One Last Time [Vauseman Fanfic]

18: Waiting Game

What if the way we started made it something cursed from the start
What if it only gets colder
Would you still wrap me up and tell me that you think this was smart
Cuz lately I've been scared of even thinking 'bout where we are

Alex looked up at the clock again, only five minutes left of her shift. She fidgeted impatiently, having already filler her quota for the day and waited as the minutes painfully ticked by. With only three minutes left to go she decided that she'd done enough waiting and rushed out of the damp room and towards the suburb dorm, she needed to get these names written down. As she was walking towards her dorm she passed Healy's office, hearing a crying woman inside Alex felt a pang of sympathy for whoever was stuck inside. Healy was an ass. She hadn't walked past the door much when she heard the shout of 'Chapman!' come from inside and she hesitated. Piper never cried in front of Healy, at least, not anymore. Eventually she halted and turned, shooting daggers at the door whilst she waited for Piper to leave the room. She saw a figure, that she assumed was Piper's standing behind the foggy glass and she watched it intently, when she saw the door handle begin to turn she began to slowly walk, as if she had not been waiting there. When Piper didn't come out of the room she frowned and retraced her steps once again. What was she doing in there? Or, more importantly, what was he doing? She found herself waiting, once again. Her only distraction from the now quiet sobs of her girlfriend was the reciting of the list of names she had come up with over the last few hours. Soon enough, it was dinner time and Piper had still not left the room. Alex began to worry now, Healy's earlier words of 'punishing Piper' came back into mind and she growled quietly, thumping the wall she was leaning on with her fist.

"Woah Vause, why so tense?" Nicky's voice sounded through the mass of people now making their way towards the canteen.

Alex was too stressed to reply and gave a stiff nod towards the door she was glaring at.

"Healy? What's he done now?"

"Piper." Alex growled out.

Nicky laughed, "Healy did Piper?"

Alex shot her daggers at Nicky who quickly lost her smug look.

"Okay. Not in the mood for jokes, I see. Vause if he comes out of there and sees you like this I have no doubts he'll find a reason to send you to SHU. Come on, there's nothing you can do out here." Nicky dragged Alex towards the canteen.

Alex was too agitated to eat and made sure to sit where she would be able to see Piper as soon as she stepped into the canteen. She only needed to see her to make sure she was alright, that was all she needed. Alex was faintly aware of the mumbling coming from the other end of the table but ignored it until she heard various calls of her name, she was met with sympathetic looks and smiles and she managed to muster up a small smile in return, but only for a moment before her eyes snapped back to the doors. Her mind raced through the things that could have happened to make Piper cry in front of Healy. Maybe he told Larry about them again? Maybe he told her parents? Maybe he told Caputo about the Pennsatucky incident and maybe he was getting more time added to her sentence after all. She sighed and glanced up at the large clock on the wall. There was five minutes left of dinner and Piper was still nowhere to be seen. Alex's foot started to jolt up and down nervously and she fiddled with her glasses, thinking that she shouldn't have let Nicky drag her away from the office after all. Alex all but raced out of the canteen once the guards started to let people out and only stopped when Mendez shouted at her to halt.

"Where's the fire, inmate?" He asked, sadistically. "Assume the position."

Alex didn't fight, knowing that it would be over much sooner if she just complied and allowed the revolting man to rub his hands all over her as he conducted his 'search'. Seemingly satisfied, he smiled and motioned that she was free to go. Alex walked only slightly slower this time as she made her way back to Healy's office. When she got there she inched around the corner, seeing that the door was open but no one was inside. She swallowed hard, nervous again. She hoped to god that Piper hadn't been put in the SHU again. She searched the prison thoroughly, looking in all of the obvious places she might find Piper before checking places like the kitchen and the laundry room. Piper wasn't anywhere. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air. Alex, by this point, was almost having a full blown out panic attack. What if PIper had been transferred? How would they contact each other? How was Alex going to survive? She slumped over towards her bunk and fell into it, face first. Holding back sobs as she pressed her face into her pillow, as if she was trying to suffocate herself. Fucking Piper and fucking Healy. Why'd they have to go and mess everything up.