"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 climbing-he was damn sure that was happening-but 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 degrees-the temperature the bank's sign flashed as he drove past it a half hour earlier-the wind would feel below freezing.