"Fine," he huffed, out of breath and bloody. "Think I broke my fucking hand," he added as the pain slowly began to increase.
"Someone call an ambulance," Opie said, his voice more urgent now. "He's not conscious."
"Jesus," Tig huffed. "Were you trying to kill him?"
"Katie told me not to," he shrugged. "Got kinda outta hand."
"This was supposed to fix shit," Tig said quietly. "Not make it worse."
"I didn't want to get right with what he did," Happy admitted. "I wanted to teach him a goddamn lesson."
Tig sighed heavily, deeply troubled but also touched by Happy's words. "Alright, brother, let's get you fixed up, x-rays and shit."
--
Hours after having passed out, Katie awoke to a text message from EZ. "I have Charlie, she's fine, we're at the clubhouse. I'll bring her back when you're up, give me a call." Katie stayed in bed for a few more minutes, tears streaming down her cheeks, as the stress and indecision of her current state popped back into her head. The drug-induced sleep was so peaceful and deep she truly forgot everything that happened, at least for a few minutes. Eventually, she gingerly showered before making the irresponsible decision to drive herself to the clubhouse.
When she walked through the door she saw Charlotte sitting on the bar, her feet swinging excitedly, as Gilly and Coco playfully shadowboxed. She was still shoveling food into her face, at that moment it was french fries she was sharing with Angel, and bringing some much-needed levity to the clubhouse after they watched extreme brutality at the hands of Miguel Galindo.
"She likes it here," Chucky said, startling Katie.
"Oh," she gasped, "Oh yeah, she probably feels more at home here than she has in a very long time. Her father is in an MC."
"Ahh birds of a feather," Chucky said with a smile, waving his hands like wings before scurrying away.
"Fucking weirdo," Katie scoffed. Watching the scene before her for a bit longer she felt herself fighting tears again. Charlotte was having so much fun, the guys will enjoying some lighthearted time, but it only confused Katie even more.
"Mommy!" Charlotte flew off the bar and ran toward Katie at top speed.
Angel's face lit up seeing Katie at the clubhouse, hugging her daughter. He made his way over, only interrupting when their hug ended. "Hey, sorry, we needed some extra hands."
"It's okay, EZ texted me and it looks like she's in good hands," Katie chuckled.
"Fucking clowns," Angel laughed, gesturing at Gilly and Coco. "They just like an audience."
"Can we talk?"
"Oh," his face fell, that phrase always bringing bad news, and nodded. "Sure."
"I'll be right back, go finish your food, okay?" Charlotte nodded and skipped away. Katie took Angel's hand and led him outside again. "Fresh air," she said as an explanation.
"You're leaving?" He asked quickly. "Aren't you?"
"For a bit," she said sadly. "I have to see my boys, I think I can make the trip, driving here wasn't too bad."
"It's like ten minutes, big difference," he said with a disapproving tone. "Lemme take you up."
"It's not like I'm going to forget you, Angel," she assured him. "I need to see my sons. I know they won't remember me, and that's gonna fucking kill me, but I have to. I miss them more than anything. You know with this mess I need some space from Santo Padre, from you and the club and me and Charlotte need some time to reconnect."
"But you're not coming back?" He said sadly.
"I will be back," she said, grabbing his hands and giving them a squeeze. "I promise, this will not be the last time you see me."
"Okay," he nodded, a goofy look on his face as he tried to hide his heartbreak. "I'll give ya all the space you need."
"Thank you," she pressed her lips to his cheek and inhaled his scent one last time. "I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, Katie," he uttered quietly.
"Can you uh, send Charlotte out?"
Angel clicked his tongue, knowing she didn't want to go back in because it would be much harder, and nodded. "Yep."
Charlotte came out, moments later, while Angel lingered on the porch. "Angel said we're going home?"
"Uhh, yeah, for a quick visit. I want to see Nat and Sammy."
Her face lit up. "Really?! Can we?!"
"We can," Katie laughed a little. "I missed you guys so much. I think I'm scared to see your brothers though because they might not remember us. It's gonna hurt our feelings, it's gonna make me very sad, but they'll get to know us again soon enough okay?"
"Okay!" Charlotte looked back at Angel. "Is he coming?"
"No, baby," Katie whimpered. "Angel is gonna stay here."
"Can he come?"
"No, he can't," Katie sighed. "I know you like him, I know he brought you back but it's just a really messy situation for us adults."
"Is that why Happy is mad?" Charlotte asked. "Because you love Angel now? Because we live here now?"
"He's always mad," Katie joked. Kneeling to meet Charlotte's eye, Katie tried to explain to her as best and as quickly as she could. "That man that brought us down here, he told me lies that made me think Happy and Daddy and your uncles didn't want me back, that it would be dangerous for us back home. So I stayed here and just looked for you, I made friends and I met Angel and everyone but Happy and Daddy did want us home, they've been looking for us for months, baby. We can't just not go back to our lives, you know?"
"But I like it here," she smiled brightly. "You like it here too! We can bring Sammy and Nat here!"
"Charlotte," Katie snapped a bit, "Honey, it's not that easy."
"Angel said it's easy," she pouted. "He saw me, he fought with Adelita, he came back and then he brought you!"
Katie closed her eyes. "You're too little, Charlotte. Please. Let's just go home, see your brothers, and we can decide things up there. Okay?"
Angel suddenly jogged off the porch toward Charlotte and Katie with a somber expression. "Sorry, ladies, but uhh, Packer just called, SAMCRO is looking for you. They're at Imperial Hospital."
"Jesus Christ," Katie moaned. "My two idiots?"
Angel just nodded.
"Okay. You get your wish, Little Miss, looks like we're not leaving yet," Katie huffed.
--
Hey guys! Hope you're still enjoying this! I started a solo Mayans story, Blood & Water, so check that out. I think I'm going to have to edit the first chapter for clarity BUT no plot points will be changed. xoxox
Chapter 13
Start from the beginning
