Chapter Three

It's been three days since the attack in the SuperJail cafeteria. According to the Doctor, Warden should make a full recovery, but he had to stay bedridden for almost a week; no major activities.

On the first day the Warden just slept the whole time, thanks to the powerful painkillers the Doctor gave him. The second day was much of the same, only he would wake up every two to three hours, bored out of his mind. By the third day he started to think he may die from boredom.

There just wasn't anything to do when you couldn't get out of bed. Besides, he was reminded just why he was in the situation he was in every time he looked at his right side. The Doctor had inserted a 'chest tube' into the area where he suffered his tension pneumothorax, or 'collapsed lung'. It didn't hurt, but was just freaky to look at; a long clear tube sticking out of your side, connected to a plastic container for fluid to drain out of. Truth be told, it made the Warden a little sick to his stomach.

Breathing still was something Warden felt more then he should, but compared to the pain he felt three days ago, he was used to it now.

Laying in his bed, propped up with pillows in a reclining fashion, he just stared off into space, reflecting on what happened three days ago. The earliest thing he could remember was yelling at Jared about something, whatever it was. That's when he felt a major blow to the back of his head. Then he woke up, with Jared hovering over him.

From that point on, it got scary. His chest just felt...wrong. Like something was building up inside and it didn't have a escape route. He didn't tell Jared about it, thinking maybe it was all in his head; the pain was due to the inmates beating him up. What could have Jared done about it anyways, he wasn't that reliable, at least, that's what the Warden was thinking at the time.

Then Jared started asking questions, and Warden wanted to deny each one of them. He wanted to deny that he may have been in some serious danger. That was never something he wanted to hear. It wasn't good for his heart. He was afraid of Death, there's no question about that, and he be damed if he let his accountant start talking about the possibility that he may be knocking on that door.

That denial didn't last long. That must have been when his lung started to 'collapsed', cause it was the worst thing he had ever felt in his life. Sharp, ungodly pain that ripped through his chest and back, like something was going to burst out any moment. When he coughed, it only made it worst.

When Jared was paging Alice, that's when Warden realized he really was in deep trouble. His heart took off racing, and his breathing with it. He felt dizzy, he was sweating, in great pain, and scared shit-less. He could have sworn he seen Death himself peeking around one of the corners of the room, waiting, grinning, saying to him, 'It's about damn time, Warden'.

That's when Warden spoke to Jared, asking him about Alice, but in reality, he just wanted someone to talk to. When the nervous man told Warden that Alice would be coming back soon with the Doctor, he couldn't hide the underlining tone in his voice. Warden just looked at him, with a blank, expressionless face. He knew he was lying to him, and told him that. 'You were never a good lier, Jared', that's what Warden wanted to say to him next...

...but that's when it all went downhill. The Warden was hit with a pain so great it nearly shut off his airway. His heart doubled in speed and his vision blurred. He remembered Jared being right there, by his side, looking more scared then usual.

'Oh my God, this is it...!'; those words tumbled around in Warden's mind at that moment. He saw his whole life flash before. He didn't think that what would really happen, but it did. He saw his Father, the day he got Superjail as a child, when he created Jailbot, met Jared and Alice; everything.

'Please! I don't want to die!'

That's when he grabbed the only friend he had at the moment. With what strength he had left, he pulled Jared down and forced out the last thing he said before everything went black...

'J-Jaa...red. …...H-h-hel-p meee...!'

And that was it. That's when he lost consciousness, not knowing if he would wake up again. But he did, a few hours later in his room, surrounded by Alice, Jailbot, and the Doctor. Jared was no where to be seen. After a brief explanation by the Doctor about his condition, Warden asked where was Jared.

"He saved you.", answered Alice. "Then he fainted on his ass."

Warden was given the whole story from the point when he blacked out. He couldn't believed what he heard, what Jared did. That fact that he even did it; if he hadn't heard it from Alice and the others, he wouldn't have believed it.

A knock on his bedroom door shook the Warden out of his reflecting.

"S-Sir...? Are you awake now?"

Warden's eyes widened. He hadn't seen or talked to Jared since the attack. "...Yeah. Come on in."

The door slowly opened and Jared walked in, with a little smile on his face. "How are you feeling, sir?"

There was moment of silence. "...I'm fine. Where have you been, Jared?"

Jared looked confused. "I was...well, after what happened, the Doctor said I should get some rest. I did, but then I had to get back to work. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out."

"For what?", asked Warden.

"I think we can afford those requests you made." Jared answered. "I've found a few 'loopholes' in the numbers and I think we we'll have the money for it now."

"...Oooh yeah, that's what I was yelling at you about." Warden recalled out loud.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"That's great, Jared." Warden looked away for a moment, which seemed a little odd to Jared.

"...Sir, are you sure you're feeling better?"

"Come over here, Jared."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Jared walked over to his boss' bedside. Warden seemed to be pondering something, and Jared didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"...I heard what you did, Jared."

"What I...did, sir?"

"...and I have to say, I was shocked."

"Shocked?" It didn't click yet for Jared.

Warden's hand suddenly came down on the accountant's shoulder. Jared characteristically jumped.

"Thank you, Jared."

Jared's eyes grew. He wasn't sure if he heard that right. A 'thank you'? From the Warden??

"Now get out. I'm going back to sleep."

Jared shook his head. "Oh! Uh-yes, sir!" He walked out the door, peeking back in to see Warden getting back under his covers, signing deeply. He then closed the door.

Just outside the bedroom, Jared stopped to let it all sink in. The Warden wasn't one to be 'humbled' in anyway. He was the boss, plain and simple, and anything he said goes. However, three days ago, he was in a situation where he didn't have any control, and his life was suddenly called to question.

Jared never really thought about it like that till now. Warden must have been terrified out of his mind. Terrified and helpless. Sometimes it takes a serious situation to bring out other sides in people. Jared has seen the other side of his boss; the side that wasn't 'in control', a weaker, more human side.

He realized one other thing; the Warden wasn't just thanking him for doing something right, he was thanking him for saving his life. The others have told Jared this, even Alice, which is rare to get a complement out of her any day. It didn't hit the accountant till he heard it come from Warden's own mouth.

Jared could help but smile. It was a real smile. He finally did something that proved he was of good use, that he didn't always 'screw-up', and the Warden saw that. He thanked him for it. Warden thanked him for saving his life. Yeah, it was a short and sweet thanks, but this was the Warden. To Jared, that was the best thing you could get out of him.

The accountant walked away from the bedroom door, still smiling. He smiled all day, for the first time in years, he was smiling all day.

END