Ch.11Correction) Taking the Fall!

#011

The holiday was over, and the workday approached.

“…Good morning, everyone.”

Dexter, who still hadn’t found a suitable solution, arrived at work looking dejected.

“Ah, ah! It stings like hell.”

Dan entered the conference room with one arm bright red.

“My junior colleague, how have you been… Wait, why so gloomy? Did your girlfriend dump you?”

“No, just some personal concerns… Why is your arm so red and inflamed?”

“I went fishing with my son. But I forgot to put sunscreen on one arm, and now look at this mess.”

When Dexter poked Dan’s reddened forearm, Dan flinched in pain.

“Ouch, man!”

“That’s the point. Hehe.”

While Dan and Dexter were bickering, Raymond entered.

“Good morning. I trust everyone enjoyed their five-day holiday.”

Raymond opened the file he brought and glanced at Dexter.

‘What’s that about?’

“Ahem. Early this morning, an inmate from Medium Security Facility Block 2 was admitted to the infirmary due to an unfortunate incident. Everyone should ensure proper management and monitoring of inmates’ conditions.”

After saying this, Raymond looked at Dexter again.

Noticing the glance, Dan nudged Dexter with his elbow and whispered.

“Did you do something to piss off Raymond?”

“No. I spent the holiday quietly. You know that, Dan.”

“Then why does he keep looking at you? Strange.”

Dan tapped his fingers on the desk with a suspicious expression.

“I have nothing else to discuss. Now for the daily duty assignments. Medium Security Facility Block 1, Wagner, Fairchild, McQueen, Moore…”

The usual duty assignments continued, and Diaz was assigned to Block 3 today.

“Ah, we’re separated today. What a shame.”

“Indeed.”

Dan expressed disappointment about being separated from Dexter.

“Minimum Security Facility Block 5, McKenzie, Gilmore, Carlson, Gaby…”

But as the list was nearing its end, Dexter’s name still hadn’t been called.

After all the detention facility security assignments were done, internal facility security duties would follow, and if those were also completed, it essentially meant there was no work left.

‘What was it called? Standby personnel?’

It was a position filled when vacancies occurred due to unavoidable circumstances.

However, it was typically assigned to guards nearing retirement rather than young officers like Dexter.

“…Watchtower D, Hernandez, Scott. Infirmary supervision, Hughes. That’s all.”

‘Infirmary supervision?’

It was an assignment he’d never heard of before.

When Dexter looked toward Dan, Dan scratched his forehead and said:

“Infirmary supervision isn’t that hard, is it? Why would they assign you to it?”

“That makes it sound like I’m supposed to handle all the difficult tasks.”

“Well, the capable ones always get the tough jobs.”

Dan shrugged after making this reasonable point.

“Everyone, have a good day, and Officer Hughes, please stay behind for a moment.”

As Raymond pointed directly at Dexter, Dan patted Dexter’s shoulder and left the conference room.

“Hang in there.”

With Dan and the other officers gone, only Raymond and Dexter remained in the conference room.

“Officer Hughes, do you know why I asked you to stay?”

As Raymond’s distinctive baritone voice lowered further, Dexter couldn’t help feeling intimidated.

‘I haven’t done anything wrong, but it feels like I’m being interrogated.’

“Ahem. I assume you have something to say about the infirmary supervision, and it’s not just ordinary supervision, is it?”

Dexter tried to anticipate what Raymond would say, attempting to gain some relative advantage.

Of course, trying to gain an upper hand with a superior, not an enemy, wouldn’t yield much benefit.

“I’ve noticed you often stick close to Officer Diaz. Beyond him being your senior officer.”

“Well, Officer Diaz and I seem to get along best. He’s quite humorous, isn’t he?”

When Dexter spoke as if this were obvious, Raymond nodded just enough to show he understood.

“True. Officer Diaz may come across as lighthearted, but he’s good at his job. However, there’s an issue.”

“An issue?”

“Do you know Jesse Blueberg?”

It seemed inappropriate to bluntly say, ‘Of course, I even struck that crazy woman’s wrist.’

“An inmate from Medium Security Facility Block 2, who was in solitary confinement until recently, as I understand.”

“What did I mention at the beginning of the meeting?”

“A Block 2 inmate was admitted to the infirmary… Wait, you don’t mean…?”

“Apparently injured during vocational training.”

Raymond spoke with an expression that clearly showed his displeasure.

“You seem to have more influence than I expected.”

“Influence? What do you mean?”

“When I asked both new and senior officers, they said you stood out among the guards.”

With his brows deeply furrowed as he spoke, it felt like he was relaying information from a spy hidden among the guards.

“Standing out? I wouldn’t say that.”

“No need for modesty. Many officers recommended you.”

Dexter’s face soured at Raymond’s words.

It might have been different if they had recommended him for a good or comfortable assignment, but this was simply being stuck with a job everyone else avoided.

“So, you’ll be responsible for Jesse Blueberg for the time being.”

He couldn’t openly tell his superior that he disliked the assignment.

Dexter took a deep breath and nodded.

“…Understood. But what do you mean by ‘for the time being’?”

“It could be quite a while. I hope you’ll supervise her until Jesse Blueberg recovers to some extent.”

‘Damn it.’

And the timeframe was vague too.

“But I’ll ensure your days off. I like to work when it’s time to work and rest when it’s time to rest.”

‘Where have I heard that line before?’

In Dexter’s fifteen years of experience, he’d never met anyone who actually liked to rest when they said that.

“Go to the infirmary right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two exchanged brief nods and left the conference room.

The infirmary where Jesse was located was in a building adjacent to the one housing the conference room and the guards’ office.

‘At least it’ll be convenient when leaving work.’

As Dexter was grumbling to himself, he realized something he’d forgotten.

‘Wait, supervising Blueberg?’

Dexter decided to assume that Jesse had sustained serious injuries.

‘If I put a body correction device on the injured Jesse to help her, could it ease my conscience a bit?’

It was somewhat selfish, but he was convincing himself that experimenting to help an injured person was acceptable.

Dexter headed to the infirmary with a slight smile.

* * *

“Is this really the infirmary?”

That was Dexter’s assessment as he looked around the infirmary.

Unlike the hard and bleak prison, the infirmary had an overall pastel color scheme, like a pediatric ward in a hospital.

The nurse waiting at the reception desk wore pink, and the painting on the wall was a watercolor of a summer day at an outdoor café.

‘This is the epitome of colorfulness.’

However, the doors to the single-patient rooms inside were thick iron doors with reinforced glass.

That feature was the only indication that this was a prison infirmary.

“Excuse me, are you the guard who came for supervision duty?”

The nurse at the reception desk greeted Dexter.

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“The doctor has been waiting for you.”

When Dexter pointed at the doctor’s office door, asking if he could go in now, the nurse told him to wait a moment.

The nurse got up from the reception desk, poked her head through the door crack to speak, then nodded at Dexter.

“You can go in now.”

“Thank you.”

After always dealing with rough inmates, Dexter felt awkward with a woman treating him so kindly.

“Excuse me.”

As Dexter entered the office, a plump, elderly female doctor sat there with a kind smile.

“My, what a handsome young guard we have here!”

“Uh? Oh, thank you for the compliment.”

“Please, have a seat.”

When Dexter sat down, he noticed the nameplate on the desk.

[Dr. Yelena Zhukov]

Yelena stood up, looking at Dexter.

“Would you like some tea? Black tea? We also have coffee, oh! And other things too. What would you like? We have almost everything, just ask.”

“What? Oh, any coffee is fine.”

“Alright, wait just a moment?”

Yelena went outside the office and soon returned with two paper cups of coffee.

‘She’s quite a scatterbrained doctor.’

Dexter took a sip of coffee and spoke.

“Thank you for the coffee, but why did you call for me…?”

“Did Raymond, the chief guard, tell you?”

“Well, I didn’t hear the details, just that Blueberg was injured and is in the infirmary…”

Yelena shook her head.

“That won’t do! A guard should know the inmate’s situation well, shouldn’t they?”

“What? Oh, yes, that’s right. My oversight.”

“I’m not talking about you, Officer Hughes, but about Chief Guard Raymond. Normally, Miss Blueberg shouldn’t be in the infirmary at all.”

Yelena said this while gulping down her hot coffee.

“Isn’t that too hot?”

“Just because he didn’t get promoted, is it okay for a man to be so petty? My goodness, I thought highly of him, but now I see I was completely wrong.”

Yelena said, pounding her chest with her fist.

‘Is there something between her and Raymond?’

Given the mention of promotion, Dexter sensed that Blueberg’s condition and Raymond’s assignment were related.

Not wanting to delve deeper, Dexter took another sip of coffee and tried to calm Yelena down.

“Oh my, this is so frustrating.”

“I understand you’re upset, but let’s set that aside for now. Could you tell me about Blueberg’s current condition?”

“It’s not serious, she has fractures in both arms and is currently in casts.”

Yelena sighed once and continued.

“One arm has a simple transverse fracture of the ulnar epiphysis, about two weeks. The other has a fracture in this metacarpal bone in the palm, which will take about four weeks.”

“Why did she fracture them?”

“Seems she fell while carrying something heavy. The object landed on her arms and hands with a bang! Such a skinny girl should be more careful. There must be stronger people around who could help.”

Yelena shook her head.

“Why would someone so frail insist on stubbornly carrying heavy loads? I really don’t understand.”

“I know, right? She should have just let someone else handle it.”

When Dexter agreed with Yelena’s words, she clapped her hands and said:

“Exactly, exactly! So, the reason I called you, Officer Hughes, is that Miss Blueberg can’t use her arms, you see?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The nurse and I will take care of bathroom and shower needs, but for the rest, I’d like our strong guard, Officer Hughes, to take responsibility, okay?”

“Me? Wouldn’t a female guard like Goswell be more appropriate for this…?”

“By that logic, Officer Hughes shouldn’t have come to Honeygood Prison at all, right? Think of her as your little sister and treat her well, understand?”

After that, Yelena almost forcibly handed over the room key card for Jesse.

“This doesn’t seem right to me.”

“Would it kill a man to say clearly, ‘Yes, I understand, Doctor!’ I didn’t take you for someone lacking in masculinity, Officer Hughes.”

When Yelena said this with a sidelong glance, Dexter was left speechless.

“Yes, I understand, Doctor…”

“I’m going to get some brunch, so please look after Miss Blueberg, Officer Hughes. Got it?”

With those words, Yelena left, chuckling.

After leaving the office, Dexter asked the nurse at the reception desk:

“Is she always so… forceful?”

“Yes… she tends to be that way… haha.”

The nurse replied with an awkward laugh.

“Well, can’t be helped. Which room is Blueberg in?”

“Over there, Room 2.”

The nurse pointed to the number on the upper right of the iron door.

As Dexter approached the room, he could see Jesse sitting on the bed through the reinforced glass, with casts on both arms.

Jesse was watching the TV mounted on the wall with no expression.

“Looks like a skeleton wrapped in bandages.”

When Dexter used the key card to open the door, Jesse slowly turned her head to look at him and said:

“You…”