Juice couldn't help but grin when Angela walked into the hospital room. Elena and Graciela were already there. The former having brought him a big Tupperware container full of her infamous ropa vieja that he had practically inhaled. After eating the jail food and the hospital food for a couple days, having food with actual flavor was incredible. He'd thanked Elena profusely until she threatened to dump the cup of water on his table on his head. "Look who's here!" Elena exclaimed clapping her hands.

Angela smiled, though he saw the bags under her eyes, the stiffness in her walk. She'd been sleeping in the room with him on the little pull out armchair bed that couldn't be comfortable. They'd attempted sharing his hospital bed, but a nurse came in once a night to take his vitals, and the last one to catch Angela sleeping beside him had almost thrown her out completely. They didn't want to risk that again. He'd rather have her in the room than not there at all. Still, it meant that she wasn't sleeping well, and it definitely showed.

"Hey Tia, Mama," she greeted, going to kiss Elena's cheek then her mother's. They all knew the only reason her mother was there was because Elena was scared to drive at night, and she'd asked for a ride. Elena had done so much for their little family that Graciela rarely said no into her sister. Angela leaned over the bed to kiss his temple. "Hey you."

"Hey baby," he replied, squeezing her hand lovingly. "Good day today?"

"Long day today," she answered on a heavy sigh.

"You look terrible, mija," Graciela said, her words harsh but there was real concern in her eyes that took some of the sting out of them.

Juice watched as Angela's shoulders sunk even further. He could see a flash of annoyance in her eyes, but she bit back whatever comment she was about to unleash. "Gee, thanks, Mom," Angela replied in response. "Good to see you too." 

Elena gave Graciela a look of disapproval before reaching in her bag to pull out a small Tupperware container. "Mira, go heat this in the cafeteria. Ropa vieja. Get some good food and then go home to sleep." (Look)

"I'll heat the food for you," Graciela said, standing to take the container and walking out of the room before anyone could protest.

Elena frowned in response before casting a sympathetic look at Angela. "She means well, mija. She worries about you, you know."

"Sure," she drawled sarcastically.

Juice hated how Angela looked sadder and more exhausted than she had when she walked in. "I think you look beautiful, Angel. Always do."

"Thanks," she murmured, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. 

Graciela came walking back in with the Tupperware on a plate, a fork sticking out of it. She handed it to Angela with a napkin. "Nice and hot. The cafeteria here is very small," she said, wrinkling her nose a bit.  "This whole place is very small. Could use an update."

Juice glanced at Angela as she murmured a quick thanks to her mother and started to eat, her shoulders hunched forward just a little. He had noticed her do it before in her mother's presence. As if she was trying to make herself smaller, invisible. Elena seemed to notice too as her eyes, the same dark color as her niece's, grew a little sad. "We should head home before it gets too late, Graci," Elena said, standing slowly from the chair.

The look of relief on Angela's face was quickly masked as she took another bite of food. He could tell Elena caught it by the slight smirk on her face. Graciela nodded, grabbing her purse and heading towards his bed. "You be good, Juancito. Don't let those nurses get too handsy," Graciela told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She turned to Angela, a small smile on her face. "And you take care of him."

Angela nodded, swallowing the food in her mouth before she said, "Will do."

Graciela hesitated for a moment before dropping a kiss to Angela's forehead. She nodded to Elena. "I'll go get the car so you don't have to walk so far."

Angela watched her go, a curious look on her face; it wasn't often such affection was bestowed on her by her mother. Elena sighed softly, going over to her and taking her chin in her hand and squeezing her cheeks. "Te queremos tanto, mi vida," she said, smacking a kiss to her cheek. (We love you so much, my life)

"Love you guys too," Angela replied with a smile.

Elena turned to him and smiled. "Mi Juancito. You take care of her. Make sure she sleeps and eats and eat what she doesn't finish," she told him, kissing his cheek too. "Love you, mijo."

"I will. Always," he replied, loving the warmth that spread through him at her words. It'd been years since he'd felt the kind of true motherly love Elena routinely gave him. He felt blessed to have not only her love, but Angela's too. He loved being a part of their weird little family. "Love you too."

Elena smiled again. It never ceased to surprise him how easily she smiled while her son rarely did so. There was a warmth about her that Happy certainly didn't have, though Angela did. Elena kissed him again, patting his cheek then heading for the door.

It wasn't until both of them were gone that Angela fully relaxed, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Do I really look that bad?" she asked, stirring the food in the Tupperware container.

"You're beautiful," he repeated without hesitation. "You also look exhausted, baby. Maybe you should go home to sleep."

She seemed to consider it for a moment, then shrugged. "Don't think I'd sleep much better there without you anyway. Unless me being here bothers you."

Juice didn't know how she could even think that. He loved having her there. Wished she was there with him all day. "Never. I want you here. A little closer would be nice, though."

Angela smiled, standing from the chair and stretching out on the bed beside him. She pecked his cheek lovingly as she settled in beside him so they were shoulder to shoulder. Sitting like that, without any hint of romantic intimacy, reminded him of back in New York when they'd sit on her couch watching a movie or playing video games. They were simpler times, and a part of him wished he could relive them with her as his girl instead of just a friend. He had a feeling those moments would've been a lot more fun. She nodded to the TV. "What are you watching, anyway?"

"Animal Planet. Some cool shit about wolves," he said, unmuting it. He stared at the container of food in her hands, craving another bite. He could tell she noticed by the way the corner of her mouth quirked up just a little.

She kept eating, so he nudged her gently, nodding at the food when her eyes met his. She smirked at him, offering him a spoonful and feeding it to him when he opened his mouth. He groaned at the amazing taste of it. She chuckled softly, taking another bite herself as she shook her head. "Goof."

"Best food I've ever had, I swear," he stated, nuzzling his nose against her face.

Angela smiled, turning her head to catch his lips in a quick kiss. "Couldn't agree with you more," she agreed on a little nod. "Speaking of food, Gemma invited me over for a potlach tonight, but I couldn't pass this up."

Juice knew Gemma's invitation was a not so subtle way of showing Angela respect. She was literally giving her a place at the family table without him there. It was a sign of acceptance, and he hoped Angela hadn't ruined it by declining. "You should go, baby. You could make it. It's still early."

"Nah. I'll stop by on my way home tomorrow. Gemma said she'll make me a plate of leftovers for us," she explained on a shrug. "Think she was happy I was gonna be here with you."

"Good." He sighed in relief; he really didn't want her to leave. "I'm happy you're here with me."

Angela leaned in and kissed his cheek. "No place I'd rather be."

"Love you, mushhead," he murmured, raising his arm to move it over her shoulder. The action tugged at the stitches in his back, and he did his best to hide his grimace.

Her brows immediately drew together in concern. She gently moved his arm back down to his side. "Don't hurt yourself, goof."

He frowned; he just wanted to hold her. He could do that. Stitches be damned. He went to try again, but her phone went off in her purse. It was a distinct ringtone she'd set for when her friends called. With a soft curse, she stood to grab it. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Tara," she said, opening the little flip phone to answer. "Hey T. What's going on?"

Juice watched as a range of emotions crossed her face, ending with her eyes filling with tears, another soft curse escaping her lips. "Angel?"

She held a finger up to him, continuing the conversation between sniffles. She was explaining the process of making funeral arrangements. The last time he'd heard her do so to a club affiliated person was when Donna died. Who was it this time? It couldn't have been Hap or Koz. Angela looked upset, but he knew if it was one of them, she would've been destroyed. She wouldn't be able to talk like she was now. Wiping at her eyes, she hung up the phone. "Luann died," she said softly as she raked a hand through her hair. "She was...murdered."

He stared at her in disbelief. Luann had been killed. Another Old Lady who's life had been cut short. But why? Was it because of club business? Had something happened at Cara Cara? Angela spent a lot of time there. Was she in danger too? "What? At Cara Cara?"

"I dunno. I...Tara just said she was killed. Beaten," she explained, shaking her head as she sat down heavily in the chair beside his bed. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared ahead. "Holy shit."

For a moment, his mind flashed back to Angela's bruised and bleeding body in the car after her wreck. Could see the stillness of her body. Was that going to be her fate too? It couldn't be. He couldn't lose her. "Angel," he said, catching her attention. Her dark eyes focused on him, a look of sadness in them that made his heart ache. She'd grown close to Luann while helping her at the studio. They'd been friends. Slowly, he scooted to the edge of the bed and got to his feet.

She looked up at him. "Juice, you can't..."

"Shut up and come here," he cut her off, opening his arms to her. The look of relief on her face told him he was doing the right thing. She leaned into him, sniffling as he enveloped her in his arms, her face pressed into the crook of his neck. He smoothed a hand over the back of her head, scratching gently at her scalp. He felt a lump form in his throat at the feel of her tears against his neck. He kissed her temple, his voice cracking as he said, "It's okay, baby. I got you. Club'll figure out who did it. They'll get what's coming to them."

She nodded against him and uttered something that would've made Happy proud, "They better."

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

Angela was just sprucing up the entry way of the funeral home when Bobby walked in. She hadn't had much interaction with the SAMCRO secretary, though she'd seen him quite a bit at Cara Cara. She'd also seen the way he and Luann acted with one another. She'd had a sneaking suspicion they were fucking, but she would never ask Luann about it.  "Hi Bobby," she greeted, fixing the pamphlets on the entryway table. If it was Chibs or even Tig, she would've greeted them with a hug, but she just gave Bobby a nod and a smile. "How can I help you?"

"Came by to give you the check for Luann's arrangements and sign some paperwork," Bobby answered, getting right to the point. She knew he didn't like her. Didn't trust her. Her Mayan connections had made him wary of her from the beginning and, with the increased tension between the Sons and the Mayans, she couldn't really blame him.

"Oh. I got the paperwork signed by her husband already," she said on a shrug.

Bobby raised an eyebrow as he looked her up and down. "You went to the prison?" he asked flatly.

Angela nodded. "Yeah. She doesn't have any other family, and you legally can't sign the paperwork," she explained with a little shrug. She'd given the prison guard the paperwork and printed out photos of locations for her to be interred, then talked to Otto on the phone to confirm it all. "Not inside, but I was able to get him the paperwork this morning. We had a conversation about it. Had the guards show him pictures of a couple spots, and he picked a good one."

"That a normal practice?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Not really, but Luann was a friend. If Otto couldn't do it, she'd be indigent. Get some kinda county burial. She doesn't deserve that."

"No, she doesn't," Bobby agreed with a nod. He got out a small checkbook and a pen. "Sons are coverin' the cost of it, though. How much do we owe you?"

"I'll print out an invoice." Angela headed into the office gesturing for him to follow. She nodded to the seat on the other side of the desk before taking a seat at the computer.

Bobby sat down with a sigh, looking around at the place in approval. "Looks like you've updated the place a bit."

"Mm-hmm. Trying to modernize to appeal to people outside of Charming too. We got a beautiful cemetery, good space for vets, and good plots. There aren't a whole lot of cemeteries nearby. Just want us to be competitive," she explained, not looking up from the computer as she started messing with the different fees to get the lowest cost for Luann.

"Smart," he mused, his fingers interlaced over his sizable belly. "How's Juicy doin'?"

Angela smiled slightly as she hit print. "He's good. Should be out any day now," she replied, standing to grab the invoice from the printer. She handed it over to him with a frown; it still wasn't a cheap price by any means, but she couldn't think of anywhere else to cut costs.

Bobby pulled out his little glasses to read it over for a moment. "Don't look like the home is earnin' anythin' here."

"We're not," she stated on a laugh. She sat back down in her desk chair and grabbed a pen for Bobby to write out the check. "Kinda losing money, to be honest, but Skeet approved it. Biggest cost is the casket, and that fee is wholesale. Basically what we pay for it."

"Thanks, Ang," he said, signing the check with a flourish and handing it to her. "Say, how much did you learn about makin' movies from Luann at Cara Cara?"

Angela narrowed her eyes at him as she shrugged. "Quite a bit. We'd joked about maybe me directing one with Lyla, but it wasn't a serious thing. Why?"

Bobby bobbed his head in a nod. "We got some other producers in there, but it might be nice to get someone club-affiliated in there with Luann gone."

She appreciated the offer, but she knew it wasn't plausible. It was fun to go do makeup over there as a hobby, but she wasn't at all interested in getting behind the camera. "I'll think about it," she said, instead of flat out saying 'no'. Bobby seemed to be warming up to her, and she didn't want to ruin it.

"Good," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Good. You stay safe, darlin'."

"Will do, and...I'm sorry for your loss, Bobby. Know you guys were close," she stated, following him to the door.

He ducked his head reverently, stopping at the open front door. "Could say the same to you," he replied before sighing heavily. "Thank you. For all of this. You helpin' us out...means a lot to the club."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "You're Juice's family. Means you're my family. As long as you don't let him become a pin cushion again, 'm always gonna be here to help."

Bobby chuckled as he got on his bike. "Do our best. Take care of the little Rican for us, huh? Probably go visit in a bit."

She nodded as he started up his Harley; she already knew he wasn't actually going to be stopping visiting. No club member had. Apparently, they were too busy for it. She waved goodbye before heading back inside the funeral home with a sigh; that had gone way better than she'd expected. She didn't particularly care about Bobby's opinion of her, but it felt good to hear he appreciated her help. Maybe they could be friends after all.

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

A bit of a filler chapter, but I felt like it was needed. 😊
Let me know what you think!
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