Chapter Two

"I-Is...is he...?"

Jared's chest tighten and trembled as he and Alice looked down at their bruised and battered boss. The guard keeled down and placed two fingers on the side of Warden's neck.

"...He's alive." She answered.

Jared let out a heavy sign.

"...But he's still beat up pretty bad."

Jared's heart started racing again. "Then we better get him to the Doctor!"

"No. Don't move him.", said Alice, "We don't know what's broken and what's not. We should at least try and sit him up." Alice very carefully turned the Warden over onto his left side. She lifted the back of his coat and undershirt up to view the full extend of the damage. Luckily there didn't seem to be any hits right to his spine, but there were some hasty bruises and scraps around the area and to his sides.

Alice looked over at Jared. "There should be a First-Aid kit in the kitchen. Go grab it."

Jared nodded and ran off. No less then a minute later he was back with a rather large First-Aid kit and a whole bunch of clean dish towels. He set them next to Alice.

"Whats the towels for?", she asked.

"Well...I was thinking if we sit him up he could use the support.", explained Jared.

Alice nodded in agreement. "Good idea, cause take a look at this."

She showed Jared all the swelling that was already starting to form around the Warden's injuries. The accountant cringed at the sight of it.

As Alice treated their boss' injuries, Jared set out the towels into a makeshift pillow with more on one end to support the Warden's head and neck. When Alice was finished she turned Warden over a second time, this time resting his now bandaged back onto the pile of towels.

"Now what?" Jared asked.

"I'm going to get the Doctor. You stay here and watch him.", answered Alice.

Before Jared could say 'okay', Alice was already gone, leaving him alone with the Warden. It was erringly quiet, not something Jared was used to. He looked down at his boss, who thankfully was still breathing. It was faint, but still noticeable.

He then looked at the open First Aid kit. Alice only needed a few things, like gaze and tape, but there were quite a few other things in there to help in a emergency situation. The Doctor himself must have been the one to provide the kits.

Jared keeled down next to the Warden. A moment of worry swiped over him when the injured man jerked a bit, but then went back to a resting state. Getting hit so many times in the back and sides would cause sudden bouts of spasms, Jared guessed. He wish there was something more he could do to help, but Alice had already took care of that, and was off to get the Doctor.

'I'm useless', thought the accountant.

He could hear the Warden yelling at him, like before, telling him how he always found some way to screw-up. Even with the Warden's crazy requests and ideas, Jared knew it was his job to fulfill them, and he knew the treatment he would get if that didn't happen. He thought he was used to it, but still, he had moments where he questions himself; whether or not the Warden even appreciated his attempt to carry out his word. Jared had been part of Superjail for so long, he felt he knew the Warden well enough, but he was still like a jigsaw puzzle with out-of-place, multicolored pieces.

Jared signed.

Then there was a faint moan.

Jared was startled for a second. He looked over to see Warden's eyes slowing opening. The jittery man was overcome with a sense of relief seeing his boss awake.

"Sir!"

Warden blinked a few times and looked around before finally noticing Jared. He was still feeling woozy, thanks to the plastic tray to the head earlier. He winced, gritting his teeth.

"...Jared? ...What...what the hell happened?" His voice sounded distant and a little confused.

"You were attacked from behind by a group of inmates." Jared explained. "Alice went to get the Doctor, so she should be-"

"Which inmates?"

"Uh...I don't know. It was all so fast, but I think it was a planned attack, sir."

Warden looked pissed. "Where are they now?"

"I think Jailbot went after them."

Warden smiled. "Then it's taken care of."

Jared gulped, understanding what that meant. They were no longer alive.

"Uh, sir? H-how are you feeling right now?

Warden didn't say anything of a moment, as if he had to think about it. "...Sore. Really sore." He then placed his hands on his chest. "And my chest feels kind of tight..." He flinched a bit.

Jared looked worried. "Well, you did get beat up quite a bit. You have some bad bruising, but nothing else."

Warden nodded. He suddenly looked a little pale, which made Jared grow even more uneasy. Alice had been gone for about five minutes now, but ever second felt like an minute, and each minute felt like an hour. As long as he stayed put and didn't move, he should be fine, right?

A few more minutes ticked by, with nothing said between the two men. Jared kept looked over at his boss to make sure he was still doing okay. He still had his hands on his chest, and if Jared didn't know any better, he'd say that his breathing looked a little...labored.

"...Sir? Are you-?"

"I'm FINE, Jared!" Warden snapped.

It was one thing for the Warden to have his usual bout of mood swings, but this time the tone in his voice nearly made Jared's heart stop. It was strained and forced out, not like earlier where he could have gone on and on about how Jared messed up again. No, this was different.

"How bad is it?", asked Jared, trying not to sound panicked but he was well on his way there.

"...How bad...is what?" Again, the words had to fight their way out of the Warden's mouth.

"The pain. Your in a lot pain, aren't you?"

"No." There was a pause. "...Maybe."

Suddenly, he grabbed his chest and began to cough violently. Jared froze for moment, realizing that this could be a lot worst then it looks, and Alice still wasn't back yet.

"Where the hell is she?!"

Without hesitation, Jared got out his video pager and punched in Alice's number. There was static at first, then Alice's face appeared on the screen.

"Alice! Where the hell are you?!" Jared shouted. He officially panicking now.

Alice's face was a little fuzzy but his voice was load and clear. "I'm still looking for that stupid Doctor. He wasn't in his lab. What the matter?"

"It's the Warden! I-I think he's in really bad shape. He's having trouble breathing, a-and he's coughing, and..I don't know what to do!" Jared starting to tremble.

"Damn it!", cursed Alice. She could hear Warden's coughing in the background, and Jared was right, it didn't sound good at all. "Alright, listen! I'm going to go check the experimental weapons level. That quack has to be there if not in the lab."

"Alice...what should I do?", asked Jared. His hands could barely hang on to the pager, he was shaking so bad.

"Just...keep watching him!" The brief pause in she words showed she was just as worried. "Talk to him, try to calm him down, anything. But you have to calm down first! It's not going to do any good if your freaking out too."

"...O-okay."

"Page me again if something else happens, alright? Out." The fuzzy image of Alice went away, leaving Jared with her words.

'I have to calm down... I have to calm down...'

"Jared...?"

The accountant turned around to face his boss. He was even paler now, and he breathing had gotten worst; it was pretty apparent now.

"W-was that...A-alice...?" Warden asked.

"Y-yeah." Jared thought a for moment before adding on, "She'll be here with the Doctor in no time. You're going to be okay, sir."

Warden just stared at him for what seemed like eternity. "...Are y-you sure?'

Jared's little white lie wasn't good enough. He shallowed the dry lump in his throat and tried again. "It's Alice, sir. You know she'll get the job done, right?" He added a smile this time.

"........."

"...Sir?"

"...Your lying."

Jared's face fell. "No, sir! I wouldn't-"

Warden clutched his chest again. A painful wail escaped from his throat this time. Jared keeled by his side.

"Warden?! WARDEN!"

He tried to speak but nothing came out. His breathing was short and rapid. His face looked clammy and was starting to turn blue.

"Oh God...!" Jared was lost. He didn't know what to do, how to help. His boss was fighting for his life right in front of him and he was powerless to do anything.

Suddenly, one of Warden's hands shot out and grabbed Jared by the front of his suit. He yanked him down to his eye level. Jared could hear every labored gasped for air, and his heart was pumping abominably fast as well. Jared noticed a tear forming in the corners of his boss' eye.

"J-Jaa...red. …...H-h-hel-p meee...!"

Jared couldn't say a word. He was scared; at a complete lost of just what to do.

Just then, his pager went off. In the mist of the situation, he grabbed it as fast as possible and looked at it. It was Alice.

"I've found the Doctor! How's the Warden?", she asked over the speaker.

Jared didn't answer. Instead he turned his pager around so that Alice could see for herself.

"...Shit!"

"Woman! Give me that pager! Quick!"

Jared recognized that extra voice in the background. He turned his pager back around. The Doctor's face was now on the screen

"Jared! Do you read me?", the Doctor asked.

"Y-yeah!"

"I need to check the Warden full condition. Could you unbutton his shirt so I can see?"

Jared didn't ask questions. Placing the pager between his teeth he quickly started to unbutton his boss' yellow shirt. Warden was now floating somewhere between conscious and unconscious; he didn't seem to realize what was happening now.

Jared opened the shirt. He gasped, nearly dropping the pager from his teeth.

The right side of Warden's chest looked like a half deflated balloon, going up and down with every painful intake of air.

"Just as I thought.", said the Doctor."Spontaneous tension pneumothorax."

Jared took the pager out of his mouth. "A what?"

"He's suffering from a severe collapsed lung. Air is building around the lung, making it hard for him to breathe, and it's putting severe pressure on his heart!"

"Then what are you waiting for?! Get over here and help! Please!" Jared cried.

"The tools I need are back in my lab. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to make it in time."

Jared's face lost all its color.

"There's only ONE way to save him, and you have to do it, Jared."

Jared gripped the pager like it was going to run away. "I'll do it! What is it?"

"You have one of my First Aid kits with you, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, cause everything you need should be in the top right-hand corner of that kit."

Jared looked next to him where the kit has been sitting the whole time. In the top right-hand corner he saw three items; a 14-gauge needle with a catheter attached to it (in plastic), some sort of valve and a packet of wipes soaked in rubbing alcohol.

"Do exactly as I tell you.", said the Doctor. "Look at the Warden's right side and place your finger right in the middle of his chest. Make sure I can see you doing this."

The accountant did just that. "Good, now move it directly across to the right side till I tell you to stop." Jared did so. "Right there. Can you feel the clavicle bone?"

"Yes."

"From there, go two ribs down, and stop."

"Right here?" Jared pointed at a spot just below the Warden's collar bone.

"That's perfect. Can you mark that?"

Jared took out a small pen he always carried around with him and made a little X where the Doctor said to mark.

At this point, Warden was still breathing, but he was out of it, staring off onto the ceiling. He barely moved or jerked. He's body temp started to drop as well; Jared could tell.

The Doctor continued to rely his instructions to Jared, telling to to apply the rubbing alcohol where he marked, making sure not to rub the X away.

"Now Jared, the needle."

He held the open needle and looked down at his boss. "...Am I going to...?"

"Yes, you are going to insert that needle, at a 90 degree angle, till you hit the pocket of air that's trapped around his lung."

The shakes started up again. It finally hit Jared that he was about to do something that, with one small mistake, could kill the Warden. He bit his lip and stared at the needle. It looked easy enough; just a downward insertion, like marking a flag in the dirt, right? Only the dirt has veins and blood and a lung that's already in trouble. He could hear the Warden's angry words from earlier, which wasn't that long ago, maybe less then thirty minutes, but they still were fresh in his mind.

"Jared! What are you waiting for, man!?", shouted the Doctor.

"...I...what if I...?"

Then he remembered, the look on Warden's face moments before Alice paged him with the Doctor. That pain induced tear on the corner of his eye.

'Help me.'

Those were the last things he said to him. He wasn't going to let it be the last thing he'll ever say.

He took a deep breath and placed the needle right where he made the X, and inserted the needle about 2 cm straight down. He startled a bit when the sound of air came rushing out from the open end. It sounded like a punctured tire.

"Good. That's just what we want to hear.", said the Doctor, with a heavy but relieved sigh.

The Warden's chest slowly took back it's normal shape. His breathing was still a little shallow, but he started to get the colors back in his face, going from blue to a healthy skin tone.

"One last thing, Jared. Remove the needle while keeping the catheter in place and install the flutter valve."

Jared did so, and could see the 'flutter' valve was designed to let air out but not in, so that air pressure could not build up again.

"Good job. We'll be there in about five minutes.", said the Doctor before the pager shut off.

Jared continued to keep an eye on the Warden till Alice and the Doctor came running into the cafeteria. Jared stepped back to let the Doctor do his thing.

Everything that had happened in past 45 minutes finally caught up with the jittery accountant. He lost all feelings in his legs and was out on the floor.

Alice and the Doctor looked over at him laying on the floor, fainted.

"He'll be fine.", said Alice.

TBC