Instead of placing me immediately in handcuffs or turning me over to the nearest prison guard, we walked straight through the facility. We headed down a long hallway with flickering florescent lighting. Ahead of us stood two double doors with the words "Medical Ward" printed across them. Was she going to have me executed? As we approached the door, she gave me a look I'd seen all my life, the one that said to be quiet because what was happening next was important.
"Hi, Dr. Mallory," said one of the nurses with a smile as we walked through the doors. "I thought you weren't working today."
"I'm not. I brought my son Dennis to see Mr. Gilroy," she said with a hand on my back as she tried to maneuver the two of us passed the nurse.
Curiosity on her face, the nurse stayed in our path. "I administered Mr. Gilroy's pain medication earlier today. His vitals haven't changed since the last time you saw him." Then she looked from my mother to me. "Oh, is your son a Healer like you? Do you think his Gift is strong enough to help Mr. Gilroy?"
Mom shook her head and lowered her voice. "No not like me. He's like my brother, Frank."
The nurse's smile vanished, replaced at first with revulsion then a general frown. "Dr. Mallory, I'm not sure if it would be okay for you to see Mr. Gilroy, especially with your son with you. I don't think the wardens or the commission is going to be happy with that."
My mother stepped in closer, her voice vehement but low enough so that only the three of us could hear. "I don't give a damn what makes those bastards happy. If they'd gotten Mr. Gilroy the treatment like I'd recommended months ago, he wouldn't be in this situation. So get out of the way." Mom then stepped passed the stunned nurse and we entered into the room beyond.
Men in orange jumpsuits lay shackled to hospital beds lining the left and right walls of the room. Beeps and clicks mixed with hacking coughs and desperate moans. We walked down the center aisle to the back of the room. Mom stopped us at the last bed on the left and drew the curtains around the bed closed, cutting us off from the rest of the room.
"Hello Mr. Gilroy, how are you feeling today?" my mother asked in the tone she uses when she already knows the answer you're about to give her.
Mr. Gilroy lay in the bed, his chest rising and falling at irregular intervals. Every so often his body convulsed for a minute before settling back down. His eyes switched constantly from just barely open to darting around the room. "You know how it is, doc. Just another day waiting to die," said Mr. Gilroy between labored breaths.
"I'm really sorry to hear that, Mr. Gilroy. Truly I am," mom said as she returned the man's chart back to the table. She walked over to the man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Gilroy, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. We both understand that you are going to die here. Probably soon, and probably in a lot of pain." Mr. Gilroy just nodded. He knew he wasn't going anywhere. Even without any medical training I could see it. Mom continued, pulling me closer to the chained, bed-ridden man. "This is my son, Dennis. He's not a Healer like me. He doesn't possess The Gift. But I believe he can help you." Repulsed by her suggestion, I tried to pull away but her hand held me still. "If you agree to the procedure, he could ease your pain."
The prisoner looked from my mother to me, then back to her. "Ease my pain?" he said, putting a specific emphasis on the first word.
"Ease," mom repeated in the same tone.
I finally managed to break my mother's grip and stepped away from the bed. "No way. Do you know what you're asking me to do?" I said as I almost tangled myself in the curtains.
Mom walked over to me,
putting herself between me and the dying inmate. "I do know what I'm
asking of you, and don't worry, I'll be here with you the entire time,"
she said as she wrapped her arms around me.
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