A/N: Wow! Thank you everyone for the reviews! I know it's slow going now, but I promise it'll speed up from here. Don't worry all, I do have a plan... how stable it works out to be well, that's a road we'll have to cross when we get there :) Much love- Z.

Chapter 3: Guilt

"Well, I don't think it hit any major arteries… so, you know, that's good," Morello informed her brightly, inspecting the shredded skin around the stab wound. Piper let out a low hiss as Morello tightened the temporary bandage around her thigh. Glaring at the other woman, she wiped some of the perspiration from her forehead and lowered her eyes to inspect her handy work. The makeshift strap was crafted from a few pieces of fabric torn from her singlet and the lace off one of Morellos boots.

With the restriction on her leg, the flow of blood had started to lessen much to the relief of both inmates. However, with every passing moment the shock and adrenaline were quickly wearing away. Piper could feel the haziness being replaced with a dull ache and it was intensifying fast. She knew that if she did not get up soon, she would not be able to walk. If she could not walk, she was as good a caught anyway.

Soon, the guards would find Doggett and then the prison would be thrown into full scale alert. Every inmate accounted for, every bunk raided and every suspect brought into questioning. Piper had no doubts about who would be on the top of that list. She felt as though a pendulum swung vicariously over her head, it was only a matter of time before they came for her. And when they did, they would charge her for what could quite possibly be manslaughter.

She glanced at Morello, a sudden guilt welling up inside her. Did this make her an accessory to murder? Should she send her away now… would she be able to do this by herself? Would she be able to live with herself, knowing that she had condemned a person for helping her get away with possible murder?

Morello seemed to be oblivious to the blond's moral tidings as she shuffled around to get a better look at the cut on her bicep.

"This one's already stopped, but it's real puffy," she informed her, and she set to work ripping off more of the shredded singlet. Finally managing to tear the rest in half, she wrapped the material around the wound and she finished it off with a tight knot, nodding to herself in approval.

Morello then stood up and took the hem of her over-shirt, pulling it up over her head. Piper frowned and stared at the other inmate in confusion. Rolling her eyes, the dark haired woman stripped off her white long sleaved undershirt and simple threw them both to Piper. She then stood in her bra and placed both hands on her hips expectantly.

"You wanna be wearing bloody cloths outta here?" Morello quipped, her eyebrows raised.

With a small 'Oh', Piper pulled the undershirt over her head and managed to get her uninjured arm through the sleeve. She found that she was having difficulty raising the other one, and Morello moved in the help her. Once they had managed to dress her in both shirts, Morello picked up Pipers pants and frowned at them. The pants seemed to have taken most of the blood splatter, and there was a rather large pool of red around the thigh of the left leg where she'd been wounded. There was no way that they would be able to wash it out completely with water alone and then drying it was another issue all together.

"Well, the bad news is it looks like you butchered a cow," the darker haired woman teased, with a little smirk. Piper glared down hard at the shower tiles and gritted her teeth as her leg gave a deep aching throb of pain. If this were what she had to look forward to for tonight, Piper knew that she would have a long night ahead of her.

"What's the good?" she grumbled back in a dull voice, feeling slightly nauseated at the sight of the bloodied pants in her counterparts hands.

With a patient smile, Morello walked out of the stall and for a few moments Piper simply stared out into the empty bathroom. The bathroom was silent once more, and a slight unease fell over Piper. They were taking too long. It was a major miracle that no one had found Doggett yet, let alone walked into the bathroom. The Christmas dinner must surely be finishing off soon; they simply couldn't risk anyone else finding them like this. Reappearing again, the dark haired woman was now dressed in her sleeping nightgown, her own pants draped over her arm.

"I wear nighties to bed. You can wear my pants 'cause, you know, I think we're about the same size," she mumbled, and crouched down at Pipers feet. She managed to pull the pant legs up and over her knees before she stopped to check if the bandage on the wound was leaking any blood. Satisfied that it would hold out until they could find some pads back at Pipers bunk, Morello helped her pull the pants up as high as they would go. Lifting her bottom up was difficult and by the time they had managed to wriggle them up and over her hips, perspiration had appeared on Pipers brow.

"Alright, I think… I need to get up," Piper forced herself to say, though the pain was already enough to keep her wishing that she could just stay in the shower stall forever. The pain in her leg was now being accompanied by a sharp pain in side, and she predicted that she might have had a broken rib or two.

With the wall on one side and Morello lifting on the other, Piper managed to shift the uninjured left let underneath her. Even though she had barely moved it, the right awash with the agonising throbbing and for a moment the blond felt herself sway. Morello was strangely silent beside her, but Piper could feel as she gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. At that moment, Piper was eternally grateful and she clenched her teeth, finding the inner strength to push through the pain.

"Alright… on three," she hissed through gritted teeth, and Morello simply nodded.

"One."

"Two," Morello whispered, firmly gripping Pipers waist. They glanced at each other and then, as if they'd both shouted the number, they struggled as one like some awkward creature rising unsteadily to its feet.

Piper had never experienced such incredible pain in her life. Spots claimed her vision, and she let out a low moan, tilting on the spot. Morello was ready for her and quickly threw Pipers arm around her smaller shoulders. Piper leaned into her, supporting her weight on her good left leg. For a moment, the two stood like this. Gradually the pain started to lessen, until only the angry throbbing remained. When she was sure she would not fall, the blond looked down into the other womans concerned eyes and nodded, no trusting herself to speak.

Morello indicated for Piper to hold onto the wall, and pointed down at Pipers discarded pile of clothes lying on the floor still. Getting the picture, Piper hopped outside the stall and leant her back against the wall. Blinking away the pain, Piper gripped onto the wall and watched as the smaller woman collected up her bloodied clothes and switched on the water. Washing as much of the drying blood from the material, she rung them out and proceeded to shove them into her own laundry bag with her towel.

Piper gave her a strange look, finally understanding that there was no turning back for Morello now either. They were both guilty now. She knew she had to say something, even though she knew that if she opened her mouth right now, she would either scream or throw up.

"Morello… thank you. I don't think… I don't know if I'd be able to-"

"Nope. Save the mushy stuff, doll. We're not out of the woods yet." Morello said with a grim smile, before throwing her arm around waist. Draping her uninjured left arm around the raven haired woman's shoulders, she eyes set forward in determination and breathed in slowly.

Let the hell begin.