Sitting in her wheelchair, Bea watched as the nurse bandaged Allie's arm again. She was full of concern and worry, wondering what could have possibly happened to tear Allie's stitches. Allie looked from the nurse to Bea, anxious for the nurse to hurry so she could explain what happened.
"Okay, that should do it. You should be fine now," the nurse stated, as she closed her medical kit. "Be more careful though. Your wounds are healing very well, but that doesn't mean they won't still tear under great pressure."
"Thank you," Bea and Allie responded at the same time.
"If you two need anything, please let us know."
The nurse smiled as she picked up her kit and walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Bea sat next to Allie's bed, looking up at her with sadness in her eyes.
"Allie, what happened?"
Allie looked towards the door, as she reached underneath her pillow to pull out Kaz's letter and the needle. She handed both items to Bea whose confusion was evident as she took them from Allie.
"Special Screwart delivery."
"What?"
"The letter's from Kaz. He brought it while you were out and he went batshit crazy on me 'cause he thinks… You should read it."
Allie shifted on the bed to sit as close as possible to Bea, her legs dangling off the edge of it. Bea started to read the letter, her face going from confusion to shock to confusion again.
"I don't… What did he do to you?" Bea asked, anger in her voice.
"Nothing. I mean he just held me down by my wrist but… He pretty much just threatened me with that needle if I didn't tell him why Kaz stabbed him in the back.
He thought that I would know from the sound of the letter, somehow came to the conclusion that I'm the one actually behind all this shit… What I can't understand is how the hell he ended up with the letter in the first place but…"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine now. You should've seen him though, Bea. He was fucking psychotic."
"So… he's been trying to oust Bennett and Jackson to get a better position than he had at Walford, better than he has at Wentworth, and Kaz helped him so that…"
"She could oust you. That and this was all back when she thought Jackson raped Ferguson, knew Bennett wanted to keep you in power above all else, and generally wanted you gone altogether… Like, she mentioned to me before how you were all in this together and wanted to take you down a peg but… Fuck, I never thought Kaz would be so hell-bent on taking you all out that she'd work with a screw like Stewart, or a man at all for that matter… I'm guessing Kaz was too ashamed and wanted to leave out of the letter the influence the Freak had on her."
Bea nodded, pain hitting her chest as she recalled seeing Allie in the equipment room after Kaz had drugged her. To Bea, the thought that Kaz would go so far to take her out was more than reasonable, given how she had no issue risking the life of her supposed best friend to get what she wanted.
"When the attack against you in the laundry room failed, he twisted it so that Ferguson looked like the victim and they used that as the first move of who knows how many to make Bennett and the prison look like shit. Can't imagine what else they had planned for Jackson. As for you… Well, pretty evident at this point."
Bea looked down at the letter and the syringe, doing her best not to focus on the worst aspect of Kaz's declaration.
"What are you thinking?" Allie asked, hopping off the bed and crouching down in front of Bea.
Bea took Allie's face in her hands, stroking her cheeks with her thumbs as she gazed into her eyes. Allie placed her hands on Bea's wrists, stroking them with her thumbs as well.
"…We'll tell the governor what happened, okay? Make that snake pay for what he's done."
"Bea… I'd really rather not. Look at what he's been doing this entire time we all thought he was just a weird, flirty screw… I really don't want to have to worry about dealing with him anymore. Besides the governor knows everything already, so he'll be out of our lives by the time we get back to Wentworth."
Bea slowly nodded as a soft smile appeared on her face. Allie rose up to kiss Bea before giving her a hug so strong, she ended up lifting Bea out of her wheelchair as Allie stood back up. Bea held tightly onto her, wondering if Kaz could truly take the fall for all the crimes Allie had committed as part of the Red Right Hand, wondering if Allie could be exculpated for everything that had brought her to Wentworth in the first place, wondering what she could possibly do without Allie there to hold her up anymore.
…
Jake walked through the door to Vera's office with a smile on his face. He sat down in front of her desk, watching Vera use her computer before she finally turned to face him.
"You wanted to see me, Governor?" Jake asked.
Vera turned the computer monitor in his direction. Jake turned his eyes towards the screen to see the first article regarding Ferguson's attack. Without taking her eyes off him, Vera scrolled through the article before turning to the screen and stopping on the photos of Ferguson.
"Care to explain?" Vera asked, letting go of the mouse and placing her hands on the desk in front of her.
The corners of Jake's mouth turned downwards, as he turned his eyes back to Vera and he began to shake his head.
"What am I supposed to be looking at, Governor?"
"Jake, I know about your involvement with leaking these photos of Ferguson to the press and fabricating a story in order to compromise the image of the prison as well as the administration."
"…That's quite a story you have going there yourself, Governor. Let me know how it turns out."
Jake winked at Vera before pushing himself up to stand, placing his hands in his pockets, and turning to leave.
"Excuse me, where do you think you're going?" Vera stood up from her chair. "This conversation isn't over."
"I have nothing to do with that," Jake said as he gestured towards the computer.
"…Karen Proctor told me everything, from the laundry room incident to taking these pictures to helping her contact …"
"Proctor? Kaz Proctor? The man-hating she-beast? You don't honestly believe her, do you?" Jake snorted.
Vera didn't respond, choosing to wait for what Jake had to say next.
"I have to say that wouldn't be the wisest of moves. I heard what she was trying to get you to do. Wanted you to write a shining statement for Novak to get her time in here reduced or something? Never would have thought I'd be the one blamed for that though…" Jake said, pointing towards the monitor before placing his hand back in his pocket. "But… I guess it makes sense… I'm new, I'm a man, and she took advantage of me wanting a little time with Linda before the whole laundry room mess… But that was the extent of my unprofessionalism. I dismissed what I heard, after all it was just a stupid rumor, and I knew there was no way you would be conned by her like that. She feels guilty about what she did to Smith and what she led Novak to do, and she wants to get her best girl less time to make up for it. It'd be a shame for you to sign off on something like that without consulting me first… I know you're smarter than that, right, Governor?"
Vera's mouth dropped open. She was visibly confused, as she turned to look at the article and then back to Jake, unsure of who or what to believe anymore.
"She gave me your phone… The one you used to take the pictures," Vera stated, as she reached into her desk drawer to pull out the phone Kaz had given her.
"My phone? You mean this one?" Jake smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I believe you might have been duped, Governor. Thank goodness you talked to me before doing anything rash! Could you imagine if you had suspended or even fired me over these absurd allegations? Now, there's a wrongful termination suit that would've ruined the image of Wentworth!"
Jake laughed and walked out of the office, his head held high. Vera turned back towards the computer, grabbing the mouse as she scrolled through while at the same time massaging her forehead. She gripped the mouse with all her force, before suddenly hurling it across the room.
…
Sonia stood in Bea's room, looking through her sketchbook and analyzing all the people she had drawn. She looked up at Bea's tackboard, examining every item she had on it. Pictures of the moon. Her drawing of Debbie. A brochure for the cemetery where Debbie was buried. Sonia reached out to grab the cemetery brochure, slightly lifting it and seeing something behind it, but not taking it as she heard the door open. Sonia let go of the brochure and turned towards the door to see Liz who stepped inside.
"Is everything okay?" Liz asked.
Sonia quickly nodded and held the sketchbook up.
"She was quite a talented artist."
"That she was… Sonia, I wanted to thank you for getting the women to submit stories on her behalf."
"Oh, please, that was nothing. Just know that if nothing comes of those testimonies, I'll think of some other way to get her justice."
"And thank you for… If you hadn't gone to look for Allie in the kitchen… You seem to truly care about them both."
Sonia softly nodded as her eyes went back down to the sketchbook, open to the page with the group drawing that included her.
"Why?" Liz asked, looking at the image as well.
Sonia raised her eyes to look at Liz.
"Why what?"
"You just… You're new yet you managed to get so close to Bea in such a short period of time. You didn't have to help her in the laundry room. You didn't have to collect all those testimonies. You didn't have to look out for Allie after… How… Why did you do it?"
A smile appeared over Sonia's face, a hint of amusement visible as she recalled having a similar conversation with Bea regarding her actions in the laundry room, back then not admitting why she truly needed to help her.
"I felt a… connection… to Beatrice… From the first time we spoke I admired her strength, her perseverance. Everything she'd endured, everything she had yet to face, but never once surrendered… despite her world being shattered time and time again…"
Sonia dropped the sketchbook on the bed as she crossed her arms and slowly approached Liz, standing in front of her and leaning in to whisper as she looked directly into her eyes.
"She had to wake up day after day knowing that there were people whose goal was to see her fail, see her bleed, see her pay for things she had never done… And I like to think, Elizabeth, that if I were to ever be in a similar position… having to wake up day after day after day, knowing there was someone a stone's throw away, who was tracking my every move, trying to figure out my every thought, waiting to gauge my every reaction… looking to see me fail, hoping to see me falter, expecting to see me pay for things I'd never done… I like to think that I, too, would be able to do the unimaginable to protect myself and fight back no matter what, just as she did… time and time again."
Liz's eyes shifted looking into Sonia's eyes as she swallowed hard and cleared her throat, unable to hide the fear that Sonia instilled in her. Sonia smiled again.
"To answer your question… Everything's going to be okay."
Liz forced a smile and quickly nodded her head.
"Good… Good, good, well, if you need… You know where to find me, yeah?" Liz stammered nervously.
"Thank you, Elizabeth."
Liz took a few steps away from Sonia, not wanting to turn her back on her. She bumped into the wall as she tried to leave, before exiting Bea's room and quickly shutting the door behind her. Sonia's smile faded, as she walked back to look at the tackboard. She reached for the cemetery brochure again, this time taking it off to see what was behind it. Sonia reached into the indentation that had been carved into the tackboard, pulling out a screwdriver. Sonia held the screwdriver in her clenched fist. She placed the screwdriver in the inside pocket of her cardigan before picking up the sketchbook again and setting it down on Bea's pillow. Sonia crossed her arms again and exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.
…
"No, no, no! That's way too much salt!"
"What are you doing, you fucking idiot, you're going to choke to death!"
Bea and Allie smiled and laughed as they yelled at the television. They sat side by side, leaning against three pillows on Allie's bed as they watched a cooking competition show while finishing their own meals. They shared one bed table, the legs of it sitting on either side of them, each of the women eating from their own tray off the same table. Not taking her eyes off the television, Allie reached for her cup and brought it to her mouth, before realizing she was out of water. Without looking at her, Bea grabbed her cup of water and handed it to Allie, who took it and finished the rest of it before setting it back down on the table.
"Honestly, our hospital food was better than the fuckery this guy is cooking," Allie laughed.
"Honestly, I think our prison food would be better than that disaster," Bea chuckled.
Allie lifted the table and bent over to set it down on the floor next to the bed. She sat back against the pillows, wrapping her right arm around Bea, who leaned into her and rested her head on Allie as she wrapped her arm around her stomach. Allie placed a kiss on the top of Bea's head, as they both leaned back and continued watching.
A few minutes later, the door to their room opened and a nurse and Allie's doctor stepped inside. They all greeted each other, as Allie reached for the remote to shut off the television, as the nurse went to grab the table and trays before walking back out again. The doctor stood at the foot of Allie's bed, speaking as he went through the clipboard containing Allie's medical records.
"Well, congratulations, Allie, looks like we can get you out of here tomorrow afternoon," the doctor smiled, unaware of how bad this news actually was for her.
"What?"
"We'll have you out of here tomorrow. Save for the little stumble that happened, your wounds have healed quite nicely, and I've been told that your mental health counseling sessions are scheduled to take place back at the… back at Wentworth."
Bea tried to move away from Allie and sit up, but Allie held onto her, refusing to let her go. The doctor noticed the concern and sadness in both of the women's faces. He smiled, a little confused by their reactions.
"…I think you're the first patient I've ever had who's responded negatively to being told they get to leave the hospital," the doctor softly chuckled. "Here I thought it'd be a nice birthday present for you!"
"Birthday?" Bea and Allie asked at the same time.
"Yes… Yes, your record indicates tomorrow is your birthday so… Happy early birthday! In any case, if you need anything else, please let us know. I truly hope things get better for the two of you. It's been a pleasure getting to know you both."
The doctor gave them both a small wave before walking back out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Bea and Allie stared at the door for a few seconds before turning to face each other again.
"Why didn't you tell me your birthday was tomorrow?" Bea asked, struggling to sit back up in the bed.
"I… I swear I didn't know… I had no idea what day tomorrow was. Fuck, I didn't even know what today's date was until now."
"Really?"
"Really," Allie chuckled.
"How could you not know?"
"I don't know… Never celebrated a birthday and it's not like I have a reason to look at a calendar or anything… Guess my perception of time has gotten a little twisted since getting to Wentworth," Allie softly laughed.
Bea looked away from Allie, sadness overcoming her as she heard her speak. Allie noticed the change in Bea's expression, becoming concerned as she wondered what she could possibly be thinking.
"What?"
"Nothing," Bea shook her head.
"Bea… What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Bea, please talk to me."
Bea looked up at Allie, whose concern was visible in her blue eyes. She softly smiled before leaning in to kiss Allie then hugging her. She pulled away and raised her hands to stroke Allie's face.
"I'll miss you," Bea whispered.
"You know I'll miss you too, but it's worth it to keep you safe… It's just for a little while longer, okay? Everything's gonna be okay."
They both forced smiles, each doing their best to fight back their tears as they hugged and tried to come to terms with being separated yet again.
…
Vera looked out of the window of her office, staring at the full moon above. She should have left for home by now, but the pressing issue of how to deal with Kaz and Jake was not something she could put off any longer. As she heard her door open, she turned to see Will escort Kaz inside, not saying a single word, just turning to leave again. Will had no idea what was going on, but ever since Vera refused to let him attend Bea's supposed funeral, he no longer questioned any of the governor's actions, choosing to only do as he was told. Vera glared at Kaz, who seemed confused at being brought into the governor's office so late at night.
"What is it?" Kaz asked, not moving away from the door.
"Have a seat," Vera ordered, her hands behind her back.
Kaz hesitated before walking over to sit at the table. Vera approached her and looked down at her.
"You lied to me about Officer Stewart's involvement with the article."
"What?"
"I did a little investigation and it turns out the journalist has written various pieces on how… inspirational the work of the Red Right Hand was. She has no ties whatsoever to Mr. Stewart and…"
"Yeah, I know that. I contacted her, but he was the one to take the pictures and send them her way."
"Stop lying to me."
"I'm not! I was out cold after that whole fucking mess. I didn't take them!"
"Unfortunately there is no distinguishable background in the photos. They could have been taken at any point prior to Ferguson leaving for the hospital, and any one of your crewmembers could have taken them."
Kaz stood up from her chair.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Kaz yelled. "I told you our plan was to work with that asshole to take you, Jackson, and Smith down, back when I thought he was behind Ferguson's rape, when I thought Smith was the reason I was here, and when I thought you were nothing more than her stupid little pawn who'd do whatever you had to in order to keep her in power! Stewart needs you and Jackson gone in order to move up! He fell hard on his face at Walford, but he wasn't about to repeat his mistakes here, so he agreed to help us. For him, Smith was just collateral damage, but we still had the same targets, only different motivations!"
"…The phone does not belong to Mr. Stewart. I know what you're trying to do. I'm sorry your stupidity and selfishness drove Novak to almost kill herself, but it's despicable that you would try to con me in order to right your wrongs."
"Did you even hear me?! Jesus Christ, what the fuck did he say to you?!"
"Will you admit this was all a ruse to absolve yourself and aid Novak?"
"No of course not! You're listening to the wrong person! I contacted the journalist after our initial plan to take out Smith went to shit, yeah, but it was his idea to do so, to use Ferguson's injuries to help her in her case, to make this prison look like a demented shitshow that wanted her dead! How could you possibly believe him over everything I told you?"
"Maybe because you're known to take issue with absolutely any man? Maybe because you feel guilty for having helped out the woman who put you in here and this is how you can get back at her? Maybe because now that you helped kill an innocent woman and almost killed your best friend you need a scapegoat so you can make things right without compromising yourself further?"
Kaz scoffed, beginning to softly laugh as she shook her head.
"…You are so fucking stupid."
Vera slapped Kaz across the face. Kaz raised her hand to her cheek, her breathing quickening as she struggled to not hit Vera back.
"Get the fuck out of my office."
Kaz glared at Vera before lowering her hand from her face and turning to leave the office.
"You're a fucking dumbass, Vinegar Tits!" Kaz yelled as she walked out.
"Slot her, Jackson!" Vera screamed.
Vera walked up to the door and slammed it shut. She walked over to her desk drawer and pulled out the testimonies Sonia had given to her. The more she thought about the statements detailing what happened in the laundry room, the more she believed Jake, especially because she believed he had nothing to gain from helping out Kaz or Ferguson, as Will was his friend and Jake had never done anything out of line as an officer. However, Kaz could get Vera to sign off on Allie's statement of good conduct by turning in one of her officers as leverage instead of just herself, which she knew wouldn't be enough to get Vera's signature. Vera took a deep breath before turning towards her computer. She opened up her email and the draft of the article the journalist had continued to contact her about for approval, something she had still not done. She deleted the draft, deleted the draft of her response, deleted the original email, and decided to leave well enough alone because at this point, she could face adverse consequences no matter whose version of the truth she decided to believe and act on.
…
"Allie…"
Allie stirred in her sleep as she felt a hand stroking her right leg.
"Allie…"
Allie slowly opened her eyes, bringing her hands up to rub them as she sat up in her bed.
"Happy birthday, princess."
Bea was sitting at the foot of Allie's bed, resting back against the footboard and holding out a white cupcake with an unlit red candle in her right hand. Allie softly laughed, surprise and gratitude emanating from her eyes.
"Bea… How did… When did you… Thank you," Allie whispered as she fought back her tears.
Allie moved her blanket aside and scooted as close as possible to Bea as she held the cupcake in front of her, bringing a lighter she held in her left hand to the candle and lighting it. Bea placed the lighter back down on the bed before holding the cupcake out to Allie.
"Make a wish," Bea smiled.
Bea and Allie gazed at one another, the candle's flame reflected in their eyes, the twinkling in their eyes becoming a mix of tears and the moonlight that came into their dark room. Allie smiled as she leaned in to softly blow out the candle, tears finally escaping from her eyes as she placed her hands on Bea's face and pulled her in to kiss. Bea lowered the cupcake and placed her left hand on Allie's neck, unable to hold back her own tears either. They kissed tenderly, softly, before Allie pulled away and rested her forehead against Bea's forehead, looking down at the cupcake but not taking her hands off of Bea's face.
"Will you run away with me?" Allie whispered as she stroked Bea's cheeks.
"…What?"
Allie lifted her head to look Bea in the eyes.
"Will you run away with me?"
"Allie… I'm… I'm not capable of…"
"I'll… I'll get rid of the guard. I'll steal a nurse's uniform to disguise myself, an ambulance if I have to, there's a way to get out, Bea… Let's get out. Let's get out of this place."
"Allie," Bea sadly smiled. "I don't want you to have to run for the rest of your life…"
"Bea, I can't lose you again. I can't be without you. I don't care about being free. I just… I just want to be with you."
"Hey, hey, hey," Bea brought in Allie for a hug as the girl cried. "It's just for a little while longer, okay? You're not going to lose me. I'm not leaving you. It's gonna be okay."
Bea pulled away from Allie and handed her the cupcake, trying her best to distract her as her words hurt her as much as they hurt Allie. Allie took it with her right hand, still smiling, still crying. Bea reached underneath her left thigh before taking Allie's left hand in hers. She began to slowly place a silver band on Allie's left ring finger as she spoke.
"I promise… to care for you, to protect you, and to be with you… always."
Allie broke down crying, but still smiling as she looked at her left ring finger. Allie leaned in to kiss Bea, slowly moving her fingers to interlock them with Bea's. She pulled away but continued to gaze into her eyes.
"I promise… to support you, to defend you, and to wait for you… always."
"I love you, Allie."
"I love you, Bea."
Allie wrapped her left arm around Bea's waist, as she leaned back down on the bed, pulling Bea back with her, as she reached her right arm out to place the cupcake on the bedside table. She reached down to straighten Bea's legs out so she lay on top of her, while kissing her neck at the same time. Allie reached around and pulled loose the strings holding Bea's white gown closed. Allie pulled it off of her, reaching in between them to pull it out from under Bea and toss it to the side. As Allie electrified her skin with her fingers, Bea brought her lips to Allie's ear.
"I'm sorry that I can't…" Bea whispered.
"Shh, shh, I know, it's okay… I just… I just need to feel you again," Allie whispered as her tongue grazed Bea's earlobe.
Allie reached down to push Bea's panties down as far as she could with her hands, before slightly lifting Bea up by the waist, and raising her own leg to bring
them down the rest of the way with her foot and kick them away. Even though she felt she was physically incapable of doing anything with Allie, Bea could not hide the powerful effect Allie had on her regardless. Her heart began to pound against her chest as Allie ran her fingers up and down her neck, her shoulders, her arms, and her back, no longer feeling her when she passed over the wound that had changed her life. She felt Allie's hands again when she brought them in between their two bodies to caress her breasts. Despite being lost in her touch and in their kiss, Bea wanted to feel Allie again as well.
Bea broke away from Allie and pushed herself up with her hands, lying down on her side next to Allie before reaching down to move her immovable legs with her so she could lay on her back. Bea softly grabbed Allie by her bandaged wrists, signaling for her to lie on top of her. Allie did so, before bringing her lips to Bea's ear.
"You don't have to do anything…" Allie whispered.
Bea took Allie's face in her hands and looked at her, smiling as she brushed her thumb over Allie's bottom lip.
"I know… I want to."
Bea brought Allie's face down and ran her tongue up Allie's neck, stopping to suck on Allie's earlobe, a small act that caused Allie to sigh deeply. Bea reached her hands around and began to undo Allie's gown, carefully pulling apart the two knots that held it closed. Allie sat up as she pulled the gown off of her and toss it aside, only to have Bea immediately cover her breasts with her hands. Allie threw her head back, her body beginning to tremble as Bea traced her nipples and began to massage her breasts. As much as Bea wanted to take them into her mouth, she knew there was something else that she needed to do as she felt Allie on
her abdomen, soaking through her panties.
Bea ran her hands down Allie's torso and tugged at Allie's panties, pulling them down as Allie slightly raised herself and straightened her legs on either side of Bea to allow her to take them off. As Allie lowered herself back onto Bea, moaning and wetting the woman's torso as she straddled her, Bea placed her hands on Allie's lower back, gripping her, before suddenly and effortlessly pulling her up her body and burying her face in between her legs.
Allie cried out at the sudden and electrifying contact as she gripped the headboard of the hospital bed to keep her balance. Bea smiled as she smoothly dragged her tongue up and down Allie, only pausing to begin sucking on and licking her clit. She ran her hands up and down her thighs, as Allie clenched them on either side of her head, unable to contain herself as she lowered her left hand to grab a fistful of Bea's hair and began to grind against her. Their breaths came in rapid succession, as Allie alternated between groaning, gasping, and moaning, as Bea alternated between kissing her, licking her, and breathing into her, the last act becoming increasingly difficult as Allie's thrusts became harder, stronger, and faster.
Bea ran her right hand up Allie's thigh, up her body, to grab her breast and massage it. Allie let go of Bea's hair as she placed her own left hand over Bea's right hand that continued to stimulate her breast. Bea let go of Allie's thigh and reached underneath her with her left hand, spreading her lips apart and running her tongue up and down Allie before pushing it inside of her, burying it as far into her as she could. Allie suddenly stopped moving, gripped Bea's hand, held onto her hair, as she stopped breathing, shut her eyes tight, arched her back, threw her head back, and cried out, as her entire body shook from the overpowering orgasm that hit her.
"Bea…"
Allie let go of Bea and dropped forwards, holding onto the headboard as she tried to stabilize her breathing again. She moved away from Bea and lied down on top of her again, placing a kiss on her forehead as she raised her hands to caress her face. Allie ran her thumb over Bea's bottom lip before bringing her lips down to meet hers. Exhausted and out of breath, Allie wrapped her arms around Bea and nuzzled her neck. Bea hugged Allie with her arms as tightly as possible, as she affectionately stroked her back with her left hand.
"I love you, Bea…" Allie whispered, smiling as she closed her eyes.
Bea turned in Allie's direction, placing a kiss on the top of her head as she looked out the window, the light from the full moon sparkling in her eyes.
"I love you, Allie… to the moon and back."