Chapter Twenty Three
The darkness was serene, heavy and merry. Piper felt as if she were on a boat just drifting merrily along. Her eyes were closed, making the world disappear. She felt the high wear off as she slowly began drifting back into her sense. A muffled voice called her name. She frowned, it was fucking up her happy place. It called her again, bringing the cold, hard floor she was sat on into stark focus. She discovered her own hands were planted against the wooden floor. She must have been in the chapel. She blinked a few times, trying to open her eyes, but the light stung her mind. She flinched and shut her eyes again. She was thirsty, her arm itched and her head was thumping.
"Piper?" The voice came again, but this time with clarity. It was Alex. Piper felt a sense of relief to see her.
"Alex?" She managed groggily. Alex was crouched opposite her, cupping Piper's face in concern.
"Are you alright?"
"yeah, Yeah...I'm f-..." Piper sat up, parched with thirst. She glanced around at the chapel. She barely recalled how she ended up here. She batted Alex's hand away from her face, "I'm fine." She managed. She gently scratched her arm, then ran her hand over the needle mark. Her eyes shot to Alex's, she quickly rolled down her sleeve.
Alex froze, tilting her head at Piper.
"What did you do? Did you take something?"
"What do you care?" Piper grumbled as she clutched her aching head. Alex gripped Piper's arm and examined it, while placing a hand on Piper's forehead to check for a fever. Piper watched Alex's expression shift from concern to anger and disappointment as she spotted the needle mark.
"Piper, what the hell?"
"Don't do that. Don't judge me. Just...urg, my head is killing."
"Dehydration." Alex said, "Did Amber do this?"
Piper scoffed at Alex, "No, Alex, actually I made an adult decision and did it myself."
"Bravo." Alex said sarcastically, she wondered if Piper could hear how stupid she sounded.
"Where did you get them?"
"I found them." Piper shot back.
Alex groaned, "you injected drugs that you found!? Jesus Christ, Pipes."
Piper studied Alex, "why are you so bothered all of a sudden?" she asked begrudgingly.
"Because I love you." Alex said, as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Piper opened her mouth to speak but the words didn't come out.
"Look, I need you to tell me where you found them—Something's going on. And it's bigger than you and me." Alex explained.
"I found them in Amber's room when I was-" Before Piper could finish, Alex was on her feet, she looked furious.
"I'm gonna kill her." Alex declared as she stormed off.
Piper groaned, her head was spinning too fast for her to process what was going on. She caught up with Alex and grabbed her arm.
"No, you're not. I made a choice to use them."
"Yeah Piper. You made a bad choice. One of the stupidest choices you have ever made. Well done. I applaud you." Alex stepped toward her, driving the point home with her hard stare, "you could be lying dead in your own vomit right now. That's the risk you took."
Piper took in Alex's expression, her usual hard stare was softer, her eyes moist. She was genuinely concerned and angry at Piper.
Despite Alex's short burst of actual human emotion, Piper couldn't help but stare at her in disdain, "right Alex. I found some heroin and I used it. Don't act all high and mighty, when you and your kind showed me how. Besides, you're pretty familiar with heroin too, aren't you?"
Alex clenched her jaw and took the hit on the chin. She got Piper's point.
"I'm an adult. I am not as needy as you think. I am not as pathetic as you've decided." Piper seethed, the frustrations she had kept to herself were finally spilling over as she stared Alex down and stepped toward her. "You do not get to pick me up then put me down when it suits you like I'm some toy on a freakin' shelf."
"That's what this is about?"
"No, Alex. This...? The drugs? It's about me and how much freakin' pain you put me through over and over and over again. And how much I hate this place because it's killing me. I wanna be anywhere but here. Do you understand? I wish none of it happened. I wish the last fifteen years of my life never happened. I wish I never met Larry. I wish I never freakin' met you."
Alex nodded, she had fallen silent. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.
"Do what you want Piper. Just be careful. I won't bother you again. I promise." Piper watched Alex leave the chapel. She slumped back onto the floor.
Alex fought back tears as she stalked through the hallway, she brushed past Nicky.
"Vause?" Nicky asked, noticing the normally stoic brunette's distress. Nicky followed her, "oi, what's going on?"
Alex headed into the showers, she stood at the sink and planted both hands on the counter. Nicky entered, placing a tentative hand on her back.
"Hey..."
Alex felt tears spill down her cheeks as her emotions bubbled over. Nicky pulled her into an embrace.
"C'mon, Vause. Quit going soft on me here." Nicky said, doing her best to comfort Alex.
"Why does everything I touch turn to shit?" Alex asked, she sniffled and adjusted her glasses. Nicky studied her, she tried not to watch Alex too much. She knew Alex would feel self-conscious, instead Nicky put an arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, then nodded at their reflections in the mirror.
"It could be worse, we could both end up in prison...oh wait." Nicky quipped, she scored a small smile off of Alex. Alex rested her head against Nicky's for a moment.
"So, what's the deal with the heroin? I found a batch hidden in the chapel last night." Nicky revealed. Alex straightened, she didn't need to ask Nicky if Nicky used it. If she had, Alex would be the last person she would be telling.
"The guy I worked for, Cobra?"
"They're never called Jonathan are they? It's always Cobra, or Frankie, or Big Ed, Killer Dave..."
Alex smiled sadly at Nicky's attempt at lightening the situation with her often accurate and odd observations.
"They wanted me to testify against him, provide them with more inside info. I didn't have any more, so I refused. They sent me to another prison, a tougher one, to break me. But it was nothing I couldn't handle."
"Shit.."
"Mendez stepped up for me, he had me transferred back here. But Cobra's got someone on the inside here. I don't know what they're waiting for, but he's paying them and his people are supplying them with heroin."
"Fuckin' A."
"Yeah. I've got a giant target on my back Nicky.."
"Ex marks the spot, eh?"
"I'm serious. And whoever the insider decides is close to me, is a goner."
"That why you fucked things up with Chapman?"
Alex gave her a look. Nicky's eyes widened in genuine alarm.
"Wait a minute, that was all just unintentional?! Jesus. You two are batshit crazy."
"She told me she loved me and I told her to keep her distance. Nicky, she's started using."
Nicky's face grew serious, "Chapman?"
"Yeah. And I can't look out for her. I need you to do me a favour."
"Quit talkin' like you're dead. This person Venom has on the inside-"
"Cobra-"
"Whatever, this person that worm has on the inside, doesn't know what they're dealing with. I've got your back Vause."
Alex nodded, "Nicky, keep an eye on Piper. Please."
"She hates you right now."
"And I love her." Alex shrugged, "Promise me you'll look out for her?"
Nicky nodded slowly, "A drug importer and an ex addict walk into a bathroom...I'm waiting for the punchline."
An overwhelmed sob escaped from Alex's lips. Nicky pulled her into a silent embrace, patting her back comfortingly. Nicky felt a pang of despair as she held Alex, whose body rocked with silent sobs.
"It's gonna be alright. I promise... It might get better, hell it might even get worse, but Alex...Chapman loves you. And I care about you a lot. You have friends in the Litch, and we've got your back. You just need to let me in. Tell me what's been going on..."
Alex nodded as she pulled out of the embrace and wiped her tears.
"C'mon..." Nicky took Alex by the hand and led her out the bathroom.
"Where're we going?"
"To Red." Nicky said.
Piper was returning to her room when she saw Nicky leading Alex out of the bathroom by the hand and disappear into the kitchen.
Some thing was up. Piper headed to the kitchen too.
As Piper entered the kitchen, she could hear Red's voice.
"You mean to tell me somebody is hooking my girls up to heroin?"
"We can't make it obvious, whoever it is, we need to set them up. Get a C.O. to catch them red handed." Nicky was saying, Piper cleared her throat. Red, Nicky and Alex turned to see Piper.
"What's going on? I wanna help."
"No, no, kid. You comin' with me..." Red ordered, she took Piper by the wrist and grabbed two water bottles and a bag of food and led her out of the kitchen.
"What? Where're we going?"
"Stay quiet." Red said in that familiar voice that meant you'd be dead if you questioned her.
She led Piper to the bread cupboard and pushed her inside, she handed Piper the bottles and the food.
"I'm gonna get you clean. Tough love, Chapman. I'll return for you when it's time."
Piper's jaw hung open in part shock, but mostly in terror as Red swung the door shut.
"I am clean!" Piper declared as she hit the door. She tried the handle, Red had locked it.
"Red?! Red?! Don't you dare leave me in here...!" There was nothing but silence on the other side, "..Red?" Piper called in defeat. She lowered herself to the floor and looked at the darkness. The word effortlessly described everything running through her mind as she let it slip out, "Fuck."