Heya guys ^^ If you're still around, I'm really sorry for have kept you waiting. I haven't forgot about the story ;) Just been occupied with moving and tough days at work. (And watching St. Elsewhere *cough*. Had no idea, how addictive that show is!)

But here's chapter four ^^ Please, let me know, if there's any mistakes.

Chapter 4 – To you it's just Brutus...

It was late afternoon and E Block was quiet, as though the entire building had dozed off in the heat. Ellie had returned from at meeting with Paul, the prisons doctor Tom Briscoe and the warden, Hal Moores; a sympathetic, lean old man, that stood even higher than Brutus. Now she was sitting outside Alice Reardons cell, strongly observed by Dean Stanton, when he wasn't doing paper works.

The warden had talked about the date of execution, which has been loosely set around the end of October. But there was still a chance, Alice would be declared temporarily insane, he had told her, because of the abuse, and had her sentence change to life. Ellie wasn't sure, how to break the news to Alice: The old woman had already embrace death, if it was something she had yearned for years.

Instead, Ellie grabbed for at different subject.

"Do you know why they call it 'The Green Mile'?" she asked quietly through the bars, where Alice sat calmly on the bunk, her hands fold in her lap. Paul had used the term several times, but she hadn't dared asking.

"Oh, yes I do," the old woman said. "The Indian was so kind to tell me. In other prisons, the route to the chair is called 'The Last Mile', but because of the colour of the floor, this route is called 'The Green Mile."

"Well, they should have called it 'The Faded, Once-Green Linoleum Mile', instead," Ellie said, glaring down the corridor, where specks of dust were playing in the sun beam from the large window. "But I guess that doesn't sound as jolly, now does it?"

Alice smiled her agreement.

"So," she said softly. "How are the guards treating you?"

Ellie shot Dean a quick look and leaned in against the bars.

"They are guarding me, as if I was a child and they had killer-lions in every cell," Ellie answered quietly with a slight smirk. "But they are very nice – I like them."

"Perhaps some more than others?" Alice asked innocently.

Ellie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I have seen how that young boy, Percy, is looking at you," Alice said. "I'll bet, he has asked you out, before the end of this week."

"Blimey, I hope not," Ellie muttered.

"Why not? He's handsome, isn't he?"

Ellie hesitated. Yes, Percy was handsome, but there was something underneath that well-combed surface, that made her skin crawl. At first, she had thought it was a foolish feeling, but when she had returned from the meeting with the warden, he had been walking his round and she had seen how to looks in the prisoners' eyes changed, as soon as they spotted his squatty shadow on the linoleum. It had been clearest at Delacroix': He had had the same frightened anger in his eyes, as a beaten dog. He hated him, but she couldn't figure out why. None of the other guardgenerated such reaction– not even Brutus and his huge figure.

"Is it because he's short?" Alice asked, when she didn't answer.

"What?" Ellie couldn't help, but laugh. "No, of course not."

"Because if that was the case," Alice said calmly. "There is another single man in here, tall as a building – and I'm most certain, he would love to go out on a date with you too."

Ellie rolled her eyes. Alice started to sound like her mother, constantly reminding her of her single status.

"I'm not here to find a man," she told her. "I'm here to take care of you, remember?"

"My dear, I may be old, but I'm certainly not going to die, just because you take your eyes of me for one evening."

"I certainly hope not." Ellie smiled. "I have to sleep at some point."

"And maybe more…" Alice added; her calm, lady-like voice making the hidden message in those words sounding a bit surreal.

"Oh, stop it!"

She did, but there was a know-all smile on her lips, that told Ellie she should make a desperate change of subject – but somehow she couldn't.

"How do you know, he's single?" she asked.

"Who? Percy?"

"No, Brutus."

"No ring," Alice responded simply.

Ellie wasn't convinced. "Maybe he's just seeing someone."

Alice eyed her and asked. "Why do you suddenly sound so interested?"

Ellie shot her a look. "Don't start that again. I was just wondering – he seems like such a sweet man." Handsome too, a voice added in her head, sounding suspiciously like Alice. She nearly blushed.

"The perhaps you should try your luck with him?"

Ellie shook her head. "No, I…" She sighed. "Don't be foolish."

There was a brief silence and Ellie realised how shallow it sounded. But it wasn't the thought about being with Brutus that seemed foolish. It was the thought about being with any man. But before she could explain herself, Alice started talking, already miles ahead:

"My dear," she said softly. "Who hurt you?"

Ellie gaped at her, a bit shocked about how fast the old woman had seen through her. But then again, if anyone knew about getting hurt… Ellie hesitated, her eyes wandering to Dean to make sure, he was still busy with his paperwork. She breathed out a sigh.

"My former husband," she finally said quietly. "I divorced him five years ago."

"What happened?"

"He didn't quite understand that the part about 'remain true to her, as long as we both shall live' only included me."

"What a pig," Alice replied, so brusquely it nearly made Ellie laugh. But then her smile faded.

Yes, he had been a pig. But he had also been her first true love. She met him, when she was nineteen, married him when she was twenty – and divorced him by the age of twenty-one. He had been a year older than her, a medical student and charming as few; handsome and intelligent. For nearly two years, she had been the luckiest girl alive… and then her entire world burst, when she discovered the truth.

She moved back with her parents during the divorce, spent a month in eternal shock and grief, before the fury finally shook her out of the coma. What happened afterwards was an act of pure desperation, she knew that now, but back then it felt rebellious – she wanted to show the world, that she was capable of taking care of herself, so she joined to nursing school and when she graduated, she rented the apartment were she still lived.

And not once had there been a man in her life. Most of the time, she was quite satisfied about her choice. But once in a while, the bitter voice of reality joined her:

You are twenty-six and you are not even dating someone. You are going to die as a sad, old maid, if you don't move your arse!

Ellie sighed. The voice was right. But how could she get near the fire again, when she still haven't recovered from the last burn?

oOo

Dean hardly looked at Brutus, when he came to say goodnight. The young guard was watching miss Brent with a slight frown.

"I don't like her sitting so close to the bars," Dean muttered, when Brutus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Aw, come on now, you ol' hen," Brutus said, smirking. "Mrs. Reardon wouldn't hurt a hair on her head. Besides, her shift is over in half an hour. Let her stay."

Dean looked up at him. "Who will watch the old gal over night?"

"The prison doc', of course. The other Blocks are quiet at night, not much to do anyway. He'll have his paperwork moved to Pauls office, so he's closer to her."

"I can't believe, they're making such a fuss about this," Dean sighed. "She shouldn't be here. This is no place for a young woman."

"She'll be fine – Christ, you sound like a worried father."

Dean shot him a dry look. "Weren't you on your way home?"

Brutus chuckled.

"I'm going, I'm going." He turned towards the cells. "Night fellas – ladies. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight."

The inmates murmured a 'g'night' back and miss Brent smiled her gently smile. "Good night, Mr. Howell."

Outside, the darkest of rainclouds had to his surprise, appeared in the horizon. Brutus loosened his tie and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, as he walked to his car. The air was still heavy with heat; if he hurried, he would be home before the storm hit…

But he had hardly finished his thought, before he saw it:

"Oh, you piece of…. You have got to be kidding me!"

Cursing under his breath, he pushed his cap back and knelt before the flat tire. Completely busted. He was annoyingly aware, that he had to change it, before he could get home – there was no way around it. So he sighed, rose to his feet and rolled up his sleeves.

By the time, he was done, raindrops had started to streak the dust on his old Pontiac and he could smell the incoming rain. Placing the tools under the back seats, he was ready to go, when something caught his attention: A tiny figure moving behind the parked cars. Brutus straightened.

It was Miss Brent, walking alone in the incipient rain, with her suitcase in one hand. Brutus shook his head; why hadn't any of the boys offered her a lift?

"Miss Brent," he called. She stopped by the sound of her name and turned around. "You wanna drive along to the bus stop?"

"Is it that far?" she called back.

"One and a half, maybe two miles. But you'll be soaked, before you get there."

She looked up at the sky, thought about it for a moment, then walked towards him. The rain had already stained her coat. He opened the door for her.

"That's very nice of you, Mr. Howell," she said gently. "Thank you."

"Brutus," he corrected her, as he reached for the handle of the suitcase. His fingers touched hers lightly, before she let go.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's just 'Brutus' – or 'Brutal'. 'Mr. Howell' sounds too much like a banker."

She smiled and her dark eyes lid up like the twilight sky.

"You know that goes both ways, right?" she said softly, as she got in to the car. "If I have to skip the formality, so do you."

He hesitated with the car door; he hadn't expected that. "You wan' me to call you Eleanor?"

"Oh no – people only use my real name, when I'm in trouble. It has always been 'Ellie'."

"A'right."

He climbed in too. As he started on the engine, Ellie suddenly turned towards him, as though she had just remembered something.

"By the way, why are you still here? I thought you had left long ago?"

"Flat tire," he responded.

"Oh, that's bad luck." She was silent for a short moment, before she added with a slight smile: "I should have left earlier, then I could have helped you fix it."

Brutus grinned. "You know how to change a tire?"

"Sure. My driving instructor wouldn't let me pass, unless I could do so. So I learned."

"How many flat tires have you changed, then?"

She smiled mischievously. "Not a single one since my driving test. No car, no flat tires."

Brutus laughed, but inside he was quite overwhelmed by her. He had to admit, he hadn't had high thoughts about her, before he met her. But she was growing on him and fast too; he couldn't remember one woman he had ever met, who knew how to repair even the simplest thing on an automobile. She was quite remarkable…

They reached the gate and went through the mandatory exchange of ID with the guard, before they could leave the prison. As the gate closed behind them, Brutus noticed that Ellie glanced back at E-block in the side mirror.

"Already worrying about your patient?" he said. "You are in for a long night then."

Ellie's slightly embarrassed smile, told him, he had read her mind.

"An old occupational injury, I'm afraid," she admitted. "I have never found it easy, to give the responsibility to others at the end of a shift."

"Don't worry. Doc Briscoe knows what 'e's doing."

"I know. I meet him today. He seemed very… determined"

"He's just a bitter, ol' bulldog, that's what he is."

Ellie laughed, then clasped a hand to her mouth, giving him a reproachfully look. "That's not very nice!"

Brutus chuckled. Ellie shook her head, smiling. Suddenly the arrival at the bus stop came way to soon.

Brutus slowed down, hesitating. The rain had intensified. There was a shelter next to the stop, but he wasn't even sure when the bus will come.

"You know," he began. "I could drive you to New Roads, if you want to."

Ellie frowned thoughtfully. "But where do you live?"

"Uh, a bit outside Bunkie."

"But that's the completely different direction! No, I wouldn't allow that."

"It's no problem, really…"

"Nu-uh. You are not wasting your spare time, being my chauffeur. I'm taking the bus."

"You sure 'bout that?"

Who sounds like a worried ol' daddy now?

"Yes." She smiled and stepped out of the car. "Good night, Brutus. And thanks for the ride."

"Night, Ellie." He was surprised how perfectly her name laid on his tongue. "See ya tomorrow."

He could see her wave in the rear-back mirror, as he did a U-turn and drove off, and a sudden warmth filled his chest. Forcing his eyes away from her, he cursed the heater and reached out the turn it off – just to realize, that the airflow hitting him, was as chilly as the rain outside.