Song of the Blackbird (Albatross Prison #1)

by DB Michaels

  Chapter 9

  What a day. For a moment there, she could have been toast. Emma sighed and leaned back against her seat. Off went the hairclip…her head was hurting enough already and she didn’t need the clip’s hard edge digging into the headrest. The enormous sky stretched above them like black velvet. Thousands of brilliant diamonds twinkled down on them. She’d always loved looking at the sky at night. Even with all the ugliness in the world—the violence, the poverty, the misery—there was still so much beauty out there.

  Emma took in a deep breath and settled back in her seat. She’d spent many nights star-gazing with Sam in the San Bernardino Mountains before he went to live with his father. Before he slipped off the straight and narrow path and became who he was today. She shook her head at the memories and tried to find Orion, Sam’s favorite constellation.

  “I can’t believe how clear the sky is tonight,” she said, half to herself.

  Chambers’s arm twitched next to her but he didn’t say anything. Somehow Emma didn’t mind. She felt more relaxed and carefree than she’d been in a long time. The morphine must definitely be kicking in.

  “Do you like star-gazing?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help herself. The silence was getting to be too much, and she didn’t mind starting a conversation, even if it turned out to be one-sided. “I love it. I find it so mind-boggling. Can you imagine? There may be life out there, people just like you or me. Wouldn’t that be strange, meeting your other half in another galaxy?”

  “Another galaxy?” Chambers shook his head. “I doubt it. There’s probably no life out there.”

  “How do you know for sure?” Emma asked, surprised he’d finally spoken.

  “I need to see it to believe it.” He sounded relaxed and calm for the first time since she’d known him. “But you’re right. The stars are beautiful.”

  “I love looking at the constellations. I never can find the chair in Cassiopeia. But I can see the M sometimes.” She pointed to the M as the sky was especially clear tonight. “I like the Canis ones, Major more than Minor. Draco the Dragon is nice. But my favorite is Andromeda. I think it’s so romantic that Perseus rescued her, don’t you? And they got married and had children and are now forever in the sky together.”

  “How’s your head feeling?”

  “Fine.” Had he heard anything she’d said? But it didn’t matter, did it? Just hearing his deep, masculine voice was enough. It was definitely better than his gruff tone at work. “Thank you for coming with me today, Mr. Chambers.”

  “No problem. And you can call me Maxim. Chambers sounds so formal.”

  “Alright. Thanks.” Maxim. She liked the sound of it. It suited him, strong and tough. “Please call me Emma.”

  “Okay.” They continued on in silence for a while until he flicked on a CD. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony floated over the audio.

  “You listen to this stuff?”

  “Yes. It’s my favorite. What? Why the strange look?”

  “It’s just...” Emma bit her lip. “Classical is so refined.”

  “And?” His voice had become steely again.

  “You’re in charge of inmates. You run a prison. You’re so…”

  “What? Crass? Crude?”

  Emma squirmed in her seat, not knowing how to apologize. Luckily his cell rang, saving her from a response.

  “Chambers,” he said over the Bluetooth speaker.

  A man’s friendly voice sounded from the other end. “It’s me. Can you talk?”

  “Sure. Hold on a minute.” Chambers looked at her, his eyes somber. “Sorry, do you mind? This shouldn’t take long.”

  “Go ahead. I don’t mind.” Not at all.

  “What’s up?” Maxim asked.

  “I know it’s last minute but we had to move Kyle’s birthday party to tomorrow evening. Lani’s mom can’t make it on Saturday. Can you come?”

  “Pleeeaaase. Uncle Max. You have to come,” a boy’s eager voice chimed in.

  “Sure, Big Boy.” How indulgent he sounded. Definitely different from the tone at work. “You’re turning three, right?”

  “Yup. You and me play airplane.”

  “You got it.”

  “And me want rocket for present.”

  “A rocket? I can manage that. Anything else?”

  A woman’s laughing voice suddenly interrupted. “Come on, Maxim. Don’t spoil him so much. He has a million things from you already.”

  “I can’t help it. He’s my only godson, you know.”

  “Are you going to the charity gala next weekend?”

  “Which one is that?” Maxim frowned. “It’s hard to keep track of all of them.”

  “The CVU. It’s your favorite.”

  “Oh. Of course. Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been really busy lately.”

  “I know. You work too hard.” The woman’s tone softened. “We never see you anymore. Come by for dinner sometime.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  “Bye, Uncle Max. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Big Boy.”

  Maxim clicked off the Bluetooth and turned toward her. “Sorry about that.”

  “No worries.” What a surprise. He’d sounded so gentle. The man clearly loved his godson. And he did charity work, too. Emma felt even more awful about that Beethoven remark. “What’s the CVU?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “It’s an organization that supports victims of crime.”

  “That’s nice of you.” And noble, too. “How did you get involved?”

  “It’s kind of personal,” he said after a short silence.

  “Oh.” He sounded terse again. She looked out the window and tried vainly to think of a different topic.

  “Is your head okay?” Maxim suddenly asked.

  “Yes. I think so.”

  “Good. You could have been really hurt.” His huge hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I wish I’d beaten the crap out of Ransom. An eye for an eye. We should do that to all the criminals.”

  “Not all of them are bad, you know.” Definitely not Sam.

  “Of course they are. Ransom almost killed you today.”

  “Yeah. Ransom was bad. But he doesn’t represent all of them.”

  Maxim scoffed. “You’re too naïve.”

  “And you’re too prejudiced.” Emma sighed. Here they were, back to their old disagreements again.

  Maxim’s face closed up. “This is your exit, right?”

  They finished the rest of the ride in uncomfortable silence. He walked her to the door without saying much when they finally arrived at her place.

  “Thanks for the ride.” Emma touched her pendant.

  “No problem. Get some sleep. You look exhausted. Take the day off tomorrow.”

  “My car.” She suddenly realized her predicament. “It’s still at the prison.”

  “I’ll have someone bring it back for you. Give me your key. You have a spare, right?”

  She handed him the key and told him where her car was parked.

  “Good night.” Maxim’s face was as expressionless and formidable as ever.

  “Thanks for all your help.” He’d done so much for her today. Too bad there was this tension still festering between them.

  “No problem.” He glanced at the door. “You have a deadbolt? Make sure you use it, okay?”

  “Sure.” What an odd thing to say. She waved good-bye and stepped over the threshold. He was full of surprises, the warden. One minute gruff and overbearing, and the next protective and even considerate. It’d been a horrible day but being with Maxim had surprisingly made it more tolerable. She fell asleep dreaming of the stars and of his deep voice.

  Chapter 10

  Pound! Pound! Pound! Maxim slammed his fist against the punching bag. Since four in the morning, he’d been at it. He should break off to do his usual five-mile run but the memory was too fresh. Pound! She’d looked terrified. Pound! She’d been wedged against the table and the wall. Pound! Tha
t bastard had had his hand around her throat. She’d collapsed on the floor and he’d never felt more terrified in his life. Except for that one time fifteen years ago. Pound! Pound! Pound!

  The sweat poured off his face like water but he didn’t feel it. His hands were probably cracked and bleeding through the gloves but he didn’t feel them either. He was numb all over. Emma had been so brave at the hospital, insisting she was fine when any other woman would have broken down by then. But no, not her. The woman was amazing. Stupid, naïve, stubborn, reckless: she was all those things. But also simply amazing.

  Pound! Pound! Pound! The bastard could’ve killed her. That beautiful little fool. He should have ripped Ransom to pieces right away instead of escorting her to the Urgent Care. But she’d insisted on walking on her own and would have fallen without him. How slight she’d felt in his arms, like a small, injured angry bird. She’d been mostly bones and he’d been afraid he’d crush her with his massive arms but somehow she’d survived their encounter. Too bad he hadn’t.

  Maxim ripped off his gloves in disgust and yanked open the back door. He flung himself out into the cool morning air and raced along the familiar path that curved around his house. He jogged down the steep cliff where the path ended and soon found himself at his favorite location, running along the beach. Seagulls pierced the early morning stillness with their cries while the sun was trying to peep above the horizon.

  He’d run like this every day for the past ten years, and the exercise usually relaxed him but not today. Today all he could see were Emma’s frantic emerald eyes, her swollen wrist, the white bandage on her arm at the hospital. All he could hear were her screams for help. His body broke into a cold sweat. Somehow he had to make sure she didn’t get hurt again.

  Two hours later, Maxim arrived at the prison knowing what he needed to do. His body was sore but at least his mind was more at peace. She wouldn’t be here today, so he could rest easy on that account. She hadn’t looked so good when he’d left her last night. It was as if the strain of the day had finally caught up with her. Maybe he should ask Brown to check up on her.

  The doctors were all waiting around the table in the conference room when he entered. Damn. He’d never been late before. It was all that woman’s fault. He shook his head in disgust and resolved to keep her out of his mind. As soon as he shared the news with the group.

  “Good morning.” He sat in his usual place next to Kaye. “Some of you may have already heard. Dr. Edwards was assaulted yesterday afternoon in the Unit 3 office.” A rumble went up among the group. He waved down their questions. “She’s okay. Just a sprained wrist. She’s resting at home today and may need the next few days off. Brown, I want you to check up on her later.”

  “He doesn’t need to. I’m right here.” Emma’s voice spoke up from the doorway.

  Unbelievable. Maxim braced his hands against the edge of the table. What the hell was she doing here? Didn’t she ever listen to advice?

  She came into the room dressed in her usual tasteless outfit of brown pants and a loose-fitting shirt. Her thick, long, black hair was clipped back again in its staid ponytail. At least her wrist still had on the ACE bandage. Thank God for small favors.

  “Why are you here?” Maxim asked, praying for patience. “Didn’t I tell you to take the day off?”

  “I don’t need it,” the woman replied in her usual blunt manner. “I’m fine. There’s nothing to do at home anyway.”

  “Do? You’re not supposed to do anything.” He gripped the table harder. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Brown asked.

  “Yes. My wrist’s a little sore. But I’m fine.”

  “What happened?” Kaye said, looking none too happy to see her either.

  “An inmate got unhappy and grabbed my wrist.” She had a slight tremor in her voice. Maxim didn’t think anybody heard it except for him. “He pushed me against the wall. I pressed my alarm, and a group of officers saved me.”

  “Group?” Dr. Parker spoke up. “I heard it was Mr. Chambers who did all the rescuing. Before the other officers could do anything, Ransom was already flat on the floor.”

  “Oh.” She turned her eyes toward him and smiled. “Thank you again for your help.”

  Maxim turned away and cleared his throat. She was going to kill him with that smile. “Don’t mention it. I would’ve done that for anyone.”

  “He definitely would have.” Kaye rubbed her hand on his arm. “Maxim, you’re so brave. I love that about you.”

  Dear God. Could the woman be any less subtle? He yanked his arm out of the way. “Brown, help the doctor fill out a 115. Ransom isn’t going to get off easy. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Yes, sir.” Brown nodded. “All the doctors are here today. Dr. Edwards can take it easy. She’ll have a lot of time to fill out the paperwork.”

  “But I want to get back to work,” the contrary woman said, kicking Maxim’s temperature up a notch. “Can I go back to the Urgent Care?”

  “Sure, if you want,” Brown said. “But Dr. Ross is here today. His wife is no longer sick. Maybe you can help with the infirmary patients.”

  “I have a better idea. We have a huge backlog of chronos that need to be filled out,” Kaye said. “She’d be perfect for the job.”

  “Her hand’s still sore. She won’t be able to write,” Maxim said before the evil witch could think of more chores for Emma. What was it with the CMO? She seemed out to get the new doctor. Must be a female thing. She’d ruled the roost for so long it was probably hard to share the spotlight with anyone else.

  Kaye pasted on her fake smile and agreed to have Emma be the extra doctor in the Outpatient Housing Unit. Time to announce his executive decision. He’d thought long and hard and it was the only solution that’d let him sleep at night.

  Maxim cleared his throat. “From now on, whenever Dr. Edwards sees a patient, I want an officer in the room with her.”

  “What?” Both Kaye and Emma spoke up at the same time.

  “I don’t need an officer.”

  He should’ve known the stubborn woman wouldn’t agree to anything he suggested.

  “She’s right,” Kaye said. “You’re overreacting. It was a one-time thing, Maxim. We’ve never had any staff assaults until now.”

  “That’s because we never had a female doctor before.”

  Kaye spluttered and shot him an injured look. “I’ve been here for years.”

  “You don’t count.” Kaye’s face reddened. “You don’t see patients, that’s what I mean.” Him and his big mouth. Maxim bit back a groan. That was a bit tactless, even for him.

  “So she’ll have her own personal bodyguard? Is that what you want?” The CMO whined in that nasal tone he detested.

  “I don’t need a bodyguard.” Emma was giving him her usual contemptuous look. “Patients need their privacy. They’re not going to open up to me if there’s an officer in the room.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. Damn their privacy.” Maxim slammed his hand down. “You’re working with inmates, for God’s sake.”

  “They’re still patients. They have rights, too.”

  “Rights? Are you kidding me? They’re criminals. Stop being so foolish.”

  “Stop being so biased.” She glared at him. “You know how I feel. Not all inmates are bad.”

  “Excuse me,” Brown said to his right. “It’s eight thirty. The doctors have to go to their clinics.”

  “Let them go. Not you, Dr. Edwards. You stay. Brown and Kaye, too.” Maxim waved Emma over to a seat. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to bolt and get away from him but by God, he wasn’t done yet.

  “Sir,” Brown said. “I think your intention is good. But it’s not very practical. I don’t think there’s a spare officer available to protect Dr. Edwards.”

  “Of course there isn’t.” Kaye’s red lips thinned. “We don’t have the money or the resources to hire a personal bodyguard for her. If she can’t hand
le working in the prison, she should quit.”

  Maxim paused, his whole world stilling. Finally, a ray of light. Why didn’t he think of that before? The woman didn’t belong here and he was going to go mad worrying about her if she stayed. It was the perfect solution, but he had to be careful. The last thing he needed was a lawsuit accusing him of pressuring her to quit.

  “Dr. Kaye is right. Your credentials are great, and you can probably find a job anywhere.” He took pains not to sound too hopeful. “I’ll even write you a great reference.”

  “I don’t need a reference.” The doctor leaned over, two spots of color appearing on her pale cheeks, her freckles in stark relief. Maxim felt a queer tremor in his chest. “I’m not quitting.” Her emerald eyes flashed like fire. “And you can’t make me.”

  “Fine.” He focused on the spot above her right shoulder. “But if you stay, you have to have a guard with you whenever you see patients. That’s not negotiable.”

  “What officer? I thought you didn’t have one.”

  “Officer Smith.”

  “But Maxim. That’s your personal assistant.” Kaye put a hand on his arm.

  “Now he’s Dr. Edwards’s.” Maxim pulled his arm away. “They give me too many damned assistants. I don’t need all of them.”

  “So now I’m stuck with one of your minions?” Emma had the audacity to ask.

  “Minions?” He had the strangest desire to throttle her. That or kiss her until that smart mouth stopped talking. Now how the hell did kissing get in the picture? Maxim shook his head. Emma was clearly driving him mad.

  “Yes. Minion. Personal slave to a taskmaster.”

  “Yes, you get my minion,” he said, his temperature rising faster than a speeding bullet. How dare she call him a taskmaster? “If you see a patient without Smith, you’re fired. Just so we’re clear,” he added.

  “Fine.” Emma flashed those amazing eyes at him again before stomping out of the room.

  Maxim brushed a hand through his hair and tugged at his tie. Brown threw him a strange look and Kaye pouted her too-red lips at him. He walked out and slammed the door, clenching and unclenching his fist. Why the hell did that woman always rub him the wrong way? And why did she have to have those freckles? Tomorrow he was going to have to add another hour to his morning jog.