New Update! I wish to thank all my readers and most of all shadajoserj their review of my last chapter. Disclaimer still applies for this chapter and for all chapters here onward!
Inmates working in the surrounding fields by the hundreds, pickaxes rising and falling in unison lead by the slow steady melody of a prison chant, every few words punctuated by the fall of a pickax or shovel. Guards patrolled the perimeter on horseback armed with large intimidating shot guns that were aimed into the sky and glinted in the sun light.
Lily stuck out like a sore thumb, in her faded green and grey gingham checkered dress and brown shoes and her frizzy curls brushing the tops of her shoulders she was a sight the inmates of Cold Mountain Penitentiary had only dreamed of during their years of incarceration. Lily felt like hundreds of eyes were on her and forced herself to stand up straight and keep her eyes directly forward.
As she approached the main entrance she was met with an armed guard in front of whom she halted. "Can I help you young Lady?" He asked and she nodded, "Yes, my name is Lily Coffey. My father was brought here today and I was informed by his Lawyer that I would be able to see him." She lied with authority, hoping she could get by on sheer confidence. The guard looked at the prison truck and then at the door he guarded, "That man is your father?" he asked skeptically.
Lily nodded and straightened her back, "Adopted Father. But Mr. Hammersmith told me that wouldn't make a difference" The guard shrugged, "Not to me it doesn't, but I'm afraid I can't let you in. The whole place is on lock down on account of the new arrival." Lily nodded, "Alright, I suppose I will just have to hang around until I can see him."
With that Lily stubbornly sat herself on the steps in front of him feet with her back to him. It took all off fifteen minutes for a guard to pop his head out the door, "Prisoner's in his cell" he informed him and Lily shot to her feet. "May I see my Father now?" she asked and the Guard cleared his throat uneasily. "Check in with the guards before you go in and after you get out." Lily nodded and slipped past him and into a long hallway.
At the end of the hall was the only door in sight and she made for it quickly, her shoes echoing off the empty walls. She grabbed the large metal handle and pulled, only to find the door locked firmly. With a sigh she looked around and knocked on the door hard, praying that someone was behind the entrance to hear her.
On the other side the four men, Harry, Brutal, Dean and Paul all stop their talking to listen. "You hear that?" Brutal asked and Paul nodded "I thought I did" they all remained silent until the nodding came again, louder this time. "Hello?" a voice called, "Is anyone there?"
The quartet of men shared a look and Paul unlocked the door. "Hello?" He looked out and found the petite woman standing on the other side. "Can I help you Miss?" Lily looked up at him, "I hope so, I'm here to see John Coffey." Paul looked back into the office at the men then back at here, "Uh, I'm sorry miss, but only relatives are allowed visitations." Lily swallowed, "I am family; He's my Adopted father"
Paul opened his mouth and then closed it before looking to the others for their opinions, Brutal shrugged and Harvey nodded so Paul pulled the door open fully and allowed her entrance before closing and locking it again.
"Usually we don't expect visitors until the first week, if they come at all Miss…Coffey." He paused before her name, not sure if he believed her. "Now, usually we have visitors searched before they are allowed to see a prisoner but…"
Paul was at a loss, there were no female guards in the prison and they couldn't very well search a young lady, it wasn't right. Lily stifled chuckled at their awkwardness and Dean stood up, "I'll escort Miss Coffey and oversee the visit. Then I'll run Delacroix to the infirmary " He volunteered and Paul nodded, "Thank you Dean, Miss Coffey if you'll just follow Mr. Stanton here" Lily nodded to the youngest man in uniform and followed him to E Block.
The floor was a faded lime color and about 50 to 60 paces long with four cells on either side. "He's at the cell on the end." Dean told her but didn't expect her to dart off like she did. "Miss! Miss Coffey!" he ran after her as she rushed to John's Cell. "John?!" she stopped herself by grabbing the bars. "John?" She whispered and the huge mass of a man shifted, "Miss Lily? What you doin here?"
"What do you think? I'm here to see you John." She told him as Dean was stopped by Edward Delacroix, "Boss" he whispered, "Boss?" Dean looked at him, "What?" he whispered watching the two at a distance, "W-who dat be?" he pointed at Lily through the bars. "Remember what Paul told you about keeping your nose in your business?" Dean scolded him and Del grinned, seeming forgotten about his swollen, broken hand. "She's pruty" Dean hit the bars of the cell, remembering just what exactly Del was on the Green Mile for.
Meanwhile Lily held John's hand through the bars. "John I'm so sorry, I am so so sorry" she whispered her voice getting choked up. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't left you alone you wouldn't be in here!" John shook his head, "Now you know that ain't true Miss Lily, Ain't true at all" Lily shook her head, "We promised to protect each other, we swore that no matter what we would be there for each other and I turned my back for two minutes and now…" her voice spread up frantically and John reached both arms through the bars causing Dean to jump and whip out his baton.
The two dark arms thick as tree trunks wrapped themselves around Lily's form and pressed her to the bars. "Shhh, it's alright Miss Lily. It ain't your fault" Lily didn't seem to hear him because she kept whispering softly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." John looked behind her at Dean who gaped at the scene, "Boss? Think Miss Lily need ta calm down a while. I wonder if you could help her?" Dean swallowed hard and nodded.
"I'll come back" Lily told him, "I'll come and see you every single day I promise" John smiled a little, "I know Miss Lily, but you oughta leave now, fore you get all worked up again." Lily nodded, "okay." She whispered and wiped her cheeks, "You behave yourself now." She rubbed John's hand as Dean cleared his throat behind her.
"Yes alright I'm comin" she forced a laughed and wiped her eyes again, "I'll come back later John." She turned and allowed herself to be led to the end of the block and to a small office area directly connected to it with a desk and a few chairs and filing cabinets, "I-I have to take one of the inmates down to the infirmary. Will…" he paused as Lily sat down in one of the chairs and rested her elbows on her thighs and rested her face in her hands, "will you be alright alone?" Lily nodded and flashed him a cheeky, albeit, watery grin. "Don't you worry about me, I'm a big girl" she wiped her eye again with the side of her hand, "I can tie my own shoes any everything"
Dean nodded and grabbed his keys and cuffs and escorted Del out of his cell and down to the Infirmary. As soon as His footsteps faded out of hearing range Lily stood up and slowly made her way back down to John's Cell, "John" she whispered, eyeing the other inmates who didn't seem the least bit interested in her. "John!"
The giant looked at her from his cot, "yes Miss Lily?" Lily felt in her hair and pulled out a small tin hair pin. "Here" she whispered and stuck her hand through the bars, looking over she shoulder in case a guard came around. "Take it, quickly before someone sees." John shook his head, "No Miss Lily, it won't work you know that" Lily rolled her eyes and withdrew her hand, "Fine, I'll do it myself." She muttered and knelt before the lock.
"Miss Lily…" John began and Lily shook her head, "Shush John, I need to focus" she whispered.
"Miss Lily please…" Lily froze as the sound of echoing footsteps caused her to jerk back and stand up, making herself look as casual as possible as a guard walked into the block with a sour look on his face. Lily slipped the pin back in the pocket of her dress discretely as the Guard looked down the Mile and spotted her.
"Hey!" he snapped and she turned her back quickly, "Hey what do you think you're doing down there?" he barked and stormed the block with his baton in his hand. Lily's mind sped a mile a minute and she settled on the solution that nine times out of ten got her out of trouble, play dumb.
"I..I'm sorry sir, I was just..." The man stop in front of her and tapped the end of his baton in his palm, and Lily realized that that man was just barely a half an inch taller than her
"Just having an unauthorized stroll down Death Row, that's what." He finished her sentence for her harshly and Lily put on her best innocent face. "I didn't mean no harm."
"I don't really care what you meant Missy," He snapped and grabbed her arm roughly causing her to squeak as his hand squeezed her hard. "You're hurtin' me" she hissed through gritted teeth and tried to yank it out of his grasp. John watched unsure what to do and felt the anger radiating off of both persons.
The sound of heavy footsteps coming their way caused Lily to perk up and look at the entry way to see the outline of an oncoming guard through the window and smirked at the man arrogantly before ducking her head down and hitching up her breath, forcing herself to start sobbing and rubbing her eyes hard to make them water.
"Percy!"
Percy turned and faced Paul Edgecomb storming toward them, and looked at the girl in his tight grip who was putting on quite the convincing show with her tears. "What in the Sam Hell is going on over there?" Paul leaned his head to the side to get a better look at the girl. "I caught this Civilian wondering the Mile" Percy motioned to the girl and Paul caught one look at the tears and glared at the smaller man.
"Yes, I know. I let her in." Paul looked pointedly at the hand on her arm and Percy released her quickly, "Now you want to explain to me why she's cryin?" Percy opened his mouth then closed it then opened it again, "But I… she!... I didn't… I."
"Percy why don't you get back to me went you can form a complete sentence, until then I do believe that Brutus could use your help with some paper work." Percy stared at him and Paul nodded and waved his hand a little as if to say "Shoo" Percy looked past him at Lily who waved at his girlishly with a cocky smirk and silently mouthed "buh-bye"
Paul turned to her sternly and crossed his arms, "Alright Miss Coffey, wipe your alligator-tears" Lily shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about, you saw the way he grabbed me. That smarted quite a bit it did." Paul nodded. "I'm sure it did, Miss Coffey I wonder if I can have a word with you in my office, just a friendly chat."
Lily nodded slowly and Paul put his hand on her shoulder in a grip that would ensure she wouldn't get away as they walked down the aisle and into his office. "Is there a Problem sir?" she asked innocently and Paul shook his head, "No no, no problem Miss Coffey. It's just…" he sighed and locked his door, "I don't like being lied to is all." Lily swallowed, "I don't know what you mean."
"I think you do, see there is no record of a John or Lily Coffey in Louisiana, No Birth records, Adoption Papers, census records, not even an address." Paul tossed a paper thin manila folder across the table. "Only the details of John Coffey's crimes. Which I have yet to read." Paul leaned on the desk. "So, why don't we start with a simple one? Who are you?"
Lily looked around, not meeting his eye. It was over, after this she wouldn't get to see John ever again. She swallowed and nodded, looking down and picking at the fraying hem of her checkered skirt, "My name is Lily Devereaux, and No, I am not related to John." She began, "But I am the only family he has." She looked up, "You have to understand I couldn't just walk away I had to see him!" Paul held up one hand, "Okay, okay just calm down now, one step at a time."
"I won't stop coming"
"I beg your pardon?"
Lily stood up straight, "I won't stop coming, I don't care If you won't let me in I will stand outside the building all day and all night if I have to." Paul sat down and leaned back, "Miss Devereaux, I have no intention of keeping you from seeing your friend, who you obviously care very deeply about. However I cannot condone dishonesty. Now you are welcome to visit John Coffey but I will not tolerate any disruptions on my Mile is that clear?"
Lily nodded, "Yes sir, of course sir, Thank you. Thank you so much!" She could have laughed. "Now" Paul stood up, "visiting hours are over." He made for the door and opened it for her and followed her out to the main exit, mainly to make sure she actually left.
