Claire.
I woke up to the loud buzzing of my alarm. The bright morning light filtered through my curtains disturbing the fragile peace of the room. Lying on the bed for a moment with eyes still shut and body still sore, I opted to return back to sleep but jumped out of bed only after I remembered I now had a job I needed to prepare for. Gone were the good old days when I would sleep and snore till whatever time I wanted.
Not that I was mandated to be at work at a particular time or anything like that, I was the presiding doctor of the prison so I had the right to dictate whatever time I'd like to go to work but it wouldn't be right if I was found slacking when duty came calling, would it?. I had drafted out a routine to stick to the previous day: rise, wash, dress, and prepare for another day at the infirmary.
I untangled myself from the sheets and dragged myself to the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth, took off my robe and stepped into the shower taking my time to wash my body thoroughly.
I got out of the shower wrapped in a lilac towel. I applied some moisturizer to my body before I got dressed in a simple white long sleeved shirt and a Calvin Klein blue baggy jeans, paired a pair of white Nike sneakers. I'd refused to make the mistake of putting on heels to work again. I oiled my hair richly, increasing the shine then I brushed them neatly to the back. I patted a scarce amount of moisturizer to my face and applied Rasberry Jelly Rhodes lip gloss to my lips.
Once done, I proceeded to wear my Black Opium YSL perfume, I was a sucker for the fragrance.
Glancing at my final reflection in the mirror, I smiled in contentment. I looked stunning and I knew it.
I moved over to the kitchen and brewed a cup of coffee to drink. It was a comforting ritual that had stayed with me since college days. The coffee had a way of keeping me focused and alert throughout the day so I always took some every morning. Once done with the coffee, I rushed out of my house, stepped into my car and drove off to the correctional centre.
On my arrival, I headed straight to the infirmary, greeting everyone I passed on the way there with a huge smile and running with my hands clenched on my nose through the 'inmates section, it smelled so badly there.
"Good morning, Ma'am" A short nurse with black bangs greeted approching me as I walked into the infirmary. She was one of the nurses I greeted at the counter when I arrived yesterday and she was insanely pretty.
"Good morning" I replied sweetly, flashing my teeth as I smiled.
"My name is Ambel and that is Darren" She announced pointing to a male nurse standing by the counter, he waved to me having noticed that we were talking about him, I waved back at him with a smile.
"We're are the correctional nurses and we'll be assisting you here, ma'am, just let us know whatever it is you need help with and we'll do it" She said positively.
"Thank you so much Ambel, that's really so sweet of you. I hope we all get along well" I purred while patting her shoulders. She blushed then ran off to the counter.
I got into my office, put on my lab coat and sunk into the seat. I loved the feel of it, it was just so comfy and I liked the way it rotated in whatever direction I wanted, it really had me feeling the boss vibes. I reached for my bag and took out a framed photograph of my late dad I'd placed in there last night. It was a portrait of his upper body seated on a chair in a resturant and smiling brightly at the camera, the photo was taken on a date night with my mum. I ran my fingers on the glass frame smiling as memories flooded my mind.
I'd lost my Dad five years ago. I was still in my second year of college when he passed on and alot of things had changed since then. His death affected me in the worst way possible but nothing close to the way it affected my mum.
It drained the life out of her.
I remembered her shutting down completely for a long period of time, distancing herself from everyone around her, her friends and colleagues including me.
Feeling so devastated from the loss, I needed someone to talk to, cry to, to support me but it was in those unpleasant moments that the pieces of dumpshit I called my friends left me, they threw tantrums on me saying all manner of horrid things about how I was so weak and emotional and couldn't cope with the harsh reality of life, and that I was a daddy's girl and nothing more. I hated them but hated myself more for ever getting close to them and calling them friends.
I was utterly broken.
It was so hard for me back then, I couldn't seem to cope with the whole thing, whenever I'd called my mum back there in college during my tough and lonely times for comfort and reassurance, she barely gave me any. Infact, she added to the misery cause she'd always cry and bawl her eyes out till we ended the call.
Never had I ever seen my mum in such a pitiful state.
It was then that I decided to toughen up to aid myself, prove those fuckheads I called my friends wrong and be the shield of love and support my mother earnestly needed.
I wasn't able to attend my dad's funeral. Not with the rile of exams stacked up against me that week and the next.
"You should let bygones be bygones. Move on Claire Thompson. You can't afford to jeopardize your life for him dear, he's gone and gone forever". Mrs Gingerhead, my departmental head had told me when I appealed for a few days leave and release from the examinations. Gingerhead wasn't her real name, it was a name she'd inherited from the medical students due to the excessive ginger color bleaching she did to her hair. It suited her perfectly though.
I cried myself to stupor that week and didn't put my full efforts into the exams but thankfully, I did well in them.
After completing my college education, I moved back to Canada for my medical training and practice. I was happy to be close to home and my mum once again. She'd already learned to cope with the situation and things were finally beginning to get alot better and brighter for us. Our relationship improved alot and we were catching up on old times.
After my medical training, I appealed to the NHS to secure me at a nearby residence and luckily for me they did. Thus, landing me here in this prison.
I didn't care, infact I was happy to work here. The distance from the prison to my mum's house was about an hour and some minutes. From my residence, it only took about forty five minutes to get home, so I'd always go over to stay during the weekends taking lots of food items and gifts along with me.
I only limited my visitation when I found out that my mom had started seeing another man. I came home to unfamiliar noises coming from my mum and dad's bedroom one saturday morning, I waited in my room for a while and found out later that my mum brought a muscular hunky man to the house that day. I confronted her about it, about why she shared my dad's bed with someone else but she didn't seem to feel bad about it neither did she display a sign of remorse rather. She confirmed that she was indeed seeing the hunky guy, his name is Mark.
It shattered me in the worst way possible and left me feeling a sense of anger and betrayal towards her. Since then, I decided to cut down on my visitation not wanting to disturb or interrupt them anymore.
Taking out my phone from my bag, I dialed my mum's number. The call went through.
"Hello" I heard her say from the other end, her voice raspy like she'd just woken up from sleep... I don't blame her.
"Hi mum, good morning" I answered.
"Good morning, Claire, What's good?"
"Everything, I just got a job at Kenora jail centre and I'm currently at work now, just wanted to let you know. How've you been mum?" I asked feeling sincerely concerned. It's been so long since I visited her, about a month or so.
"Um...I'm ok. Mark and I have been doing pretty well. Hey baby, come say hi". She replied, calling for mark.
A sharp pain pierced through my heart. I didn't like to hear that name at all.
"Hey Claire" A deep hoarse voice greeted cheerfully, I knew it was Mark's voice so I didn't respond. That didn't matter cause he continued anyways.
"Been good ay, I know you've been. Your mum and I are doing just fine over here, don't be too worried about her. Just focus on yourself and your new job okay, We love you" He concluded.
Oh no you don't, I murmured to myself.
"Alright Claire, take care of yourself ok? I need to go now"
"I will mum, I l....."
"Bye". The call disconnected.
I love you.
I stared at the phone screen for a while before I placed it down on the desk and sighed weakly.
Moments later, the office doors slid open to reveal Ambel, she walked in with some files in her hands and placed them on my desk.
"Ma'am, there're some inmates here to see you for consultation, their information are already detailed in the files."
"Alright, you can send them in" I ordered, going through the files one after the other.
I was determined to maintain a strict professional distance from the inmates. I straightened my lab coat and mentally recited the mantra I'd rehearsed on the drive over: remain detached, remain steadfast, follow the rules, avoid complicated feelings.
In a range of two hours, I managed to conclude five consultations and examinations with some of the inmates. I barely had enough time to catch a breath when a tall man walked into the office, shutting the door behind him. He was on the prison uniform and he looked young and in his prime, plus he was gorgeous too. How the hell is this man an inmate?. His blue eyes met mine briefly as he walked gently to the chair opposite me.
"Good morning, may I?" He said still standing stifely beside the chair, looking at me for approval.
"Yes sure"
There was something quietly defiant in his gaze, it was calm yet firery, he looked at me like he was studying me. And his body, it wasn't muscular or hunky, it was slightly feminine and it complimented his facial features, blue eyes, dark long hair, sharp jawline, perfectly structured nose and rosy perky lips. He was beautiful.
"Hello. I'm Dr Claire. What's your name?"
"Felix Garfield"
I checked his file for confirmation then looked up, studying his face for few seconds before penning something down on it. Hot name for a hot guy, I thought.
"You're 23?"
"24"
"But the information says here that you're 23" I muttered, checking the file to confirm again.
"Then there's cleary been a mistake" He deadpanned. His voice and cold. It was the only thing that contrasted with his physical appearance.
Damn.
I looked up at him again, he was still so young, what the hell was he doing in a place like this? I focused on his file again,correcting his age detail.
"And what is the problem?"
"I had a terrible headache last night, it doesn't seem to have died down"
"Terrible headache last night, still persisting" I murmured while I scribled words down on a file, I noticed he just kept staring at me.
"Ok, I've prescribed some painkillers that'll help suppress the ache, all you have to do is be here after meals to take them ok"
"Ok"
I closed his file and handed it over to him. "Give this back to the nurses, they'll administer your medications".
He took it from me with a stotic expression then he got up and exited the office.
I checked the remaining files on the desk, three more to go. I can definately do this.
"Next."