“Just black,” Jack replied.
“How are you finding your time here?”
“Oh, just dandy. Between the electrotherapy and shanking, you might say it’s quite the country club. But you probably knew that, right?” Jack snorted as he took the cup and sniffed it.
“You’ll find it’s only the finest.”
He took a swig. It wasn’t bad at all.
The doctor sat back in his seat and observed him. “I’ve been working here for almost eighteen years, Mr. Winchester. I’ve seen all types walk through the door. We run a tight ship and troublemakers don’t last. Now things can go well, or they can go another way.”
“How about you cut the shit, doc, and tell me how much he paid you?”
He looked puzzled. “Who?”
Jack ran a hand over his face. “I think you know.”
“Delusions, Mr. Winchester, are very common,” he said flipping open a folder in front of him. “And it appears you were suffering from many when you entered this facility. In fact that’s why you ended up here. Now it’s our job to evaluate, study and come up with the necessary treatment.”
“Um, that’s interesting. So when did Angelo Gafino switch from being a mobster to one of your therapists?”
“Who?”
“Oh don’t bullshit me, doc. Are you really gonna play that card? You know as well as I do who flipped that switch and left me in that room. Hell, it was your two techs who strapped me down.”
He gave a wry smile. “You’re right. It was them. However, there was no Gafino who flipped a switch. This again is one of your delusions.”
Jack chuckled. “Ah, I see. I see how you’re playing this.”
“How are we… playing?”
“You want me to think I’m crazy.”
“Are you?”
Jack tossed the cup of coffee across the room and slammed his hand down on the table. Jenkins and Porter burst through the door but were stopped by Chapman. “It’s okay. Mr. Winchester is not a threat. Are you?”
Jack stared back at him, seething.
“Take a seat, Mr. Winchester.”
He sat down and the techs left the room.
“Do you still believe that…” he looked down at his paperwork. “That Dana Grant was really here? That she was in an accident with you? That you didn’t kill the Lewis family?”
“Fuck you, doc.”
Chapman nodded, took another sip of his coffee. “We usually don’t put patients on work detail until they’ve proved themselves but I think it would do you good. Keep your mind occupied. I’m going to recommend you start work today. We will then meet with each other next week and discuss your progress. Does this sound fair?”
Jack raised a middle finger.
“Well I’m glad we had this talk.” He got up and came around the table and for a brief moment, Jack thought of getting up and snapping his neck. But where would that get him? He’d endured all forms of torture in his life but nothing came close to being restrained and injected with Haldol. It sent him into a nightmare he couldn’t escape. His mind would play on repeat some of the worst memories of his life, over and over again. The faces of those he killed, Angelo Gafino, and worse — Dana’s bloody face.
The door opened. “Jenkins, take him to Charlie. We have a new addition to his crew.”
“Yes sir.”
“Mr. Winchester. Good choices. Okay. Make good choices.”
Jack brushed past him without even a glance. He was prodded and poked as he was taken to the far end of the unit. They went through a series of locked doors and crossed the yard to a large wooden outbuilding. After going through another sally port and being wanded down, he was told to wait behind a thick yellow line. Jenkins crossed the room to a heavy guy who must have topped the scales at almost three hundred pounds. But it wasn’t fat, just pure muscle. His arms were as thick as a man’s thighs. His entire body was tattooed. Dark swirling patterns could be seen above his collar. “Charlie.”
He was working on a bicycle. Nearby was a stack of similar bikes, and some of the patients looked as if they were repairing tires.
“Yeah?”
“We got a new guy for you. Chapman wants him to stay busy. Where do you want him?”
He looked over at Jack, and ran a hand over his thick black beard.
“He gonna be a problem?”
“If he is, you know what to do.”
He gave a nod. “Send him over.”
Jenkins whistled to Jack. As they passed one another, Jenkins stopped him with a hand on the chest and whispered in his ear. “If you think this is a reward, you are very much mistaken.” He shoved him and exited the building. There were very few people who towered over Jack but Charlie did.
“Put your hands out,” Charlie said. He examined them, looking at the calluses. “This is pretty straightforward. Over there we have planter boxes, to the other side electrical boards, then there are wheelchairs, and then here we work on bicycles. You ever had any experience working on any of these?”
“Not really.”
“Shit.” He sighed. “Well it’s pretty easy. You can work here on the bicycles. We repair tires, fix chains, repaint, you name it. It’s an all-in-one repair store. Any tools you use are to go back in the lock box over there before you leave. You even think of taking one out, don’t bother. Not only are you physically checked but that sally port has a metal detector that will pick up anything you swallow, hide or shove up your ass. And believe me, Jenkins and Porter don’t want to make a trip to the ER. There are no rights here. This is a privilege and it can be taken away as quickly as it’s given. And, you do something wrong, I get an earful and I don’t like to look bad. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Jack said.
Over the next few hours he worked on bikes. All the while his mind was thinking of a way out and now with tools available,
