can take care of ourselves without the men being the hero. I wanted to see my grandson and brought Chloe along for the ride so Clay still gets his way.” He had told her to keep an eye on Chloe; he never said they had to stay at the clubhouse to do it. “How is my grandson?” she asked Tara.

“He’s doing really well and he should be out of here in the next few days. He can be held.” She walked over to the hospital crib; Jax followed and took his son in his arms for the first time.

Gemma stood and let Jax sit. “A father and son together is a beautiful sight.” She noticed Chloe tense and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “When he deserves it.”

Chloe took comfort in the hug and her words. “Serious though, you’d make a great shrink.”

“She meddles enough and likes to tell everyone what to do.” Jax agreed.

“You’d be lost without me now let me hold my grandson.”

Chloe stood back and watched as Jax handed over the baby and kept a watchful eye, wanting to take in every second of the moment. “You should have some time alone.” she turned toward the door.

“Stop.” Gemma said, her eyes never leaving Abel. “You don’t take a step without me not even to the bathroom.”

“What’s going on?” Tara asked Chloe as they were by the door.

“Gemma wants to mommy me.”

“I will mommy this foot right in your ass if you leave this room.” Gemma said, now looking at Chloe so the younger girl could see it was wise to take her threat seriously.

Jax laughed. “You have seat on the Gemma shit list now.”