Two Weeks Later
Jennifer was at home, waiting impatiently for Jonathan to get home.
She checked her watch and saw that he was almost an hour late.
She sighed with relief when she heard the garage door open.
"Hi baby, I'm sorry I'm late. I got held up in a meeting".
"Hi".
She kissed him.
"I promise, I'll take you out for a fancy dinner tonight in New York when we land".
"I'm going to hold you to that".
She kissed him again.
"All that's left is for you to change and finish your suitcase".
"Great. Give me ten minutes".
She went and made them some drinks and snacks for the plane and put them in the car.
They had a relaxing plane ride to New York, and had a lovely hibachi dinner when they got there.
"How did the meeting go this morning with Westlake Electronics?"
"About as well as it could have, I suppose. We both had to concede on a few things, but it turned out ok, I guess".
"That's good."
"Did you meet with your editor today?"
"Yes. She wants me to do a few interviews and articles. I agreed to some, and turned down one big one".
"Why would you turn it down?"
She put her hand on his. "Darling, she got an offer for me to spend the night as a patient in a mental hospital for the criminally insane, to try and expose how they treat the patients there. It's a good article topic, and it's a topic that needs to be addressed and reported on. But after the prison riot...I'm just a little gun shy, that's all, along with the fact that she couldn't guarantee me that it would literally only be 24 hours".
"What did you want her to guarantee that she couldn't?"
"That if at any time I felt unsafe, I could tell the director and they would let me stop the process. I just don't want to feel like I did in the prison riot, like I was never going to get out of there".
"I don't blame you. I'm glad you turned it down".
It was late when they came into the Penthouse, so they headed to bed shortly after.
"Darling, are you in bed yet?"
"Yes, I am".
"Perfect".
Jennifer came to bed in a strapless black lace thong teddy, and promptly climbed on top of Jonathan and straddled his waist.
"You like it?"
"I love it".
"Good, I was hoping you would say that."
They spent a few hours having passionate, uninhibited, tantric sex until they were both completely spent.
They chatted till she fell asleep in his arms.
He kissed her head and whispered "Goodnight, I love you" before he fell asleep himself.
The Next Day
Jennifer and Jonathan spent a lazy morning in bed before her meeting.
The meeting was at 2, and she had made them dinner reservations at one of their favorite Italian restaurants for afterwards.
She slipped into a bright blue blouse, some black wide-legged pants, and some black pointed heels. She made sure to wear the jewelry that Jonathan gave her on her birthday, and to spritz on some of his favorite perfume.
"Ok darling, are you ready?"
"Yes. The car service is on its way".
They waited downstairs in the lobby for the car service, and arrived right on time.
They were ushered into the room where the meeting was taking place, and taken to their seats.
"Front row? I didn't expect this".
"You are an important part of the meeting, so it makes sense".
A few minutes later, the Governor was brought in.
"Hi, I'm Governor John Riley, and it's my pleasure to address the topic of the prison riot that took place just a couple months ago. Before I address the changes that I have made, let me tell you what happened so that the changes I am making will make sense. Inmate Jared Watkins, to the best of our knowledge, began to plan this riot last summer. He planned to invite a well-known person in the media to do a story on him, and his intentions were to use this person as a hostage, and as leverage to get what they wanted. On the day in question, famed reporter Jennifer Edwards, of the now defunct Manhattan Daily News came to the prison to interview him again in preparation for the story that she thought he wanted her to write on him and the crimes he committed. At the end of the interview, due to no fault of Miss Edwards', he took her hostage. He then demanded enough pizzas for all of the inmates, a plane to take him wherever he wanted, 14 prostitutes and $5 million in cash. Captain Jeff Miller of the Briar Creek Sheriff's Department responded with his hostage negotiation team, as well as the crisis intervention team. They began to use documented hostage-situation and de-escalation skills. Meanwhile, Jared became more and more erratic inside the prison, as it became clear that his plan wasn't as solid as he thought. He didn't expect that we wouldn't just give in to his demands, and he didn't expect that the other inmates would protest his demands and his decisions. And when it began to dawn on the other inmates that he hadn't really included them in his plans, they began to riot as well. And the few minutes of freedoms that they now had that they haven't had in a long time, was overwhelming to most of them, which escalated the riot further. Somehow in the midst of all this, Miss Edwards snuck into a guard room, found a phone and called 911. She managed to give pertinent details that were helpful to Captain Miller in regards to figuring out how to stop this riot. Captain Miller eventually had no choice but to send in the SWAT Team. However, thanks to Miss Edwards' information, they were able to strategize in a way that prevented themselves from getting hurt and resulted in a few deaths as opposed to the deaths of many, one of those deaths being that of Jared Watkins. We are thankfully and fortunately able to say that Miss Edwards was rescued, and for the most part, was unharmed. Some of the other guards as well as the warden and a few civilian employees were injured, but they have also recovered. Now, for the changes. First off, my office immediately began an investigation into every aspect of this riot. And we found several loopholes that should have never been there. While they were being held hostage, some of the guards and Miss Edwards had a conversation. Miss Edwards started writing her account of this incident as soon as she was able, and she made sure to put some of the claims in her account. She also typed up exactly what they told her in a private letter to me, which we added to our investigation. We are only about 1/25 of the way through our investigation. But, based on what we have uncovered so far, I am taking the following steps:: the director for the state of New York for the Federal Bureau of Prisons closed Briar Creek Federal Prison as soon as this incident took place. On my authority, they are not going to reopen until every directive that I have given them has been met. Those directives are: a new Warden, Assistant Warden, and all new guards and support staff will be hired. All existing guards and support staff will be interviewed and investigated as to what their role in the riot and the events leading up to the riot were, and will be reassigned, if applicable. The present Warden, Mike Parker, tendered his resignation this morning, and the two present Assistant Wardens have requested to be relocated. The next directive will be that the entire prison will be evaluated and a decision will be made as to whether or not to tear it down and rebuild, or to just remodel it to code and specifications; they will also have to add more cameras, more security measures in place, and stricter regulations on civilians in the prison before they can reopen. Effective immediately, in all prisons across the state of New York, whether a federal one or a state one, there is to be two guards in all guard booths at all times, especially those that control the doors. Now, the next two directives are in regards to specific events. First up, Miss Edwards' experience. I don't want to discourage civilians from coming to prisons to visit their loved ones, or conduct business. But, we have to remember that it is still a prison. These are still people that have been found unfit to live among society. And yes, this riot could have happened at any moment on any given day. However, it is my distinct opinion that had it not been for Miss Edwards' quick thinking that day, and keen observation skills, this riot would have gone on for much longer and could have ended up much more deadly. As governor, I have the authority of doling out some awards to citizens when I think it is appropriate. And in this case, I think it is highly appropriate that Miss Edwards be given a key to the city, as well as a plaque stating that we commend her for her act of bravery and perseverance, along with a check for $3.5 million dollars, the most I am allowed to award under these circumstances".
Jennifer was shocked. Jonathan stood up and escorted her to the steps as she went up to receive the awards.
"Thank you so much, Governor".
After about 100 pictures, she took her seat again, and the Governor continued.
"Now, the other directive I want to give is also based on Miss Edwards' experience. This was a men's prison. So you can imagine that the sight of a woman in the cell block was very exciting for the inmates. One of the inmates was very interested in Miss Edwards, and she did not return the feeling. Another inmate, who is somewhere about 1/8 of the size of the inmate that was interested in Miss Edwards, defended her honor and saved her from being attacked and brutalized. She made sure to tell me outside of the prison that he had, in her words, saved her life. She mentioned in her article that he asked her to write a story on the facts of his conviction, in hopes that he would be able to obtain some post-conviction relief. After the riot, he was transferred to a nearby prison, where I met with him and had a very extensive conversation with him, based solely on my conversation with Miss Edwards. What I found was that he is a very intelligent young man, who got caught up in a very unfortunate set of circumstances. I found him to be polite, respectful, and very educated. I was also very impressed that he had chosen to be productive during his incarceration. Yes, he pursued his appeals. But he also pursued as many educational programs as the prison could offer him. And now, as a result, he is a licensed electrician, a licensed mechanic, and he is the only inmate in Briar Creek Federal Prison to have ever completed every computer class we offered. He completed and passed the computer skills class, the computer coding class, and the computer mechanics class. Simply put, this man could now build his own computer and write his own software. Therefore, based on my conversation with him, as well as the information that I gathered from Miss Edwards, it is my honor to grant full clemency to Martez Atkinson, and recommend that he be given a full pardon, with all of his rights as a citizen of the state of New York and the United States of America restored to him. And on behalf of the state of New York, and the legislation that we passed several years back that established the Former Inmate Fresh Start Program, I would like to present him with this check for $5 million dollars".
Everyone stood up and gave Martez a standing ovation for a few minutes as he accepted his award. Jennifer barely recognized him in his dress shirt and pants.
He came off the stage and came straight for her, and she lovingly gave him a huge hug.
Jonathan stood up and shook his hand as well.
"Let's chat after this is over".
"Yes sir".
"In conclusion, there will be a task force formed, between the state prison system and the federal prison system, that will set about making sure that in the state of New York, in every jail, every prison, every mental hospital, all guards, nurses, doctors, wardens, secretaries, anyone and everyone who works in the prison will treat the inmates with dignity, kindness and respect. Am I saying give them free reign? Absolutely not. But I don't want to hear again that an inmate was denied medical care, or told to get over it if they complain of a medical issue, or taunted with food from outside the prison, or forced to be late to a meal where the likely possibility is that they won't get a meal. That is not how we are going to run things, not while I'm the Governor. I know that incidents like this one can't always be avoided, and Miss Edwards, my apologies to you that it took place in a way that you were the victim of it. However, if we treat them nicer than we have been, maybe we can avoid another one for a little bit longer. I am going to also instruct the task force to investigate conditions at the other prisons as well, and we will make the necessary decisions that we need to. Thank you for coming, and be safe going home".
Everyone clapped for the governor, and then began to make their way out of the room.
Jonathan and Jennifer met up with Martez in the lobby.
"Hi! I am so glad to see you".
"I'm so thankful for you too. I figured I would get accommodation, but I never thought he'd give me clemency".
"Martez, I cannot thank you enough for protecting Jennifer. And I would like to help you out, if I may. My name is Jonathan Hart, and I am the founder and CEO of Hart Industries. My company owns many different businesses of all types all across the country. If you'll let me, I'd like to help you get a job in my company somewhere, where you can use your skills and begin to make a name for yourself. Take some time to think about it, and give me a call when you're ready".
Jonathan gave him a business card.
"Thank you, sir! I appreciate this".
They shook hands and Martez turned to Jennifer.
"How you holding up since the riot?"
"Better every day. I'm also glad to see they are making changes".
"Yeah, me too. Well, I better go, I want to call my mom and tell her the good news. I'll be in touch, Mr. Hart, you can count on that".
They told him goodbye and then headed towards the door.
"Darling, do you see what I see?"
"Yes, I do".
Her father was coming in the door.
"Pa! I didn't think you could make it!"
"I didn't either. And thanks to a storm in D.C, I almost didn't make it here at all. Jonathan, you're looking well".
"Thank you, sir. So are you".
"Pa, the ceremony is over, but if you want, you can come back to Jonathan's penthouse with us for a drink".
"Very well, very well".
They headed back to the Penthouse and Jonathan made everyone a cocktail.
Jennifer told him all about the ceremony.
"And then he gave me an award that he called an accommodation of bravery and perseverance, and a nice 7 figure check, and a key to the city".
"Sweetheart, you more than earned that. And you are very lucky you were not killed. You were a woman in a men's prison, sweetheart. You could have been killed without the riots".
"I know. I'm glad they took what I said seriously and are investigating the treatment of the inmates. I'm also glad that he gave the inmate who saved my life clemency. He's a good guy, he didn't belong in prison".
"What crime did he commit?"
"He shot his mother's boyfriend to save her life, and the guy survived. He wasn't charged with what he did to Martez's mom, and Martez wasn't charged with shooting him. 10 years later, the bullet that was still lodged in the boyfriend's body, began to corrode into his bloodstream, and he got an infection and died. And all of a sudden they wanted to charge him with murder, because he's the one who shot the gun that put the bullet into his body".
"That's preposterous! He shouldn't have been convicted of anything!"
"I agree. He took advantage of the education programs in prison, though, and will be able to get a really good job somewhere now that he's out. Jonathan even offered to help him".
"How wonderful for him."
"How long are you in the States?"
"Just till tonight at Midnight, and then it's back to London, sweetheart. I flew in almost a week or so ago, and had dinner with Aunt Caroline. She was talking some nonsense about me selling Hill Haven and moving to a condo next door to her and Uncle Thomas."
"What did you tell her?"
"It was a short conversation, sweetheart. I told her no way".
"Good. Hill Haven is not for sale".
"I know, I know. You would probably buy it from me first if I ever were to sell it".
"Yes, I most certainly would".
"How do you like living in California, sweetheart?"
"I love it! It's different from New York, but I love having the ocean there. I love that I can go take a yoga class on the beach, or go running on the beach, or spend a day at the beach with Jonathan. And Los Angeles isn't busy like New York is busy, but it's still busy, in its own way".
"I'm glad you're happy, sweetheart. Never thought you'd leave New York, though".
"Well, Jonathan and I have dinner reservations in about an hour at a lovely Italian place. Want to join us?"
"No, no. You all go ahead. I promised your aunt I would fly up to Boston for a late dinner and then fly to London from there. And actually, I need to get going".
"Oh, ok. Well, thanks for trying to come to the ceremony, Pa. I'm glad we got to see each other for a little bit".
"Me too, sweetheart. Jonathan, it was great to see you. Don't let her push you around".
"She can push me anyway she wants, sir. I can handle it".
"I saw where your baseball team got a new pitcher. Seems like a lot of money to spend on someone who's just a rookie".
"Better to spend it on him than on a coach who doesn't have a clue what plays to call".
"Better to save up the plays for later. It's not good to reveal them all at once".
"You have to know them in order to reveal them".
Jennifer loved hearing the two of them trash talk each other's baseball teams.
"Bye Pa, have a good flight".
"Have a safe trip, sir".
"Oh and Pa, I forgot to tell you. Jonathan and I are going on a trip this week. So, I'll contact you when I get back".
"Very well. Where are you going?"
"I have no idea. It's a surprise".