“Easy does it,” Mitch said to the guards as he put up his hands to hold them in place. “I’ve got this.”
COs took orders from docs, and these two held their ground.
“Darla, I want you to look me in the eyes,” Mitch said. Instead, Darla kept her gaze and ire focused squarely on Grace, who continued to shelter behind Mitch. She was thick all around, squat like a tree trunk, and Mitch wasn’t entirely certain two guards would be enough if the situation were to escalate.
“Look at me, Darla,” Mitch demanded again, more forcefully than before, and that got her attention.
“I want you to calm yourself down now, right now. You have the wrong woman. Grace did not sleep with your husband.”
That might work better, he thought. Rather than try to get her to accept the truth about poor Charles, it would be far easier for Darla to hold on to her delusion that her husband was in fact a cheater and convince her this was merely a case of mistaken identity. Since it wasn’t an outright lie, Mitch had no qualms about employing a little bit of misdirection.
To her credit, Darla continued to glare but didn’t charge. She took several deep breaths, as she’d been taught, to tamp down her rage.
“You’ve got the wrong woman,” Mitch repeated. With a slight head nod, he implored the guards standing behind Darla to take a few cautious steps forward. They were close enough now for Mitch to read the nameplates pinned to their shirts, opposite their shiny silver badges. He didn’t know the one named Steadman, but he should have recognized the other man right away: Correctional Officer Blackwood, the same Blackwood who had nearly clubbed Penny with his baton on the day Mitch had met Grace. He was a bit surprised to see Blackwood still had a job, but was nonetheless grateful that the guard was on hand to assist.
“Darla, CO Blackwood and CO Steadman are going to escort you back to your room now,” Mitch said. “I’m going to come check on you in a little bit, okay?” And probably up your dose of Clozaril, he thought, recalling from memory the medications she was taking.
“I need you to go with them without complaint.” He used a voice that would be good for someone hard of hearing.
“‘Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.’” She held up her Bible so Grace would know it was the word of God. “If I find out she defiled my marriage, I’ll tear out her eyes with my fingernails.”
“That’s absolutely uncalled for, Darla, and very rude,” Mitch said, sternly but in a softer voice than before. “Go back to your room and wait for me there. Is that understood?”
Mitch set his hands on his hips, sending Darla a look that made it clear his order was not open to negotiation. Something clicked, a flick of a switch, and Darla seemed to deflate on the spot.
“I’m sorry about that,” Darla said, going a bit red in the face while addressing Grace in an apologetic tone. “Guess I had the wrong person.”
That was a big admission for her, Mitch noted. It meant she was willing to take responsibility for a mistake, let her ego take a bruise, and see for herself that she could endure it without any lasting damage to her psyche. It was a positive step that he could reinforce in her therapy sessions. The guards came forward and took hold of Darla’s arms in a gentle fashion; guiding, not pulling her, away from Mitch and Grace.
“Thanks, Doc,” CO Steadman said, relief evident in his voice and eyes. CO Blackwood didn’t appear nearly as pleased, and even went so far as to send Mitch a glowering stare. Perhaps he was still stewing over having been reported for his mistreatment of Penny.
Grace and Mitch watched Darla depart. She looked as shaken as he felt.
“Second day in a row I’ve almost gotten in a fight,” Grace said, reminding Mitch of the incident with Vince Rapino that had triggered today’s experiment. “That was very impressive,” she added.
“Not really.”
Mitch started down the hall, and Grace fell in lockstep with him.
“Nobody wants violence,” he said. “But it’s rampant here, and honestly, having more guards than docs on duty is a big part of the reason. Most of the time there are ways to defuse situations. Unfortunately, I can’t be everywhere at once. Are you okay? I know that was a bit unnerving. Darla can be … well, intimidating, and I can attest that her bark is not worse than her bite. She’s a real brute.”
“I’m fine,” Grace said, shaking it off with a shrug. “It’s sad, is all. There’s so much suffering here. So many people battling their minds.”