Cherry Bomb (Orange is the New Black fanfic)

Chapter 23

Cherry's POV

CW: Soft-core smut, blood play..?

My finger slid down the cement wall, slick and sticky as a line of dark red marked day number 30. The day I was finally getting out of isolation. The day when I could finally get to breathe again, see light again, and most importantly, see Nicky again. 

I could hear footsteps trailing down the hallway towards my cell and I perk up, my head tilting almost animal-like, a manic smile on my lips. 

A jingle of keys, the soft click of a lock being turned and finally, my door is opened, and a warm, blinding light fills my room, and I can't help but close my eyes at the sudden illumination. It's been so long since I've seen the light, both artificial and real. So much so that it hurts my eyes to look at. 

So, with squinting eyes, I let the guard drag me up from off the ground and manhandle me through the door and out into the hallway. 

Eyes blinking rapidly, trying to get my eyes back used to light, I'm pushed down the hallway, steel shut, isolation doors on every side. 

"It'll take a few more minutes for your eyes to adjust. Stay here till they do" the guard barks, his voice gruff as he puts me in what looks like a medical room. 

All I can do is stare as he locks the door behind me and once again, I am alone. 

I squeeze my eyes shut, open them and then repeat the process over and over again till my eyesight is finally 100 percent back. 

God how I missed light. 

The door opens again, and a woman walks in, not a guard but what I assume a doctor. She gestures for me to sit on the medical bench as she grabs a stethoscope off the wall. 

It's a standard medical room: A desk, computer sits in the corner, a long bench with medical paper against the right wall. A sink in the other corner with a table full of all kinds of different medical supplies. 

I sit on the bench, cringing as the paper crinkles underneath me. Once settled, the doctor comes up to me, her lips in a small yet gentle smile. 

"I'm just going to do a quick checkup, okay? Nothing to extreme, just to make sure you're in good health and all that!" She says cheerfully, her voice high pitched. 

I nod, not knowing what to say as she listens to my heartbeat and takes my temperature. Finally, I step up onto the weight scale and she writes down the number on a piece of paper. 

Frowning, she looks up at me with worry, "Looks like you lost a lot of weight in just a month. Have you been eating?" 

I scoff, "They only fed me once a day, ma'am. And it was barley edible. So....Not really."

She sighs and shakes her head, "well, now that you're out of isolation you need to make sure to eat as much as you can, okay? You're still healthy but it is worrying. So, we'll be doing weekly checkups to see how your weights going, okay?" 

I take a deep breath, "Yeah, whatever, okay." 

She raises her eyebrows but doesn't question my tired tone. "Well, we're done here so a guard will now take you to the bathrooms to shower and clean up. You, uh, really need it," the doctor gestures to my messy appearance. I must look insane, being covered in dried blood. 

She waves me goodbye as a guard takes me to the bathroom and I can't help but gawk as we pass by people: Other guards and cellmates. 

People stare at me with watchful eyes as I walk by, most of the cellmates quickly turning away in fear or disgust. I wonder how badly Doggett is hurt......