The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  Dean merely turned his head her way.

  “Sorry. I mean, boy was he limping. I thought for sure he’d call off, you know, since Frank almost killed him. Dean, are you listening to me?”

  “I really don’t have a choice now do I, Ellen.” He placed down a petri dish. “How are those results?”

  “Um ...” Ellen peered into the microscope. “Working fine. Mix up more. Getting back, did you hear Henry come in last night after Holding. I know you can hear, Dean. Did you hear him?”

  “No, I was sleeping.”

  “He was actually in a good mood. We talked and talked. Not like that is much of a surprise.” Ellen moved closer to Dean. “Isn’t that a little shocking that he was in a good mood last night?” She reached her hand out to him.

  Sitting there listening to Ellen and concentrating on what his hands were doing, Dean felt the sudden touch to his hair. It startled him so much that he jumped back.

  “I’m sorry.” Ellen retracted her hand and lowered her voice when she realized she scared him. “I uh ... I was just touching you.”

  “Just let me know when you’re gonna do that. OK?”

  “OK,” Ellen sighed, “Dean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Henry!” Ellen called out his name with excitement. “Dean, Henry’s here.”

  “What?” Dean immediately stopped what he was doing when he felt his stomach drop, Ellen’s sudden switch was like jumping out at him and saying boo ...

  “Henry.” Ellen rushed to him, making a clicking sound as she moved. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

  “Hey, El.” Henry laid his hand on her shoulder. “I was on my way to the bakery. I wanted to see you guys. How are you doing?”

  “We’re fine.” Ellen kissed him. “Look at me, Henry. Look at my feet. I have flat shoes on.”

  “They’re ... they’re blue.” Henry looked down at her legs which protruded slightly from the long lab coat.

  “Everything new is blue for a while. Check this out, Henry.” Ellen flung open her coat. “What do you think?”

  “Turn around.” Henry snickered. “That is great. I love it.”

  “Thanks, Henry.”

  Dean listened to this, wondering what the hell they were doing.

  Ellen ran her hands from her shirt then across her hips. “I had this skirt in my box in Dean’s basement. When Jenny brought over the shoes this morning and I saw that she could wear a skirt, I figured I would. Ben from Fabrics said he would try to make a few for those of us who want to wear them? You like?”

  Dean blinked. A skirt? Ellen’s wearing a skirt? I’m missing this. Is it short? It has to be short. She wouldn’t wear anything that was long. Dean’s mind raced and he envisioned what he thought Ellen was wearing.

  Henry liked what he saw. He kept his views to just under the hemline of her skirt. Staring at her legs because for the first time ever, he was looking at feminine legs. There seemed to be a different shape to them. The tiny little heel on those so-called flat shoes was adding that look to Ellen’s legs that the women in Beginnings stopped showing the moment they started wearing only tennis shoes and combat boots. “I like, El.”

  Ellen giggled. “You should have seen me dancing in here just before you walked in. You know, twirling in my shoes. But Dean yelled at me.” She moved to the counter by Dean.

  Henry grinned “The skirt is really tight, Dean, and short.”

  Dean wanted slam his hand in frustration. I’m missing this? Why am I missing this?

  Henry walked up to Dean and Ellen, and stood between them. “Hey, Dean, how are you feeling? I wanted to talk to you last night when I came by but you were sleeping,” Henry said. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  Dean swallowed. “Henry. There’s something I need to talk to you about too.”

  “Sure, Dean. What is it?”

  “I’m sorry that Frank … I’m sorry you took the brunt of Frank’s anger.”

  “I appreciate that, Dean, I do. Thank you. And that’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  “Frank?” Dean asked. “I’d rather not.”

  “It’s important,” Henry said. “Frank and I were discussing you in Holding last night.”

  “Oh no.” Dean’s head dropped.

  “Shh.” Henry smiled. “We were seriously discussing you. We talked about what has happened to you. We also talked about how each of us would feel if we found ourselves in your shoes. Dean, we’d feel just as badly as you do. Everything you’re feeling and going through is understandable. But you see, the thing is, for as understandable as it is, you being down and lost can’t happen for long. You are too vital to this community. Just because you can’t see what’s in front of you doesn’t mean you can’t see what’s up here.” Henry pointed to his own temple as if Dean could see him. He noticed Ellen shaking her head. “Whoops sorry, Dean, I was pointing to myself. Getting back to what I was saying. Like you and Ellen are doing, you have to learn to do things all over again differently. In order to fully do that, your spirit has to heal.”

  “Henry,” Dean had an edge of disbelief, “all of this you’re talking about, you and Frank discussed. My spirit? Healing? Come on, what does that mean? I really can’t picture Frank sitting back and talking about healing my spirit.”

  “Actually,” Henry continued, “the spirit part was my line. Frank talked about you learning to do everything again, learning how not to depend on Ellen for anything but what you absolutely need her for. Example, her eyes to tell you what she sees in that microscope. Other than that, there should be no reason why you can’t feel confident enough to take care of your children. No reason why you can’t get from here to there, fix things, part your hair on the left side, shave, and so forth.”

  “That’s all well and fine, I want to do these things. I will do these things. It’s just gonna take time.”

  “We know,” Henry said, “and ... Frank and I are going to help you.”

  Dean nearly choked. “Frank? Frank and you? How? By aggravating me into doing things? Henry, Frank drives me nuts.”

  “True but then you’ll learn much faster so you can get away from him.” Henry smiled. “Dean, we’re serious. Frank wants to help you.”

  “Help me? Henry, Frank isn’t going to help me now that he knows about me and Ellen. He’s going to do nothing but interfere and that’s a hinder.”

  “No, Dean, look. He was mad last night, he really was. But he knows you have to feel better in order to start doing things on your own.”

  “But why does Frank want to help me? I would think he wouldn’t.”

  Henry shrugged. “Don’t know for sure. Maybe it has to do with this virus. I know for a fact, Frank wants you full force when and if this virus hits. So do you, Dean. A part of me thinks it has to do with Ellen. If he gets you on your feet, you won’t need Ellen as much.” Henry watched Dean nod so in agreement to that one. “But whatever the reason, be forewarned, no matter what Frank says, he hates the idea of you two together. He won’t interfere now, make lots of comments maybe, but not get in the way. Mark my words, Dean, the second, the second he sees you being self-sufficient and not so dependent, that will be the second Frank will interfere. And big time. That’s just Frank.”

  “I would expect no less,” Dean commented and tossed his hands up. “So, when does this help from you two start?”

  “I think tonight. I don’t know. Frank has a plan.”

  Hearing Dean’s ‘oh boy’ Ellen giggled. “This is great.”

  A typical, ‘I am’ and a high, squealing, squeak of his boot introduced Frank’s entrance into the room, and then, so did his mouth. “Oh ... my ... God.” Just as he saw Dean, Henry and Ellen got ready to turn around, he held his hand out. “No! El! Don’t move. Stay like that.” He walked closer. “Oh my God.” A wide grin hit his face as he stared at her. “Henry, did you see this skirt.”

  “It’s great isn’t it, Frank?”

  “Oh my God. El ... you look ... you look so ... s
o ... female.”

  Ellen rolled her eyes. “Gee, Frank, thanks.” She moved to the counter’s side and stood there leaning.

  “Henry, this is ... Dean, do you ... never mind.” Frank laughed once loud. “Dean, you are missing this.”

  Ellen spun her head to face him. “Frank! Will you quit gawking?”

  “I can’t help it, El. When’s the last time you dressed like a woman? Man.” He shook his head. “You know, I was starting to think I was walking around in a nightmare or something. Everywhere I went, where there was a woman, I was hearing that clicking sound. Getting on my fuckin nerves like it was Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Only instead of aliens the shoes were transforming the women into prisses today.” Frank shuddered. “But ...” His hand motioned out. “There is something to be said about those shoes if they make Ellen get dressed up.”

  “I’ll have you know, Frank,” Ellen spoke snippy. “I did it for Dean, not you.”

  Frank laughed. “El, he can’t see you to appreciate it.”

  “Asshole.” Ellen folded her arms. “Why are you here, Frank?”

  “Oh.” Frank reached into his back pocket. “I brought your jeep and ...” He unrolled the paper and slammed it down in front of Dean. “I need you to sign this, Dean.”

  Dean tossed his hands up in disbelief. “Sign what, Frank?”

  Frank snickered. “Sorry, you can’t see it.” He nudged Henry. “El, you sign this req. You’re the queen of forgery.” His extended paper was snatched from his hand. “Easy, El.”

  Dean covered his face. “And he says he wants to help me.”

  Frank snapped his finger. “Speaking of which.” He spun to Dean with a squeak of his boot. “El is at Containment at two today. What are you doing between two and four?”

  “Um ... I am at the mobile probably trying to figure out how I’m getting back. I’ll be keying in dictation.”

  “OK, then Henry will pick you up at four and you’ll go to the house. He’ll stay there with you until I get there. I will be no later than five and we’ll start. El should be home by ... what, seven?”

  “Uh ...” Ellen looked up from signing the requisition. “I guess, unless something happens.” She shrugged.

  “Good,” Frank continued. “We’ll start as soon as I get there, Dean.”

  “Start what?” Dean asked. “Frank, I’m not one of your guys you set up for training.”

  “Now you are and ... Henry, help him pack.”

  “Got it, Frank,” Henry said.

  “Pack?” Dean questioned. “Pack what?”

  “Dean,” Frank spoke sharply, “because you can’t see, I’m telling you the look on my face says I’m annoyed with you. We have to get you fully functional, which means you have to be worked with day and night. This also means Henry and I will be around you at night and El has you during the day. You want to be around the kids but you can’t take care of them yet. Three or four days, yeah. Until then, I have the bigger house. Guess what, Dean?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head.

  “Yeah.” Frank laughed. “Think of it as one big fuckin slumber party so don’t forget your pajamas.”

  Dean closed his eyes. “There is something demented about you.”

  “Me? Well, let me tell you something, Dean.” Frank leaned in closer to him. “Between this demented person and Henry, one week and I guarantee you’ll be glad we got a hold of ...” Frank’s head snapped up. “Hold on.” He grabbed hold of his headset microphone and adjusted. “Yeah, go on.” He stepped back.

  Ellen saw the lost look on Dean’s face as if he was trying to decode what Frank was trying to say to him. She whispered in his ear, “Frank is on his radio.” She gave him a tap to his back.

  Dean wouldn’t have to wait long to find out had Ellen not told him. Frank’s sudden ‘Exorcist’ turn in demeanor told him it all.

  “Fuck! When? Fuck. Where? Fuck! All right. Get a hold of Robbie have him head to the hangar. Get Team Three suited up. I’m on my way to Armory. I’m heading up and then we’ll head on out. Fuck.” Frank pulled his headset off and looked at the silent faces in the room. “I have to go.”

  Henry stood up. “Frank, what’s wrong?”

  “We got a signal coming in. Radio transmission slash phone. I don’t know but it’s coming from the west, not far from here and close to where Cole is. He only has three men with him and not one is Security. I’m heading out.” Frank charged from the room.

  Ellen’s head jolted from Henry to Dean. She too ran from the lab chasing Frank. “Frank!” She followed him through the glass doors.

  Frank stopped in his run and turned around with oddity at Ellen’s call to him. “El, what is it? I have to go.”

  “What are you doing, Frank?” Ellen asked as she ran up to him.

  “You heard me, El, I have to go.”

  “You said you’re going out there.”

  “Yeah, that’s my job.” He backed up.

  “No, Frank. It isn’t.”

  “El ... I have to go.”

  “Frank, no.” Ellen chased him and then she saw Joe. “Joe, tell him,” she spoke as she followed as fast as she could behind them.

  “Tell him what?” Joe asked

  “Tell Frank it’s his job to protect the community. It is Robbie’s job to go out there unless Frank has no other choice. Tell him, Joe.”

  Frank was past perturbed at that point when he rounded the buildings to Armory. “El, enough.”

  “Don’t go.” Ellen grabbed hold of his arm. “Please don’t go out there. Robbie can handle it.”

  Fumbling with his keys in a complete confusion spin on what was wrong with Ellen, Frank handed the keys to his father and faced her. “El, why are you being like this?”

  “Because I don’t want you to go out there.” There was a deep raspiness to Ellen’s voice as if it came from her soul. She looked up to Frank, her hand clinging to his arm.

  Frank blew out slowly and yelled into Armory at his father who already was in there. “Pull out for a basic drop-in. I’ll be right in to help.” He took hold of Ellen’s arm and led her aside from the door. “El, come on, sweetie.”

  “Frank.” Ellen closed her eyes. “I don’t care how dangerous you think it is or isn’t, right now, to me, any chance you take with your life is a chance too big. You are the strongest thing in my life, Frank. Don’t go. For once stay here.”

  “El,” he emotionally said her name. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t care!” Ellen screamed. Then she brought her voice back down, “Not now. I can’t take any chances of anything happening to you. Not now. Please.” She closed her eyes tighter, her voice dropping with each word, “Please. Please.”

  He didn’t understand. Running his hand slowly down his face, Frank watched Ellen. How scared she looked. How so much in her life had to be getting to her, for her to be so emotional about him going. “OK.” No sooner did he say that, Ellen’s arms were tightly wrapped around his neck.

  “Thank you.” She buried her face at the base of his neck. “Thank you.”

  “I still have to move.” He set her down. “And I will be on standby if Robbie radios in that it’s not good. OK?” He watched her nod and he heard his father call for him. “I have to go.” He backed up. “We will talk later about this.” He pointed as he went into Armory. “We will.”

  Ellen knew as he walked away from her and as she headed back to the clinic that Frank hadn’t a clue on why she felt the way she did. That was fine with her, all that mattered was he didn’t go. If Frank took a look at all that had been happening with the men around her, first Henry almost dying, then Robbie, then Dean’s blindness, he would see why she feared so much for him, and why she worried. Maybe if he saw it, he wouldn’t have pointed that finger at her.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  His dark Asian eyes peered over the scope of the rifle. Since his black baseball cap was worn backwards to keep his coal-black hair out of his eyes, his eyes were the only visible portion of him on tha
t rooftop. On one knee he perched his tall body, a body that was thin yet defined. A body, hair that came just past his collar, and a handsome face that hid his age, to Danny Hoi that had always been just fine. His forefinger rested on the trigger, so ready to shoot, watching the street below and the four men who had just arrived. He raised his free hand, lifted his cap, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and replaced it. “What are they doing?” he asked the man next to him. “Bentley?”

  “Walking?” Bentley answered. He too was in the same stance as Danny, but not having as easy of a time. His body was much rounder, yet solid. One thing about Bentley that made him look so much more different than any other Survivor who wandered about was his hair, dark, almost black, and clipped short in a man’s clipper cut. He crinkled his nose, causing his glasses to slide slightly across his sweaty nose. “Uh I uh don’t know, Danny.” Bentley shook his head and spoke with a nervous voice, “You’re wrong.”

  “No way. I’m telling you. Bent, it’s them. It has to be. Why else would we get the ...”

  “Error maybe. You’re wrong.” Bentley lowered his weapon.

  “What are you doing?” Danny asked, shifting his eyes back from Bentley to the men afoot.

  “Danny. Look. Look at the way they are dressed.”

  “So. They’re wearing military.”

  “Not typical. And there’s an old guy out there. And ... and mind you. He just went into a tuxedo shop.”

  “Huh?” Danny looked down below. “Shit.” He pulled back some but did not lower his rifle. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Cole. Cole, come in.” Joe walked into the hangar, radio in hand. “Cole, damn it. Come in!” He released the button. “Where the hell is he for crying out loud?” he asked Frank, who loaded up the chopper.

  “He’s not in trouble or he would have radioed at the first sign.”

  “What if he didn’t have time?”

  “There’s always time.” Frank looked up to see Robbie, suited up and ready. “Let’s go, Robbie. Dad, try him again.”