S5E4: Scene 6

As Vera walked through the dark hospital parking lot, she realized that this was just the beginning. As much as she wanted to keep the status quo, as long as Bea Smith was alive and in her prison, there would always be a battle for top dog. She was too strong a force, too independent and there were too many others that Bea had already defeated: Jacqueline Holt, Frankie Doyle, and now, Joan Ferguson.

Vera knew that it would only be a matter of time before Sonia Stevens demanded fealty but she didn't expect it to come so soon. Bea hadn't even been there 24 hours and she was lying in Medical beaten, bruised and almost raped. And Mel Barrett was in critical condition with a massive brain injury and a shattered vertebra that may keep her from ever walking again. Although no one had actually admitted it, Vera was pretty sure that Lucy Gambaro had something to do with it, the same way she believed that Gambaro was also involved in the attack on Joan Ferguson.

Vera shook her head. There were times when she wished the gap between prisoners and staff wasn't so wide. "If someone would speak up then I could deal with it," she thought to herself.

She reached her car and as she stood there with her key in the door, her mind made a list of all the things she had to deal with right now: she needed three new guards, the budget had to be reviewed, there was a leak in the roof over D Block, if Barrett survived her head injury she would have to make arrangements for assistive care, Matt's called twice, she hadn't eaten since lunch, and she wanted to pommel Will for leaving her to deal with this all alone.

"Hi, Miss Bennett. Is everything okay?"

The young man's voice startled her and she jumped.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

"No. It's okay. Hi Shayne. How are you?"

"I'm bonzer. Are you okay? You've been standing here for a while. Having trouble with your car?"

"Um… no… I was just thinking."

"Musta been deep shit." He caught himself. "Sorry."

"That's quite alright. Yes, it was pretty deep." She laughed.

"Yeah, I think like that sometimes. Frankie catches me all the time and gets worried but I tell her 'it's just stuff in me head' and not to worry."

Vera smiled at the thought of Frankie taking care of a teenager. "How is Frankie?"

"She's good. They're giving her some of her own cases at Legal Aid, and she made a bouillabaisse tonight that was ripper."

"Mmm, that sounds good."

"She was mad when she got home last night but she said that she and Bridget had a long talk while I was at work and she's better today. I'll ask her to save you some of the soup and Bridget can bring it to you tomorrow. You comin' round for dinner on Saturday? She wants to try a new recipe for blackened barramundi."

"Oh God, yes, that sounds wonderful. You're making me even hungrier, Shayne."

"I've got some Tam Tams. Here," he reached in his backpack and handed her the pack of cookies. "This should tide you until you get to supper."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I've still got some in my locker." The alarm on his watch went off. "Hey, sorry. I've got to go in now." He started to leave. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine. And thank you for the Tam Tams."

"Yes, ma'am. See you on Saturday." He waved and took off running.

"SEE… you," Vera realized he was already out of hearing range unless she shouted. She shook her head. It felt surreal to be talking about Frankie Doyle as if she was an old friend with the young man who called Joan Ferguson his god-mother. But she knew Bridget was right: Frankie had a lot of potential and she seemed to be doing well outside of prison. She felt glad that she had given Frankie a second chance and that she didn't fire Bridget over their relationship.

She got in her car and her stomach growled so she opened the pack of cookies and ate one while she dialed a phone number. "Might as well solve two problems at the same time," she thought to herself.

The phone was answered on the third ring. "Hi, it's me," she paused.
"Can we talk?"
"Have you eaten yet? I haven't eaten since lunchtime and I'm dying for the gnocchi at DiStacio's."
"Great. Meet me there in a half hour?"
********************

Vera was already seated when Will arrived at the St. Kilda-area restaurant. She loved the atmosphere, the sharp looking waiters, and the amazing Italian food. Café Di Stasio was an institution in Melbourne and Vera's favorite restaurant. They gave their orders to the waiter and then Will waited for her to start.

She sighed and tried to put her thoughts in order. "Will, I need you back. You're the best person on my team and with Bea Smith back there's going to be a war. The lines are forming and it's already begun. She was attacked today and nearly raped but was saved by one of Proctor's crew, who may not survive the injuries she sustained. H1 and the Red Right Hand have allied against Sonia Stevens, Gambaro's crew and Tina Mercado. If Barrett dies, Proctor will be out for blood and after the attack on Allie Novak yesterday, Bea will probably be right beside her."

She looked at him and waited to see what he would say but he just sat there playing with his ice water.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't include you in the whole plan to hide Smith and Matt from Joan Ferguson. The prosecutor was worried that anyone who knew would be at risk and we didn't want to put you in that position."

"Why?"

"Because if something happens to me, you're the most qualified person to run Wentworth Correctional Centre and we wanted to keep you safe."

"Who was going to keep you safe?"

"It's my job to accept those risks, particularly if it protects my staff and the inmates who are in our care."

"I will come back on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Never shut me out again."

"Then I have a condition as well." He gave her a questioning look. "I need you to get off the gear and stay off. I can't have you compromised by prisoners or other staff members. Do the counseling, go to the NA meetings, and stay clean. You're a good man, Will, and the women trust you. I'm trying to make a difference inside Wentworth and if they find out that you're getting high when you go home, we will lose that trust."

"Okay," he agreed. "I'll do that."

"Good. Thank you." Vera smiled at him, genuinely relieved that he would be back on her team.

"So what happened today?"

She shook her head and recounted the day's events until her phone rang. She answered the phone and listened as Linda Miles described the situation.

"Okay. Thank you. Just leave everything for now and I'll take care of it." She hung up the phone and looked at Will. "How soon can you come back to work?"