Empty Spaces Chapter 9

Piper's POV in the hospital

People had been coming and going from the cramped little hospital room since Piper had regained conciousness. Though the visits from the doctors were coming fewer and farther between, the steady stream of nurses hadn't abated in the slightest. It was almost disconcerting how they could all be so focused on her without engaging in the slightest. The only nurse who spoke to her at all was the mousy little one who seamed to be responsible for making sure she was fed and hydrated. Just now she had a visit with Caputo and Figeuroa, they'd been talking to her for several moments though she'd yet to acknowledge them. Their voices sounded as though they were coming from somewhere farther away than the 10 by 10 room would allow.

"We know that there was an altercation between yourself and inmate Doggett, we know it took place outside the chapel as the christmas pageant was ending. We know that you were both armed with deadly weapons, we found the sharpened cross with her prints and the screwdriver that went missing from the electrical hut with yours. We also know that you didn't use yours as Tiffany wasn't stabbed and while there was blood on the screwdriver it only belonged to you. The surgeon who operated of your hands and wrist retrieved some wood splinters that suggest she did attack you with the sharpened cross. That being said we have a good idea what happened that night, now the details you provide us with can mean the difference between serving out a few extra years at the litch or a life sentance at a maximium security facilty. We need to know that you understand that before we continue on to your statement, the more we know the better we'll be able to help. Now there has been some history between the two of you, I know about your involvement in her trip to psych. The fact that you came forward of your own free will then can only help you now, let's continue with what's been happening since then."

The voice had made its way closer, more clear as Caputo spoke. She didn't miss the way he kept his voice even and calm, almost soothing as he tried to convince her that he was here to help. She couldn't help the tiny spark of hope that flared to life inside her, maybe they could. At the very least Figeuroa would need to make sure that word didn't get out that one of their officers intentionaly walked away from the situation. The prison was already taking too much heat from all the recent press attention that Larry has been causing. She nodded her understanding and tried to clear her throat, the everpresent nurse with the water stepped up quickly to tip the cup to her lips.

"Things got better for a while after she got out of psych. She tried to convert me to christianity but I just couldn't do it. It's fundamentally not who I am. I tried to break it to her as easy as possible, but she just wouldn't hear it. She got it in her head that I had disrespected her and it got worse than before." She paused nodding to her own personal water girl and was again grateful for its soothing effects. "She left a threatening note in my cube along with a bloody dead rat. I had to have someone who knew scripture translate it for me, but it was a death threat. A day or so before the pageant she and a few of her friends cornered me in the showers and threatened me with a weapon. It was one of those ones they showed us in orientation the toothbrush with the razor blade melted into the handle. She didn't cut me then, she was just trying to scare me. She cut herself and rubbed the blood all over me." She paused then remembering the feeling of disgust that had overwhelmed her when Pennsatucky had smeared her own blood across her naked chest. Figeuroa took this opportunity to chime in though she made a point in copying Caputo's tone, keeping any hint of disbelief or accusation out of her tone.

"Do you mind if I ask why you didn't report either of these incidents to a CO or your councelor?"

"The other imates told me I had to take care of it myself, if I reported it to a CO they'd put me in SHU. I can't go back there again, Healey would never let me out." Figeuroa's eyebrows raised at the womans fearful mention of her councellor but elected to let it pass for the moment. There'd be time enough to come back around to that later, she'd just nodded to show that she understood for now. I'd had a rough couple of days perrsonnaly speaking. My fiance Larry and I have been fighting, he broke it off just before the pageant. I was really upset and I just couldn't handle it, I went outside to clear my head it felt like everything was crumbling around me. I guess she must have followed me out..." She paused then the memory she was chasing growing fuzzy. She paused for a moment resting her tired mind and the prison officials could see the fatigue etched painfully across her face.

"Take your time, there's no rush here. We know how tiring this must be for you," he paused nodding to the nurse with the water and she stepped forward towards Piper again. "don't push too hard. Let the memories come to you when they're ready. It's okay, we've got all the time you need." the blonde nodded and took another sip before settling for a moment and collecting her thoughts.

"She came up behind me, I tried to get around her get back inside to the safety of other people. That's when she pulled out the cross. She kept slashing at me with it, backing me up against the fence. That was when he walked outside, probably for a cigarette or something but I thought I was saved. I was screaming at him for help that she was trying to kill me, he turned I know he saw me. Pennsatucky she just kept jabbing at me with that cross, I don't think she even really believed he was there. He never said a word just turned around and walked back inside, he left me out there to die." Figeuroa had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she didn't even have to ask for the name of the CO in question. That bigoted asshole was gonna cost her everything if she wasn't careful.

"The CO who stepped out for a cigarette and witnessed the attack, who was it?" She'd need the name out of Piper's mouth for the record.

"It was Healy, he's had it out for me for awhile. He's got some weird idea that if things were different I would be with him somehow. That's the reason I ended up in SHU over Thanksgiving. He saw me dancing with a fellow inmate at Taystee's going away party and he got jealous." She paused again, trying to get the sudden thoughts of Alex out of her head. She wasn't allowed to go there anymore, the nurse took this pause as a sign that she was needed and stepped forward with the water again. Piper took the water gratefully, her throat was still sore from the tube and the talking was making it worse in a hurry. "After Healy walked away I was terrified, I thought for sure that she was gonna kill me. That was when I pulled out my screwdriver, but I didn't get a chance to use it. She slashed my wrist and I dropped it right away. She just kept spouting all this crap about Jesus and how I was a demon. Then she said something that got to me, she said I wasn't worthy of being loved. I don't know what happened I just snapped, after everything... I swear I didn't mean to hurt her like that, I just couldn't stop." She trailed off into a fit of tears that left her body wracked with tears.

"Alright, I think that will be enough for today. This has clearly been quite an ordeal, just focus on resting for now. Your body needs to heal. We'll be back again tomorrow when your rested and go over any details we may have missed. These doctors and nurses are here to take care of you, you can trust them." They gathered up their things and headed out the door leaving the young nurse alone with Piper, and suddenly feeling more than a little out of their depth. She'd heard about the other woman they had brought in. It was hard to think of this frail broken little woman weeping before her even being capable of that kind of damage.