Page 20 of Demitrius

Bits and pieces came to her when she was tossed into the back seat of a cruiser. There was plastic all over the place like they’d planned her being tazed so she could shit her pants. She remembered them telling her, or at least someone, that she’d be easier to deal with. Even though they were right, it didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed off too.

By the time the car was slowing down, she was able to sit up, but didn’t care for that so much. Her pants were dirty, and sitting in them made her slightly sick. Georgie was going to get these bastards when she got out, and she’d show them what it felt like to have dirty pants on. All of the fuckers.

“Welcome home, Georgetta Jameson.” She looked at the walls of the big prison and thought that there wouldn’t be any comfort in being here. She’d be lucky if they gave her a mattress. She knew this place better than her own home, having spent the last ten years here on a trumped-up murder conviction.

Before going inside, she was stripped down to her girly parts hanging out and hosed off. The water tore at her skin and hurt a great deal, but it wasn’t until they had her bend over and spread her cheeks that the real pain started. She knew that she had shit herself again when the laughter was there. Georgie was going to be the laughingstock of the whole prison system if she didn’t miss her bet.

Instead of giving her a towel to dry off with, she had to stand in line to get her bunk things as well as a uniform. She remembered how the last time she was in prison, how the ugly green had clashed with her skin color. Not that she cared about that, but it was just one more thing to be made fun of about. And Georgie hated to be teased about herself.

She thankfully didn’t have a bunkmate. Having her choice of which bed she wanted wasn’t as thrilling as fighting someone for the one that she’d wanted. Getting onto the top bunk after dressing herself and finger-combing her hair, she was ready to call it a day. However, the system has other plans for her.

Being asked to step out of her cell, she realized that she was in time to get dinner. Depending on what day of the week it was, it determined what the meal was going to be. She didn’t remember them right off the bat, but she did know that Friday’s was fish. The most disgusting thing on the menu by far.

Since she didn’t have a crew yet, she was fine sitting by herself at one of the long tables. Keeping her head down and not looking around were other things she remembered about this place. Making eye contact with the wrong person was dangerous. Georgie was able to choke down the two pieces of fish by soaking them up in the gravy—fish gravy, she supposed—and swallowing them whole. Christ, what she wouldn’t give for a nice can of beer right about now.

“You too good for us?” Grunting out an answer, she peeked from beneath her eyelashes where the guards were hanging out. It was too far for her to expect any help from them. “I asked you a question. You too good to sit with us or what?”

“I just got here. I don’t know anyone yet.” She was told that was a poor excuse. “Well, I don’t know anyone here yet, I’m just making my way, that’s all. I don’t want any trouble.”

“Did I say anything about you being in trouble, bitch? I asked you why you’re sitting there all by your lonesome when there are all kinds of friends you can make here. Or are you the shit woman? That’s it. You shit yourself and now no body wants to sit with you. You’re Stinky Pete, aren’t you? That’s what we’re going to call you from now on. Stinky Pete.”

“No, you’re not.” She stood up, and the pit bull inmate stood up as well. “You don’t want to mess with me. I’ve been here before for murder and I don’t fuck around.”

“Watch your language, inmate.” Another thing she’d forgotten was no cursing around the place. She’d have to remember the rules soon before she got herself killed. The guard walked away after telling her she was going to be in trouble with the warden if she didn’t curb her language.

Pit Bull laughed and was told to sit down and finish her meal. Her yes sir, was just loud enough for him to hear but wouldn’t carry across the room. Georgie was about ready to resume her own meal when someone bumped her from behind.

It took her several precious seconds to realize she’d been hurt somehow. Trying to see who had shanked her, she found that she was having a difficult time focusing. When she fell off the seat, no one came to her aid. She was surely going to die right there on the floor, and she’d only been here for a few hours.

“This is for Betsy,” was whispered to her as her vision was too hard to focus on anything. Another stab to her body, and this one really hurt. “I hope you enjoy hell, bitch.”

She must have passed out because when she opened her eyes, she was still on the floor, but the guards had decided to come and see what was going on. Coughing once, one of the men turned away and barked for someone to get the first aid kit. Georgie thought that she was well beyond a kit and might need someone to take her to surgery.

“Who did this to you?” The chances of her living were feeling sort of slim right now, but she’d not rat anyone out on the off chance that she did live. Not that she had any idea who had stabbed her, but she wouldn’t say that either. “Did you see anyone around you?”

“Am I gonna die here? I just got here.” The man said that he’d been watching her and didn’t think anyone hurt her on his watch. “Yet here I am bleeding to death on the dining room floor. I didn’t do this to myself, you know.”

“I heard about you. I wouldn’t put anything past you.” He lifted his hand up to adjust his glasses, and she could see the blood all over his hands. “Christ, can someone get a doctor before she bleeds out?”

Again, she thought she had passed out because the next time she opened her eyes, she was in a bed of sorts in what looked like an emergency room. People were standing all around her, talking about someone being stabbed three times, when she must have made a noise so that they turned to look at her.

“You’ve been stabbed three times. Do you remember who would have done that to you? We have it on video recordings, but we can’t make out their faces. We can get the person who did this to you if you can remember anything.”

“Am I dying?” The man said that they’d done everything they could for her until they could get her to a bigger hospital. “Well, why am I still here?”

Coughing again, she saw the blood on her chest. She was told that they were waiting on an ambulance to take her, but that it didn’t look good. They couldn’t stop the bleeding. She begged them to not let her die. The man with her now shook his head and told her he was sorry.

She was weak now, like she’d had some kind of killer flu, and she’d not fully recovered from it. Then she couldn’t keep her eyes open, and the voices were sounding far away. She was dying, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Weaker by the minute, she asked for her brother, but no one was paying attention to her anymore. Inhaling as deeply as she could, Georgie knew she’d just drawn her last breath.

Chapter 9

Demi hung up the phone and turned to look at his little family. He and Mandy had been married just over an hour ago, and then he petitioned to adopt the boys with Mandy. They were all for it, but there was still paperwork to be filed to get things going in the right direction.

“I didn’t know who they were talking about until I remembered Georgie.” Martin asked him what had happened. “I’m afraid she was killed last night by another inmate. They don’t know if it was two people or three. She never made it to the hospital.”

“I thought you was gonna say that she escaped from the police and was coming after us. I’m glad that we don’t have to worry about her anymore.” Martin looked at Mandy before he continued. “I know it’s not nice to hope someone dies, but she was powerful mean to Teddy and me, Momma too when she’d come around.”

“I’m sorry, too, Martin, but if you can, try not to be too happy about it if someone says something to you about her dying. All right?” He nodded and said that he’d try, but was glad that she’d not be getting out again. Mandy nodded at him before continuing. “I understand, buddy.”

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