CHAPTER NINE

   “Hey! Wake up! Come on, sit up, I need you to drink this.” Steve the male nurse stood over the infirmary bed.

 The beds occupant was a filthy mess. His hair was wet and stringy, either from grease or sweat, or probably both. His skin was gray and his breathing shallow. His face was covered in stubble and his lips were cracked from dehydration. The clothes he wore were long passed needing a wash. The smell rose up causing Steve’s eyes to water. Christ these guys were disgusting.

 Steve tried again, “Wake up!”

  This time he got a response. Declan moaned.

  “Here drink this. It will make you feel better.” Steve placed the small tumbler of light red liquid between Declan’s lips.

  Declan gagged at the intrusion of bitter tasting, cherry-like liquid and swallowed automatically. The after taste was sweet, sour and sickly. His stomach, already emptied, left a spittle smeared, splash of red on his cracked lips. His tongue snaked out searching for any droplets of moisture it could find.

  Steve withdrew the tumbler amazed the guy could even drink from it. Sometimes they were just to far gone and then he’d need to use other methods. Jesus, would you just look at the guy. His disgust raised another notch as he watched Declan’s tongue. Huh! Even half dead they still wanted to get high. With a practised snap Steve pulled off his gloves hoping this guy didn’t have any diseases he might catch. The gloves were supposed to protect him, but he still worried.

  “Hey Buddy, he said pushing on Declan’s shoulder, I’ll be back in a little while to check on you. You should begin to feel better shortly.” Steve shook his head and left for his coffee break, but first, he needed to wash his hands. With a backwards glance at the bed he wondered about Declan. Why in the hell would a guy want to end up like that?

  Declan lie on his bed vaguely aware of Steve’s attention. He was in a world of pain and vaguely wondered what the nurse gave him. He barely noticed his new cell and had no recollection of moving from his previous one. A shaft of cold climbed his spine. He pulled the blanket closer. He drifted off in a sea of pain, made just a little more bearable.

 He wasn’t sure how long he stayed. His first thought upon awakening had been, where am I? It came back with a rush, at least most of it. He stretched his arms and then legs. They hurt like hell and he wondered if he’d done damage to the bones inside. He sat up. He felt woozy and bruised, but better.

 The large male nurse entered the room, helping him up off the infirmary’s cot and back to his cell. He held Declan’s arm as if grasping a venomous snake while asking “How are you feeling?”

  Declan croaked “better” and then, “what did you give me?”

  Steve slowed his steps replying, “Methadone, it’s a better option than what you’ve been using.”

  Declan tried to stare him off, but he was in no shape to do so. Instead he played dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insisted.

  Steve snorted. “Yeah you do. We did a blood test on you and the results came back positive. You passed with flying colors.” Steve laughed saying “No pun intended.”

  “I didn’t give you permission to do any blood work on me.”

  Steve looked at Declan incredulously and laughed. “Get over yourself princess, you’re in lockup and we don’t need your permission!”

  The walk back to his cell seemed endless. His legs throbbed with aches and pains the entire way. He peered into the cells he passed. There were some big, bad ass men here. He tried to stand taller but his legs were just to rubbery. One big ape stood up close to his bars. When Declan passed he reached out his hand almost touching him.

  Steve barked “Pete! No touching!”

  Ape man stood staring at Declan and rubbing his genitals. The meaning couldn’t be any clearer and Declan quickly averted his eyes. Jesus I need to get out of here.

  “Steve I need to make a call, where’s the phone?”

  Steve looked at him grinning as if he’d just told a joke, instead of asking a question. “Where’s the phone! Ha, you crack me up kid.”

  Declan stopped suddenly in the hallway. He could feel the stares and stared back. His anger was building and he wanted out. Now. “The phone.” He insisted.

  Steve stopped grinning and asked, “Is this your first time in the big house?’

  “What?”

  “Jail, is this your first time in jail?”

  The hallways grew eerily silent. The kind of quiet so thick you could cut it with a knife. Steve looked at Declan as he became aware their conversation was fodder for sick minds. Steve shook his head and said “never mind.”

  With a firm nudge Steve led Declan away. Declan kept his head down as he walked beside Steve. He avoided eye contact and further conversation. He got the message and knew he needed to be careful. Steve stopped outside an occupied cell and using his key unlocked it. Turning to Declan he smiled a sarcastic grin. “Home sweet home Buddy.”

  “This isn’t my cell,” Declan argued, staring at the huge man sitting on the lower cot.

  Steve steered Declan inside the cell assuring, “Yes it is. I’ll be back to see how you’re doing in a few hours.” The cell doors banged shut with a loud clang behind him.

  Declan stood with his back to the bars. The bed he’d been in such agony on previously was now occupied by a giant. The giant glared at him saying, “you smell like shit, wash up and get rid of those clothes.” He nodded indicating the tiny sink against the back wall.

  Truth was, he did smell like shit and he felt like it too. His new bed held a folded pile of linens and the blue jump suits they all wore in here. Trying to ignore the giant he stripped off his clothing and took a bird bath. With the towel wrapped around his midsection he wondered what to do with his soiled clothing.

  “Pick up your clothes boy!” The giant bellowed.

  Declan bent to pick them up and not knowing what else to do, he climbed the ladder leading to the top bunk. Changed into clean prison clothes he made the bed and stuffing his old dirty clothes under his pillow, he lay back thinking. There had to be a way that he could make a call. He’d figure it out; he just hoped it didn’t take him long. What the hell was in that red liquid anyways? He’d heard about Methadone but never used it before. What he’d heard was you didn’t get high from it, so there was no point in wasting his time trying it out. At the moment he didn’t feel high exactly, but he sure as hell felt better.

  The giant got up from the bed beneath him with a groaning protest. Standing, he looked even bigger. He eyed Declan for a moment causing his sphincter muscle to spasm. Towering over Declan he asked, “What’s your name boy?”

  Declan turned his head away trying to avoid the shit burger this guy must have eaten for lunch. “Declan,” he answered to the wall.

  “Declan? What the hell kind of pansy assed name is that?” He snarled. “Think I’ll just call you boy. You hear that boy?” He poked one of his oversized fingers into Declan’s shoulder. Not getting any response he poked harder. “I say, you hear that boy?”

  Jesus, was the giants finger made from steel? It felt like he’d been poked with a sledge hammer. Declan winced with pain. He’d like to tell the giant asshole to eat shit, but apparently he already had. And he wasn’t stupid either. He needed to leave here in one piece. So instead he grunted and said, “I hear you.”

  The giant seemed satisfied with his answer asking, “What are you in here for boy?”

  “Robbery, but I’ll be out soon.”

  The giant laughed. A deep, twisted bray. “Sure you will be boy, won’t we all!”

  Declan hesitated before asking “and you?”

  “Homicide, but I’ll be out soon.” The giant snorted, more laughter followed his words. “Yup, I’ll be out soon!” The giants face convulsed, twisting with laughter and turning his face purple. He fought for breath and coughed, hawking up a great greenie spitting it into the sink.

  Declan cringed. This guy was fucking gross.

  “Clean that up boy!” He demanded, his eyes bulging.

  Declan fought the urge to tell him what he could do with his mess, and instead climbed back down the ladder. Cold water dribbled from the tap and he used his hands as a cup, rinsing the disgusting mess down the drain pipe.

  “Make sure you get it all now. You don’t want to make me get up.”

  Declan looked in the sink. The only thing looking back were a few drops of water, but just to make sure he used his sleeve to clean them away. Declan glanced at the giant. The hulk settled back on his bed and was bent over inspecting a toe.

  He looked up from his inspection to inform Declan, “they’re gonna need cutting soon.”

  Declan scurried up his ladder. He hoped the last comment was just casual conversation, but he didn’t think so.

  Animals awoke from their afternoon naps. The noise outside his cell grew. The beating of the bars began. Cat calls and taunts were shouted from prison cells to be joined by the falsetto voice he recognized from before. “Hey pretty boy welcome home.”

  Declan closed his eyes hoping to block them out. It didn’t work. His eyes popped open as he lay staring at the ceiling. There was muck clinging to it. Jesus Christ, he didn’t want to know what that was!

  “Pretty boy come and play!”

  The bed below him squealed as his huge cell mate climbed out of it. With just a few steps he reached the bars. His giant hands fisted at his sides. The noise stopped immediately. He stood for a moment before returning. His presence intimidated all who were near. He never said a word. He didn’t have to. His body language said it all. Satisfied, he lay back down.

  Who the hell was this guy? Declan’s body tensed. His aches returned. What they’d given him hadn’t been enough. Not even close.

  He was going to need more.

  And fast.