A HEALTHY LOVE

CH. 24: The Aftermath

Time moves differently in solitary confinement. Alex couldn't tell if a few hours had passed or nearly a day by the time the guards came around to question her about thecatrack. She spent about thirty minutes telling them the same story. "I heard the commotion in the hallway and went to check it out. I saw Pandora attacking McCullough. Then, Pandora attacked me. Said something about 'no witnesses' and I had to defend myself. I'm the one who called for help on the radio. For the third time, I had nothing to do with what happened to McCullough," Alex explained.

They took down her statement, but they kept her in the SHU. It was not until they spoke with Pandora, who corroborated Alex's statement in an angry rant, that they believed Alex was innocent. She was released from the SHU after three days without any additional punishments. Alex walked back to C-block, exhausted. All she had thought about was McCullough and how she was doing.

Alex spotted CO Copeland hanging around C-block. She made a beeline for her. "Have you heard anything about McCullough?" Alex asked.

"No. Nothing," Copeland replied.

Alex: "Do you know which hospital they took her to?"

"I'm not sure," Copeland said. "Thanks for calling for backup, Vause. I heard it was you. If she makes it, it'll be because of you." Alex gulped at Copeland's reply. If she makes it. A terrifying thought to Alex. "What about Pandora?" Alex asked.

"She has been transferred. She isn't coming back here. Trust me," Copeland promised.

With that, Alex walked to her cell. Now that they had taken her phone, she had no way of calling McCullough. Not that having a phone mattered. She didn't know which hospital to call anyway. She found the book McCullough had given her. She held it to her chest and shoved the pain and grief deep into her gut.

"Fuck me. You came back. You were gone like three days," Creech commented as she entered their cell.
Three days? Shit, Piper was supposed to visit. She has no idea what's going on, Alex realized.

Alex had enough time on her phone card for a quick call. She went to the phones and dialed Piper's number. Piper answered immediately. "Jesus, Alex! What the fuck is going on? I showed up just to hear you were thrown in the SHU. Are you okay?" Piper asked angrily.

"I'm fine. I don't have much time to talk. I'm out now, obviously, so you can come by whenever," Alex replied.

Piper: "What did you do?"

"Hey, I saved a life,ok? I did what I had to do," Alex answered. The call was interrupted by a message, stating they had only thirty seconds left to talk before the money ran out. "I need to go. We'll talk more in person."

Piper: "Okay. Alex…I love you."

Alex: "I love you too, Pipes."

Alex ended the call just before the money ran out. She went to her bed, where she curled up with the book from McCullough. She felt like she could vomit. What if McCullough didn't make it? What if she never came back? And what about her marriage? Where did she and Piper stand? Those questions were beginning to drive her to the brink of a breakdown .

After being inside the SHU for three days, the thought of getting some fresh air was most welcome. Alex grabbed her book and waited impatiently for yard time. Once it was upon them, she went to the concrete yard and took a seat. She looked up at the sky through the grates and sat there with her thoughts.