A/N: excuse the poorer than normal formatting, wrote this on my phone while travelling.

Chapter Twenty Eight

It was the dull scent of bleach that was first to greet her senses as she returned to the conscious world. Her throat was sore and dry, her neck still aching from the assault. She groaned as she raised a hand and ran her fingers along her neck. That hillbilly had pressed her bony elbow into Alex's throat and the added pressure combined with the sleeping pills Leanne had slipped into her drink, Alex hadn't stood a chance at defending herself. All she remembered was the burning suffocation and the agonising but inevitable sense of succumbing to the deep absence of everything. It was almost peaceful had it not been for that one thought.
"Alex?"
The familiar voice made Alex battle her thick fugue.
"Pipes..." Alex managed weakly. There it was, that one thought that even cheated the laws of physics. Alex's mind should have been blank, bringing into stark focus the life she had wasted, but all she really cared about was Piper. For some reason, even she didn't entirely understand, knowing it could be the last thing she ever thought of, she chose to think of Piper.
"Hey, Alex..." Piper's voice gently landed against Alex's thoughts. She was too tired and feeble to open her eyes. She felt a soft hand take hold of her own and give it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm right here." Piper's voice was low, and today it sounded particularly hollow. Alex turned her head and opened her eyes, squinting as light poured in. She found herself facing a distraught Piper. Alex mustered a bemused smirk, "are you crying?"
Piper smiled through her tears and hit Alex's arm.
"Pussy." Alex muttered. Her eyes felt so heavy, fatigue had soaked through her and it felt like it weighed a tonne. Her eyes rolled shut. She felt a hand caress her cheek, she leaned into its touch.
"Alex?" Piper whispered, Alex forced herself to open her eyes again. This time instead of the angry, frustrated and disappointed Piper Alex had been facing lately, Alex found herself watching a very different Piper. A terrified and vulnerable Piper, who's doe eyes were moist with remorse and fear.
"I love you." Piper managed, the normally simple words chose a whisper through which to escape Piper's lips, and she said them in a way that suggested it took more than Alex thought, in order for Piper to even dare say them. This was Piper's heart at its most sincere. At that moment, Piper's were the truest eyes Alex had ever seen. Piper's composure crumbled as tears slid down her cheeks, Alex gave Piper's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Hey..." Alex replied, battling every cell in her body to stay awake, "don't ruin such a sentimental moment by being a wuss."
Piper smiled, shaking her head at Alex. In that instant Alex knew what Piper needed to hear, she knew what Piper needed to know.
"I love you too, and when we get out of here we're gonna go back to the bar we first met in and I'll hit on you, just like I did the first time round..." Piper nodded, smiling through her tears for Alex. There was nothing Piper wanted more than what Alex was describing. "It'll be great." Alex replied with a gentle whisper, before her eyes rolled shut again.
Convinced Alex was in a deep slumber, Piper finally allowed herself to erupt into sobs. They shook her entire body as she held Alex's hand with both hands. She hadn't thought to sleep or eat in two days, not since Alex had been admitted. Piper had been allowed to go with her, thanks to Mendez making a case for Piper's good behaviour. Her eyes drifted to the door, she could see Mendez stood outside the door with his back to her. She had a few more minutes before he would enter the room and march her out of it, but until then, she intended to remain exactly where she was. By Alex's side, fingers entwined, the faintest beat of Alex's pulse against Piper's palm, knowing she hadn't abandoned Alex, and more importantly, it was knowing that Alex knew. This was who and where she wanted to be. If only moments of such clarity could last forever.
Mendez entered the room, he gave Piper a brief nod, "Say good bye."
Piper nodded, "Can I have two more minutes. Please?"
"We're already fifteen minutes late."
"I know, I'm sorry, just two more minutes. Please?"
Mendez studied her, then sighed, "alright..."

Mendez left Chapman with Vause for another two minutes, this time he watched her through the glass pane in the door. A part of him felt as though he ought to tell her this was the last time she'd see Vause. After Vause's recovery, on the basis of good behaviour and helping catch out Cobra, Vause was being released early. But Mendez didn't want Chapman to do something crazy, nor did he need drama. He knew it was cowardice on his part, but it was also honourable in a way. He was allowing her seventeen extra minutes with Vause before they'd part ways for good.
Mendez glanced at his watch, it was time.
"Chapman, let's go. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
Piper nodded, she gazed at Alex and planted a small kiss on Alex's forehead, Alex leant in to her touch. Piper gazed sadly at the inmate, "I'll see you soon. And you're right. It'll be great." She managed softly with a voice riddled in anguish.
Mendez kept quiet as he marched Chapman out of the hospital wing, "you ok?" Chapman asked. Mendez ignored her as they headed for Litchfield's main quarters.
"Okay, suit yourself." Chapman sighed, brushing his silence off as one of his usual mood swings or power plays. He felt bad, but this was prison not a fairy tale. People didn't get happy ever afters here. As they entered the main hall, he noticed Bennett and Daya giggling and talking once again.
Nobody ever gets a happy ending.
 Piper turned and looked at Mendez, she planted a hand on his shoulder, "Hey... thank you. I know you risked getting in trouble just now."
"You're welcome." Mendez replied with a courteous nod then he turned and walked away. Piper frowned as she watched him go. He seemed more silent and stoic than usual, she assumed it was to do with Bennett and Daya, but something about seeing Alex today and the way all the C.O.s were looking at Piper, made her feel uneasy.
Get a grip. Everything's gonna be fine. She told herself, she smiled as she thought of Alex approaching her in the bar where they first met. Piper still had fourteen months to serve and Alex had sixteen. Fourteen more months together. In their own paradise-come-hell. Her eyes drifted to the sign for the chapel, she felt a playful smile tug at her lips. Maybe everything really would be okay. Maybe her and Alex could just be happy together. Suddenly, it didn't seem like too much to ask.
All Piper really knew was that going even a single day without seeing Alex now, was unacceptable to her. She couldn't do it. And because fate was finally on her side, she wouldn't have to. She couldn't wait for Alex to recover. She'd be right here waiting. Piper wasn't going anywhere.