Hunger (Jax/OC) SOA Fanfiction

Chapter 3

TINSLEY

I wake up the next morning on the couch in my brother's living room. After Jax dropped me off, I started going through family pictures for Donna's memorial.

I'm surrounded by paper reminders of the sister I've lost. A tear finds its way down my cheek, but the creak of the stairs makes me force them back.

As I'm wiping my eyes, Ellie enters the room. "Aunt T?"

"Hey El." I give a weak smile. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep. What are you doin?" She asks.

I grab a stack of photos off the coffee table and start flipping through them. "Just going through pictures."

"Can I help?" Ellie asks. She sits beside me and starts digging in a box to her left.

"If you want." I say as I find a picture from my college graduation, I'm sitting piggyback on Donna. "Look at this one." I say handing it to her.

"Dad was in prison then. Mom never would have made it without you, she really loved you." Ellie smiles as she stares at the photo.

"I loved her, too. She was the sister I never had." I add it to the stack of pictures that will be used for the photo boards.

An hour later, I check the clock on the wall and notice I have to get ready for the appointment at the cemetery. "I'm gonna go get dressed. If you see any other pictures you want used for the memorials just add them to that pile." I kiss the top of Ellie's head as I get up.

Grabbing the dress from Gemma off the back of the couch, I jog into the bathroom. After I have it zipped, I apply some light makeup and touch up my soft curls from yesterday.

When I exit the bathroom, Kenny is in the kitchen with Ellie and they're pouring bowls of cereal. "Want one?" He asks as I pass by.

"I'll have to take it to go. I'm late for a meeting." I grab the pictures from the coffee table and slip them into a large ziplock bag, then take the bowl of Capt'n Crunch from my nephew.

"Thanks bud." I smile giving him a quick hug. "When your dad wakes up, tell him I took his truck." I call over my shoulder as I leave the house.

The drive to the cemetery is tricky. Trying to drive and shovel bites of cereal in my mouth is more difficult than I imagined it would be.

I walk into the office 10 minutes later and wait in a chair by the door. When I'm called back I try to prepare myself for a repeat of yesterday.

After the meeting is finished, I hop in Opie's truck and drive back to the funeral home. I give the bag of pictures to Carol and finalize the time for the funeral. As I leave, I thank her again for everything she's doing.

Then I head over to TM automotive to see Gemma. Jax must see Opie's truck because as I'm climbing out of it, he's waiting in the parking lot.

I never wear heels and it's obvious because I stumble as I cross the pavement. "Careful." Jax smirks.

"Shut up." I grin, shaking my head in response.

He looks me up and down. "Where'd you come from dressed like that?"

"I had an appointment at the cemetery. Scheduling Donna's funeral."

"When is it?" He asks, falling into step beside me as we walk toward the garage.

"Luckily I was able to get it for tomorrow. The sooner all this is over, the sooner my brother and the kids can start to heal." I explain.

We stop outside of the office and Jax leans against the wall. "What about you? When do you get to heal?"