The day began like any other. Kenna woke up Nico, and they had breakfast together before Britt arrived to watch him. Kenna headed to work at TM, joining the guys for lunch. As they ate, an intense pain suddenly gripped her chest. She instinctively placed a hand over her heart, her face contorting in discomfort.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" Chibs asked, his eyes narrowing with concern.
"I... I don't know," Kenna winced, her breath coming in sharp gasps. She stood up quickly, a wave of anxiety washing over her. "Something's wrong," she muttered, feeling her chest tighten further.
"Should we call an ambulance?" Tig suggested, his voice edged with worry.
Kenna took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "No, I'm okay," she insisted, but her voice lacked conviction. She grabbed her phone, her hands trembling slightly, and dialed Britt. "Is Nico okay?" she asked, her voice tight.
"Yeah, he's fine. Is everything alright, Kenna?" Britt responded, concern evident in her tone.
"Yeah... yeah, thank you," Kenna replied hastily, hanging up and immediately dialing Happy's number. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. She tried again. Nothing. "Why isn't he picking up?" she said loudly, her panic rising.
"He's probably just out of reach, Kenna," Tig tried to reassure her, but Kenna's anxiety only grew.
"Call someone!" she yelled, the fear in her voice clear.
"Alright," Chibs said, quickly pulling out his phone. He dialed a number, pacing slightly as he waited. "It's Chibs, yeah, good. Is Happy with you? Alright, good, good. Thank you," he said before hanging up. He looked at Kenna, whose eyes were wide with worry. "Hap was with them on the run and went back to the motel. He's probably on his way home now."
"No," Kenna said, shaking her head. "He promised he would call when he got back to the motel."
"Maybe he just forgot, Ken," Chibs offered, trying to calm her.
"No, he always calls," Kenna replied, her voice breaking. Suddenly, a full-blown panic attack took hold. Her breathing became erratic, her vision narrowing.
"Sweetheart, I'll send someone to check the motel," Chibs assured her, signaling Kozik to try and calm her down. He placed a hand gently on her knee. "It's Hap, Ken. He's tough. He's alright."
Kenna tried to focus on his words, to convince herself that everything was fine. But deep down, a cold dread settled in her stomach. She knew something was terribly wrong.
The moment EZ fired three shots into Hap's chest, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Hap's mind flickered through a series of memories like a dying reel of film—the first was of Kenna walking up the aisle toward him, her face radiant with love, her eyes locked on his. The next was the overwhelming joy of holding Nico in his arms for the first time, his tiny hand gripping Hap's finger. And then, a final image—Kenna and Nico laughing in the garden, picking flowers, their faces bright with happiness. It was the purest peace he had ever known. These images, these precious fragments of his life, were the last things he saw before darkness consumed him as Angel fired a final bullet.
When Chibs finally got the call back from SAMDINO, he felt his entire world crack open. He could barely process the words, his heart twisting violently in his chest. His face went ashen, all the blood draining from it as he stumbled, almost blindly, into the common room where everyone was now gathered. As soon as Kenna saw his haunted expression, something inside her snapped. She stood up, her heart thundering in her ears, her breath hitching. "Please, please don't say it," she choked out, her voice breaking, tears already spilling over her cheeks.
Chibs's face crumpled, his own tears spilling freely now. His voice was thick with anguish, barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart... He's... he's gone. He... he got killed."
It was as if the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Kenna's legs buckled, and she crumpled to the floor, a hollow, agonized cry tearing from her throat. The sound was inhuman—raw, primal, filled with the kind of pain that only comes from losing the love of your life. She clutched at her chest, her stomach twisting violently, her body convulsing with sobs that wracked her to the core. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think; the grief was a tidal wave, crashing over her, dragging her under.
Chibs dropped to his knees beside her, pulling her into his arms as his own tears fell unchecked. He rocked her gently, his heart breaking as he whispered, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Around them, the room was filled with the sounds of stifled sobs and the shuffling of feet as the reality of what had happened settled in. Tig, eyes red and swollen with tears, tried to find his voice but could only manage a strangled, "I'll... I'll call Gemma." His hands shook as he fumbled with his phone, unable to see through the tears that blurred his vision.
Within minutes, Gemma arrived, her face a mask of disbelief and pain. She hurried to Kenna's side, her own tears barely contained. "Oh, baby," she murmured, her voice cracking, as she knelt beside them and wrapped her arms around Kenna, who was lost in her grief.
Minutes felt like hours. Chibs and Gemma managed to get Kenna onto the couch, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her face was a portrait of devastation, her eyes vacant, staring into the abyss of her loss.
"Where's Nico?" Gemma asked softly, trying to keep her voice steady.
"He's with Britt," Kozik managed to say, his own voice thick with emotion.
"Nico..." Kenna's voice was barely a whisper, broken and hollow. Fresh tears streamed down her face as she tried to form words, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "How... how am I supposed to...?"
Her words dissolved into a sob, her body convulsing with the force of her sorrow. She looked utterly lost, like a ship adrift in a storm with no anchor, no compass.
Gemma gently took her hand, squeezing it tight. "We're all here for you, baby," she whispered, her own voice trembling. "But first, we need you to breathe, okay? Just breathe." Sack handed Kenna a glass of water, his face etched with worry.
"I'll go with you home," Gemma continued, her tone soft but firm. "Ay me too," Chibs added, his voice a steady anchor in the chaos of the moment. "We'll figure out how to tell Nico together, okay, baby."
Kenna nodded numbly, the weight of the world pressing down on her chest, threatening to crush her entirely. All she could feel was the gaping hole where Hap used to be, and the unbearable emptiness it left behind.
After they had helped her into the car, Gemma turned to Kozik and Tig, her voice steady despite the pain etched across her face. "Figure out how to bring him home," she instructed. "I'll handle the arrangements for the funeral." They nodded, the weight of the moment heavy on their shoulders. They hugged briefly, a gesture of shared sorrow, before setting off to fulfill their grim tasks.
Escorted by Gemma and Chibs, Kenna stumbled into their home like a zombie, her eyes vacant, her body moving as if on autopilot. Britt was there, her face paling at the sight of Kenna's broken state. "What happened?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.
"Where's Nico?" Gemma asked, keeping her own emotions in check.
"He's taking his nap," Britt replied softly.
Chibs gently guided Kenna to the couch in the living room while Gemma pulled Britt aside to explain what had happened. Britt's eyes welled up with tears, her heart breaking for Nico and Kenna. Diego, sensing Kenna's distress, came up to her, resting his head on her knees in a silent attempt to comfort her. She ran a hand through his fur, trying to find some solace in the familiar motion, but the pain remained unbearable.
Kenna looked up at her father, her eyes filled with desperation. "What am I supposed to tell him, maybe we should wait?" she whispered, her voice choked with tears. Chibs didn't have an answer, his own heart breaking all over again at his daughter's anguish.
Not long after, Nico came running into the living room, his little feet pattering on the floor. "Mommy!" he called out happily. Kenna's breath hitched, and she quickly looked up at the ceiling, trying her hardest to hold back the tears. Nico climbed onto the couch beside her, oblivious to the grief surrounding him.
Chibs moved closer, gently lifting Nico onto his lap. "Pop," Nico giggled, and Gemma joined them on the couch, sitting beside Kenna. "Hi, baby," she finally managed to say, her voice trembling.
Nico's smile faded as he looked at his mom. "Mommy sad," he said, his small hand reaching out to touch her face. Kenna took Nico from Chibs and hugged him tightly, her tears soaking into his little shirt. "Where's Daddy?" Nico asked innocently.
Kenna couldn't stop the tears this time. "Daddy..." her voice cracked. "Daddy... I'm sorry, I can't do this..." She handed Nico back to Chibs and stood up abruptly, walking over to the window. She stared outside, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs as she struggled to breathe.
Chibs held Nico close, tears filling his own eyes. "You know how Daddy had to go on a trip?" he began gently. Nico nodded, still smiling a little, unaware of the gravity of what was coming next. "Well, Daddy... he's not going to come home. His heart stopped working, sweetheart. He... he died. He's with Opie and Jax now."
Nico's little face crumpled in confusion. "Daddy's not coming home?" he repeated, his voice wavering.
"No, baby," Gemma whispered, her own tears spilling over. "That's why Mommy is so sad."
"But Daddy makes Mommy happy," Nico said, his voice small and uncertain.
Kenna turned around, tears streaming down her face as she knelt on the floor in front of Nico. "And that's why I'm sad, baby," she said, taking his tiny face in her hands. "Daddy is gone, but you... you make me happy too, okay?" She kissed his forehead, her lips trembling.
Nico nodded, his little mind trying to grasp what was happening. "Okay," he said quietly, and Kenna hugged him again, holding him tightly as if afraid to let go.
Chibs and Gemma shared a look, each struggling to hold back their tears. Kenna stood up slowly, her body heavy with grief, and walked into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of whiskey, her hands shaking as she tried to steady herself, but the tears came again, harder this time.
Gemma turned on the TV, trying to distract Nico, while Chibs followed Kenna into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he said softly.
Kenna turned to him, and he pulled her into a light hug. She sobbed into his chest, her body trembling. "I want to know who did this to him," she said through her tears, her voice filled with a mix of heartbreak and anger.
"I promise, I'll find out," Chibs said, kissing the top of her head. "I promise you, we will find out who did this."
As the day turned into night, Chibs and Gemma took turns being there for Kenna and Nico. Chibs was determined not to leave them alone, knowing how fragile they both were now. After making sure Nico was in bed, he stayed up, lying defeated on the couch, listening to the sound of Kenna's muffled sobs coming from her bedroom.
Kenna cried into her pillow, hugging it tight, her voice hoarse and broken as she whispered, "You promised you'd never leave me, you promised, you promised" over and over again, until exhaustion pulled her into a restless sleep. Even then, the tears kept coming, seeping into her dreams, staining her sleep with sorrow.