SANTIAGO'S POV

"Delgado where are my tomatoes?" Ronald calls out from the middle of the kitchen.

"Coming right up." I reply as I speed up on my chopping.

I'm always on my A-game but for some reason I'm slacking today. Maybe old age is catching up to me or something. But then again I am only twenty seven. I have barely lived or done all the things that I want to do so it's definitely not old age.

"Seriously Delgado I've seen you work faster than that." Ronald demands.

I don't bother replying this time because he is right. I work faster and get the tomatoes in time, before he throws a fit and hits me with a pan. I've seen him do that before, it was not a pretty sight. The inmate he hit had to get fifteen stitches and shave his head.

"Can you manage to wash the rice faster than you take a piss this time?" Ronald demands.

"Of course." I reply stepping away and getting to work.

Ronald has always been a prick so I'm used to his potty mouth, it's just rarely directed at me. I get to work pretty quickly and just as I am pouring the rice into one of the mega sized cooking pots we use in the kitchen someone backs into me.

"Mierda." I cry out when I burn my hand on the pot trying to stabilize myself.

"Jesus fucking Christ that hurts." I moan in pain clutching my burnt hand into my chest.

"What the hell happened?" Ronald demands walking over to us.

"I'm sorry. I slipped and pushed him." Vega, the inmate who backed into me apologizes.

"Slipped on what? Air?" Ronald retorts looking like he is ready to hit the man.

"It's okay, it's just a small burn I'll be fine." I assure him even though I'm ready to piss myself from the pain.

"Let me see." Ronald demands.

I lift my hand from my chest and uncurl my fist to reveal my injury. It's definitely not a small burn.

"That looks bad." Vega comments.

"No shit Sherlock, you did this to me." I bite out the pain getting to me.

"Sorry." Vega mumbles.

"You need to go get that checked up. Can you get yourself to the medical wing?" Ronald asks.

"What about the rest of my shift?" I protest.

"We'll be fine without you. Just go get that checked and I'll see you for tomorrow's shift. You don't get a pass as long as your other hand is still working." Ronald retorts.

"Yes boss." I nod at him and untie my apron.

I remove the net I'm wearing over my hair and leave the kitchen. My hand is throbbing at this point and its gone from a pink to a glaring red.

"And where do you think you're going? Aren't you supposed to be on shift in the kitchen?" Callahan asks as I walk past him on the corridor.

"Medical wing." I reply shortly lifting my hand for him to see.

"Shit, what did you do? Try to stir the food with your bare hand?" He teases with a mocking laughter.

I don't respond to him because he's looking for a fight or a reason to put me in solitary and I am in too much pain to engage him.

When I get to the medical wing which is equipped with only one doctor, I have to wait in line. Someone ahead of me is getting stitches on his forehead. Looks like he got busted up by a chair or worse.

"Keep that dry and I'll see you in three days." Doctor Lamont instructs when he's done.

The inmate nods and gets up walking away.

"Next!" He it loud even though I'm the only one in there.

I take a seat on the hospital bed facing him.

"What ails you?" He asks looking at me skeptically since I'm not covered in blood or with a visible injury.

"This." I reply lifting my hand for him to see.

"How did you get a burn this bad?" He inquires taking my hand in his gloved ones to get a closer look.

"Accident in the kitchen." I reply curtly.

"That will do it. You need to be more careful. Now let's get you all fixed up." He demands getting up to retrieve all he will need.

I see alcohol, gauze and an ice pack. He's about to get to work when Finn walks in.

"Hey Doc, the warden sent me to get that inmate list that he asked for?" Finn replies.

"Oh yeah right, give me a moment. Hold this to your palm, I'll be right back." He says giving me the ice.

I put it on my hand and its instant relief.

"What happened?" Finn asks looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Accident in the kitchen. Probably burnt off my finger prints."I reply.

"Sorry man." Finn sympathizes.

I nod at him and press that ice pack harder onto my palm. Maybe if my hand goes numb I'll stop feeling all the pain completely.

Doctor Lamont comes back a few minutes later with two sheets of paper.

"This is a list of all the patients ineligible for the vaccine and this is for those who are already vaccinated." Dr. Lamont says giving the lists to Finn.

Finn quickly scans his eyes over the list and nods, "Looks like you're not on either Delgado. You'll be getting vaccinated." Finn informs me.

"Vaccinated against what?" I inquire.

"Hepatitis B. It's an epidemic out there and in there as well so some hospital is going around giving vaccines to high risk places and apparently we rank top ten." Finn explains.

"When?"

"Soon, I'm not sure of the exact date. Anyway I've got to go get this to the warden. Get better soon." Finn replies waving the papers around.

He's gone in a flash leaving the good doctor and I.

"I think that enough on the ice. I'll disinfect it and wrap it." The doctor says.

I nod and put the ice away even though I'm not ready to give up my relief.

"Doc do you know which hospital is administering the vaccine?" I inquire.

There are over ten hospitals in Phoenix. What's the odd that of all hospitals, it's the one that Hannah works at? Probably low but it doesn't hurt to ask.

"Westview Memorial Hospital." Doctor Lamont answers shortly.

"Fuck." I mumble under my breath.

"It's gonna hurt for a few days but the petroleum jelly will help." Doctor Lamont assures me assuming I'm cussing from the pain but I'm not.

It's the news he's just dropped on me. It's Hannah's hospital. But then again that hospital probably has over hundreds of nurses and doctors so Hannah coming to FCI is a slim chance. Although that's what I said about the chances of Westview Memorial Hospital being in charge of the vaccination and here we are.

"Do you know the exact date of their visit?" I ask Dr. Lamont.

"Not yet but it's sometime before the end of the month." He replies.

He's of no help so I make sure to make a mental note to ask Hannah when I call her in a few days. Or do I just keep it to myself? Do I really want to find out.

We already sorted out the issue of me not being comfortable with her coming to see me in here. But if she is on the vaccination team then I am so fucked. I don't know how I'll handle it if she's on it. But I can't freak out too much, there no need to since it's a not a guarantee yet.

"Here's some petroleum jelly and gauze. Apply the jelly three times and day and make sure to keep that hand clean and dry. I'll see you in a week." Doctor Lamont instructs dismissing me.

I take what he's giving me and leave the medical wing. My mind is a jumbled mess after the news I've received so the first thing I do after I get back to my cell is get my shower caddy and laundry bag. I am in need of a long cold sober shower to get all the kitchen grime off me and to collect my thoughts.

"Good afternoon boss." Julius greets as soon as I walk into the cell after my hour long shower.

I fell fresh but my mind is still a mess. I can't get over the fact that Hannah might be coming to FCI. It won't be the end of the world but it's not something I'm excited for either. Yes I want to see her but not when all my limbs are bound by chains with restrictions on time and with other people watching. It'll just suck and I wish there was a better way. I'm clinging onto the fact that it's not a definite thing but I can't ease my worry.

"You got mail." Julius informs me after I grunt my response.

I smile when I see the letter waiting for me on the desk. I dump all my stuff on the floor next to my bed and reach for the letter. It smells sweet like it always does, the exact scent I imagine Hannah to have. I carefully unfold the letter, my heart fluttering like it always does when I receive a letter from my girl.

Dear Santiago,

Hi handsome. I know I don't know what you look like but with a voice like that there's no way you're not good looking. I am also working on my flirtation skills so I hope that it worked. You can say no but if you smiled, which I know you definitely did then it worked. I know we talk on the phone now so letter writing isn't necessary but this is how our relationship started and I want to keep that alive. You also said I can write to you anytime I want so I am taking advantage of that.

How are you doing? I hope you're keeping safe and healthy, as best as you can in prison anyway. How's Julius? I hope he's getting better and on the road to recovery putting what happened behind him. It's so great that you were there for him and still are. Looks like you are a big brother wherever you are. Diego says you try to act all macho in there but with Julius you are getting soft which I approve. It shows you've got a kind and loving heart which is definitely on the pro side.

I hung out with Diego and Sofia again earlier this week. They are so cute together its giving me nostalgia of when I had my first boyfriend. I'm not saying this to make you jealous or anything but there's just something about that first young love that was so sweet and freeing. Diego and Sofia are responsible, I observed that about them but there's a nonchalance that comes with teenage love that I miss.

Obviously I want something more mature now because I don't have the time to play around anymore but seeing them together made me think of my past. Darius was always overprotective and we lived in the barracks so all my choices were limited to sons of people in the service. At least Darius wasn't around half the time to chase the boys away with his guns. The kind of trouble I got into, not even Darius knows so I'm sure he didn't tell you about that part of my life. Would you look at that, something about me that you don't know. I finally have a secret at last.

But that was years ago and I'm more mature now with a a different mindset on the kind of love that I want to experience.

Enough mushy stuff. I've got to go. The girls are coming over so we can discuss more wedding plans. Jada's big day is getting closer and she is driving us all crazy but we love her so we are putting up with her because we want her to have a special day.

I swear to God, when it's my turn I'm not doing any of this shit, cakes, flowers, reception. None of it. Just me, my special person, our close friends and family and the courthouse.

I've said too much. Hopefully I haven't scared you away. I'll chase you if you run.

As always, take care of yourself. I miss you and I can't wait to hear your voice. Till next time.

Yours truly,

Hannah Claire Johnson

My Hannah. Oh what am I going to do with you? As always I'm filled with a lot of emotions after reading Hannah's letter that I need a moment to gather my thoughts. The woman thinks she can scare me away by talking about her past or the future that she wants. Oh no. It just makes me want her more because she's exactly the kind of woman I want. I want someone who can think for themselves and is not afraid to speak her mind which is exactly what Hannah is.

"Kid you need to leave." I say turning to face Julius who is hanging over the bed like a bat.

"What?" He asks blinking at me.

"Apparently you are making me soft." I reply recalling Hannah's words.

"You were always soft." Julius defends.

"No I wasn't. Not until you came around." I retort.

"I'm here to stay so suck it up." Julius laughs.

"Unfortunately I know that and please get down, your making me dizzy and you might pass out." I demand softly.

Julius immediately jumps off his bed and makes himself comfortable on mine. That's not exactly what I meant but I don't want to bash him so I keep it to myself.

The kid is making me soft. Before I wouldn't have been afraid of giving someone who encroached on my space a piece of my kind but because it's Julius I'm filtering my words. What's happening to me?

As I'm putting Hannah's letter back into the envelope, the paper brushes against my hurt palm and I hiss in pain. In my excitement at receiving Hannah's letter I'd forgotten to wrap my hand after my shower. The doctor had said to keep it dry so I had removed the gauze as I showered.

I reach for the petroleum jelly and gauze to follow the doctor's instructions.

"Yoh, what happened?" Julius asks when he sees what I'm up to.

"Burnt my hand while on shift. Taking a shower was a bitch." I reply applying a healthy amount of jelly on my palm.

It soothes the pain and I instantly feel better.

"Need help?" Julius offers.

"Yeah thanks, use this to wrap it." I instruct giving him the gauze.

Julius carefully wraps my hand and ties off the end at my wrist.

"It's not too tight is it?" He inquires.

"No, it's perfect." I assure him.

I am putting away the jelly and gauze when I hear someone whistle a unique tone from a couple of cells away. It's a signal that the warden is making his rounds so everyone needs to be on alert and hide anything that might be illegal.

Julius and I keep our cell pretty clean and contraband free so we don't rush around to fix anything. Surprisingly enough the warden stops at our cell with two CO's in tow.

We get up when he walks in with our legs spread wide and hands on our sides, palms open wide to show respect and that we mean no threat.

"Wait outside." McKinley dismisses the CO's he's with.

They nod and step back taking alert stances outside our cell.

"At ease." He says to us and we both relax.

It sucks that as inmates we are treated like soldiers in an enemy camp, with suspicion.

"What's with the random visit warden?" Julius asks with a blatant disregard for protocol.

I give him a warning look demanding that he behave. I don't want to get into trouble with the warden, the man could make our stay here hell on earth with a snap of his fingers.

"Well, it is my prison. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want." McKinley replies.

"Of course sir, my apologies." Julius replies with a polite bow of surrender.

"But you can relax. I am not here to bust you. I just want to talk to both of you. You first Julius. How are you doing?" McKinley inquires.

"I'm okay sir, all things considered." Julius answers.

The kid is doing better than ever, I can attest to that. The nightmares are gone, he's doing better at work and he is the one dragging me to the gym nowadays.

"Good to hear that. Your parents won't stop calling threatening to sue so make sure you tell them what you've just told me will you." McKinley requests.

"Of course sir." Julius nods.

Julius parents being willing to fight for him makes me wish Diego and I had different parents growing up but then maybe Diego wouldn't exist in my life and I wouldn't be the man that I am today. We can't choose our parents right!

"Good, now would you please excuse us. I have something private to discuss with Delgado over here." McKinley demands.

"Yes sir, see you at dinner boss." Julius replies and leaves the cell hurriedly.

I can understand his need to leave so fast. Nobody wants to be in the presence of someone like McKinley too long. I haven't done anything wrong and even I am nervous.

"The kid is doing alright like he said?" McKinley inquires.

"Yes he is." I affirm.

"Good, his parents are too powerful for me to be dealing with if their kid has PTSD. Now onto what brought me here, a letter landed on my desk this morning." He begins.

I don't think this is about the vaccine because the announcement is supposed to go out to the whole prison not just me.

"They are in the process of closing the case Special Agent Johnson was working on. Before you deny it, he mentioned in his report that you had discovered who he was but didn't blow his cover." McKinley explains.

"I wasn't going to sir."

McKinley had been giving me odd looks ever since he arrived and replaced the old warden, like he knew something about me that nobody else did. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"Good because the letter I received says that SA Johnson recommended you for parole."McKinley informs me.

"I thought he didn't get to file that paperwork." I choke out surprised.

"Well he did and his bosses are grateful for your discretion while he was undercover so they are pushing for you to get parole. Now it may take a couple of months because you still have to go to a hearing but it's a recommendation from a high up official so instead of being here for the next twenty months, you might be getting out in five or less depending on how fast the committee works." McKinley expounds.

My feet buckle underneath me and I lose my breath for a second. I sag against the walk for support because the news are overwhelming. I'd come to terms with the fact that Darius didn't fulfill his promise because of what happened to him but the bastard actually did.

"You need to fill out all the necessary paper work and have it on my desk as soon as possible so we can get this show on the road." McKinley instructs.

"Of course sir, I will. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, this is a gift Delgado, not many get it so don't waste it."

"I won't." I assure him.

He's right, it is a gift that gives me a whole new perspective on how my future looks like.

McKinley leaves shortly after so that it's just me and my thoughts.

My first thought is to call Diego and Hannah to tell them the good news but it's still too soon and even though McKinley said it was a sure bet I still want to wait until things are more concrete.

But this new development is great, it means that Hannah won't have to wait so long to see me, that's unless she's already on the vaccination team and will be here soon.

Even so, I'm elated to be getting out.

"Thank you Darius, you smug bastard." I grin as I leave my cell once the dinner time announcement rings out.

I'm getting out of this shit hole soon.