"Eric Flint & Marilyn Kosmatka - Time Spike" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flint Eric)

far from the truth as you could get. The man was a survival hobbyist and hard as nails. He was also the
best marksman the prison had, by the proverbial country mile. Every year for the past three, he'd been a
serious competitor in the National Rifle Matches held at Camp Perry.

"No full moon, but the crazies are wired tonight," Rod said, when he came up. He stuck his hand out and
shook Andy's. "I'll be glad to go home."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. Two attempted suicides, a half dozen shoving matches, and I don't know how many solitary
temper tantrums. It's been hell. We've had to use the extraction team three times and the first responders
were called out on two medicals."

Andy shot Joe a quizzical look and the man shrugged. "I was waiting till the charge nurse called in. It
seems quite a few inmates have refused their meds. With most of them it doesn't amount to much. But
some of them, well . . . the psych meds . . ." He glanced back toward the bars separating the entrance
area from the prison. "Even some of the diabetics and epileptics turned down tonight's med pass."

And he was working short! Andy would swear he could feel his blood pressure climbing, even though he
knew that was impossible. Not the climbingтАФhe was damn sure that was happeningтАФbut being able to
feel it.

"Hey, I told you it was going to be a bad night. But who knows, maybe they'll settle down. It's been
crazy for over five hours."

"Yeah, maybe." Andy thought for a moment. "Any chance of getting one of the afternoon nurses to stay
over? Or maybe a day nurse to come in early?"

Joe shook his head. "Can't. We worked with only two, and they were both held over from days. I've
already told Sterling she has to be here by four in the morning. She said she would. She'll even try to get
here a little earlier to help with the set up for the first med pass."

Rod nodded his head in agreement. "They're even shorter than we are. You have to remember, the state
doesn't pay squat compared to the public sector. We're lucky we've got any nurses."
 Andy almost gritted his teeth. He remembered the last meeting. The nurses and the guards were paid the
same. The one took a minimum of two years education plus state licensing; the other was anyone with a
GED and up. The workload was the same. The danger was the same. The guards were tobe nice to the
nurses. The state couldn't afford to lose any more.

"Okay, let's get report over with. I have a lot to do." He led them to one of the three six-foot conference
tables situated close to the glass double doors separating the entry area and the prison grounds. The wind
was blowing in from the northwest, causing the doors to rattle with each new gust. He knew that at
forty-three degreesтАФthe temperature the bank's sign flashed as he drove past it a half hour earlierтАФthe
wind would feel below freezing. Stacks of insurance forms and in-service announcements lying on the
counter that ran the length of the east wall fluttered each time the door opened and a guard entered.
Andy hoped like hell the nurses showed.

"Who are my nurses?" he asked, suddenly very worried.

Joe laughed. "Man, listen, I can't do this to you. I'll stay over." He looked at Rod.