Eddie looked from Laura to Fridge from his prone position on the hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped around his neck and throat; he spoke with a strained voice. “What took you so long to get here?” Eddie held a remote-control device in his right hand. He hit a button, and the bed inclined to a modified sitting position. “I love this bed. My bunk can’t do that.”
Eddie’s room resembled a typical hospital room in the outside world. Tubes and wires ran from various ports in his arms and chest to various medical monitoring machines around his bed. His neck and throat were bandaged, while the bruises on his face were healing in the open air.
“What took me so long?” Laura answered his original question in mock defensiveness. “I’ve been waiting for more than two hours to see you.”
Fridge piled on. “I had to bust the door down to get her in here. You know, I don’t like to wait.”
“Yeah.” Eddie shifted under a thick blanket. “I hear you busted into my cell and tore that lunatic off me. Thanks, Fridge. I owe you, man.”
“Forget it, Brother Nash.” Fridge waved his right hand in a dismissive gesture. “Just get yourself back up and running. Then, get yourself out of Attica. We don’t need no innocent people taking up valuable cell space.”
“I will.” Eddie raised a clenched fist and shook it like a radical from the ‘71 riot. “Attica! Attica! Remember Attica.”
“Collier is in the Box,” Fridge reported. “He’ll sweat it out for ninety days, before we ship him out to another facility.”
“Can’t say I’ll miss him.” Eddie ran a hand over his bandaged throat. “Son of a bitch.”
Laura turned to face the doctor, who was standing near the door. “Doctor Barr, the patient appears to be making acceptable progress. Can you share your diagnosis and venture a prognosis?”
Barr stepped forward. “Sure. Eddie’s sustained serious head contusions, a midgrade concussion, and severe injuries to his throat from being almost choked to death. And he’s right. If Officer Florence hadn’t gotten there when he did, I’m quite certain Eddie would have died from his injuries.”
Eddie and Fridge exchanged glances.
Dr. Barr continued, “His prognosis is favorable. The injuries caused by the assault aren’t permanent. We’ll keep him here for three or four days to promote healing, hydration, and nutrition. We’ll keep an eye on the dilation of the esophageal tube; however, it should improve within the same timeframe.”
Laura turned to Eddie. “The trial date is ten days out. The prep has to start ASAP. I’m going to ask the judge for a continuance. You can use the time to regain your strength. I want you to be at one-hundred-percent when we walk into that courtroom. I want the whole world to hear you summon a strong voice and say, ‘Not guilty.’”