Chapter Thirty Eight
Piper was useless but she went through the motions. She would get up, wait until everyone returned from the shower, then walk to breakfast...go about her day but not speak to anyone really. She knew the guards all thought she should go to psych but no one pushed it. She would go by Healy's office after work each of those days.
"I saw her this morning, she is fine," he said on the second day when Piper waited by his door when she should have been in commissary line.
"Is she eating? Has she...showered?" Piper squeaked the last part. He told her it was all okay and to go back to her dorm. Piper felt somewhat better but didn't really trust that he went to see her. She knew each hour was another potential chance for a sicko to harm her. Not that the isolation wasn't enough. Piper had done weeks in there and will never be the same. She didn't want Alex to do that.
Nicky made her shower on the third day. Bell told her she had a visitor when Piper walked by the hallway on Friday. She kept on walking. They couldn't make her see anyone if she didn't want to see anyone. She couldn't remember who it was that was coming that week. The time all ran together. She was a mess and didn't want to strip down and go through a search. She'd lose it if anyone felt her up right now and end up in maximum.
Piper couldn't find out any details about the case. She wasn't questioned and it bothered her. Friday night she was manic in her cube, walking back and forth. Lorna got her to eat some oodles and noodles. Piper did it just to shut them all up. It taste like sawdust but it did feel good in her warm stomach.
"I was there with her, I am a witness. I can tell them she didn't mean...that she didn't know anything about it," Piper reasoned with no one really. Nicky was sitting on her bed, but up enough on her knees to see over and into their cube.
"She was with Healy, they don't need a convicts word when a CO gives his...it takes a few days...I think we'd heard something if McAdam talked. Her stuff, what little there was is gone now...she ain't coming back." Nicky snorted. Red shot her a glare but she pretended not to see it.
Piper's head shot up and she ran over to Alex's cube. Her stuff was there, but her books was gone...her uniform still hung. Fucking thieves! Piper started to search for Alex's things. She was about to get her head bashed in by a pissed off Boo when Red stepped in and told her that Nicky hid her things.
"Enough Piper...come back now. Her things are safe, she will be back," Red assured her.
Piper looked at her with a blank stare. "You don't know that, please don't lie," Piper whispered. She turned and walked to the guard desk and sat down by the door. No one came over to her and she was happy about it. Luckily, she had taken Alex's pillow again and exchanged it for hers. It had been the only thing that allowed her even an hour's worth of sleep. Lights out was called and Piper reluctantly got up. The routine of the day made life monotonous enough. Her lack of caring about everything and worrying constantly made even the routine difficult. She heard two guards talking that she was going to be evaluated in psyche if she didn't stop. Piper tried harder after that. She didn't want to go there.
She wanted to go to the SHU but all of the reasons she told Nicky not to go applied to her as well. She had no idea if she'd see Alex at all there. Piper was lost and the time seemed endless. It was Saturday and she just couldn't get up. She did take a shower and drink a cup of coffee. She crashed late that night and slept liek the dead until the was awakened for the count. Right after, she went back to bed. She missed another visitation and Red told her she was going to lose her privileges if she kept standing people up at the window. Piper just nodded and thanked her for her concern. She just didn't care.
Piper wanted to live in her memory. Try as she might, all she could think about was the second time she'd ever seen Alex Vause. She had gone back to that same bar the following week but this time she brought a couple of friends. One was this guy named Edward. He was rather well off and enamored with Piper. She met him at a NYU party she attended when shopping for a grad school. She didn't really want to go back to college but the thought of further financial support from her parents had prompted her to check out the School Of Drama MFA program. Piper had opted not to apply but she had picked up a few good contacts at the party...one of them was his number. She hadn't slept with him but was planning on doing it eventually. He didn't do much for her with his looks but he was a kind man. He was older than her and worked very hard. She enjoyed seeing him when he could take time away from his Wall Street job.
She also brought one of her roommates, Amy. She was one of the most calm and rational people she knew. She wanted Amy to scope out Alex and give her opinion. Piper had offered to buy her a few drinks. It had done the trick.
Alex was there again, doing shots with young girls all around. Piper had literally forgotten to breathe when she saw her. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and chastised herself for her reaction to just the sight of Alex.
"I don't have to ask which one she is...oh...wow, you really only just talked to her right? You look like you've already fucked her and have U-Haul syndrome!" Amy whispered to Piper as Edward went to buy their drinks.
"What is that?" Piper asked, dragging her eyes away from Alex. She hadn't seen her yet and Piper was enjoying the anonymity of her view. She had wanted to see her again and now there she was in all of her glory. She must of sensed eyes on her because she looked up and around the room. She turned and Piper found herself hoping she recognized her. Alex's eyes fell on her and she broke out into a big smile. She said excuse me to the entire group of people that were talking to her and walked off towards Piper. She felt her pulse race. What had she done coming here again and bringing a date?
Alex saw Edward approach and place the drinks down on the table. Her eyebrows shot up and she stopped a bit away from the table. Piper gulped and stood up fast.
"Hi...Alex right? Um, this is my friend Edward and my roommate Amy. I told them this seemed like a nice place.." Piper's voice dropped and she tried not to ramble. At the world "Friend" Alex relaxed substantially or had Piper imagined it?
"Nice to meet you both...next round is on me. It is nice to see you here again, Piper Chapman,"she purred in that sexy voice. Piper's face broke out into a smile. Edward stood and extended his hand because he was a gentleman. Alex automatically accepted and Piper could tell she liked that about him. Amy reached up and shook her hand as well.
"What is your last name?"
She had meant to ask the other night but just blurted it out here. Alex blinked at her and laughed as if she had really surprised the woman that wasn't used to being surprised.
"You um, know mine it seems only fair," Piper shot back. Alex considered with her lip out as if she was a child contemplating where snow comes from with a logical answer suddenly provided.
"Vause...I'm Alex Vause. I hope to see you around again, kid," she smiled as she said it and turned to return to her friends. She sat with her back to Piper and talked with those around her. Piper can't remember anything that Edward or Amy said for the rest of the hour they were there. But she recalls each time Alex pushed up her glasses or made someone laugh. She knew then that she was in trouble and that she'd never sleep with Edward.
Piper had skipped dinner and curled up on her side. Nicky had promised her candy and popcorn at the movie night. Piper had nodded to get her to leave. It was quiet during meal time. Only a few remained in the dorm. She was asleep for about ten minutes when she felt a body behind her. She didn't want to open her eyes so she just tried to imagine it was Alex.
"I love it when you're my little spoon. I think maybe our bodies were made to fit like this," Alex whispered in her ear. Piper squinted her eyes together.
"If I open my eyes are you going to be here?"
Alex chuckled and lifted up for a moment, she guessed later it was to look around for a guard. Alex then proceeded to turn her face and kiss each eyelid tenderly before she claimed Piper's lips. It was a passionate kiss full of relief. Piper sobbed on her mouth and pulled her closer. Alex was free of the SHU! Her hand roamed all over her and Alex had a hard time stifling her moans. She pulled Piper close and held her like she was afraid someone would jerk her from her arms.
Piper pulled away from that kiss with effort and asked her what happened. "It was a set up. McAdam is a cop. The story will be that she didn't turn on me and I'm free. Caputo has no idea, it was arranged with the warden. I'm still trying to get all of this right again, baby. I'm sorry I scared you." Alex whispered it in her ear so close only Piper could hear.
She nodded and whispered a few questions in her ear about if she thought it was going to keep Kubra satisfied that her partner not busted. "It got the heroin out of here and bought me more time. If he is as desperate as they think he is for money to send to his brother, I know this isn't the last I've heard from him. But it could buy me enough time to get you out of here."
Piper looked at her with a glare. She still had three and a half months. She didn't know if that was enough time. Alex told her she will just tell him she was in the SHU and once Piper is gone from the prison, she would concentrate on helping them set him up. "Maybe I can get my deal back...at the very least he will not be trying to force me to sell. Are you mad I didn't tell you? I thought of everything...Poussey was safe; I kept Taystee and Boo out of it. Even Red was preoccupied and couldn't interfere." Alex wanted Piper to approve of her work. She did. She just didn't like not knowing what was going on and the worry it caused her. Her mind reeled at all the details Alex had put into motion to set this up...under the nose of guards and prisoners alike.
"We're in this together so you have to keep me informed. Promise me Alex," Piper said after a few minutes of silence.
Alex promised she would tell her next time and Piper held her close again.
"You two better get up, Bell is coming this way," Nicky said on her way by her cube. Alex slipped off the bed and was sitting in the floor by her bunk, looking a a magazine as she walked by. She didn't seem to really care.
"I see you slipped out of another one Vause. Well, maybe Blondie will stop moping around and we won't have to take her crazy ass to psyche," Bell shot as she passed. She missed the kinder gentler Bell. Piper winced and wished warts to appear on her nose to match her personality. She'll never see what O'Neil finds attractive in that Attila the Hun.
Alex turned to look at Piper with real worry in her eyes. Piper just stared at her from her bunk.
"What did you expect? So much shit has happened to us here. The thought of you having to service-"
Alex leaned in closer to her and pressed her forehead to Piper's. "I was not molested. I didn't like the showering experience but no one made me do anything. Healy came to see me each day at least twice. They knew he was checking up on me and it was fine." Piper made a note to apologize to him and tell him thank you.
"I was worried about you. I'm okay now...um there is a movie tonight and Nicky is making popcorn," Piper said. Her stomach growled as if on cue and she blushed.
"I don't know about you but I could eat a whole bowl myself. I think I..oh shit my stuff," Alex suddenly remembered how everyone stole from people when they went to the SHU or to testify in Chicago. She rose to go after it and Piper sat up to stop her. She swayed some from the blood rush and low blood sugar.
"Hey I got ya covered, here. I saved your books and here it is..calm down," Piper stood slowly and watched as Alex opened up a book,"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and pulled out a photograph. Piper walked up beside her and looked over her shoulder.
She gasped. It was taken in her mother's kitchen when Piper first met her. She had given Piper a big hug and then insisted that Alex take their picture so she'd always have a photo of her girls. Alex tucked it back up when she saw Piper looking. She looked so young in that picture. Piper had no mementos from that time period in her life. No photos...just memories that she'd dust out when she felt safe enough to remember the chaos that was Alex Vause.
"I...tried to burn it twice but it always came back to me," Alex explained as she walked her stuff over to her bunk. The light went off for count and she moved to stand beside her cube. Red stared at Alex for a long time and her love stared back. They started to walk toward the movie area and she stopped to look at Alex.
"Is she safer now?"
Alex didn't ask who Red meant, she knew. Piper started to say something but Norma grabbed her arm and shook her head.
"Safer? Yes for the time being...I wish I could have spared her the worry though," Alex admitted.
Red nodded slowly. "She is stubborn and made herself sick...but no worries, I keep my half of the bargain, you keep yours." Alex nodded and then she walked on with her family behind her. Piper fell in beside Alex and she wanted to ask her what bargain but she knew it was a moot point. It was about her and there was nothing she could do about it. She watched others react to seeing Alex free. Poussey seemed to be fuming but kept her mouth shut. Taystee looked at her with respect and Boo just seemed relieved to see her. Piper hoped they could have some peace and quiet for a change. She didn't have long on her sentence and what she did have she wanted to spend making sure Alex was safe.
Yes she hoped for a lot of things. But most of all, she sure hoped Nicky's popcorn had lots of butter and it wasn't a kid's movie again.
***Wow what great reviews. I know it is a tense time...I have sooo much more to come in this story. I want you to rest assured that they will never have a easy go of it! Please keep up the reviews and I may post again this week...it is a terribly busy one for me. Peace, Fae***