Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, nor do I profit from the story, etc. This is a work of fan fiction.

Ratings and Warnings: R, for a little prison violence suggested but nothing graphic.

Author's Notes: Story is set early in the first season. McCormick is still adjusting to life with Hardcastle. Mark still doesn't know if he can really trust the Judge to not send him back to prison. Mark experiences his first real medical emergency with the Judge and Sarah. Just a little what-if story. Please forgive any of the medical mistakes – I'm an engineer not a medic even though I did ask my mom some questions.

Chores

By Michelle Wood

"McCormick, get over here!" Mark McCormick walked slowly across the patio towards Judge Hardcastle. " Where have you been? It is after 8 am and the pool hasn't been cleaned yet."

"Sorry, I'm not feeling very good today. I guess the leftover pizza for breakfast yesterday wasn't such a good idea," McCormick chirped. "Don't worry about the pool, I'll get it cleaned today," Mark sighed and rubbed his forehead in an effort to stop the throbbing headache.

"Well, I want the pool cleaned by 9 am, the rose garden weeded, and the hedges trimmed today. I want all this done with no whining! Also check with Sarah. She has a few things for you as well. I'm going downtown and will be back by 2 pm. I expect to see progress by then." Not waiting to hear any comments from McCormick, Judge Hardcastle headed to the garage, leaving Mark with a long list of chores and a throbbing bad headache.

"So much for not feeling good and catching a break with the yard work." Mark mumbled to himself as he grabbed the pool cleaning equipment and began skimming the pool. "At least he didn't threaten to send me back to prison for being sick and slacking off." About an hour later, as Mark was finishing the pool, Sarah came out with a glass of ice water for him.

"Good morning, Mark. I thought you could use a glass of water since you're working so hard this morning. It looks like you have already worked up a sweat."

"Thanks Sarah. I am a little warm. The judge mentioned that you had a few things for me to work on today. Give me your list and I'll add it to the Judge's."

" Well, Mark, I would like to have the shrubs next to the gatehouse trimmed and the flowerbed near the gatehouse mulched. Do you think you can do that today?"

"I'll try, Sarah. I still have the hedges to trim but I can get the shrubs trimmed afterwards." Mark took a long sip of the water, closed his eyes, and rubbed his side. He then sighed and stood up.

"Mark, are you okay? You seem a little out of sorts this morning. Is everything okay?" Sarah asked with concern in her voice. Sarah had not liked the ex-con when he first came to Gulls' Way, but over the last couple of weeks, she had found Mark to be a very sweet young man that she could trust. She quickly had realized that he was just a scared and lonely young man when he first came. He could be mouthy with the judge but was always respectful to her and she appreciated his willingness to help her with household chores.

"I'm fine, Sarah. My head hurts but it's nothing to worry about. I'd better get back to work. The judge wants a lot done before he returns. Thanks again for the water."

"Okay then. I'll call you when lunch is ready."

Around noon, Sarah had sandwiches and ice tea prepared. "Mark, come on in for lunch" Sarah called to Mark who was working on the shrubs by the gatehouse.

"Be there in a minute. I want to finish these last two." About a half hour later, Mark came into the kitchen, wiping sweat from his brow. He washed his hands in the sink and sat down at the table. As he sat down, he felt a sharp pain in his right side and grabbed his side.

"What's wrong Mark?' Sarah asked while watching Mark carefully rub his side.

"I don't know, musta pulled a muscle while finishing the shrubs." Mark picked up his sandwich and proceeded to eat a few bites. Sarah chatted with Mark about how nice the hedges look and how he really was doing a good job with the yard work. Mark sat quietly but didn't seem to be focused on eating.

After about 10 minutes of picking at his lunch, Mark quietly asked, "Sarah, may I be excused, please?"

"Of course Mark, but you didn't eat much for lunch and I know you didn't eat breakfast. Are you sure you are okay?"

"It's okay, Sarah, I'm not really hungry today. I want to get started on the rose garden before the judge gets home. Thanks for lunch. I'll be out working in the rose garden." With that Mark picked up his plate, placed it next to the sink and headed out the back door towards the rose garden.

Sarah shook her head and began to clean up from lunch. That boy is always hungry. Something is definitely wrong. He seems a bit feverish and I think his side was bothering him. I hope he isn't coming down with the flu or something. Maybe I should mention it to the Judge

Around two o'clock, Hardcastle returned to Gulls' Way. He walked towards the main house and stopped when he noticed the hedges and smiled. As Hardcastle entered the house, he called to Sarah. "Good afternoon, Sarah. Looks like McCormick has been doing his chores today. Any problems with him?"

"No problems, Judge. Mark has been working non-stop since you left this morning. How did your meeting with Mr. Dalem go this morning?"

"Well, it went as well as could be expected. Even though McCormick is in my judicial custody, Mr. Dalem wants to have McCormick check in on a quarterly basis for this first year. His next check-in is scheduled for this Wednesday. I'll make sure we don't have anything going on. Can't have him racing across the desert again for this meeting," Hardcastle said with a slight smile on his face as he remembered Mark's mad dash across the desert after nailing Martin Cody.

"Your Honor, I am a bit worried about Mark. He didn't eat breakfast this morning and he only had a couple bites of lunch. He has been feverish as well but keeps saying he's fine. I think he's sick and won't say anything. Judge, you need to go talk to him."

"All right, Sarah. I'll check on him and let him know about his appointment on Wednesday. Where is he working now?" Hardcastle asked gently.

"He was heading out to work on the rose garden about an hour ago. He should still be working there. Thanks, Judge. He really is a good boy." With that said, Sarah walked back towards the kitchen.

The judge headed out towards the rose garden. Near the rose garden, he noticed Mark was kneeling on the ground holding his side. Mark appeared to be breathing hard and pain was etched across his face. "McCormick!" the judge yelled. Mark looked up briefly, mumbled something that the Judge couldn't hear, and passed out. The judge ran to McCormick and as he approached, he noticed that Mark had vomited several times and was now lying in the dirt. Mark was fevered but his skin had a clammy feel to it and his breathing was a bit rapid. The judge felt for Mark's pulse rate. "Damn, much too fast."

"SARAH!" the judge yelled towards the house. Sarah came out of the house and looked towards the rose garden. She saw Judge Hardcastle holding McCormick in his arms with Mark's head leaning against the judge's shoulder. "Call an ambulance and grab a blanket. He is going into shock!" With the order issued, Sarah quickly made the call and gave directions. She grabbed a blanket out of the den closet and a towel from the kitchen and ran back towards the rose garden.

"Come on, kid, wake up!" the judge yelled at Mark. Mark tried to open his eyes but was hit with another burst of pain that left him panting. Once the pain passed, Mark whispered, "Sorry" to Hardcastle and opened his eyes slowly. Sarah came over with the blanket, which Hardcastle wrapped around McCormick. "The ambulance is on the way, Judge. How's Mark doing?"

"I'm okay, Sarah. Sorry I didn't finish the weeding or the mulch, " Mark said in a faint and strained voice as he closed his eyes again. "God, it hurts so bad, Judge." McCormick slumped even further against Hardcastle.

"Hang in there, kid, everything is going to be okay. Can you hear the sirens?" The judge looked up at Sarah. "Sarah, would you lead them here?"

"Of course. I'll be right back Mark." Sarah gave McCormick a pat on the shoulder but received no response. She stood up and ran back towards the driveway, just as the ambulance was pulling in. Sarah greeted the paramedics and directed them to the rose garden. As they hurried over towards the judge and Mark, she explained what she knew.

Mark was rushed to the hospital. Judge Hardcastle followed in the Corvette. When the judge arrived he was told that Mark was already heading to surgery. It appeared to be appendicitis and a serious case. The doctors were concerned that his appendix had already burst.

Hardcastle took a seat in the waiting area and began to fill out the paperwork on McCormick. He had to call Sarah to look up some information from McCormick's file. Damn, I guess I should have noticed this morning. Why didn't he say anything to me? What was he thinking?

About three hours later a nurse asked for Mark McCormick's family. Judge Hardcastle stood up and moved to talk with the doctors.

"So how is McCormick doing? Will he be okay?" Judge Hardcastle asked with concern in his voice.

"Well, Mr. McCormick is doing as well as can be expected for someone who had his appendix rupture. He is in stable condition. We have removed the appendix and cleaned the abdominal cavity. It appears that the appendix ruptured several hours ago and as a result Mark is now fighting a case of peritonitis. He is currently running a fever of 102 degrees due to the infection, so we have him on an IV with antibiotics. We also have inserted a drainage tube directly into the abdominal cavity. We are moving him to a room right now."

"Will he be okay? Is he awake and can I see him?" Hardcastle asked anxiously. He had not realized just how serious things had been when McCormick had collapsed. But hearing the doctor's rundown on what had happened since McCormick arrived at the hospital made the judge a little fearful.

"Barring any additional complications, he will be able to go home in a week to ten days. Unfortunately, it may be about two months before he can fully return to normal activities. This can be a serious condition and we need to monitor Mr. McCormick for the development of abscesses, which could lead to additional surgeries. He was slow to awake from the anesthesia but seems to be doing fine. He is sleeping at the moment and we expect him to sleep for a while. I'll let you see him for a few minutes, but then I would like him to rest for the evening. You can return tomorrow during visiting hours."

The doctor motioned for one of the nurses to take Judge Hardcastle back to see McCormick. Hardcastle was ushered into a dimly-lit room. He saw Mark lying still in the hospital bed with tubes coming from his stomach and an IV in his left arm. Mark looked more like a little kid than the strong young man that he normally was, lying in the bed. His face was pale except for the flushed cheeks. Hardcastle walked up to Mark's bed and carefully brushed a lock of curly brown hair from his forehead. It was the type of gesture a father would do for his son, not the type of gesture that Mark would have expected from Hardcase Hardcastle. Judge Hardcastle stood next to the bed, not exactly sure what to say.

"Hey, kiddo. Hedges and shrubs look good. You did a good job today. McCormick. I really wish you woulda told me that you weren't feeling good. I'll give you time off when you're sick. Anyways, the doctor says you're going to be okay but it's going to take some time. I want you to rest and focus on getting better. Sarah's real concerned about you."

Hardcastle looked up and saw the nurse motion that it was time to leave. "Listen kiddo, I need to be going. Visiting hours are almost over but I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on you. I'll bring Sarah along. Take it easy, kid." Hardcastle patted Mark's shoulder and headed to the door. He took a last look at Mark before quietly closing the door. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night for McCormick.

Around midnight, Mark began thrashing around in his hospital bed. He was having nightmares about events that happened in prison. It was Mark's first week in San Quentin. He was trying to make his way across the yard when two other prisoners came up along side him and pushed him towards a corner of the yard.

"Hey! What's going on?" Mark asked with a little apprehension in his voice. He knew that being singled out never led to anything good.

"Someone wants to see you." One of his fellow prisoners said while pushing him closer towards a large older inmate who had a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"I don't know you, so what do you want with me?"

"Oh, I know we don't know each other yet but I want to be better acquainted with you," the older inmate said. "So, what do you say we move inside and get to know each other?" His voice was more of a demand than a question.

Mark swallowed hard and the urge to run was strong. "I'm sorry but I think I would rather mingle with the others right now. Being new here, I think it would be best to meet my neighbors first. Thanks for the offer," Mark said as he turned to walk away.

One of the two captors grabbed his arm and swung Mark around. "I think you should listen. Mr. Simmons and take this opportunity to meet with him.."

"Don't you guys understand NO?" Mark pulled his arm out of the first goon's hand and began to walk away

The next thing that Mark knew he had two guys holding him down while Mr. Simmons began to slam his fists into Mark's midsection. Mark was doubled over in pain, but continued to struggle the whole time, trying to break free. He was terrified that he was going to be charged with fighting. After what seemed like an eternity of being used as a punching bag, a couple of guards came over to break up the fight. As soon as the guards showed up, the two inmates that were holding McCormick let him go and he fell to the ground with a limp thud. He was barely conscious but could feel the arms of the guard helping him up and moving him towards the infirmary.

Upon returning to his cell, there was a note telling him to watch his back because Mr. Simmons still wanted to meet with him.

During his nightmare, Mark managed to sit up and began pulling at the IV in his left hand and at the drainage tube in his abdomen. As the alarm started going off, two nurses came running into his room. The older nurse tried to calm him down, while a younger nurse tried to restrain his arms. After five minutes of weak struggling, Mark's arms were restrained to the sides of his hospital bed and the older nurse had managed to keep the abdominal tube inserted. The IV had to be re-inserted but Mark was still struggling against the restraints, which was making it difficult to re-inset the IV. The second nurse tried to speak calmly to Mark while the older nurse placed a board under his hand and began to re-insert the IV. McCormick eventually began to calm down, allowing the nurse to re-start the IV. She left his arm strapped to the board and wrapped the IV needle insertion point in a sterile bandage.

As the nurses finished their work, the older nurse wiped a cool cloth over McCormick's warm forehead and proceeded to take his temperature. It was 103 degrees and it appeared to be rising. She also checked his chart and noted that he was overdue for another dose of pain medication. " Poor kid. He's really having a hard time with this," the younger nurse said to the first nurse as she wiped a few tears that had seeped out from under Mark's closed eyelids.

"Hopefully his family will be able to talk with him tomorrow. That should help re-assure him that things will be okay." The older nurse motioned to the second nurse to go ahead while she administered another dose of medication. She wanted to spend a few more minutes with the young man who was obviously distressed.

The rest of the night progressed with no more major outbursts from McCormick. He continued to struggle against the restraints whenever the fever or pain started to rise. Mark's fever-induced dreams continued to be filled with bad memories from prison, mixed with Hardcastle's voice telling him that he was no genius and that he was not a substitute for his son. Mark would mumble occasionally that he was sorry.

Tuesday morning, Judge Hardcastle and Sarah came to visit. The Judge was shocked to see McCormick's arms restrained. "What are those for?" Hardcastle asked the nurse who was checking on McCormick.

"Last night, Mr. McCormick was very agitated, having nightmares, and thrashing in bed. He managed to pull out his IV and was trying to pull out the drainage tube. It took two nurses to restrain him and restart the IV. We are going to leave his arm strapped to the board as a precaution. If he remains quiet throughout the day, we will remove the restraints. I know it seems harsh, but it really is for his own good," the nurse explained.

"Well, how's he doing today?" Sarah asked as she stood by McCormick's bed holding his hand.

"He's been quiet for a couple hours now, but his fever has been hovering about 103 degrees. He was given another dose of pain medication about an hour ago. He's been awake briefly and but not lucid yet. He keeps mumbling about a donkey and a coyote. However, we really don't expect him to be yet with the fever or the pain medication. He will probably sleep most of the day. I'll have the doctor stop by to check on him and give you an update."

"Thank you. We do appreciate you taking care of him for us. Is there any chance that he'll be awake today?" asked the judge.

"Well, there is always a chance, but the odds of him being lucid are fairly low until the fever breaks. We have him on strong antibiotics but it could be a day or two more before the infection is brought under control and the fever breaks. The pain medicine also seems to make him sluggish. Sit with him, re-assure him that everything is going to be okay, and try to comfort him when he struggles against the restraints. In this fevered state, he seems to become agitated easily and is more likely to hurt himself further," said the nurse gently. "I need to be going now so I'll leave you three alone. Please use the call button if you need anything. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on him."

"Thank you again," Sarah replied to the nurse as the nurse left. "Judge, why don't you go get us some coffee while I sit with Mark."

"Okay, Sarah. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As Sarah stood by McCormick and stroked his right hand, she began to talk softly to Mark about his first night at the estate. "You were such a scared young man that first night with us. Oh, you were all bluster and spoke angry words about how God should keep that man. But it really was a charade and I saw through it as soon as you stated that you could get your own bed turned down. And then you wished me good night. You're so different from the others. I knew then that you were a good young man, who had made a couple of mistakes. I know you haven't figured out what all is expected of you yet, but I hope you realize that I think you're doing a good job. You may whine about the chores but you always complete them and you do a good job with them. Besides, I like how you keep the Judge on his toes. It is nice to have someone else to cook for and to talk with. You rest now. I'm just going to sit here so if you need anything, you just let me know." With that last word, Sarah patted his hand and brushed a damp curl from McCormick's fevered forehead.

Judge Hardcastle returned to the room carrying two cups of coffee just as Sarah was starting to pull a chair towards the bed. "Let me help you with that, Sarah," said the judge as he set down the two cups. "How's he doing?"

"He hasn't moved a muscle. He is so warm and still. The stillness is frightening, especially given how active he normally is," Sarah said with more than a touch of sadness in her voice as she sat in the chair that Hardcastle held for her.

"I know, Sarah, but he'll be okay. He's young and strong. Give it time and he'll be back to his usual mouthy self. I suppose I should probably call Dalem today and let him know that there's no way McCormick will be meeting with him tomorrow. I don't think there'll be any issues with him not checking in personally since he is in the hospital, but I should probably call him." Hardcastle picked up the phone and dialed the parole officer's number.

"Dalem, Hardcastle here. Look, I know I said that McCormick would stop by tomorrow to meet with you but there has been a slight change in plans." The judge listened for a moment and then said, "Yeah, it is kind of serious. His appendix burst yesterday afternoon and he had surgery last night." The judge paused and then said, "No, he's still out of it and probably won't be released for a week or so. If you want to stop by today and see him yourself, I don't think he'd mind." After a few minutes, Hardcastle responded, "Okay, see you later then." Before he could hang up, he stopped and grumbled, "Oh, yeah, room 216 at St. Mary's. See you then." Hardcastle hung up the phone and looked to Sarah.

"Dalem will be stopping by later to see McCormick. Don't know why but I don't think he trusts this arrangement yet."

"Doesn't that man know you yet? I know you have pulled a few strings for Mark but you have not done anything that would get him sent back."

"I know, Sarah. It's just that this arrangement is a little unorthodox. I don't think there'll be any problems. Dalem will stop by, chat with, and maybe McCormick if he is awake, and then leave. Next week McCormick will have to meet with him, after he is released from the hospital. No big deal."

Mark had started to wake up during the Judge's phone conversation with Dalem and the follow-up conversation with Sarah. He caught the phrases: meeting with Dalem, don't trust the arrangement, and sent back. He wasn't sure what was going on but he was pretty sure it was not something he was going to enjoy. His head felt fuzzy and he didn't have the energy to wake up fully and ask the judge what was going on, so he allowed himself to slip back to sleep.

Hardcastle and Sarah spent most of the day sitting with McCormick. Nurses stopped by throughout the day to take vital signs, administer medication, and reset IV bags. Mark slept through all of the activity. Around 4 pm, Dalem knocked on the door to McCormick's room. Judge Hardcastle motioned for him to come in.

"How's he doing, Judge?" Dalem asked while looking at the young man who was oblivious to his presence. He noticed the nurse that was removing the restraints from Mark's arms.

"Holding his own. He been awake briefly but we haven't talked with him and the fever hasn't broken either," Hardcastle responded. "It's going to be a few days before things improve."

"What's with the restraints?"

"McCormick had a rough night and managed to pull the IV out. He's been fairly quiet today so they are being removed, for now at least. Well, I know we talked about having McCormick check in with you for a few more weeks, but in light of how things look now, do you think we can pass for a couple more weeks? He isn't going anywhere for at least two weeks."

"Yeah, I think we can safely say that Mark is not going to skip out on you. Besides, seeing how both you and Sarah have been sticking with him, it doesn't appear that he has been unsupervised." Dalem conceded. "How about giving me a call once Mark is feeling better. Based on our discussion yesterday, I still want to talk with McCormick but it can wait."

"Okay, once we get him back to Gulls' Way you come on out and talk with him. The doctors say it will be a month or more before he is back to full strength. I don't see him as a flight risk during the recovery period, but then again I really don't believe he ever has been a flight risk."

"Judge, Mr. Dalem; Mark is not a flight risk. He is working hard and trying to stay out of trouble. He really is a good young man who has made some mistakes. I know that he can be a bit of trouble, but it is an act," Sarah calmly stated. "You know he could have run instead of returning from Las Vegas. He could have walked away a number of other times but he always returns and does as he is asked. Mr. Dalem, I honestly think that Mark is trying to turn his life around. We just need to give him a chance and trust him a bit."

"I guess I didn't realize you trusted him so much, Sarah," the judge stated with an expression of amazement on his face. "I didn't think you would ever trust another one after J.J. Beale."

"Well, Mark is definitely not J.J. He's a hard-working young man who is trust worthy. He's more respectful of me than any of the others have been and he's actually very easy to read. Look at his eyes and you'll see that he's scared and looking for someone he can trust." That being said, Sarah went back to Mark's side and wiped his forehead. He was starting to moan. He was trying to wake up and was moving his head a bit. Sarah whispered a few quiet words in his direction and he settled back down.

"Well Milt, I think I'll be going now but I'll stay in touch. Let me know if anything changes with Mark. Hope he's doing better tomorrow." Dalem turned to leave the room.

"Thanks. I'll keep you posted, " Hardcastle said as Dalem left. Hardcastle turned back to Sarah. "Well, that went better than expected. Thanks for speaking up about McCormick."

"I only spoke the truth, Your Honor. Mark needs our support and he needs to learn that we can be trusted. I'm not sure we would be here tonight if he had mentioned earlier that he was not feeling well and that he was in pain. Maybe we could have avoided this complication, if he had trusted us enough to tell us when something was wrong." Sarah went back to her chair and sat down next to Hardcastle.

"I know, Sarah. I'm sure McCormick would have liked to have heard what you said to Dalem. Why don't you go ahead and go back to the estate. You've been here all day and could use the break. I'll call you a cab for you and then I'll come home after visiting hours."

"Are you sure, Your Honor? I don't mind staying with Mark for a little while longer," answered Sarah. "How about I stay long enough for you get some dinner?"

"That's fine," answered Hardcastle as he picked up the paper and started to read. He wasn't hungry yet and could sense that Sarah was reluctant to leave Mark.

Shortly after 5 pm, Hardcastle went down to the cafeteria for something to eat. He wasn't really hungry but he wanted Sarah to head home for some rest. He was amazed at how quickly Sarah had come to trust McCormick. While Hardcastle was getting dinner, Mark woke up for a few mintues.

"Good evening. How are you feeling Mark?" Sarah asked when she saw that his eyes were open.

"Sarah," Mark said in a scratchy voice. "Head's fuzzy. Achy," stated Mark trying to lift his head up to look around.

"It's okay. You're in the hospital. You've been sick."

Mark closed his eyes again and whispered. "Where's Hardcastle?"

"Down in the cafeteria. He'll be back in a little bit," assured Sarah.

"Okay," mumbled McCormick as he drifted back to sleep.

A few minutes later, Hardcastle returned to the room. Sarah told him that she had talked briefly with Mark. "I'm going home now. Are you sure you want to stay?" asked Sarah, even though she knew the answer already.

"I'm sure. I'll only be here for a couple more hours. Go ahead and go home. We'll come back tomorrow morning," Hardcastle said in a confident voice. "I figure that tomorrow morning he'll be awake and his mouth will be running at full speed."

"All right. Don't stay too long." Sarah got up from her chair and went back over to Mark. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Mark's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mark. Take care." Turning towards the Judge, Sarah said gently, "Good night, Your Honor," and then she left.

Around 7 pm that evening Mark began to thrash a bit. He was back to having the prison dreams.

Mark was in the hallway, returning to his cell from shop class with another inmate, Scotty. As they were walking, Mark was pulled into an empty room by the two thugs from the week before. The thugs nodded to Scotty and said, "Thanks for the delivery." Mark knew at that point he had been setup and he began to fight. Since his ribs still ached and he was tired from not sleeping well for the past month, he was not able to fight very hard against two men. He was shoved roughly against the wall and hit a few more times in the ribs. One more well-placed hit to his head and things went dark. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor, feeling sore all over and in deep trouble. He quickly pulled himself together and limped towards the door.

As soon as he got to the door, a guard saw him and yelled, "Hey what are you doing in here? Prisoners don't belong in the classrooms without instructors or guards at all times." The guard looked directly at McCormick and demanded an answer with his eyes as well as the command, "Answer me!"

When McCormick didn't answer, the guard picked up a phone in the classroom and called the main guard desk. "Lieutenant, tell the warden that we found our missing prisoner. I'll take him to solitary confinement now."

Mark was grabbed roughly by the guard and hauled back down the hallway towards the end of the building where the infirmary and solitary confinement were. As the guard walked McCormick down the hall, he muttered something about this new kid being a real troublemaker.

As they neared the solitary confinement cells, Mark asked quietly, "Why am I going here? I didn't do anything wrong. I was the one attacked last week and then again today."

"McCormick, until we figure out what you were really doing in that room today, you are going to stay in solitary. So you either need to tell me what you were doing or go sit in the box. It's your choice." The guard looked at McCormick with an intensity that scared him.

"I was coming back from class when I was pulled into that room and attacked by the same goons as last week," Mark said quietly. He was scared and wasn't sure that the guard believed him. He really didn't want to sit in solitary confinement

The guard looked at him and said, "Well, until I can verify your story you are going to stay in here. I can have a doctor come check you out if you'd like, but you will stay here." The guard opened the steel door to the simple room that was a solitary confinement cell.

"No, I don't need a doctor," Mark said without looking at the guard. He was too busy staring at the small windowless cell. A chill went down his spine. "What if they tell you it didn't happen?"

"Well, if they say they didn't do it and there are no other witnesses, then I'll have to assume you were in that room by yourself and unauthorized. That is a mandatory ten days in confinement for breaking the rules." The guard could hear Mark sigh. "Is there something I should know about?"

"No!" Mark almost shouted. He was beginning to realize that he would be spending the next ten days alone in the dark room because he was pretty sure that the goons would deny the assault charges.

"Alright. In you go then. I'll be back later to let you know what I found out." With that the guard pushed Mark into the cell and closed the door behind him.

Mark walked the couple of steps over to the corner, put his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Once on the floor he pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around his legs, laid his head down on his knees, and cried softly. He knew San Quentin was bad and now fighting and solitary confinement were going to be added to his record – parole for good behavior was not likely. He eventually rocked himself to sleep.

When the guard came back two hours later, McCormick was sitting on the floor and staring at the wall. As the guard opened the door, Mark looked up. "Looks like you will be staying in here for awhile. The other two prisoners denied touching you today, but the third prisoner is currently not talking due to a busted nose. It appears that he was fighting but won't say with whom. The warden has agreed that it would be best to keep you in here until things are sorted out."

Mark's head nodded once and he placed it back down on his knees, before he quietly said, "It doesn't matter. I'll never survive two years in here, let alone the entire five."

As the dream progressed, Mark became more agitated. He mumbled and began to cry silently. Hardcastle gently wiped away the tears and wondered what was going in McCormick's head. After about ten minutes of watching Mark struggle, he decided to buzz for the nurses' station. The older nurse from the previous night came in and said Mark could have another dose of pain medication. She looked over at Hardcastle, who was gently rubbing Mark's hand as she inserted the needle filled with pain medication into the IV line.

"Your son is lucky to have you here. Last night he gave me a little scare when he pulled his IV out. He was in pain and seemed so lonely and scared that he had tears coming down his cheeks," the nurse stated matter of factly.

"Excuse me?" Hardcastle looked up at her with a shocked expression on his face. "Mark is not my son. I am his legal guardian and he works for me."

"Oh, I am sorry. I just assumed that he was your son since it is obvious that you care about him. I am sorry if I offended you," the nurse stated nervously.

"It's okay, you didn't offend me. By the way, I'm Judge Hardcastle. McCormick here, is a special case of mine." The judge stopped and looked directly at the nurse. "What do you mean he had tears last night?" the Judge asked with a bit of concern, especially since he'd just witnessed more tears.

"Well, even though he has been sleeping and doesn't appear alert, he's still able to communicate in a very basic way. We had to wipe tears away from his cheeks several times. Many times with patients who are fevered or on strong pain medication, we see tears seeping out from under their eyelids when they are in pain, scared, or lonely."

"So, do you think Mark was expressing pain, fear, or loneliness last night? " asked the judge while looking over at Mark, who appeared to be calmer. There were still tension lines on his face but the lines were not as deep and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I think that Mr. McCormick was suffering from a combination of all three. It is hard for a patient who has been brought in unconscious and experienced the after effects of surgery, to be in a strange room with no one familiar near by. He's been calmer this evening than last night. I think the reason he's calmer tonight is because he senses that someone who cares about him is here," the nurse said matter of factly but gently.

"So if he is not in pain, then why is he crying?" Judge Hardcastle was still concerned that something else was wrong with McCormick.

"It could be a number of things. He may be having a bad dream or he could still be in a bit of pain. I'll watch over him and talk to the doctors to see if we need to adjust the medication levels."

Hardcastle thought about the nurse's words for a few quiet minutes while the nurse checked over Mark's vital signs. "Thank you again for taking care of McCormick. I hate to think of him still being in pain," Hardcastle said quietly.

"You're welcome. I'm just doing my job and will continue to monitor him. However, since he seems quiet now, I'll be going. Visiting hours are over in a few minutes and I suggest that you go home and get some sleep. He knows that you have been here for him." The nurse gave Mark a gentle pat on the shoulder, smiled warmly at the judge, and walked quietly from the room.

"Well, kiddo, I think you have that nurse wrapped around your finger already. I don't know how you do it, even lying in a bed sleeping all day, but you seem to make the ladies smile and flutter about you," the Judge said gruffly but with a touch of gentleness. "I'd better be going. See you in the morning." The Judge gave Mark's hand a gentle squeeze before leaving the room.

Mark slept for a few hours before he started to get restless again. The nurse was completing her rounds and stopped to spend a little extra time with Mark before going off shift.

"Well, Mark, it appears that Judge Hardcastle cares about you very much." She smoothed his hair and felt the warmth of the fever on his face. She checked his temperature again and noted that it was lingering around 102 degrees. "Well, it appears that the fever is still present. I'll give you another small dose of pain medication and a little something extra to help control the fever."

Mark settled back into a quiet sleep and remained that way until 6:30 am, when he woke up and asked the nurse for his basketball. The morning visiting hours brought the return of Sarah and Judge Hardcastle. Both were happy to hear that Mark had a quiet night but were still concerned that his fever remained. Hardcastle smiled when the nurse informed him that Mark had been asking about a basketball at 6:30 am. Mark had stayed awake long enough for a brief sponge bath before they arrived, but had fallen back to sleep before breakfast. The nurses assured them that it was normal to sleep as much as Mark was with the fever.

Around mid-morning, Mark began to show more signs of waking. His eyelids were fluttering and he was beginning to move a bit more. Sarah stood up and brushed some of his hair away from his forehead. It still felt warm to the touch. As she brushed a curl away, Mark's eyes fluttered open briefly a couple of times. He eventually opened his eyes and focus on Sarah. He whispered, "Sarah," in a shaky voice. As he looked at Sarah he offered a faint smile.

"Shh, it's okay, Mark. You're in the hospital but everything's going to be just fine," Sarah said in a warm and reassuring voice.

Mark's eyes began to close again but popped open when he heard a gruff voice announce, "McCormick, it's 'bout time you woke up."

"Judge," Mark said in a strained whisper. As hard as Mark tried to focus on the location of the judge's voice, he could not stay alert. "Tired, no basketball" he mumbled as his eyes closed again and he drifted off to sleep.

The judge couldn't help but chuckle as he reached over and squeezed McCormick's hand. "All right. No basketball today."

Sarah sat with Mark for another hour and then indicated that she needed to deal with some chores back at the estate but would return for dinnertime. The judge remained with Mark for the afternoon. He'd brought several files along to read, figuring he'd be spending a good portion of the day sitting in the chair alongside McCormick's bed. By late afternoon, the Judge had fallen asleep in his chair and Mark was sleeping in his bed.

After 4 pm, McCormick started thrashing wildly in his bed and pleading with someone to stop. Hardcastle woke up with Mark's outburst and tried to calm him down. Mark was not responding to the Judge's gentle words. Each time Mark heard the Judge's voice, Mark would beg him to not send him back to prison.

"Mark, stop it. You are going to hurt yourself," Hardcastle said sternly to Mark while holding his arms down.

Mark continued to thrash around in bed while Hardcastle tried to hold him down. "No! Can't go back, can't let Simmons get me..." Mark cried weakly. He continued to thrash his head from side to side and mumble about prison.

"Kid, I'm not sending you back. You are staying here," answered Hardcastle trying to reassure McCormick. The judge wasn't sure where this fear was coming from but he knew that Mark was not fully awake based on the conversation that they were having. The judge felt the heat radiating off of Mark's skin and decided it was probably time to call for the nurse.

As the judge was pushing the call button, Sarah returned. She witnessed Mark's agitation, as well as the judge struggling with Mark and ran over to Mark. She talked calmly to him in a soothing tone as she stroked his cheek and brushed his damp hair from his forehead. As Sarah talked to Mark, he began to quiet down and pressed his face into the palm of her hand and murmured unintelligently. Sarah looked up at the Judge judge with concern and said, "Your Honor, his fever has risen again."

A minute or two later, a nurse came into the room. "What can I help you with?" she asked.

Hardcastle explained that McCormick's fever seemed higher and he had been very agitated again. The nurse checked Mark's vitals and re-checked his temperature. As Sarah predicted, the fever had spiked. Mark's fever had gone from 102 to 104 degrees. The nurse left briefly and came back with fever-reducing drugs.

"This should help a bit," she stated as she injected the medicine into the IV. "Hopefully this will be the last big spike in his fever and then it will break. Don't worry, this is normal for patients with appendicitis." The nurse proceeded to check the IV along with the drainage bags, and everything looked good. "He should calm down and sleep some more. I'll come back in an hour to check on him."

"Thank you," Sarah said to the nurse as she turned to leave the room. "Your Honor, why don't you take a break and get some coffee? I'll stay here with Mark. He seems to be okay at the moment."

"All right, Sarah." The judge rubbed a hand across his face and looked down at the pale figure in the bed. I don't know why but he seems to think that I am sending him back to prison. He was begging me not to send him back." The judge looked up at Sarah. "How can he think that we are sending him back?"

"Well, have you ever said anything about sending him back or ever alluded to the possibility?" Sarah asked quietly, knowing full well that the judge had threatened to send Mark back if the chores were not completed. Not waiting for an answer from the judge, Sarah stroked Mark's face again.

"Yeah, I guess I might've said something along those lines. I didn't mean it."

"Mark didn't know that though. He honestly thinks that you will send him back. Go on, Your Honor, take a walk and get some coffee," Sarah ordered the Judge.

The Judge nodded his head and left for the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and something to eat. He had several things to think about and wasn't sure he could watch McCormick struggle with fear at the moment. As he drank his coffee, the Judge's mind began to wander. He's been a good kid over the past couple of months at Gulls' Way. He has been working hard. Would I really send him back to Quentin? The kid is really terrified at the thought of going back. I don't think I would send him back to prison, at least not now. Who was Simmons and what happened that Mark is afraid of him? Which prison did they meet in? I will need to ask him about this, once he is feeling better. After an hour of sitting and thinking the judge decided to make his way back to McCormick's room.

As the judge neared the entry to McCormick's room he heard Sarah's soft voice humming and could barely make out the words to a tune he hadn't heard in years. Damn! I told the kid that he was not a substitute and here I stand listening to that lullaby just like I did years ago.

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night

Hardcastle rubbed his hand across his face and stepped into the room. He saw Sarah standing next to Mark, brushing his cheek gently with her fingers. Mark's face was still flushed but he had a more peaceful appearance than before. The lines of worry and tension were gone from his face. Instead, he looked like a young kid who was content to sleep knowing he was safe. Sarah was just finishing the last verse of the lullaby, when Hardcastle stepped closer to the bed with a gentle and sad look in his eyes.


Angels watching, e'er around thee,
All through the night
Midnight slumber close surround thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night

"Sarah," Hardcastle whispered. "I didn't know you knew that song."

"It was one that my mother would sing to my sister and me. I haven't sung it in a long time but now just seemed like the right time. Mark settled right down with it and has been sleeping peacefully for the last half hour."

"Did you know that Nancy used to sing that to Tommy when he was scared at night?"

"No, Your Honor. I didn't know," Sarah said quietly. "I bet it worked with Tommy, just like it did with Mark tonight. Sometimes we all need a little reminder that someone is watching over us. I think that is what Mark needs now." Sarah looked gently at Hardcastle who had picked up Mark's hand and was rubbing it gently.

The judge and Sarah sat with Mark until visiting hours were over and then took their leave quietly from the room, assuring Mark that they would return. Thursday morning they returned as promised, and both were relieved when the nurse informed them that Mark's fever had broken shortly after midnight. He still had a mild fever but had been sleeping quietly and once in a while would mumble in his sleep. Sarah and the judge sat down in their familiar positions and were prepared to spend the morning waiting.

They had only been there an hour when Mark started to wake up again. "McCormick." The judge said gently and picked up Mark's hand. Sarah motioned that she was going to let the nurses know that Mark was waking. A few minutes later, the doctor came back in with a nurse. After reviewing his vitals and talking with the judge and Sarah for a few minutes, the doctor and nurse left.

Mark managed to stay awake and talked quietly with Sarah and the judge for about an hour. He was still feverish and had no interest in doing anything but sleep. He eventually fell asleep listening to the judge talk about the next potential case. Hardcastle heard the change in Mark's breathing pattern and looked over to find him sleeping again.

"Well, it appears that McCormick will probably sleep through lunch, so what do you say we go and get something to eat?" announced Hardcastle.

"I guess it will be okay to leave him for a little while," said Sarah. She wasn't exactly sure that Mark would sleep all day and didn't want him waking up alone.

They didn't stay out long, just enough to grab a bite to eat. Sarah sat with Mark for the afternoon while the judge ran some errands and made a few calls. Hardcastle wanted to set up pool cleaning and yard services. The Judge also placed a call to his friend Lieutenant Delaney. Hardcastle was curious as to what information Delaney would be able to find on an inmate named Simmons. Since Hardcastle didn't know which prison he was in or what the first name even was, it was going to take some time to locate any information.

As evening approached, Mark began to wake again. He barely had opened his eyes and looked at Sarah before she was standing alongside his bed, offering reassurance and comfort. Mark smiled at Sarah and said quietly, "Thirsty."

"Let me see if I can get something for you." Sarah reached over and used the call button to alert a nurse. A few minutes later a nurse came in and Sarah asked if Mark could have sips of water or some ice chips. The nurse indicated that a few ice chips would be okay and would be right back with a cup. Mark continued to watch Sarah through eyes that were barely open. The nurse returned after a moment with the cup of ice chips. Sarah used the spoon to place a few in Mark's mouth while the nurse checked his vitals.

As the ice melted and soothed Mark's dry throat, he closed his eyes and moaned gently at the pleasure of the cool liquid. He looked at Sarah and she placed a few more in his mouth. Once the second spoonful had melted, he said to Sarah, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, dear. But what are you thanking me for?" inquired Sarah. She reached up and stroked his face in a maternal gesture.

"For being here. I don't want to be alone, especially in a hospital," Mark whispered with a little more strength in his voice. "What happened?"

"Well, Mark, it appears that you had a bad case of appendicitis that resulted in a ruptured appendix."

"Wasn't the pizza," mumbled Mark as he tried to sit up in bed. After less than a minute, he gave up and settled back into the pillows, exhausted. His eyes began to close again and he started to drift back to sleep. "Sorry," Mark slurred as he gave into the sleep.

"It's okay, Mark. You have a good long rest and work on getting better." Sarah placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and sat back down to wait for the judge. Sarah had watched him sleep for about an hour when she spoke, "Don't worry, Mark, you won't be alone again." With a simple thought in mind, she went out to the nurse's desk to make some arrangements.