Vauseman: Litchfield's Finest Love

Chapter Ten: Piper

Pain. Everywhere.
My head throbbed, pounding with each breath I took. It was as if a truck ran over and smashed my skull.
Consciousness.
It was slowly returning. There was a constant beeping.
Confusion.
I had sent a bullet into my brain. Why was I in pain? Dead people don't feel pain.
Realization.
The cop had dove for me as I pulled the trigger. Did he push the gun out of my hand?
Alertness.
My eyes fluttered open and everything was blurry. From the various monitors and machines, I assumed I was in a hospital.
When my vision fully returned, I noticed that there was a nurse sitting in the corner of the room. We made eye contact, and she jumped up. She came over to me with a smile.
"Welcome back, sweetie," she said.
I struggled to find my voice. It took all of my strength to say, "How am I alive? I shot myself...I should be dead."
The nurse frowned, grabbing a chart from a table. She fished through the pages, and stopped at one, pointing out a very sloppy paragraph written by a doctor.
"When the gun went off, the policeman pushed your hand. The bullet still went into your skull, but it skimmed past your brain, making a clean cut. You did die on the table, though, but we brought you back. You are one lucky duck."
The tears started to roll down my face. I couldn't do this without...
I couldn't even bear to think her name. It hurt more than the pounding in my head. Maybe if I pretended it wasn't true, I could trick my brain into thinking she was still alive.
"How long was I unconscious?" I asked, gingerly wiping my face.
"Three days," the nurse said. "It's good to have you back." She paused. "Oh, you have a visitor. Let me go get them."
She turned around and headed out the door.
My heart accelerated; I could actually hear the monitor beep faster. There was a tiny part of me that was still hoping it could be her...
In through the door came the nurse, followed by Officer Maxwell. My stomach dropped and I felt like someone stomped on the tiny fire of hope left burning in my heart. She smiled at me.
"Piper Chapman," she said. "I have good news for you."
"What is it?" I asked weakly, barely a whisper.
"Once you recover, which will be in a few weeks, you are free to leave."
I frowned, not understanding. "So do I call the prison when I'm better so they can bring me back? I don't know their number, and I don't even know where I am."
Maxwell just laughed at me, and shook her head.
"Piper, you're free to leave prison once you recover here. You had only had a week left, so what is the point of going back? There is none. We filled out your paperwork and you're now a free woman. Congratulations, and good luck out there." She gently patted my arm and left.
The nurse asked if I needed any painkillers, and I nodded. She gave me some morphine, and also left the room, leaving me alone with my own thoughts.