Finding Sheila

Chapter 1 - Taking a Prisoner Thursday morning, November 19th Tennessee Prison for Women Nashville, Tennessee –––––––– Dana shuddered. It had been a long time since she’d been inside the gates of a prison and so deep in its bowels. “Any weapons Deputy?” the CO in front of her asked, his voice deep and no nonsense. “Of course. My service weapon.” She patted the pistol strapped to her side, a remnant from her days with Customs and Border Protection. “Do you need to see it? The guards at the gate already had me take it off once and let them look it over.” He ignored her tone and eyed her up and down. “Anything else?” “Like a back-up? No, not this trip.” She was already frustrated with their process. She wanted to pick up her charge and be on her way. –––––––– “Initial here and sign here,” the warden said as he pointed at the transfer form. He handed Dana the clipboard. She skimmed down through the transfer instructions and then initialed and signed where he’d told her too. As she handed the clipboard back, she asked, “How much longer is it going to be?” “We were expecting you. We’ve already moved her into pre-release holding and the transport squad was on standby at their station about ten minutes away. We called them when you were processing through, so they should be enroute. You can be on the road within a half hour.” “Great. Can you point me to where this ambulance will arrive? I want to check things over before you bring her out.” “No can do,” the Warden said. “Once she’s brought in here, you’re responsible for her. If you go out there, we can’t let you back in here without transporting you half way around the building and going through all of the entry procedures again.” “Okay, fine,” Dana said. I don’t feel fine. Not comfortable with this at all... Fifteen minutes later, Sheila Ford was wheeled into the release area in a prison wheelchair. The warden pointed at the chair, “That stays here,” he informed both of them, before Dana could even address the woman sitting in it. “Can you wheel me out in it, at least?” Sheila pleaded, looking between the man who’d been her jailer for nearly a year and Dana. “I’m too weak to walk more than a few steps at a time.” “Can the ambulance crew bring a gurney in here?” Dana asked. “No, that would require all of the same processing you had to go through, but,” he conceded, “I’ll let you take the chair outside as long as you agree to leave it.” He waved a hand toward the monitors a corrections officer was keeping an eye on. “We’ll be watching. I’ll have the maintenance staff retrieve it as soon as we ascertain that you’ve passed through the gates.” All this fuss over a cheap wheelchair, Dana thought. You’d think the damn thing was made of gold. She introduced herself to Sheila Ford. “I’m Dana Rossi, Ms. Ford. You may remember me.” With the question of the wheelchair settled, Ford took the time to look her up and down, like everyone else she’d encountered since entering the prison walls had. “I remember you all right, but I thought your name was ‘Crane’ now?” Her body may be breaking down but there’s nothing wrong with her mind or her mouth. “It’s Rossi-Crane. Professionally, I use Rossi.” “I see. And what profession are you in, these days? Still snooping around in other people’s business?” Dana bristled at that, but before she could frame a response, the warden interrupted. “Ladies, I hate to break this up but, I have other matters to attend to. How about you get going and continue your discussion on the way to Ohio?” “Sure,” Dana replied. She really wanted to smack the arrogance right out of the man. “We’ll express her files up there today so you don’t have to take those with you,” he went on, oblivious to her irritation. She gave him a nod then, to Sheila, she asked, “Ready?” Without waiting for an answer, Dana scooted around behind the wheelchair to push her out of the release area. They were buzzed through two sets of steel doors. After the second, they entered a small courtyard. An ambulance moved toward them, through a series of sally port gates in the perimeter fencing. Perfect timing. Dana smiled to herself. As the last gate slid back and the vehicle came closer, she stopped smiling and became concerned. She could see a driver but no one else. There better be an EMT or a paramedic in the back! Both women watched as the driver got out and approached them. No one else did. He looks barely legal, Dana thought. “Officer Rossi? Mrs. Ford?” the young man read their names off a form and then nodded toward them. “I’m Caleb Lighty. I’ll be your driver today.” He glanced over Sheila in her orange prison jumpsuit and then looked quickly away from her. “And who else is with you Caleb?” Dana asked. “Tell them to show themselves.” He shook his head and toed the dirt a little. “No one ma’am. We are, uh...shorthanded, I guess you could say, today. Theo, the paramedic that was supposed to go with us, called in sick, then there was a big pileup out on I-24. Our units were the closest so everyone available responded to that.” What the hell? “You’re not even a paramedic?” “EMT ma’am. I’m working on getting my fire card and I’m going to school for my paramedic too, so I can get on full-time with Nashville.” Fat lot of good it does us right now. “Look, Caleb, this isn’t going to work. Ms. Ford needs attended to all along the way. I’m just the escort. I have no medical training other than basic first aid. Your company needs to get a trained paramedic, an RN...someone licensed, over here pronto.” His eyes grew wide. “Here?” “No, down the street a half mile! Of course, here!” “I’m sorry ma’am but it’s...it’s a bit of work to get through all the security and such here. I don’t think they’re going to let anyone else through there.” He jerked a finger over his shoulder toward the gates he’d passed through. “Not without a whole lotta’ paperwork.” “It’ll be fine,” Sheila interrupted. “You two can just help me up in there and then strap me to a gurney. I’ll probably sleep the whole way, anyway.” Ignoring the suggestion for the moment, Dana turned back toward the building and looked up along the walls until she spotted a camera. With both arms raised over her head, she waved at it and called out, “We need some assistance out here.” After a couple of long minutes of silence, she tried again and then waited a few more minutes. There was still no response. She thought about taking out her cell phone and calling Mel but then she remembered they’d made her turn her phone off and they’d said calls would be jammed from inside the prison compound. “It’s chilly out here,” Sheila complained, despite the sixty-five-degree temperature. It hadn’t been much warmer in the building. “Can we at least get in the ambulance?” Dana gave in and began to wheel Sheila toward the back of the vehicle. Caleb rushed ahead of them to unlock and open the doors. “Once we’re through these gates,” Dana told him, “I want you on your radio to your dispatcher. Tell them we’re coming in to pick up a paramedic. This,” she waggled a finger between the two of them, “isn’t going to work.”