Summary: Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Green Mile. I only own my OC.
Working the Green Mile
~Chapter Two: John Coffey~
Dean unlocked the bottom cell, returning as the phone began to ring, only to almost bump into Maria.
"Sorry..." He muttered, "You okay?"
"Yeah, sorry." Maria replied, "Almost walked right into you."
Brutus moved over to the bathroom door and knocked on it, looking uncomfortable as he did. Maria put her hat on, straightening herself down before noticing Dean watching her.
"Paul? Prisoner..." Brutus said, raising an eyebrow at Dean and Maria who checked her watch.
"Christ, give me a minute!" came Paul's reply, Dean shaking his head which caused Maria to suppress a giggle.
She couldn't help but find that cute and he caught her smirking, a lopsided grin crossing his lips for a moment before she bit hers and looked to the floor. A little childish, but she was nervous as hell, especially since this prisoner could be anything from drugged up to violent.
"You alright?" Brutus asked Paul who was grunting on the other side of the door.
The poor guy wasn't well. It was kind of evident by the pained sounds coming from the bathroom.
"For a man pissin' razorblades, yeah." Paul called back, Maria grimacing at the words.
Maria didn't have anything against cursing, but the poor man sounded like he was hurting pretty bad. Maria was a tomboy of sorts, behaving at times like a man rather than a lady, but she'd grown up in an almost all male household. With she and her mother being the only women in a house of eight, it was understandable that she'd grown up to be more masculine. She was at the younger end of the family, two boys after her and three before, then her father too. Her father and brothers had been to war, luckily coming back unscathed, followed by the birth of her younger brothers. She was five when the war ended, seventeen years on still thankful for the return of her brothers.
"You should've too the day off," Brutus said, snapping Maria out of her thoughts, "Gone to see the doctor."
Paul dabbed his face with a handkerchief and turned to his friend.
"With a new arrival? You know better." Paul said, "Besides...it's not as bad as it was...I think it's clearin' up."
Putting his hat on, he looked at Brutal's watch, sighing and shaking his head.
"Let's look alive, Dean. Maria."
"Yes, sir." Both of them replied, Brutus moving to the door while Maria took a position halfway down the cell block, Dean standing near the desk.
She looked to him for reassurance and he nodded softly, looking to Paul who nodded at Maria too.
"Damn," Brutus breathed as he watched the car roll in, "Theyre riding on that axle..."
He watched Percy climb out and strut to the back like he owned the world, as usual, the arrogant little prick. He'd even had a go at insulting Maria on her first day, which pissed him off no end. Percy opened the back, two guards climbing out.
"What'd they do?" Brutus asked, looking to Dean, "They bust the springs?"
Then the prisoner emerged from the back, the car bouncing back to it's original state and leaving the larger officer in absolute shock. But Maria got a shock when she heard yelling coming from Percy. She was trying to make out what he was yelling and her outstanding ears picked it up.
"Dead man! Dead man walking!" He was yelling, "We got a dead man walking here!"
"Jesus please us," Paul began, "What is he yellin' about?"
Brutus emerged from the doorway, Dean looking to see what the issue was while Maria gazed up at the large man, concerned greatly by his expression.
"Paul..." He began, "You might wanna reconsider getting in the cell with this guy. He's enormous..."
Paul smirked.
"Can't be bigger than you."
Brutus let out a breath and smirked at Dean who looked to Maria, finding her smiling too. The largest member of the group headed to the door and unlocked it, opening it to reveal Percy, still shouting like an imbecile and dragging this huge man through, who was definitely twice the size of Dean. Dean was only a few inches taller than Maria at the most and the guy terrified her, but she tried not to show her fear. If she was honest, the giant looked like he couldn't hurt a fly, but as she knew only too well, looks can be very deceiving. Even Paul looked concerned which she couldn't help but be worried about.
She looked to Dean again who smiled weakly at her, the young woman moving instinctively closer to him as they followed the shouting idiot and the prisoner down the block.
"Percy." Paul warned, finally shutting the little shit up before someone else did, "That's enough."
The prisoner had a few inches on Brutus, the man looking completely confused as he looked up at the new inmate. Maria and Dean edged closer, Harry following and passing them. No-one envied Paul for having to get in the cell with the guy, that's for sure.
"Am I gonna have any trouble with you, big boy?" He asked, not receiving any response from the dark skinned man who wore a bright yellow t-shirt and denim dungarees with no shoes on, "Can you talk?"
"Yes, sir, boss." The man replied, "I can talk."
Paul, who held that clipboard tightly in his hand stepped into the cell, the others waiting for the burly man to follow him. The prisoner looked scared to death, Maria noticed, not like a cold-blooded killer, although some would surely have some remorse in them, or was that her being naïve? Suddenly, Percy hit the large man with his baton, disgusting everyone who saw it.
"Move your ass," He said, "Let's go...come on."
The smirk that was plastered over his face was one Maria was dying to knock off, and the man stepped inside while Dean grabbed her wrist and squeezed before releasing her, the gesture telling her to calm herself down.
"Percy..." Paul began, knowing that the young man would cause some issues here, "They're moving house in the infirmary. Why don't you go see if they could use some help?"
"Nah," Percy replied, tapping his baton in his hand, "They got all the men they need."
Okay, the little piece of crap wasn't taking the hint, so Paul tried again.
"Why don't you just make sure?" He asked, looking from the tall man to Percy.
"Uh-uh." Percy said, shaking his head and about to protest before being interrupted by Paul.
"I don't care where you go, Percy," Paul told him, "Just as long as it's not here at this very moment."
Percy huffed out a small laugh.
"Alright." He said, turning and walking straight into Brutus who smirked before he continued to walk away, seeing Del stood by the bars of his cell, chuckling at him.
The baton made contact with his fingers, the sound of breaking bones sickening to Maria as she turned and watched Del almost crying in pain.
"God, you bust my finger!" Del cried.
"I wiped that grin off your face, didn't I?" Percy sneered, Paul losing his patience.
"Goddamnit, Percy, get the hell off my block!" He snapped, Percy finally leaving before he reassured Del, "We'll get that looked at, Del, in the meantime, just stay quiet."
"Yeah..." Del replied in an almost sob, Maria feeling more hatred towards Percy as the minutes passed by.
She was brought up never to hate but good Lord, did she hate Percy. She actually didn't know any of the guys who didn't. Paul looked back up at the large man and Maria turned her attention back to the prisoner too, trying to keep calm as nerves flooded her system.
"I let Harry take those chains off you," Paul began, "You gonna be nice?"
The prisoner nodded, Harry stepping forward if a little timidly and removing the chains, the prisoner barely making a movement.
"Your name is John Coffey." Paul stated.
"Yes, sir, boss," John replied, "Like the drink, only not spelt the same."
There was a childlike innocence in those words and it was clear to everyone that the man might not be the brightest button in the box.
"You can spell, can you?" Paul asked, Maria feeling a little annoyed at the sarcasm in his tone, but then again, he knew what he was doing.
"Just my name, boss." John answered, beginning to spell his name.
"My name is Paul Edgecomb." Paul interrupted, "If I'm not here, you can ask for Mr Terwilliger, Mr Howell, Mr Stanton, these gentlemen right there."
John looked, spotting the young woman who stood with them.
"Or Miss Lomax." Paul finished, "Questions?"
"Do you leave the light on after bedtime?"
Time stopped for a moment and everyone gave each other confused looks, Maria noticing a second round of childlike innocence, wondering exactly what someone like this guy had done to end up on the Mile.
"'Cause I get a little scared in the dark sometime..." the huge man admitted, "If it's a strange...place..."
"It stays pretty bright around here all night long," Paul assured him, "We always keep a few lights burnin' in the corridor."
"The corridor?" John asked.
"Right out there." Paul replied, not expecting the man to hold his hand out.
This could turn dangerous, they all knew and they prepared themselves to attack him should things turn rough, but Paul shook his head, taking the man's hand and shaking it, nodding at him before stepping out of the cell.
"You can sit." He told John, the huge man sitting on the bed while Harry and Dean locked the door.
As Maria turned to walk away, Dean took her arm, noticing how pale she looked.
"You okay?" He asked, earning a gentle nod as they set off up the corridor slowly.
Paul joined them.
"Dean, take Delacroix to the infirmary, see if those fingers are broken." He instructed.
"Yes, sir." Dean replied, everyone entering the office while Dean searched for the card.
"Of course they're broken!" Brutus said, "I heard the damn bones crack."
"You hear what he was yelling when we brought the big dummy in?" Harry asked, Paul sitting and sighing while Maria stood against the wall.
"How could I miss it, Harry?" Paul asked, "The whole prison heard."
"Goddamn Percy." Brutus said, "How you doin', Maria?"
"I'm okay, thanks." Maria replied, taking a drink of water and sighing.
She was okay now, but hadn't been through that process. It was nerve-wracking, watching somebody get so close to a possible murderer or rapist.
"You'll have to answer for sending Percy off the Mile." Brutus said, Paul nodding in response.
"I'll chew that food when I have to." He said, "Right now I wanna hear about this new inmate, aside from how big he is, okay?"
Brutus smirked.
"Monstrous big," He laughed, "Damn."
"Aww, he seems meek enough," Dean said, "He retarded, you figure?"
"Please don't use that word." Maria said, shocking everyone, "It's not nice."
Everyone looked at her for a moment before she bit back tears and headed out of the office.
"Maria?" Paul asked.
"I need some air." She replied, unlocking the door and heading out before locking it again.
She made her way down the stairs, the word playing over and over and over in her head. That's what people called her baby brother. He had a condition she couldn't pronounce and needed constant care, which is why she had to buy special medicines. Not just for her mother, but for him too, although she kept that part a secret. Her mother was getting sick from the tire of watching over him every day. He was sixteen with the mind of a three or four year old, and to watch him suffer the way he did broke her heart. She just hoped no-one would come and see her in tears, because that would be bad enough never mind having to tell them the whole tale.
She took a deep breath. Dean hadn't meant to upset her, she knew that, but she hated that word more than anything. She just hoped they'd all understand.
-TBC-