The New Guard On The Block - Percy Wetmore x OFC Fanfic

New Hire

Hey guys so I'm going to be rewriting this whole story and polishing it up! I kind of rushed everything from writing to publishing that I didn't even sit down and reread it a couple of times like I usually do with my stories. 

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"Oh! I just can't thank you enough Uncle Hal! This means so much to me - for letting me work for you and work as a guard!" I smile, "I promise I will better than anyone else trying to walk onto E Block! My pops and brothers taught me well!"

"Ah, yes, I know your brothers and father taught you well." My uncle Hal Moore smiled, "But you still need to be cautious around the inmates, I don't want anyone of my guards getting injured - let alone my sweet little niece. Now! There are some set rules I'll go over with you right now in my office while we're here... and then... you'll be passed over to Mr. Edgecomb and the rest of this morning's crew" my uncle said getting some files in order. He started getting me familiar with some of the standard operating procedures, filling out and finalizing some paperwork, and odds and ends for a new hire. "Now, as we talked over dinner with me and your Aunt Melinda the other day, since the guards are all male and you're the first female there will be some differences. The main difference will be that..." he started, pointing an open hand up and down my uniform, "...you will be wearing a suit and not a skirt. But you said that's all fine and dandy, which I will agree and back you on - I wouldn't want to handle an inmate in a skirt, that's for sure!" We both chuckled. "And... actually that's the only thing different now that I think about it. We've covered everything we've had to cover...any questions?" My uncle smiled.

"No, everything seems to be squared away with me!" I smiled, "But do the rest of the guards know I'm a woman and not a man going to work with them?"

"Oh, they'll know soon enough" my uncle chuckled and gave me a wink before standing up out of his chair. "Come on now, as much as I'd love to sit and chat with my niece we both have duties to attend to. I'll walk you down to E Block, or 'The Green Mile' as some of the boys call it, introduce you to the boys, and send you off". My uncle called someone on his phone, and from the sounds of it, I could guess the men down in E Block. My uncle had mentioned something about Mr. Edgecomb a few seconds ago, so putting two and two together I became a detective.

We walked through different sections outside before getting to the building where I would be working this morning. My uncle went in first, me following behind him. I could see as soon as the door was open, there were a few guards standing by one another. A few seconds later I wasn't blocked by my uncle's bigger frame and I could see all of the guards, and all of the guards could see me. From what I could see, they all seemed surprised or shocked. "Warden can I speak with you for a moment," one said. Ah, must be the whole 'she is a girl, what are you thinking, this isn't right' speech. "Of course! We can converse right here." my uncle said not worried.

"Well..." he started, carefully it seems, "it's just that seeing as this is a man's job I was wondering what might have prompted you to hire a woman?"

"Yeah! This is no place for a woman! It's full of murdering and ra- sacks of no good trash!" another man spoke up, a bit older like my uncle.

"Now, Mr. Edgecomb... Mr. Terwilliger..." my uncle said addressing each separately. Which is good, so now I know who two of the guards are. Well, at least their names. "This is Miss Ruth Hartmann. She will be and is the new guard for E Block, as it was requested for more officers. AND, before you interject... she may be small and a woman, yes, but do not underestimate her. Take for instance the fact that she's about the same size as your beloved Percy" my uncle said earning some eye rolls at the name Percy. "Although I can guarantee you, boys, that she'll put in more effort and work than most of you will in a year." He smiled and poked at the boys.

"How do we know if she'll be able to handle herself with the inmates? Or worse? Percy?" One guard said, earning a couple of chuckles. My uncle's response was not as amused. "Mr. Stanton, why don't you ask her yourself? She is standing right here after all." Then all the heads and gazes turned to me to answer the question.

"Well... y'all might not believe me, or you might, there's no way for me to tell at the moment, but...I'm glad to tell you that I'm a skilled boxer and I've been through some tough spots in my time being on this speck of dirt. I've had plenty of fights with grown men - and won, of course. I'm not exactly fond of losing, so I've gotten better at it over the years. Just ask my uncle, he can attest to it." I noticed that the men's eyes became little miniature saucers when I mentioned Hal being my uncle.

"The wardens your uncle?!" Mr. Edgecomb asked surprised.

"Yes, yes." my uncle waved his hand, as to wave the question out of his way, "Now enough chatter! Take Miss Hartmann and show her the ropes on the block. Treat her as any other guard... well except in, you know any female instance that arises - if it even does! I've got other business to attend to!" My uncle said getting impatient, before patting me on the shoulder with one last sentence before leaving "Stay safe and do good!"

We all watched my uncle walk out the door a few steps behind me, and in front of everyone else with where they were standing. Then the attention turned back to me. I've never been a big fan of being the center of attention - it makes me feel weird. Like I'm hogging all of the attention type of weird. "I apologize if anything came off as rude, Miss Hartmann, it's just that we've never had a female working here as a guard. With your uncle being the man that he is, if he hired you then we shouldn't have too much to worry about, now should we?" Mr. Edgecomb spoke up, "To start you off on the Mile these are some of E Blocks guards. This is Mr. Harry Terwilliger, Mr. Dean Stanton, the big boy right here is Mr. Brutus Howell. We like to call him 'Brutal'. And I am Mr. Paul Edgecomb, the person who you will be reporting to if anything were to go wrong in, on, or around the block." I introduced myself to each and one of them, as well as shaking their hands to be professional. They told me of how there are currently two inmates, one at the infirmary, and the other was in his cell. A Native American by the name Arlen Bitterbuck. They started showing me the different paperwork and how to fill it out to start off my shift. Not a bad way to start out the shift, I love doing paperwork for some odd reason. It's very relaxing and therapeutic - at least to me, that is.