Brian laid his head back against the concrete wall. The summer sun filtered into the room through the barred glass. The sunshine tickled his cheek, reminding him of the ever fading outside world. He ran his calloused hand across his unshaven face, feeling the prickle of a beard he never had before. He sighed. There was no time in here. It just didn't exist. He didn't know how many days it had been since he showered, let alone shaved. He let his thoughts wander into the distance. He filled his time with daydreams and musings of his family. He thought of Mia, and her beautiful smile. Her presence lit up rooms, and drew hardened hearts in to her warmth. It was how he first fell into her. No, not fell. Crashed. He drove 150mph into her. He never looked back. He daydreamed of her robust, coffee stained hair, and the way she flipped it over her shoulder to get a better look at him when he came up behind her. When he wrapped his arms around her...
He soon let that daydream fall. It was too beautiful, painful and real. He began to shift to Rome, and his never ending stream of babble. He could talk his way out of a murder if he really tried. He was happy they had mended things. Brian still held the scars of Miami. His left arm boasted ripped flesh and burn marks to prove the memories real.
But then, there was Dominic Toretto. All other thoughts melted into the back of his mind as the muscular man became the star his musings. He remembered the moment they first met, and the beating he took from the man. He also remembered the first beer they shared, and the laughs. He missed his friend. They had forged a bond like to no other. Their flame together was immense, and intoxicating. He missed the comfortable silence the two held, as they tinkered on their cars, listing to the always busted radio in the corner. They didn't speak most of the time they spent together. It was the glances and the expressions that did most of the talking. Brian was a smooth talker, he would admit that. He was boyish, and rugged, and his blue eyes tended to lean on the side of mesmerizing. But Dom, he was different. He called Brian on it. There was no crash into Dom. Their was only the orbit they had built for themselves. It drew them in like gravity...
The lights around Brian clicked off with a sudden buzzing sound. The guards finished their rounds, and Brian was pulled from his thoughts. This was the deal. He took Dom's place. He had 25 years to life in these walls. Dominic gets cleared. That beautiful family was free to live. And he was forgotten. Maximum security. No visitors. He never had visitors. No one was left to visit him. No one knew he was here. He buried his face in his hands and let out a silent sob. He had forgotten how long he had been in here. It could have been years for all he knew. Brian hated night time. It brought the nightmares. When he would wake in the middle of the night, he could feel the ease of cold sweat dripping down his back. He was left with the shadow touches of people grabbing at his skin, bruising and breaking him, one sunrise at a time. Brian O'Conner. The man who saved his mark, that stopped a drug lord, and brought freedom to those he loved, was never getting out alive.
He let that thought circle his mind for what felt like hours, before he was able to drift to sleep. The veil of unconsciousness was thin, as he tossed and turned. His back ached, and his hips screamed of fire if he slept on either side for too long. His ribs were still healing after the last run in with the inmates, and then the guards. After an unknown amount of restless, tiresome sleep, O'Conner let himself be awake. Let himself watch the sunrise. A new wave of nerves washed over him. The nights might have been the worst emotionally, but physically, the days were killer. He let a small gasp of air leave his lungs. It was the only thing that remained of that full-hearted laugh he used to share with the world. It was all he could muster. As the prison lights came on, the sounds of shift change awoke most of the inmates. Cat calls and cussing started to swirl into the morning.
The High Desert State Prison came to life. And all Brian could do was wish he was dead.