ELI THOMPSON

What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? In prison, they see a big black man and make assumptions. Outside, people usually see a doctor first - professional, competent. I've been told I have a face that inspires trust, which serves me well in medicine.

How about after they've known you for a while? They realize I'm not as easygoing as I appear. I have a stubborn streak a mile wide and I don't back down when it comes to protecting people I care about.

What is your profession? I'm a physician, though my license is suspended while I serve this sentence for fraud I didn't commit. In here, I've become the unofficial prison doctor - treating everything from rashes to broken hearts.

Tell me about your best friend. Dex. He’s also a doctor, though not in private practice. He lives in the ER, a far more exciting life, maybe. We go way back, though going through med school together is what really solidified our relationship. We were the best man at each other’s weddings, and if I had to trust my family’s lives to any one doctor that wasn’t me—it would be him. Knowing he’d be on the outside looking after Nathaniel and Hailey for me after my sentencing was one of the only things that got me through.

Describe your ideal partner. Someone who challenges me intellectually, who can match my stubborn streak, who loves deeply and isn't afraid to show it. Both Nathaniel and Samuel fit that description in different ways.

What's the most important thing in your life? My family - Nathaniel, Hailey, and now Samuel. Everything I do is for them.

What was your first thought when you met Samuel? That he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, and also the most guarded. I wanted to protect him and break down his walls simultaneously.

What would you change about Samuel? Nothing about who he is, but I'd erase every moment of pain from his past if I could.

Your thoughts on love? Love multiplies, it doesn't divide. I thought loving Samuel would somehow take away from what I feel for Nathaniel, but it's the opposite. Each love makes the other stronger.

Your greatest extravagance? Before prison, it was probably the kitchen renovations - I love cooking for my family. Now it's the energy I put into making prison food edible for Samuel.

Is there anything you haven't done that you want to do? Travel with both my husbands. Show Samuel Paris, take Nathaniel to the places we dreamed about. Grow old watching Hailey become the amazing woman I know she'll be.

Your quirky habits? I sing in the shower, much to everyone's amusement. I also can't help doctoring food. It’s why Hailey hates to eat out. I’ll even do it at restaurants.

What quality do you like most in a man/woman? Courage in the face of vulnerability. Both Nathaniel and Samuel have that - they love despite being afraid.

What trait do you most despise? Willful ignorance. People who choose not to see suffering they could help alleviate.

What are you most afraid of? That my time in here will break something in my family that can't be fixed. That Samuel will be hurt because of me.

What do you value the most? Family, in all its forms. Blood, chosen, unexpected - the people who become your home.

Favorite food Anything I can eat safely, honestly. But I miss cooking elaborate meals for my loved ones.

What would you consider your perfect night out? Cooking dinner for everyone, then sitting together while Samuel reads one of his stories aloud and Nathaniel works on his translations.

What would you change about the person you fell in love with? I'd erase Samuel's trauma, take away Nathaniel's tendency to sacrifice himself for others.

What do you like most about the person you fell in love with? Samuel's fierce protectiveness hidden under all that gentleness. Nathaniel's ability to love without reservation.