Chapter 5: Remand Center 9 pm

“Too bad, hope is often an unrealized dream that remains tantalizingly unreachable.”

—Jason Kargo

“Hey mate, what ya for?” said the mocha musclebound concrete block.

“Murder, and you?”

“Watcha name?”

“Jason and you?”

“Koen.”

The block paced restlessly, punching his left hand with a demolition ball. His eyes were bloodshot, like someone being strangled, and his gaze shifted rapidly around the cell. His tree-trunk biceps had a faded skull and crossbones, his head shaven and tattooed, and his skin glistened with sweat.

A wiry weasel with an attempt at a beard and an oily ponytail sat against the bars, watching.

“Assault and battery, dealing in meth, and three counts of murder. Youses, one of the bastards that identified me in the lineup, one of those rich bastards that screwed us. Youses screwed me in the lineup. Bastard fucking plant!”

Koen swung his demolition-ball-sized fist at the wall; plaster fell off the ceiling. The block didn’t even wince.

“What kinda work you do, old man?”

Jason looked at him warily—”I’m retired.”

“Where do you live?”

“I live with my daughter and her family?”

“Whatcha in for?”

“Murder.”

“Who did you murder?”

“They allege I murdered my wife.”

“Yup, fur, you rich bastards, it’s all alleged, this and that bullshit. You pay to get off, dob me in for a deal; you are a backstabbing snake. You #$%%# pussy, I’ll fix you!”

He strolled towards Jason and launched a vicious swing. Jason diverted the blow from his face with his forearm, ducked under the tree trunk, and struck the block’s nose into his face upward with his palm. The block tottered and then fell, poleaxed.

Jason looked around. The stinking weasel was angling to get behind him. Jason stumbled as the weasel glided forward. As he struggled to keep his balance, he tried to kick backward. Jason missed and fell. He desperately tried to block a punch to his face. The backstabber’s right fist smashed into Jason’s face as he hit the bars behind him. Agonizing, crunching bones! Another fist slammed his chest as Jason slid to the ground. The last thing he heard was a shout, then running feet. Jason heard a sickening thud and passed out.

Jason woke to the familiar sounds of hospital monitors and felt intense pain over much of his body. He could only open one eye and looked around. He was in a single room. A police officer sat in a chair at the end of his bed. Lauren walked in, looking tearful.

“Thank heavens you are awake, Dad. It’s chaos out there. The press sharks and paparazzi scum collect outside the house and run amok in the hospital. Getting in through the chaos and security here is ten times worse than the airport,” said Lauren breathlessly.

“What is going on, Lauren? It’s not like you to be so upset?”

“Chloe is back in the hospital. She went into a coma last night and is not doing well. The events of last night shook both kids. Craig is furious. He is meeting with the vets association and the SAS to drum up support for you. He has them all riled up.”

Jason took a deep, painful breath and let it out slowly. “Is Dan making any progress?”

“Dan went to court this afternoon. Clarke persuaded the prosecution you are a flight risk and tried to escape previously. The prosecutor asked the judge to set bail at a million dollars.”

“A million dollars, that is ridiculous,” said Jason.

“Dan reasoned with the judge. He set bail at thirty-thousand dollars. Dan gave them your passport. Leo said you were not fit to drive or fly, anyway.”

“Clarke is a nasty piece of work,” said Jason.

“That he is. Clarke stood on the stairs to the court and told the press you were a clear danger to the public and a killer. He turned the incident in the park into your old enemies getting righteous revenge. Dan was in a rage when he got home. I’ve never seen him so angry.”

“How is Chloe doing today?” Jason asked.

“She’s not good! Chuck was upset at first, then furious.”

“What happened in the cell?”

“It was a bloody mess. Dan thinks Clarke set you up. The good news is there was video surveillance.”

“What was the bad news?”

“The prison officers were slow to respond, and the guy who attacked you from behind beat you up. Your bones are fragile. You were unconscious for twenty-six hours. You had a hematoma on your brain and another heart attack. The bastard broke your left arm and six ribs and fractured your skull. He caved in your face and bruised you from head to foot. He worked you over systematically.”

“What happened to the bald guy who started the confrontation?”

“He’s dead.”

“What is my current legal status?”

“When you were arrested, Clarke leaked to the press you murdered your wife, and he captured you after you tried to hide your tracks. Clarke made the formal announcement with the commissioner at his side,” said Lauren, holding the bedrail so tightly her hands were white. “He wants you to go back to prison as soon as possible. He says you will skip the country.”

“How do you know what happened, Lauren?”

“Someone leaked the video of the fight, and it went viral,” Lauren explained.

“Tell me more about what is happening to Chloe,” Jason asked, “Chloe is more important to me than the rest of this stuff.”

Lauren sat, wringing her hands. “Dad, she is so sick. It’s heartbreaking; she is such a sweet, intelligent, capable child with an awful illness.”

“When can she get the pump?”

“The government health busybodies delayed allowing the pump into the country. It will take another six weeks before they complete their evaluation. The assholes wanted more data from the clinical trials,” Lauren explained.

“I have a good feeling about her. I’m sure she will be fine. This bad period is coming to an end. The pump will come sooner than you think, and Dan will sort me out faster than you believe. I also don’t intend to die any time soon. Chloe has enough stress without another loss and more drama!”

Lauren looked down at her phone.

“Dad, I’m sorry, but I must go. The hospital is calling me. We’ll visit as soon as we can. Chuck sends his love. He is as proud as punch after he saw the video. He wants to see you as soon as possible and hear you describe the fight. I’m uncertain if we will be back to see you before tomorrow morning,” Lauren said, kissing Jason on his cheek, then bursting into tears, wiping her eyes, and leaving.

The nurse walked in, greeted Jason, chatted for a few minutes, and then injected some medication into the drip.

Jason slept restlessly until the following day, waking each time the nurses visited, monitored his vital signs, and changed his drip.

“Good morning Mr. Kargo; I’m Tom Ryan, the consultant, and this is my registrar Jeremy Pinkerton and resident George Safir. How are you feeling today?”

“Good morning, Dr. Ryan and colleagues, I’m sore all over, but my chest feels the worst, followed by my face and the inside of my mouth.”

“An expert beat you up. He hit you from the side, breaking a bone in your face, which we repaired from the inside after we evacuated a clot compressing your brain. Your attacker hit your head while you were falling and broke your skull. That led to bleeding on the surface of the brain. You are on blood thinners, which worsened it.”

“Why did my medication make the bleeding worse?” Jason asked.

“When we gave you the stents, we gave you anticoagulants to prevent clotting and jamming up your arteries again. When you bleed, you bleed longer as a result of your medication. You also had a second cardiac infarct, much smaller than the first, but it will add to your problems.”

“I can hardly walk twenty paces now. I will barely be able to walk!”

“As you heal, you will improve somewhat. I hope this infarct doesn’t further impair your recovery. You have four newly broken ribs on the right and three on the left. You had three broken ribs after your first cardiac infarct from the resuscitation efforts. Your assailant broke some of the same ribs in a different position. We wired them so you can breathe properly.”

Dr. Ryan paused and listened to Jason’s chest. “You have a drain in your chest to evacuate the air as your lung collapsed. Your assailant broke your left clavicle. We put a pin in it. The thug also broke your left arm. That is why it is in plaster. He bruised you all over your chest, back, and abdomen. He even bruised both kidneys and your liver. You passed blood in your urine. The guards stopped your assailant before he worked over your pelvis and legs. He systematically beat down the front of your body and then your back. He didn’t intend to kill you but to give you an unforgettable experience. The paper said he is a gang enforcer.”