❛ God, you're gonna have to dress me everyday. ❜

chapter forty two.

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THE NEXT DAY, Scarlett stares at the hospital ceiling with her lip pulled between her teeth and her hands fiddling in her lap. She hadn't got a blink of sleep last night despite Jax's presence comforting her. He'd snored his head off in the seat beside her and hearing him relaxed made her smile. This morning, the Dr. Moore had dragged him from the room to discuss some nonsense, leaving Scarlett alone to have a small breather before she's thrust into the waiting room where apparently the whole is Club waiting for her.

"Shit, sorry about that, babe," Jax apologises as he slides back into the room, noticing how she's staring blankly at the ceiling as if it's the only thing keeping her sane.

"It's fine," Scarlett looks at him before shuffling up in the bed slightly, using only her right arm to put weight onto as her left arm is now wrapped in a sling across her stomach. Alex believed using a sling would be a good way to keep her from moving it too much, "What did Alex have to say?"

"I can take you home," He edges closer to her and his hand raises to brush over her head before resting on her cheek.

Home. Camille's house? Scarlett's brows furrow, "Where is—"

"Mine," He answers her question before she can even finish it and he smiles down at her, "You're staying at mine now. Where I can keep you safe and take care of you. While you've been here, Cami's moved all your stuff into the house. That okay with you?"

Her eyes widen, "What about Wendy? Abel?"

He sighs gently at the mention of his ex-wife, "Wendy was put into her sober living a while ago, and Abel needs a mother. He adores you."

"I've hardly seen him," She raises her brows.

"I've told him stories about us," Jax explains with a smirk, "All the dumbass things we did when we were younger. He does those cute baby giggles."

She chuckles, imagining what the sweet noise sounds like, "Good thing he's too young to remember anything. Don't want him getting any bad ideas."

A knock rattles against the open door, annoying Alex's arrival as he enters. His hands are curled around the handles of a wheelchair and he smiles brightly at the woman opposite, "Ready to go?"

She looks between him and the chair beneath him before shaking her head and wagging her finger at him, "No. I'm not getting in that."

"What?" He gasps, genuinely surprised, "Why?"

"I'll never hear the end of it," She snarls, "I'll have Chibs and Juice pushing me into walls and roads, Half-Sack using me for his stupid club experiments and only god knows what Luke will do when Cami leaves me alone with him. Putting me in that is a death wish. I can walk just fine," She throws the covers off her body and swings her legs over the edge of the bed. She looks at Jax warily, who stands prepared to grab her if she shows any sign of stumbling.

Both men watch with tense shoulders and worried expressions as her feet meet the floor and she moves away from the bed. She stands still for a moment, relishing in the feeling of being able to stand upright by herself for the first time in a few days. Then, she walks calmly over to the table in the furthest corner where her clothes and shoes are piled. Jax follows her cautiously, but keeps his hands from touching her as she successfully moves across the room.

"See?" She glances at them both, obviously confident and proud of herself as she picks up her boots and begins to slip them onto her feet like she wasn't just in a hospital. She pauses for a movement whilst she figures out a way to do it without using her left hand. Alex winces as she lifts her leg up to reach her foot, and he can only imagine the pain she feels from her folded stomach wound, but Scarlett doesn't show one ounce of pain, "Just a slight twinge," She shrugs, "I'll survive."

Jax smirks, folding his arms over his chest and sending her a proud expression once she finishes putting on her boots and she responds with a smile.

"Okay. . ." Alex says warily, "Well, I think Camille dropped your meds off at the house, along with fresh bandages. If you need anymore of anything, I'll be happy to get it to you, okay?"

Scarlett nods in understanding, "Thanks, Alex," She glances down at herself, only finally noticing that she's dressed in a hospital gown, "Fuck," She piles her clothes up under her right armpit before shuffling back to the bathroom door, "I'm just gonna get changed," She smiles awkwardly at the two men.

Jax turns to watch her as she disappears around the corner. He then sends a nod to Alex, dismissing him from the room before he wanders into the bathroom. He leans against the doorframe watching as Scarlett attempts to wiggle out of the gown, "Need some help?" He questions.

She stops moving and huffs in frustration before nodding, "Please."

He chuckles lowly before pushing away from the frame and making his way over to her. He says, "Tell me if anything I do hurts. I don't wanna make too many sudden movements, okay?" She hums and one of his hands grabs her waist to spin her around, revealing the small slit along the back that's only being held together by a thin string. He pats her ass gently before his fingers grab the bow, "I fucking hope Moore didn't see your bare ass while you walked across that room."

She laughs gently, "I made sure I kept my body angled towards you," The string's released and the gown sags on her shoulders. He turns her around once more and she looks up at him, "I don't need you murdering anyone else."

He purses his lips and his eyes drop as he gently manoeuvres the hospital gown around her injured shoulder and off her body. It drops to the floor and his eyes look up and down her body. Despite the bruises, cuts, stitches and bandages, he's still in complete awe. She tilts her head as she notices how he's taking her in then his hands raise to her cheeks and their eyes meet again, "I'll murder anyone for you."

She rolls her eyes, "Aw. How romantic," She jokes, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips before stepping back from him and grabbing her clothes that Cami had left that morning.

Jax moves back to lean on the door frame once more, giving her space to change and get used to the lack of use from her right arm. He watches her in admiration as she kicks off her boots again before stepping into her underwear then wriggling into her jeans. Thankfully, they're low waisted at the band doesn't press against the cut along her stomach. She grabs her t-shirt before looking at it cluelessly, then she moves her gaze to Jax, looking for some sort of help.

He smiles gently and moves back to her. He bites his lip as he works out what to do with her bandages shoulder, "Gotta take this off for a second," He taps his index finger gently against the black sling.

"Okay," She breathes, watching him as he carefully unclips it and slides it away from her shoulder, being wary about the wound and making sure not to skim it accidentally.

He places it on the sink before turning back to her, "Do you think you'll be able to put your arm through?"

"Yeah," She nods.

They work together to ensure that she gets into her t-shirt pain-free. Despite a few quiet winces from her lips and a small apologies from his, they eventually get her into it. She releases a deep sigh once the fabric covers her cold torso, and thankfully it's so thin that she can't feel it resting on her shoulder. Jax presses a quick kiss to her forehead before grabbing her sling and slowly putting her arm back in. He'd paid careful attention earlier when Alex had put it on for the first time.

"Thank you," She smiles before a short chuckles rumbles her body as realisation hits her, "God, you're gonna have to dress me everyday."

Jax nods before shrugging with a sly smirk dancing on his lips, "And I'll happily undress you too."

She shakes her head at him while she laughs and moves around him to leave the bathroom. He spins and follows after her with the same expression as his hand reaches out and taps her ass.

As she pulls open the room door, she glances over her shoulder at him, mumbling, "Horny bastard."

"Letty!" An excited shout barrels down the hallway, and once she steps out into the bright passage, arms circle around her and lift her from the ground.

"Careful with her, bro," Jax warns with his arms folded over his chest as he watches the older man spin her around whilst she clings onto him for dear life, "She's still not one hundred percent yet."

"Yeah, man," Juice agrees from a few steps back, "Gonna put her back in hospital."

"Shite," Chibs curses in remembrance and slowly lowers her to the ground where she huffs out a surprised breath, "Sorry, lass."

She waves him off before patting his arm, "Don't worry 'bout it," Her eyes move over to Juice and she smiles as he bounces up and down on his feet, desperate to say or do something but not sure when, "Why are you stood there like a giddy puppy? Do you want a hug too?"

His hand scratches at the back of his neck as he lowly mutters, "Wouldn't mind one."

Jax rolls eyes while Scarlett snorts and pulls him into a hug, and unlike Chibs, Juice carefully wraps his arms around her and gives her one tight squeeze before backing away.

She shoves his shoulder playfully, "Like a little boy," She teases.

Just as Juice moves forward to push her back as if they're siblings, Jax steps away from the wall, "Juice, watch it," Is all he has to say for the man to understand and back down from the petty argument as the blonde biker moves beside Scarlett. His eyes move down to her face, noticing that she's already gazing at him, "Better go see the rest of the guys," He jerks his head in the direction of the waiting room.

"Oh lord," Scarlett breathes, moving beside him down the hallway, while Chibs and Juice shove at each other behind them, "How many of them are there?"

"Only a few," Jax reassures her with a small smile before they turn the corner.

She pulls herself to a stop in front of the cushioned seats, her eyes flowing over the handful of man strewn across the seats. Once they spot her, they bounce up and present themselves with wide smiles. In front of her stands Tig, Luke, Opie, Bobby, Half-Sack, Piney and even Clay. Each of them take turns with embracing her gently and she receives head rubs from Tig and Bobby. Luke mumbles teasing words under his breath as he can't seem to believe he's just hugged her seriously. Opie rubs his hand up and down her back while Half-Sack awkwardly hugs her but she continues to appreciate  them all nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, Clay's the only one not to hug her and instead he just sends her a nod from a few steps back and she returns it before Jax spins her around and brings her attention back to him.

"Ready to head home?" He questions as the guys begin to wander out of the waiting room, "They're off back to the Club, but I've already told 'em that I'm gonna spend the rest of the day with you at the house. Get you settled in," He smirks at his small sexual hint.

She smiles at the thought of snuggling into his bed and having the best nights sleep with him, "Let's go."

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    SCARLETT SHUFFLES into Jax's house, happy to see that the interior hasn't changed one bit since the last time she was there which was for Abel's homecoming party. She walks slowly as her body slowly works to realise that she's no longer in a bed or strewn up to the ceiling. Jax stays close behind her, his hands prepared in front of him to catch her while she keeps her free hand on the wall so that she doesn't collapse at any given moment.

She releases a deep breath and comes to a stop, taking in the warmth of the living room that contrasts massively to the sheer coldness of the hospital. This place was her new home for hopefully the entire future. Jax's house was like what Scarlett wished her childhood home was like and now she was finally getting to live somewhere other than Cami's cupboard room.

"How are you feeling?" Jax moves to stand in front of her, his brows slightly creased as he checks her over.

She glances up at him before nodding, "Better. I need some more sleep, though."

He chuckles, already knowing that's what she would need judging by her dark eyes and slow words, "Come on then," He jerks his head down the hallway towards his room. He steps to the side and allows her move past him herself, but his hand skims her lower back so that he feels he has some ability to keep her unhurt.

Scarlett snorts lowly as she spots a pile of washed clothes outside the bathroom door resting on top of a basket, "Still getting your mom to wash and fold your clothes for you, Jax?"

Jax rolls his eyes, "Cut me a bit of slack, babe. I've been busy the past few days."

"Mhm. Sure," She shakes her head at his inability to look after his own clothes before her eyes land on the nursery door. She pauses for a moment, just looking at the letters decorating the door that spell out Abel's name, "He here?" She questions with a quieter voice now.

He hums, "Probably sleeping like an old man," Smiling at the door as he imagines his son snoring his cute little face off inside, "The nanny left just before we got here."

Scarlett turns slightly to look at him with raises brows, "You have a nanny as well? Jesus christ, Jackson. Can you do anything homely for yourself?" She tease with a faint smirk before walking into his room.

He follows her inside and quietly closes the door behind them, "I'd like to think that you'll be willing to help look after him," He leans against his drawers while Scarlett drops down onto his bed.

She nods, "Of course I will. I'd be more than happy too."

"Really?" His eyebrows raise in slight surprise.

"Yeah," She reassures him, "I'm fantastic with kids," Her eyes widen as her own words remind her of something, "Jamie," She breathes, her eyes flashing wider, "I need to speak to him."

"Okay, okay," Jax nods in understanding and pushes away from the drawers whilst his hand digs into his jean pockets and reveal his phone. He holds it out to her, "You gonna have to use mine 'til we get yours back from Jones. She's lost it somehow."

Scarlett chuckles quietly whilst her eyes are glue to the keypad of his phone as she jams in the jail's number, "Course she has," She tuts before lifting the device to her ear.

"Hey," Jax calls lowly, "You want me to go?"

Her eyes move up to him and she bites her lip for a second before deciding with a shaking of her head, "No. You can stay," She motions to the space on the bed beside her.

He smiles warmly, glad that she trusts him enough to let him stay in the same room whilst she speaks to her younger brother. He lowers himself down beside her whilst she speaks to someone on the other place about getting through to Jamie, and eventually Jax manages to hear the deep voice that belongs to Jamie Miller.

"Scarlett?" Jamie's voice gasps from the other side.

"Hey, J," She looks down at her lap, not being able to mask her smile as she hears her brother's voice once more.

"Holy fucking shit," He blows out a breath, "Thank fucking christ you're alive. I called Cami as soon as I found her number because I couldn't wait until the morning to found out about what happened. She was so shocked and said she hadn't heard from you since the night before. I felt fucking sick and I've been sat by myself since my call with her 'cause I didn't know if you were okay. Fuck, Scar. What the hell happened to you?"

As she listens to how anxious and worried her situation had made her brother, she felt slightly guilty and sympathetic for him. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, "Dad," She answers and Jax's hand comfortingly floats across to squeeze her thigh, "He happened."

She hears him as Jamie clicks his tongue whilst he's deep in thought, trying to make sense of her words, "Huh? What does that even mean? What about dad?"

She swallows thickly, "He's the reason we left."

"What the fuck?" He grumbles, "What? Scarlett you're not making sense. I thought we left before our parents didn't want us anymore. I knew dad used to mean and loud and always fucking drunk, but what did he do that was worthy for us to leave?"

Scarlett sighs, slightly surprised that's the only thing Jamie remembers about Robert, "He abused us, J."

"You're kidding," He scoffs.

She looks at her arm resting in it's sling, "Well, as seen as I'm sitting here with bruises and a burnt shoulder because of him, I don't think I'm kidding," She flicks her eyes momentarily to Jax, and he's sat beside her with his eyes burning into the floor while he listens to her with a clenched jaw.

"Because of. . . dad? He did that stuff to you?" Jamie releases a shaky breath, "Fuck. Why don't I remember him being abusive before? I was ten when we left. I thought I could remember everything vividly."

"Obviously not everything," She mutters.

"Maybe I've forgotten 'cause it was too fucking traumatic," He suggest before sighing, "God, Scar, why the hell did you go back to Charming?"

Scarlett continues to look at Jax whilst answering, "Many reasons. I thought he'd gotten over himself."

"Yeah, well, fuck, he's gotta be in his sixty's or something now, right?" Jamie questions.

"He's dead," She states simply, knowing that the information. about their father's death will not bring her brother any sort of discomfort.

"Thank fucking god," He mumbles, "Let me guess, Jax do that for you?"

"Yep," She confirms.

"He looking after you now?" He asks, already knowing the answer deep down but just questioning so that he knows his sister isn't left alone.

"Yeah," She answers, letting her head fall down to Jax's shoulder whilst she keeps the phone tight to her ear and Jax's fingers tap rhythmically on her thigh, "He is."

Jamie shuffles in the tiny seat tucked beneath his legs as he hums down the phone, presuming that her sister's man is sat beside her, "Good. I'm glad. Tell him that as soon as I get outta here I'm giving him a strict talking to."

Jax chuckles lowly, hearing the younger man's not-so threatening words whilst Scarlett rolls her eyes, "Okay, J. I'll tell him," She smiles gently, "Can't wait to see you again. How long is it now?"

"Few more months," Jamie informs her and she faintly hears as the phone moves slightly before he groans back into it, "Fucks sake, I gotta go, Scar. There's been a fight in the pod and we're on lockdown."

Her brows crease in worry, hoping that her brother has never been victim to any of the fights or beatings that take place in jail, "Okay," She says, "Speak to you soon. I love you."

"I love you too. Stay safe. Bye," Then the low quality of his phone comes to a halt and is replaced by a quiet ringing as she lowers the device from her ear and places it onto Jax's lap, keeping her head on his shoulder.

He looks down at her while his arm closest to her slithers around her waist and squeezes her hip gently, "Bed?" His brows raise, notice how her eyelids flicker and she swallows down a yawn.

She tilts her head to look at him before her lips tip up slightly at the thought of passing out and falling into a deep sleep. She nods, "Bed."

. . .

next chapter will hopefully be back
to the season 2 plot mostly

word count,
3524

not proof read like not even at all