Chapter Eight-Winter Interlude
The next three weeks were the most pleasant Piper had ever spent in Litchfield. It was difficult to imagine being 'happy' in prison, but the smile on her face and joy in her heart revealed the truth each day. Her weight was up and she found interacting with her fellow inmates easier. This despite the harsh winter that had descended on upstate New York with the continued piling of snow, preventing her from running outside.
Of course much of her change in attitude was due to a tall, raven-haired beauty who was by her side almost day and night now that she was working in the laundry. Alex had always been the type of person who made you feel like the center of the universe when she focused on you, and Piper was directly in her gaze. Being on the same schedule meant Alex waking her for an early shower, together when they could manage it, followed by breakfast and work.
Who knew a dime an hour prison job could be so rewarding? Several times each week Alex, who was now the designated leader in the laundry, found reasons for the remnants of the meth heads to be out picking up dirty laundry and delivering clean sheets and towels. Alex had learned the hard way with bruises that the COs rarely came into the area, and she had a way of timing the absence of the other workers with the washers and dryers cycling, leaving the two of them free to find a secluded corner for twenty or thirty minutes. The sound of the dryers was particularly effective in drowning out the moans Piper found she was constantly emitting under Alex's talented fingers and mouth.
The afternoon trysts in the laundry weren't the only alone time Piper was getting with Alex. Since Red had been sent to the SHU, she had become the envied solo occupant of her cube. Piper knew it wouldn't last. Either Red would be back or they would put a new inmate in eventually, but in the meantime she intended to get the most out her private space.
The first night Alex had come practically crawling on hands and knees keeping out of sight under the low walls Piper had laughed until she found herself pushed back on her bunk and kissed senseless. Suddenly the advantage of Red's unfortunate departure was made clear. That night Alex had mostly just talked to her, about how scared she had been when Piper was in the SHU, how hurt she had been at Piper picking Larry and how the uncertainty of the future frightened her. She told Piper that Nicky had been a one-time thing in her confused state and then got to the heart of the matter.
"Pipes, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless that you are going to leave me again someday, whether that is going back to Larry or someone else, or just getting out of here way before I do and getting on with your life. It's not like I want to hold you back, hell I couldn't even if I did want to. I just don't think I can take you breaking my heart again."
Alex had pulled her into the cocoon of her arms and interspersed kisses on her ear and neck with the words. She kept Piper from squirming away until she was finished. "I know it's not fair to ask, but I need to know if this is a 'live in the moment' thing for you or an 'I choose you'."
Piper waited until she felt Alex's almost desperate grip loosen enough that she could turn and face her on the narrow bunk. Even in the dim light from the hallway she could see the hesitant look on Alex's face, her brows slightly knitted and the corners of her mouth turned down. She reached up her free hand to stroke the worry away as she answered. "I choose you Alex Vause. I wasn't ready ten years ago, I wasn't even ready ten weeks ago, but I'm ready now. Let me show you."
Piper kissed Alex softly, holding in the moan that wanted to escape her throat. Noise would carry easily in the quiet of the night around the brick and tile space. But that didn't stop their silent gentle caresses and when the closest neighbors began snoring loudly they allowed themselves more pleasure, touching those places they knew would bring the other to climax and swallowing the inevitable exclamations with open lips and mouth and breath.
After that they fell into a routine. A couple nights a week Fischer was on in the suburb dorm and she never did more than look out from the CO bubble except for a lights out and lights on check. Bell usually slept most of the night when she was on unless something woke her, then she was a bitch on wheels. Once Alex had to run to the bathroom to avoid getting caught with her when an argument had woken the grumpy CO. But it was worth it for the three nights a week when Alex could come to her bunk and spend almost the whole night.
They didn't make love every night. Sometimes Piper just allowed herself the luxury of getting real sleep safe in her favorite position as little spoon. Alex would hold her and stroke her hair and Piper could close her eyes and her mind would fill in a king size bed with soft sheets and the last embers glowing in the fireplace across the room as she drifted off more content than she had ever felt.
Candace Johnson loved pills. Xanax, Valium, Oxy were all great. Methadone was even better if she could get it and Fentanyl patches were the ultimate score. She started her addiction by seeing several doctors with various complaints of back and abdominal pain and the scripts flew off the prescription pads, at first. When the legitimate dosages leveled out, she turned to supplemental street purchases. Without a job she had few options to fund her habit. She tried to avoid being on her back with her legs open, although she had resorted to that option a couple of times in desperation to stay high.
Instead she hooked up with a distributor from a local pharmaceutical plant. She would pick up the pills in Ohio and take them to a guy in New York City in exchange for a percentage of what she was carrying. It hadn't felt like she was a drug mule, after all these were legal medications made under strict laws. She told herself she was just assisting in an off-label market, at least until the DEA arrested her at the distributor's apartment.
She had never considered herself an addict. They were just pills everyone used for pain. She wasn't snorting or using dirty needles in her arms. She only did what it took to get the edge off the disappointment of her parents, the feelings of failure for barely graduating high school, the string of failed relationships with underachieving men. She could fool herself until she was in jail and the cold-turkey detox began. Then she understood the power of addiction.
The rebound pain, both physical and psychological was the worst of her 22 years. The jail nurse gave her a laughably tiny dose of Valium and sent her back to her cell where she sweated and shook and vomited and shit for the next four days, trapped in her mind reliving every crappy thing that had ever happened to her. Why couldn't her parents understand? She didn't have the focus to study and she had no interest in the boring middle class life they led. Her older sister was everything she wasn't; smart, college graduate, married to a great guy. Life had just dealt her a crappy hand and she was doing her best to make herself happy, not that her perfect family would ever understand. Who wanted to work their ass off for 2.5 kids and a house in the suburbs anyway?
By the time she pled guilty to federal drug trafficking charges and received her 22 month sentence, she was physically clean. But her mental state had never been more fragile. She wondered what it would be like imprisoned in a facility with hundreds of crazy, dangerous convicts at the Litchfield Correctional Facility in New York.
In the morning Piper's eyes opened to the same sight as the last three weeks, Red's empty space and unattended belongings. Alex had slept in her own bunk last night since Bennett was on. He was a nice enough guy, but always did rounds in the middle of the night by the book, so Alex could not stay with her on his nights.
As she was getting up and ready to go take her shower Bennett appeared at her cube. "Morning Chapman."
Piper felt a little uncomfortable in her robe and tightened it around her middle. "Officer Bennett?"
"I've been instructed to pack up Red's things." Bennett called out loudly. More quietly he then added, "I thought I'd give you the chance first. I'll be back in an hour."
"She's not coming back?" Piper asked. She had presumed Red would return after a week or two in the SHU and they had all started to worry as the days dragged on.
Bennett looked around before responding. "She was moved to the medical unit about a week ago. She had some heart problems. I think she'll be back eventually, but it may be a while and we've got new inmates who need to be assigned a bunk."
Piper ran to take a two minute shower and barked at Nichols and Morello to hurry up and meet at her cube. Alex was already dressed and waiting to go to breakfast. When the four women were assembled Piper told them about Red. "I feel really guilty now. I should have covered for her somehow."
Surprisingly it was Nicky who spoke out immediately. "No Chapman. You did what you had to. Red would have done the same, hell she did way worse to you."
Alex gave Piper a hug and kissed the top of her wet hair. "She's right kid."
Morello sighed and opened up Red's cabinet and began to take items out. "Anybody got a box for this stuff?"
Piper pulled out her box from under the bed and emptied it. "I'll keep her things safe." They packed Red's personal items and Piper stowed the box back under her bunk. "Except all these damn noodle cups. I say breakfast is a round of noodles for everyone today, in honor of Red."
Big Boo and Yoga Jones joined them for a meal of microwaved salty carbohydrates and the six women told stories and wished Red well in their hearts.
Candace thought the woman driving the van seemed nice. There were two other new inmates being transferred to Litchfield that day and the dark haired woman who had called herself Morello had given them the quick rundown before showing them where they would bunk temporarily. Then she was told to report to her counselor, a Mr. Healy.
She was a little shaky from the trip and the anxiety of the new atmosphere but tried to put on a smile for Mr. Healy. He didn't help by reading her file and then watching her carefully for several long minutes.
"Miss Johnson. May I call you Miss? You're not married are you?" Mr. Healy asked smiling.
"No sir. I mean yes sir, you may call me Miss. I'm not married sir." Candace practically stuttered.
"Fiancé or boyfriend? Some nice young man waiting for you back home in Ohio?" Mr. Healy's smile had dimmed slightly.
"No sir." Candace wondered why he was so interested in her dating life. "I haven't found the right man. The guys I dated weren't the best."
For whatever reason the smile was back. "I see. Well, I'm sure you will find someone after you complete your time here." Mr. Healy sat back in his chair. "Candace I'll be honest with you. We have a problem here at Litchfield. A lesbian problem."
"I'm not gay sir." Candace didn't really know any lesbians. Her hometown was small and not very accepting of differences. She didn't think of herself as prejudiced but she wasn't interested in having sex with a woman.
"I'm glad to hear that. Some of the Officers here don't think it is really a problem, but I'm concerned that several of the lesbians here are violent, dangerous. They have beaten other inmates and gotten away with it." Healy had leaned forward and looked serious now. "I think you might be able to help us with that."
Candace was really nervous now. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to get you a permanent bunk assignment right away Miss Johnson. I just want you to keep your eyes and ears open and let me know if you become aware of anything inappropriate regarding the other inmates. If you do I might be in a position to help you with your sentence." Mr. Healy was smiling in a way that made Candace a little queasy now.
"Ok Mr. Healy."
"You'll be in the A Dorm, Cube 6. Your cube mate is a woman named Piper Chapman."
Candace re-gathered her things and found her way to the designated space to find a tall brunette embracing a blonde from behind as they both looked out the window at the late afternoon sun. She could tell from their casual intimacy that the relationship was more than friendly. Were these the dangerous people Mr. Healy was talking about? It was difficult to imagine at this moment.
The blonde sighed and tightened her hold on the arms of the brunette around her waist. Candace heard her speaking quietly to the other woman. "I think spring is finally coming. Look, the snow is melting."