Slammer

I submerged myself in work, filling my day with intake screenings so that I wouldn’t have to go face to face with X, but there were only so many new inmates. After stressing over seeing him, I realized my worry was for nothing. Right after I went home, X left the infirmary.

He was sent straight to solitary for his attack on the COs. It was well deserved, but still, it bothered me knowing he was locked in such a terrible place after he’d rescued me. Not that my life was any more important than the COs, but you’d think one would cancel the other out.

As bad as it sounded, I wasn’t sad when I found out that Carlos had been murdered. I didn’t even want to think about who’d killed him. I probably should’ve felt guilty knowing that his attack on me had something to do with his untimely death, but I had none.

Rumors moved around the prison about who had ultimately taken his life, and X seemed to be the number-one pick. I wanted to believe differently, but I couldn’t forget about the fire that was in his eyes the day he saved me. He wanted to kill him then, but instead, he had waited.

Of course, I couldn’t forget the fact that Carlos was the leader of a lethal gang. Gang violence was an everyday occurrence in Fulton. The simple fact was, no one would ever know what really happened to him, but there was one less killer in the world.

It was wrong, but every day that I worked, I waited with bated breath for X to enter the infirmary. Wanting him there meant another lockdown for the prison. It meant some guy on the block was going to get his ass kicked by X, and it meant X getting hurt as well, but I was selfish. I wanted the opportunity to thank him properly and if I were being honest with myself, I wanted to see him.

My eyes kept flickering to the door. Every time it opened, I’d hold my breath, but it was never X.

“Who you waiting for?” a voice asked from my side.

When I looked over, I saw an inmate sitting up in bed. It was a little guy the inmates liked to call Scoop. His real name was Evan Moore. He was serving fifteen years for self-defense and had already been at Fulton for seven. I’d only seen him a handful of times, but he wasn’t a very scary guy.

He was short and skinny. Something about him reminded me of a little mouse. I thought it was his tiny, button nose or his pointy ears, but either way, I found myself smiling at him.

“No one.”

“So how you liking Fulton so far? To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still here considering.”

He lifted a shoulder and grimaced. I knew without him saying that he was talking about the attack.

And then I remembered some things I’d heard about Scoop. Things like he was X’s friend and that he knew everything there was to know about every inmate on the block. It was wrong, but my curious nature was getting the best of me. I wanted to know more about X.

Ignoring his earlier question, I went straight for the kill. “So you’re friends with X?”

The side of his mouth tilted in a knowing grin. “That I am.”

I was hoping he’d just automatically tell me things about X, but he was obviously going to make me work for it. Swallowing my pride, I nodded and continued my line of questioning.

“How is he doing? He was pretty banged up the last time I was here.”

“Don’t know. He was in the hole for a week, and now all this shit with Carlos. I haven’t been able to talk to him much.” He scratched the side of his neck and opened his mouth like he wanted to say more. Grinning, he did. “Being in the hole is hell, but looking at you now, I’d say you were worth it.”

Maybe Scoop didn’t know everything he thought he did. He had his facts all messed up. X didn’t go to solitary because of me; he went there because he’d beaten two COs so badly they had to be rushed to the hospital.

“I had nothing to do with his attack on the COs,” I insisted.

He lifted a blond brow and looked at me as if I were insane. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“No, I don’t. Why don’t you fill me in?”

Again, he smirked, shaking his head in disbelief. “X was defending your honor. Stone and Parks were talking so much shit about you. They were even joking about getting you alone and raping you. I guess he couldn’t take it, and he snapped.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “You should know X is crazy protective when it comes to the people he cares about.”

I could hardly believe my ears.

Swallowing hard, I let his words run though my brain, trying to make sense of everything. “Wait. What makes you think X cares about me? I’m just a nurse. I could lose my job if it were anything more.”