The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  March 5 - Beginnings, Montana

  He had Robbie by the balls ... literally.

  “Frank,” Robbie grunted. “Help.”

  “Knock it off!” Frank blasted at the boy who was about seven. “Let him go, little man.” Frank bent over and placed his face close to the boy’s. “Or you’ll deal with me.”

  Robbie exhaled in relief when the boy backed up and ran away. “Thank you.”

  “Man, you must be tired,” Frank commented. “You can’t even handle a kid.”

  “What time is it, Frank?”

  “Ten in the morning.”

  “I’ve been handling these terrors of tomorrow for twelve hours. I’m dying.”

  “Aw.”

  Robbie nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Go on, make fun but ...” Robbie held up a finger. “You volunteered to watch them for a couple hours.”

  “Robbie,” Frank scoffed. “I can handle animals.” Frank looked at the Skills Room that was totally torn apart. “But I can’t handle the mess.”

  “They’re bad, Frank. I’m a big guy and I’ve been beaten,” Robbie commented. “None of the other survivors will even come out. They said they protest. They want them out.”

  “Really? Well today ...” Frank checked out the kids. “They break. I’m here.”

  “Good and I’m out of here.” Robbie gave Frank a swift pat to the back. “I’m going to grab a drink ...”

  “A drink?” Frank turned to him. “It’s ten in the morning.”

  “Yeah, but it’s the end of my day right now so I’m sneaking into the Hall, grabbing a drink, then I’m hitting my couch for a couple hours before Mechanics. See ya.”

  “See ya.” Frank lifted his hand in a wave then spun quickly around. He opened his mouth to call out and stop Robbie, but he didn’t. He shrugged it off, figuring Robbie would find out soon enough that he forgot to tell Henry for him that he wasn’t showing up at Mechanics until later.

  <><><><>

  “Tonsillitis.” Dean used his index finger to close the young boy’s mouth, then wrote in the chart and faced Ellen. “Definitely.”

  “Bad?”

  Dean shrugged.

  Ellen snickered. “What was this?” She mocked his shrug.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know if they’re bad? Dean, you’re a doctor.”

  “Yeah, but how many cases of tonsillitis have we seen here and ... I didn’t see many in the old world.”

  “I have.” Ellen moved to the boy, took the pen light from Dean’s lab coat pocket, and held it to the boy. “Open up and don’t bite me,” Ellen told him, peering into the boy’s mouth. “Say ‘ah’.”

  The boy made some sort of sound.

  “It’s bad.” Ellen shut off the light and handed it back to Dean.

  “Thanks. We should give this case to my father and speaking of which ...” Dean looked at his watch. “Where is he?”

  “Maybe he’s taking the morning off. He did have to stop by Containment last night and help Robbie.”

  “Well, we’ll let him make the decision to take them out or not.”

  “Dean?” Ellen questioned. “I thought they said tonsils don’t need to come out.”

  “El, please, that was an insurance thing.”

  “I forgot. You know what? I want to see how Glen is doing with Joey.” Ellen backed up. “Anyhow, I’ll run to the house, get William, and tell him about this boy.”

  “Can you?”

  “Yeah. Oh.” Ellen hurried back to Dean and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you.” She brushed her thumb where she kissed. “Be back.” Ellen quickly darted from the room

  The weather was warm, little remnants of snow on the ground, but Ellen could tell spring was on the way. It was one of her favorite seasons. Actually any season where she didn’t have to hear everyone tell her she should have a coat was one of her favorites. She had to snicker on her way to the living section as she saw Robbie stagger into the Social hall. She only waved and wasn’t going to question why he was going in there. Knowing he put in an all-nighter with the children from hell was reason enough.

  She was going to stop by Glen’s, the newest of babysitters in Beginnings, first but Ellen decided that William’s house was right there, Knowing how lost Dean seemed to get with patients who didn’t suffer from incurable viruses, Ellen knew she had to get William, tired or not, to save him.

  “William.” Ellen opened the door after giving the signature warning knock. “Hello? Are you sleeping?” She closed the door. It was so quiet in the house and the light in the living room was on. “William, it’s ten ...” Ellen stopped and swayed her head with a near laughter smile. She didn’t realize how tall William was until that moment. The white socks on William’s feet that extended over the arm of the couch with legs crossed at the ankle were the vision Ellen received first. She knew right then and there how rough of a night William must have had helping Robbie with those kids in Containment. He never made it to bed. She walked around the sofa. “William.” She whispered reaching out. “I hate to wake you but ...” Ellen retracted her reach when William came into her view. “But ...” Ellen’s eyes closed, a lump formed in her throat. “Oh my God,” she gasped softly then dropped to her knees. So softly and whimpering she spoke his name. “William.” A tear rolled in the crease of her eyes and then slid down her cheek. Her focus was blurry when she opened her tear filled eyes to see him again, lying there, looking as if he were sleeping. An open book rested on his chest, his head was slanted, and his glasses were down on his nose some. In fact, Ellen would have sworn he was sleeping had her fingers not touch the coolness of him and her eyes saw the white that had cast over him. As heartbreaking as it was, William had passed on, quietly and peacefully some time during the night.

  <><><><>

  One half a drink was all Robbie wanted and that was all he took. He needed it to calm his nerves and relax him even though he was exhausted and to feel as if he didn’t lose a night like he did. He tucked the empty glass in the sink behind the bar, put the bottle away, and placed himself in the frame of mind to sleep. Walking around the bar after saying goodbye to Sam, he knew that wasn’t going to happen, at least not without difficulty.

  “Robbie,” Henry stated his name as he walked into the Social Hall.

  “God.” Robbie swayed his head. “Do you not know how to say my name in any other way but with annoyance?”

  “Do you not know how to go one day without annoying me?”

  “Henry.” Robbie approached him. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “And neither am I.”

  “Tough.”

  “Look.” Henry reached out and grasped Robbie’s arm. “You were supposed to be at Mechanics four hours ago. You didn’t show.”

  Robbie glared at the fingers that had him. He ripped his arm away. “I was supposed to be in bed ten hours ago. I didn’t show up there either. Since I sleep before Mechanics, that’s what I’m going to do now. Sleep, then I’ll see you later.”

  “Things have to be done.”

  “They can wait.”

  “So can sleep.” Henry told him.

  “I worked in Containment all night.”

  “Big deal,” Henry said. “You think you’re the first person to pull an all night shift and not sleep? We have another perimeter to be put up before dark. You know the way wanderers have been. If you weren’t so lazy you ...”

  “Hold it.” Robbie lifted his hand in a halt. “I have had just about all I’m going to take from you and your fuckin’ whining mouth. What is it, Henry, a power trip with me? Why am I the only one you give shit to?”

  “You’re the only one who doesn’t pull their weight.”

  “Oh that is such bullshit and you know it. Try my day. Do what I do for once and maybe your skinny ass will shut the fuck up.”

  “Maybe you should try my day and you’ll see why I bitch at you so much.”

  “You bitch because your genetics gave you too many female hormones,” Robbie
snapped. “So get off my back for once. This is a personal issue and you know it. You just find a reason to get on me because you don’t like me.”

  “I don’t hide that fact.”

  “And neither do I hide the fact that I don’t like you. If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I would have ended this a long time ago.” Robbie leaned into Henry.

  “You mean if you weren’t so lazy you would have ended it.”

  “That’s it!” Robbie threw his hands up and backed away, He started moving tables.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Ending this.”

  “What?”

  “You and I, Henry.”Robbie cleared the floor. “We’re going at it once and for all. No one is around to say who was fair.” Robbie moved another table. “No one is around to say who was right or wrong.” He walked back to Henry. “And no one is round to stop us.”

  “What? You wanna fight me?”

  “No.” Robbie shook his head with a snicker. “There will be no fight. A fight is when two people exchange blows. You won’t get that much of a chance.”

  Henry scoffed, “Don’t think I’m that easy.”

  “Don’t think I’m not. In fact.” Robbie lifted his chin. “Go ahead.” He bit his bottom lip with arrogance. “You can have the first shot. Go on.”

  “No!” Henry barked. “The first shot like I’m the underdog? Fuck you. You aren’t that bad, Robbie.”

  “Fine.” Robbie shrugged, clenched his fist tightly, took a half a step into Henry, and nailed him so hard Henry spun like a top and dropped to the floor. Robbie stood waiting. “You gonna get up?”

  Henry saw red and it wasn’t just his blood that laced the finger tips he looked at. He jumped up and dove for Robbie. Robbie saw him coming and was ready. Henry shouldn’t have charged for Robbie because when the momentum of his run met with the sliming of Robbie’s fist, Henry flew up and back, hitting against a table before rolling to the floor.

  Again, Robbie stood there, just waiting.

  “Robbie!” Ellen cried out as she ran into the Social Hall. “Robbie.” She caught her breath, shifted her eyes to Henry then grabbed Robbie shirt. “I need your help. I have to find Frank.”

  “What’s wrong?” Robbie turned. “El?” He saw her face, red, damp. “What happened?”

  Ellen could barely speak.

  <><><><>

  “Let’s move it people,” Frank ordered out as he kept an upbeat steady pace. “I thought you were tough. I thought you were young. Huh? I’m an old man compared to you, Jimmy.” Frank pointed. “Weren’t you all mouth a little while ago? Let’s go.”

  Joe looked up from his paper work with a snicker when he heard the thump of another kid dropping in exhaustion. Frank had cleared out lot of the Skills Room and, like the pied piper, jogged around the room with the children behind him. After twenty minutes, instead of seven, Frank had three left.

  When Joe heard the buzz of the Containment door, he didn’t think anything of it, until he heard multiple footsteps. He looked to the Skills Room entrance. Ellen and Robbie flew in. Joe stood up.

  “Frank.” Ellen raced to him. “I have to talk to you.”

  “El, look, I’m wearing them out.”

  “Please.” Ellen grabbed on to him

  The seriousness was written all over Ellen’s face and Frank stopped running. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know what to do.” She started crying. “I don’t know what to ...”

  “El?” Frank took her in his arms. “What happened?”

  “I have to tell Dean ... .” Ellen pulled back and looked up to Frank. She could see, through the corner of her eye, Joe and Robbie nearby. “I have to tell Dean. I don’t know how. How Frank? How do I tell him his father has died?”

  The feel of her words and their impact were felt in that room. Joe’s eyes immediately shut as he reached out and laid his hand firmly on Ellen’s shoulder.

  Frank stammered in words. Ellen came to him for help and he just didn’t know what to tell her. He could only pull her into him to give her the support that she was going to need, support she would have to give to Dean.

  <><><><>

  Like the music changing in a movie, the sight of Joe walking in the clinic with Ellen, and Robbie and Frank lingering outside the double doors was hint to Andrea something was amiss. She felt it in her heart and the closer she moved, she saw it in their faces. Joe walked toward her and Ellen turned into the lab. “Joe?”

  Joe shook his head took Andrea’s arm, and led her to her office.

  Ellen swore his name wouldn’t come out. She tried twice before it squeaked its way passed her vocal chords. “Dean.”

  “Hey El.” He turned around. “You’re back early did ... are you all right.” Dean moved quickly to her.

  Ellen shivered. “We have to talk.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  She swallowed and tried to speak. “Dean, your father ... William, I went out see William.”

  “Is he not coming? Is he making me handle this one alone? Shit.”

  “Dean.” Ellen took another breath and reached back to close the door. “Dean, I went over. William ... William has passed away.”

  The hands that rested on Ellen’s arms slid off. Dean stumbled back, breathless and pale.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Dean heart beat so strongly that his stomach felt it. He swayed his head. “El, tell me this didn’t happen.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Softly the word crept from him and Dean, saying no more, raced out of the lab.

  Was he sleeping? Dean closed the door when he walked into his father’s home. He felt that William had to be sleeping. There had to be a mistake on Ellen’s part. He saw his father on the couch, the novel Of Mice and Men, one of William’s favorites, still in his hand. He looked asleep, the way Dean always remembered him when he’d pass out on the couch. And that’s what William had done. Passed out while reading a book, but this morning, William wasn’t waking.

  Dean walked around the couch and dropped to the floor. He looked upon the closed eyes of William and rested his arm on his. Dean felt as if he should say something, but there was nothing he could say, no words he wanted to speak. A goodbye would be too late. The silence of the room that rang around was so quiet it echoed, a vigil for what was Dean’s saddest moment in his entire life.

  Ellen stood before the steps by the front door, Joe to one side of her, Frank and Robbie on the other. “I should go in now.”

  “It’s been a while,” Joe told her. “We have to move him to the Clinic.”

  “I don’t want to go in there, Joe.”

  “Kiddo.” Joe laid his hand on her cheek. “You have to. You’re the only one who should. That’s your husband. Go and ...”

  The front door opened and Dean, surprised, looked up. Immediately when he spotted Ellen, he stepped down and reached for her hand.

  “Son.” Joe laid his hand on Dean’s back. “I’m very sorry.”

  Dean nodded, gripping Ellen.

  “Dean,” Frank spoke very softly. “I’m sorry too.”

  Dean raised his head, his jaw twitching. His sad eyes glared at Frank, then Dean took Ellen’s hand and walked away quickly with her.

  Robbie backhanded Frank in the gut.

  “What?” Frank questioned the hit.

  “I told you not to say anything to him.”

  “It wasn’t me. Dad, was it me?”

  Joe sneered at his sons as if they were morons. “Let’s just go get William.” With a shake of his head, Joe walked into the house.

  <><><><>

  . The sadness of William’s death had taken over the entire town that night. There wasn’t a person who didn’t feel it or a person who acted normal. Everyone’s mood was solemn and no one said much the entire day. Anyone that met William, liked William, and they all grieved for him.

  “He’s not good.” Ellen spoke the explanation in Joe’s living room, setting the children’s belongings on th
e couch.

  “It was his father,” Joe said. “He’s not going to do good.”

  “No.” Ellen swayed her head and handed Joey to Frank. She looked at Andrea and Robbie who were there as well. “But what no one understands is, this is a loss for Dean, you, me, all of us. We all suffered horrible losses during the plague but Dean suffered none. His mother died a while ago and he’s just not going to handle it well.”

  Joe leaned into Ellen and kissed her on the cheek. “Let me know if I can do anything. If we need Rev. Bob to talk to him maybe we can do that.”

  Ellen nodded.

  Robbie walked to her. “El, I’m leaving. I’ll walk with you.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen moved to the door then looked back at everyone before leaving.

  Dean heard her coming, and the second Ellen walked into the house, he had to ask. “Did Robbie walk you?”

  “Yeah, why?” Before Ellen could shut the door, Dean had flown out.

  “Robbie.” Dean called as Robbie moved to his own house. “Can you come in?”

  Robbie didn’t know what Dean wanted, but he walked back to Dean’s house. “What’s up?”

  “I ... I need to talk to you.” Dean closed the door and walked over to the couch. He looked such a mess with his face red and his hair tossed. “You were the last person to see my father alive.”

  “Yeah.” Robbie’s head dropped.

  “How much time did you spend with him?” Dean asked.

  “He hung out at Containment for a couple hours.”

  Dean nodded. “Did you talk or just work?”

  “We talked,” Robbie answered.

  “Can you tell me what the last little bit of his life was like? Can you? What did you guys talk about? What were his last words? I need ... I need to know this.” Dean’s head dropped. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”