Andrea came from the kitchen. She handed Joe a cup. “For you.”
“I hate tea.”
“Drink this. You’ll like this. It’s perfect for how you feel.”
Joe took a sip and gasped loudly.
“Too much whiskey?”
Joe looked back to the door and sipped again. “Perfect.”
^^^^
Ft. Peck Lake
Frank laughed a silent laugh so not to wake Ellen. He spoke in a whisper while on the phone to Robbie, “What was Henry’s reaction?”
“Shocked,” Robbie answered.
“Who won the poll?”
“Danny Hoi. He bet three work hours that Henry wouldn’t remember for nine hours. He was the closest.”
“Oh shit, you know what this reminds me of, don’t you?”
“No. What?” Robbie asked.
“When Jimmy got married. Remember the day before he got married?” Frank heard Robbie laugh at the recall of that memory and he continued. “Yeah, he dropped off Lindsay to get her nails done and he went off running around. When he arrived home, you, me, and Hal were there waiting. We went out drinking before the dinner.”
“Jimmy totally forgot what he did with her. Man, I thought they weren’t getting married. She was so pissed.”
“He kept telling us the same thing. There was something he was forgetting.”
Robbie chuckled. “It was a good thing for Jimmy that Hal was such the word man. He talked her out of being mad.”
“Yeah, the big dick. He blamed it all on me. Lindsay hated me from that moment on.” Frank felt Ellen stir in his arms. “Hey, I gotta go. Talk to you later.”
“Be careful out there.”
“I will. Thanks Robbie.” Frank shut off the phone and extended his arm, laying it down above his and Ellen’s heads. He slowed down getting comfortable and stared at a sleeping Ellen. Frank’s mind drifted and he smiled, thinking back to his brother Jimmy’s wedding weekend. How long ago was that? Eleven, twelve years? Thinking of the length of time it had been, Frank’s mind went back . . .
“Frank.”
Frank held a bottle of beer as he sat at the bar in the restaurant the night of the rehearsal dinner. He ignored the call of his name.
“Frank,” The male voice called him again, this time tapping him on the shoulder.
“Go away, Hal. I’m still pissed at you. Fuckin Lindsay reamed my ass out for nothing.”
“Come on, Frank. I brought you a peace offering.”
Grunting and holding his beer, Frank spun around on his stool. Hal stood there with woman, a smaller built woman, with long brown hair, and a prominent chest. Frank’s eyes hit there first then moved to Hal.
Hal grinned arrogantly, looking so much like his father. “This is Jennifer.”
Frank hid his snicker and shook the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Hal had his hand on Jennifer’s back. “She likes big guys. Stand up Frank.”
“What?”
“Stand up. Jennifer, if you think I’m tall . . . stand up Frank. Come on.”
Frank, grumbling stood from the stool. He towered over her and smiled a fake smile.
Jennifer giggled. “Whoa.”
Hal nodded. “Told ya. And . . . he’ll be wearing his uniform at the wedding.” Hal’s eyes rose. “She likes big guys in uniforms.”
“Hal says you’re a general in the Army,” Jennifer said.
Frank nearly choked on his beer. “Hal exaggerates. I’m a Lt. General. Hal . . .” Frank grabbed his brother’s arm. “Jennifer, excuse us.” He pulled Hal off to the side. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Fixing you up,” Hal said. “It’s the least I can do. She’s cute.”
“Why do I need fixed up?”
“You need a date for the wedding tomorrow. Even Dad has a date.”
“Dad always has a date. What about your date?”
“Eh, Dad says his date’s open game. I plan on hitting on her unless you want to.”
“No, you go right ahead and hit on the old broad. I don’t need a date.”
“All right.” Hal took a deep breath. “Think about it. Sit at the bar and talk to Jennifer. You might hit it off.” He leaned to Frank. “Check out her boobs, Frank.” Hal cupped his hands in front of his own chest and mouthed the word, ‘huge’, then nodded and grinned. “Go for it, big brother.” Hal gave a swift pat to his arm and moved on.
Frank walked back over to the bar where Jennifer was seated. He sat next to her and grabbed his beer. Silently he sat, listening to her ramble on about something he couldn’t recall, downing his beers quickly, and grateful when he heard his father’s voice behind him.
“Slow down.” Joe laid his hand on Frank’s back and smiled at Jennifer. His eyes immediately shifted to the hard-to-miss chest. “Who’s your friend?”
“Dad, Jennifer. Jennifer, my Dad.”
Joe extended his hand to Jennifer. “Joe Slagel.”
Jennifer smiled with a tilted head. “You’re tall too. Are you a general also like your sons?”
“Nah. I’m not a military man anymore. CIA.”
Jennifer perked up.
Joe nudged Frank and leaned to him whispering. “Is she fair game or not?”
Frank rolled his eyes lifting his beer. “What about your date?”
“Robbie and Hal are irking me. They’re all over her and she loves it.”
Thinking, What does this old broad have? Frank turned around. He jolted back in surprise, knocking his beer over. It spun on the bar, shooting out onto Jennifer.
Jennifer shrieked.
“Frank!” Joe scolded.
“Sorry.” Blindly grabbing a bunch of beverage napkins, Frank shoved some to his father, laid some on Jennifer’s chest while he kept his focus on his dad’s date the whole time. Ellen. She seemed quite content to stand and flirt with Hal and Robbie. “Excuse me.” He marched directly over to the three of them. They stopped smiling when they saw Frank. “Robbie, Hal, did you guys know she was coming?”
Hal snickered. “Uh, yeah Frank, sorry. Didn’t we tell you?”
Ellen looked past Frank. “Cute date. Hal says you’re bringing her to the wedding.”
“Hal,” Frank huffed out his name, “is an asshole.” Frank grabbed Ellen’s hand and pulled her away from the brothers.
“Hey.” Ellen smacked his hand that gripped her tightly. “Where are we going?” She looked back to Robbie and Hal. “Help.”
Frank stopped, looked back at his brothers with a point and shook his head. He then kept pulling Ellen until they were outside. He released her hand.
Ellen, smacked him on the chest with both hands. “What are you doing?”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“You’re father asked me to come.”
“I asked you to come to this with me. I did. And you told me no. You were like . . .” Frank proceeded to imitate Ellen. “I can’t. I’d have to get my hair done. I have to do my nails. I want to enjoy my week without the kids. What would Kelly say?”
“Don’t you imitate me. You do it badly. Besides, you aren’t Joe. You can’t say ‘no’ to Joe. He came by this morning and told me, ‘pack it up Ellen. I need a date’. We stopped to buy a dress and here we are. I can’t believe you’re mad at me.”
“Yes, I’m mad.”
“Too bad. What do you care now anyhow? You have a date. I see I was easily replaced.”
“She’s not my date.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. I saw you getting all cozy with her at the . . .”
“Ellen!” Frank shouted her name.
“What!” Ellen shouted back.
“Shut up.”
Frank found himself leaning down to a sleeping Ellen, kissing her softly as he pulled from that memory. He realized that he had been with Ellen for so long, he probably could think of a different memory every day for the rest of his life and never repeat a single one. It dawned on him at that moment, making him feel really good. That was the one thing in his lif
e that could never be taken away.
^^^^
Dean didn’t mean to find himself doing it again, but he did, especially since Ellen wasn’t around. The kids were in bed, the house was too quiet, and Dean lay on the couch, his eyes tightly closed while he clenched a teddy bear that used to belong to Brian. His cheek brushed against it and his nose took in the scent of Brian that still lingered on it. His mind swam in deep memories over the little baby he loved so much and missed at that moment with all of his heart.
For a moment, Dean thought he had lost his mind when he heard the crying. It slipped into his thoughts, growing louder and louder until he opened his eyes and realized he wasn’t crazy. Henry stood above the couch holding Nick. Dean jumped up and laid the teddy bear down.
“Henry.”
“Help.”
Dean rubbed his eyes and stood up. “I’ve been given strict orders from Joe.”
“No, Dean. I need help. I’ll stay here with you and help with the older kids. I will. But help. He won’t eat. He won’t sleep. He won’t stop crying. I think he’s sick.”
“He’s not sick, Henry.” Dean ran his hand down Nick’s head.
“He hates me.”
“He senses your uneasiness.”
“He won’t let me put him down.” Henry followed Dean as he paced.
“That’s because Frank has him spoiled. Frank always holds the babies, always. Haven’t you noticed? He never lays them down. So when you do, he cries. Trust me, I’ve been there. I remember . . .” Dean cracked a smile. “God, it was exactly a year ago. Frank went to Colorado to get Ellen and I had Brian. He had Brian so spoiled I couldn’t put him down. Any work I had to do, I had to hold Brian close to my chest to because Frank would smother the kid in his big arms. I remember being so annoyed at first but then it felt good to . . .” Dean closed his eyes. “It felt good to have that. To have someone . . . no matter how small, need you to just . . .” Dean stepped to Henry. “Let me have, Nick.”
Henry handed the baby to Dean.
Nick squirmed a little in Dean’s arms. Dean carried him over to the couch. “Why don’t you go home, and get me a bottle and some diapers. I don’t think it would hurt if you guys stayed here tonight.”
“Thanks Dean,” Henry grinned with relief. “I’ll be right back.” He hurried from the house.
Slowly, Dean lowered himself to the couch. He sat down first then swung his legs up, propping his back against the arm of the sofa. He positioned Nick on his chest, letting Nick’s little legs dangle over him while Dean wrapped his arms around the baby, snuggling. He brought his lips to Nick’s head and brushed his cheek against the softness of the baby’s hair. Dean closed his eyes, felt Nick settle in contentment, and laid there, enjoying the feeling of the tiny baby needing to be in his arms. It was a feeling that Dean missed so much and needed to have at that moment just as much as Nick.
CHAPTER FOUR
August 28
Bowman, North Dakota
A highway town, six miles west of Bowman, was their primary location and headquarters. A farming area could be seen in the distance. Small buildings set center town and mobile homes lined up together as some type of housing.
The red brick building was the largest in town, four stories high and on the corner just at the edge of town. A city building at one time, but now it was the Captain’s office.
He stood near the window in his office, peering out and leaning against the frame. In his one hand he held papers, and in the other, a burning cigarette. He watched the training of his men, a look of pride upon his face. He wasn’t old, by no means, but his face was rough and rugged. Thirty-six years old, he stood a little over six feet tall, his body brawny and muscular. He wore his long, dark blonde hair pulled neatly and tightly in a ponytail that draped just passed his shoulder blades. He turned from the window, setting his papers down when he heard the knock at the door. He grabbed his grey uniform shirt that sported a patch with the letters ‘UWA’ and placed it on over his white tee shirt. He buttoned the last two buttons. “Come in,” he called out in a strong voice.
A UWA soldier, wearing a blue uniform, stepped in, closed the door, and then snapped to perfect attention.
“At ease, James.” The Captain motioned as he took a seat behind his desk. “What do you have for me on the Chadron raid?”
“Seventeen have returned sir, seven of which injured.”
“How badly?”
“Our medical man says he has it under control.”
“Still...” The captain rocked back in his chair as he looked at James. “Let’s go ahead with the plan we made when we decided to start on these raids. We need to have a team of horses ready to take any of the seriously injured to Beginnings for help. We want them to have a chance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any word of what we took out?” The captain asked.
“Corporal Haynes said he believes the raid took out close to two hundred.”
“Excellent. Have Corporal Haynes prep another team. We want to hit this camp every day until they either move out or die out.”
“Yes sir. What about the new Kansas camp our scout found? The men are getting geared up for that.”
“I wanna hold off one more week. I believe, like the other one in Kansas, we can take that one out with one sweep with sixty, seventy men. It’s a small camp that The Society has. I want to concentrate on Chadron right now. It’s too big, and too close. In fact . . .” The captain pulled a sheet of paper off the pile and handed it to James. “Do me a favor and run these orders to Mel. I want food rations increased for our men in the field. Tell him to take from us if needed. We need our men strong out there.”
“Yes sir.” James stepped back. As he did, another knock was heard at the door.
The captain looked up. “Come in.”
An older man smiled as he entered, He also wore a blue uniform like James. “Captain, sir.” He stood at attention.
“At ease. What’s up?”
He smiled again. “The new guy that’s joined us, he’s done it, sir.”
“No way?” The Captain stood up, a smile crossed his face. “Was it from the radio on that farm?”
“No. He said it wasn’t strong enough. We left it there. He built a receiver from what we had in town. We’re picking them up, some static, but we definitely are picking them up.”
“Excellent.” The Captain hurried to the door. “Maybe now that we can hear what Beginnings knows, it can help our cause as well. Let’s go.”
It looked like a police station. A young man, in his twenties, sat at the old dispatch station. Wires protruded from the radio and sprawled out across the small table top.
The Captain burst in with an air of enthusiasm. “They tell me you have good news, Bobby.”
“I do.” Bobby pointed to the radio. “We’re only picking up what they say over the radio, but we have them. It’s not always clear but I’m guessing it all depends where they are in Beginnings. Listen . . .” Bobby turned up the radio and the Captain leaned in with a grin. There were male voices, rattling off back and forth.
“That’s what I heard.”
“Hey, doesn’t it kind of remind you of that old kid’s book. ‘Are you my mother?’”
“Don’t you mean father . . . oh, wait. I forgot who we’re talking about. I heard Nick is becoming community property.”
“Can you guys not discuss me, please?” Another voice joined in.
“What’s the matter, Henry.” A fourth one interrupted “Can’t take it.”
“Blow me.”
“Bite me.”
“Grow up.”
“Me? I didn’t lose my kid, no wait, you misplaced him.”
“Don’t you have a perimeter to check or something? Mr. I’m the Big Head of Security Guy.”
“I’d say, don’t you have something to fix, but I know you can’t handle it while I’m not there.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Fuck you.”
�
�Robert! Henry! Knock the shit off and get your goddamn asses off this airway. And stay off unless you have something important to say. Christ.”
“Right away, Chief.”
James smiled. He noticed the long, almost pale look on The Captain’s face. “Sir, is something wrong?”
The Captain blinked several times and wiped his hand down his face. “Um . . . no. I just . . . I thought . . . it’s nothing.” He cleared his throat and regained his composure. “I want a monitor on this twenty-four hours a day. I’ll take a shift myself.” He walked to the door. “Let me know if they discuss anything important. Please.” The Captain opened the door, paused, looked back at the radio, and walked out.
^^^^
Ft. Peck Lake
Ellen’s finger kept dipping into the jar she held, despite the fact that there were two spoons emerging from it. She walked across the small clearing to Frank who sat on a fallen tree, his back to her as he cleaned and checked his M-16.
“Morning.” Ellen sat next to him. “Breakfast?” She showed him the jar. Frank shook his head. “Josephine’s peach cobbler? No?” Again Frank shook his head. “How are you?”
“O.K.”
Ellen raised her eyes. “Short answer. Wanna talk about it?”
Frank let out a long breath. “I dreamt of Brian last night. I dreamt . . . I dreamt he was crying and calling ‘da-da’ and I couldn’t find him. I just couldn’t find him.” He laid his weapon against the tree next to him. “Just when I think it’s getting easier, fate hits me with something… like a dream so real it hurts. I went through all this before when my kids died in the plague. I thought Brian was my second chance to be a good father. I really did. I swear I never would have thought God would have been so cruel as to do this again.”
The spoon dropped from Ellen’s hand and she balanced the jar next to her. She rubbed her hands and stared out into the trees with Frank.
“How do you do it?” Frank asked.
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 350