Happy was relieved when Clay told them Juice was going to be okay. That the shank that Aryan Brotherhood member had stuck in his back not once but twice had missed all his vital organs. Jax was pissed, the anger coming off of him in waves. Crossing his arms over his chest, the Vice President nodded in his direction. "Hap, you know Ang's number?"

Did he know her number? Of course he did. Did he want to call her? Not particularly. She was not going to be happy. In fact, he had a feeling she'd be pissed with him for not preventing it. Hell, he was mad at himself for that. What had they been thinking letting him walk back in unprotected after he'd stuck his neck out to help lure that asshole to the infirmary? Juice was a prime target for the white hate gang. Brown skin, part of the Sons. He should've known better then to let him walk two feet into the yard without back up. Happy ran a hand over his head as he nodded. "Yeah, I got it," he said on a frown. "I'll make the call."

Once he had access to the jail phones, he dialed the number he knew by heart. Angela's voice crackled over the phone. "Hello?" she asked, a slight shake to her voice.

"Idiot got shanked," he answered, not wanting to beat around the bush. "He's fine."

He heard her sharp intake of breath followed by a soft curse. "What the fuck? What the hell happened?"

"He was doin' somethin' for the club and..."

"You left him unprotected?" Angela interjected, angrily. "What the fuck, Hap? I thought you were supposed to have each other's backs and you just..."

"He's fine!" he interrupted her before she could start ranting and raving. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" she repeated, her voice louder than it'd been before. If it'd been any other situation, he wouldn't stand for her talking to him like that. But he knew he deserved the verbal lashing. "Are you fucking kidding me, Hap? Juice was stabbed."

Happy ran a hand over his face, wishing he hadn't bothered to call her. This wasn't something she needed to stress about. "And he's fine. 's at the hospital here. They're takin' care of 'im."

"What about when he gets out, huh? Then what?"

"Then we'll take care of him."

Her scoff was audible on the other end. " 'cause that worked out so well for him."

He couldn't help but smirk at her sass. He loved her for it even though it drove him absolutely insane. "Kid, 'm doin' the best I can."

She sighed softly. "Sorry, I'm just...I hate that I can't do anything out here."

"Stay smart, kid. Take care a our Ma's. 's all you can do right now," he said, feeling her own frustration. "We're gonna be outta here soon."

There was a tone indicating it was time for the conversation to end. She sighed again. "Love you, Hap. Please watch your back, and when he gets back, watch his."

"Yeah. You too, kid. I got it. Don't worry so much," he said, hanging up the phone with a click. He could practically hear her cursing him out from across the county. With a sigh, he headed back to the Gen Pop cell they were sharing with a ton of other inmates.

Jax nodded to him. "How'd she take it?"

"Not well," he answered curtly, sitting down on one of the bunks. "Blamin' us for not protectin' him."

"Yeah, can't say I blame her," he muttered, tugging on his beard. "We gotta get outta here. Soon."

Happy nodded; he couldn't agree more. He had a feeling Angela was working with Gemma and Tara to find a way for them to get out. He'd never wanted his little cousin involved in club shit before, but he took comfort in the fact she wasn't alone this time around. That she had a supportive group to fall back on. She hadn't the last time he and Koz went inside. She'd been starting high school, and her Ma and his Ma were constantly busy. Her support system were her best friends, Lino and Rosa. He didn't mind them. They'd been good friends to Ang since she was a kid, but hanging with Rosa brought her into that damn Mayan's orbit. Set her up for a lot of heartbreak. He regretted not killing that asshole sooner. He got his retaliation though, and it'd been satisfying as hell watching that Mayan prick drop like a sack of potatoes, ice pick in his neck. He'd never let anyone hurt his kid like that again.

~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~~'~'~'~'

Angela hung up the phone with San Joaquin County Correctional Facility and slammed it on the table with a growl of frustration. She'd done everything she could, thrown every card she had to find a way to visit Juice. After suffering through a phone tree for almost an hour, she'd finally reached a living person who proceeded to tell her that they couldn't give her much information other than that he was stable. She didn't know if he was in the jail infirmary or at an outside hospital. For some reason, they wouldn't give her that information even though they'd confirmed he'd listed her as his wife. Unless he was gravely injured, they said they couldn't give her any more information. The man she'd spoken to told her to consider it "a good thing" since it meant he was going to live, and she'd given him a colorful, expletive-filled reply before he hung up the phone on her. She'd called again and again and again before she finally hit her limit and gave up. She let her head fall in her hands, a lump forming in her throat as tears stung her eyes. She felt useless. Helpless. She just wanted to see him, be there for him. Everyone told her he was okay, but she wouldn't believe it until she saw for herself.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was dinner time and cursed; she didn't have time to pick up wine before going to Jax's. Let them judge her. She didn't give a shit. There was too much going on for her to care. So she drove there empty handed.  Gemma opened the door, surprising her by pulling her into a tight hug the moment she did. "Heard what happened from Clay," Gemma said, running a hand over the back of her head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. What do we know?"

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "He's stable. Either in the infirmary or an outside hospital. Stupid prison asshole social worker wouldn't tell me which one. No visitation allowed at this time."

Gemma raised her eyebrows. "You called the prison?"

"Well...yeah. If I didn't think I'd be arrested, I'd drive there myself and demand to see him, but I feel like they'd throw me in cuffs real fast and that wouldn't help anyone," she explained on a shrug.

Gemma chuckled in response, shaking her head. "Like you more and more every day, undertaker," she said, gesturing towards the dining room. "We got pizza. Ken and Ellie are here too. Mary dropped 'em off earlier."

"What? Why?"

"Grading day at school. Ope's busy, so we're watchin' him 'til he gets back."

Angela sighed, poor kids. She had no doubt they'd been subjected to a very boring day at TM. Still, she wouldn't have been able to take the time off to care for them anyway. She had too much going on at work. Walking into the house, she saw them on the couch, Ellie reading while Kenny played on his Gameboy. "Hey kiddos," she greeted, plopping down between them. "How are you guys?"

Kenny leaned towards her, his head against her shoulder. "Boring," he answered, confirming her suspicions. "Pops forgot it was grading day."

"We just did homework at the garage," Ellie explained on a frown. "I finished a book."

"That's great, Ell," Angela said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Want me to braid this for ya? You can tell me about your book."

Ellie nodded, situating herself on the floor in front of her. Angela combed her fingers through Ellie's long hair, enjoying listening to her explain the new vampire book she was reading. It sounded a little old for her, but if Opie was going to allow it, she wasn't going to say anything. She was just glad the girl was reading.

She hadn't been there all that long when the doorbell rang. Tara stood to get it, and Angela recognized Lyla's voice from the door. She was there to pick up Kenny and Ellie. Tara and Gemma refused her though, calling her some harsh names before all but slamming the door in her face. "Do you guys know Lyla?" Angela asked the two of them.

"No," they both answered in unison.

While Angela knew Lyla well and trusted her, she had to agree with Tara and Gemma on not letting the kids go with a stranger, whether Opie approved of it or not. "She's real nice," Angela told them, wanting to put in a good word before Tara and Gemma put ideas in their heads. "Think your dad likes her a lot. Might be seeing her around more. Be nice. Open minded, okay?"

They both nodded, and they fell into a comfortable silence until Gemma came in to say goodbye to them. Angela stood, leaving them to their own devices to talk to Tara who was cleaning the kitchen at a furious rate. "Heard what you said to Lyla," Angela said, leaning against the counter.

"What the hell was Opie thinkin' having her pick them up? Do they even know her?" she spat, turning around to face Angela.

"No, they don't," Angela answered on a sigh. "You weren't wrong turning her away, but I got a feelin' she's going to be around for awhile. She's not bad. Very sweet, though she's definitely got a bite to her."

Tara smirked and nodded. "I noticed."

Angela's phone went off, and she answered it quickly. Her heart was in her throat as she listed to the San Joaquin Correctional social worker explain that bail had been posted. That Juice was going to be transferred to St. Thomas at his own request. Some bullshit story he'd given about insurance, though Angela was grateful for it. She hung up the phone, excitement in her veins. "The boys are comin' home," she told Tara. "They somehow posted bail!"

Tara's eyes lit up, a smile gracing her face. "No way!"

She nodded exaggeratedly. "I gotta go. Juice is being transferred to St. Thomas," she said, grabbing her purse. She said bye to the Winston kids and practically sprinted to her car. She knew she was going to beat Juice there, but she didn't really care. She had to be there. Had to see him, make sure he was okay. She wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~

For Juice, the trip from jail to the hospital was extremely long and painful. The jail infirmary staff had given him a decent amount of pain meds, but he still felt every bump, every turn. He was starting to think the paramedics were doing it on purpose. The ones riding in the back with him didn't even speak to him. They transferred him to the St. Thomas care team without incident and before he knew it, he was posted up in a room in their intensive care unit. He wondered if anyone had told Angela what had happened. If there was a way he could reach out to her. He was out on bail now, so he should have access to a phone at least. The nurse had told him to press the call button if he needed anything, and he was about to do it when the door creaked open.

His heart skipped a beat as Angela slipped in, carefully closing the door behind her so it didn't make noise. She was wearing one of his big sweatshirts with black Adidas track pants, her hair down in a low, loose braid. Turning around, her eyes met his and her shoulders visibly relaxed. He held out his hand to her. "Hey baby," he greeting, smiling as her fingers slid between his. He brought their intertwined hands to his lips, kissing the top of hers.

"Hey you," she murmured, her free hand settling on the side of his face. Her thumb stroked over the scruff on his cheek. "How you feeling?"

"Better now," he said, tilting his head back a bit, his eyes on her lips. He yearned for a kiss. Just something to make him forget about the way Dion's hands felt as they'd brushed over his ribs. Some assurance that despite what had happened, what had almost happened, she'd still want him. He tugged on her hand, urging her closer. Leaning in, she pressed her soft lips to his. Warmth radiated through his body, his heart beating just a little faster in his chest. He moved a hand into her hair, holding her closer as he slid his tongue into her mouth to taste her. The familiar taste was soothing, reminded him he was safe. He was home.

They both pulled away breathing heavily. Angela tapped her forehead to his. "You scared the shit outta me, Ortiz," she told him, pecking his nose. She sat down on the bed by his hip, squeezing his hand. "What the hell happened?"

"You don't want to know," he replied, squeezing her hand back.

She raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Okay. If you want to get it off your chest, I'm here, and I love you. No matter what. Just know that."

Juice hesitated, wondering if it would be better if she did know. She usually helped him with the heavy shit and getting shanked in prison after almost taking one for the team was definitely something he might need help wrapping his head around later. He wasn't embarrassed or ashamed by it. He did what he had to for his club, his brothers. It was something he was kind of proud of. "We needed protection inside. I had to bait some guy who was into brown boys into the infirmary so the crew could jump him. Jax set it up, Tig elbowed me in the ribs, and they sent me to the infirmary where the creeper was waiting for me."

He sighed softly, feeling a little better now that it was out in the open. "Nothin' happened, I swear, Angel," he assured her. "He tried to...massage me, but I shut it down real quick. The crew got there before...anything happened. Once the crew jumped him, I headed back into gen-pop. Took two steps inside when this Nazi-lookin' motherfucker stabbed me. Twice. Left the damn thing in there."

There wasn't a hint of disgust on her face, just a murderous look in her dark eyes. He fought the urge to smile at her protective streak. "I don't know who I'm gonna kill first," she said, her shoulders tight.

Juice chuckled, squeezing her hand. While he appreciated her wanting to protect him, it wasn't needed. His club didn't do anything wrong. "Not necessary. Was glad I could help my club."

That seemed to piss her off more. This time, she was mad at him though. "Are you insane, Juice? What if that guy knew it was a set up and instead of feelin' you up, he killed you? What if the shank hit something vital? You could've died. And the club, your brothers, set it up! Probably without even asking you. That's fucked up!"

He could feel the anger coming off of her and felt his own starting to bubble up. He was tired, and he didn't want to fight with her. Not in the hospital. Not about the club. It seemed to be a trend since the last time they'd found had been in St. Thomas over club shit. He'd thought she'd gotten over her disapproval of the club. That she was happy with it now especially since she'd become pretty entrenched in it herself. "I did what I had to do for my club, my family. We needed protection in there or something worse could've happened. You would've done the same for your family."

"My family would never offer me up as bait," she stated, nose wrinkled in disgust. "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me they asked if you'd take one for the team."

He looked away from her, clenching his jaw. She wasn't wrong, necessarily. "They didn't have to ask. They're my brothers. I wanted to protect them. Including your cousin."

She shook her head, unconvinced. "Juice..."

"Shut up!" he snapped, too tired to hear whatever more she had to say. It happened, it was over. He was fine. Fighting about it wasn't going to change anything. Why couldn't she be quiet and sit with him? Be thankful he was okay and be there to support him. Not give him more grief. "Not gonna fight with you about this. I don't really give a shit what you think."

He saw the hurt flash through her eyes as though he'd slapped her in the face. She quickly masked it with a cold indifference. "Good to know," she rasped, her voice thick as she nodded her head. She got to her feet, leaning over the bed to press a kiss to his forehead. "Glad you're okay, Ortiz."

And just like that, she started walking away. "Angel!" he called, regretting what he'd said. How could he have told her to shut up? That he didn't care what she thought? Of course he did. He valued her opinion, always; he was just too tired to go there with her tonight.

She just held up her middle finger in response before the door closed behind her. He groaned as he let his head fall back against the pillows, hating that he couldn't chase after her to apologize for being such an idiot. What had he done?

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Angela was still bristling as she walked through the hall of the intensive care unit. He'd told her to shut up. That he didn't care what she thought. The words had hit her hard. It was something Esai would've said, something he had said before. Once he'd even said it while actually slapping her in the face. The sting of that memory was what made her walk out. She didn't want to hear more of it. Not from Juice. It hurt more to hear him say those kinds of things than any slap in the face had. She brought the hood of his sweatshirt up over her head, wishing it could swallow her up whole. It wasn't like her to run away from Juice like this, but his words had been like a stab to the chest. She'd needed to get out, to breathe before she said something she regretted out of pure hurt.

She paused as her eyes fell on the whiteboard outside of one of the doors. Telford. She peeked into the little window to see if Chibs was awake. The only light was from the television set, illuminating him. His eyes were open, a bored look on his face. She snuck inside, closing the door behind her. Technically, she was breaking hospital rules since she wasn't family, but she had a feeling he wouldn't mind. Plus, she knew almost all of the nurses, so the worst they could do was admonish her, but they wouldn't tell her to leave.

Chibs' dark eyes flitted to her immediately, tensing for a second before she lowered her hood. He relaxed at the sight of her, smiling just a little. "Angie-girl. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just thought I'd see how my favorite Scot is doing," she replied, sitting in the chair beside his bed. At Chibs' doubtful look, she sighed. "I dunno how much you know, but the boys got locked up in county for somethin'. And while they were there, Juice managed to get himself shanked in some stupid ploy to get protection. He's fine. An asshole, but otherwise, fine."

His brows rose in surprise; it was rare she insulted Juice like that to one of his brothers. Usually, she was defending him. " 'm sensin' some tension."

Angela messed with her ring, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Kind of told him off for putting his life on the line for the club and being happy about it when he could've died. He told me to shut up. That he didn't give a shit what I thought, and that...that hurt."

Chibs smirked. "The boy just got shanked, came to the hospital and all ye did was give 'im grief. 'm sure he didn't mean it, love. Think you're the one who's opinion he values most."

Guilt settled heavy on her shoulders. Chibs was right; Juice had experienced something horrible, and she'd been awful to him. Insulted his family. No wonder he'd lashed out at her. "Shit."

"But, he also shouldn'ta said tha' to you," Chibs acknowledged, his smirk fading. "Emotions are high. Lotsa shit goin' on. Gotta have patience with each other. Sure you were comin' from a place a love. Defendin' him. Juicey can be reckless when it comes to his family. Puttin' 'em first 'n' all. Boy needs someone to look out for him, and he loves you somethin' fierce, but he also loves his club, his brothers. Needs to learn how to balance it. Hang in there. Takes time. He'll find it."

Angela sighed, raking a hand through the mess that was her hair. The braid hadn't held well and pieces of it were falling into her face. A mess like she was right now. She knew it would take time to find a balance, not just for him but for her too. When things had been good with the club, it'd been easy, but the more danger that came, the harder it was to accept that he was going to have to do things that put his life on the line. A part of her wondered if she should tell him to stop telling her when things like that happened, but she knew not knowing would be worse. "Yeah," she agreed softly. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She felt bad unloading on Chibs while he was stuck in the hospital bed, though she appreciated his insight. Poor guy didn't need any more problems. "How are you though?"

Chibs chuckled softly. "I'm fine, love. Heads still on my shoulders," he answered, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Think you should go back to your boy, though. Work things out. Don't like to hear yer fightin'."

"You kickin' me out, Chibbies?"

"Think the longer you stay, the worse he's goin' to feel, and he don't deserve that."

Angela smiled, slowly getting up from the chair. She reached over to squeeze Chibs' hand. "Thanks for lookin' out for him. Good to know someone in the club does."

He smirked again in response, squeezing her hand back. "We all do. Not as much as you, of course, but I'm sure they all feel bad about what happened. Don't ye worry about tha'."

"Hope so," she said, thought she didn't really agree with him. "I'll see you later, Chibbies."

"Thanks for stoppin' in, Angie-girl. Good to see you."

Angela nodded, heading back towards Juice's room. She stopped in front of it, inhaling deeply before exhaling. She could do this. She could humble herself enough to apologize for overreacting. For leaving. She walked in, turning to close the door as quietly as she could. She felt Juice's eyes on her back and took another deep breath before turning around.

Her heart ached at the sight of him. He looked exhausted, his tattoos blurred by the hair that was quickly growing in over them. She approached slowly, messing with her ring as she considered what to say. "I love you," she began, watching the anger in his eyes fade at her words. "A lot, and I'm a little...a lot protective of you."

"Angel, I'm..."

"Just hold on a sec. Let me explain," she asked, holding up a palm. "I've always felt protective of you. And you, you...you're so selfless. Hearing that you were happy to put your life in danger for the sake of your brothers and that your brothers know that and don't hesitate to take advantage of you...it makes me mad, and it's a little scary because I want you to stay safe and protected a-and not be taken advantage of because of your big heart because I want you to come back home to me every night. Because I love you."

She sighed, raking a hand through her messy hair. She was rambling, she knew it, but she had to get it all out. "And I knew I shouldn't have left just then, but when you told me to shut up and that you didn't care...it was something Esai has said to me in the past. Once right before he slapped me," she admitted, hating the hurt she saw in Juice's expression. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she had to explain. She swallowed hard twisting a harder at her ring, so it pinched her skin a little. "And I know you'd never do that but hearing that from you? It hit me a little too hard, and I just needed to get the hell out."

He shook his head slowly. "Shouldn'ta said those things to you. I'm tired and just...snapped. 'm sorry," he explained, holding his hand out to her. A sense of relief filled her as she wove her fingers through his. "I love you too. You know that, right? I love you, and I love my club. Do anything for both of you."

"That's what scares me, Juice," she repeated, sitting at the edge of his bed. "I love how much you love your club. Your loyalty, but I'm scared to death that that love is going to get you killed. It almost did, and you said you were happy to do it."

"Dunno what you want me to say. Can't tell you it won't happen again 'cause if the club needs me, I'm gonna be there," he stated, playing with her fingers. "But 'm also gonna be there if you need me. That'll never change."

Angela nodded, though she hated the idea of him getting hurt because of the club again. "You can't do that if you're dead."

Juice lifted their hands to his lips, kissing the top of her hand. "Not gonna happen. 'm never leavin' you, Angel. You're stuck with me."

"You can't make that promise," she told him, wishing he could.

He sighed, hanging his head a little. "Can I promise that I'll be more...cautious when doin' things for my club? Think it through first? Ask myself, what would Angel do?"

She smirked, rolling her eyes at him. He was being silly now to lighten the mood, though she knew he mean it. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. She nodded in agreement. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." He let go of her hand to hook his pinky around hers, pulling their linked hands closer to kiss his fist while she kissed hers.

He pulled their joined pinkies in closer so their lips were just inches apart. He was giving her the option to kiss him if she wanted. She closed the distance between them, feeling her hurt ebb at the feel of his lips on hers. He loved her. She could feel it in the gentle caress of his fingers against her cheek, in the way his mouth moved against hers so gently and carefully. She loved his kisses, found herself getting lost in them in a way she had never felt with anyone else. The idea of losing that feeling, of losing him scared the shit out of her. "Please be safe," she told him, tapping her forehead to his. "I don't want to lose you."

Juice connected their lips again. "Already told you, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Is it bad I kind of like writing their little fights? 😅
I don't know why, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed reading it!
Let me know what you think!!
💕