rafe cameron alternate universe
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emerson hughes is a nursing student training at the north carolina state penitentiary, home to some of the worst criminals in the country. her days are mundane, checking on inmates when needed, yet the day rafe...
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The scanner flashes green, allowing me access into the large double doors that lead to my office. The gray walls around me are dark and dingy, and it takes everything in me to remind myself that this job is not permanent, but an opportunity to move forward in my career. The nursing major I am taking requires an internship at a hospital or facility while taking classes. Why I chose the most maximum security prison in the state of North Carolina is a question I don't even have the answer to, but it gives me the credits I need to graduate next May.
A few officers smile at me as I walk down the hall and I return the gesture.
"How's it going today Roberts?" I ask, wanting to get an idea of how busy this shift is going to be.
The older man smiles, "the usual. A few fights that ended in cuts and bruises, but nothing out of the ordinary. That could change when the new inmate arrives so keep an ear out for the call."
The new inmate.
Myself and the rest of the staff have been preparing for this for the last few months, following along with the news castings and verdicts of the case. When the announcement was made that he would be coming to Central Prison I felt my stomach drop. Not that I am unprotected by the officers here, but because of what he did.
He killed a sherif in the Outer Banks, that was notably one of the best in the state. A few of my coworkers new her through training and said she was the most sincere and hardest working person they had ever met. If a nineteen year old boy could do that so blatantly, he is going to have no respect for any of us here.
I am choosing to do everything in my power to stay as far away from his as possible. Self defense is different, but cold murder is what he did. In my eyes he is a monster, and nothing will change that. If I do have to interact with him it will be to do my job and then stay the hell out of his way.
The first few hours of my day goes by as routine, giving patients their medicine and checking on wounds from injuries that have been received inside the prison and out of it. Fights between inmates happen almost daily over things like food, hierarchies or just plain shit talking. The groups and cliques in prison are almost the same as in high school but full of grown men and I can't help but hold my laughter over the comments they make to each other.
A shrill comes over the staff intercom, and I feel my breath catch. The signal means a new inmate is arriving for booking and it can only mean he has arrived.
I fix my scrubs and pull my pony tail tighter as I make my way towards the front of the building. Officer Roberts joins me at my side as we walk through the large, open cafeteria where inmates eat and talk amongst each other, waiting for new prey. I am able to hold my own, but Roberts sees me as a daughter figure and likes to look after me.
In this moment I am thankful for him as my legs shake slightly in nervousness. This will be my first time being face to face with an inmate who has committed murder. There are others booked, but they are held in a separate part of the prison where I have not seen them. They reside in isolation for safety purposes and an older nurse, Julie works with him.
He however, will be one of my patients if needed. We are the same age, and I was told that will help make him be more cooperative because I am someone he can trust.
We all wait around the front doors, and I look up from my feet when I hear the click of the door. Rafe Cameron walks alongside officer Duncan, towering over his short, but built frame. He is well over six foot, making him all the more intimidating. His hands are cuffed behind his back, as well as shackles around his ankles. The grey and white striped set clings to his body, showing the tanned muscles of his arms.
His face holds a look of smugness and arrogance, but the beauty of his features is undeniable. Dark blue eyes scan the room at all of us and I freeze when they land on me. I swallow hard, and he smirks as if he could see it. His dark blonde, almost brown hair is in a middle part that sits on his forehead nearly perfectly messy. He looks almost too put together for entering the place that he will most likely die in due to receiving a life sentence for the crimes.
Rafe and officer Duncan go through the standard booking process, checking for outside items and taking his mugshot. The sharp expression never leaves his face, yet I can't tell if he is forcing himself to look more intimidating. Whether or not, it's fucking working.
His dark eyes scan over my body again, landing on my ID badge, and then my face. I lift my chin and lower my eyes as I stare back at him, despite how terrified I feel inside.
Full pink lips curl into another smirk, "Emerson," he nearly purrs, "maybe you can print that out and hang it in your bedroom. I'll even autograph it for you."
Two officers grab his arm and pull him away, "don't fucking try it with her."
I roll my eyes as he laughs at his comment, but that sound will haunt me due to the sadistic nature behind it.
"Well that was enough entertainment for one day, back to work." My boss calls after the so called entertainment is out of sight.
"Don't listen to him, Emerson. Almost all of these inmates come in wanting to put on a big show to seem more intimidating than they are. It never works, and you're protected." Officer Roberts tells me as we walk through the open area once again.
I nod and step slightly inside of my office. "He certainly knows how to put on a show. It seems like he'll be a tough one for all of us."
"We'll break him down eventually, have a good rest of your shift."
My chair squeaks as I sit down and I pull up the files of the inmates.
Rafe Cameron, 10/31/03, Outer Banks, North Carolina
I rub my fingers over my temples to relieve some of the tension that has built in the last ten minutes. The empathetic part of me almost feels sorry for him and the chaos that must be going on inside his brain, but the rational part of me understands that millions of people deal with these things and never do what he did.
A monster, that's what he is. A wolf in sheep's clothing, the beautiful features that cover his face don't make up for what he has done.
All I know, this is going to be a whole lot harder than I intended it to be.
