Every step was agony, but still she kept moving.
The nurses had wanted to keep Alexis in the infirmary, but the Governor had insisted that all prisoners were to be confined to their cells after dark, so they had relented, offering to ferry Alexis back to her cell in a wheelchair. She had refused of course and a fierce argument had ensued, her doctors accusing her of deliberately wanting to aggravate her injuries. The discussion quickly grew heated, but when it became clear that Alexis was happy to take their heads off to win the argument, they eventually gave in. Which was why Alexis now found herself shuffling along the empty gantries of B-Wing, two nurses following at a discreet distance behind.
The pain was insufferable and on several occasions Alexis thought she was going to faint, but she drove herself on. She had walked to the infirmary and she would walk back to her cell. She’d already made it through two wings and was so close to home but now, as she approached her cell, she suddenly sped past her own doorway, aiming for another three doors down.
‘Alexis, we had a deal …’
The surprised nurses were already hurrying after her, but Alexis propelled herself forward. She was determined to see Wheelchair Annie before lock-up. Cameron Campbell, however, was halfway through his rounds and poised to lock Annie’s cell, hence her sudden burst of speed.
‘Please,’ Alexis gasped at the prison officer, as she stumbled the last few yards, the searing pain robbing her of the ability to say more.
Campbell made no move to arrest her progress, seemingly more amused than angry. Ignoring the protests of her medical staff, Alexis put a steadying hand on the wall and craned her neck round the doorway to look into the cell beyond. Annie was lying on her bed, novel in hand, plucking chocolates from a well-stocked box next to her.
‘All right, Annie?’
She’d tried her best to sound forceful, but her voice was reedy and thin. Annie didn’t look up, seemingly engrossed in her book.
‘Everything ok? You need anything?’ Alexis persisted, hoping against hope for some sign of favour from her protector.
Now finally Annie did look up. Saying nothing, she ran her eyes over the pitiful figure in front of her, a frown slowly creasing her brow. Then, placing her book carefully on the table, she turned to Campbell, who stood in the doorway.
‘You can lock up now, Mr Campbell.’
Turning away from the door, she continued reading. Alexis tried to protest, but she was too late. Campbell slammed the door shut and moved on to the next cell.
For a moment, Alexis wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her felt like crying, the other half wanted to drag Campbell back and force him to open the cell. But in the event she did nothing, staring forlornly at the locked door.
‘You’re only making things worse,’ she now heard one of the nurses saying. ‘You’ll only make them hurt more.’
They were right, but still she remained where she was. Her legs were numb and her arms felt like they were on fire, but the physical agony was nothing compared to the bitter pain of her rejection. Ever since her arrival in Holloway she had relied upon Annie to protect her, doing whatever vile deeds her mentor asked of her, but now she had been discarded.
Eventually she allowed herself to be led back to her cell. The nurses comforted her, but her despair tonight was total. There was no one to keep her safe now and when her cell door slammed shut behind her, it sounded to her like a death knell.