Finding Out More


AJ knocked on a door nervously, stepping down on the step as she waited for an answer, looking around the quiet neighbourhood. She felt like she was doing something she shouldn't have. The guilt was already there. She was doing something she probably shouldn't have but she didn't feel like she had a choice.

She watched suddenly as a man opened up the door. He was older, perhaps in his sixties. Rough around the edges. His hard life definitely showed on his appearance.

"Hi." AJ said nervously as the man looked at her with confusion.

"Hi." The man repeated with a questioning tone, "Who might you be?" He said teasingly as AJ looked at him.

"I'm April… April Mendez." AJ said as the man looked at her, still confused, looking at her more closely.

"Do I know you?" He wondered. The name wasn't registering with him, but he definitely felt like he'd seen her from somewhere. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"No, we… we haven't met before." AJ nodded, "You were cell mates with my husband. Phil Brooks." She said as Tom, Punk's former cell mate, raised his eyebrows.

"Oh." Tom realised he recognised her from pictures, "Oh, yeah. April." He nodded, remembering the pictures clearly, "Shit, how is Phil? He's not dead, is he? Or back inside?"

"No… no, he's good." AJ assured him as Tom smiled and nodded, "I'm really sorry to just show up like this. I was just wondering if you could help me."

"Help you?" Tom asked as AJ nodded, "I'm trying to think what you could possibly want my help with?" He laughed a little.

"It's about Phil. When he was in prison." AJ said as Tom looked across at her, "He's been out for a long time now, obviously and… he's never really spoken to me about anything that happened. All he spoke about was you. How you were a good friend to him." She nodded as Tom smiled a little.

"He was a good guy. I liked him." Tom nodded, "Does he know you're here right now?" He asked curiously.

"No… no, and I don't wanna be here. Don't take that the wrong way. I'd really rather not go behind his back but… he's just really worrying me about this and… he won't talk to me about it. Even when I've begged him to. He just won't." AJ said.

"Don't you think maybe… it's a better idea to respect that he doesn't want you to know." Tom shrugged, "Instead of coming to me for information."

"I know my husband. I know that if he can talk to me about it he'll feel better. He just struggles with the initial confrontation of it all." AJ said as Tom looked across at her.

"And how do I know he won't come beat my ass for telling you stuff?" He asked.

"Because I know he respects you. And trust me, it's me he'll be mad with." AJ nodded, "And I can handle him." She assured him as Tom sighed a little.

"I don't like this." Tom admitted, "But I like Phil and… if he's struggling, and he needs to talk about it then… yeah, come in." He nodded to her.

"Thank you." AJ nodded to him, walking on into the house as Tom followed.

"Can I get you a drink? Whiskey? Vodka?" Tom asked as AJ laughed a little.

"Normally it's tea or coffee." AJ said.

"Not in my house." Tom said, "Or are you like your boy? All straight laced?" He chuckled, "When I first met Phil I said… a drug dealer? And you've never even gotten high before? The most bizarre thing I've ever heard." He shook his head.

"I don't drink." AJ nodded.

"I can give you some tap water if you want?" He asked.

"No, I'm good, thanks." AJ said, "You have a… nice house." She looked around, lying of course. It was very cluttered and messy with some of the most odd things lying around like a random squat rack in the centre of the living room.

"Nah, it's a shite hole." Tom insisted.

"Yeah, it is actually." AJ agreed as Tom smiled.

"You're like him." Tom pointed, "Same cheeky bastard attitude." He nodded, "It's good, I like it."

"Comes natural." AJ nodded as he smiled.

"So what is it you want to know, exactly?" He asked curiously, standing in the living room with her, "Because I mean… it was eight long years. We'd be here a long time if you wanted every detail."

"Just anything… traumatic that might have happened to him or… anything that might still be bothering him. I just wanna help him." AJ shook her head.

"Well, no offence, love… but, it's prison. It's all traumatic." Tom nodded, "How many times have you seen your husband cry?"

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"How many times?" Tom asked.

"I don't know. He cries at commercials sometimes. He's not out of touch with his sensitive side, believe me." AJ said.

"I bet I've seen him cry more than you." Tom nodded as she looked at him, "And I'm just a stranger he lived with for eight years. You're his wife." He said, "It's different in there. Minutes literally feel like years, and that's not an over exaggeration." He made clear.

"I know that." AJ understood, "I know all of it was tough for him. And living in that environment must have been awful but… he still has nightmares, really bad ones. And he's deliberately avoiding talking about it all to me and I know it's because he doesn't want me to know things."

"He probably doesn't wanna tell you the things he seen because it's awful stuff." Tom said.

"Like what? What's the awful stuff? That's what I wanna know so he doesn't feel so… alone. So he doesn't feel like he can't talk about it with me." She said.

"He's never gonna wanna talk about that stuff. With anyone." Tom said.

"Well I'm not just anyone." AJ made clear.

"He had pictures of you. You and your kids." Tom said, "There was a riot and they got stolen. You know where they found the pictures of your kids?" He asked her as AJ looked at him, "In a paedophiles cell." He said as AJ looked at him, feeling sick coming up her throat a little as she placed her hand over her mouth, "Now you tell me how he's supposed to sit you down and tell you things like that." He said as AJ stood in silence, "Because let me tell you, that wasn't even the worst it." He said, "You gotta live with that. You gotta put up with shit. From other prisoners, from guards, social workers… and they all think they got you figured out." He nodded.

"How can they let things like that happen? Isn't there some kind of order or… discipline? I mean, it's prison for God sake." AJ shook her head, placing her hand on her forehead.

"It's just as bad in there as it is on the streets." Tom said, "And you go through phases. Phil did. I always wondered how he'd wake up. Would he start a fight that day? Would he stay in bed all day? Would he stay quiet?" He shrugged.

"Did he start fights?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, all the time. He wasn't idiot sometimes and don't worry, I let him know he was." He said, "But the physical violence doesn't hold a candle to the mental violence and torture." He nodded, "And Phil was a target because he actually had a life. A wife and kids. A home." He said, "Most guys locked up don't have nothing and that's what makes them so… cruel." He said, "There was these group of guys that he had some issues with. They ran their businesses under the guards noses. Got away with all of it." He said, "Bullies, in simple terms." He nodded.

"Phil hates bullies." AJ whispered.

"Yeah, that was clear." Tom nodded, "He constantly got beat up by then. One of them found your address and so he thought you and your kids were in danger." He said, "He had to call his brother to go watch your house for a few nights, and stay with you-"

"I remember that. I… I'd just had Cassie and I thought Dean was just helping." She realised.

"He had issues with two of the guys in particular. Joey who… sat at the top of the food chain, I guess. And another guy who he never really spoke to me about." He said, "Guards set him up one time. Told him he was getting a private visit with you and the kids. Got his eyebrow bone broken instead." He said as AJ sighed to herself, feeling her chest heavy hearing all of this, "He's got pride. I don't doubt that him sitting down and telling you all this stuff wouldn't be difficult. It is. It's difficult just to come to terms with it yourself, but to let other people in on all that misery… it's tough." He said.

"What else happened?" AJ worried.

"You really want me to tell you more?" Tom asked.

"I need to know." AJ braced herself.


"Don't go over there." Tom warned, sitting out in the yard with Punk, playing gin with the cards at one of the benches whilst Punk looked over at the group of guys he'd been watching for the past few weeks.

"They're gonna kill that kid." Punk shook his head.

"Yeah and then they'll kill you if you say anything. Trust me. Mind your business." Tom warned.

"No way." Punk shook his head, standing up from the bench.

"That's your funeral, kid." Tom shook his head as Punk wandered over to the other bench at the far side of the yard.

He'd only been spectating the group from afar. He knew the main guy was pretty much the puppeteer for the rest of the group. And he watched as they picked on guys who, truthfully, were minding their own business. It bothered him and he couldn't sit still watching it.

"Hey!" Punk called, wandering over to them, watching as the young boy lay on the grass with a bloody face, "You finished?" He asked them. They were perhaps his age, possibly older.

"Who the fuck are you?" Joey laughed, amused and a little taken back by his appearance.

"You ok, man?" Punk crouched down, helping the young guy sit up carefully.

"I know you." One of the guys piped up, pushing by some of the other guys as Punk looked up.

"Yeah? Well I don't know you, buddy." Punk shook his head, not recognising him as he focused his attention on helping the beaten up boy.

"How'd you know him, Rob?" Joey chuckled as Punk paused a little, listening closely with confusion.

"He's married to my sister." Rob folded his arms as Punk looked up.

"What did you just say?" Punk stood up straight, looking across at the guy who chuckled a little.

"My little sister. April." Rob nodded.

"You're her brother?" Punk questioned with confusion. Truthfully, he'd never met his wife's brother before. Not even when they were younger. He was never at home. He knew his wife had no relationship with him what so ever. He was slightly taken back.

"Unfortunately." Rob chuckled as Punk looked at him.

"You know what my favourite thing is?" Joey asked Rob.

"What?" Rob laughed, amused as he looked at Punk, having an intense stare-off with him.

"When cons in here wanna act hero." Joey nodded, "Imagine. Playing the good guy in a prison?" He chuckled, "It doesn't exist." He made clear as Punk turned to him.

"How is April?" Rob asked as Punk looked across at him, too busy staring at him to notice Joey throwing a punch at him, knocking him down to the ground as he immediately got back up and tackled him to the ground, rolling around the grass with him as others jumped in to defend Joey, including Rob.