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Chapter 3 – Cell Test

Macy's Point of View

I sat with Sara in her office, feeling the need to get away from the high testosterone levels hanging around the prison. She was on a break so she didn't mind the company. We complained about our jobs for a while and then Sara said something that almost made me laugh.

"You know, I think that Scofield likes you," she said casually.

I had to stop myself from chuckling and telling her that Michael and I were best friends and had been for years. Instead, I tried to act naturally.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, just now, he seemed to look over at you a lot. And not casually looking, it was almost playful, flirtatious."

Again, I tried to stop myself from laughing. Of course he sent me playful looks; the two of us knew something that no one else did. We were like two children keeping a secret, giggling when no one else understood. As for the flirtatious looks, Michael couldn't flirt. I had seen him try and fail a number of times. His flirty gaze looked more like he was trying to figure out a difficult sum. It made me wonder though. But it was Michael. He knew...

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the voices of frantic C.O.s. We looked up and opened the door to see two guards dragging Michael into the office. I moved out of the way as Sara cleared a space for him. The guards sat him down and stood around the office.

"Thanks, guys, I'll take it from here!" said Sara.

The guards didn't move so I stepped forward.

"I'll stay if you're really that worried!" I said to them.

I knew that Sara wouldn't mind and I wanted to stay. I wanted to know what had happened to Michael. The other C.O.s left, leaving me, Sara and Michael in the room. I stood off to the side whilst Sara got to work. Michael was fighting back tears; I had to fight back some of my own. It was my natural reaction to seeing Michael or Lincoln cry. I felt a tear escape and quickly wiped it away before Sara could notice.

Michael wouldn't let go of his foot when Sara asked him if she could look. She gestured for me to come over and hold his hands away from his injury. I hesitated at first, not sure if I could handle it, but I eventually made my way to his side and took both of his hands in mine. He looked up at me at last. I'd never seen him look so vulnerable.

Sara removed the towel that had been wrapped around his foot. I almost screamed in disgust at what I saw. Two of his toes were missing. Michael looked at his injury and began to cry even more, leaning back on the chair.

"What happened?" I managed to choke out.

"Nothing," he replied sending me a quick look.

It must have been one of the inmates. Maybe it was T-Bag as revenge for Maytag. But it wouldn't make sense for him to keep him alive. The last time that someone was on Bagwell's bad side, he killed them, though the death was filed as an accident. Whoever had hurt Michael meant to keep him alive. They needed him alive. Maybe he had information that someone else wanted. Then, only one name came to mind – John Abruzzi. Michael had been talking to him the other day; there was no one else it could be.

Sara had continued to question him until it was clear that she wasn't going to get an answer. Instead, she quickly took care of the wound then left the room to speak to the other C.O.s. I turned to Michael once the door closed and gave him a quick hug.

"Abruzzi did this?" I asked him.

"I knew you'd figure it out," he said with a hoarse voice.

I shook my head angrily, "I have to get you out of here, Mikey."

"Don't. If anyone needs to get out of here, it's you. He's my brother."

"You know I can't just leave,"

"Why not?"

I stayed silent. He knew why I couldn't. He just wanted me to say it. But I wasn't going to.

Flashback – Michael's Point of View

I was late. Macy hated it when I was late. She had told me that she was going to cook something different today and was making a big deal out of it. And I was late. I hurried to the apartment and fished in my coat pocket for my key when I heard something from the other side of the door. I pressed my ear against it and realised that it was two voices. I listened closer. It was Macy and Lincoln – my idiot older brother who was always getting into trouble. Why was he talking to Macy? I rarely saw him anymore so why was he in my flat?

"Have you told Michael yet?" I heard him say.

There was silence before Lincoln spoke again.

"You know you need to tell him."

"Why? Why would I need to tell him?" asked Macy, cheekily.

"Because he's you're best friend – you tell each other everything, especially things like this!"

"Well, why can't you tell him? He's your brother."

"But I'm not the one who will be moving out," Lincoln said.

Macy was moving out? Why would she? We've been best friends for years! What could possibly encourage her to move away from me?

Macy groaned, "Oh, okay, I'll tell him soon."

Lincoln sighed, "Good...I love you,"

I froze. My heart began to beat in my ears. I couldn't breathe as I waited for Macy to respond. I hoped that she didn't. She giggled.

"I love you too,"

Present Day – Michael's Point of View

I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was Macy. Lincoln and Macy. Macy and Lincoln. Together. Madly in love. Despite everything that had happened, she still loved him. She didn't say it but it was obvious. Why else would she commit herself to the dangerous task of helping him escape?

My plans were a mess. It was supposed to be just me and Linc in Panama. We could forget about everything that ever happened and we could forget about Macy. It would have been so easy. But she just had to appear out of the blue. She had to get a job at Fox River. She had to get herself involved – all for Lincoln. Panama won't be the same now that she's involved. They'd be together all of the time and probably get married. I'd be the third wheel.

It was the next morning. Lincoln was fuming over what had happened with Abruzzi. I tried to calm him as much as I could from the other side of the fence. He was adamant on getting revenge, so I had to explain more of the plan to him – how Abruzzi owns the corporation that controls the planes from Top Flight Charters which was our ticket out of here. I then went on to explain how I needed the involvement of my cellmate – Sucre.

"Sucre? You can't be serious!" hissed Lincoln in an obvious state of panic, "The guy's a thief Michael: he can't be trusted."

"We're going to have to trust him because he is my cellmate,"

I spotted Macy walking Sucre across the yard. They seemed to be in deep conversation and both seemed pretty relaxed.

"How well do you know him?" asked Lincoln.

"About as well as a man can in a week. But I don't think we need to worry too much about that. Your girlfriend seems to know him quite well." I replied.

Lincoln stood still, "Listen, Mike-"

"She still loves you, you know."

"Yeah, I know," said Lincoln with a sigh, "and I still love her. I'm sorry, Mike, but I'm not going to lie to you. You know that the only reason we ended things was because I was sentenced to the death penalty. It would have been easier for her if we didn't see each other at all. But now that all of this is happening, there's no reason for us to be apart anymore."

No reason? How about because I loved her way before Lincoln even met her? I kept my opinions to myself and walked away, pretending not to care.

Macy's Point Of View

The Warden gathered a couple of guards to accompany him when he went to speak to Lincoln about his impending death. Unfortunately, I was one of those guards. I was just getting used to the fact that we could get Lincoln out of Fox River before it was too late. Having to discuss his death was just going to bring back all of the sadness and panic that I had felt when I first heard that he was getting the death penalty.

We arrived at his cell and the Warden waved a piece of paper in front of Lincoln. It was the list of people that he would want to be there on his last day. Lincoln stood up when we walked in and shot me a sympathetic look.

"Why didn't you include any names?" asked Pope.

Lincoln looked at me again then back to the Warden, "Why would I want anyone to watch me die?"

I flinched at his last word but attempted to calm myself by remembering the plan. But what if it went wrong? What if we couldn't save him in time?

"I've seen it happen a number of ways," said the Warden, "some people want to go it alone and others have grandiose statements they want to make. But most want some member of their family there when they leave this world."

I looked away from Lincoln as he spoke.

"I'll do it alone."

The Warden left the paper with Lincoln and explained that others who chose to do it alone regretted it at the last minute. We left, but not before I sent an emotional look towards Lincoln.

I saw Lincoln during yard time, pacing up and down behind the fence. A guard was standing on the other side. I approached the guard, offering to take his place so he could sit down for a bit. He hurried away, thankful that I took his place. Lincoln walked closer to where I was leaning against the fence and continued to pace nearer to me.

"Michael is trying to get Sucre on board," he said.

I smiled a little, "I think Sucre will go for it. He misses his girlfriend a lot."

"I still don't trust him,"

"Give him some time, he may not like it at first but you can guarantee that he'll join us, especially when he finds out that I'm involved."

Lincoln was quiet for a minute.

"Linc, are you okay?" I asked him, referring to earlier.

"Yeah, it's just hard thinking about dying. About leaving you and Michael behind."

"You're not going to die, Linc," I said harshly, more to convince myself than him, "we're getting you out of here."

"Yeah well, Michael may be a bit compromised," said Lincoln with a sigh, "he knows about us."

I nodded, "Yeah I know, he confronted me about it. To be honest, I thought he'd have come to terms with it by now. I mean, I know it's awkward with the whole best-friend-dating-a-sibling thing..."

"It's more than that," muttered Lincoln.

"What do you mean?"

I knew what he meant. I had known for ages. But I wasn't sure how he would react to me knowing or how I found out. Besides, I wanted Lincoln to tell me.

"It doesn't matter. You better get going; the other guard is coming back."

I frowned but started to walk away from the fence.

"I love you," said Lincoln as I walked away.

I smiled at him and mouthed it back as the guard was within earshot.

Flashback – Lincoln's Point Of View

I looked over at Macy as I drove us to our new apartment. She was staring at the road ahead, unblinking and breathing slowly.

"He'll be ok," I said, turning back to the road.

I heard her move; I guessed that she shrugged.

"I should have told him sooner," she said after a while.

"I don't think that it would have made any difference," I muttered.

I knew exactly why Michael was being all moody about this and it was not Macy's fault. I could tell by the way he looked at her when she told him that she was moving in with me. It was more than the disappointment of his best friend moving out. It was heartbreak. I can't say that if I'd known how he felt, that I wouldn't have asked Macy out, because I felt the same. If Macy wanted to be with Michael, she would have done something about it – that's the kind of girl that she is. If she wants something, she'll go for it. It's one of the reasons why I love her. There's no fuss when it comes to Macy and if she says that she's going to do something, she'll do it. I sometimes wonder though. She looks at Michael in this weird way, I can't describe it. But occasionally, she'll just look at him; I don't think she's ever looked at me like that.

Present – Macy's Point Of View

I went to visit Sara, needing some time to escape again. Unfortunately, she was with Michael, checking his foot when I arrived and as she still believed that Michael liked me, she encouraged me to join them. I looked at Michael as I sat down. He didn't look annoyed or angry, he just looked like Michael. Sara wrapped up his foot and told him that he would be taking antibiotics for the next ten days. She then mentioned that she knew his injury wasn't an accident. I shuffled in my seat, earning a glare from Michael. He told Sara that things could get worse for him if she filed a report.

"Are you scared?" I asked, earning a look from both of them.

Michael looked away and put his shoe on.

"Men!" Sara said with a laugh.

I shot her a small smile and looked at the floor.

"When I was young," said Michael, "I couldn't sleep at night because I thought there was a monster in the closet. But my brother told me that there wasn't anything in the closet but fear. That fear wasn't real." I smiled. It sounded like something that Lincoln would say. It was the kind of thing he told L.J. when he was young. Michael continued, "He said that it wasn't made of anything; it was just air. Not even that. He said you just have to face it, you just have to open that door and the monster will disappear."

"Your brother sounds like a smart man," said Sara.

I smiled again.

"He is," said Michael, "In here though, you face your fear – you open that door – and there's a hundred more doors behind it and the monsters that are hiding behind them are all real."

I was scared. More scared than before and it was a fear of Michael being hurt again. I wanted to do something. I needed to help him. But there was nothing I could do. I was the only female C.O. in the entire prison. My views didn't count.

I stood up, ready to take Michael back to his cell when another guard entered the room. He looked straight at me.

"I'll take him back, Macy," he said, grabbing Michael's cuffed hands, "the Warden wants you to take the priest down to Burrows' cell."

Michael stared at me while I responded.

"Why me?" I asked, "Why not one of the other guards?"

"It's tier time in Gen-pop: Pope doesn't want you in there."

I shrugged then sent an apologetic look towards Michael who rolled his eyes – he was still in a mood with me. I left and made my way to the reception area where the priest stood. We walked in silence to Lincoln's cell. This wasn't where I wanted to be. I didn't want to have to think about Lincoln's possible execution again – it was starting to make me panic.

I unlocked the cell and let the priest talk to Lincoln. I stood at the door, watching Linc while they spoke. He was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them like a child who was being told off.

"Why have you denied any family or loved ones to be there for you in the end?" the priest asked him.

Not this again. Lincoln looked at me then back at the priest before answering.

"Why would I let them watch me die? I've caused them enough pain."

"Maybe it's not about them watching you die," said the priest.

Lincoln pulled a face, "Maybe it's about me watching them live: the final torture."

His tone was strange. I wondered for a second. Was Lincoln worried about what I'd do if he did die? Did he think I'd run off with Michael? And what about L.J.? The poor boy was already getting himself into trouble – it would be worse if Lincoln died.

"It's about how you want to leave this world," said the priest, "what's the last image you want to take with you?"

Lincoln looked at me for a second. I bit my lip, fighting back tears.

"There's this girl," said Lincoln, looking at the floor, "I love her so much – I couldn't put her through that. I'd rather she forgot about me and lived her life. I've hurt her more than I've hurt anyone else. I couldn't imagine making her suffer even more."

Linc looked up at me. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer: they slipped down my face. I turned away, my back towards them. I didn't hear the rest of their conversation, though I thought I heard L.J.'s name once or twice.

"Bale, are you okay?"

It was Patterson. He stood in front of me staring with concern.

"I'm fine, thanks, Louis. Must be the dust or something."

"Okay," he said and poked his head into Lincoln's cell, "Linc, your son's here."

Michael's Point of View

It was time for P.I. I needed to speak to Lincoln and fortunately we were working right by the fence he was kept behind. I walked along it whilst carrying some pipes.

"Lincoln, we have a problem," I said with a sigh, "I have a new cellmate."

I gestured towards Haywire, my new and slightly frightening cellmate.

"We're going to have to bring him on board,"

"Macy won't be able to help with this guy and you won't be able to get him on board," said Lincoln.

"Then I'll work at night while he's sleeping,"

I was then ordered to move away from the fence by one of the guards. I wondered where Macy was. She needed to know the change in the plan. There was no use in me trying to keep things from her – Linc would tell her anyway. The guard turned his back on us and we continued our conversation.

"How far behind are we?" asked Lincoln.

"Three days."

"I thought you said the margin for error was zero days?"

"I did," I said with a sigh.

Thanks for reading. I am going to try and update as much as I can during this week. After this week I have exams so I won't be updating again for about another three weeks, but I'm going to try my best to update when I can.