daisy
The two nights without Seth were miserable. Daisy realised she was much more in love with him than she thought she was or ever expected to be.
Despite Dave telling her what had happened to get him into isolation, she still felt completely clueless about the whole situation. She didn't know what it was like, how he was being treated and if he was ok with the battering the prison officer gave him.
Her stomach churned at the thought of him rotting in a cold empty prison cell with only his own pee to drink.
A part of her had forgotten how temperamental Seth was. He was calm and collected, moody and silent, and most importantly he contained his urge for brutal fist fights in front of her.
Rather than being scared or put off by his violent behaviour, a behaviour she was in no way exposed to before meeting him, Daisy just felt worried. It didn't make her love him any less and in a strange way she felt protective for the man that could easily protect himself.
"Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok." She muttered quietly to herself like a mantra, pacing around the room anxiously as her dainty fingers twisted together in a nervous habit.
Daisy closed her eyes tightly in hopes of making the flashing images of all the worst possible scenarios disappear from her mind.
Then she heard the sudden jingle of keys hitting each other as they swung, accompanied by loud echoing steps. She jolted at the sound and ran to the metal bars, nearly tripping over her own two feet in her hurry.
Seth was looking down at his dirty, white trainers, clearly avoiding her eyes as she gasped loudly at the sight of him. Despite his efforts to hide his face from her, Daisy could see the bruises painting his face with a painful looking brown, green and purple.
She dreaded to see the full extent to his injuries when just a glimpse caused tears. Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from reaching out to touch him through the metal bars.
"Mind your hands, Daisy." Her hand jumped back as the voice startled her.
Too focused on her boyfriend, she didn't notice Dave was standing behind him with a solemn looking expression.
"Open at 101" The prison officer said through his walkie talkie. The cell doors opened promptly afterwards, while Seth still hadn't looked up from his worn out shoes.
"Seth? Are you ok? I-Is he going to be ok?" Daisy asked with wide eyes to the men.
Seth had his hands in front of him, both wrists restrained in metal handcuffs. He walked into the cell while blatantly ignoring her question. Regardless of his injuries, he held no limp and kept his usual stance strong and proud. Or he at least tried to. Daisy could see something was bothering him as he ground his teeth together and kept his fists clenched.
"He's going to be fine. Maria checked him out and said rest is all he needs. No more fights would help," Dave said with a pointed look at Seth, before unlocking the restraints from him. But, Seth ignored him and as soon as the cuffs were off, he walked past Daisy and practically threw himself on the bed with an exhausted sigh and his head barely missing the metal frames.
Daisy looked at her boyfriend in confusion but turned to the prison officer that was already leaving. "Bye Dave," Daisy said quietly with a slight wave. He responded with a nod before leaving them with the cell doors closing behind him.
Tentatively, the more than bewildered girl began to approach Seth but in the end, the panic Daisy was trying, and failing, to hide escaped and she ran to his side.
Even when she climbed over him and planted her bottom on his stomach and her hands on his cheeks, he didn't open his eyes.
"Seth. Sethy. Seth. Are you asleep?" She whispered, though she knew he wasn't from his tensed muscles. "Answer me," she dragged out, patting his cheeks lightly.
He let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh. "What do you want?" He grumbled.
Daisy frowned and removed her tiny hands from his face, placing them on his chest instead as she tried to hide her hurt at his cold demeanour. "I-I just wanted to know if you're ok. What happened?"
"I'm fine Angel. You heard Dave - I just need to stay out of fights." He said, a whisper of anger in his voice. He sounded more exhausted then anything.
She shook her head with certainty. "No, it wasn't your fault. I heard rumours in the break room. I know what happened." Well, she didn't learn about Seth defending her honour from the rumours. Daisy really doubted he turned into a real life hulk and flipped tables onto the prison officers for just looking in his direction. Green skin and everything apparently.
Yeah, it was extremely unlikely.
Nate and Levi were also sick of the rumours so they, not so nicely, asked a prisoner what had happened. He stopped boasting about how he survived a blood thirsty Seth and instead told them about the prison officers provoking him into fighting back and brutal beating.
The prisoner even looked a bit sorry for the man he was calling a monster just a few moments ago.
From what Nate, Levi and the rest of the prison said about him, she knew that Seth had held back immensely from the mere fact that the prisoner officers were still alive. Although, now she wasn't sure how much of it was actually rumours and gossip and how much of it was true.
Seth just kept his face neutral and his eyes closed as he said, "Daisy, I'm really tired," signalling the end of their short conversation.
She concluded that something terrible must've happened. My poor defenceless little Sethy! She gasped and blurted, "are you traumatised?!"
"Daisy."
His exasperated and slightly scolding tone told her she wouldn't get any more out of him so she gave up and climbed off him to settle herself next to him, feeling moisture build up in her eyes when he didn't make a mood to cuddle her to him.
It felt extremely abnormal to have her arms laying stiffly beside her sides and for Seth to be the same.
After a few more unbearable minutes, Daisy sniffled and then unable to take anymore torture, she gently yet hurriedly lifted Seth's arm to bury her face into the side of his chest.
She inhaled his unique and addictive smell, feeling a little more at ease.
She thought Seth was going to push her away the way he was acting as he sucked in a breath and his tensed muscles stiffened further.
But to her surprise, his body relaxed completely before holding her closer to place a long gentle kiss on the crown of her head.
***
People stared at them as they walked out of their cell. They stared at them when they walked into the cafeteria, as they ate and when they went to the common room.
Everyone noticed the shift in atmosphere. How could they not when Seth's face was a picture of annoyance and anger. She didn't know why he was so angry but she knew it was directed at everyone. He stared at everything with a glare. Though every person was staring, no one would stare long enough to catch his gaze at risk of making him finally snap.
This wasn't the same Seth from 2 nights ago. That Seth looked almost happy, even surrounded by hardcore criminals that feared him. He was laidback and extremely affectionate to Daisy.
Now he walked beside her, barely touching save from tightly holding her hand. Though this seemed to purely be so that she wouldn't be lost in the throngs of people. She had to hold back a painful whimper from the his grip. The fact that she had to do so hurt more than the hand itself.
"Seth?" She said once they reached their spot in the common room. Her hand flexed subtly by her side as soon as he let go to flop on the run down couch.
He grunted in response, picking a book out and lazily flicked through the pages with no intention on reading it.
"What's wrong?" Daisy asked softly, almost fearfully as she didn't want to poke the angry bear.
"Nothing."
The worried girl sighed when she sat next to her boyfriend only for him to noticeably shift his wait away from her. Nate and Levi looked visibly awkward as they watched.
It's not you. It's not you. You didn't do anything wrong. I will not give up on him.
"Are you in pain? Maybe you should see the nurse."
"F*ck that b*tch. I'm fine Daisy. Will you stop worrying."
Everyone around them jumped at his raised voice. Daisy's eyebrows crinkled in hurt and confusion while she looked down at her hands. She reached for a book with shaky hands to avoid looking at him.
"What the f*ck man? You don't need to shout at her. What's the matter with you?" Nate asked with suppressed anger.
Seth looked at the guy heatedly and said through clenched teeth, "you're going to want to mind your own business Levi."
"L-leave him alone. You're scaring Daisy." Owen had suddenly appeared behind them and made his opinion known, much to Seth's increasing temper. His hands were shaking and he was looking at his feet the whole time but an angry expression was surprisingly adorned on his face.
Daisy's heart warmed that her ex-cellmate was defending her.
"What's she got to do with you? I dare you to repeat that you little sh*t!"
After hearing the threat in his voice directed at her friend and seeing him stand up abruptly with an aggressive stance, it was the final straw for Daisy.
"No you repeat that!" She stood in front of him and poked his tensed chest, glaring as harshly as she could into his more than shocked eyes. "Listen here buddy. I have had enough of this angry angry that you've got going on. I'm not having any more mister. So you better tell me what's wrong or you'll face my wrath!"
Face my wrath?! Oh my gosh, I've been hidden from society too long. That's so embarrassing.
"Sh*t. You've made Daisy mad." Levi cackled loudly, breaking the deafening silence in the room. It only deepened the rosy blush on her cheeks.
Seth ignored him but snapped out of his shocked expression. He grabbed her hand, more softly this time, and leaned down to say quietly in her ear, "come with me."
She followed him into the empty corridor, lips slightly pouting, eyes slightly narrowed. "What?" She said bluntly.
"Hey. Stop with the attitude little missy. Where's my angel gone huh?" He tapped her chin while his thumb was tenderly rubbing the back of her hand.
Unsurprisingly, Daisy had to resist a smile from escaping. Being stubborn, she tried her hardest to keep a straight face, causing her mouth to twitch in a way that couldn't stop Seth from laughing at her.
"F*ck, you're such a weirdo." The warmth in his voice as he looked at her was a feeling she couldn't describe. She couldn't believe how this man could make her feel so many different emotions in a span of a few minutes. "If you distract me, I'm not going to be able tell you why I'm being angry angry," he said with air quotes as he repeated her words.
"I'm not even doing anything," Daisy complained, exasperated.
She blushed when his eyes dropped to her pouted lips. "You're just so distracting," he said almost huskily. Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, he leaned back and started talking. Though she was admittedly disappointed, she was glad to finally know what was troubling him so much.
"You were right. The whole situation wasn't my fault. The stupid pr-," he paused to re-think his words, "men just wanted to pick a fight."
"Oh Seth, I'm sorry. That's terrible. You should tell the Governor," Daisy suggested in concern.
He shook his head. "No he won't be able to do anything. There's no such thing as a completely innocent cop here. Well, apart from Dave. He's alright."
"So, it really was the prison officers?"
"It was just a lot of bad things piled together Daisy but yes, they are the ones that got me into isolation. Some guys were trying to start something too - mentioning your name to rile me up. It worked but I really did try Angel."
"Try what?" She wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her check on his chest, comforting both herself and him.
"Try to be good for you," he said quietly, causing her to smile into her chest. "Never fudging works. I should realise that I'll never be the good guy." Before she could respond with a strong defence for her boyfriend against himself, he carried on.
"Anyway, I had to be checked by that nurse. That's why I'm in this... mood. That nurse said she liked me. In fact, she would we liked each other."
"Do you?! Did you cheat on me? Is this what this is?" Mortified, Daisy tried to pull away but Seth wouldn't let her and just held her tighter, rubbing his hands up and down her back in a soothing manner.
"No! No. Of course not Angel. You know I'd never do that to you."
"I know," she whispered. She did know but the fear of losing him was always overpowering her logical reasoning.
"She made a move on me," he gave a sharp, dark laugh and said with even more disgust, "f*cking molested me, more like."
Daisy gasped. Her immediate reaction was to burry her face in his chest. With all the emotions she had experienced for the past few days, combined with them being heightened from her period, Daisy just couldn't help bursting into tears.
"Shhh. Angel I'm ok. I'm fine. Why are you crying? I'm sorry."
"Y-you shouldn't be saying s-sorry. I'm crying because you're obviously must be t-t-traumatised."
"I promise I'm ok. I was just worried about what you would think. Would you be angry she touched me? Angry I got myself into this situation? Angry I'm causing fights? I don't know what was going on in my head but there was a lot of things. I'm not traumatised believe me," he assured her, still rubbing her back as her crying settled to a stop.
"I-I'm not angry. I'm just glad you're ok Sethy," she whispered with a small kiss on his tear soaked sweatshirt. "You should definitely tell the Governor about Maria."
"It's nothing compared to the abuse she probably gets daily. There's no point - she's not going to do it again. I feel bad for her honestly. Delusional woman."
"It doesn't mean its ok." Daisy pursed her lips but dropped it since she knew he wouldn't change his opinion. "I missed you."
He kissed the crown of her head, saying "I missed you so so much," into her hair. "Now give me a d*mn kiss, love."
Daisy giggled, smiling against his lips as he kissed her, assuring her everything was going to be ok.
~~~
Thank you for reading!
Don't copy my book please. It's unbelievably awkward for me when I have to tell you to stop. Thanks.
Chapter 17 is available on Inkitt! Click the link on my profile to join. x
WORD COUNT: 2619
Much love <3
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