Page 10 of Babalon

“Yeah, you proved that by letting Nate beat you down during breakfast. Now turn and walk, inmate. Don’t make me force you.”

Avoiding another argument with the she-devil, I did as I was told.

A few turns and one long ass corridor later, we arrived at the med-ward where she unceremonious shoved me onto a chair, and an older nurse waddled up to us.

Nurse Cindy.

She’s so nice with gentle hands, too— she’s patched me up several times over the past few years. Then, of course, Nadia has escorted me to Nurse Cindy more times than I can count. It’s like she enjoys watching my downfall only to see if I can heal from trauma.

“Oh no, Kace, again?” Nurse Cindy asked with a disappointed look.

“Yes ma’am. I am afraid so,” I replied.

Uncomfortably, I turned to give her access to my arms and let her inspect my ribs for real injuries, once again hoping he broke something so I could have a cast. I hissed with a bit of pain at first. Even though she was so soft-handed, it still sent a twinge through me that made me grit my teeth. Eventually, my expression morphed into one of gratitude and a bit of joy. Unable to stop myself, I smiled and flirted my way throughanother interaction with the older woman; a little trait I picked up from good-ol-dad.

Nurse Cindy liked to share her out-of-work experiences every time I came in, giving me a slight taste of vicarious freedom. It was like getting the next episode of my favorite TV show, such as Friends or Supernatural— those are my favorite.

“You’re a spitfire,” I teased, making her blush.

“Oh, you hush. It was just a Def Leppard concert, and I shouldn’t have drank so much.”

“Still, it sounds like you had an amazing time and your husband was likely enjoying your… skills. If I were in his shoes, I’d be head over heels in love with my wife.”

“Change of topic. You’re not allowed to discuss shit like that, inmate,” Nadia rudely added.

I looked over at her as she stood with her arms crossed, a grumpy ass look on her face, as usual. It’s like, happiness and the joys of life were forbidden in her little world. What I would give to provide her one hell of an attitude adjustment.

“Jealous, Officer Pierce? That Nurse Cindy has a thrilling life while you stand over there with that shitty look on your face?”

“Kace, don’t give Officer Pierce a hard time. She’s just doing her job, as I am doing mine,” Cindy replied. Her hand grew a bit rougher causing me to groan in pain.

“Your injuries look good, Kace. Do I need to reset my ‘days without incident’? See how long it takes for you to end back up in my ward?” Cindy asked playfully.

“No ma’am. I will do my best to keep out of trouble. Even if it finds me first.”

A little bit later, Nadia was depositing me at my job. I was part of the small privileged group of inmates who were allowed toassist with repairs and renovations in other parts of the facility. Mostly because of good behavior, though I ended up in my fair share of fights here and there.

Stopping to grab the equipment I needed to paint the corridor we were in, Nadia was finally gracious enough to uncuff me. When she released me, I started to rub my wrists then turned to look at her— the angry skin puffy and aching, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

“Took you long enough. For a second there, I thought we were going to be more than friends,” I said with a smirk.

“Awe, you think I want to be friends with you? That’s so cute, inmate. Now grab your paint brush and get to work. You have two hours to make up for.”

“Wait, why?”

“Because we were preoccupied, bestie.”

The look on her face was priceless, somewhere between elation and goading me. My brows pinched together as I scowled, ready to throttle her.

Fucking bitch.

I kid you not, a few minutes later, the antagonizing twat started whistling that damn dwarfs’ song. You know the one from Snow White? Whistle while you work?

Before I was incarcerated, I worked my fair share of jobs. Your typical, no skills needed kind until I landed one at a car dealership. When people say salesmen are evil, they are. I may have hated that job, but it allowed for me to spend a lot of time behind the wheel of some amazing cars. Not to mention, I got to meet a lot of absolutely stunning women. Typically, they were on the arms of men who didn’t know how to please one or were so close to death and wanted to leave their small fortune to someone other than their ungrateful kids. Hence their bombshell girlfriends.

I got a hold of one of those model-esque girls a time or two. Tall, thin, blonde, your general societal beauty standards. All of which I quickly forgot about when I discovered my pesky shadow, Nadia.

Furthermore, money wasn’t necessarily tight but it was hoarded. Thankfully my mom had a job that paid enough to maintain our lifestyle, my little sister was able to finish school, and I ran the roads with coworkers. A few too many times I found myself trying to skirt by police rather than looking them in the face with a respectable nod. The nights at the clubs and bars were the best. I went out, ate, drank, and came back to pussy.

---