Kindred Spirits

Part 30

"What's wrong with her?" Reb asked, taking off running after Lou up the stairs who was carrying Stevie now.

"Don't know, but she's having a seizure!" Lou yelled as she reached the next level

Will Jackson just so happened to be on that level and immediately took notice.

"What's wrong, Kelly?!" Will asked as Lou ran toward him.

"I don't know, Mr J! She just looked sick and passed out." Lou yelled as she placed Stevie in the man's arms.

Will's heart sank immediately when he recognized it as Stevie Simmons. Stevie started choking and Will laid her down on her side. Stevie took in a deep breath before she laid completely still.

"Fuck!" Will yelled, and he laid her on her back and started chest compressions.
"Hit the damn button, Kelly!"

Lou immediately hit the button and the prison was filled with the alarm going off, and the entire world of Wentworth imploded.

Guards swarmed the area and a crash cart was rolled in as the nurse came running.

"She isn't breathing and I can't get a pulse!" Will yelled and the nurse pulled out a needle before getting down beside of Stevie.

"A shot of this will restart a horse." The nurse said before pulling down Stevie's shirt and immediately plunging it into her chest.

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When Joan walked into Dr. Miller's office, the man took one look at her and told her to sit down.

"Something has happened." He deduced as he sat down.

"I don't know what...what I did. She doesn't want me..." Joan could barely control her tears.

"I'm sure that isn't true, Joan." Dr Miller said, but Joan hid her face behind her hands.

"She told me she couldn't do this anymore. She said-"

The alarm sounding made Joan jump in her chair, and a sickening feeling flew through her.

The door opened as the guard knocked.

"Lock down. You two good here?" The guard asked and Dr. Miller nodded.

"Yes. Any idea what's going on?"
Dr. Miller asked, curious as to what it was this time.

"Not a clue." The woman replied and then Will Jackson came over her walkie talkie just as she was closing the door.

"Get me an ambulance now, Miles! Simmons is alive, but barely. Heart keeps-"
The words were shut off as the door was closed, but Joan immediately jumped up and headed toward the door.

"Joan! Joan, you can't-"
Dr. Miller warned, his own face pale at what he'd heard and Joan turned on him.

"Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare!" Joan yelled, feeling like her world was burning. She also felt like she couldn't breathe.
"This is your fault! If I hadn't taken your damn advice, I wouldn't...I wouldn't be...be..."
Angry tears burned in her eyes and she felt herself getting weak.
"No. No. No! I can't lose her! God, this is all my fault. I left her alone. I left her all alone. I love her. I can't...I can't...I can't lose her..." Joan sobbed, hitting her knees.

"Joan." Dr Miller said, holding out his hand and getting out of his chair.
"This isn't your fault."

"Who fault is it then? Yours?" Joan yelled at him.
"No. It's mine. If I hadn't loved her. This always happens. I told you. She's going to die because I'm too weak. I wanted love, and...and now..."

"Why do you think this is your fault? She could have a medical condition you don't know about." Dr Miller said, trying to be a voice of reason.

"You've read her file!" Joan spat at him.
"I know you have. You're too nosey not to have. Does she have a medical condition, Dr. Miller?"

"I... couldn't reveal that if she did." Dr. Miller replied, and a sound like a whimper escaped Joan's throat.

"She doesn't. She's pregnant and vulnerable and I left her alone. I shouldn't have even if she told me to. I already exposed her. Everyone knows about our relationship now. I'm so fucking stupid. I should have seen through the hurt. I should have..." Her voice teetered off as she started getting lost somewhere between the past and the present.

"Try not to jump to conclusions, Joan. I know this is difficult for you, but-"
Dr. Miller tried to say.

"I just wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to...to...live. I wanted her to get far away from this place. She should be able to be happy. She's brought so much happiness into mine. I don't deserve it, but she does. She does, and I don't know how I'll live without her. There won't be any use."

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The ambulance siren was way too loud, and the woman on the stretcher felt much too cold. She also felt in pain. Everything hurt inside her, and she couldn't remember what was happening. She could only focus on one name. Joan. She tried to put a face to the name before she lost consciousness again, and the world faded to black.

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Will Jackson ran a hand along his face as he walked the hall toward his office. He had wanted to accompany Stephanie Simmons himself, but he also had a prison to run. He felt a heavy responsibility for the young woman since she had been abused under his care. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a sickening feeling this wasn't a coincidence.

"Mr. Jackson!"

He turned around at the sound of his name and his shoulders fell even further as Joan Ferguson walked toward him, the guard and Dr. Miller on her heels.

Joan had seen the man walk by the office window and she'd bolted out the door.

"It's alright, Roxanne." Will said to the female guard, waving her off.

"How is she?" Joan asked, and Will was immediately perplexed. How did she know? He also took note of her appearance and clear tear tracks painted the normally calm face. It was...disconcerting.

"I'm sorry, Governor. She heard it over the walkie." Dr. Miller explained.

"Would you both like to come into my office?" Will asked, knowing some conversations needed privacy.

"Is she alive?" Joan asked, more fervently this time and Will nodded his head yes as they all walked to his office.

"I don't know much." Will admitted as they walked.
"I was walking the floor when Lou Kelly came running up the stairs with Simmons in her arms. She was already having a seizure, and she..."
Will's voice tapered off as he thought about Stevie dying in his arms.

"What happened?" Joan asked adamantly.

"She just stopped breathing." Will replied, very gently as they rounded the corner to his office and Vera Bennett came into sight.
"She was foaming at the mouth and seizing and she just stopped. Lou Kelly..."

The man's voice faded as Joan's eyes met Vera's. There wasn't an outright smirk, but there definitely wasn't any compassion on the shorter woman's face.

Vera could see the devastation on Joan's face from where she was. She didn't need to get closer. Did it give her slight satisfaction that Joan was feeling what she'd felt when Joan had informed her about Jake? Perhaps.

Knowing she had her adversary's full attention, Vera mouthed one word that she knew Joan would only know the meaning of. She watched with sadistic glee as Joan's face turned completely white before she turned on her heel and walked back the other way down the hall.

"Kath?" Dr. Miller asked, noting the unusual paleness of Joan's face and how she'd stopped walking to grab the wall.
"Kath, are you alright?"

Joan was anything but alright. The air felt like it had been pressed from her lungs as that one word rolled around in her mind.

Checkmate.