"Perrie" Perrie looked up seeing her nurse in the doorway. She tucked the small baggie under her pillow standing up.
"Yes?"
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I was wondering if I could go visit Brenda?" Perrie had gotten another nurse. Since Leigh-Anne was assigned a new patient on the fifth floor and Brenda's patient was out of confinement she was assigned to Rachel,she was a new nurse.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Perrie nodded although she didn't eat yet. They didn't even serve breakfast yet. But Rachel didn't know.
"Okay. I guess I can take you there" Perrie grabbed the baggie and followed her to the nurses dorms. Rachel was new here so she didn't know about Perrie and Leigh-Anne otherwise she wouldn't have allowed it.
Once there she knocked on the door. Brenda opened the door in her pajamas.
"Hey Perrie!" She hugged Perrie pulling her into their dorm closing the door.
"Whats going on?"
"Is Leigh here?"
"No, she left about thirty minutes ago."
"Can you page her please? It's really important."
"Perrie I can't page her everytime you want a hug and kiss."
"Its really important Bree"
"Okay" she paged Leigh-Anne and fifteen minutes later she walked into her dorm.
"Hey baby, how are you? Are you alright?" She asked Perrie, giving her a tight hug and a kiss. She was a little confused when she heard Perrie wince. She figured she was hugging her too tight. Usually she makes time to see Perrie but she's been super busy with work lately.
"I need to talk to you." She pulled Leigh-Anne into her bedroom.
"Whats wrong?" Leigh-Anne asked closing the door.
Perrie hesitantly reached into her pocket. She took a deep breath putting the dime bag into Leigh-Anne's hands.
"I'm sorry"
Leigh-Anne looked at the bag.
"Did you use it?"
Perrie looked down.
"Perrie. Look at me. Did you use it?" She nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help myself. Someone slipped it under my door. I was trying to hold onto it. I promised myself I would just give it to you but you weren't there and I didn't see you in a lot of days.i just rubbed a little bit on my gums. I only used it once."
"Lets go"
"Leigh wait. Please don't tell on me. Leigh-Anne please." She held Leigh-Anne's hand trying to stop her from leaving the dorm. But Leigh-Anne just pulled her back to her room.
"If I find another baggie in here I'm writing you up.Do you hear me?"
"What. . . . You can't. You can't write me up."
"Stay right here and don't touch anything." Perrie was taken aback by her stern tone. Leigh-Anne's never been like this to her. She's never threatened to write her up either.
Perrie bit her nails anxiously she watched Leigh-Anne look through everything. She stuck her hands in between cushions and ripped the covers off her bed. Lifting the mattress. She was doing a full search. She turned on the lamp to brighten the room and Perries eyes widened when she noticed the shadow of the bag in the lamp shade. Her eyes were glued to the lamp hoping Leigh-Anne didn't see. She turned around to Perrie.
"Im sorry, ill clean your room back up. I didn't find-What are you looking at?" She followed Perries line of sight to the lamp.
"Are you kidding me? What is this?!" She went over to the lamp taking out the bag.
"I didnt put that there."
"Perrie"
"Its not mine. I promise. Someone put it there. Please you have to believe me. Leigh-Anne you know I didn't do that. Why would I do that?"
"The same reason you would throw away two months of sobriety.How much have you really been using? And don't you dare think about lying to me"
"Babe please. Don't talk to me like that. " She said in a small voice while hugging Leigh-Anne.
"No. Back up. Be honest with me."
"I don't know. I'm sorry" Perrie sat on the sofa and put her head into her hands. She didn't want to but it was hard.
"A lot or a little bit?"
"A little bit."
"You rubbed it all on your gums or did you inhale some of it?"
"My gums."
Leigh-Anne walked over to Perrie. Pulling on her lower lip.
"You're lying"
"I'm not."
"You are. You have lesions all over your gums and lips. Why are you lying to me?"
" You're going to write me up!"
"I am. Where did you get it from?" Leigh-Anne took out the black book from her uniform pocket.
"Please. I won't do it again. Leigh-Anne please. They're going to put me in solitary. I'll go crazy."
"Tell me where you got it from?"
"What happened to you?" Perrie didn't know if she liked this Leigh-Anne. She was so strict. She didn't even bother to ask if Perrie was okay or think about how hard it must've been for her.
"Where did you get it from?"
"I don't know! I don't know, okay!! I dont."
Leigh-Anne walked out of the room.
"Patients step out of your rooms. Don't take anything. This is a full thorough room search. Don't be stupid and swallow or stuff anything where it doesn't belong. If we do find contraband you will be subjected to time In solitary, no visitation or being kicked out of this rehab facility." Leigh-Anne announced.
"Get out of your room Edwards!"
"You already searched my room" Leigh-Anne grabbed perrie pulling her out of her room and shutting the door.
Perrie watched through teary eyes as both nurses and guards began to look through the patients rooms. She felt like she was in prison.
"I found a baggie but no evidence of distribution. Should I take them down to the box?"
"Listen up! If you find whoever is distributing, we're going to process them out of the facility. If it's a first offense then visitation is vevoked. If it's the second,third or they've had multiple offenses, put them in the box. 3 days minimum. Plus the number of the offenses. So if it's their second offense that's five days. if you find more than one baggie add that to the number of days that they stay there."
Leigh-Anne walked down the hallway. She spoke with a nurse.
"So Simpson here has eight days in the box. Three for having contraband. Three because it's her third offense and two more because she was found with three baggies. Fill out reports, not no half assed shit either. I want the paperwork in my mailbox for every patient on this floor by the morning. If I find out any of you planted drugs on them, sent them to the box for no reason Or used an unnecessary amount of force.You're fired. Get it done. Right now."
"You. Come with me" she pointed at Perrie who fearfully followed Leigh-Anne. She has definitely changed over these past few weeks. It's been about a month in a half since Perrie really spoke to Leigh-Anne. They see each other occasionally but it's usually a hug and kiss and Leigh-Anne has to go back to work. She was promoted to general manager and that's when the nice Leigh-Anne died and came back as a drill sergeant or something. At least that's what it seemed like.
Once they were back in the dorm Leigh-Anne sat on the sofa with Perrie. Brenda had gone to search her patients room.
"Leigh?"
"Hm"
"Why are you being so harsh all of a sudden? What happened to you? This is not who you are."
"I'm sorry babe. I have to maintain this image. If I'm the same nice soft nurse no one will listen to me the nurses and patients will walk all over me."
"But you didn't have to shout at me, or grab me like that. I don't like it and you know that."
"I know but I can't be nice to you and you only. You're not even my patient anymore. I have to be a hard ass on everyone including you so that they don't say I'm picking and choosing favorites. They already think that now because I let Brenda get away with a lot. I'm sorry though. But I am upset with you"
"I know. But I tried. I really did. I promise. The first day I got it I didn't use it. I waited a few days but then. . . . I just did it and then I kept doing it and before I knew it the bag was gone and I needed more."
"Just one bag?"
"Just one.i swear"
"The next time I catch you with a bag even if you didn't use it I'm writing you up. I'm not kidding this time."
"Okay. Can you talk to me nice now. No one is here. I'm still your girlfriend. Stop talking to me like I'm an inmate Leigh."
"Sorry, I just want you to get better and get out of here Perrie."
"I know and now I messed up."
"You need to work on self discipline as well." Leigh-Anne said pulling Perrie into a hug kissing her softly. Perrie pulled away.
"Sorry"
"Its okay just a little sore."
"Alright. I love you babe. I'll try to check on you more often okay?"
Perrie nodded hugging her once more.
"You have to get back to your room."
As they got closer Leigh-Anne grabbed her upper arm pushing her towards her room.
"What did you find?" She asked as if she didn't know what was in Perrie's room.
"Just one bag. So she won't have any visitors this month." Rachel said stepping aside to let Perrie in.