O'Leary and the warden both jumped up.
The medic nodded slightly. "You may sit down."
"Oh, Doctor! Thank heaven you're here!" The warden was falling all over himself, getting a chair for his guest, flustering about.
O'Leary said sharply: "Wait a minute, Warden. You can't let the doctor go in alone!"
"He isn't alone!" The doctor's intern came from behind him, scowling belligerently at O'Leary. Youngish, his beard pale and silky, he was a long way from his first practice. "I'm here to assist him!"
O'Leary put a strain on his patience. "They'll eat you up in there, Doc! Those are the worst cons in the prison. They've got two hostages already. What's the use of giving them two more?"
The medic fixed him with his eyes. He was a tall man and he wore his beard proudly. "Guard, do you think you can prevent me from healing a sufferer?" He folded his hands over his abdomen and turned to leave.
The intern stepped aside and bowed his head.
O'Leary surrendered. "All right, you can go. But I'm coming with you—with a squad!"