"You know I ain't really medical right?" said Gloria as she unbound Alex's fingers.
"Why was everybody coatin' themselves in oatmeal if you ain't medical?" said Poussey.
"That ain't medical thats herbal." snapped Gloria.
A small crowd had gathered around Alex's bunk as Gloria inspected Alex's fingers.
"A whole prison of women and we got no nurses? Fucking feminists telling women they can do whatever they want. Seriously we got no angels of death in here? Maybe that's me but I find that shit shocking." Nicky asked the collective group.
"I don't think I would want an Angel of death near me right now thanks Nicky." said Alex.
"Yeah yeah, you're right Vause, Chapman seems to do that well enough herself." replied Nicky.
There was a collective chuckle round the group.
"She can't help it, I don't think she means it." Alex mumbled out
"Ahh here it goes again!" chuckled Black Cindy.
"Yo the fuckin' never ending story over here." added Poussey
It had been a week and true to her word Alex had seen Piper around but they hadn't spoken. Alex would like to think it was normal, they didn't have anything to say to each other yet.
The prison had changed a lot whilst Alex had been cordoned off from the world. No one had come to get her for work detail or counsellor meetings, a small amount of digging revealed that CO Maxwell had actually deleted Vause's detention file amongst the masses she'd deleted when they went on strike, and no one yet had gotten around to working out she was still here. Alex hadn't needed to sneak around either, with such an influx of inmates there was always a section that was having downtime from work departments so she didn't stick out like a sore thumb by not going anywhere and staying in her bunk.
This worked out well for Alex, any checks Kubra would do on Piper's story would confirm that Alex was dead.
Gloria rested Alex's hand in her palm. "Try and make a fist for me." she asked.
Alex did as she was told and to her surprise managed a pretty good fist.
"And the other one" Gloria said.
Alex repeated the action.
"Hmm, like I said I ain't no doctor, and those ribs still ain't right but I reckon you're able to rejoin the population." said Gloria.
"Yes Vause, you gotta sit next to me for lunch, I don't know what Boo's been doin' recently but she's gotten gassy and it smells." said Morello.
Despite the fact Alex had been getting slowly more mobile, moving about the prison she had been avoiding large crowds such as the dining area and cinema nights. Areas like that had the possibility of turning from calm to rowdy in a heartbeat with this influx of new inmates and it had been a collective decision to keep her out of it. If something had happened and she'd been found covered head to toe with bruises and splintered fingers questions would have been asked.
"Yeah sure Morello, I'll do that. But first I want a fucking walk. I don't feel like I've stretched my legs in forever." said Alex.
"Yeah come on stretch, I'll take you for a walk." Said Nicky.
"Catch up with me later Nick, I think I can walk on my own." said Alex.
Alex stood off the bunk and made her way to the edge of the cube. Moving passed Morello, Morello moved to sit on Nicky's lap.
"Oh our little baby, all grown up and ready to fly the coop!" said Morello.
Alex turned ready with a witty retort before she took in the group of women in the cube.
"I don't say this much, cause I've never had people to thank. But thank you. All of you. I won't forget it." said Alex
"A favour from a white woman, hold onto it sistas!" said Black Cindy.
"It was metaphorical you idiot, she ain't actually doleing out favours to half the prison." said Poussey
"Hell, I'm gettin a favour," said Cindy, "as part of my black reparations!"
Alex chuckled as she left the cube, and began her walk outside, she'd bought a book with her and was actually looking forward to be able to turn the pages with her own fingers for the first time in what felt like forever.
Piper was doing what she had become used to doing, jogging her troubles away. By jogging, thoughts kind of floated away, and she felt nothing, which was a darn side better than what she had been feeling before, so Piper jogged. As she turned the corner of the track Piper could see in the middle distance the familiar shape of Alex attempting to lower herself onto the ground next to the chain link fence. Piper sped up to her.
"Hey," Piper said as she got in ear shot.
Alex looked up toward Piper who was managing a cautious wave.
"Do you need some help down?" said Piper as she finished her jog over.
"Yeah I think I was too excitable getting outside, dropped my book and I've not yet figured out how to get down without gripping onto a bunk." Said Alex.
"Oh don't worry, I got it." said Piper.
Who stooped down to pick it up, she held it out to Alex who thanked her. Piper noticed her unsplintered fingers.
"Your hands!" said Piper pointing out the obvious.
"Yeah my crack medical team said they seemed alright so now I've got the use of my opposable thumbs." said Alex
Alex and Piper stood looking at each other for a moment before Alex broke the silence.
"Walk with me?"
"Of course," said Piper.
Having completed a lap of the track in silence, Alex began to speak.
"I feel like a living breathing allegory of the cave."
"Plato?" asked Piper
"Stepping outside seeing the same things in a different light, if I went back and told Nicky how I felt, she'd laugh her ass off." said Alex.
"I understand that, not that I can put it into the same context, but eating Red's food after coming out of the SHU, it was like an out of body experience. I can imagine what it's like to see another day when you didn't expect it." said Piper.
"Yeah that amongst other things." said Alex.
Piper looked at Alex, she was on tenuous ground, a literal minefield of emotion and she didn't know whether to push it or not, curiosity had killed the cat for a reason.
Piper had obviously thought about it far too long that Alex had decided that was the end of that conversation, as they rounded another corner of the track, coming up to the tree that Piper had sat against that fateful day she spied that damn chicken. Alex changed topic.
"Pipe, I think I overestimated my lung capacity for a walk, can we take a seat?" asked Alex.
"Yeah- no of course" Piper replied by reaction helping Alex to the ground. Whilst Alex's attention was on sitting down, Piper looked at her deeply. The bruises were minimal now, to look at Alex she didn't look too dissimilar to how Piper would always remember her. After sitting Alex down she sat down beside her in a comfortable silence until Piper now broke it.
"What other things?" asked Piper. The cat be damned, curiosity got the better of her.
"What?"
"You said amongst other things what other things?" said Piper
"You just want to hear me say it."
"Say it."
"You. Obviously." Alex replied.
Piper waited a minute, she had gone down the rabbit hole now she needed to know.
"What do you think of me now?"
Alex took a moment to get comfortable before she turned to look at Piper.
"I think why should I bother-" Alex began.
"Alex, I got so much of it so wrong, and I feel like I'm missing so much. I'm missing all the good parts of me because they're with you and I miss you so much."
"You're not missing your stellar interrupting skills." quipped Alex.
"I just had to let you know."
"I was going to say, why should I bother delaying the inevitable. I know I'm going to end up forgiving you."