Hard Time (Part Two)

Elisabeth Lyons and a few of her fellow officers sat at Delaney's Pub later that night. The chit-chat at the table had been centered on their past experiences at PCF and other prisons they had worked at previously. For the most part Elisabeth was having a good time. So far she was becoming fast friends with Danny Lundgren and Keenyah Smithson. The blight on her evening was Officer Rembolt. He was on his 6th beer, and obviously drunk. He kept on making obnoxious comments and flirting with her even though she had asked him repeatedly and firmly to quit.1

"Okay Davy, I think you have had enough of the happy juice," said Danny taking away the 7th bottle.2

"I'm.....just buzzed," slurred Rembolt. "You are...soooo fiiiine Lyons. Let me kiss you." He tried to kiss her but he was met with a slap from her hand. "You....Bitch...."3

"Sometimes I have to be one when a person won't take no for an answer." she shot at Rembolt. She was dreading having to work with that man tomorrow. But she couldn't ask for a transfer so early in the job.4

"Let me take him home now," Danny sighed, "He usually is better than this.5

"It's ok. I really should be getting home." Elisabeth said wishing the group a good night. When she got home the stress of the day finally hit her. As soon as she had prayed and got under the covers, she was asleep.6

..........7

The next day Elisabeth had the women in the morning. The women were pretty well behaved. Keenyah had standards, and was much the same as Elisabeth. She tried to get to know each prisoner and reach them with sound advice before they left. 8

Afternoon brought with it the hard part: working with the men. Men in general are slightly more agressive while the women are just catty, though they can be aggressive too. Afternoon also brought the added challenge of working with Officer Rembolt. He apologized for last night, but still continued to flirt with her while checking cells. The air in the prison was suffocating her. She was glad when it was finally time to go into the Cell Block's common room. It was where the guys could watch tv and play cards or whatever they had the money to buy.9

Elisabeth stood next to the wall surveying the crowd to make sure nothing broke out. Everything seemed to be fine until one of them was caught cheating at cards against Swede. Swede cursed and flew across the table throwing punches. Elisabeth brought out her taser and fired it at Swede giving time for Rembolt to cuff him.10

"Allright, screw up, back to the cell you go." Remboldt said coldly.11

"You've really got to control your temper Swede. I don't like having to punish you." Elisabeth said as he passed by her on the way up the stairs. Scott Kendrick walked over to where Elisabeth was standing.12

"Why do you care so much?" he asked her stunned, "Most officers just treat us like shit. Why are you making an effort?"13

"Because, Kendrick.."14

"I told you, call me Scott."15

"...Scott, I do it because I want to make people better. God showed mercy to me, I show mercy to others. Everyone deserves a second chance. I try to help them change before they move on from here." Elisabeth explained.16

"You believe in God?" there was questioning and a sense of longing in his soft brown eyes.17

"Yeah I do. Don't ask me to prove it, because I can't give you proof other than the fact I am standing before you, and the proof there is out there in the world for you to find. I just know it in my heart." she explained once more. Once more she felt the feeling in her stomach.18

Scott shook his head. "You are something else."19

..........20

A week later, Elisabeth's job was going quite well. She enjoyed her time in either block she was working in. But this week she was a little off, and the other Officers could tell. During shift change at lunch, Keenyah confronted Elisabeth.21

"Girl, I can tell you are in a funk right now. Whats wrong?"22

"Nothing, Keenyah, I'm fine..." Elisabeth breathed.23

"That's bull and you know it." Keenyah countered, "You gotta tell me right here before you are late for J block."24

"I was supposed to get married a year ago today. My fiance was killed by a guy he had stopped on the road for driving while he was high. A year ago today, I was supposed to be married." Elisabeth bit her lip. It still stung hard, and she still wore her engagement ring on a chain around her neck.25

"Oh girl I'm so sorry," Keenyah said hugging her friend, "You gotta suck it up for next shift though, those guys smell weakness."26

Elisabeth laughed, dried her tears and headed off for cell block J.27

Thankfully it was a relatively quiet day. At suppertime the prisoners were talking about courtroom experiences. Especially the setencing hearings.28

"Mine was the usual you know?" said Swede, "It was the whole, you need to learn your lesson about stealing and assaulting if you want to amount to something, son speech."29

"I saw a news report on mine that was given to me by my lawyer," Scott put in, "said I showed no emotion. What was I supposed to do? Cry? There isn't anything to do or say anymore at that point. You know you are going to die, what more is there to say or show?"30

"Maybe say you are sorry, try to explain that you were completely out of it and in the wrong?" Elisabeth said to herself. She felt that nervous feeling she had before. She still couldn't understand what had happened in Scott's life to make him end up convicted and setenced to death.31

Walking down the hall of Cell Block J, all Elisabeth could think about was getting home to her bed. She just needed to get away from the prison for awhile to be alone. She felt suffocated again.32

She was just about to reach the door when she heard Scott calling for her. She made her way back to the cell.33

"What is it, Scott." she sighed.34

"You dropped this." Scott said holding up the ring on the chain. "Who's the lucky guy?"35

Elisabeth took the chain as tears filled her eyes, "He's gone. You wanna know how? He was killed by a guy he stopped on the side of the road while driving under the influence of meth. We were supposed to be married that day. That day is today a year ago. He was ripped away from me the same way that you ripped that girls husband away from her when you shot him." she flung at him. Right away she knew she was wrong for having said that. "I'm, I'm sorry."36

She quickly made her way out of the cell block before bursting into tears in the locker room.37

Meanwhile Scott just stood there stunned. Her words rang through his ears a hundred times over. He felt sick to his stomach. It hit him now, he had really hurt someone, all to protect his drugs. He bowed his head. It started out as a way to get money, but it quickly became more than that, it had become a possession. He sat on his bed with his head in his hands. He knew what he had to do now.38

"Officer Benton? Can I have some paper and a pencil please?" he asked one of the night guards.39

"What for, Kendrick?"40

"I need to write an apology...."41

.........42

A month later, Elisabeth had been transferred to the night shift. She hadn't talked to Scott at all over the past few weeks. Thankfully Rembolt hadn't been transferred to night shift as well. It was nice to work with Officers Benton, Oliver, and Hill. She was quietly chatting with Benton about the prisoners and what it was like on night shift.43

"And boy has Kendrick changed," he commented.44

"How so?" 45

"Well about a month ago he aksed me for paper to write an apology letter to the wife of the officer he killed. He is also seeing the Chaplain every morning." the officer explained obcviously wowed by it.46

"That, thats great." Elisabeth said quietly. Her little fiasco with him had happened about a month ago. Had it sparked the change?47

When her shift ended she headed for the lockers to take a nice shower. She just felt like she needed it. She could hear the prisoners waking up as she opened the door to the lockers. She got into a shower stall and just let the hot water run over her. She heard the door open but she just assumed it was Keenyah or one of the other officers coming back for something out of their locker. Then the shower curtain opened. An arm grabbed her around the throat. She tried to scream but her throat was dry.48

"You've denied me one too many times, Lyons," she knew then it was Rembolt, "Well, you are mine now." She elbowed him in the side and found her voice.49

"HELP! HELP PLEASE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.50

"No use, no one can hear you." Rembolt growled reaching for her again. She kicked at him and screamed once more. At that moment Scott Kendrick was being taken to his meeting with the chaplain that took him right next to the hall the women's lokcers. He heard the scream.51

"Somethings wrong." Scott said and broke into the best run he could muster off down the hall. The door hadn't closed all the way and he made his way into the locker room with Officer Sanger taling him. Scott saw Rembolt ram Officer Lyons' head into the shower head. He saw blood, and so did officer Sanger. Sanger pulled out his gun and fired carefully into Rembolt's right shoulder. He radioed some codes that Scott couldn't hear. Scott felt sick as he saw Lyons fall to the ground. Sanger had drug Rembolt out of the shower stall and was cuffing him. 52

"Take off my cuffs please," Scott asked.53

"I'm not supposed to do that..." 54

"Just do it! Please!" Sanger reluctantly complied. As soon as Scott was free he ripped the shower curtain and covered her body with it. He took towel hanging outside on the rack and went back into the cell. He sat down next to her, put the towel under her head and put her head into his lap. She looked into his eyes.55

"S-Scott. I-I-" she began.56

"Shhhh, don't say a word. Just stay with me. Look into my eyes." he said trying to be calm as he stroked the side of her head. "You're going to be fine. They are going to be here any second to take care of you."57

"S-s-scott..." she tried again but this time she drifted into unconciousness. 58

"No, NO stay with me! Come on Lyons, come on!" he urged as the paramedics arrived. They took her out of his arms. Before he knew it they were out the door. He looked down, his suit was covered in blood. 59

Officer Sanger came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know you probably just saved her life." Scott only nodded as he sat in shock with the shower soaking him through.60