A Fresh Start
Chapter Two Hundred Eighty Three
Over the next few days, Edmund paced back and forth in his cell. Were they playing him or was the inspections really happening and why would two guards let that information out to a prisoner. Grant it he was a in a higher security section of the prison and it made it less likely he would attempt to escape, but still why let him know. There was no way for him to find out if any of the other prisoners were made aware of the inspections. To make matters more complicated, the guards that were his normal guards haven't been on duty for the last two days, so he's had no new information to help him decide what his options are if he has any.
He's lying on his bunk, staring up at the celling. Trying to decide what his best option would be when there's a knock on his door. "On your feet." Officer MacKinley calls through the door Lifting his head, Edmund looks at the door before he stands and shuffles over. Slipping his hand through the slot, he waits for the guard to secure the cuffs before he pulls his hands back and the locks disengage. The door opens and Edmund steps out into the hall. The door closes as Officer Burundi secures the shackles to his legs and wrists. Standing between the two guards, they shuffle down the hall to the yard. Neither guard mentions the impending inspections.
When they reach the yard, the guards remain outside but Edmund wanders far enough away that maybe they'll believe he's not waiting over hear them talking about the inspections. Throughout the hour, neither guard mentions anything about the inspections. Edmund spends his time walking around the yard. He spends several minutes on the north side, closest to the guard tower and subsequent gate leading to the outside of the prison and the fields between the prisons and the one road that leads away north. As he stands at the fence he tries to figure out if he'll be able to cross the field without being seen from the guard tower. He decides that it's unlikely but if he can cross at a zig zag pattern he might be able to avoid the shots the guards will take when he doesn't stop once he's been spotted. Once he reaches the road, he'll have to quickly find transportation away from the prison and different clothes.
It isn't until they've returned Edmund to his cell that the inspections are brought up. "Do you know what time they're inspecting the guard on the north side of the prison?" Officer Burundi asks.
"Probably around noon, the tower will still be occupied though." Officer MacKinley replies, as his partner nods.
When they've reached the end of the cell block, Officer Burundi asks. "Do you think he was listening?"
"Yes, and he was waiting to see if we would mention anything while we were in the yard. That's why he was hanging around for so long. And he was over by the north gate." Officer MacKinley says.
"You know you're going to have to…." Officer Burundi falls silent as another group of guards walk past. They nod to each other.
Once the second set of guards leave the area, Officer MacKinley replies. "I'm working on gate. I'll probably work my way over there early in the morning after the guards make their rounds and unlock the gate."
"What about the guards in the tower? We have to be the one…."
"We'll be the ones covering the tower. I've already spoken to the boss."
"Alright, what about afterwards?" Officer Burundi asks as Officer MacKinley looks at her. "I know we don't worry about the political fallout of assassinating a member of the former royal family but they may demand an investigation."
"Maggie, it's for the director to handle. You know that." Officer MacKinley says, as she nods.
Before she turns away she says. "Don't call me Maggie." He chuckles as he walks past her
Jeffrey and Sam settle into a routine after a couple days. The boys usually wake at least twice during the night for either feeding or to have their diaper changed. Even when they tried to change their diaper in anticipation of the next changing the boys would still wake up at least once. Sam is in the nursery putting away a load of laundry. Even for newborns, the boys seem to use so many clothes. Enough that if she doesn't do at least a few loads a day they would be overwhelmed and without clothes. Not that Jeffrey would mind that much. She thinks with a smile. She's putting the last of the clothes away when Jeffrey comes into the nursery. "Sam, darlin." He says, walking over to her and slipping his arms around her waist.
She settles back against him as he nuzzles her hair. "What's up?" Sam asks, closing the door and turning in his arms.
"I just got off the phone with Mel."
"Okay."
"She wants us to come by the office to prep for the trial."
"I'm not sure I can do that. I can't leave them yet."
"That's what I told her. So I suggested that she come to us. She'll be over later this afternoon. I told her the boys usually go down for the nap around one."
"Okay. There's something else."
"I need to go to the office. It'll only be for like an hour. I need to meet with a couple of councilmen and sign off on some of Richard's things."
"Okay, go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I can handle the boys for an hour."
"Okay, I promise I'll be back within an hour."
"Go, we'll be fine." Sam says, leaning in to kiss him before she releases him.
For the first half hour, Sam finishes the laundry and then heads downstairs without the monitor. She's focused on what to fix for dinner and doesn't think about needing the monitor to know when the boys need her. Taking out everything she'll need to make dinner. She's so focused on that, that it's several minutes before she thinks about the boys. Looking around the kitchen she realizes the she left the monitor upstairs in their bedroom. She can't quite run but as quickly as she can she goes upstairs. When she reaches the hall she can hear both boys crying. Rushing into the nursery, she goes to Aj's crib first. "Shhh, I'm here." She says, picking him up "Ooo, you need a new diaper. Is that what's wrong?" She says, going over to the changing table.
Within a few moments, Sam has Aj's diaper changed. Once she's finished, she picks up HB and takes them downstairs. Sitting down on the couch, she holds them tightly, whispering. "I'm sorry."
That's how Jeffrey finds her. "Hi, darlin." He says, coming in and closing the door behind him. Taking off his coat, he hangs it up before he goes to Sam and the boys. When he reaches couch, he immediately realizes that Sam's crying. Sitting down, he asks "What's wrong?" She doesn't answer him. "Sam, is something wrong with the boys." She shakes her head. Holding onto the boys tighter and they begin to fuss. "Here, let me have them."
"No." She mumbles, clinging tighter.
"Sam, look at me." He says, she turns her head. "Whatever is wrong we can fix it? But you're upsetting them." He says, reaching for HB.
That's the moment she notices that both boys are whimpering. She eases her hold on them enough for Jeffrey to take HB. He moves to get up. "Don't." She whispers, reaching for him.
"Alright, I'll hold him. Tell me what happened. Why are you crying and why are you holding them like someone tried to take… Did someone come in the...?"
"No, I'm just a horrible mother." She says, as Jeffrey chuckles. "This is not funny." She snaps, moving to get up.
He reaches for her quickly. "Sit down Sam. I'm not laughing at you and you're not a horrible mother."
"Yes I am." She insists.
"Tell me what happened?" He says, keeping his patience.
She looks at him and then sighs. "When you left, I finished the laundry. They were in their bassinets taking a nap. So I went downstairs to get everything ready for dinner. I was focused on that and I didn't even think about them. And when I did, I realized that I had left the monitor upstairs with them. So I rushed upstairs." He opens his mouth. "I didn't run." She says, looking at him. "By the time I got to them, both of them were crying and Aj needed his diaper changed."
"And how does that make you a horrible mother?"
"I forgot about them. I was busy and I didn't even think about them."
Moving HB to his other arm, he says, as he lifts his arm. "Come here." She moves over to him. Laying her head on his shoulder. "Coming downstairs to make us something to eat, doesn't make you a horrible mother."
"I forgot…."
"You forgot the monitor. You didn't forget them."
"But I should've…."
"Look at me." He says, moving back and lifting her chin. "You are not a horrible mother. You would be a horrible mother if you forgot the monitor and remembered it but didn't go check on them and when I came home they were still upstairs crying. That's not what happened. As soon as you remember them, you went to check on them and get the monitor." He reaches up to dry some tears from her face. "Okay." He asks, as she nods. "I think we can save the recriminations for more serious circumstances."
"You think I'm going to really mess…."
"That's not what I said, Sam. I think were both learning here and we're both going to do thing that we wonder about. In fact, I think I'm going to be so much worse at this than you are."
"Not possible." She says, leaning in to kiss him.
"Very possible, I have a daughter but I wasn't there when she was growing up."
Sam pulls away from him. "Listen to me, you didn't know about Ava. If you had, you would've been there for her. I've seen you with Rj and Will, my nephew's, even the few times we've been around Harley's boys and Emma. You're great with them. And you'll be great with our boys and with Wes."
"I'm supposes to be comforting you."
"We comfort each other."
"So you believe you're not a horrible mother?"
"Yeah, I just panicked when I forgot the monitor and then I got upstairs and I found them crying. I felt so stupid. I'm not supposes to forget things when it comes to…."
"First, you're not going to remember everything about every time. We are both going to forget things, some of them are going to be minor and some will be major."
"We can't always be perfect, that's what you're saying."
"Yes, okay." He says, reaching up to caress her cheek.
"Okay." She leans in to kiss him.
"So, can we put them down in the playpen?"
"Yeah, I need to get dinner started. I wanted to have it started before you came home."
"Things didn't take as long as I thought it would take."
"When are you going back to the office?"
"I was thinking I would go back after your testimony."
"She's coming over, right."
"As far as I know she is. She expected that you would want to take a few days with the boys."
Getting up, she puts Aj in the playpen with HB before she goes to the kitchen. "I'm going to start dinner."
"Need some help?"
"No, go play around with your guitar." She says, turning to look at him. He smiles, leaning in to kiss her.
"I love you."
Smiling, she says. "Love you too, now go."
He goes to his study while she starts making the chili she had planned on making.
The boys are at the table when Richard walks in. "Daddy." Will says, looking up when the door opens.
"Hi, boys." He says, hanging up his coat after putting his briefcase down on the table by the door. He hangs his keys up next before he walks over to the table. Hugging both boys, he looks up and finds Cassie at the stove watching him. He can immediately tell that she's tired. He goes to her, slipping his arms around her. "Hi, darling." He says, laying his hand on her stomach. He's rewarded with a kick. "They're active." He says quietly.
"They've been moving around all afternoon." She says, leaning back against him.
"Did you take a nap this afternoon?" He asks, as Cassie shakes her head. He kisses the side of her head. "I was busy with the nursery."
"Thought we were going to work on it this weekend."
"We are, I was just unpacking some stuff and thinking about where I want to put everything. And I was cleaning up the house too."
"Okay. After dinner I'll take over and you can go upstairs and relax with a hot bath."
"The laundry still need to be folded and the boys…."
"I'll handle it. I'm going to go change before supper, okay." She nods as he kisses the side of her head again. He turns to walks away.
She finishes cooking while the boys finish up working on their homework. By the time Richard comes back downstairs, she can tell that he's grabbed a quick shower before coming down. "Dinner is ready." She says, putting things on the table.
"Boys, put your schoolwork up and wash up for dinner." Richard says, walking over to Cassie. "Go sit down, I'll get the food on the table." She looks at him and then slowly waddles over to the table as the boys clear off their schoolwork and then does to wash up. She sits down sighing softly. By the time the boys come back, Richard has everything on the table and they settle down to eat. "How Reva doing with the Beacon?"
"Fine, I didn't go over there today. I just didn't have the energy. Maybe it's time I start my maternity leave."
"I'm sure she can handle it for the next few weeks."
"What's going on at City Hall?"
"The usual stuff. Jeffrey came in for a short while today."
"He did." Cassie says, slightly surprised.
"He was only there for like an hour. I think he had to meet with some of the councilmen."
"What about the campaign?"
"Things are fine. I've got some events next week but I'll try to keep them on time."
"So the new campaign manager is working out?"
"Yes. I talked to Noah today."
"Is he going to look into that situation?"
"He is, but we can discuss it more later. I thought maybe we could drive over to Oakdale this weekend, maybe Sunday afternoon. We haven't seen Julie or the kids since Christmas."
"We can do that, the boys can play with their cousins." Cassie says, as Will pushes his plate back.
"Mommy, I'm full." Will says, sitting back.
Cassie looks at his plate, it's mostly empty. "Go put your plate in the sink and then go finish your schoolwork, if you're not through."
"I finished it." Will says, as Cassie nods.
"Why don't you go take that bath now? I'll finish with the boys and clean up." He says, as she looks at him. "I can clean up." He says, seeing her smirk.
Getting up, she waddles around the table and lightly kisses the top of his head before she says. "I know you can, just remembering you when we first met."
"The barn was quite warm that night."
"I'm sure it was."
"Go take your bath, I'll handle the boy and clean up." He says, kissing her palm before she waddles away.
She goes upstairs. Richard and Rj finishes eating. When he's finished, Richard sends him upstairs to finish his homework. He cleans off the table and puts all the dishes in the dishwasher. Wiping the counter, stove and table off, he flips off the light before he walks into the living room. Reaching for the remote, he turns the news on before he settles into his chair. Will is first to come down. He crawls into Richard lap, settling back against his dad, they watch the news together. Just as the news is ending, Rj comes down. He lets them watch a few shows before it's time for baths.
Cassie is coming downstairs as Richard and the boys come up for their baths. "I'll be back down as soon as I get them settled." He says, as Cassie nods.
Cassie continues into the living room while Richard gets the boys in their baths. He really only has to check on Rj, but Will he runs the water for him. Before he leaves each of them he says. "No playing around boys, bed time is in an hour."
"Yes sir." They reply.
Cassie is on the couch, watching a Home and Garden program when Richard comes downstairs. He settles down beside her. "They're settled."
"Both are in their baths." He replies as she nods.
"What did Noah say about Jon?"
"He's going to look into it. He's going to see about finding a safe house close to Springfield to let them met. And he's going to investigate the asylum agreement, see what will happen if Jon were to secretly met with Lizzie."
"I think it's time that I step back and let Reva handle the Beacon until after the baby is born."
"I'm all for anything that makes this time easier for you. I've wanted you..."
"I know." She says, leaning in to kiss him. "It's just today. I didn't really do that much but I was so exhausted when I got home that I didn't really have time to do the things I wanted to do around here. And there's about two months left before it's time. We still need to decide on the nursery."
"I thought we were going to put it in Tammy's old room. Are you not comfortable…?"
"No, I'm fine with using Tammy's room. That's not the issue. We need to go shopping for furniture and decide on a theme and color scheme so that you can get the painting done."
"So I can get the painting done."
"I would help you if I could, you know that. But I can't be around the paint fumes, even if we use a paint with less fumes, I still don't think it's good for me to be around them, especially with this being a high risk…."
He lays a finger against her lips. "You don't need to explain. I didn't think about the fumes. So we need to go shopping and pick out a color scheme. I've got two events tomorrow for the campaign and then I'm free. Do you want me to pick you up after my last event and we'll go look at the shops by CO2."
"That sounds perfect." She says, settling against him.
A few minutes later both boys come downstairs. "We're finished with our baths." Will says.
"Did you bring the book?" Richard asks, reaching for the remote. He flips the TV off and then turns to the boys.
"I brought it." Rj says, settling next Cassie while Will climbs back into Richard's lap.
Richard takes the book and opens to the bookmark. "We was reading about Billy leaving to get his puppies." Will says.
"That's right." Richard replies. Quietly he begins to read while Rj and Will settle back to listen to the story of Where the Red Fern Grows. Twenty minutes later, Richard finishes that chapter and looks up at the clock. "Ok, it's time for bed."
Stretching and yawning, both boys get up followed by Richard and Cassie. "I'll tuck them in." Cassie says, as Richard nods.
"I'll lock up and I'll be right behind you." He says, he watches as she follows the boys upstairs, waddling behind them. He smiles as he watches her before he turns his attention to locking up the house and making the lights are off. The last light he turns off is the one by the couch. Cassie has already got both boys tucked in by the time Richard has the house secure. He stops in Rj's room first. Checking on him, he's not quite asleep when Richard walks in. "Night son." Richard says, leaning in to kiss his forehead.
"Night Dad." Rj replies, settling into his covers. Richard turns to leave. Walking out of his room, he pulls the door almost closed, leaving a small crack. Crossing the hall, he finds that Will is already asleep. Smiling, he walks over to the bed. Leaning now, he tucks the covers around him before he whispers. "Night my boy." Kissing his forehead, he takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of Will and baby shampoo. Standing up, he makes sure Will's night light is on before he walks over to the door. He glances back to make sure he's still asleep before he slips from the room, leaving the door cracked just as he did with Rj's.
By the time he reaches his and Cassie's room she's already settled into bed. "I'm coming right back." He says, as she nods.
A few minutes later, he comes out of the bathroom. Slipping into the bed and once he's settled she moves over to him, laying her head on his bare chest as he wraps an arm around her. "What do think will happen with Jon?" She asks, settling against him.
"I'm not sure. I know if the asylum is forfeited I'll worry about Alan coming after them."
"Do you really think he would be able to do anything?"
"The Spaulding's have an extensive reach Cassie. I never told you about him meeting with me right after we came to Springfield, before the accident."
"Ummm, no." She says, glancing up at him.
"I applied for a line of credit and Springfield National and apparently Alan's on the board. He came to me and basically guaranteed me the line of credit if I would get you to sign over the Beacon property to him."
"That's why you didn't get that loan. I kept the land after you told me about it and he made sure you didn't get the line of credit you needed."
"Yes, he used his pull at the bank to have them deny the line of credit. I'm not upset about it. I wanted to make my own way when we came here, and we've done that, well you've done that while I was in the coma, but we're fine. But if he can manipulate a banking official, what will he be able to do to get Sarah away from Jon and Lizzie."
"Alan is someone we have to be aware of, but I think Lizzie can help with that. If she continues to stay away from the Spaulding's I think she and Jon will be able to keep Sarah safe, plus he'll have all of us as well and how's Alan going to care for Sarah, he's locked up and will be for very long time."
"He'll have all of us, but is it fair to Sarah to make her look over her shoulder every day of her life."
"It's not every day of her life. It won't be long before she'll be of age to choose which parent she wants to be with. Alan can't control her choice."
"Maybe, but I've seen money do a lot of things and buy a lot of things. Money kept Edmund from facing his crimes on more than one occasion."
"I think the one that's going to be a threat to Jon keeping Sarah, is Lizzie. While I understand why he made the choice he did, he's still robbed her of years with her little girl that Lizzie will never be able to reclaim. I know what that feels like and it can eat at you."
"That's why I think you'll be able to help Lizzie come to terms with Jon's decision to fake his and Sarah's death."
"We'll just have to see what happens."
"You're right and we'll take it from there." He says, kissing the side of her head.
She snuggles against him. "Have you told Reva you're going to step back until the baby's born?"
"No, I didn't really decide to until after you came home and I was taking my shower. I sat down on the bed for a moment when I came up here and I had to force myself to get up again. I'm just so tired and it's all the time."
"Maybe you should talk to Dr. Sedgwick about it? Maybe there's something that's going on that's making you feel so tired."
"No, Dr. Sedgwick said that it's normal for me to feel this way."
"Well I think you need to speak with Reva as soon as you can."
"I'll go in Early and let her know that I'm taking my maternity leave now."
"Good." He says behind a yawn.
She looks up and smiles before she leans up. Nibbling on his chin she asks. "Are you sleepy?"
"Maybe." He mumbles.
"I think I might be able to wake you up." She says, leaning up to nibble on his chin.
He chuckles as his arm tightens around her shoulders. "You were exhausted a few moments ago."
"You woke me up." She says, moving along his jaw. Reaching his ear, she nips at it. Pulling her closer, he wraps his arms around her while they kiss. Their kiss begins sweet and innocent, but quickly becomes more as the flames of desire wash over them. Moaning softly, she shivers when he slips his hands under his shirt. Since the baby, she's been wearing one of his old shirts as a night gown. Laying his hands on her waist, he gently caresses her. He feels another shiver rushing over her and he smiles. Slowly she moves her hands down his chest, her nails lightly scratching him as she moves them. When she moves to lean up, he wraps his arms around her holding her still. "Move to your side." He whispers before kissing the side of her neck.
"I want to see you."
"We can't do this like that. It'll hurt you."
"I…."
"Cassie, please." He mumbles, nipping at her lower lip and smiling when he feels her shiver.
"I've got another idea." She mumbles, leaning up and kissing him. "Trust me, okay." She says after pulling away.
Slowly, he releases his arms and she moves to kneel over him. Settling onto her knees, she looks down and smiles. "I've been looking into different positions for us. And this is one that's recommended. It'll keep pressure off my stomach and the baby but I'll still get to see you." She leans over him and kisses him. "And I really like watching you when it's time." She admits, smiling as he growls softly.
"You're sure…."
"Yes." She says, moving to his neck.
Laying his hands at her thighs, he closes his eyes and lets her take control. Slowly she moves down his body, kissing and caressing him. When she reaches his waist, she looks up. Smiling softly as she bites her lip. She can see his desire for her, demanding her attention. "Lift your hips." She says, reaching for the waist band of his pajamas. As he lifts his hips, she pulls them down. Tugging until they're at feet. She looks up expecting to see his boxer and finds nothing in place. She sucks in a deep breath as their gazes meet.
He reaches for her and she moves back up his body, slowly running her hand along his legs. Stopping for a moment to tease him behind his knee. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath. She moves away, settling between his legs before she raises her gaze, catching the heat in his. Reaching for him, she closes her hand around him, squeezing gently before she leans over him. Letting him feel the warmth on him before she sinks lower, taking him into her mouth.
Laying his head back, he allows his need for her to wash over him. Letting it heat his blood and drive his desire higher. It's only a matter of minutes before he's reaching for her. Burying his fingers in her hairs, savoring the softness of her curls. This is one of the things he would dream about while he was in the coma. Not what she was doing with her mouth, well he did dream about that, but he remembers dreaming about the softness of her hair. How it felt to run his finger through it while the made love and afterward. He hadn't really told her any of that he realizes as he sinks further into his body demands. "Cassie." He groans, clinching his fist but he does pull. He knows she's tuned to him.
After several moments, she pulls away and looks up. Smiling, moves her hand over, letting him feel her grip. "Do you want something else, handsome?" She asks, still moving her hand over him. He nods, too wound up to reply to her. Moving away, she straddles him as he leans up, catching her mouth in a deep kiss. It distracts her enough that he can reach for her, slipping his fingers through her heat, caressing her as he lifts his hips, letting her feel him pressing against her. "Richard!" She moans softly
Reaching for him she guides him inside. Settling against him, they both clinging to each other. While they kiss, she begins to move slowly. Reaching up, he slowly moves his hand down her body, caressing her until they settle on her stomach. He can feel the babies moving and smiles when one kicks at his hand. Leaning over, she kisses him. Time passes and it's not long before he feels hers coming close to her release. Reaching for her, he presses his fingers against her body and feels her shatter around him. Thrusting up into her over and over while her release washes over them both, it isn't long before he follows her.
Feeling her relax, he wraps his arms around her as he leans up, kissing her he whispers. "Lay down and let me hold you." Slowly she moves over to her side of bed. He moves closer to her and pulls the covers up over them before snuggling in behind her. Settling in behind her, he slides his hand across her stomach and is rewarded with a strong kick. "I think I need to calm them down." He whispers, slowly rubbing his hand across her stomach. "I know we woke you up and you're all excited." Cassie snickers and he looks at her with a smile. "I don't mean that kind of excited. They won't feel that for many, many, many years to come."
"Are you sure about that? They have a way of doing what we don't want them to do."
"I'm sure, because they're going to do whatever their Daddy tells them to do, right." Richard asks, running his hand across her stomach, waiting for another kick. When one doesn't come, Cassie laughs. "Okay, so maybe they won't listen to everything I say. But they're still not getting that type of excited for a long, long, long time."
Turning her head, she kisses his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too." Richard replies, smiling before he leans in and kisses her softly. Settling back down, he continues to rub his hand across her stomach, lulling both Cassie and their babies to sleep. After several moments, he says. "I remember something from when I was in the hospital, in the coma."
Moving her head, she looks at him. "What?"
"I remember that I would dream about your hair, especially when it was long and curly and how it felt to run my fingers through it when we lay in bed together after making love or whenever really. I remember feel the coolness of it and how soft it felt and how the curls would wrap around my fingers."
"Was that all you remember from then?"
"No." He replies. "I remember dreaming about us making love at the palace and our country estate in San Cristobel. You know we don't have the palace anymore but that estate is still in our family. We could go back to visit."
"Not right now, Dr. Sedgwick wouldn't let me…."
"I know you can't travel now, but maybe after they're a year old. We could go back to San Cristobel."
"Would Prince Silas allow us…."
"My family is still titleholders in San Cristobel. He can't keep us from visiting our ancestral home."
"If we're titleholders, will we have to attend functions at the palace?"
"No as many as we did as Prince and Princess, but there might be a few we have to attend. Being the new prince, it would be prudent to establish a relationship with our family. Not a close one but still a relationship."
"Let's worry about San Cristobel later." Cassie says around a yawn.
"Yeah, we can sleep on it." He says, as she snickers again. "Here's your pillow." He says, handing her a pillow. Sliding it under her belly, she snuggles back into him. Laying his hand on her stomach again, gently rubbing circles into her stomach. "I love you." He whispers, lightly kissing her shoulder.
"Love you too." She mumbles.
The next morning, Edmund is the last prisoner to be set to the yard. It wasn't usual for that to happen, but it didn't happen often and it sort of made Edmund nervous. He hadn't been able to gather much Intel about the inspections over the last couple days. And he couldn't ask a guard and tip his hand. The two new guards said that it would be happening today Edmund thinks as there's a knock on his door. The guard pushes the slot open, "Yard time, get up." Officer Burundi says.
Getting to his feet, Edmund walks over and slips his hand through allowing the cuff to be put in place before he steps back and lets the other guard open his cell. Stepping out, he notices that Officer Burundi is alone. "Where is your partner?" Edmund asks. Stepping up once the cell door is closed, Officer Burundi escorts Edmund to the yard.
Earlier in the morning, before he and Maggie reported for duty, Officer MacKinley had worked his way around the prison to the north side, keeping to the shadows so that the guards on tower duty wouldn't spot him as he releases the lock on the north gate, disabling any safe guards to keep prisoners inside. At the morning briefing, the guards on the north side were told that they would be inspected today. He and Officer MacKinley were given guard duty after the high security prisoner were taken to the yard.
Once they reached the yard, Officer Burundi releases the cuffs and Edmund wonders off. They watch as he walks around yard. He never stays in one place for long. He's waiting to see of the guards will follow him or if they'll allow him to wonder out of their sight to the north side of the yard. It wasn't completely secluded but was out of direct view of where Officer MacKinley and Officer Burundi were standing. Once Edmund reaches the north side, he looks back over his shoulder. Realizing he's hidden enough from the guards, he glances up and watches the tower for several moments, he never saw a guard in the tower. Taking a deep breath, he lays his hand on the gate. He's almost expecting to have an electrical current pass through him, but he feels nothing. Taking another deep breath, he pushes the gate and it swings open. He hesitates for only a moment before he steps outside the prison. The moment he steps out, Officer Burundi comes into view. "Stop." She yells as soon as she realizes the gate is open and Edmund is outside the prison. Glancing over his shoulder once, Edmund takes off at a dead run, headed for the field.
As soon as Officer MacKinley heard Officer Burundi's yell, he stands up in the guard tower. Grabbing his rifle, he rushes outside and quickly sights Edmund through his scope. In his haste to get away from Officer Burundi, Edmund completely forgets about taking a zig-zag pattern as he runs across the open area between the field and the prison. Taking a deep breath, Officer MacKinley takes a shot, hitting Edmund in the thigh. Even at the distance, Officer MacKinley knew it was a through and through shot and that it probably hit an artery. Getting Edmund up again, he watches as Edmund falls. Waiting for a moment, he watches as Edmund struggles to his feet and continues to run, limping as he goes. His pace considerable slower than it was. Taking another deep breath, Officer MacKinley steadies the rifle and between heart beats fires the fatal shot. Through the back and heart, exciting the chest near perfect center. Edmund was dead before he fell to the ground. Stopping her pursuit, Officer Burundi turns and looks at the guard tower, pausing for a moment before she reaches for her walkie-talkie and says. "Prison escape, officer needs assistance."
In a matter of moments, she is surrounded by other guards. The first on the scene is her boss Officer Randolph. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure Sir."
"What do you mean you're not sure? Where you not responsible for guarding this prisoner?"
"Yes sir."
"Then how did he escape."
"I was in the yard with the prisoner. He walked to the north side of the yard. And once I noticed that he wasn't in my line of sight I walked over until I could see him, by that time he had the gate open and was outside the prison."
"How did he get the gate open? And why didn't the alarm go off as soon as the gate was open?"
"I know this look bad Sir, but I don't know how this happened."
"Where is your partner?"
"I'm right here, Sir."
"Where were you when this happened?"
"I was in the guard tower Sir."
"Why were you not with your…." The warden walks up cutting off Officer Randolph question.
"What's going on?"
"Sir, we've had a prison attempt to escape. These two guards were his guards while he was in the yard."
"What happened?"
"I brought the prisoner to the yard and release him as normal. I released him. There was no reason to think the gate on the north side would be open, Sir. He wondered around a bit but after a while he wondered over to the north side, just slightly out of my line of sight. Once I realized this I moved to where I could see him, but by that time, the gate was open and he was already outside the prison. I yelled for him to stop but he took off running so I followed him. He was about halfway across this area when the first shot came. He fell for a moment and then got up and started running again. It wasn't long before the second shot came and that stopped him."
"Who is the prisoner?" The warden asks, looking between the three guards.
Finally Officer MacKinley speaks up. "I'm not sure Sir."
The warden looks down at the body laying between them. Reaching down, Officer MacKinley rolls him over. Seeing the former prince, laying there. The warden sucks in a deep breath. "I want to know how this happened. I want everything reviewed. You are both on administrative leave until a full investigation can be completely. Where is the medical team?"
"We're here?" Another guard in a white coat steps up.
"Bring him back to the prison, but take the back exit and cover him up. I don't want the other prisoners to see who he is. I can't have a riot on my hands from his former supporters, should he have any within the prison. We all know what Prince Edmund's attitude was towards classes he consider to be beneath him, so I doubt he'll have many supporters here, but just in case, hide his identity until he's secure inside the prison hospital morgue, understood?"
"Yes, warden." The medical team replies.
The warden turns to Officer Randolph. "I want a complete report on my desk by the end of the day."
"Sir, I can't do a full investigation in a day's time."
"Well, then at least find out how or why that gate was taken offline. Why no alarm sounded as soon as the breach occurred, and be absolutely sure that these two had nothing to do…."
"Sir, we didn't do this. We have no idea that gate was unlocked. Or what it was unlocked for…."
"Well the why is quite obvious don't you think." The Warden demands. "Do you have any idea what this could mean? We all could lose our jobs, if this comes back to us. The prince is already doubting the security of this prison. It looks like he might have a reason to. Get this cleaned up." The warden orders before he turns and walks back towards the prison.
For a moment, Officer Burundi and Officer MacKinley look at each other after the warden walks away. Their attention is brought back to their current situation as soon as Officer Randolph says, looking at the medical team. "You heard the warden, handle this and handle it exactly as he ordered. You two follow me." He says, turning away. Officer Burundi and Officer MacKinley follow behind him.