Suddenly the nurse was at his side. Her brown eyes snapped with fire as she stood between him and the bed, facing the advancing bulls like some kind of gatekeeper.
Chester did not look troubled. He swaggered forward, holding out both hands as though calming some fractious colt. “Now, now . . . it’s been twenty--four hours. That’s all you said you needed.”
Her gaze shot to the clock on the wall. “Twenty--two hours, actually. It wouldn’t hurt to have him under observation longer . . .” She turned in the direction of the doctor across the room, as though seeking aid from the man who was busy examining some old inmate’s gnarly foot.
“C’mon. This ain’t no place for bleeding hearts.” Chester stepped closer and touched her shoulder. A bitter taste coated Knox’s mouth at the sight of those bloated sausage fingers covering her shoulder, flexing slightly, getting the feel for her. “Don’t let him fool you into thinking he’s sick.”
Knox tensed at the implication that he was faking illness to stay out of the hole. After eight years he knew how to take a stint in the hole.
Enough of this. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he announced, “I’m fine. Ready to go.”
Chester dropped his hand from her shoulder. “See there.” The bastard smiled at her. “Nothing to worry about. Callaghan knows his place. Right, boy?”
Knox grunted as he reached for his shirt draped over the end of the bed. He’d kept it off ever since she bandaged his ribs.
He pushed both arms into the sleeves and winced as he pulled it over his head, the action pulling on his tender ribs.
Suddenly Briar’s hands were there, grasping the hem of his shirt to help pull it down. The back of her fingers grazed him and his stomach muscles quivered. All of him quivered. Shit.
He stepped back, severing the contact. Yesterday had been bad enough with her hands all over him. Even as impersonal as her touch was, it had been too long since he felt a woman’s hands on him. He didn’t trust himself not to react.
“We’ll need him back in a week to remove the sutures,” she instructed.
“Yeah, sure,” Chester said, grabbing hold of his arm.
“And if the ribs worsen, Mr. Callaghan, be sure to alert one of the guards that you need to return.”
Chester laughed. “Mister Callaghan. Ain’t that nice. Like you’re a real gentleman.”
Yeah. A piece of scum like him didn’t deserve such a courtesy title.
Knox gazed coldly at the guard, not rising to the bait. He’d long since learned to feign deafness. To react would land him in trouble and prolong his sentence. In six months he would have another parole hearing. North was due for another hearing around then, too, and given the comments made from the board during his last hearing, North might be getting out this time around. Who knew? Maybe he had a shot, too. He sure didn’t need to mouth off and jeopardize his chances.
Nurse Davis’s face flushed and it gave him some satisfaction knowing she didn’t care for the guard any more than he did. The idiot didn’t realize he was insulting her as much as Knox by laughing at how she chose to address him.
As he was led from the room, he looked once over his shoulder.
She was still standing beside the bed he had occupied. This time she had no trouble staring at him. A frown marred her smooth features, probably left over from her displeasure with the guard.
“C’mon, Callaghan. Move it.” As soon as they were out in the hall and the door to the HSU shut behind them, Chester pushed him against the wall and elbowed him in his bandaged ribs.
He bowed over from the force of the blow, the air leaving him in a great whoosh as fiery pain burst in his side. He lifted his head slowly to gaze at his abuser, smiling because he knew that would only piss him off more.
The bull pushed his red sweaty face closer, hissing at Knox in a stink of stale coffee breath. “You think a nice girl like that cares about a piece of shit like you?”
Knox trained his expression into blankness.
The guard grinned then and stepped closer. He spoke, the words puffing against Knox’s cheek. “I think I might take her out this weekend. You see, sweet * like that isn’t for the likes of you. You’re stuck in here, sucking cock with the rest of them.”
Knox’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached.
Chester laughed once in a heavy breath. “Huh. Don’t like that?” His gaze raked him up and down. “What are you going to do about it?”
The cocky son of a bitch grinned, waiting. Knox would love to see this guy on the outside, without his uniform to protect him. Or better yet, on the inside without his uniform to protect him. Let him know what it felt like.
“Nothing, boss,” he said, treating the title to heavy disdain.
A muscle ticked near the corner of Chester’s eye. “That’s right, prick. Nothing. Now let’s go.” Chester pushed him forward. The two guards fell into step behind him, following him back into hell.
SIX