Chapter 6
In the 3 weeks that followed Allie and Bea were inseparable in the small hospital room. Allie had been moved to a room next to Bea’s but she only ever went in there to sleep. Bea was beginning to make a slow recovery whilst Allie was feeling more human every day. Eventually Allie was deemed fit enough to be moved back to Wentworth and it hurt like hell to have to leave Bea behind. She was assured though that Bea wouldn’t be too far behind her. That day came just 3 weeks later.
The doors of the prison van opened just after it had jolted to an abrupt stop. Bea was thrown momentarily forward, having to outstretch her handcuffed arms to make a connection with the sides of the van to stop herself falling. She had been daydreaming, not aware they had covered the distance between the hospital and the prison so quickly. Her daydream had been a mixture of pleasure and fear. Pleasure at the thought of seeing Allie again and all her friends. Fear at what the future held with the freak still being in the same prison. She had agreed to testify against her but Bea knew that wasn’t enough. Ferguson needed finishing properly and she knew that she was the only one who could do it. Her thoughts were interrupted as the prison officer spoke to instruct her to make her way out of the van. She stood gingerly her stomach still sore and weak. She had been released from hospital but she wasn’t better as such. There was still a long road ahead. As she got to the edge of the van and was about to negotiate the steps to the ground, a hand reached up for her to hold on to. She looked up from the steps and saw it was Will’s.
She gave a smile, “Hey and thank you.”
She grasped on to Wills arm and climbed down the small steps as though she was climbing down a mountain, at that moment in time the task seemed that big of a challenge to Bea. Once her feet were back on firm ground she released Wills arm and looked up at the prison doors before her, actually grateful that she was seeing them again. She raised her eyebrows at Will as he gestured towards the waiting wheelchair. But she accepted the offer without protest, gently lowering herself in to it. This was already the most she had moved about in weeks and she was feeling it already, her scarred stomach protesting by sending niggling pains shooting through her. Will flicked the foot rests up placing Beas feet on top of them so that they didn’t drag on the floor.
“Right then, let’s get you down to medical and settled in Smith, I’ve heard there’s something of a welcoming committee waiting to see you and they’re getting impatient.”
Bea smiled and relaxed back in to the chair as Will snaked his way through the prison corridors.
Bea allowed herself to lean back against the upright back of the bed in medical. It was actually comfy and compared to the hospital bed it was luxurious. Her eyes were closing and she felt like she couldn’t keep them open any longer. Today’s events had already been more than she had done in weeks and the exertion had taken its toll. Will looked at the pale women, her hair faded now to mainly brown rather than the vibrant red they were all used to but there was no denying the spirit of the woman and the fight was still there. He heard the voices before he saw them. A gaggle of women, huddled together, talking loudly as they made their way into Wills line of vision through the medical window. He quickly opened the door and went out in to the corridor closing Beas door quietly behind him.
“Woah, calm down. Where’s the fire? Miss Miles what’s everyone doing here?” His gaze fell on the women before him surveying him. Allie, Boomer, Liz, Maxine, Doreen and Sonia. “Only the peer worker is allowed in. Smith needs her rest.”
The women peered around the muscular physique of Will and saw Bea, eyes closed, lying still on the bed.
“Ah would you look at her,” Liz crowed, “Fast asleep, unaware of her fan club out here.”
Miss Miles rolled her eyes, before addressing Will. “The governor said they could all visit now, stop them all moaning I think. 10 minutes only though and then after that, its Allie only until she’s back on her unit.
Will nodded his head, “Right, come on then get yourselves in. I’ll take them from here Miss Miles and bring them back when we’re done.”