by David McGhee
Chapter 10: The anti climactic trial
Josh was awoken yet again at nearly five thirty that morning. Still dizzy from the medications he stumbled to his feet when he heard the door open and his name being called. He put on his orange slip-ons and walked slowly and deliberately out of the cell. There was a new guard standing by near the steps. A tall muscular guy with a blond crew cut, Josh hated him immediately.
"You want some breakfast?" The guard asked, surprisingly gentle with his approach. Josh appreciated it but waved his hand to signify that he did not want anything that moment in time. He was barely able to keep the meds down let alone food. On the verge of dehydration, the nurse gave him Gatorade every time he came down to the nurse's station. He'd been somewhat successful at not throwing it up but lost the battle as many times as he won it. His blood pressure was still abnormally low, causing some concern but then again it was probably the Clonadine doing it. This is why he saw white when he stood up for too long.
And brain zaps. Every now and then he felt something like an electric shock inside his head. It ruined his vision for a few seconds and the withdrawal pains came back.
Josh vowed that if he ever got out of this intact he'd never touch that heroin shit ever again. Although those thoughts intermingled with the idea that he could just use a little when he got out, easing him out of the withdrawal.
Just a little bit...
Josh was told to sit down at one of the quadrant shaped tables that had fixed chairs attached to them. He sat down and laid his head on the table where he felt as if he could just melt into the furnishing. His thoughts were on nothing but the impending court date in just a few hours. He wondered if everyone was right, that he'd just get probation.
He hoped so.
The table had a checkers board built into it.
Rook to knight five.
Brain zap…
After about twenty minutes of waiting the guard told him to go to the door and wait outside in the hall. He did so and walked toward the entrance, the door slid open and he went out. The hall was cold and the walls appeared to be whiter than they were the day before. The air was stale and it made Josh's nose run.
Another guard, a shorter black guy came over and motioned for him to follow. He did as he was told (he was a professional at this by now, could charge by the hour if he so pleased!) and was led down the hallway and to the elevators. He said something into his receiver and the elevator door opened.
"Get in." he said. Josh walked into the large elevator and looked around as if he was just starting to clear his head. The whiteness overcame him and he had to sit down. The guard told him to stand up but Josh had to rest a second before continuing. The officer came in and pulled him up by the arm and told him to face away from him with his hands behind his back. Josh did not protest and secretly hoped that he would faint and show the guard a thing or two.
He did not however and stood where he did until he heard the door close. Josh felt the elevator descending and grew more nervous as the seconds passed by.
When the elevator stopped and the door opened behind him he was told to turn around and exit. Upon getting out he saw several other inmates in blue clothing standing facing the wall in front of him. Josh assumed that he was to go stand with them so he did so, the guard did not complain.
After about a minute of waiting they were told to move along down the hallway to where there were about three other officers waiting with ankle cuffs in their hands. Josh moved along toward them and stopped at a black officer who told him to turn around and put one leg up. He did and he got cuffed on that foot, then the other one. Josh wanted to know whether or not he was going to get his wrists cuffed but they never asked for his hands.
He thanked God for small miracles.
Malcolm waited outside the courtroom for about thirty minutes, surfing the internet on his phone, looking up facts about drug courts. From what he understood, at that moment in time there was only a hand full of these types of programs in the country. It was designed to get people off drugs and on track with life. Although it was still probation and incurred outrages costs to the probationee. He hoped that this would straighten Josh out.
Malcolm wanted to ask someone when and where he would be released. He assumed that they'd just let him go after this but he wasn't certain.
There were a few other people sitting on the bench next to him, one lady looked like she was strung out and she was picking at her face. Another was a man with a bushy beard and unruly hair. Two teenaged boys (at least they looked like teenagers) one of whom was reading a book while the other was also on his phone, which looked nicer than Malcolm's. It made him a little angry that the Droid two cell phone he brought with him was already outdated and he cursed Motorola for being so fucking trendy.
After about another five minutes a clerk unlocked the door and told them that they could now come inside. The courtroom was a big wooden area with nice pews and a modern looking judge bench. Computers lined it and Malcolm couldn't help but reminisce about the times in his life when he saw judges with simple looking quarters and used gavels. He wondered if this judge would bang a gavel after each case, it wasn't likely though.
After another ten or so minutes the inmates were led in through a door in the wall that blended in with the faux wood finish. It didn't even look like a door and Malcolm wouldn't of caught it otherwise. Five inmates were led in, two in blue and three in green. The last one through the door was Josh, his blue hair was fading back into its original blond. Malcolm waved hello but he was looking down toward his feet.
When he sat down he finally surveyed the courtroom and saw Malcolm. He wasn't sure whether to smile and wave or keep still. He opted to acknowledge him and waved with both his hands cuffed together. Malcolm waved back but a guard immediately came over to him and wagged his finger to say no he couldn't do that.
Josh sighed and went back to staring at the floor.
A short thin man in a brown suit walked up to Josh and sat beside him in the jury box bench. He had some papers and reached out his hand to shake. Josh wasn't sure whether he should or not seeing as his last attempt at communication was met with malice. The man took back his hand and introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Max." He said. "I've been appointed as your public defender. You must be..." Max looked in his folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Josh Hardy right?" Josh nodded but said nothing. "Now here's the deal..." He began. "You're looking at two years probation in drug court. UAs and monthly check ins. It's not that big of a deal as long as you stay clean."
Josh looked up. "Is that all? What about fines?"
Max looked back into his folder and scanned another sheet of paper. "About two thousand dollars in fines. About two hundred for victim's costs and..."
Josh interrupted him. "Victim's what? I didn't do anything to anyone!"
Max smiled. "It's just standard. Do you need to know any more about the deal?"
"Is there anymore I need to know?"
"Not really. I mean, there is, but not anything too big that I think you couldn't handle."
Josh sighed. "How do I take the deal." He paused. "Anything I can do to make this a better deal?"
"This is about the best you'll get."
Another sigh. "Alright..."
Max took out a pen from his pocket and placed the sheet of paper on Josh's lap. "Sign here." He said, pointing to the signature line. Josh wanted to read the thing but felt as if time was short. He was right. As he was signing it the judge walked in.
"All rise!" The clerk bellowed.
They did as they were told and then the judge motioned for everyone to sit down. He was a pleasant looking old man. Bald and quite chubby. What little hair he had was gray and thinning further. He looked around the courtroom and smiled.
"Let's get this started." He said excitedly as he sat down.
The first two cases were the two blue inmates. The third was a guy in green.
"Mister Robertson." The judge sighed.
"You have really messed up this time haven't you?"
"Sir, I didn't mean to do it. I've just been having a hard time as of late!" Robertson said.
"I told you the next time I see you in greens I'd send you away for ninety days." The judge was looking at something on his computer monitor and taking notes in a folder.
"Please sir. I have a job and a family to support!" He pleaded. "My mother is in the hospital and I had to have something to relax me!"
The judge smiled. "Mr. Robertson, I highly doubt that meth is in anyway relaxing."
Josh winced.
"Please sir! It was just one time!"
The judge looked down at his paperwork. "I know but last time it was just one time. And the time before that, and so on." He looked back up. "You've had many chances sir."
"Please! I need to feed my kids!"
"I don't know how you can when you spend all your money on meth. Mrs. Peterson, how does his UAs look?" He asked the clerk.
"All positive for methamphetamine for the last four times." Peterson said without taking his eyes off his computer monitor. The stenographer was typing away on her computer next to his. Josh was amazed how the scene was so modern looking. It was nothing like in a John Grisham book or any movie he'd seen.
"Oh God sir please!" Robertson was in tears now.
The judge grinned. "Ninety days." He said. "Next case..."
Robertson was led back to the bench.
The judge pulled out another file from the stack. "Josh Hardy, case number 33521b." He said as he used a grocery store bar code scanner to put the case file into his computer. Josh rose and looked around as if someone could help him avoid the firing squad. Max stood up along with him and led him to the podium. Josh walked to it and stared at his feet, not looking at the judge.
"Mister Hardy I'd like it if you looked at me." The judge said in a sweet low voice. Josh looked up.
"Judge," Max began, "Mister Hardy is willing to take the deal, he signed the papers and I think this is pretty open and shut." He said and walked up to where the judge sat on his elevated platform and handed him the sheet of paper that Josh had signed. The judge took it and looked it over.
"Very good." He laughed. "Now Mister Hardy, do you understand what you've just signed."
Josh spoke into the microphone. "Yes sir, I believe I do."
"Do you think you've had adequate counsel?"
Josh looked over to his right, Max was smiling. "Yes sir I think I did."
"You are being charged with a class one misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance. How do you plead?"
Josh sighed. "Guilty."
"Do you understand the terms of your probation?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you understand that violating these terms could result in up to two years in jail?" His smile was warm but his demeanor was harsh.
"Yes sir..."
"You are ordered to pay up to two thousand two hundred dollars in fines and take UAs when instructed to?"
"I understand sir." Josh was again looking at his feet. His orange handcuffs were too tight and it bothered him. They had slapped them on at the last second instead of just doing it when they got their ankle cuffs.
"Are you under the influence of medication or drugs or have you been promised anything that may have effected your decision today?"
"No sir."
"Well then, I suppose you know what's next. You will be released tomorrow to probation. You will check in on the fifth floor at nine o'clock and sign in. You will be assigned a probation officer then."
"OK sir."
The judge smiled. "Good. Now you have a good day Mister Hardy. We will see you again on..." He looked at the clerk, who again did not look away from his computer screen.
"January fourth." Peterson said.
"January fourth." The judge said. "Thank you Mister Hardy." And with that Josh was led back to the pew.
Malcolm stood up and left the courtroom. Once out the door he checked his phone for any messages. None were there so he switched the ringer back on and headed down the hallway. Along the way he spotted that blond haired guy who arrested Josh standing by the entrance, talking to another officer. Daniels was in plain clothes and holding a cup of Starbucks coffee. Malcolm growled and walked by him. He figured the only way he'd come out was through the entrance. He would wait for him there.
Josh got back to his cell and the door closed behind him. His cell mate was gone and he savored the alone time. He laid back down on his matt and immediately fell asleep. He had a dream about using heroin in his old bathroom. It made him feel warm inside.