S5E3: Scene 2
"Bea? You're here? Why? Wha…Oh." Allie started to sit up but the pain in her body and head was too overwhelming. "Shit. Did you get the license of that truck?"
"Did you? I'm going to kill the fucker who did this to you."
Allie recognized that the tone in Bea's voice was serious and tried to lighten the mood. "My hero," she said, reaching up to try to kiss her.
"No. I'm no hero. But I am pissed." Bea turned to look at the people around them. "You all were supposed to keep her safe because I wasn't here. We had an agreement and it was the only FUCKING thing I asked."
"Bea…" "We…" Vera and Bridget tried to calm her down.
"NO!"
"Bea," Allie said softly, taking her hands. "Bea, calm down before you get slotted. I just got you back."
"Fine." The anger slowly drained from Bea's body. "Can we have some time?"
Vera nodded at her. "Sure. We'll get you both some dinner." She signaled for Nurse Ratliff to handle that.
"Thanks," the both replied and then turned to each other and everyone else in the room was forgotten.
Bridget looked at the women and then the crowd around them. "Perhaps we should step out here and give them a chance to say hello." She shooed everyone out of the examination room and closed the door behind them.
Bridget looked at Vera and smiled. "Well that was a hell of a homecoming. I've never known anyone who wanted to get to prison faster." She turned and looked at the two women through the glass. "Do we know what happened yet?"
Vera shook her head. "No. Peta found PJ unconscious at his post and immediately called for assistance. Then she searched the cells in H1 and found Novak beaten, bleeding and unconscious. The cameras had been sprayed with shaving foam so we don't have any proof that it was anyone working for Stevens."
"And how's PJ?" Bridget asked.
"He's going to be okay. He has tested positive for a sedative but he'll be okay in a little while."
"Did the hall cameras show how he might have been given that?" Matthew Fletcher asked her.
Vera looked up at the tall guard and shook her head again. "There was a prisoner who went down that hall about an hour before Peta arrived; but PJ was fine for some time after she passed by."
Matt looked at Vera and after a moment a smile passed between them. "It's good to have you back," she said, trying to control her tumbling emotions.
"It's good to finally be back. Witness protection service isn't all it's cracked up to be. But I'm glad that I got to help keep Smith safe while we waited for the Freak to stand trial. Maybe she'll finally get what's coming to her."
A guard brought two dinner trays in and Matt took them from her. Vera opened the exam room door for him. "Well, Smith, I'm not sure if it's any better but here's your dinner."
"Thanks, Matt." He set the trays on a table next to the bed. "So, are you coming back now?" Bea asked him.
"I guess I will have to discuss that with the governor." He shrugged and smiled at Vera.
"By all means. Please stop by my office before you go." She hoped it sounded like a professional request. She turned to the two women sitting on the examination table. "Smith, Novak, I've got some things to take care of but I will check on you later."
"Okay." "Thanks, Miss Bennett." They replied as everyone started to leave again.
"Oh, Matt. I mean… Mr. Fletcher," Bea corrected herself. He turned looked at her curiously. "Thank you; for everything. I know you put your life in danger trying to protect me. I appreciate that."
"It was my pleasure, Bea…um… Smith." He laughed. "I guess we'll both have to get used to that. I guess things can go back to normal now."
"Sure," Bea nodded at him and smiled. "But you still owe me $12.65." They laughed and he assured her that she'd get it.
"Twelve dollars?" Vera asked him as they walked into the hallway.
"Nickel poker." He replied.
She looked at him aghast and stopped. "Were you letting her win?" He didn't stop to answer her. "Matt?" She had to run a bit to catch up to him and Bridget shook her head and laughed at the two friends and followed behind them.
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Bea looked at Allie, the purple bruises on her face, the cut above her eye and the redness on her cheeks stood out against the beautiful woman's pale skin. She found bright blue eyes looking back at her and the anger melted away. The older woman smiled and thought to herself. "I'll deal with whoever did this later."
"How are you feeling?" Bea softly asked her lover.
"Hmmm. I'm sore but I don't think they broke anything."
"Are you going to tell me who did this to you?"
"Not right now. We have plenty of time to deal with that now that you're back. I just want to enjoy being here with you before we go back and have to explain to everyone that you're alive even though we had a funeral for you."
"You had a funeral?" Bea's eyebrows lifted in shock.
"I was so sad, missing you so much. Liz was worried and she and the girls insisted we have a ceremony. Mr. Jackson did a Maori funeral dance, and there were flowers. I kept mine; I didn't want to jinx you and I just couldn't bring myself to say that you were dead. So I kept it and put it in a book to dry."
Allie grimaced as Bea pulled her into a hug.
"Do you want something to help with the pain?"
"No, please," Allie pleaded. "I've managed to stay clean. Of course Kaz, Maxine and Mr. Ford haven't left me alone for one minute. But there have been moments when I'd have murdered someone for just a toke." Bea looked at her, understanding the cravings since she had to manage her own occasionally. "So, no, I'm good. I can manage without it."
"Do you want some dinner?" Bea looked at the cold trays. "There's beans and mixed veggies and something that looks like chicken."
"No. Can I just have you? Will you just lie here with me while we have the chance to be alone?"
Bea leaned down and kissed the blond woman. She'd had never felt so loved before; and she had never felt "in love" like this before. Being away from her lover had been rough. Every day she waited for word from Bridget about how Allie was doing and the psychologist would just say that she was managing as well as could be expected. Allie insisted on staying in H1 instead of H3 with her old crew and spent most of her time reading. At night, she slept in Bea's cell but refused to move anything. Since the governor was concerned for her safety, she didn't assign any work duties for the young prisoner and stationed Mr. Ford outside of the H1 suite. Allie's act had convinced everyone that Bea was dead and Bea felt bad that they had to lie to her friends. But it was all over now. Ferguson had basically confessed and now she'd spend a long time in jail; and she and Allie could get on with their lives.
Bea crawled into the bed beside Allie and the two women talked about the books they read, Bea told Allie about Matthew Fletcher and being in the witness protection service, and Allie told Bea about all of the things that had been going on in the prison.
After about an hour, the governor returned. "Are you ready, Smith?" Bea nodded and started getting up and Allie sat up as well. The two women looked at her and Vera raised a hand to stop her. "Um, I'm sorry, where are you going?"
Allie slowly climbed out of the bed and tried to stand on her own, swaying from the dizziness. "I'm coming too."
Vera and Bea both tried to argue with her but she put a hand up as she slipped into her sneakers.
"I'm coming. Bea's home. We're together. And no one is trying to kill us. I've spent my life waiting for her and I'm not letting her go again." She walked to the door using the bed and then the door sill to steady herself. "You coming?"
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The walk was a familiar one for everyone. To go from the Processing unit to H1, you had to walk down the long corridor of offices and classrooms, past the corridor leading to J Block, and then past all the suites of H Block. The female inmates were preparing for the evening count and all the suites were filled with their residents. So as the group of prisoners and guards walked down the hall, it quickly took on the air of a triumphant march into Rome, with inmates and guards lining the halls.
Officer Webb and Ford took their positions on the edge of the group and Governor Bennett and Allie stood on each side of Bea. But as they walked a small shift happened and both Vera and Allie seemed to drift back and let Bea take the lead. That didn't work for Bea; she was no longer in this alone. And she reached back and pulled Allie up beside her as they walked the long corridor lined with both shocked friends and worried enemies.