by Erin Wade
“She hasn’t followed up with me on my surgery,” Val said, her stoic expression emphasizing her disapproval.
“She asked me to take over your follow-up treatment,” Reynolds said. “She said she didn’t think an inmate should be treating the warden.”
“I’m sure that was said tongue in cheek,” Val huffed.
“No, I believe she was sincere,” Reynolds mused. “She has been an incredible asset to our hospital. She’s a very dedicated doctor.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to have someone of her caliber,” Reynolds said. “You know I’m old enough to start drawing my pension and social security. I’d really like to retire before some nut shanks me. Is there any chance Dr. Fairchild would stay on here after she serves her time?”
Val snorted. “I doubt it. I don’t think we could pay her enough money to get her to work for me.”
Chapter 6
From the observation box suspended over the operating room, Warden Valerie Davis watched Dr. Fairchild as she performed an appendectomy on a prisoner.
Reynolds was right. Dawn did know what she was doing. Her self-confidence and knowledge were apparent in every move she made. She was at home in the operating room. Whether she was performing a routine appendectomy or an emergency intubation to get air into the lungs of a patient with a crushed larynx, Dr. Fairchild moved with the calmness and assurance of one who knew how to handle any situation.
Dawn completed the surgery and handed her scalpel to the woman who had assisted her during the operation. The two exited the operating room and headed for the doctor’s lounge.
##
“We get to attend our first trustee meeting with the warden this afternoon,” Niki said as she handed Dawn her coffee.
“Must I?” Dawn asked.
“Yes.” The younger woman furrowed her brow. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“I just thought my time could be better used elsewhere,” Dawn said with a shrug. “I have sutures to take out, tonsils that need removing, and an ingrown toenail to take care of.”
Niki laughed. “While I can’t argue that the warden is more important than an ingrown toenail, I do think you’d be well served to attend her meetings.”
Dawn secretly smiled at Niki’s efforts to speak properly. The young woman had come a long way in a month. “I’m very proud of you,” she said.
“Me?” Niki raised nonexistent brows. “You’re the one that got us out of hell’s toilet. I’m just happy to be riding on your coattails. I’m not sure I would have survived much longer. You’ve taught me so much in a short time.”
“But you saved my life,” Dawn reminded her. “If you hadn’t started screaming that night, God only knows what those two would have done to me.”
Niki scowled as she nodded. “I know what they would’ve done to you. The same thing they did to me. I was prepared to die to keep that from happening to you.”
“And you almost did.”
“Then you saved my life. We’re even.” Niki shrugged. “Let’s not talk about it again. We’re in a safe place, so let’s keep the warden happy and attend her meetings. Okay?”
Dawn nodded.
“May I ask you a personal question?” Dawn said, lowering her voice. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Sure.” Niki steeled herself at the thought of revealing the abuse she’d suffered in prison.
“What happened to your eyebrows?”
Niki laughed at the simple question. “I removed them with duct tape.”
“Why?” Dawn said, wide-eyed.
“After several encounters of the worst kind,” Niki said, “I realized that the uglier I looked, the less they would want to . . . to rape me.”
Anger flared on Dawn’s face. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the image of the smaller woman being molested. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay.” Niki shrugged. “I lived. You know the old saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?’ In prison that is the truest statement you’ll ever hear.
“Anyway, a plumber left some duct tape in the laundry room and I took it. That night in my cell I ripped off my eyebrows. It hurt like a son of a gun.”
“They’re beginning to grow back.” Dawn touched the other woman’s brow with her fingertips. “I have some cream that will help.”
Chapter 7
Warden Davis double-checked the seating arrangement for the trustee luncheon. She had Dr. Reynolds on her left and Dr. Fairchild on her right. Lucky had asked to be seated next to Dawn. The table was set up in a horseshoe shape, so she could easily answer questions from anyone in the room.
Dawn’s smiling face danced through her mind, making her heart skip a beat. Even in prison garb Dawn was one of the most gorgeous women Val had ever seen. A woman like Dawn Fairchild should not be in prison. She’s here because you lied—the thought crashed through her mind.
Val was haunted by the thought night and day. She justified her little lie with the knowledge that Dawn had been the only one to try to minister to Mary and her, the only other person at the scene of the accident. But the truth was, she had not seen Dawn get out of the driver’s side of the car.
Why the hell did she end up in my prison?
##
Dawn stayed close to Niki as they searched for their places at the table. “I’m here in the curve of the table,” she said as she located her place card next to Warden Davis.
“I’m the last place on the end,” Niki said.
Dawn picked up Lucky’s place card and exchanged it with Niki’s. “Now you’re seated next to me,” she said.
Niki beamed as she pulled out her chair and sat down. The table was filling quickly as others filed into the room. Niki and Dawn were discussing stocking the infirmary when the warden and Lucky entered the room.
The warden took her place at the table, while Lucky looked menacingly at Niki. “I believe you’re in my chair,” Lucky said.
Warden Davis was immediately aware of the altercation. “Oh Lucky, I placed Dr. Fairchild and Niki beside me, so I could introduce them to everyone. I believe your chair is—”
“The one on the end,” Dawn said, flashing her most innocent smile.
Lucky continued to glare at Niki as she swaggered to her chair. Dawn placed a reassuring hand on Niki’s leg.
Warden Davis asked and answered questions throughout the luncheon, agreeing to some of the requests made and explaining why other changes weren’t possible.
Dawn was surprised at how patient and genuinely interested the warden was. As the meal was served, the inmates talked among themselves and let the warden dine in peace.
“What about you, Dr. Fairchild?” Val said, turning her attention to Dawn. “Surely you have some suggestions about improvements in our system.”
“I’m not qualified to give you suggestions,” Dawn answered without emotion. “Ask me again when I’ve served my time.”
“I wanted to thank you for saving my life.” Val spoke softly so others wouldn’t hear. “Dr. Reynolds tells me I would have died if not for you.”
“Yes, you would have.” Dawn’s blunt reply caused Val’s eyes to widen. She opened her mouth as if to reply but apparently thought better of it.
“Warden, ma’am,” Niki said, leaning around Dawn. “This food is delicious. Thank you for sharing it with us.”
Val frowned as she appraised Niki. She wondered why Dawn had pleaded to train the girl as her surgery nurse. She was certainly nothing to look at.
“You’re welcome,” Val said. “I’m sure it isn’t any better than the regular cafeteria food.”
“Now you’re just being cruel,” Dawn mumbled.
“I beg your pardon?” Val glared at Dawn. “What did you say?”
“Surely you know the gruel fed to the prisoners in no way compares to the meal we’ve just eaten.” Blue eyes locked with brown as Dawn tried to ascertain if the warden was as uninformed as she tried to pretend. “The coffee
we just drank was delicious. The coffee served to the inmates this morning tasted like they boiled an old sock to make it.”
Val stood and addressed the women. “Thank you all for coming today. Thank you for expressing your concerns and ideas. I look forward to seeing you next month.”
The women knew they had been dismissed. They rose, thanked the warden, and then filed out of the room.
Dawn mumbled a “Thank you,” and led Niki from the room.
##
“Are you sure it won’t hurt?” Niki whimpered as Dawn led her to the prison’s dentistry department. “When Rooster had her tooth pulled, they almost killed her.”
“I promise,” Dawn reassured her. “I’ll make certain it’s painless. The dentist is going to use nitrous oxide. You probably know it as laughing gas. You won’t feel a thing.”
“I know what nitrous oxide is,” Niki grumped. “I’m not stupid.”
“I . . . I didn’t mean to imply you are.” Dawn bit her lip and looked away. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I was just trying to reassure you.”
“You’re really beautiful when you do that.” Niki grinned, flashing her gapped teeth. “You didn’t insult me. I’m just nervous about this. I didn’t mean to be rude to you. I know you’re just trying to help.”
Dawn patted her arm. “That’s understandable.”
##
“She’ll have some swelling and slight discomfort for a couple of days,” the dentist informed Dawn. “Just let her rest, and give her the pain meds I gave you. She’ll be fine.”
Dawn put Niki to bed and placed icepacks on her jaws. Niki was sedated enough to sleep twelve hours. Dawn made one last check on her and then headed to the hospital where a tonsillectomy was waiting.
##
From the viewing room, Val watched Dawn as she removed an inmate’s tonsils and set another woman’s broken arm. There was no doubt the beautiful blonde doctor had been a godsend for the prison hospital.
Val sat in the viewing room for a long time after Dawn had left the operating room.
“There you are,” Dr. Reynolds said as he entered the room. “Your office said I’d find you here.”
“I like to observe what is going on in my prison.” Val smiled up at him. “How may I help you?”
“We have several patients who have blockages and need a bypass and stents inserted. We need a heart-lung bypass machine.”
“We have no doctors who can perform open-heart surgery,” Val pointed out. “Can you?”
“Me? Oh no, I’m not qualified, but Dr. Fairchild is.”
“Of course she is.” Val wrinkled her brow.
“We send the inmates to All Saints Hospital, and for what they charge us for two surgeries, we could purchase a bypass machine.”
“I’ll look into it,” Val promised.
“How long will we have her?’ Reynolds asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“What’s she in for?” Reynolds inquired.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Val stood and left the room.
She had a meeting in ten minutes with the prison dietician. As she hurried to her next meeting, Val replayed Dawn’s trial in her mind—something she had done a thousand times, and each time she came to the same conclusion. She had lied about seeing the doctor exit the driver’s side of the car. The truth was, she hadn’t even been aware of Dawn’s presence until the doctor placed her hand on her shoulder to console her.
Val reached her office to find Sue Creighton, the prison dietician, pacing the floor of the waiting room.
“Did you bring the information I requested?” Val asked as she ushered Sue into her office.
“Yes, ma’am.” Sue held out the prisoners’ menu for the past thirty days.
Val settled in her desk chair and studied the information as Sue shifted from one foot to the other.
“Do sit down, Sue. I want to be certain I’m understanding what I see.”
After several minutes, Val closed the file and stared at Sue. “I have to wonder why there is no variety in the menu and also why the nutritional value is so poor.”
“I work hard to stay within the budget you allow me,” Sue answered. “And to stay within the director’s mandates.”
“Hmm. I’ll keep these. I appreciate you visiting with me.” Val stood, dismissing the woman.
After Sue left, Val called the prison’s accounting department and requested a review of the cafeteria’s operations. “I want to know if the items we are being charged for match the items being served to the prisoners.”
Chapter 8
Pacing their room Dawn anxiously waited for the matron to call her. Her parents visited her every week. Their love and reassurance were all that kept her going. They were a reminder that life went on outside the prison, and there was a clean, safe world waiting for her. She worried about Niki, who seemed to have no one on the outside.
Although the warden had been hesitant to allow Niki to work in the hospital where drugs were readily available, Dawn had convinced Val to give the girl a chance.
“One slip up, one indiscretion, and she’ll go back into general lockup,” Val had threatened. Niki had become the model prisoner.
“You’re lucky to have someone visit you every week,” Niki said. “I wish my mom would visit me.”
“Why doesn’t she?” Dawn asked.
“My family washed their hands of me when I was picked up the last time. I can’t say I blame them. I was a mess. I would do anything for a hit.”
“What did you do?” Dawn wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer to her question.
“I was picked up for prostitution.” Niki grimaced. “My folks said they wanted nothing to do with me. My mom did try to visit me about six months after I was thrown in here, but I’d already been beaten, had my teeth knocked out and my nose broken. I didn’t want her to see me looking like that.”
“Well, you look good now,” Dawn said. “In fact, you’re beautiful. The dentist gave you a lovely smile, and your eyebrows have grown back nice and dark. The cream we’ve been putting on your scar has almost made it disappear. A little makeup will hide it completely. You look nothing like you did when I arrived.”
“Thanks to you.” Niki flashed her beautiful smile. “You made all this happen for me.”
“When you get out you’ll need a safe place to go,” Dawn reminded her. “You should try to contact your folks. Write them a letter. Reach out to them.”
“I’ll try,” Niki said.
“Now!” Dawn insisted. She pulled stationary she had purchased in the prison commissary from her dresser drawer. “Here’s a pen and some stationery. Write them and ask them to visit you.”
With Dawn’s encouragement Niki wrote the letter and addressed the envelope. “I’ll mail it for you,” Dawn said.
##
Dawn had started talking about Niki Sears on her parents’ second visit, and they were aware of Niki and the progress she’d made since Dawn’s incarceration.
When Dawn asked her parents to contact the Searses, Ruth Fairchild was hesitant. “Where do they live?”
“They live in Dallas, Mom. About an hour’s drive from your home. This is important to me. Niki has turned her life around. She deserves another chance. She’ll be released and will need a place to go. I’m afraid she’ll end up on the streets, and it’s so easy for a drug addict to get hooked again.”
Dawn gave her mother the Sears’s address. “Next week, could you sign in to visit Niki and let Dad sign in to visit me?”
“I won’t be able to come next week,” Phillip Fairchild said. “Flint will accompany your mother.”
“I’ll miss you, Dad, but it’ll be great to see my brother again.” Dawn smiled.
“We’ll do everything we can to help your friend, dear,” Ruth assured her daughter. “She did save you from a fate worse than death.”
##
Val looked up when Lance Reynolds entered her office. “I’d like to take Dr. Fairchild with us to lo
ok at the heart-lung bypass machine we’re considering,” he said.
Val tried to ignore the warm feeling that spread through her body at the mention of Dawn’s name. “That’s fine with me. Why don’t you ask her to clear her calendar all day tomorrow? We’ll check out the machine and go to a late lunch.”
“I’d like that,” Reynolds said. “I’ll check with her now and get back to you.”
“Lance, be sure to inform her that she must wear a tracking anklet.”
“That should make me popular with her,” Reynolds grumbled.
As soon as the door closed behind Reynolds, Val called her beauty salon and made an appointment. She wore her hair in a bun or a French braid and had let it get unusually long. A nice stylish cut would be good.
##
Dawn smiled at Val’s secretary as she entered the warden’s reception area. “I think Warden Davis is expecting me.”
“Oh yes, Dr. Fairchild, she said to send you in when you arrived.”
Dawn opened the door and stepped into the warden’s office. She was unprepared for the gorgeous brunette silhouetted by the window. Val turned and smiled. Dawn was certain the room got brighter.
Dark curls curved their way onto the woman’s shoulders. She tossed her hair back and broadened her smile. Dawn hated herself for the feeling that was stirring in her stomach. Warden Davis was stunning.
“Dr. Fairchild, thank you for agreeing to join us today.”
“Only a fool would miss the chance to get out of this place.” Dawn hoped her contempt for the woman was obvious.
Val lowered her eyes and then turned away from Dawn. “Dr. Reynolds will join us in a few minutes. He’s running late. Please sit down.”
Dawn sat in silence as they waited. She didn’t want to talk to Warden Davis. Lying Warden Davis.
“I’m looking into the food situation in the cafeteria,” Val volunteered. “I have discovered some problems.”
“That’s good,” Dawn said.
Val’s secretary entered the room and informed her that Dr. Reynolds had been involved in an accident. “He said it was nothing serious and he’s fine, but he’s waiting to file an accident report. He suggested you two go, and he’ll meet you at the manufacturer’s showroom.”