Cali stayed up all night, waiting for John William to bring Shana back to her cell. Finally, at daybreak, she heard him trudging down the hall. She rushed over to her cell door and peered out the small window to see him dragging a lifeless Shana behind him.
As John William opened the cell doors, the children spilled out into the hallway. Cali didn’t dare rush to Shana’s cell. When John William opened Maggie’s cell, he looked down at her with disgust. “I want you to go over to Shana’s cell and fix her up. Something’s wrong with the little wimp, and I expect you to figure it out and fix it.”
Maggie scooted into Shana’s cell. John William scraped his oversized, sneakered feet on the floor as he followed her. Max and Cali exchanged worried looks. Shana was lying on her cot naked. Her hair was knotted, and her skin was raw, as if someone had rubbed sandpaper all over her body. Maggie’s eyes were glued to Shana’s feet. Both feet were covered in large, angry blisters.
“What did they do to her?” Maggie asked, feeling short of breath as icicles ran down her spine.
She looked at John William for an answer, but he continued to stare at Shana. “Just fix her. If she dies, it’ll be your fault,” he said coldly.
Maggie knelt down on the floor next to Shana. She looked at her raw flesh, afraid to touch her and scared that she might do something to hurt Shana more. Maggie could see that Shana had been burned. Based on what she had read, most of her body appeared to have first-degree burns. However, her feet were cherry red and blistered. Maggie fought back the fear that threatened to seize her own body and prevent her mind from functioning.
“We need to get her into the shower, fast!” Maggie said.
John William stepped into the hall where the other kids were huddled together, waiting to hear that Shana would be all right. “All of you back in your cells,” he told the other kids.
After John William locked the last cell door, he went back and lifted Shana from her cot. He carried her to the shower and placed her on the broken floor tiles. Maggie ran to the nearest shower and turned on the cold water. Then she went back to Shana and gingerly dragged her under the water. She sat with Shana in her arms and let the cold water douse her entire body, but especially her feet, to bring down the temperature of her skin.
Almost thirty minutes later, Maggie’s lips were turning blue and her teeth were chattering from the cold shower.
“We need to take Shana back to her cell. I’m going to need soap, water, and clean rags,” Maggie delicately instructed.
Once back in the cell, John William left and returned with the items Maggie needed. She washed the blisters with soap and water and then she gently laid a clean cloth over the top of them. Maggie ran into her own cell and grabbed the pillow and wool blanket from her cot. She rolled them methodically and put them under Shana’s feet to keep them elevated. There was nothing left for her to do but wait and pray that none of Shana’s burns became infected.
Over the next twelve hours, Maggie stayed by Shana’s side. Every couple of hours, Maggie would place cool water on a cloth and dab at the yellowish blisters on her feet. Shana, only half-conscious, moaned as the hours wore on. The blisters filled with fluid, and Maggie could only imagine how painful they were. Around dinnertime, John William stood at the doorway staring at Maggie.
“She’s doing OK. She’s in a lot of pain, John William. Is there anything you can give her to help?” Maggie almost begged.
John William’s face showed no concern whatsoever. “Yeah, I’ll get her something. Just make sure I’m not wasting my good drugs on this little tramp. You better be certain that she doesn’t die. ’Cause if she ain’t makin’ money, then I ain’t makin’ money. You get me?”
“Yes,” Maggie replied, almost offering to take on more clients for Shana.
When John William returned, he handed a small bag of pills to Maggie. “Give her one at a time.”
“What are they?” Maggie asked.
“It’s hillbilly heroin. Those little bastards will get her good and fucked up. Only give her one at a time. I don’t need her overdosing on me. I’ve had enough drama out of that little bitch for one day. Just remember what I told you: if she fuckin’ dies, it’s your fault!”
In Maggie’s desire to heal her “friend,” she helped Shana swallow her first dose of OxyContin.