“Some documentary,” Gus said.
“Here,” Jason said. “Let me help you.”
The young man pulled Gus forward in bed, rearranged the pillows behind his back so he sat more upright.
“Oh, Jesus. That feels better.”
“Gotta keep pressure off the hip,” Jason said. “Lean left and your incision will heal faster.” He pulled bedsheets that had become tucked and trapped around Gus’s leg and behind his back. “Did you get into a wrestling match?”
“I’ve been tossing and turning for an hour, trying to get myself free.”
“Just call the nurses.”
Gus smiled at him. “That’d be like little Anne Frank calling the Nazis to help her out of the attic.”
Jason laughed. “That’s pretty cold. Funny, but cold.”
“At least you appreciate my humor. My charisma has been lost on the rest of the staff. Except the nice nurse that helps me Friday nights.”
Jason shrugged. “I heard you called Ruth an icy bitch the other day. Not exactly the definition of charisma.”
“Hell, I can’t argue with you there. When I hear it like that, coming from you, I feel like a piece of shit for having said it. They manage to bring out my ugly side. I’m really not such an asshole.”
“You lost your leg,” Jason said. “You deserve to be a little bit of an asshole. Just pick your battles. Fighting with Ruth is pointless.”
“I’m figuring that out. Have you seen this show?”
Jason turned to the television. “Oh, yeah. I’m hooked.”
“What is it?”
“The Girl of Sugar Beach.A documentary about Grace Sebold.”
“Who?”
“Grace Sebold. From when she killed her boyfriend down in the Caribbean.”
Gus blinked at the screen as a still shot of Grace Sebold from medical school filled the television. The documentary cut to an interview of the girl, now a woman, slightly haggard with short-cropped hair, which was graying in random areas. Prison-issued, thick plastic glasses covered her eyes and reflected the overhead lights.
“It’s addictive,” Jason said. “It’s a real-time documentary. The investigator is producing the episodes from week to week and then airing them. The audience is finding out what she discovers almost simultaneously as she discovers it. It’s very popular with . . . younger people. And it looks like she might actually be innocent.”
“What episode is this?”
“Four,” Jason said as he typed information into Gus’s chart. “I’m trying not to pay attention. It’s on every television in this place. Mostly for the staff. I’m not sure the residents are keeping up with it.”
“I thought you said you were watching it.”
“I am. Gotta see what happens now. See if she did it or not.”
Gus pointed at the screen. “You’re missing it.”
Jason smiled. “I’m DVR’ing it.”
Gus lifted his chin, squinted at the young man.
“Recording it. I’ll watch it tonight, so don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“How canIdo that?”
