Waking up.

Damien’s eyes burned as he tried to open them. The light was intense and his eyes felt as though someone had taken a white hot poker to them.

Slowly, sight returned and his eyes opened to a mostly white room. Some would say the room was white. Damien would say off-white. Like years-old white that had been cleaned half-heartedly.

An older, middle-aged man jumped a little in surprise when he saw Damien’s eyes open, but he recovered quickly. Damien tried to cover his eyes a bit, but his arms were cuffed to the bed.

“Awake I see. Fantastic! She will be pleased! Here, take these for the headache!” The man placed two pills in Damien’s mouth and washed them down with a small paper cup of water.

“I need to inform the warden. I’ll be back!”

The man hurried out of the room before Damien could reply.

He laid back. Obviously, he was alive. He also apparently lost. Looking around, he saw no other beds. Damien wondered where Whistler was.

“So you’re awake.”

Damien’s eyes snapped to the feminine voice. The woman who was standing just inside the doorway was around 5’7, with a firm body that was working its way to middle-age. The woman was an attractive woman in her late 30s with heavy breasts held close by a navy blue business jacket and navy blue women’s dress pants to complete the outfit. Her short sandy blonde hair was cut shoulder length on one side and ear length on the other.

Damien was certain he’d never seen her before.

“Yes.” His voice didn’t rasp. He must have not been **** too long. Same day maybe.

She studied him as he studied her.

“You’re in some deep shit inmate.”

“You mean present circumstances aside?”

She laughed. “Yes, actually. This is as safe as you’ll be over the next however long you live.”

“Where’s Whistler?” Damien hoped he was ok. He had been injured helping Damien.

“You mean Jacob Finch? The large inmate that spends at least 2 months a year in the infirmary? He’s alive. Having his jaw wired shut. He’ll be in here a while. Longer than you.”

His jaw wired shut? He took one hit from that giant inmate that attacked him in the shower.

“Care to tell me what happened inmate Cross?”

“We slipped in the shower.”

She laughed. “You can be honest in here. No one will know.”

“They always know.”

“So cynical for such a new inmate.”

“I’ve always been cynical.”

“I can see that.” She paused. “He isn’t going to let you off easy.”

He had a feeling he knew to whom she was referring. “Who?”

“Charlie Putnam. The man who you... effectively neutered and partially blinded.”

Fuck. Charlie. The guy Whistler said not to fuck with.

“Not sure why he would be mad at me, all I did was slip in the shower.”

She sighed. “Always the same shit. I can’t help you if you don’t let me.” She stared at him. “Charlie is a menace in my prison. Even the other gangs don’t cause as many problems as he does. He’s connected. All of the other gangs follow his lead even as they hate and kill each other.”

Damien stared back but kept his silence.

“All I can do is place you in solitary confinement for a month, as punishment for...’slipping’ in the shower. After that, back to gen pop you go. I’d say that gives you a month and a day left of life. Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Wait.”

The woman paused, turning back to look at him curiously.

“I need to piss. Can you call the doctor to bring me a bed pan?”

“I sent him away for a bit. He’ll be back in 10 minutes or so.” She turned again to leave.

“But I really need to go. Can you help me?”

She turned back. Looked at him for a long while, and sighed.

“Fine.” Walking to his bedside, she pulled the bed pan from the nearby stand. Placing it on his legs near his crotch she turned back around to leave.

“Please don’t make me beg. I can’t reach it. Please.”

She sighed. “Jesus. Fine.” She went to the desk and pulled on some latex gloves. With a gruff exterior she came to the bed and pulled up his medical gown, revealing his meaty length.

She gasped as soon as she saw it. Mesmerized, she took it delicately in her tiny hand and placed the large head in the bed pan so that he could relieve himself.