O'Shea's Struggle Chapter 2
Morning check-in
I walked into the break room that morning for our guard's staff meeting, Knauer and I were the ones that got to break the news about our new famous inmate, while I wasn't looking forward to that venture; we had to get it on the table. "Mornin Lieutenant." I heard Guard Holland say as I walked in
"Morning." I replied grabbing a cup and filling it with hot water. Green tea was my way of waking up in the morning. That was guards Lambert's excuse to give me shit "Come on Lieutenant Grab some coffee, that healthy shit can't be good for you."
I smirked at him "Is it just me Lambert or have you gained a good ten pounds?"
Knauer walked in behind me and handed me the clipboard "You forgot this." He replied. I took it from him and thanked him and looked at it "Guards Dunham, Webster, Lambert, Engleheart! You are with me for morning roll call" I bellowed above the obnoxious music that was blaring in the background, my voice sounding like an overzealous banshee. It was going to take me most of the morning. The big men stood up with me, they looked tired from their practice last night, I, however knew better than to ask.
"Turn the music off!" Knauer yelled and it fell silent, he took a deep breath "We are getting a new inmate tomorrow. This one is a little bit special than the others that we have had in the past. For anyone of you that have followed football you will all know him…"
"Your shitten me? We're getting Paul Crewe?" Malloy said over him, causing Knauer to glare at him "Yeah…we're getting Paul Crewe."
The guards suddenly started laughing and cutting jokes, some of them were pissed off, ready to tear the man apart and he hadn't even got to our prison yet. "Warden Hazen wants us to use Crewe for some pointers. I am going to make sure that it doesn't happen." I turned my head and looked at him 'What the hell is he saying?' "He is going to say the hell away from the football field. And you guys are all going to help me make sure that happens. Everyone understand me?"
"Yes sir." They all replied
Knauer nodded "Have a good day, gentlemen, see you at practice, four o'clock." He looked at me one more time before taking his exit. I took my group for roll call and headed out to general population. "Alrighty boys, get up!" I yelled across the general population my voice echoing through the great hall. I heard grumbles, mumbles and throwing of things as I heard them stand up and the cell doors open. I took one block and assigned the guards to the others. This was going to take all morning I was sure, but hey, I didn't have to do nightly roll-call. "Hey Lieutenant O'sheaaay." One of the inmates called out to me, flirting as usual. "What can I do for you inmate?" While most of the guards got a hard on by beating up the inmates. I was the more respectful type "Can I get a Tylenol?"
"What happened?" I asked
"Man, I got this headache that is reaching into the back of my neck and down my spine."
I put my hands on my hips and sighed "Who hit you?"
He stepped back from the bars and I knew it was one of us. "Which one?" I pressed letting him know that I was on his side. "Dunham, and Garner. He is the biggest skin head on the planet man he beats us all to hell. They both love to beat up on us."
I nodded looking over the edge down to Dunham who saw me looking down at him. He gave me a salute. I looked back at one of the inmates and nodded "Alright man, I will see what I can do. Alright, for now, you're clear from roll coll." I walked on and checked on every cell that I could. "Alright ladies breakfast will be served in one hour! Be prepared or do not eat." This was the typical announcement for the day, it never changed, it was routine….this was Allenville. Inmates, Ingrates, and football.
That afternoon when men were heading off for practice, I made my way down the hallway in the afternoon to check in with Lynette. I had changed into a pair of jeans, a black tank top and cardigan sweater. When I walked in, I caught her checking out the magazine article of Paul Crewe and I grinned "Someone must be excited to see Paul "Wrecking" Crewe." I replied
"Oh, honey, you have no possible idea." She looked at me "You mind walking me to one of the cells? I have to give some discharge papers out."
"Sure. I have to wait for Captain Knauer to get off practice anyway and I still have a baton." I said with a smile.
She smiled back at me "You and Knauer have been spending a lot of time together. He is a very good looking boy, you have got a very good lookin man, honey, why don't you two break down and take him to the stock room."
"Lynette!" I replied, honestly shocked
"What? Honey, you forget I was your age once too, I know what it was like! The tension high, the thought of him taking you in his arms…"
"I am not comfortable." I replied "I mean. I am reaaaally not comfortable right now."
She laughed at me as I blushed and walked down the hallway a little faster "Just think about it honey, he is willin, and I think you are too."
By the time we both walked back to the office, Knauer was waiting for me outside of the office. He leaned against the doorway in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He smiled at me "Well hello ladies."
"Captian." Lynette said, looking at me "See ya tomarrow honey."
"Bye Lynette." I said looking up at him "Ready to go?" He asked me
"Yeah, I think so."
"We'll take my truck." He said pulling his keys as we walked out of the building together. He opened the door for me and I hopped in the passenger seat. He walked over and got into the driver's seat and we took off down the road "I take it after we stop at your apartment we need to stop at the store?"
"Yeah, I don't have to buy very much." I replied, just some Greek yogurt, protein powder, chicken, and apricots."
He nodded. Then suddenly a grin came across his face "What?" I asked suddenly
"Just thinking."
"Of?"
"The first time you walked into my prison….You walked in a nineteen year old cocky kid thinking you were going to be the queen bee."
"And I walked out a little stronger of a queen bee." I said smugly.
"You came out a better queen bee." He corrected. "I much better, and more attractive."
I looked over at him in the driver seat "I really appreciate you coming with me to my apartment. It's still…not comfortable."
He looked at me for a minute, I was looking uncomfortably at the floorboard of the truck. "Especially if he is there."
Before I realized it, he turned into the parking lot of my old apartment "Hey…look at me."
I did as he said "I trained you….but he isn't going to do anything to you, I'll kill him first."
I took a deep breath and stepped out of the truck. If I was lucky, he wasn't going to be there, I could get in and get out. He followed behind me up to the third floor, where my apartment was. While it no longer belonged to me, I was still allowed to get in and grab any of my belongings when I needed. My clothes has slowly been moved into the apartment at the prison. The new football season had started at the same time of the divorce and the same time that my ex-husband was cheating. I guess when you work in a prison, any spouse you have can stray. My husband had been straying for a year after we got married. When I came home and caught him with my sister-in-law, that was when the beating started. Then it became more than what even I was willing to handle.
Lambert one day caught me sporting a black eye and a couple broken ribs. When I was approached from Knauer, and he knew that I was truly in fear of my life. Knauer, Lambert and Engleheart went to my apartment, grabbed most of my stuff, and Engleheart threatened to beat my husband within every inch of his life.
I found my paramedic back in the back of the closet, I didn't bother to pick up the mess, he left me with worse, and was taking most of what I had, my retirement and pension included. I emerged back into the living room, Knauer standing right there looking at me, tense. I nodded slightly, still a little bit terrified "You know we can get even with him right here." He walked over to me, his stomach touching mine. 'way to ruin a moment Knauer, just when I was starting to respect you.' I thought, giving him a bored look "Yeah, and how do you plan on doing that? Trust me Knauer, screwing me is not going to give me a way to get back at my hisband." 'Though it would be great for me.' I thought…let's just say…its been a while.
He cocked an eyebrow and I sighed before I looked at him "Just when I think you're one of the good guys, you have to go and do something completely asshole." I stomped on his foot "think of it as foreplay…forever." I said.
The door opened up and Knauer stepped back "What the hell are you doing here?" Mikhail, a man that would be handsome if it wasn't for his inner dick qualities, stood in the doorway, his dark hair slicked back, he wore a red silk shirt. I held up my medical bag. "Getting this, and a couple more of my things before I head back. Sorry to say, you have no use for any of the things that I am taking."
Mikhail's eyes glanced to Knauer "You bring your boy-toy with you to show me what you got?"
Knauer crossed his arms over his chest but didn't reply. I shook my head "Brian came with me for some extra security. Since apparently being alone with you has proved to be dangerous for me."
He stepped forward which caused Knauer to become defensive "I think you are close enough to her Mikhail."
He looked at Knauer, trying to size him up and decided that it wasn't such a good idea. "Fine….Get out of here." He replied letting me past.
Knauer put his hand on the small of my back and nudged me out the door. As soon as I got back into the truck, my arms and legs began to shake with fear, and hatred "I hate him."
Knauer took a deep breath. "I hate seeing you like this, every time too."
"I don't have a choice. That man is trying to take everything that I have! And then some!" I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath. "I hope that man falls into a pool of rattlesnakes, then I could at least get some sleep at night."
Knauer didn't know what to say. He just put the truck in gear and took off down the road "Don't worry about the damn grocery store. Just take me back to the jail."
He only nodded. Inside I am sure that he was trying to figure out what to say. Outwardly there was nothing else to say.
As soon as we got back to the prison, I unloaded the medical bag into the infirmary and told the night nurse to make sure I had everything, I was the closest thing to a doctor we had, but I made sure we had a nurse. We headed back to the apartment buildings and I looked at my watch and sighed "I may get in another run before I go to bed tonight. Let off some steam."
He looked at me for a minute "There are so many other ways to let off steam. That doesn't involve you going for a run."
For the first time since he made the suggestion…I was actually contemplating getting laid by Brian Knauer, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Instead I gave him a sly smile "Captain, let me tell you something really personal, and then I never want to hear you make the suggestion again. I haven't been laid in three years. I might be willing to hold onto that for another thirty if you keep asking, if you ever get to screw me…it will be under my terms, my conditions and on my turf. In no way shape, form or anything else, will you break me because you have taught me everything about not breaking? So if you break me…you're going to have a hell of a time doing it."
He chuckled and leaned into me "I didn't teach you everything I know." Before I could come back with a snide comment, his mouth took hold of mine roughly for only a minute. Then he took off down the hallway. My lips were tingling, and I was officially frusterated.
