Chapter Twenty Seven

Piper was in motion without realizing it. She was a runner and fast when she wanted to be. Piper was up the stairs, dodging around the policewoman. Alex was half on the stairs but her upper body was on the landing. There were new hardback books all around her and she was bleeding from her nose. Piper dove for her body at the same time Becca reached the bottom of the flight. She had been yelling Alex over and over though to Piper it sounded far away.

"Baby, Baby...oh God please Alex, please..." Piper cried as she fell to her knees admidst the books. She felt something through her jeans and looked down to see blood. Alex's blood. Piper started to shake as her eyes and hands roamed over her body. She was pushed aside briefly as Becca reached to check her pulse. The Piper turned to hit her hand away but the officer jerked her off.

"You're under arrest, back off of her," she said. Piper looked back at her wife's face and reached her shaking hand out to check her pulse. Her neck wasn't twisted or mangled...Piper felt the steady pulse and bursts into sobbing tears.

"Oh Alex, thank you oh baby...where are you bleeding? Alex please wake up, I can't...I can't...Alex please..." Piper was gently moved over as Officer Denver knelt over Alex checking her out. He was on the radio with an ambulance. Taystee was shouting details about address. Piper couldn't focus, all she could do was look at Alex.

"I can help! Stop, listen...I was an EMT before...please...just.. PLEASE, let me help her. Chapman...Chapman...please, just let me check her out," Piper blinked and looked at the kind face of Officer Denver. He had really scared them when he first came in to the store. She'd seen him with his kids so many times now, he was more a dad that a cop in her eyes.

"Piper, do you want us to let her check her out?" He urged. Piper had never asked Alex what Becca did before she was incarcerated. She was a recovering addict and she had an adult kid...she had tasted and fucked her wife and Piper hated her. But she could help Alex.

Piper looked at her, she caught her eyes and whatever she saw in Piper's made her push back away. "I hate you. As far as I am concerned, you pushed my wife down the stairs. You're inability to handle your own family has caused mine to suffer. Y-"Piper was cut off by Becca's mouth.

"Look you stuck up princess; I didn't push her down the stairs. She lost her footing...yes I was arguing-it doesn't matter, look I was a then medic in the Army EMT for ten years before I got hooked on pain pills. Let me help her, please," she pleaded with Piper but she need not.

"Get your ass down here, please Officer Hardy remove her cuffs please...but listen to me bitch, if you hurt her anymore I'll kill you," Piper spoke with venom and she was completely lost to fear and rage. The officer took off her cuffs and she came down the steps. She checked her pulse again and then felt around her neck. She quickly checked her head and torso.

"She has a head laceration, about three inches it will need stitches but that is the blood here...that and she busted her nose, not broke though that I can tell. The Box must have caused it. She is out cold with a concussion. I wish I had a neck brace and pen light," she muttered. Piper could smell the boos on her but she could tell she falling into learned habits. The shock of the situation had done much to sober her. She looked to Piper who was bent now over Alex's head, kissing her forehead while pressing her hand to her head wound.

"You'd do better with a rag there," Becca started. As if by magic, but Piper realized later must have been Taystee, she had a towel in her hand. She was able to put pressure on the wound. "I'd say move her legs down but without a board I don't want to risk a spinal injury. I could rig one..." She looked around.

"The ambulance is on the way, we're doing all we can, so back off now," Hardy insisted. Piper dismissed her but was grateful...she couldn't imagine Alex not walking or worse. Piper felt her stomach fall and twist as she realized she'd caused someone a life long injury before. .Way. She remembered Hinton and how she had plotted her revenge. She had been keeping Alex safe and she made an abusing bastard leave. But still it made Piper cry.

"Oh fuck baby, please be okay. Alex...Alex...wake up...please Al. I'm no good without you. Don't leave me, or Nicky, Lorna, Roger, Annette, Taystee...Finn, Polly oh baby, our family...don't leave, come on wake up," Piper pleaded. Becca barked at the officer and started to push back towards Alex. Officer Hardy was having none of it and pushed her against the side of the stairwell to reapply the cuffs. Becca was growling in frustration.

"Look, I'm not going to try and get away. I just want to help, stop being a fuckin' cunt and let me help!" She spat at her. Piper tried to tune her out. Taystee came up behind her and told Piper the ambulance was coming, she could hear it. She told her everything was going to be okay.

"Keep that pastey bitch out of my sight," she warned Officer Hardy. Piper only really registered that the ambulance was coming.

Piper murmured that help was on the way. Alex moaned and Piper thought she was going to open her eyes. She got close and begged her to open them. "Alex, help is coming, open your eyes Al," Piper coaxed. Alex didn't respond and Piper started to cry harder. She was whisked to the side and out of the way when the ambulance arrived. Officer Hardy had taken Becca to the store sales floor and removed her cuffs. She was talking to her logically now, trying to explain she didn't push Alex. Taystee ushered Piper down the half flight of stairs. She pulled away and tried to go back up closer but Taystee held her firm.

"Nah, Chapman you gotta let them work," Taystee said. Two male paramedics were working fast on Alex. They were taking her to the same hospital she was in for her car accident. They had Alex up on a stretcher and down the stairs quickly but Piper was frantic. She had to touch her and hold her hand. She approached her side and the paramedic made room to let her hold her hand as they weaved their way through the store.

Becca twisted away from the officers and rushed up to the paramedic. "Look, she is a former addict; make a note on her chart..." Piper saw red. She saw Alex fall over and over in her head...she saw Becca's face as she spoke to Alex...called her names and then pushed her...and her cold fury rose. She could see herself taking two steps and planting her fist in Becca's face.

It was not slow motion but the blinding fury of the moment in hyper speed. The blood rushing in her ears as she pelted her face. Her knee connected with her groin as well and Becca doubled over. Piper jumped up to bring her elbow down on her back. She could see the officers coming but she didn't care. She twisted in and fell on Becca with her arms already pounding at her face. The officers grabbed her but Piper just jerked away in her fury. She broke Hardy's grasp and in the process her elbow smashed into her face. All she could see was Becca's face and all she wanted was it to be gone, smashed to pieces so she could never even look at Alex again.

She saw the floor instead when Officer Denver brought her down. She was in cuffs in no time and helpless to do anything. Her anger left her with the click of the cuffs. She couldn't go with Alex now. Piper was hauled up on her feet as one of the paramedics moved to check on Becca. She started to plead and act contrite.

"Sorry Chapman, you're under arrest for assault," Hardy said as blood ran from her cheek. Piper felt her world shift under her feet as she looked at her pale wife on the stretcher.

Piper stopped with one step. She wanted to lay her flat but she didn't. "Keep her away from my wife before I beat her fucking senseless," Piper fumed. Becca rushed forward faster, her jaw set as she told Piper she'd like to see her try. She didn't really see it coming. Taystee brought her arm up and clotheslined Becca with one hit.

"Didn't see me try that now did ya? She said back the fuck off," Taystee held up her hands and moved back from Becca who was lying flat on her back. Officer Hardy turned her over and cuffed her. Piper spared Taystee a smile and then she turned her back to Becca. She turned away from all of it and focused on her reason for living.

The stretcher moved towards the door, "Only family may ride with her," the paramedic started.

"I'm her wife, Piper Vause," she answered. He nodded and Piper climbed up in the ambulance.

***Now you didn't think Piper would ACTUALLY do that did ya? I know Piper isn't religious but I find we always call out to God when our world is harmed. Few more to go..so um ya know..Review please. Peace, Fae ***