AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry, sir?” Riker was confused. “What exactly are you sorry for?”
“The order is based on the compassionate release doctrine. I’m afraid your wife was in a car accident early this morning. She is in the critical care unit at Med General.”
Riker heard the words as if he was in a long tunnel. The warden’s face swam in and out of his vision and Riker broke out into a cold sweat.
“I’m sorry, but I have no further information at this point. The guard will escort you back to your cell where you will gather your things. Our intention is to release you as soon as possible. Good luck to you.” Then with a nod to the guard, Prentiss signaled the end of the conversation.
As the guard led Riker back to the cell, he laughed nastily. “Kind of like a good news-bad news comedy sketch, ain’t it? Good news is that you’re getting out early, bad news is that your bitch will probably be dead before you clear those gates.”
Riker saw red.
Pure rage sped through his veins like molten lava.
He stopped short, raised his fist, and pulled back his arm…
From seemingly out of nowhere another guard stepped between them.
“Stand down, inmate!” When Riker hesitated, the officer said with surprising compassion. “You’re on your way out of here, don’t mess it up because of some bullshit provocation.”
“Who the fuck all side you on?” The guard snarled. “You blind?”
“What did you just say to me?” The senior officer snarled back.
Fat Freddy changed his tone, but just a little. “With all due respect, Sarge. This inmate just physically threatened me. You gonna let that happen on your watch?”
The sergeant looked at him with disgust. “You’re lucky I didn’t let him kill you. Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with you? How many times do you have to be written up for provocation and mistreatment of these inmates? Now get your shit and get the hell outa here. You’re on unpaid leave pending an investigation and starting now.”
Riker watched on silently as Freddy’s face turned white, then red, then purple with rage. He sputtered and postured, then finally backed down and exited through the guard room.
The sergeant walked Riker back to his cell without another word. Numbly Riker began to pack up his things. He took down all his pictures and letters from the wall but left the calendar for Skippy. He dressed in the civilian clothes that were waiting for him packed in brown paper wrapping and sitting on his bunk. Then he began the long process through the labyrinth maze of paper work and documentation. Two and a half hours later, Riker Devlin was a free man.
Prosper and Gunner were both at the prison waiting for Riker to walk out that gate. The club van had a trailer hitched up and Riker’s Harley was on it. Nothing had ever looked so good to Riker in his life. He needed the open road, the wind at his back, the sunshine on his face and to ride hell bent on the highway.
Prosper gave him a hard man hug. But when he opened his mouth to speak, Riker stopped him. He didn’t want to know any more right now than he already did. He just wanted to get on the road. Maybe he was being a full-on coward, but the way he looked at, bad news could wait and good news could change.
Riker passed the speed limit signs on the highway without the least bit of consideration. With Gunner following in the van, and Prosper following Riker’s lead, the three men made the four hour trip in just over three. Riker’s bike had barely stopped in the fire lane of the hospital parking lot when he bounded off it and ran into the building.
The waiting room just outside the wing that led to the critical care unit was a quiet mob scene. The Hell Saints brothers covered every inch of the space. They were scattered around the room like clumps of funeral ash, talking in hushed tones, their bodies tense with bottled up energy. When they saw Riker, Gunner and Prosper get off the elevator, all eyes turned to them.
A head full of auburn curls snapped around and pushed its way through the crowd. Dolly’s eyes were red rimmed, and she had a tissue tightly gripped in her hand. She gave Riker a long hard hug. “Glad you boys are home safe.”
Prosper nodded and scanned the crowd.
Dolly answered his unasked question. “Pinky and Claire are downstairs in the cafeteria getting coffee for everyone. Glory’s home watching your grandchildren. Raine just went to the nurse’s station to try get an update.” Dolly reported. Then she put a hand on Riker’s arm and squeezed it gently. “The doctor’s been asking for you, honey.”
As if on cue, the trauma doctor strode through the swinging doors of the Critical Care Unit. That’s when Riker first heard the wordsMedical Coma.That was followed up by an explanation;reducing the energy requirements of the brain, which then reduces blood flow and pressure, and allows the brain to rest.Riker had just stood silently looking at the physician, the words buzzing around his head like baffled bumblebees.
“What?” Riker shook his head as if trying to shake out the meaning of the words.
Doctor Gideon, as if summoned by voodoo magic, appeared out of nowhere. He put his hand on Riker’s shoulder. “Do you understand what’s happening?”
“What?” Riker repeated and shook his head in dazed confusion. Did he understand what was happening? He never understood less in his whole damn life.
“I know thatcomais one hell of a word, Riker. But try to think of Gia’s current medical state in this way? it’s like letting an engine that’s running too hot stop for a while and cool itself down. We’re giving Gia’s brain time to rest, that’s all.”
“Cooling around the cylinders is critical.” Riker responded automatically. But his tongue felt thick in his mouth and it seemed as though he was looking at the doctor through water, everything was blurred and distorted.
“That’s right.” Doctor Gideon led Riker to a chair and sat down next to him. “We need to stop Gia’s brain from swelling and putting increased pressure on her skull. This is the best way for us to do that. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
