Frank nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
George snickered as he stepped back in the hall and pointed back into the room. “Did you hear that? Ha-ha!” He rubbed his hands together. “See you in the morning, Doctor.” Smiling widely, George moved with a quick pace down the hall, doing skip of excitement as he did so.
CHAPTER FIVE
September 10
Beginnings, Montana
O.K.! Joe thought, What did I do? Joe was a smart man. The slamming of his breakfast plate by Andrea was a less than subtle way to tell him she was upset. He peered through his glasses down to his eggs that scattered across his just tossed plate.
SLAM! SPLASH! Down went Joe’s coffee. Another slam brought Andrea seated, with her breakfast, at the table.
Very serious, Joe folded his hands and looked at Andrea. “Something wrong?”
Andrea spoke so high pitched as she grabbed the salt and frantically salted her eggs. “Well. If you must know.”
“Yes.”
“You.”
“What did I do?” Joe asked.
Slam! Joe groaned and watched particles of salt spill. “That’s bad luck, Andrea.”
“So is not telling your wife everything.”
“Excuse me.”
“I was not sleeping last night, Joe Slagel. I heard your little conversation with Henry.”
“So.” Joe started to eat.
“So? You’re retiring. When were you planning on telling me this?”
“This is what you’re upset about?” Joe asked.
“Yes.”
“Just wanted to know,” Joe continued.
“Joe Slagel! I am upset.”
“For no reason. Andrea, I’m retiring. So what? Why are you pissed about this?”
“This community will fall apart. Fall apart.” Her hands flew about. “If you don’t run it, Joe, what are we gonna do?”
“Andrea, I won’t let it fall apart. O.K.? I need a break. Drop it.”
“Drop it?” Andrea spoke with attitude. “I hope to high heavens you did not just tell me drop it.”
“I did.”
“Joe!”
“Andrea. Drop it!” Joe pointed his fork. “This goes no further than this house until I make my announcement tonight. Got that?” He waited for an answer. “Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Joe started to eat. “Goddamn it Andrea. all this marital arguing and now my eggs are cold”
Andrea really could care less if Joe’s eggs were cold. Her ‘so what’ attitude showed as she ate her own breakfast, ignoring the annoyed glances from Joe along with his grumbling.
^^^^
Binghamton, Alabama
George whistled a happy tune as he walked out of his temporary home, an apartment on the first floor of an old house. It was a great early morning and what made it even greater for George was that he knew what he was going to tell Frank when he saw him. He had it all planned out in his head as he moved down the street toward the hospital. He stopped mid -street when he saw his soldiers escorting the UWA soldier out of one building and taking them to another. Interrogations. George would have to be there at them. But first, Frank. So with a smile on his face and a wave of instigation to the UWA soldiers, George moved on.
^^^^
Bowman, North Dakota
Rinsing the soap from his face as he took a shower, Hal thought he heard the close call of his name by Sgt. Ryder. He removed his head from the water and heard it again. Faint but there. “Elliott?” Hal called out. “I’m in the shower.”
“Captain.” Sgt. Ryder’s voice came loudly into the bathroom. “Sir, our South Dakota team is back early.”
The pipes squeaked loudly as Hal turned off the water. His arm emerged from the shower curtain as he grabbed a towel. “Thanks.” He spoke as he wrapped the towel around his dripping body and flew out of the shower. Leaving a water trail, Hal fled from his apartment, sliding on his steps as he raced down them and out the door into the street.
It was true. The men were riding into town the second Hal hit the sidewalk. Holding his towel around him, Hal grinned proudly as Sgt. Daniel stopped his horse. “You have news, Sergeant.”
“We do,” Sgt. Daniel said after he saluted.
“Excellent. Let me get dressed and meet me in my office.” Hal received salutes from the trail of men that followed Sgt. Daniel into town.
Just as Hal was about to turn to enter his apartment building, he felt a coolness against his backside. Swaying his head with a look of irritation, he glared at Craig who lifted the back of his towel just slightly.
“Cute.” Craig grinned.
With a grunt and without words, prior to seeking out clothing, Hal decided in his anger to chase Craig down the street, towel and all.
^^^^
Binghamton, Alabama
“Retrograde amnesia,” Dr. Morris explained to George before he went into Frank’s room.
“Retro what?”
“Retrograde. That’s what Mr. Slagel has. It’s a very common form of amnesia that follows blood loss or trauma. The patient experiences memory loss of events that transpired prior. This memory loss can be of a day, a year, or one’s entire life. Mr. Slagel seems not to remember anything after the plague began.”
“Is that possible?” George asked.
“Very much so. When I asked Frank what he remembered last, he told me he was guarding a post outside of Chicago. There was rioting and an explosion. He barely remembers walking up in a medical tent but nothing after that. I’m thinking one head trauma is the marking for the other in the memory department.”
George snapped his fingers. “That’s right. I forgot about that. Frank had a severe concussion or something. He slept through the plague.”
“He remembers nothing about it. He knows a plague hit and that is it.”
“Well then I guess it’s time for me to fill him in,” George said happily. “Excuse me.” He walked into Frank’s room. “Frank.”
Frank looked up from his breakfast. “President Hadley.”
George held out his hand. “Please, you and I are beyond that. You call me George.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” George pulled up a chair. “Son, Dr. Morris says you’re having difficulty remembering anything that happened over the past seven years.”
“No sir, I can’t remember.”
“Well then that’s why I’m here. See Frank, you and I are very good friends and I want you to feel free to ask away. I’ll try to fill you in the best I can.” George saw Frank thinking, getting ready to ask and George went through the scenario in his mind. He had to get the story straight and keep it straight. Though Frank wasn’t the smartest person in the world, even pre-plague Frank was smart enough to smell something foul. George was determined to keep that odor from him.
^^^^
Beginnings, Montana
Dean saw Ellen diligently trying when he came home, mid morning, to surprise her by spending time alone with her. He smiled as he quietly walked in. He set his stack of folders down on the end table and clenched the rose Andrea allowed him to pick from the Miguel rose bush at Greenhouse Three. Ellen didn’t even hear him as Dean sneaked in. She desperately was trying to reach something placed on the top of the living room closet. Dean could help her by getting her a chair, but he decided against it.
He walked directly up behind Ellen as she reached up. He glanced over her shoulder and at the same time, he placed the rose to her nose. “Hey.” He smiled.
Ellen looked down at the rose, then shifted her eyes to Dean. “What are you doing home?”
“Taking advantage of an empty house and a big empty closet with you.” Stepping forward into the large closet, Dean moved Ellen inside and closed the door. He grinned, laid both his hands on Ellen’s face, moved her against the wall of the closet, and kissed her. He kept on kissing her.
Ellen had to pull back in order to break from his clinging lips. “Dean, stop.”
“Why?” He
tried to kiss her again.
“Just stop. All right.” She slid by him, opened up the closet, and walked out.
“El.” Dean followed her. “I thought we weren’t fighting.”
“We’re not.”
“So what’s the problem?” Dean asked. “We’re alone. I left work to be with you.” He stepped to her. “When was the last time I did that?”
Ellen shifted her eyes and saw the stack of work on the table. “Yes, I see where your mind was.” She held up the rose and gave a brief smile. “Thanks for this. It’s nice.” She walked into the kitchen.
Dean’s hand went through his hair and down his face. He moved to the kitchen. “El, what’s the problem? Two nights ago you kick me out. Last night, I try . . .” He moved closer to her. “I try to scoot up next to you in bed and you moved to the edge of the bed. Come on.”
Ellen took a deep breath and walked to the sink. She placed the rose in a glass and filled it with water. “Dean, O.K., here it is. I’m marrying Robbie. Do you think it’s right that we . . . well, you know? It’s a little in appropriate. Right?” She turned off the faucet to hear Dean’s laughter. She spun around to face him.
“El. All right.” Dean caught his breath and smiled. “Enough. Games over. You’re cute.” He kissed her quickly, then shook his head with a laugh again. “You’re right. I was wrong. You’re not gonna marry Robbie. I’ll marry you.”
Ellen stared very seriously at Dean for a second. “Fuck you, Dean. Fuck you.” She barged from the kitchen and stopped. “Marry you? And you had nerve to laugh at me.” She moved to the living room.
“El!” Dean raced after her. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” She flung open the front door. “I’m marrying Robbie. And if he changes his mind tomorrow, I’m still not marrying you.” She ran out of the house.
Dean stood baffled in his empty home. His hand raised and dropped. “What did I say?”
^^^^
Bowman, North Dakota
With serious and a cigarette clenched between his lips, Hal stared at the UWA patch wedged between his index and middle fingers. “How close to central border?” Hal asked.
Sgt. Daniel cleared his throat before answering. “Ten miles, sir. We went over and checked. The trucks definitely moved south.”
Hal laid down the patch. “So they were alive when they took our men. You know as well as I do they probably moved more east. What else do you have? You said you found something else?”
“I did.” Sgt. Daniel laid the canvass bag on Hal’s desk. “I found this buried in the brush of the woods.”
Hal stood up, laid his cigarette down, and opened the canvass bag. “Did you remove the things?”
“No sir. You don’t have to. Look for yourself.”
On top of the bag was a white, blood-stained tee shirt. Hal removed it some to see the bullet hole in the shoulder. He looked at the collar of the shirt. No manufacturer tag. It was a handmade tee shirt and well made too. He shuffled the shirt some to expose the huge combat boots. He pulled one out and looked at the soles. New. He placed the boot back in the bag and then Hal saw the green color . . . Army green. Military work pants He didn’t pull those out but merely zipped up the bag. “Well,’ Hal breathed out. “I don’t think we need to ask who this clothing belongs to.” Hal sat back down. “All of this is Beginnings’ clothing and I think we know this is the Beginnings man’s.” Hal set the bag on the floor.
Sgt. Ryder looked to Hal. “Is that enough?”
“Yes.” Hal nodded. “It’s plenty. First thing tomorrow we return these clothes to the man’s home along with a note I’ll write tonight.”
“Then it’s time?” Sgt. Ryder asked.
“Yes,” Hal answered. “This should show Beginnings we are serious and that our intentions are good. It’s time that we join forces.” Hal folded his hands and brought them to his mouth. His mind immediately went to the letter he knew he would have to send by messenger along with the clothing . . . clothing that Hal did not look at fully. Clothing that he should have, because had Hal just pulled the military pants out of the bag entirely, he would have seen--like routinely done in the old world military--a name stitched above the back pocket of the pants. The name Slagel.
^^^^
Beginnings, Montana
At the same instant, Robbie, Joe and Dean all looked at Henry.
Henry felt the stares and looked up. “What?”
Joe held out his hand. “I just said we’re discussing me as a suspect. No comment?”
“No, Joe, go on.”
Dean noticed Henry’s unusual serious demeanor. “Henry, um . . . about this point you get irritating.”
“About this point . . .” Henry spoke very calmly, “I’m going to ask you to refrain from saying anything. I’m not in a good mood.”
Dean gave him an odd look. “And you don’t think any of us are gonna take advantage of your bad mood. Henry, you take advantage of ours.”
Again, staying calm, Henry spoke deeply and with a slight edge. “I’m asking you not to. O.K.?”
Joe interjected. “O.K. Let’s get to me as a suspect. My theory is . . .”
“Joe,” Henry interrupted. “Come on. This is stupid and a waste of time. You as a suspect?” He opened his notebook. “I think we should concentrate on the ones we have. Andrea, Rev. Bob, Jason, Bev, Cole . . .”
“And you.” Robbie pointed. “Let’s not forget you.”
“Joe,” Henry said.
Robbie laughed.
“Robert,” Joe scolded softly.
“What?” Robbie rocked in his chair. “We’re supposed to tip toe around Henry’s mood? Like I care. Every other meeting he comes in here yip yapping his mouth, driving us all insane, so now he’s not in the mood and we have to shelter his feelings. Right.”
“Robert.”
“I’m leaving.” Henry stood up.
Robbie waved his hand at him. “Sit your skinny ass down, Henry, and get out of the mood.”
“Get off my back.”
“I’m not on your fuckin back,” Robbie yelled. “If I was on your fuckin back you’d know it.”
“Robbie,” Henry said strongly. “You of all people right now are the last person I want to speak to, let alone sit in a meeting with.”
“Too bad.”
“Fuck you.”
Robbie jumped up. “Fuck me? What the fuck did I do to you?”
“Robbie!” Henry yelled sternly. “Sit down and don’t jump up at me. Your arrogance is the last thing I want to deal with.”
“I haven’t done shit to you.” Robbie bit his lip. “Don’t take that tone with me again. I’m warning you.”
“Don’t warn me.”
“Boys,” Joe called out cautiously shifting his eyes between the two standing men.
Robbie breathed deeply through his nostrils trying to calm himself. “What is your problem, Henry?”
“You wanna know? You! I’m pissed because you’re marrying Ellen. It’s wrong.”
“Like I care what you or anyone thinks.”
“Well you should,” Henry stated.
“Bite me.”
Henry snickered in disbelief at Robbie. “Can you be any more of an asshole?”
“Yeah when I come over and nail your ass.”
“Try it.”
On those instigating words, Robbie sailed forward and Henry, in a defensive anger, leaped at him too. Dean seeing the two men much bigger than him, jumped from the way of their entanglement. The second Robbie grabbed hold of Henry, Henry nailed him. Robbie’s returned the punch just as fast.
Joe sprang up. “Knock it off.” He flew to the two men and grabbed them before any more harmful fists could be thrown. Clenching tightly to Robbie’s tee shirt, he pulled him back, then Joe laid a flush hand to Henry’s chest, shoving him some too. “What is this shit? Huh? You!” Joe pointed to Henry. “Sit down. And you!” He pointed to Robbie. “Take a walk. Cool down. We’ll do this another time.”
Robbie�
��s face was red. “I didn’t fuckin start this shit!”
“Take a walk!” Joe ordered. “Now!”
Running the back of his hand over the corner of his mouth, Robbie glared at Henry, grunted, and stormed by the filing cabinet. pulling a Frank by slamming his fist into it as he passed it.
“Goddamn it!” Joe yelled as his office door closed. “It’s a family thing!” Taking a second to calm down, Joe returned to his desk. He looked at Henry who sat in the chair looking like a scolded child.
Since the outrage of the moment was over, Dean, so stunned, had a hint of laughter to his tone. “Well.” He cleared his throat seeing Joe stare so fatherly and angry at Henry. “I think I’ll uh . . .” He gathered up his notes that fell to the floor when he jumped up. “Leave.” Dean pointed to the door. “Joe, let me know when we are doing this again.”
Joe only lifted his hand in acknowledgment and Dean left. When he did, Joe opened up his bottom drawer, pulled out a bottle of moonshine, and slammed it on the desk. “Take a drink.”
“No Joe, I don’t . . .”
“Take a goddamn drink!”
Nervously Henry grabbed the bottle, took a drink, cringed loudly, and set it down.
“Now.” The scold tone was there in Joe’s voice. “What is wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry. I’m . . .” Henry rubbed his eyes and huffed out a breath. “I am really sorry. This Robbie and Ellen thing is on my mind but it isn’t on my mind as much as this leadership thing.”
“Is this the reason for the bad mood?”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 390