daisy
"People are looking at me," he grumbled into her ear.
Nobody would dare judge Seth Knight so openly. So without looking up, Daisy knew he was exaggerating and everyone was minding their own business and eating their lunch. She looked at the intricate tattoos on his neck that peeked out from his sweatshirt collar, now coloured in neatly with felt tip pens.
"That's because you're so pretty," she giggled and poked his jaw.
He pulled her closer by the waist to deliver a soft kiss on the crown of her head and mumbled, "not as beautiful as you," making warmth rise to her cheeks immediately.
"Maybe I should get a tattoo too," she said absentmindedly. She'd sometimes see inmates getting tattooed in a guy named Pete's small dingy cell, the outcome being far more beautiful than she'd expect from his DIY methods. She had seen there were a few more people that would offer tattoos in exchange for contraband but from prison gossip that Seth would tell her, Pete was the best.
"Definitely not," he laughed, bemused at the thought of his innocent girlfriend covered in tattoos.
She grabbed his hand that instantly dwarfed hers and touched the tattoos on his knuckles, admiring the designs. Almost everyone in the prison had some art on them and it made her a little envious with her plain pale skin. "Why not? Don't you think I'd suit them?"
Seth freed his hand to get them both a tray once they reached near the end of the line and began to fill both trays with pre-proportioned food, making sure to get the freshest looking fruit pots as they were her favourite. Daisy automatically held onto the back of her protector's sweatshirt, as per the routine whenever she wasn't waiting with Nate and Levi.
"You would suit anything, my angel," he replied whilst clearly analysing whether or not a particular bread roll was bigger than the other. "But, what would you even get, huh? You are so indecisive. You think you can commit to a tattoo?"
Her lips quirked to the side as she contemplated this. It was a very valid point.
However, she lost her train of thought when she saw Mrs Patel put a generous scoop of lasagne in a bowl. "Thank you, Mrs Patel," Daisy thanked graciously, already salivating over being so close to the fresh, steaming food.
"You don't need to thank me, pet. You do know I worry that you're not eating enough in this place," the smiling woman said, waving off her gratitude. She put a just as large portion in another bowl, to which Seth retrieved before Daisy could even attempt. She liked to think she was helping, however, by accomplishing her small task of pushing the trays along the barred counter.
Unfortunately, she had to keep her conversation with her prison mother figure short as the long line of people behind them were getting restless and it made her nervous. Hungry prisoners were not happy prisoners and it was very obvious in the growing tense atmosphere.
She tugged on Seth's shirt and practically dragged him forward. "You ok to hold your tray to the table, angel?" he asked, since the large bowls made it difficult to balance both in his hands. She, of course, nodded obediently. "Stay close to me ok? It's very rowdy today," he warned. His eyes squinted at the people around him, analysing their actions closely.
"Are there new people coming again?" Usually there would be a little more energy in people when there were newcomers. The people previously at the bottom of the pecking order now excited they could be the ones to pick on terrified kids, newly incarcerated.
Seth shrugged beside her and pushed a hand on the small of her back occasionally as she walked slowly across the canteen, her fear obviously showing.
However, as hard as he tried he couldn't protect her from inmates being oblivious of the small creature beside them, and thus pushed her from side to side, jostling her like a glass bottle in a milk crate. Her knuckles went white from clutching the sides of her tray so hard. Her boyfriend was trying to say encouraging words to her whilst also dispensing threatening words to people coming a little too close.
Suddenly, a growing spot of dark red saturated the side of a grey sweatshirt, very visible in the wave of grey material around her yet no one seemed to notice what happened. She didn't know the person and couldn't see his face that was no doubt in pain.
Daisy tore her eyes from the blood, mouth parted open in shock and hands pained and shaking. She made eye contact with an inmate wearing identical clothes but with a dirtied jagged knife in his grip. He didn't look away from her but instead his stare intensified, as if he had intended for her to see.
Only when the stabbed man's knees began to fall did it break her gaze and a fearful scream violently rip through her throat.
This, of course, alerted Seth immediately who shoved his tray to someone beside him in order to take Daisy's off her and pull her into a protective bear hug, hands covering her head as if there was an attack from all areas.
Everyone else in the cafeteria was also on high alert and fell silent immediately. They looked at where her wide eyes were fixated and some inmates moved away whilst others eagerly went to grab the man that showed no resistance.
It was like he anticipated the reaction and getting caught doing a crime he had no intention of hiding. His eyes didn't leave hers, filling Daisy with an uneasy feeling at the eerie stare.
She wondered if this was the man that left the note in her book. Despite Seth's connections, he didn't find the culprit but resided to just focus on protecting her 24/7. It seemed now there was no need to keep searching.
The commotion alarmed the guards and loud shouts and horns very quickly followed. Everything happened in a blur. Suddenly there were more red than grey infront of her and the sounds of fists landing on faces echoed in the loud cafeteria.
Daisy was violently shaking in Seth's arms from fear that rattled every inch of her. Her eyes didn't leave the attackers once again and so she watched fearfully as his face morphed into one of pure aggression. She watched as he shook off the arms holding him, both guards and prisoners and began to charge at her like a bull in a ring.
Fortunately, more people piled on the man, the people that weren't currently fighting themselves. The attempt alone, however, made Daisy jump out of her skin.
"Seth!" She screamed, high pitching and wobbly. From opening her mouth, the terror came out of her in vomit form, which made the whole scene more chaotic than she thought was possible.
In her distress, she didn't notice Nate and Levi had found them and were already forcing a path to the exit. Without another word, her knight in shining armour scooped her into his arms and valiantly ran out of the cafeteria with sharp elbows.
~~~
She watched with a pitiful sick frown on her face as Maria checked her eyes and all other basic areas for any sign of illness.
"I don't know what's up with you. Why do you always get in these situations?" The nurse asked rhetorically.
Daisy replied, "what else would you expect from a girl in an all men's prison."
She tilted her head. "You make a good point, babe. You are very lucky that you got Seth looking after you though." Maria looked and sounded jealous but it also didn't seem like a mean type of jealousy. It was more sad and Daisy felt slightly guilty that she took the nurse's longtime crush from her.
She imagined she had dreamed of receiving the same caring protection that Daisy had from Seth. Maria would often try to limit the amount of times she'd tell her only female patient about the abuse she'd receive from some of the male inmates, in an attempt to be professional and not worry her. However, it wasn't hard to imagine the scenarios Maria would be in.
"How are you feeling now?" She asked after the long silence.
Daisy wasn't feeling very talkative, still disturbed from what she had seen earlier. After Seth carried her all the way back to their cell, he wiped the vomit from her mouth and brought her water. His worry was evident until the ruckus in the cafeteria calmed down and people began returning to their cells. This meant he could call for a guard to escort her to the nurse. She remembered watching him in silence as he frantically yelled for Dave, not allowing them to delay help any further.
"I'm ok," she whispered hoarsely.
Clearly her response wasn't very believable because Maria didn't look convinced in the slightest. She dug out a small apple juice box from a mini fridge in the corner of the room and gave it to her patient, who took it very happily. "You still look a little green. Some sugar might help."
Daisy slurped the apple juice eagerly considering she didn't manage to eat any of her lunch. "Thank you."
"You're fortunate that this is the only major stabbing that has happened since you arrived. To be fair though, most of the time the fights were with Seth and his people. At least that's over with now." She laughed light heartedly as if she was remembering fond memories but Daisy suspected it was more out of nerves.
Someone then knocked on the door, eliciting a startled jump from the sudden noise. She watched the door nervously as it slowly creeped open. Daisy let out a breath of relief and her shoulders dropped in a relaxed position as soon as she saw Dave peek his head in the room.
"Can I come in?" He asked with his usual warm smile. "How is the little patient?"
"I'm good, thank you," Daisy said politely. She sipped her juice through the paper straw, chewing it nervously as she wondered what the prison guard wanted.
"Hi Dave. She's still shaken up so she's going to hang out here for a bit." Daisy initially frowned a little at what the nurse said because it was frustrating that she didn't believe her words again. However, frustration quickly turned into gratitude when she realised that Maria was just doing her job and besides, the quiet room was a rarity to be thankful for.
Dave ruffled her brown hair affectionately. "Can't do I'm afraid."
"Huh? Why not?" The nurse asked with her voice full of confusion. Perhaps one of the stricter guards would say something about keeping inmates out of their cells for longer than necessary but it wouldn't be expected from Dave.
"Because Daisy is leaving today!" He exclaimed.
Leaving?
His eyes were wide and his smile stretched from ear to ear. Even his arms were open, probably expecting Daisy to jump up and embrace everyone with pure joy.
However, that is not how she felt upon hearing his words. "L-leaving to where?" She asked and then added with more frantic hopefulness, "not leaving the prison right? Leaving this room? Leaving to-to go back to my cell? Or for dinner? To Seth?"
Both Maria and Dave's faces turned to pity. Looks were exchanged and small sympathetic smiles appeared. "You're being released now. I don't know all the details but a petition was signed, people protested and favours were made. With good behaviour too, they've given you a few weeks of community service and no more prison time. This is good news Daisy," he emphasised.
The words sank in like quick sand. "B-but I'm not ready," she whimpered. Her feelings were definitely conflicted. While she was now terrified of prison and the people that were looking for her inside, the uncertainty of what was waiting for her outside was almost unbearable to think about. She needed Seth, that much she knew. "I need to go," she said abruptly and then quickly leapt to her feet and out of the door.
She heard Dave come after her the second she left but his purposeful long strides didn't catch up to her. Without much force in his words, he lightly yelled, "Daisy! You can't run around the prison; we need to go!"
Unfortunately, her own fast footsteps were louder than the prison guards and all her energy was focusing on remembering the direction to her Seth. She needed to see him before they took her away. The desperation was enough for her to ignore Dave's orders and to push away reaching hands from the guards she passed by.
Eventually, she saw him. His muscles flexed as he was in the middle of his pull ups but as soon as he heard the patter of little feet sprinting down the long cell block corridor, she saw him let go of the high bar and wait outside of their cell.
Daisy jumped into his sweaty tattooed arms, which instinctively held up her bum as she enveloped her arms and legs around him. The tears quickly followed, soaking his neck with muffled cries.
"What is it, little Angel? What's wrong?" He asked, giving her bum a comforting squeeze.
"They're taking me away, Seth!" She cried into his tattoos, wondering if she'd ever see them again.
"Is that right Dave?" The prison guard must've caught up with her. This made her grip on him even tighter, there was no possibility of falling or being pried off him.
"She's being released. Community service but it's good. She'll be safe," Dave explained empathetically. Despite most people usually rejoicing at even the possibility of leaving prison, he understood that it was more than simply being allowed to leave. It meant the separation of two soulmates that found each other through impossible circumstances.
Seth kissed her head and spoke softly in her ear. "He's right. This is what we wanted, Angel."
She shook her head. "I didn't want to leave you."
"I know and I don't want to be apart from you either. But, I want you to be safe because you are the most important person in the world to me. I can't let anything happen to you again," he sighed as Daisy didn't lessen her grip on him. "My men will watch you on the outside and being in the public eye will mean the people after me will be too cowardly to hurt you."
"I'm safer with you. You can protect me Seth," she mumbled into his neck.
"At the moment, that's not correct. But you'll be brave won't you Angel? Be my good girl and wait for me? That's all you have to do, wait for me and I'll come find you again, ok?" He said through kisses into her hair, ignoring all the eavesdroppers in their cell block.
"What if I'm not brave enough?"
"Are you kidding? My little kitten? Not brave? After staying in an all men's prison for so long? You'll be the toughest and bravest of 'em out there." Seth tried to make her laugh but to no avail.
One of his hands lifted her head up to meet her teary eyes with his, which surprisingly were also shining red with tears.
He rubbed her wet check with the pad of his thumb, not really removing any of the tears because they didn't stop flowing but more to soothe her.
"I- I don't want to be alone again." Daisy remembered how isolated she was prior to meeting Seth. Even without Seth, she had made friends in prison. She will lose her mother figure in Mrs Patel and her friends in Nate and Levi. This will now be traded for freedom to be emotionally abused by her family and Saturdays spent alone with no one but herself as company.
Seth kissed her pouted red lips. "You'll never be alone now that I have you. I love you, Daisy Harrington. We have a bond that won't be broken by distance or stone walls. You've opened my heart my Angel and you're crazy if you think I'm going to let a light like you go."
She heard him, finally listening to his words and not letting the utter heartbreak block her ears. "I'll write to you," she whispered.
Her squeezed her bum again, eliciting a blush to rise quickly. "You better. I want to see all your best artwork with the nice art things you're going to have access to. You better tell me all the exciting things you're going to do with your freedom, yes?"
"Yes Seth." She said, pecking his nose.
"My good girl."
"I'm sorry but it's really time to go now Daisy." Dave's heavy footsteps came closer, indicating there wasn't any more leniency he could give and that time was up.
Seth carefully placed her two feet back on the ground but still didn't let go. He gave her one last embrace, this one feeling more like the goodbye of lovers.
He whispered his last words of reassurance, ones that Daisy knew she'd be listening back to over and over again in her head. "You'll be amazing. Just wait for me, Angel. I won't be long."
And just before she was dragged away by the several other officers that have now appeared, she confirmed wholeheartedly, "I'll wait."
They were then separated. She was dragged away in handcuffs for safety as she left the prison, evidently leaving it just the same as she had arrived.
Only this time her heart was full of love for a mysterious devil and her head was filled with determination - determination for what she didn't know yet. But a fire was lit inside this Angel and all she knew was that nothing was going to stop her from seeing Seth again.
~~~
Thank you for reading!
I guess this is the end?
Do you think the relationship with last? Would you wait or do you think they should just start fresh?
Perhaps this was just a prison romance after all...
WORD COUNT: 3049
Much love <3
~~~
♥ support me on patreon.com/esssea ♥