Life is but a Dream for the Dead

"I'm fine." "Right, because being beaten and raped beaten counts as 'fine', does it?" "It does. Now can you stop being a patronising bitch?" Dr. Wong just looked at Frank sadly, shaking her pretty head before looking back down at her clipboard and scribbling something down. Frank sighed, wincing as the ache throbbing through his entire body flared up again and paralysed him. This one was going down as one of the worst. Gerard had done some serious damage. "I'm going to keep you here for a couple more days till you get back on your feet," Dr. Wong told Frank as she gracefully crossed the room and started rummaging through the draws. Frank closed his eyes. He supposed being in the infirmary wasn't too bad, but Dr. Wong was a pain in the ass. The other inmates were taking every chance they got to come into the infirmary, just for a chance to stare at a pair of breasts and drool over an ass that didn't belong to their bitch. However, Frank being gay and all, it didn't really do much for him. Sure, boobs were great, but seriously, the thought of him ever being attracted to the opposite sex was out of the question. He mostly got along fine with Dr. Wong, but she got far too stressed and worried over Frank most of the time. "So," she began, "you gonna tell me who it was?" "Nope." "You're not exactly very talkative. You should see the psychologist about that. And you know they always have art therapy too here, Kelly comes in every Wednesday and-" "Mia? Do me a favour and shut up? Please?" She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest, sending daggers at Frank. "You need to listen to me for once. Whoever it is that keeps hurting you like this Frank, it needs to stop. You know the guards can put you under protection-" Frank burst out laughing, clutching his aching, bruised sides as he laughed. Dr. Wong just sighed, her jaw stiffening as she waited for Frank to end his hysterical laughing fit. "Mia," Frank smiled sadly, "don't give me that bullshit. You've been here long enough to know how it works, you're not stupid. You don't snitch. It costs you [i]everything[/i] until the only thing you have left is your life and they'll take that from you too eventually. The guards don't give a fuck. This is just what happens Mia. Prison isn't supposed to be fair and just." Dr. Wong didn't say anything. She averted her gaze from Frank and began setting up a drip to his arm and an injection of morphine for the pain. As Frank was lying back, getting wrapped up in that cotton wool feeling, the drugs running through his veins cleared his head. He forgot about Gerard and Callum and Dr. Wong. But the reason why he loved smack the most was because it made him forget about Ethan. It made him forget about himself and who he was. What he had done. ******************************* "I don't think you quite realise our situation Mr. Harvey," Ray smiled smoothly, fingers wrapping around the crystal glass in front of him, the warm bruning liquid slipping down his throat. Ray cleared his throat and lent forwards in his seat, watching Harvey squirm. "I can't stress enough how vital it is for Mr. Way to leave prison as soon as possible. Do I need to explain to you, or do you understand what I'm saying?" Ray murmured in a low, commanding voice. Harvey sat opposite him in the darkened office, swallowing and sweating and wringing his damp hands. He was a thin, weedy man with balding ginger hair and nervous, darting eyes. Sam and Ashely stood behind them at the door, smirking as they watched Ray make the lawyer squirm. "I understand perfectly well Mr. Toro, but what I'm trying to say is that there's nothing more I can do," Harvey stuttered. "I have no control over when the court case is set, I've tried everything, but the-" "Mr. Harvey," Ray sighed heavily, "do I look like a man who has much patience?" Harvey opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, looking as if he was going to go into cardiac arrest. Poor thing, Ray thought sadly. He'd clearly not had much experience with the Mafia before. "I'll answer that one for you," Ray muttered, lighting up a cigarette and tilting his head back, a cloud of smoke curling up into the air. "I have no patience at all. And trust me, Mr. Harvey, I'm [i]nothing[/i] compared the Mr. Way and his father. So, I suggest you pull a few more at strings, because your time is running out. We need Gerard out of there and if you don't pull through..." Ray trailed off, letting Harvey think up his own tragic, gory end for himself. Harvey was shaking, and yet he spoke. "You people are crazy," he whispered. "I... No. I'm not going to do this, I won't." Ray lazily raised an eyebrow. "Actually, it's probably best you pull out of the job. You're worthless to us. Ashley, Sam, take care of him downstairs. I've only just got the other blood stains out from last week and I don't want to have the steam clean the carpet again." Ashley grinned wolfishly and seized Harvey before the man could even get up out of his chair. His desperate cries and pleas faded as they dragged the man out of the office, kicking and screaming. Ray shook his head, leaning back in his hair and rubbing his eyes. "Lawyers these days..."
"Not interrupting anything, am I?" Ray looked up to see Christa stood in the doorway, smirking at him, arms crossed over her swollen stomach. "Just me talking to myself," Ray replied, smiling tiredly. "Long day, y'know?" "Uh huh," Christa agreed moving into the office and shutting the door behind her. "That's why you're taking me out for dinner tonight." Ray grinned. "Thanks for informing me about it this time." Christa stuck her tongue at him and settled herself on his lap, curling up against him and sighing tiredly. "Actually, I've changed my mind. You're buying me Chinese take out instead." "You change your mind quickly," Ray laughed, pecking her cheek softly. He just received an unimpressed look and a tug on his wild curly hair. "I'm pregnant. Shut up." "Oh yeah? Well I'm stressed. Same thing." "You know what would be a real shame? If you woke up one morning and all that lovely hair was shaved off because you pissed your wonderful wife off the night before."
Ray just laughed and kissed her face all over. "I'll go and get the menu." ************************* Gerard just sat. He couldn't really bring himself to do much else. What else was he supposed to do? Act like nothing had happened? "Way," a voice hissed from the darkness. "You there?" The voice came from the cell opposite him, travelling through the darkness of the quiet prison block quietly. "What?" Gerard snarled. "I need to ask a favour." "I don't do favours." "I think you will when you hear what I have to offer in return."

Notes