Sarah
The day after Gable was attacked by Kurt was Sarah's day off.
Sarah had celebrated when she'd heard what happened down in the hole. She knew Gable had gone down there to bully Kurt into playing by the rules, and when she heard about Gable's injuries from the other guards, it took all her self-control not to throw her head back and laugh. She was just sorry to hear that Kurt hadn't been able to give Gable a solid kick to the balls while he was at it.
She knew the effect that Ad-Seg could have on prisoners—both mentally and physically—and she'd been scared for Kurt, knowing that the claustrophobia of incarceration was already difficult for him. But when she found out that he'd still had enough strength to throw himself at Gable and snatch his baton, she was relieved.
Just hang on a little while longer, Kurt, she thought to herself. There's still a chance for us to get out of this together.
When she got home, she realized that she still hadn't bought a pregnancy test. The news about Kurt and Gable had distracted her again. It was probably for the best, though. Given what she'd have to do the next day, it would be better for her not to have the results hanging over her in case they turned out positive. She'd need all her focus if this was going to work, and then she could pick up the test afterward and deal with the results then.
She didn't sleep well that night due to nervousness, and when she woke up the next morning, she threw up again. She tried to tell herself that it didn't mean anything—that it was just anxiety, that anyone would throw up repeatedly if they found themselves in her position.
Those thoughts weren't much comfort to her. For the hundredth time, she wondered what would happen if the test came back positive, and for the hundredth time, she tried to shove those thoughts away.
Sarah threw on some casual clothes, got into her car, and drove to the nearest rental car company. Gable would recognize her vehicle if he saw it, and if this plan was going to have a snowball's chance in hell, she knew she'd need to be careful and cover her tracks. She rented a plain-looking white sedan for the afternoon and drove to Saint Felipe de Jesus High School.
Then she parked across from the school, got the camera on her phone ready, and waited for the final bell to ring.
When it did, the front doors of the building were flung open and a sea of teenagers in school uniforms flooded out, screaming and laughing and shoving and jeering. Sarah looked at them carefully, singling out a long-legged girl of Mexican descent whose hair was tied back in a ponytail. She waved goodbye to a couple of her friends and then crossed the street, adjusting her pink backpack.
She matched the description Keith had given Sarah, but still, she had to be sure. She peered through her camera, zooming in on the name embroidered on the front of the girl's shirt: Selena Gomez.
Sarah nodded. So far, so good.
Selena peered around quickly to make sure no one was watching her. Then she walked over to a blue two-door convertible, getting in on the passenger's side.
Gable was waiting behind the wheel. When Selena got in, Gable leaned over, putting an arm around her and giving her a long kiss on the lips.
Sarah started to snap pictures.
Selena gently touched the bandages on Gable's cheek and forehead, looking concerned. Sarah couldn't hear their words, but she saw Gable making some kind of “Aw shucks, it's not so bad” gesture before he kissed Selena again. His arms shifted, and it was hard to tell, but it looked like he was sliding one hand between her legs.
Right across from the school? Sarah thought smugly, continuing to take photos. You brazen son of a bitch, Gable.
It almost seemed like Gable must have heard Sarah's thoughts, because he withdrew his hand and turned his car on. Sarah quickly took a few final shots which included Gable's license plate before he drove off.
So there it was.
Sarah had hard evidence that Gable was having a relationship with Roberto Torres's 18-year-old cousin.
If word of this reached the prison, it would be a race to see who would eat him alive first—the Sinners for having sex with their leader's barely legal relative, or the Brothers for betraying their whole racist ideology by fucking a Mexican girl. This info was so juicy, Sarah could hardly believe it was true. She had to check and re-check the pictures, just to make sure.
But now what?
Sure, she could try to corner Gable alone during her next shift and lord it over him, warning him to stay off her case and stop screwing with Kurt. That didn't seem smart, though. It would just put Gable between a rock and a hard place, since the Brothers would still expect him to follow their orders. If Gable was trapped like that, there was no telling what kind of desperate moves he could make. Worse, if he knew she had this evidence against him, that might give him enough time to think of how he could slime his way out of it. Sarah would be back to square one—and it would be even worse, since now she'd have Gable as a real enemy.
She could go to the Brothers or the Sinners with the info, but again, what then? In the best-case scenario, they'd have Gable killed. Then he'd be replaced by some other guard who was loyal to the Brothers, and their abuse of her and Kurt would continue. Again, she'd be back where she started.
No, this kind of thing had to be used carefully, with surgical precision. It was like having a gun with a single bullet in it—a powerful weapon, sure, but she had to make her one shot count.
Maybe Kurt could help her come up with the best way to use it. Now that she had compromising information about Officer Leroy in Ad-Seg as well, she'd be able to visit with him.
But first things first.
Sarah dropped off the rental car, then went to a drugstore on the way home and bought a pregnancy test. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with frizzy gray hair and thick glasses, studiously kept her eyes down as she rang up the purchase. Even so, Sarah thought she saw the clerk shake her head almost imperceptibly.
When Sarah got home, she took the test, then sat on the lid of the toilet and waited for the results. Finally, two lines appeared on the strip.
That was it, then. She was pregnant. It wasn't what she'd been hoping for, but even so, it felt better knowing for sure. It didn't even feel like much of a shock, and she realized that on some level, she'd been steeling herself for this ever since she first noticed the blood on her sheets.
She went to the bedroom, stretched out on top of the blanket, and stared at the ceiling.
How would Kurt react?
The truth was, she couldn't even begin to guess. His entire life had already been turned upside down since he'd gone to River Oak. Contemplating a two-year sentence was one thing—lots of short-time prisoners were released with babies waiting for them at home, either from sex before they'd been sent away or during a conjugal visit. But now that he was facing the possibility of a life sentence, what would the thought of having a child on the outside do to him?
And despite what they'd shared in the infirmary, how could she even know for sure that he would want her to have his baby? Their whole relationship had been chaos and uncertainty from the beginning. He was clearly still mourning his wife and child. How could Sarah possibly hope to fill that void for him? What if he rejected her for trying?
Sarah didn't have any answers to these questions, but she knew one thing: She was going to keep this baby. She couldn't bring herself to abort it, or give it away for adoption. It was a part of Kurt, and she wanted it in her life, if only because it was probably the closest thing she'd have to being with him.
She hoped Kurt would understand that, even if he didn't want any part of it. She hoped he wouldn't be upset with her for her decision.
Eventually, the sun set and Sarah's eyelids grew heavy. She fell into a shallow and restless sleep, dreaming of how things might go when she saw Kurt again tomorrow. None of the potential outcomes seemed good.