MAMI ✔️

Chapter Seventeen

SANTIAGO'S POV

"You're tossing and turning again." Julius mumbles sleepily from the top bunk.

"I can't sleep." I retort kicking the underside of his bed for good measure.

"Obviously." Julius scoff sarcastically.

"You're no help kid." I groan rubbing my hands over my face frustration.

"Why are you a wound up anyway. She did tell you that there's a huge chance she's not coming." Julius reminds me.

Today is Monday, the day we are getting vaccinated and also the day Hannah and I might be meeting for the first time.

"As long as there is a chance, I'm worried." I reply.

"Seriously boss there is something wrong with you? If I knew that my girl might be coming to see me, I would be other the moon." Julius insists.

"Part of me is but the other isn't thrilled and its not just because I don't want her to see me to me in prison chained like a zoo animal. I am also worried for her safety. She will interact with hundreds of prisoners today and I'm worried that they will say something wrong or try to do something to her." I express worriedly.

"They'll have CO's on protection detail. She'll be fine." Julius tries to reassure me.

"Yeah as if that has worked so great before." I scoff.

"If she's coming there's not much you can do to protect her. You can only hope that she will be okay. You need to trust that." Julius advises.

I mull over his words but they still don't offer me much comfort. If anything happens to Hannah while she is in here, I won't be able to live with myself because I know that I'm a huge motivation for her to be here. This is no place for a woman like her and the worst part is that she is not here for a social visit to see just me but for work where she has to interact with the whole population, might be one a time but still its a risk.

I am not even sure that she is coming but something in my blood tells me that she is. Maybe I should just have agreed to meet her when she asked instead of saying no and putting her life at risk like this. But then again Hannah is a strong headed passionate woman so the probability of me convincing her not to come would have been slim. This is also her job not something she can opt out of.

"Seriously boss, you've got to stop doing that. I need to sleep." Julius demands.

I roll my eyes and get out of bed. I am too wound up to keep sleeping so I decide to soothe myself by reading her letters. They work in putting me in a better mood but it's not enough.

"Time to get to work Delgado." Callahan yells out loud banging his baton on my cell bars half an hour later.

"Thank God." Julius mumbles from his bed.

I agree with the kid, thank God indeed, finally a distraction to keep me occupied before all the waiting eats me alive. I change into my white kitchen uniform and walk out of the cell with Callahan right behind me.

Ronald is already there barking orders when I arrive so I put on my apron and hair net and get to work. My hand is still bothering me so he gives me some light work which I appreciate nonetheless. Staying in my cell with nothing but my crazy thoughts would have driven me crazy beyond measure.

"I'm sure you've all heard that we have guests today and we'll be in charge of their food. Please make sure you put on your hair nets and clean your hands well, I don't want any complains." Ronald demands.

I wish Ronald knew more about who the guests we have are but all he can give give me is the number. Four people. That's not nearly enough to cover the prison in one day but I understand why the numbers are few. The more the people, the higher the risk. In case there's a riot four people are more manageable than ten. I'm hoping it won't come to that. I couldn't protect Darius and he was an inmate like me so if something breaks out I can't even get to Hannah since she's on a different wing of the prison.