A/N: It's been quite a while since I've posted a chapter and in that time, the world has changed. I hope all of you are taking care of yourselves and staying as healthy as possible during these uncertain times. I hope this chapter provides at least a little distraction from everything that's going on. Take care and I hope to put out another chapter sometime soon! In the meantime, Nip/Tuck has been added to Hulu in the US. It's the perfect time to stay inside for a binge watch!


Christian's cellmate Perez was inside when Christian was escorted back and he sat up on his bed once he caught sight of him, unable to hide the shocked look from his features. Perez continued to stare at him as the guards removed the cuffs and then finally left the pair alone.

"Hey man," Perez said, almost letting a hint of trepidation slip into his voice. "Didn't expect to see you back so soon. Don't worry. I didn't let anybody steal your shit while you were gone."

Christian glanced over to him as he gingerly sat down on his own bed, barely able to make eye contact with him. His legs were still healing where Sean and Quentin had taken some nerves from his thighs to try to correct the nerve damage to his face. "Thanks," He said curtly. He still wasn't sure where they stood given the Gallardo situation and he didn't want to make things any worse than they already were, but he also didn't want to let his guard down around him either.

"Is that what the bossman did to you?" Perez asked him, indicating his face.

"Yeah," Christian said quietly, still not meeting his gaze.

"Hey, I didn't know what he was gonna do," Perez told him. "All I knew was he was gonna get you guys out and my cousin Alejandro was gonna help once you two were on the outside."

"You're Alejandro and Silvio's cousin?" Christian asked, alarmed, finally looking at him. He had just assumed that Perez's last name was just a coincidence. It was as common as Smith or Jones, especially in Miami. Only a few days prior Alejandro was sticking a gun in his face, ready and willing to pull the trigger. He didn't know how much his cellmate knew about the situation, but just having that familial connection was enough cause for concern.

"Yeah, but Silvio was a real piece of shit. Alejandro's not far behind - or maybe I should say he wasn't far behind, yeah?" Perez mentioned and it was obvious that word had gotten around about Alejandro's death. "How'd you know them?"

Christian knew he'd be doing himself no favors by explaining his connection to Alejandro and Silvio, especially since his cellmate didn't seem to know any of it. "I just heard Gallardo mention their names before," He said, downplaying it as much as he could.

Perez seemed to accept that answer and Christian was relieved he hadn't been privy to more details. "You know shit's gonna be harder in here now that the bossman's gone, right?"

"What do you mean?" Christian asked him, but he had a sinking feeling he already knew.

"Gallardo had people looking out for you, y'know? People are gonna be gunning for you now. I'll still hold up our deal and do what I can, but you're gonna have to toughen up," He told him bluntly.

"Why would they be coming after me now? I haven't done anything," Christian insisted.

"You're the Carver, man. Everybody here's heard of you and what you did. Guys that do the kind of shit you do don't last too long in here-"

"I didn't. I'm not," Christian was quick to insist. "I'm innocent."

"Yeah, you, me, and every other guy in here," Perez dismissed with a smirk. "It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do. It's about what they think you've done... and they think you've done a lot of bad shit to a lot of people. Well, that and they're jealous you got a porn star girlfriend. Everybody's seen your girl when she comes to visit and everybody knows who she is," He said of Kimber.

"Kimber hasn't been here for months now. We're not even together anymore," Christian said. She'd up and left without a word to him - not even a letter. He couldn't exactly blame her for leaving, especially after hearing what the real Carver had done to her, but he was still bitter she'd left so abruptly without even telling him.

"And like I said, it doesn't matter. Everybody's already got you figured out, Troy, even if they don't," Perez told him. "If you wanna survive in here now, you can't be weak."

Christian wanted to argue that he wasn't weak, but then again, he hadn't felt very strong since this entire ordeal had begun over a year and a half before. He was smart enough to know not to look a gift horse in the mouth when presented with one. If Perez was really willing to help him, he needed to take it. "What do I need to do?"

"First thing is you gotta stick with me," Perez instructed him. "I'll do what I can to make sure nobody tries any shit with you," He said to him. "If they do, and they will, we need to get you ready," He suggested to him.

Christian wasn't sure what he had in mind, but he didn't want things to get any worse than they already were. He knew from being in prison this long that inmates with sexual assault related charges weren't treated kindly by the rest of gen pop. They were pretty low on the prison hierarchy and that was saying something. The Carver's crimes fell into that category and he had been somewhat unknowingly coasting on Gallardo's protection since he'd gotten there. He'd foolishly thought that the other inmates had simply been scared of the Carver's reputation, but clearly he had been mistaken. He would do whatever he had to now in order to survive.

At the practice, Sean had been frantically making phone calls to the prison, being transferred from one person to another and all of them were giving him the runaround about Christian's care.

"I know he was discharged from my practice, but the doctor that signed off on it didn't have the authority to-" Sean paused, listening to the official on the other end of the call, feeding him another bureaucratic line of bullshit about procedures and regulations and funding.

"Yes, I understand that," Sean continued, his patience wearing thin once he was able to get a word in edgewise. "But other arrangements had been made for Dr. Troy's- inmate Troy's care," He corrected himself, involuntarily wincing as the words fell from his lips. It felt like some sort of betrayal to reduce his identity down to his incarceration, stripping away all of his prior achievements. Sean listened for a few moments to more of the same excuses he'd already been given.

"I'm still his physician and I'd like to be in charge of his care, all pro-bono, of course. If he can't recover at De La Mer, then at least let me have regular appointments with him at the prison infirmary to check on his recovery," He pleaded. He waited a moment, finally getting the answer he so desperately wanted. "Thank you," He said. It took him another few calls to finally get it all worked out, but he was scheduled to see Christian in the infirmary in a week for a checkup, pending Sean's own security clearance being approved. It wasn't ideal, but it was something. He had a list of things he needed to submit, including a background check and didn't want to waste any time in getting it all finished. Quentin could handle their scheduled patients for the rest of the day. He got up and grabbed his jacket in order to head out again. He'd do what he could in order to help his friend. He just hoped it would be enough and not too little too late.