Franky sat in the waiting room of the hospital, her right leg rapidly bouncing up and down. She looked at her phone to check the time, growing impatient when she realized only five minutes had passed since she last checked. Franky looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath before looking forward again. A woman sitting a few chairs away from her was staring at the floor, barely blinking. A doctor approached the woman and asked her to walk with her. They walked not too far off, and after speaking for a few seconds, the woman broke down and began to cry. Franky forced herself to look away. She watched all the nurses, all the doctors, all the patients, all the visitors go by, not focusing on any single one of them, just searching for the one person she needed to see. When she finally saw the neurosurgeon approach, Franky stood up and rushed towards her.

"What happened, Dr. Shaw? How'd it go? How is she? Is she okay?" Franky asked.

"We cleared the subdural hematoma without any complications."

Franky let out a deep breath, smiling and quickly nodding when she heard the news, running her hands over her face as she tried to calm down.

"We've attached a catheter to drain any collected blood but she's resting now," Dr. Shaw continued. "Beyond that, once she wakes up, we'll be able to determine if there are any cognitive issues resulting from the TBI."

"Can I see her?"

"If it were up to me, you'd be able to maybe in a day or two, once her CT scans clear her for removal of the catheter, but I'm not sure the guard would allow you to."

"Right…" Franky replied, looking down at the floor.

"…She's all right now, okay? You don't have to worry anymore."

Franky looked up at her and forced a smile, tears welling in her eyes.

"Yeah… Thank you, Dr. Shaw…" Franky replied, swallowing hard. "But can I… Can I just see her from outside the room at least?"

Dr. Shaw took a deep breath before nodding and gesturing for Franky to walk with her, which Franky eagerly did.

"Different guard from the last one I saw. Maybe he's more easily persuaded?" Dr. Shaw said as she stopped and patted Franky on her back.

"…Yeah, maybe…" Franky softly spoke upon seeing the guard. "Thanks again, Dr. Shaw."

Dr. Shaw smiled and walked back, leaving Franky to walk the remaining distance. Jake turned to look at her as she approached the door and stopped next to him.

"Hey… Remember me?" Franky asked.

"Yeah… Hard to forget the person who attacks your boss then gives you a bloody nose," Jake replied before looking away.

"Yeah… Sorry about that… Can I…" Franky began, pointing towards the door.

"No one can go in."

"I… I know that. I just… Can I just look inside at least?"

"…How do you know her?"

"…Bea and I go way back."

"…Oh… You're Franky, aren't you?"

Franky nodded.

"…I'm Jake… Governor told me you'd be around… I'm sorry about…"

Jake looked down at the floor before looking back up at her. Realizing he wasn't going to finish his sentence, Franky could only nod again.

"So… Does that mean you knew Ferguson too?" Jake asked, trying to change the subject.

"Unfortunately."

"…Must be anxious about another of trial of hers being delayed again."

"… Kind of… Kind of just ready for this all to be over," Franky said before taking a deep breath.

Jake observed Franky for a few seconds before nodding and stepping away from the door. Franky mouthed a thank you as she stepped in front of the door to peek in through the window. Jake stood behind her to look inside as well.

Allie was lying on a bed, her breathing barely perceptible. She was pale and bruised, part of her head had been shaved, and now in place of hair she had a freshly stitched incision running down the left side of her skull, a catheter leading from another part of her head to a collection bag.

"You knew them both?" Jake asked.

"…Yeah… Bea, uh… Last time we were in the hospital… Bea asked me to look after Allie in case… in case something happened to her…"

Franky's voice cracked. She stood next to the door and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor before she brought her knees up to her chest and folded her arms over them, bringing her head down and burying her face in them. Jake looked back inside at Allie then down the hall in both directions, doing his best to hold back his tears.

"They, uh… They gave me the stuff she had on her before they took her into surgery," Jake said, trying his best to keep his composure. "If I'm on duty maybe… maybe you could give them to her when she wakes up."

Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny clear bag and handed it to Franky. Franky lifted her head and looked at the bag, smiling, but crying even harder as she took it and saw the candle and ring inside. She began to laugh in between tears as she opened the bag and took out the two items.

"You know… she asked me to get these things for Allie… It was her birthday… And Allie kept the fucking candle I can't even begin to…" Franky trailed off as she nervously shook her head.

Jake looked down at Franky, clenching his fist. Franky was alternating between crying and laughing hysterically.

"…She was so scared… She wasso fucking scared!" Franky cried. "And you wanna know what the last thing I said to her was? I told her… I told her everything's gonna be okay! I said… I'll see you soon, Red!" Franky added as she waved her hand once.

Jake walked to stand next to Franky and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor and then wrapping his right arm around her as she continued to cry.

…

Maxine, Liz, Boomer, Doreen, and Sonia all sat at the table in H1. The prison was still on lockdown following the riot, and they had no idea how long they would be confined to their units. The women flipped through magazines and books in silence.

"What if she doesn't come back?" Liz asked out of nowhere.

The women all turned to look at her before exchanging looks with one another.

"What if we all just sent her to her death?" Liz asked as she began to cry. "We shouldn't have helped her! She shouldn't have gone!"

"Shh, shh, Liz, don't say that," Maxine said, standing and walking over to comfort Liz.

"She would've left with or without our help," Sonia said, looking back down at her magazine.

"Was it worth it?! Huh?!" Liz screamed as she stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. "To get the fucking Freak for…"

"I'm going to have to ask you to lower your voice, Elizabeth."

"Why?! Don't want the whole world to know about your involvement?! Scared it'll affect your fucking trial?! She wouldn't have gone if it hadn't been for you!"

Sonia stared at her for a few seconds before turning back down towards her magazine.

"Elizabeth… Do you remember when my dear Susan beat the living shit out of you for lagging? Because I wasn't even here then, and I remember it."

Liz looked at Sonia for a few seconds before she turned her attention towards Boomer who was confusedly looking from Doreen to Sonia.

"While I can understand you are upset, I am not about to sit here and listen to your unavailing complaints. You helped a friend in need. You helped a friend who had absolutely nothing left here, and you made her bumpy road a little easier to traverse. That is nothing to regret. She was grateful for your help. If for some reason you doubt that, I'm sure Susan will have no problem reminding you of your good intentions. Isn't that right, Susan?"

Sonia made eye contact with Boomer who quickly nodded before turning to look towards Liz. Sonia looked back at Liz, who was shaking in fear.

"I will excuse your little outburst justthis once as we are all on edge. I suggest you go to your cell and try to sleep off your frustrations as none of us have the time nor the energy to deal with them quite honestly."

Liz stared at Sonia for a few seconds before storming off to her cell and shutting the door behind her. Maxine, Boomer, and Doreen all looked at each other, neither of them saying anything. Maxine sat back down at the table and picked up her book again.

"Are you finished with that?" Sonia asked, pointing towards Doreen's magazine.

Doreen looked down at it. She was in the middle of an article, but still nodded quickly and handed it to Sonia.

"Thank you," Sonia said, taking the magazine.

Doreen looked at Sonia for a second before turning towards Liz's cell then back to her.

"Can I make you some tea?" Doreen asked.

Sonia looked up at Doreen then back down at the magazine.

"Sure."

Doreen stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Sonia looked towards Bea's cell, taking a deep breath before turning her attention back to the magazine.

…

Allie slowly opened her eyes, wincing as she tried to adjust her eyes to the light. She took a deep breath before she turned to her right, feeling something pull at her head. Allie slowly raised her hand, carefully touching the catheter sticking out of her head. The door to her room opened and she turned to see a nurse walk inside. Jake followed the nurse inside and looked at Allie.

"See? She's awake!" Jake said, smiling as he looked at Allie.

"Allie, can you hear me?" the nurse asked, standing next to her.

"…Where… Where am I?" Allie asked, turning to face the nurse.

"You're at Freeman Hospital. How do you feel, sweetheart?"

Allie blinked, still trying to adjust to the light in the room.

"…What happened?" she asked.

As the nurse was about to answer, Detective Deacon entered the room. Jake turned around and walked towards him, pushing him back out into the hall.

"Get the hell out!" Jake yelled.

"I need to speak with her!" Deacon yelled back, pushing against Jake.

"You both need to leave now!" the nurse said as she watched the two men struggle.

Allie turned to look at all three people pushing against each other. She turned back to her right and closed her eyes again as she listened to the scuffle. It quieted down after a few seconds, and she heard the door close. The door opened again a minute later, but Allie kept her eyes shut.

"Allie?"

Allie opened her eyes to see a doctor standing over her.

"Good morning, sunshine! I'm Dr. Shaw. How are you feeling?"

"…What happened… Why am I here?" Allie asked as she reached to touch the catheter sticking out of her head again.

"You suffered a traumatic brain injury, and we had to operate to drain your blood clot, so… don't mess with that tube in your head," Dr. Shaw chuckled as she lowered Allie's hand. "Can you remember what brought you here?"

"…No… I…" Allie began as she stared at her bandaged wrists. "I don't remember anything…"

The door opened again, and Jake walked back inside the room, gently closing the door behind him. He approached the bed, dark circles highlighting his bloodshot eyes.

"Good to see you awake again!" Jake said with a beaming smile.

Allie stared at him for a few seconds before looking to Dr. Shaw. She looked back towards Jake.

"…Who are you?" Allie asked.

Jake's smile faded. He looked up at Dr. Shaw who looked up at him. She turned back towards Allie.

"…Allie, we're gonna run a few tests just to make sure everything's looking all right, okay? Hang tight. I'll be right back. Jake, will you come with me?"

Dr. Shaw looked up at Jake who followed her out of the room and closed the door.

"Did she know you before all of this?" Dr. Shaw asked.

"Yeah…" Jake said, peeking back inside the room.

"Well… Unfortunately, memory loss is consistent with a brain injury of her degree," Dr. Shaw sighed. "A hospital security guard is on his way up to assist you. Keep that detective and everyone else out, do you understand? We don't need anyone causing her any kind of stress at this time."

Jake nodded and watched Dr. Shaw walk away towards the nurse's station. He looked back into Allie's room to see she had closed her eyes again.

…

Sonia, Maxine, Liz, Doreen, and Boomer all sat at the H1 table, picking at the food on their trays in silence. The rest of the mess hall barely spoke as they ate their meals. When Will walked into the mess hall, the H1 table collectively stood up and wanted to approach him, but he held his hand out to stop them as he went to speak to one of the officers on duty. They spoke for a few seconds before Will walked back out of the mess hall. Sonia took a deep breath, looking towards the empty chair at the head of their table before turning to make eye contact with Kaz. She then gestured towards Maxine for them to leave, both women leaving their trays to Liz to clear before walking out of the mess hall. Kaz followed them out shortly after.

Sonia and Maxine made their way towards a shower block, entering and walking towards the sinks and leaning against them as they waited. Kaz came into the block a couple of minutes later.

"Any news from your contact?" Sonia asked.

"She says they brought Ferguson back here, but she's under constant surveillance by multiple officers, none of them even affiliated with Wentworth so… I doubt we'll be seeing her anymore."

"What about her trial?"

"They need more time to prep for the new charges, but she's not sure what they are exactly, just that it shouldn't take too long because apparently most of her counsel signed off. Didn't want to risk damaging their careers by associating themselves with Ferguson or such a shit case so… that has to mean she's gonna plead guilty to something."

"Any news about Bea and Allie?" Maxine asked.

"No…" Kaz said, looking down at the floor.

"…What is it?" Sonia asked.

"There's no news about either of them but she… She said that they found multiple bodies where they caught Ferguson, but… But their identities are being kept under wraps."

Sonia and Maxine turned to look at each other.

"Maybe… Maybe it's like last time? You know, trying to keep their identities protected until they can appear in court?" Sonia theorized.

"Maybe," Kaz shrugged. "But we don't even know if Allie was there at all. The department still has her marked as missing… As for Bea… No telling what Ferguson could've done to her once she woke up. I mean you two know that if Ferguson had the opportunity to get rid of Bea she wasn't going to pass it up and…" Kaz trailed off.

"…And what?" Maxine asked.

"…If Bea did… If she did find Allie there… I don't think she would have fought to stop Ferguson from taking that opportunity."

Sonia stared at Kaz before looking towards Maxine for a second, the worry they now felt evident in their eyes.

"Keep us updated, okay?" Sonia requested.

Kaz nodded before turning to walk out of the shower block. Sonia ran her hands across her face before turning to Maxine.

"Are you okay?" Maxine asked.

"What if Elizabeth was right? What if I did send her to die?"

"…Bea's the strongest woman I've ever known…"

"Everyone has their limits, Maxine… And I have to agree with Karen… If Bea found Allie's body… Ferguson would have been doing her a favor."

Maxine stared at Sonia, slowly nodding her head, unable to respond.

As Kaz made her way back towards the kitchen, she was stopped by Miles.

"Governor wants to see you," Miles said, gesturing to walk with her.

Nervous about what the reason could be for Vera wanting to speak to her but certain that it couldn't be a positive one, Kaz simply nodded and followed Miles to the office.

…

Franky leaned against the wall of the elevator, staring at the button panel as she went up the floors. The doors opened on the fifth floor, and Franky rushed down the halls towards Allie's room, slowing down when she saw Jake and another guard standing outside it. Franky walked up to Jake.

"Is she awake?"

Jake just nodded. Franky smiled as she peeked past him to see Allie sitting up in her bed and eating. The other security guard gently pushed Franky backwards as he stood in front of the door. Franky turned from him to Jake.

"I can't see her?" Franky asked.

"No one is allowed inside, ma'am," the guard answered.

"Oh, come on, this guy's cool with it. I have to give her her things back," Franky added as she pulled out the tiny bag with the ring and candle inside.

"Doctor's orders," the guard replied.

Jake gestured with his head towards Franky to follow him. They walked down the hall for a bit.

"What's going on? Dr. Shaw said I could see her last time I was here."

Jake took a deep breath before stopping and leaning against the wall.

"She… The TBI caused her a bit of memory loss."

Franky looked at Jake, a look of disbelief on her face.

"…What?"

"…She woke up and didn't know who I was and… Shaw says it makes sense given the blunt head trauma. I mean, after the accident and… whatever else was done to her in that place…"

"…You're kidding me."

Jake shook his head as he watched Franky. She looked down the hall then down at the floor.

"…How bad is it?"

"She keeps mentioning her friend Kaz, wants us to tell her she's here because she'll be worried but…" Jake cleared his throat.

"…But what?"

"She gave us Kaz's phone number and address. Said if she wasn't home they could find her at work or some women's shelter…"

Franky stared at Jake, knowing fully well what he was getting at.

"…Allie doesn't remember she's in prison, does she?"

Jake looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"Shaw reckons it'd be best for Kaz to come speak to her. She's concerned that telling her something like that could send her into a state of shock. They're bringing her soon so…"

Franky looked back down the hall towards Allie's room, unable to say a word to Jake as she tried to process everything.

"…You said you only knew her through Bea, right?"

Franky looked up at Jake, nodding.

"…I'm really sorry."

Franky took a deep breath before running her hand across her face and through her hair.

"I should get back," Jake said, pushing himself off the wall.

Franky simply nodded and watched him walk away. She took his place leaning against the wall as she stared down at the floor for a long time, not having the will to move from her spot. Franky finally turned to look up when she saw Dr. Shaw approach Allie's room out of the corner of her eye, speaking with Kaz, as a uniformed guard walked behind them. Franky watched as they stopped outside Allie's room and spoke to the other two guards for a brief moment before Dr. Shaw and Kaz walked into the room.

Franky looked down at the tiny bag she held with the ring and candle inside, taking a deep breath before she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Turning to look towards Allie's room one last time, Franky put the bag in her pocket then walked away.

…

Allie turned towards the door when she heard it opening. Dr. Shaw walked inside.

"Look who came to see you," Dr. Shaw said, smiling and stepping to the side to let Kaz pass through.

Allie smiled whereas Kaz immediately began to cry. Jake looked inside through the window of the door. Kaz walked over to Allie and hesitated for a few seconds before hugging her gently, afraid she would hurt her. Kaz placed her hands on Allie's face and smiled as she continued crying.

"Hey, bubba, how are ya?" Kaz whispered.

"Hey, mama," Allie laughed. "What happened?"

Kaz let go of Allie's face and grabbed her hand, running her hand up and down Allie's bandaged wrist.

"…You had a little accident, hun. Car flipped over and… You scared the shit out of us!"

"Wait what? Who was driving? Was someone giving me lessons? Oh fuck, did I hurt someone?" Allie nervously asked.

"No, no, no, calm down. Everyone's okay… Just… Allie… Allie, what's the last thing you can remember?"

Allie furrowed her eyebrows and smacked her lips.

"Uhmm… Setting up for the Christmas party at the shelter… I didn't miss it, did I?" Allie laughed as she looked from Dr. Shaw to Kaz.

Kaz looked up at Dr. Shaw, staring at her for a few seconds before she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back towards Allie.

"No… No, sweetie… You didn't miss a thing."

"That's good to hear!" Allie exclaimed. "Had me worried there for a sec. Can I leave soon, Dr. Shaw? Wouldn't want to miss it."

"…No, Allie… We're gonna keep you here for a little while longer under observation, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh… Okay…"

Kaz forced a smile as she watched Allie take a drink of water. Allie looked Kaz up and down.

"What's with the teal? Bit monochromatic don't you think?" Allie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kaz turned back to look at Dr. Shaw, who quickly shook her head.

"Oh you know… Hottest color of the season," Kaz laughed as she hugged Allie and began to cry again.

…

Sonia sat on her bed reading through the statement Bea had given her in case she didn't make it to Ferguson's trial. She couldn't help but read Bea's words over and over again, even though she had memorized them all and could have recited them from memory when she had finally been called in to testify and undergo cross-examination. The door to her cell opened, and Sonia looked up to see Kaz poking her head inside.

"Hi," Kaz greeted. "Do you have a sec?"

"Sure, come in," Sonia replied. "How's Allie doing?"

Sonia placed the statement inside Bea's sketchpad and closed it. Kaz stepped inside and sat down at the foot of Sonia's bed.

"She's coming back this week," Kaz said.

"Is she doing better?"

"Physically, yeah. Mentally… I don't know. I can't imagine waking up and having no memory of the hellhole you have to call your home."

"How has her counseling been going?"

"She says they're focusing on what reentry will be like, trying to prepare her for this place… She remembers life outside of here pretty well… Unfortunately for her it's not a lot of good stuff, you know? Her days turning tricks, waking up in gutters, life at the shelter, things the Red Right Hand did… I was there for a lot of it, but… it's still strange hearing her talk about it… Not… Not a lot of good memories before this place… How fucked up is that?"

"…Does she remember anything at all about Bea?"

"Believe me, I did my best to bring her name up as soon as I could, hoping maybe it would… it would trigger something… She remembers me telling her about the first time I met her… She was really into Bea," Kaz softly laughed. "But that's it. She was excited at the thought of getting to meet her."

"Did you tell her?"

"No. Her doctor kept warning me about giving her too much shit news all at once. I just told her that she had been transferred to another prison… We all looked up to Bea and… I don't know. I figured she would be better off just thinking her hero was safe and sound somewhere else… Still, you should've seen how disappointed she was that she wouldn't get to meet her."

"…It's for the best."

Kaz turned to look up at Sonia.

"Do you really think so?"

"…As much as you and the women of this particular unit want to deny it, we all know Bea was more focused on finding Allie, dead or alive, than she was in putting Ferguson away. She wanted Allie to be safe and happy above all else… Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Now Allie won't have to repeat the trauma that put her in the hospital the first time."

Kaz looked down at the floor.

"…She thinks the cuts on her wrists are from the car accident."

"To be completely honest… I think it's better for her to think that that's what happened, wouldn't you agree?"

Kaz took a deep breath before slowly nodding. Sonia set the sketchpad down on the bed and stood up. She walked over to her shelf and grabbed a tiny jar of cream, gripping it tightly before turning back towards Kaz.

"Give this to her when she gets here. It'll help her scars fade away."

Kaz looked up at her before reaching out to take the jar.

"Thank you, Sonia… They're… They're actually gonna put her through sentencing before bringing her back here."

"Better to just get it over with," Sonia said as she leaned against the sink. "Poor child doesn't need any more surprises."

"Yeah…"

"What are you expecting?"

"No idea… Our lawyer thinks there's a chance everything that happened to her might actually sway the judge in her favor."

"That's good news at least."

"…Allie's going to be back here, even if it is for a little while, and… I wanted to ask if you could do something for me… for her really."

"What is it?"

"There's people here who knew what was really going on between Allie and Bea… And… And now that she has the chance to start off with a clean slate…"

"I'll make sure no one speaks to her of the matter," Sonia interrupted, raising her hand in Kaz's direction.

Kaz turned to look up at Sonia.

"Thank you."

"We want Allie to be safe and happy, right? Since Bea isn't here to do it anymore, I'm counting on you to keep her safe this time, Karen."

Kaz quickly nodded her head as she stood up.

"Of course. I'll… I'll protect her with my life."

"I'll hold you to it."

Kaz softly smiled as she walked out of the cell. Sonia turned towards her bed again and looked at the sketchpad. She walked out of her cell and into Bea's. She looked around the empty cell before she walked towards Bea's window and pulled open the curtains, allowing light to fill the dark space. Sonia walked back out, closing the door behind her.

…

"ORDER!"

The judge brought her gavel down on her bench five times to attempt to silence the courtroom, which had become disruptive immediately after her introduction of the sentencing. Originally having a legal team of three on her side, Ferguson now turned to look at her one remaining attorney. He stared at her with his arms crossed. He then looked down at his watch, seemingly angry and annoyed more than anything. He turned back towards his open briefcase and began shuffling through some papers before letting them all drop and leaning back in his chair.

"With respect to count one…" the judge began to speak again.

Ferguson closed her eyes as the people behind her began to whisper. Her attention began to drift in and out as she switched her focus from the camera shutters to her attorney tapping his pen on the table.

"…Life without the possibility of parole…"

The crowd inside the courtroom became rambunctious again, leading the judge to bring her gavel down on the bench three times to silence them before she continued. The shuttering of the cameras sped up as the judge continued reading the remaining charges and penalties, each word becoming less and less important to Ferguson.

"…Twenty years for the kidnapping of…"

Ferguson breathed deeply as she heard a woman behind her mutter her approval under her breath.

"…Inciting a riot resulting in serious bodily injury…"

Ferguson ran her hands over her face, making eye contact with Detective Deacon for a brief moment.

"…In addition to twelve years for the organized escape from…"

Ferguson turned to look at the ceiling, still keeping her eyes closed.

"…Having had prior knowledge of critical security systems in place…"

Ferguson clenched her fists.

"…To be transferred to Ashcroft Correctional Centre."

Ferguson finally opened her eyes again to look at the judge as the cameras continued taking pictures, as the audience began to applaud, and as her attorney closed his briefcase.

Ferguson was escorted out of the courthouse, guards surrounding her to keep away the crowds that had gathered outside. She ignored the yelling, chanting, and berating, as she made her way down the steps towards the transport van. As she waited for the guard to open the doors of the van, Ferguson saw Franky standing on the other side of the street, watching her. Franky raised her hand to wave at her, a wave that ultimately turned into her throwing up her middle finger in Ferguson's direction. Ferguson turned back towards the van and climbed inside the vehicle, sitting against the wall as a guard joined her inside. She took a deep breath before turning to look up at the ceiling, as the van began to drive away from the courthouse.

…

Carrying a cup of coffee, Franky looked down at her phone as she made her way down the hall of the hospital. She was reading through an article detailing Ferguson's trial, only looking up to press the button to call the elevator. When the doors opened, she stepped inside, again only looking up to press the button for the sixth floor.

"Franky?"

Franky looked up from her phone to see Dr. Shaw standing next to her.

"Hey, Dr. Shaw," Franky said, putting her phone away.

"Thought that was you. I'd recognize those tattoos anywhere! What are you doing back here?"

"Oh you know, visiting my friend."

"Wait… Did they not tell you? Allie was discharged a few weeks ago."

"…Oh… No, they… No one told me anything."

"…I'm…I'm so sorry to hear that. I thought…"

"No, no it's okay…" Franky chuckled. "How was she? Last I heard she suffered memory loss."

"Yeah, she, uh… She was fine, in spite of the shock of being told that she would be leaving the hospital to go to prison. It definitely helped having her friend there to talk her through it all."

"That's good to hear at least.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor.

"It was great seeing you. And again, I'm really sorry no one…"

"It's okay. Good seeing you too, Dr. Shaw."

Dr. Shaw stepped out of the elevator, smiling and waving back at Franky as she walked away. Franky waved back as the elevator doors closed. Franky took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. Once the doors opened to the sixth floor, Franky stepped out and made her way down the halls. She stopped outside of a room where Miles sat in a chair, flipping through a magazine. She looked up at Franky.

"Ugh, bless your heart," Miles said.

Miles stood up and set the magazine on the chair before taking the coffee cup from Franky.

"Everything okay?" Franky asked.

"I think so," Miles replied before taking a drink from the cup.

"What do you mean you think?"

Miles breathed deeply as she lowered the cup from her mouth.

"Governor, a couple of board members, and some assholes I didn't recognize came to see her today."

"…What?"

"Yeah. Talked to the doctor for like… two minutes."

"That… No… No…"

"I'm really sorry, Franky."

"Why does no one fucking tell me anything?!" Franky yelled.

"Franky, come on…"

"No! No, you know this is wrong!"

"Franky, there's nothing the doctors can do anymore. It's been long enough."

"That's fucking bullshit!"

Franky walked past Miles and threw open the door to the room, slamming it behind her. She threw her messenger bag on the floor as she ran her hands through her hair, resting them on the back of her head, the beeps and the noises of all the equipment in the room calming her down. Franky walked over to the bed, her eyes looking from all the tubes to all the machines that kept Bea breathing, kept her heart beating.

"Red… Red, wake up," Franky whispered.

Franky massaged her face as she stared at Bea.

"I'm sorry, but you have to stop messing around now and wake the fuck up already… Aren't you tired of sleeping?"

Franky took a deep breath.

"Red, the Freak's gone… You don't… You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Franky sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"…They want to pull the plug on you," Franky whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Red, you can't… You can't let them do that. It's not fair, and you know that."

She placed her hand on Bea's left arm, covered by a cast that Franky had written and drawn all over. Franky shook Bea's arm.

"…Please wake up," Franky begged, her voice cracking.

Franky ran her hand down Bea's arm, stopping to twiddle her fingers that poked out at the end of it. She felt Bea's fingertips, looking down at them for a second before she let go of her hand and walked over to her bag. Franky picked it up and reached inside, pulling out a pair of nail clippers before tossing it to the floor again. She walked back to Bea and took her hand again, beginning to clip her nails as she spoke.

"…You know how people say that something sounds like nails on a chalkboard? The other day, I went to pick up my sister from school, and I walked into her little classroom, everything's so fucking tiny, and, and the teachers, get this, they do all their writing on fucking smartboards or some shit. And the kids know how to use them too, some even better than the teachers. They can't remember their phone numbers, but these little assholes are going around graphing and coding and shit… They call them smartboards now because our chalkboards were just dumb boards apparently… And then I got to thinking, do you ever realize how so many things that make sense to us old fuckers because we grew up with them won't make sense to these little fuckers anymore? Like, how we say 'hang up' the phone. I mean, what are we hanging up anymore, all we do is push a button… Or, or how 'you sound like a broken record' won't mean shit to anyone anymore unless you're an annoyingly redundant hipster? Or even something like 'nails on a chalkboard' like… What can they say now? Sorry, I have to push the phone now. You sound like a playlist on repeat. Your singing sounds like… See, I don't even know that one!"

Franky listened to the heart monitor, the only thing in the room that had given her some kind of response, some kind of hope for the past few weeks, as she walked around the bed to take Bea's right hand and began clipping her nails.

"Red, this is some fucking riveting conversation, so I'm gonna need you to wake up and help me figure out what we can say instead of 'nails on a chalkboard' because kids aren't gonna know that pain anymore…"

Franky finished clipping Bea's nails then turned her head to look up at her. She held Bea's hand with her left hand as she raised her right hand to stroke her hair.

"You know… You need to wake up soon to dye your hair because I am not about to start calling you Brown."

Franky let go of Bea's hair and stared at her for a few seconds. She kneeled down next to her, laying her arm on the bed, resting her chin on top of it, and looking up at Bea, gripping her hand as she began to cry.