S5E6 - Scene Three
The back of the hospital bed was raised with Bea leaning against Allie and Allie's arms wrapped around the older woman. Bea dozed on and off while Allie simply reveled in having her lover back in her arms. She found it hard to keep her hands still and she kept caressing the sweatsuit covered body lying on top of her. Never in her life had she wanted to touch anyone the way she wanted to touch Bea. She had spent five years as a prostitute and knew how to bring men to release but it never felt the way it felt when she made Bea shake and moan in ecstasy. She knew where to kiss, where to pull and nibble, where to touch to make her lover rise to her. Her mouth watered at the thought of kissing Bea. Her hands gently caressed Bea's stomach and arms. And she felt her body getting warmer and warmer with the thought of making love to the older woman.
"What are you thinking about?" Bea asked sleepily.
Allie stammered but couldn't answer her.
Bea turned on the bed so that she was facing Allie. "What is it?" Bea asked. "Have you changed your mind…about us?" Her voice cracked.
Allie slowly shook her head and found that she had a hard time looking at Bea. She was so close and Allie felt like she was about to burst with all of the emotions spinning around in her chest.
Bea reached up and put a hand on Allie's cheek. "Talk to me," she whispered. "Look at me, please. What's going on?"
Allie looked at her, sadness and longing in her eyes. "I've missed you so much." She started to cry again and Bea wrapped her arms around Allie and pulled her in tightly.
"I've missed you too. I'm so sorry. I've been an ass. I never should have lied to you. I should have told you everything." She leaned back so she could see Allie's blue eyes. "Forgive me?"
Allie looked into Bea's eyes and nodded her head. Bea's hand caressed Allie's cheek and she started to lean in to kiss the younger woman.
"You have a visitor," Peta Webb's voice interjected.
Bea and Allie sat up as the guard came closer. "Who is it?" Bea asked.
"It's Franky Doyle," she answered.
Bea started to get up. "Okay, I'll be right there."
"She asked to see Novak."
Bea turned and looked at Allie, who shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know anything about it," Allie replied.
"Well, let's go and you can ask her yourself," Peta ordered a little impatiently.
"Okay, I'm coming." Allie got out of the bed and straightened her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair. She turned back toward Bea. "I'll come and see you later, Red." Bea nodded and Allie ran her hand over Bea's hair. She pulled one of the curls and frowned. "You've let the red grow out." Bea gave her a smirk.
"Come on, Novak. I haven't got all day."
"I'm coming!" Allie replied and followed the guard out of the Medical block.
Bea watched them leave and then her eyes focused on her own reflection in the glass. She got out of bed and went to the sink and looked in the mirror. Her brown hair fell in long curls around her shoulders and only the tips had any traces of red.
Nurse Radcliff came in and saw Bea standing at the sink. "Back in bed, you. And stay there until we can make sure that concussion won't give you any problems. You really need to learn how to fight better. Your head and gut can't take that much more punishment."
She pushed Bea back toward the bed and made her lie down. She pulled up the teal sweatshirt and white t-shirt to reveal a dark purple bruise on Bea's stomach. She felt around with the tips of her fingers to see if the area was hard and to try to determine if she was bleeding internally but it was soft. Bea winced as the nurse pushed on the tender area.
"You need to listen to me," the nurse said as she pulled Bea's shirt down. "July, August, September, October," she ticked the months off on her fingers. "Four months since your intestines were ripped open. If you keep getting hit there," she placed her hand on Bea's stomach, "you could have a rupture and bleed out before anyone can help you. Do you understand?"
Bea looked at her and nodded; the realization of how fragile she was slowly sinking in.
"Good. Now, I'll have someone bring your pajamas and you'll spend the night here."
"But… I need to get back to my unit… I need to…"
"Uh uh. You're staying here and that's an order. Make me a list of anything you need from your cell and I'll have someone bring it." Nurse Radcliff handed Bea a pad of yellow paper and a pen and turned toward the door as Mel, Kaz's former second in command, was wheeled in by one of the new guards.
"Hi, Mel. I've got your Warfarin ready for you," the nurse greeted the young woman.
"Okay, Ms. Radcliff. Can't wait," she cheerfully replied. Mel put her hand out and the nurse placed a small plastic cup with a little blue pill on her palm. The young woman tossed the pill in her mouth and then drank the cup of water.
The guard asked the nurse if he could have something for his headache and she took him into the other room. When Mel thought she was alone, she let out a sigh and dropped the cheerful act. She spit the pill into her hand and crushed it, wiping the remnants on her pants.
As Bea watched she realized what the young woman was doing and wondered if it was her place to say something. She couldn't imagine what it was like to go from a healthy 25-year-old to being blind and stuck in a wheelchair. Perhaps this was the only freedom Mel had left and Bea wasn't sure she wanted to take it away.
"Got your list?" the nurse asked Bea as she walked back in. Mel turned her head towards Bea. The nurse looked over the list and nodded when she realized what some of the items were for. "Okay, but make sure you clean up when you're done."
"Sure," Bea said gruffly as she lifted herself back onto the bed.
"Hey, Bea," Mel greeted her.
"Hi, Mel. Feeling okay?"
"Great! I have my own private chauffeur!" she laughed. "Zoom, zoom! Let's go!" She spun the wheelchair in a pirouette and started rolling herself toward the door. The guard held the door open for her and she waved at Bea. "See ya around, Bea!"
"See ya…" Bea shook her head as the laughing girl pushed herself down the hallway.
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Allie put her hand on the door knob but didn't open the door. She hadn't seen Franky since just after being attacked by Joan Ferguson. The paroled top dog had visited Bea and Allie a few times but Allie still felt like Franky was more Bea's friend than hers. She also knew that Franky had visited Bea in the hospital after the riot; it was how Bea learned that Allie wasn't the one who had killed Kim Chang. But Allie wasn't sure why Franky wanted to see her now.
"Let's go, Novak," the dark-haired guard ordered, pushing Allie through the door.
Allie scanned the room and found Franky sitting at a table near the corner, her back facing the wall. "She still protects herself like she's top dog," Allie thought to herself. Franky stood up and smiled as Allie joined her.
"Thanks for coming," Franky said as she pulled out a chair for Allie.
"Thank you," Allie smiled shyly, not used to being treated like a school girl on a date.
"How are you? How's Bea? Would you like a candy bar or something to drink?" Franky asked as she sat down.
"I'm okay. Bea's in Med. Sure, thanks." Allie waited as Franky went to the vending machine and got her a couple of candy bars and a canned soda. She opened the soda but left the candy bars on the table unopened so she could share them with Bea later.
"Why's Bea in Med? Is she okay?"
"One of Juice's old mates jumped her in the showers. She has some bruises from being kicked in the stomach and a gash on her head."
"Is it really safe for her to walk around alone? And she needs to watch it. Her guts won't take a lot of beating. She could bleed out before anyone could save her."
Worry came over Allie as she realized that Bea might still be in danger, even from the smallest of attacks. "I'll have to keep a close eye on her."
"So you two have patched things up then?"
"Yeah. I realize that I could lose her at any time and I didn't want to waste the time we have. I understand that she thought she was protecting me by lying to me about punishing Kaz and keeping me out of the plan to bring down Sonia. But I should have been by her side during the fight."
"She was worried that you'd get hurt."
"Well, I would have had my throat slit if Ferguson hadn't shown up just in time." She reached up and ran a finger along the long thin scar on her neck. "And I still see… the library… and… the blood… and Bridg…" her voice trailed off.
"I know." Franky put a hand on top of Allie's. Something in the way Franky said that made Allie look up. Looking into her green eyes, the young woman wondered if there was another reason the former top dog understood how she felt. A guard passed by and cleared his throat. Franky patted Allie's hand and sat up a bit straighter.
Allie looked at Franky and smiled, feeling a change in the space between them. "Thanks," she said softly and Franky smiled and nodded. "So… was there something you wanted to see me about?" Allie asked, pushing a loose strand of blond hair behind an ear.
Franky leaned in and put both hands on the table and Allie leaned in too. "Yes. Bridget is coming home tomorrow." She whispered and then she wiggled her head. "Though no one knows we actually live together… except for Vinegar Tits." She smirked as Allie's eyebrows rose. "And I realized that I haven't been by to thank you."
Allie leaned back and started to get up.
"No wait, please!" Franky said too loudly.
Officer Webb turned toward them. "Keep it down, Doyle!" she ordered.
Franky waved a hand at her. "Yes, Miss Webb. Sorry." Then she turned back to Allie. "Wait!" she whispered. "Please." She put her hands flat on the table and Allie centered herself back onto the chair. "It's been really hard on Bridget. Kim sliced her up pretty badly. I had a friend check the police report and she told me what you did to save Bridget from being raped. I know you thought you killed Kim. And I know how that weighs on you. With the lockdown, I couldn't get here to tell you sooner so I went to see Bea in the hospital and told her, hoping that she would get the word back to you."
"She did," Allie said softly. "As soon as she got here. Thank you. It's still hard to believe. I remember feeling the knife but everything happened so quickly. And there was so much blood everywhere…" She stopped when she saw Franky wince. It was Bridget's blood. "I'm… I'm sorry."
"No. I get it. And If Bridget hadn't killed her, I would have." Allie could see in Franky's eyes the truth in that statement. "But you saved her from having it much worse. That's not something I want her to remember every time someone touches her. She's a good person and she's spent her life helping fuck-ups like me. She doesn't deserve that."
"I never thought of it that way. She just always seemed kind of snobby to me."
Franky laughed. "Oh yeah, she's a boarding school girl with a Porsche! But she has a good heart."
Allie laughed. "She sounds like a keeper."
Franky nodded. "She is." Then her face turned serious. "But I would walk right back in here if I could make Kim Chang pay for what she did."
"Shit!" Allie exclaimed and then looked around to see if any of the guards noticed. "You wouldn't know what to make of this place anymore. "The Freak being nice to everyone. Practically no gear to be found…not that I want any but some of the girls still need it to cope. And we're even having a Halloween party tomorrow night."
Franky looked shocked. "A Halloween party?! Has the governor gone soft?"
Allie leaned in closely. "They say she and Ferguson are gone on each other," she whispered. "Joanie makes big cow eyes every time Vera walks through the yard." Allie smiled mischievously and Franky let out a loud laugh.
"Keep it down, girls!" they heard Officer Webb shout.
Franky looked at Allie and shook her head as she smiled. "So… a Halloween party? Like with costumes and punch?"
"Well, everyone's trying to make something but it's mostly paper plate masks or Bowie and KISS faces with make-up."
"What are you and Red going to do?"
"I don't know. Bea and I haven't really spoken about it. And I've never been one for make-believe."
"Bullshit!" Franky whispered emphatically. "What about your stories? The Red Queen and her Consort. Pirates and dragons."
"Dragoons."
"OH! Well, that makes more sense! Bea said…"
"Bea told you about my stories?!"
Franky nodded. "Sure. She really loves them, even has some memorized and told them to me. She loves that you turned her into a swashbuckling pirate, kinda flirty like Johnny Depp. And you're her moll or princess or something. It's all very romantic."
Allie started to reply but was cut off by a bell and a voice over the speaker system. "Visiting hours are over. Inmates, please make your way to Door B. Guests, thank you for visiting today. The next visitor's day is next Wednesday from 2 to 4 pm."
Franky stood up and put her hand out. Allie took it and let herself be pulled up. "Allie, thanks for seeing me and thanks again for helping Bridget." Allie nodded her head. "And do me a favor…" Allie raised a questioning eyebrow. "Take care of Old Red. She's been through a lot of shit and really could use some happiness in her life."
"I will. And I'll tell her you called her old."
"Ah," Franky waved it off. "I've called her worse. And now that she's got you, she's like an old married woman anyway."
"And what are you?" Allie laughed.
"Me? Ha! I'm a HOT girl with a HOT chick!"
They laughed as the guards directed them in opposite directions.
When Franky got to her car, she pulled out her cell phone, scrolled through her contacts and waited for the call to be picked up. "Hey mate, it's Franky. Yeah? Fuck you too. I was there but you were with that chick from the grocery store drinking shots of Goldschlager… Ha ha!... See! I told ya so! Hey, do you still work for that costume store?... Man! How many jobs do you have?... Yeah, too right!... Do you still have any costumes left? I have an idea and I need some help… Sure, I'll be right over. Thanks, mate."
Franky took one last look at the tall brick walls topped with swirling masses of barbed wire. "Bye, Kim. You're lucky she killed you quickly. I'd have ripped you apart slowly for what you did to Gidget." She turned the car down the long driveway and waited for the light to turn green. "The Freak and Vinegar Tits. Oooh," she shuddered. "I wonder which one is the top in that relationship?"