Wayne had checked in at the desk the same way he did every couple of weeks in order for the doctor’s to take a new xray, and then they’d reveal that he was, indeed, still dying. It was tiring to say the least, and the inevitable bouts of depression that kicked his ass after each visit were twice as bad, the glimmer of hope that, just maybe, something changed, kept him going. He gave the nurse at the desk his name and flashed a picture ID while her long acrylic nails danced across the keyboard. She paused, her face pushing near the screen so her breath fogged the glass, then she clasped her hands and gave Wayne that same i’m-so-sorry look that every nurse and doctor had long since perfected. “I’m sorry Mr. Unser, your insurance will no longer cover these check-ups. You’ll have to take it up with them.” She frowned a gave a quick shrug of her shoulders while Wayne felt his world shatter, the last little pieces of his life floating to the ground all around him. He nodded numbly, his soul suddenly a cold temperature that would freeze even the cruelest people.
Della Unser had left nearly two years ago, claiming that she had no desire to stick around and see his demise. Initially her departure had freed him from a guilt that had nestled up in the corner of his heart many years ago, feigning a love they both knew wasn’t genuine, but he had stuck around, and so had she, being with someone was better than being alone at any rate. But the papers went through a week ago, the judge made it final, Della announced then that she would be returning to Charming, never mind where ever she had been spending the last two years, and Wayne immediately relinquished his hold on the house, and the car, as long as he got to keep the trailer and his truck. He had no need for anything lavish at this point, he had a clock, a deadline, and none of that other stuff even mattered anymore. But along with the house, she had apparently taken the insurance which was covering them both since Wayne’s retirement three years prior. And now, here he stood, foolish and dying, with no way to pay for it.
Wayne’s brain seemed to click off, a heavy darkness clouding his thoughts, and his feet moved without instruction, carrying him down the long hallways of the hospital with no real destination, until he heard his name at least. That seemed to snap Wayne out of whatever trance had grabbed hold of him and he met the girl’s eyes, his own covered in concern and paired with a harsh frown, “Oh, Tara.” he mumbled, attempting to match her friendly smile, “I- um,” he glanced around at the other nurses, all busy doing their own work, but still within earshot. “Can I talk to you?” he gently took her upper arm and pulled her away from the nurses station, trying to decide exactly what to say while them moved, finally he turned to face the woman,no longer attempting to match her upbeat attitude, he spoke in a whisper, glancing nervously at the other nurses. “I- I was supposed to have my check up today, you know, the cancer and all, they determine if it’s still progressing steadily, new medication, treatments, whatnot. But, uh- Well my divorce went through last week, and I lost my insurance. I can’t afford the appointment.” Asking for help really wasn’t in Wayne’s repertoire, and it certainly showed.
The day had been long, full of paperwork, disappointments and bitter thoughts. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep and the angry tears from the night before. The positive mask she wore in the sterile hallways came too naturally to her. Patients looked towards her with those big fear filled eyes when she came out after surgery, other doctors looked at her with varying degrees of hostility for too many reasons. She was too qualified to be here, too talented for them to be noticed, too in demand in the OR which left them regulated as something farther down the list than even second best. Tara had thrown herself into her studies, throwing herself as far from who she had been in Charming eleven years ago as she possibly could. Late nights, a sea of coffee cups and a thousand hours on her feet still lead her right back here.
Some days she wanted to rage at the hand she was dealt but most of the time she swallowed the acrid knowledge that all her own choices had done her in. She had went running from the ghost of her mother that still lingered in the cluttered corners of her father's house and left behind the man who drank himself sleep every night chasing that same ghost away. Newspapers, magazines and whatever else her father could ferret away to drown out the absence of his wife were still there when she came home at night. Tara had been picking through this pile and that when she could but the piles had grown familiar to her now and as they slowly disappeared, she realized how much she didn't have to replace themwith.
Things with Jax blew hot and cold, near and far as he kept both feet firmly planted in SAMCRO. It's not like she expected any less since being back. With Gemma looming large over his kutte clad shoulder and the club reinforcing her influence, she wasn't sure how or where that left them.
But it was obvious the minute she saw Wayne something was dire and the caretaker nature that was ingrained in her now came to the front as he pulled her way. He had been the chief as far as she could remember and even when she had been an almost permanent fixture on the back of a bike at 3am on the streets of Charming, he had been there turning a blind eye to the activities and damage that was left in her wake. Her heart constricted so tight she feared she would lose her breath as he spoke.
"Of course, Wayne." She started, her tone soft and low as she made sure they weren't overheard. She didn't know how welcome any of her questions would be so she didn't dare ask them. After so many years of watching him side by side with Clay, she thought being vulnerable wasn't exactly normal. He had come to her a doctor, someone he could trust with secrecy if that's what he wanted and it's the least he could do. Personal fatigue was long forgotten as she continued.
"There are certain things, lists and funded programs that I would be happy to put you in contact with. I mean I can even write a few letters on your behalf if that’s what you want."
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