Natalia walked down the corridor with Frank.
"Just can't stay out of trouble can you? Look I'm going to tell you this once, and only once. Stay off his radar and you'll be fine." He gripped her arm, pulling her through the electronic door. "Officer Foley, new fish make her feel welcome. Rivera"
Natalia looked around. It was almost like their unit but with larges door on the cells. The occupants of the cells screamed and beat on the door like animals. The noise hurt her ears.
The officer squared his rectangular jaw, before speaking. His blue eyes bored into her. "I'm Cyrus Foley. Alright Mrs. Rivera, strip."
"What!"
"Strip down. You can kept your underwear, shirt and socks. No shoes or jumpsuit." He rubbed the dark stubble on his face.
She slowly undressed. The cold air hit her like a brick wall.
"Come on." He escorted her to the cell. "If you need anything just yell." He laughed, "Like everyone else."
Natalia stood in the doorway not fully in. She looked a the small cell. It was smiliar to the cells in Block F but smaller. A bed stretched from one wall to the other. A sink sat over a metal toilet. There wasn't any fixtures or windows to let light in. A lone skimpy sheet lay bunched on the bed.
The guard pushed her the rest of the way in. "Have fun." He closed the door shutting out the light. The only light to be seen came under the door and through the tiny window on the door.
The cold chilled her to the bone. Natalia sat on the small metal bed. She wrapped herself in the sheet, trying to stay warm. After reciting very bible verse she could remeber Natalia slipped into a dreamscape, shivering, trying to block out the noise.
"Food." The trap on the door open shedding light into the cell. Natalia crawled across the floor, taking the tray from the guard. "Enjoy."
In her hazy she tried to recognize the voice, Winslow.
The trap was closed. Even in the dark she could see the bugs crawling all over the plate. "GUARD!"
He opened the food trap sticking his head in. "What?"
"There are bugs on my plate." Natalia pointed at the offending animals.
"So? If you wanted a fresh meal you shouldn't have come to prison. If you don't want it," He opened the door, and pulled the tray out. "Then I won't bother you with it anymore." He slammed the door harder than needed. "You can always earn it back, I think you know what I mean."
Natalia crawled back on the metal bed, falling to sleep listening to the music of her stomach growl. The constant banging and screaming of the other inmates resounded off the walls.
"Spencer, report to the guard station" The loud speaker bounced of the walls.
Olivia sat up in her bed. It was still dark outside. She hated when they came in the middle of the night. It was just after breakfast.
"That sounded like Lewis. Early morning rump?" Doris smiled at Olivia who stood in the middle of the room stretching.
"Go back to sleep, Wolfe." She groaned before dressing and leaving.
Olivia sat in the small room with no windows. She was still half sleep. Josh and Frank walked into the room, closing the door behind them.
"Spencer wake up." Josh sat beside her holding two vanilla folders. Frank sat on the opposite side of the table from Olivia.
"What is this about? We just met two days ago, there's nothing new to report." Olivia almost whined. It was too early for her to be up.
"We know you're not a morning person, but cheer up. At least you get out of your cell." Frank smirked.
"What's the difference Cooper. A small room with no windows in exchange for a small room with no windows." Olivia gave Frank her best hard look.
He slumped in his chair, a little scared.
"Hey you two we got business." They both straighten giving Josh their full attention. "We got two new arrivals next month." He opened two folder unveiling two pictures. "This is the leader of the Queens of San Cristobel, Rachel Royal. She coming back for the third time." He pointed to the picture of a tall dark skinned women, tattoos covered her body. She had black hair, barely there because of her buzz cut. "She might cause us problems."
"Whose the other?" Frank studied the second picture.
"This is her rival, Harley Davidson." The picture was of a blond with long hair and blue eyes.
"She's pretty." Frank handed the picture to Olivia.
"Olivia I want you to watch your back. With these two together, they're bound to clash. Its just what we need another gang." Josh sighed.
"Harley's Angels right? I knew I remembered her." Frank studied the first picture. "Yep we are going to have a mess on our hands. "
Josh took control of the meeting. "This is the plan, Frank, Winslow is going to work days with you. I'm going to work night with O'Neil. Maybe she will talk to me. You need to get Winslow to talk more." Frank winked at Josh. "No problem captain. And I doubt you and Miss. O'Neil are going to be talking much."
Olivia laughed at Frank's joke.
"At least I don't have sex with the inmates. And by the way stop it. You keep it up and I'm going up stairs. This time you'll lose more than your stripes."
Olivia smirked at Frank. Even if he did put in a good word for her, he was an asshole, power went straight to his head.
"You act like I force them. They offer." He shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair.
"So that stunt you pulled with Rivera." Olivia threw at the undercover agent.
"Oh come on. I wasn't going to actually force her. I have to stay in character. If I hadn't at least asked, Winslow would have. I have to make him think I'm like him."
"So you spit in her food." Olivia leaned over the table in anger.
"It was one time. I was going to let up tomorrow, but she got herself sent to the hole. Why do you care you got something with the new fish?" Frank defended himself.
"Olivia, he's right. Winslow needs to think Frank is like him. We can't let up because we hurt someone's feelings. You have to get in with these women and learn more." Josh gathered the pictures off the table.
"Yea and what's with the silent act?" Frank laughed at the stunt she was pulling. For 3 months he'd been working at the prison Olivia had hardly talked to anyone.
"The less you say, the more you hear." She quirked her eyebrows, daring Frank to disagree.
"Whatever."
All three got up from the table, with a new since of purpose.
"After this I'm finished." Olivia announced.
"Hey we're helping you. You had life sentences for killing Alan and Phillip Spaulding." Frank scoffed.
"I'm helping you. You know I was set up." Olivia's jaw clenched as she spoke.
Josh stepped in between the two. "Olivia you know I have never lied to you, for the pass two years we've worked together. They promised me after this case you would be out. I'll make sure you are reunited with your daughters, after we close this crime ring. Hang in there with me."
"Fine. Remember that Josh, cause I'm not being tracked off to another prison after this. I've been to three already."
"And it helps your reputation. These girl are scared of you."
"Whatever. Lay off her, Cooper." She walked out of the room followed by Josh.
Officer Lewis walked the upper deck of the unit, while O'Neil walked the lower.
"Spencer 111569. Lewis where's Rivera. Its been two days now."
"I'll check on her today." Lewis checked off her name.
"Where's Winslow?"
"He's been working the hole." Deputy Lewis checked his watch.
"He never works the hole." Olivia remembered the hell hole she was in and Winslow made it that much worse. "They could be doing anything to her!"
"Spencer I said I'd check." Josh looked around. "Lower your voice okay."
"Doris."
"Oh yea." Doris ran inside the room. She came back with a bag of chips and Oreos in her hand.
"Give this to her. Winslow isn't feeding her." He refused to feed anyone who refused to sleep with him. He made everything much worse that it had to be.
"How do you know that?" Lewis knew it too. There were a few guards at the prison who got off on torturing inmates.
"You know how I know."
"Inmates in the hole aren't allowed commissary." The guard reluctantly took the food.
"Just this once."
He never could resist her pleading eyes. "Once, Spencer." Lewis moved to the next cell.
Doris and Olivia went back into their cell. Olivia laid on her bunk trying to think of something beside the new inmate.
Doris laid on the ground, in a push up stance.
"Doris what are you doing?" Olivia rolled on her side watching her room mate.
"It's D.W. and I'm getting buff. I think that's why Blake is resisting me." The red head struggled to push off the floor. "One." "Two." She flopped onto the concrete out of breathe. "That's enough." She jumped off the floor dusting her white suit off. "Don't you have a visit tomorrow?"
"Yep, Ava's going to bring Emma." Olivia rolled onto her back. "She'll be nine in September." She turned to the wall beside her. It was lined with pictures of Emma and Ava. She traced their faces with her finger. "When I get out I'm going to throw her the biggest birthday party ever."
"When I get out I'm going to Cancun for Spring Break. Drunk women for everyone."
Anyone who knew Natalia would say she had a strong will. She had finished high school, working two jobs and took care of Rafe. She worked until her finger bleed to keep a roof over his head and food on the table.
As a single mother she got him all the way through school and he had a full scholarship to play baseball in college. All her life she had struggled to keep everything afloat. Now that will was a portion of itself. The only thing she had consumed in three days was water. She drank it out of the rusting sink to fill her stomach.
Her stomach wasn't fooled in the least. It constantly growled.
Every meal it was something different, if they bothered to bring it to her, they made the food inedible. She didn't even bother to go to the door when the trap opened for food. Officer Foley and Winslow took the two shifts making sure she didn't eat.
The cell offered no comfort. During the day it was too hot to breathe and at night it was too cold to think straight. As this rate she was bound to catch a cold with a high chance of dying.
When the trap opened again Natalia only rolled over away from the bright light that flooded through the space.
"Rivera." The voice sounds different from her two tormentors.
Natalia sat up on the bed. "Ms. Rivera, I have something for you." Josh dropped the two items through the trap and onto the floor. "Hide them your not supposed to have them."
"Yes, sir." Natalia crawled over to the door, picking up the items. "Oh my god thank you so much sir."
"It's Officer Lewis and your friends over in F sent them to you." She looked up at the man. His salt and pepper bread was cut neatly around his mouth. Even without much light she could see the kindness in his eyes. "I came to check on you."
"Thank you. Can you get me out of here. I haven't eaten, I swear I'll stand up." She plead.
"I can't, you've been sentenced to three days in the hole. Just hang in there, keep your head up."
"Who sent this?" Natalia needed to know who even gave her a second thought.
"Lewis what the hell do you think your doing?" Winslow pulled the other guard away from the open space. The light pierced through Natalia eyes hurting them. She crawled back to the bunk hiding the items behind her.
"Nothing, just checking on the new inmate."
Natalia could hear them talking. Her hands trembled as thoughts of eating the food occupied her mind.
The trap was closed, blocking the light. She made sure the footsteps were going away before opening the cookies. She shoved all five of the chocolate disk in her mouth, not bothering to chew much. I have to make this last. She looked at the bag of Doritos. She hid the bag under her sheet. Natalia laid back down basking in the feeling of a semi-occupied stomach. Sleep came easier without the growling of her stomach.
The banging and yelling of the other inmates didn't bother her anymore.
Hours later the door to her cell opened, the light startling Natalia.
Officer Foley stood at the door holding a plate with two hot dogs. "You ready. Look I even bought you some hot dogs for practice." He laughed as he waved the items.
The aroma of the fresh food filled Natalia nostrils. Her stomach plead for her will to break. "No."
"Fine, you got one more night, no food or water." He closed the door.
Natalia heard some noise on the outside of her door. She walked to the sink trying to turn on the water. Nothing came out of the sink. She laid back on the cold metal, hugging the bag of chips close. One more day, one more day.
Doris sat on the picnic table with most of the inmates gathered around her.
Olivia walked over to her cellmate pushing through the crowd. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like, taking bets. Rivera gets out today, but you already knew that." Olivia's roommate stuck her tongue out. The other inmates laid down their jolly ranchers and cigarettes.
"Why doesn't it surprise me your taking bets on a woman's sanity."
"Not just her sanity. If she, you know." Doris make the obscene gesture with her hand towards her mouth. "Everyone is against her. They think she's broken." Doris wrote down more names.
"She isn't."
"You want to put your candy where your mouth is?" Doris dared Olivia.
"Why not? Put me down."
"Cooper is going to tell me before he goes to get her." The red head gather more loot from the other inmates
Olivia left the outside area headed back to her room to ready for her visit.
Olivia sat in the visitors booth. The metal shield on the glass had yet to rise. She sat on in the hard chair trying to compose herself. The last time she saw Emma she cried for half the visit. The shield rose giving her a view of her two daughters.
"Mommy!" Emma bounced in Ava's lap.
"Hey baby girl! How are you doing?"
"Fine Ava let me drive." Emma nearly shouted. Olivia gave her older daughter a chastening look.
"I let her sit in my lap when I pulled into the drive way."
"How are things Ava?" Olivia's eyes softened.
"Fine. Both businesses are still running like a well oiled machine. The hotel is doing better than ever now that the Hilton closed. Spaulding is doing great. I'm making investments and Uncle Alan has been helping a lot."
"That's good. I want you to let him run Spaulding and Sam can run the hotel. You focus on Emma and your life, okay." Olivia pressed her palm to the glass, both of her girl mirrored the action.
"Mom what did they say this time?"
"They said this was the last time."
"They said that last time." Ava argued.
"I know. I trust Lewis. He hasn't lied to me for the last two years. Think about it, anything less that life is good."
"I know you didn't kill dad or grandpa." Ava played with Emma's ponytail.
"Me too." Emma agreed with her sister.
Olivia gave them a sad smile. "Phillip was a good man he loved you both. I'm just sorry he didn't get a chance to see Emma grow up. He loved watching you."
"Mom, he was a sperm donor."
"Still he was my friend and ex husband." Olivia followed Emma's finger trail with her's trying to keep up.
"For business reasons. You only married him to combine your companies and so Emma and me would get a share if anything happened."
"Ava, you can admit that you miss him. So tell me what I have missed since last time." Olivia sat back in her chair, burning the image of her growing daughter in her mind. Ava always had a chip on her shoulder, no matter how hard Phillip tried.
"I grew two inches!" Emma shouted a the glass.
Winslow came over the speaker. "Visitors you have 2 minutes." They had talked the whole hour. The end of their conversation was interrupted by the announcement and a loud noise in the unit behind Olivia.
As soon as Frank and Natalia walked through the doors the applause started. Some of the women whistled, while some of them groaned. Frank led her to the cell.
"Get yourself cleaned up, lunch is in 30." Frank walked away from the stunned Natalia.
Doris quickly took his place in the doorway. "You look bad and you smell worst." Doris stepped back.
"Leave me alone." Natalia climbed onto the bunk facing the wall. She had made a plan to sleep through her sentence. Somehow she would slip into a coma and wake up when it was time to leave.
"Oh, don't do that, they'll put you on suicide watch." Doris warned. Even in her short time she had seen many women fall into depression, only to end up in a worse place; naked, in the hole and on suicide watch.
"I don't care." Natalia pulled the thin blanket up to her chin.
"Hey, at least Olivia won the bet, even if she cheated."
"What bet?" Natalia sat straight up.
"Oh, nothing much. Just whether you would give in to Winslow." Doris shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't." Natalia insisted.
"We already know."
"How?"
"Word travels fast when your in the hole. Olivia was the only one who put money on you against those assholes."
"Whatever. I just want to sleep through this whole thing." Natalia laid back down.
Olivia came down from the visitation booth meeting Doris at the stairs. "What's the verdict?"
"She's trying to sleep through her sentence. I told her about the suicide watch."
"She'll be fine." Olivia looked towards Natalia's room.
"Good new, you won! Even though you cheated."
"Since when have you been against stacking the odds?"
"Never!" Doris laughed running up the stairs behind Olivia.
"Ava said hi."
"Isn't that nice." Doris stepped into the room. "We gotta do something and I already know you just want to do your time, but come on." She pulled at Olivia's sleeve whining like a kicked puppy.
"See what Winslow does first." Olivia looked out of her room down into Natalia's.
When lunch was called Natalia decided to try. When she got to the front of the line both Frank and Edmund smiled at her.
"Rivera, its good to see you again. Here." Winslow got her a tray from behind the guard stand. The food looked like someone had chewed it then spit it out. "Enjoy."
Natalia walked away without taking the tray. She headed outside for some fresh air. After a couple of minutes of watching others eat and laugh she headed back to her cell.
To her surprise, on her pillow two bags of chips lay peeking from under the covers. She didn't care who left it. The hungry woman devoured the two items in record time. She lick the sides of the wrapping savoring the favor. Jumping off the bed she looked out the doorway. Across the unit on the second floor, Olivia looked down at her before stepping back into her own room.
Natalia smiled as she climbed onto her bed. I hope she left those, I don't want to be someone else's wife. I mean no one's wife, including hers.
Later that day Natalia finally got to use the phone. She dialed her parents house, she just hoped they accepted the charges. She hadn't talked to any of her family since leaving Chicago.
"Mom?" Rafe answered the phone.
"Oh my god Rafe! Baby its me."
"I've been waiting for you to call. I called them and they said you were in the hole already. Some guy named Lewis said I could schedule a visit."
"No! Rafe you stay there. I don't want you to be anywhere near a prison. It's just so good to hear your voice." Natalia leaned against the wall beside the pay phone.
"Ma I can't let you do this, I could…"
Natalia interrupted him, "Shh. They could be listening. Stop worrying. This summer you'll be in college, on the baseball team. You have a full scholarship. Don't ruin it."
"How am I supposed to play when my number one fan isn't there to yell touchdown when I hit a homerun."
"Don't worry. I'll be out in no time. You'll see. Then I can cheer you on in Yankee stadium." Natalia sighed.
"Ma, I love you...Graduation is in two weeks."
"I love you too. I really wanted to be at your graduation, send me some pictures. Tell mother to take plenty of pictures. Tell them I love them too. I don't want to run up their bill so I better go."
"Okay. Call me tomorrow same time. Bye Ma."
"Bye baby." Natalia hung up the phone and went back to her room.
Natalia laid in the bed. She had no intention of getting up and being humiliated today. For the last four days her tray was thrown on the floor, filled with dead bugs and half eaten. Breakfast was the only meal she could have eaten without Cooper and Winslow there, but she didn't trust they hadn't done anything to it. Today was going to be no different, this time she wasn't going to give them the pleasure. The only reason she would get up was to take a shower and talk to Rafe.
Olivia walked pass the room with her tray. "They'll put you on suicide watch, if you keep it up."
Natalia sat up, but Olivia had already walked away.
Olivia sat at her usual table across from Doris with her lunch tray.
"What, couldn't sell your tray." Olivia opened the milk, taking a sip.
"Nope and I don't trust this." Doris pushed around the food.
"Stop playing with it." Olivia looked over her shoulder. "It could go to better use, follow my lead. Let me see your tray."
"What are you doing?" Doris pushed the tray over to her cell mate.
"You wanted to help."
Natalia stood in the picnic area doorway with her sullied tray. She spotted her semi-friends sitting together. She walked over to them. "Can I sit?"
"It's a free world somewhere." Doris answered.
Olivia had yet to actually hold a conversation with Natalia. Natalia had found out that as long as she didn't direct anything to her, Olivia wouldn't walk away. She sat at the picnic table leaving plenty of room between her and Olivia.
Natalia stared at her own tray then Doris's. The tray was empty. She must have traded it.
Natalia tried her luck. "Olivia, I want to thank you for the food. I'll pay you back as soon as I can. I don't know how but I will." Once again she stared at her own tray. The roll had lent raveled around it, like some one had cleaned a corner with it.
"I didn't do anything for you." Olivia got up from the table, taking her milk. Doris shrugged her shoulders and took her empty tray following Olivia.
Natalia felt like crying for the umpteenth time, until she realized Olivia had left her full tray on the table. Natalia looked around to find the two walked back inside. The minutes ticked by unitl she heard the 5 minute warning. She slid over in front of the tray. Natalia said a quick pray over the food before digging in. The double portions on the tray filled her stomach quickly. Natalia continued to eat the cold food, till she felt it in her throat.
Olivia followed Doris up to their room.
"You are so sweet." Doris laughed.
"Shut up and if you tell anyone I'm going to get another murder charge." Olivia looked down at the two guards laughing at their antics. She hated Frank, but she loathed Winslow, prayed for his demise.
"So you and Lewis going do it tonight?" Doris laid on her bunk with a magazine.
"What are you keeping a schedule?"
"Nothing else to do. Stop trying to change the subject."
"When you and Blake get together, then I'll tell you." Just as Olivia said the words she saw Blake walking from outside to her cell.
"I'm telling you, she's breaking. Yesterday she didn't even hit me that hard when I offered to soap her up." Doris flipped another page.
"Always the romantic aren't you." Olivia sarcastically replied.
"What can I say, I'm made of sugar."
"The kind that gives you cancer." Olivia looked down at Frank, who smile up at her. She gave him the one finger salute and his goofy smile faded.