PR150N

Chapter 12

For once, time seemed to pass relatively quickly. The clunky hands moving at pace enough for me to remain excited about the upcoming social time. On a tray in my lap sat my lunch, a chicken sandwich and some slices of apple with a bottle of water. The meal choice was limited when you're in hospital, but I didn't even mind today. I'd have eaten pretty much anything to have the okay to see Sol and the gang.
As I finished my food, Dr Forrester walked in with his signature smirk on his face. I hadn't seen it much at the beginning, but since he and the Gov had come up with the plan and we had agreed, that signature smirk was there every time he walked into my room. He moved the tray and checked my blood pressure and pulse as the final minutes clicked down before I could finally go on a little day trip.

"Remember, whatever happens Gov has eyes on you. He's got people watching on all the cameras. Anything bad happens, just try to grab his attention." Dr Forrester said quietly as he wrote down his final notes. "And as soon as the alarm sounds, come back here. The last thing you need is to misbehave now and get shocked." I nodded along to what he said as he wrote the last word and stabbed the pen at the paper for the full stop.

"I can't thank you enough for this. I really appreciate you both wanting to look out for us." I said with a smile, knowing I had to keep on their good side. With a dramatic sigh, I brought Dr Forrester's attention to me. He looked up at me as we fell into silence and he raised his eyebrows as if to tell me to continue. I had to make sure this was all made into a big deal. The more they cared about our welfare, the more they would try and help track down whoever was hurting Sol and the gang. I was not actually meant to get hurt, but I injected myself into the situation and ended up on the wrong side of it. What I had to keep in mind was that the fight was solely there to hurt Toby. "Well, I'm glad to be getting back to seeing them all but I'm scared for them. Someone in this prison really wants to hurt them. It probably won't be long until one of us is in the hospital again. I'm scared it's going to be really bad next time." I knew we could handle nearly everything, we could kick as much ass as was needed to survive - but for the show, and the emotional bind I needed to create with Dr Forrester and the Gov, I ran my hands over my face and rubbed my eyes as if trying to mask how upset I was. Dr Forrester sat beside me on the bed and rubbed my arm with his hand.

"I get it, and it's okay to be scared. People like Sol, they're supposed to be indestructible. They've dealt with everything life has thrown at them and come out of it the best way they could. But now, In this place without the outside world to use to your advantage, I understand why you're feeling like this." I had hooked him in with my emotions, something I was getting used to doing a lot in this prison. I offered him a thankful smile as I placed my hand on top of his, causing him to straighten.

"I only sold drugs to try and make my family more money. The last thing I imagined was that I'd be in this prison, let alone stuck in hospital. Sol and the gang mean the world to me, I will help them until I can't help anymore." I released my hand from his, and he quickly withdrew his hand back to his lap. He looked around quickly before he spoke, making sure no one was around.

"The Gov is on it, trust me. We can't protect you from everything but we will try our hardest. As I said, any problems just get our attention somehow. I will be here to help any of you if you get hurt but I'm praying you don't. We will find whoever is responsible." The alarm blared after announcing social time and ended our conversation in an instant. Dr Forrester stood and gave me a resolute nod as he left the room. I quickly swung my legs from the bed, threw my orange jumpsuit back on and headed out the door for the first time in days.
I felt like a person who had been locked up in a room for years finally stepping out into the fresh air and the outside world. I had weirdly missed the general hubbub of the many conversations, the people heading to the library to learn, the gangs hanging out individually in their allocated spaces. It was like I was free to be me again.
I received a few smiles and waves as well as a few glares as I passed these people, but nothing fazed me right now as long as I thought about getting to Sol's room and seeing them all.
Arriving at the door, I felt a wave of nerves as I put my hand to the scanner and waited for the camera to scan my face. None of the guys knew I was going to be here today, I just hoped that they were going to be happy to see me. After what Sol had asked me, I knew the gang must have had their thoughts about me being the one causing these issues but I knew that couldn't have been farther from the truth and hopefully they would realise that too. With those nerves swimming, Sol's door opened quickly and he stood in the doorway, stunned to see me.

"Hey Sol." I smiled as he stood frozen on the spot, his eyes wide as he took me in.

"Fucking hell Sol let the poor woman in!" Toby shouted from inside the room with a laugh. Sol seemed to snap out of his shock and gestured for me to come into the room. As soon as the door shut, Sol pulled me into a hug. He didn't often show his emotions, especially not with his friends in the room, so I knew this meant a lot to him.

"It's so good to see you Lex." He breathed into my ear whilst he hugged me. "God, we missed you." In that moment, I really felt the love and warmth of Sol and his gang and how much we all meant to each other. It made me realise even more just how much I cared for these people and how willing I was to sacrifice myself for them. It felt like a peaceful moment, as if everything was right with the world for just those few seconds.

"Babe? Who was at the d-" Stephanie's voice was still like nails down a chalkboard to me as she strutted out of Sol's bedroom. She stopped as soon as she saw us hugging, and suddenly that lovely feeling I had been enjoying was gone. "What the hell are you doing?" She stormed over and practically pulled us apart, her eyes glaring at me with even more hate than before. "What are you doing here?" She hissed. The room fell silent as the gang waited for me to reply, but I merely looked back over at Stephanie with an unimpressed glare. After a few seconds, I turned away from her and looked at the gang. 

"How are you guys doing?" I stepped away from Stephanie and Sol and walked over to the sofas. I sat beside Toby and gave him a one-armed hug. They all beamed in response, except Raj whose smile wasn't quite reaching his eyes.

"It's so good to see you back in action." Ty grinned. "I'm hoping you can fix Sol, he's been all over the place." Raj was quick to roll his eyes at the statement.

"He's had a lot to think about. We've been having a lot of crucial conversations about the situation." Raj said matter-of-factly as he avoided eye contact with me. He ran his hand over his face as he looked over to Stephanie and Sol who were arguing in hushed tones. It was as if they had forgotten the rest of us sitting within the room, their anger and frustration boiling over as we watched with baited breath. Should we intervene? Should we keep talking and pretend it's not happening? I could tell we were all wondering the same thing, yet none of us knew what to do. Finally, in one final breath, Sol ended the argument and silenced Stephanie where she stood.

"If all of this is too much for you, then go. I won't sit here and pander to your needs every second of every day. My gang need a leader, I need to get us through this prison spell. You're the least of my worries." He said harshly, once again giving no thought to her emotions. "So there's the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out."