CHAPTER FOUR

Zoe opened her eyes and Red's face swam into focus. She blinked her eyes and realised she was back in the clinic. Red was sitting next to the bed, her hand clasped in hers. She was hooked up to an IV.

" What happened?" Zoe asked hoarsely.

" You collapsed in the kitchen. The doctor it was from exhaustion. Lucky for you it wasn't a heart attack. You're going to be fine after rest."

Bit by bit the memory of the fight with Red came flooding back and Zoe winced.

" You were right," Zoe whispered, " I was struggling-I knew it, but I didn't want to admit it. You were right and as usual I didn't listen."

Red brushed a strand of brown hair away from her eyes, " You remember the fight?"

" Everything. I'm sorry. I overreacted again. I was just so mad that my heart started giving me trouble I took it out on you."

" So we're good then?"

" Yes, it was my fault." Zoe said, " If I listened in the first place, you wouldn't have gone to Caputo."

" Just don't scare me like that again," Red admonished her.

" I'll try not to," she smiled at Red and Red kissed her just as the doctor came in.

What am I going to do all day with no job? Zoe wondered to herself the following morning. She was back in her cube and felt mostly better. Red was already at work-her shift starts at 4.30am every morning. Zoe wouldn't see Red until breakfast and even then she won't even get to talk to her much because Red oversaw serving too.

The morning passed by slowly. She didn't see Red at breakfast at all and she missed Red and knew the next time she saw her would be during movie night.

Red entered Mr Caputo's office. He had requested that she see him while breakfast was still going. The girls were busy doing clean-up for the next shift-lunch and they can continue on without her for a bit. Norma was second in command when Red was out of the kitchen.

" I'm going to be getting a what?" Red stared at Caputo dumbfounded after what he just told her.

" A bunkmate." Caputo repeated.

" I haven't had a bunkmate in five years! Why do I need one now?" Red demanded.

" Reznikov, you don't get any special treatment. You're just like any other inmate. The beds are full and I had to do some shuffling around for some new arrivals."

" Wonderful," Red said sarcastically, " so who is my brand new bunkmate?"

" You'll see soon enough. You can go now." Caputo replied and with a huff Red left. Red had counted on having her own cube-it came in handy if she wanted to be alone with Zoe and now this new bunkmate was going to ruin everything.

Frieda Berlin went back to her cube after finishing with the garden crew for the day. Her back was screaming with pain and she had a rotten headache-her mood was low. Being old really sucked sometimes.

Her bunkmate Leanne Taylor looked up from the Harry Potter book she was reading. " Did you hear?" she asked.

" Hear what?" Frieda replied grumpily as she sat down and reached for her BENGAY.

" McKenzie was in medical," Leanne said.

" Why are you telling me this?" Frieda asked, pretending not to care. But she did. She cared big time. She still loved Zoe and she knew Zoe was now in a relationship with Red. She was probably one of the very few who knew. Frieda could not forget about that day when Zoe betrayed her. And one day, Frieda had caught Zoe wrapped up in Red's arms that pretty much confirmed they were in a relationship. Seeing Zoe with another woman had broken her heart all over again. Red stole her away from me. Frieda thought.

" Because the two of you are friends, I thought you'd want to know that McKenzie had a health scare-I heard it was something to do with her heart."

" We were friends," Frieda reminded Leanne but her heart pounded. I hope it wasn't serious! She thought fretfully.

Later that evening, some new arrivals were moved in. " Inmate, please get your things ready," CO Maxwell told Zoe.

" Where am I going?" Zoe asked warily, gathering up the few possessions she had and also her blankets, pillow and hoodie.

" To your new cube." Maxwell replied and Zoe followed her. They were nearing Red's cube. It was nearly 7 and the inmates would be going to movie night. This is the time she would spend with Red. Maybe they could sneak out to the greenhouse.

" Here you go," Maxwell stopped outside Red's cube. Red wasn't there.

" But this Red's bunk," Zoe said mystified.

" You're Red's new bunkmate," Maxwell said.

" But...this can't be," Zoe was dumbfounded.

" Let me tell you a secret," Maxwell leaned forward, " Caputo had do some serious shuffling, but at his request, he wanted to put you in with Reznikov." Maxwell was another one of the few officers who knew about Red and Zoe.

" Why?"

" Because of your health issues mainly. He knew Red would keep an eye on you and make sure you're not over doing things. "

" Does Red know?"

" She knows she's getting a bunkmate but she doesn't know who it is."

" Well, what about Chapman? Who's going to be her bunkmate?"

" Miss Claudette," Maxwell supplied, naming one of the older inmates of Litchfield. Claudette's has been around almost as long as she and Red, even longer.

Maxwell left her to it and Zoe put her things away, careful not to make her bed as it was a rule that the bunkmate always made the other's bed.

Red's reaction to her being her new bunkmate was priceless. She sat down on her bed, speechless. " You're my new bunkmate?" she finally said. " I was afraid I was going to get one of the meth heads or that religious woman, Doggett."

Zoe grinned, " We can thank Caputo for this. It turns out he's a real softie."

" He's the only one from admin who knows. Thank God Sam Healy doesn't know or he'd make life hell for both of us."

Zoe made a face. She didn't think much of Sam Healy.

" I've got a few things to do, but I'll be back soon." Red said standing up.

" Hurry back. Movie night will finish soon." Zoe said as Red kissed her and left the cube.

Zoe lay down on her bunk and opened up her book when a shadow fell over her.

" Forgot something?" she asked looking up but it wasn't Red.

The visitor was Frieda Berlin. Frieda was someone she hadn't spoken to in a long time.

" Frieda," Zoe sat up, " What do you want?"

" I heard you were in the hospital," Frieda paused, " Heart troubles."

" Yes but I'm fine now." Zoe said, " Was there something else?"

Frieda sighed, " Nothing. Forget it. Don't know why I even bothered."

" We agreed long ago that-"

" I know we did. I was just hoping…I don't know. A lot of time has passed and-"

" Nothing has changed Frieda." Zoe told her coldly.

Red was approaching the cube when she saw Zoe had a visitor. It was Frieda Berlin, a woman she barely knew. Frieda mostly hung around with the " Golden Girls" a group of older woman. Two years ago Zoe and Frieda had a falling out and hadn't spoken to each other since. Frieda left and Red raised her eyebrows at Zoe, " What did Berlin want?"

" Oh to bury the hatchet." Zoe said as Red sat down at the end of her bed.

" What happened between the two of you? " Red wanted to know.

Zoe paused, " If I tell you will you keep it to yourself?"

" Of course." Red promised as Zoe sat up and adjusted the pillow behind her back. Red sat down on her bed to listen.

" You aren't the first woman in this prison I've loved," Zoe began.

" I know that but you never told me who the other woman was." Red reminded her.

" Our relationship started off like ours-we were friends first and then became a couple. And this happened while you and I started becoming friends."

" Who is it?" Red was dying to know who this woman that got to be Zoe's first partner. And this woman was still in this prison.

" It's Frieda. She's my ex."