Hard Time (Part Three)

Elisabeth remembered being slammed against the showerhead. She remembered the look of sinister happiness, then pain on Rembolt's face as he was shot. She remembered falling. She remembered Scott. Scott had been there. How he got in she didn't know. There were tears in Scott's eyes. He was trying to keep her awake. Then black.1

Elisabeth turned her head to the side and watched the liquid in the IV trickle down the tube. She turned her head toward the ceiling again. Despite the medication, her head still throbbed. She couldn't even see straight yet, everything had an eerie haze. Elisabeth reached over to turn off the light. She lay there in semi-darkness trying to process what had happened when the door opened.2

"Hey girl, you mind if I visit?" It was Keenyah Smithson3

"Not at all. As long as you don't mind sitting in the dark." Elisabeth spoke groggily, as if in a daze.4

"I don't mind at all. How are you?" 5

"I feel like a ton of bricks keep hitting me in the head. How's everything going back at PCF?"6

Keenyah relayed some stories of how the prisoners on A Block were doing, including the release of Shanae Rodrigues.7

"Shanae told me that she was going to try really hard to make life better for her and her son. She is getting Timo back. And she told me she is going to find a church to go to, and that she would call us and tell us how she is doing." Keenyah smiled.8

Elisabeth smiled as well. "That's good, I'm glad to hear that."9

"Scott asked about you."10

"What? How do you know this?" Scott was asking about her?11

"Sanger told me that Scott was asking about you. That's part of the reason I am here." Keenyah explained. "You sound really tired. I'm going to let you get some rest, girl!"12

"Thank you for coming by, Keenyah. And tell everyone I said "Hi"." Keenyah left and Elisabeth smiled to herself. She couldn't help but be a little bit excited that Scott had asked about her. Elisabeth immediatley scolded herself. "He's a prisoner! A murderer! You can't have feelings like this for him, Beth, you can't."13

Elisabeth was in the hospital under observation for five days. The story of an inmate saving a corrections officer's life had broken the news. Elisabeth had newscasters and reporters come in and out. Danny Lundgren and Fletch Benton had also come by to visit. Mark Sanger came by with a letter from Scott. Elisabeth thanked Sanger for helping to save her life and after he had gone opened the letter.14

"Officer Lyons, I hope this letter finds you near to recovered and back to normal. I just wanted to let you know what an amazing person you are, and how hard it hit the whole block when this whole thing happened. Swede wanted to exact some justice on Rembolt himself! You have really been a big part of our lives in the time you have been here. We all miss our suppertime chats with you, and we look forward to having you back. 15

Sincerely, Scott"16

Elisabeth's grey eyes misted as she read the letter. The fact that Scott had cared enough to write, and that the guys missed her was touching. Even Elisabeth herself could not wait to be back doing what she loved to do.17

............18

The next week Elisabeth surprised the inmates on Cell Block J by coming by to visit during suppertime. She wouldn't be allowed to return to working for another week, but she couldn't wait to see "her boys" again. As soon as she walked into the room there was a commotion as several guys came up to welcome her back.19

"Hey Lyons, how's your head?" Swede laughed as he pounded her fist.20

"It's fine, Swede. How have you guys been?" she sat down at the table.21

"I be fly," laughed Fly Jones.22

"I'm doing allright," said Clay Black, "I have a meeting with the parole board tomorrow, I might get to go home."23

"That's great Clay! I hope it works out for you." Elisabeth felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Scott standing behind her. He smiled and immediately Elisabeth was on her feet and into Scott's embrace. 24

"Good to see you back, Lyons." Scott said letting her go.25

"It's good to see you too, Scott." Elisabeth smiled. Scott slid in beside her and the rest of suppertime was spent on talking to the rest of the guys at her table. Elisabeth accompanied them back to the block and talked to the guys she hadn't been able to talk to at supper. After making her rounds to them, she made her way back to Scott's cell.26

"I can't even begin to thank you for what you did, Scott. But to be honest, how did you even find me? How did you know?"27

"I was on my way to my meeting with Chaplain O'Malley, and I heard a scream. Somehow I knew it was you and I just took off down the hall. The door was open...Sanger said if it hadn't been we never would have heard you. He shot Rembolt and uncuffed me so that I could keep you conscious until the Medics arrived." He took her hand through the bars, and Elisabeth felt an electric zap shoot through her heart, "Lyons..."28

"I'm not on duty, so call me Elisabeth, or Beth if you prefer. Just don't call me that while I'm on duty."29

"...Elisabeth, I knew Rembolt was an ass, but I never would have thought that he would have done something like that. It made me sick to my stomach....And when you lost conciousness...if you would have died because of him....I don't know what I would have done. What it all comes down to is that the guys on this block are all better because we met you, and I think every block here needs an officer like you." he finished as he let go of her hand.30

"Scott, you and Sanger will never know what this means to me." she looked into his eyes. "I don't even know how to thank you." Scott grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her in close as his lips met hers for a breif moment through the bars.31

Elisabeth bowed her head, "You shouldn't have done that."32

He reached through the bars and touched the gauze wrapped around her head, "I know." His brown eyes sparkled as he smiled.33

"I really should be going now. God bless you Scott Kendrick." She turned from his cell and made her way down the block. Scott leaned against the bars and smiled. 34

........35

The week before returning was full of soul searching for Elisabeth. She couldn't help but think about Scott. And she felt guilty for doing so. She felt as though she was somehow betraying the man she had intended to marry a little over a year ago. She looked over to the picture on the stand next to the couch. It was of her and her fiancee Callum Friesen. He had been about six feet tall with black hair and bright blue eyes. Callum had been so kind to everyone he met. Her family had loved him, her friends had loved him, heck the whole town loved him. She would never forget that phone call.36

..........37

"Bethie, Bethie is it you?"38

"Mara? What's wrong?" Elisabeth had answered Callums mother. Mara sounded scared and confused.39

"Beth it's Callum. He's in the hospital. They don't think he is going to make it much longer..." Mara broke out into sobs.40

"What happened? Mara! What happened?" Elisabeth was in shock.41

"He....He's been shot..." Mara managed to squeeze out inbetween sobs.42

"I'm on my way Mara." Elisabeth hung up her cell and grabbed her keys. She turned to her bridesmaids still getting their hair done. "I have to go, its Callum. He's been shot." Elisabeth choked back tears and ran out of the salon. In practically no time Elisabeth was at the hospital and met by Ray, Callum's father. Ray looked near to tears himself.43

"He's this way," Ray motioned downt the hall. After awhile they were at Callum's room. Elisabeth's knees gave out as she saw all the tubes and monitors hooked up to Callum's body. Ray caught her and they made their way into the room.44

Elisabeth sat in the chair closest to Callum while Ray and Mara sat in the chairs behind her. Her tears fell freely then. "Please, God, please let him make it!" She took his hand and held it. How long she held his hand she could not remember. "Callum can you hear me?" she finally asked after awhile. "Callum I just want you to know that I love you. Please honey, please hold on."45

She felt a squeeze on her hand, then she heard the monitor go from beep beep, to one long sustained tone as his hand relaxed. They all knew he was gone. Elisabeth began sobbing as the nurse came in. She kissed Callum's hand one last time before leaving the room. Once she got into the hall she fell into the arms of her father. "Oh daddy, daddy why?"46

Her father was choking back emotion himself, "I can't tell you that,Bethie. We just have to trust God now." He held his daughter tight. Through her tears Elisabeth could see the hall clock. It was just after seven p.m. If all would have gone according to her, she would have been walking down the aisle right at that moment.47

........48

Elisabeth dried her tears. It would do no good to cry now. Crying hadn't brought Callum back yet, and it never would. She instead looked to her coffee table. Sitting on it was the letter that Scott had written to her. She remembered the feeling of Scott's arms around hers, his lips on hers. She couldn't help but smile.49