The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “From my neck?”

  “Yes.” The instrument was long and looked like a hollow syringe. It lay next to a test tube on the table. Dean took the syringe and placed the point to the area he had just wiped. “There will be a pinch and will make about an eighth of an inch mark.” Reaching around, Dean grabbed a long thin needle and inserted it in the anchor. “Again, just a pinch.” He watched for a flinch on Elliott’s face. Dean removed the needle and picked up another instrument. “One more pinch.” Dean was serious and focused as he performed his test. “Done.” He removed the small scissor-resembling object then the anchor and laid cotton over Elliott’s neck. “Hold this.” Dean took the test tube, uncapped it, and put the thin instrument in. “It looks like your growing a goatee.”

  “Robbie said I had to look intimidating. He suggested it.” Elliott tilted his head while Dean added a small bandage.

  “You’re not trying to be like Frank to get Ellen, are you?” Dean asked.

  Elliott laughed.

  “That’s funny?”

  “Yes.” Elliott contained his snickering. “Frank isn’t with Ellen anymore. Why would I wanna be like someone she gave up?” Elliott slid from the table. “Is that all?”

  “Um, yeah.” Dean began to clean up. “Thanks.”

  “Then I’m heading home . . .” He saw Dean suddenly look at him. “I mean to the house to get some sleep.” He moved to the door.

  “Elliott.” Dean called out. “What time are you supposed to be back on shift?”

  “Ten,” Elliott answered. “But we have a big training exercise tomorrow so I’ll probably start early.”

  “It’s . . . it’s not even noon yet. Try to get eight hours of sleep.”

  “Eight hours!” Elliott shook his head with a smile. “No. You and Ellen have this obsession about sleeping more. Dr. Hayes, I have lived off of three to four hours sleep a night since I realized how much time I spent doing it. Life’s too short to spend a third of it sleeping.” Elliott opened the door and walked out.

  Whispering, Dean picked up the test tube and looked at it. “You are absolutely right Elliott. Life’s too short.”

  ^^^^

  Johnny didn’t want to be late for work but he was tense. He figured it would be in everyone’s best interest if he loosened up. The quickie helped even though it was Bev.

  He strutted into the lab, expecting to get told about it from Dean or Ellen, but was delightfully surprised when it was empty.

  “Yes. I can kick back,” Johnny spoke out loud. Making his way to the blood work requisition box, Johnny’s eyes glanced over to the computer screen. The vision caused him to stop cold. “No.” He back tracked. “He never leaves these up like this. I am too lucky.” Doing his signature hand out motion, Johnny looked to the ceiling, mouthed the words ‘thank you’, and sat before the program.

  William Hayes. Johnny thought. Let’s see. Sequence number two? How about we make him sequence fourteen and sequence fourteen can be . . .

  “Johnny?” Ellen spoke with curiosity. “What are you doing?”

  Shit! Trying to get rid of the shocked ‘nervous’ that hit him, Johnny lifted his hand from the keyboard and turned around. Ellen was behind him. “Um, Dr. Dean left these up. He never does. He’s the only one with access to this . . .”

  “Oh my God.” Ellen all but rolled Johnny away from the screen.

  “That’s what I thought.” Johnny stood up and made a snarling face behind her back. He quickly flashed a fake smile when Ellen looked over her shoulder at him.

  “You saw this?”

  “I wasn’t sure if I was looking right,” Johnny said. When Ellen turned back to the screen, Johnny curled his lip in disgust and turned his head. He saw the readout in the printer. Walking quietly backwards, he reached for the paper.

  “William’s. Bev’s baby. Now let’s see Dean’s . . . Shit.” Ellen shook her head. “He took the disk. I can’t pull up Dean’s sequence.” She turned around just as Johnny lifted the paper. “What’s that?”

  “Um . . . wow!” Johnny faked happiness. “Look! Dr. Dean’s sequence. How lucky.”

  “He must have been working on this.” Ellen took the paper, looked at it, and stuck it in her lab coat. “I’ll talk to him. We’re working on Jeff. This is . . . this is good.” She backed up and started to leave the lab. “Oh!” She raced back to the computer, grasped the mouse, and exited the program. “Even though it’s you, this shouldn’t be up. See ya!”

  Johnny’s enthusiasm was the extreme opposite of Ellen’s. “Yeah. Bye.” He waved then dropped his hand when she left. “Fuck.”

  ^^^^

  Frank held the paper close to his eyes, reading it for the tenth time as he sat on the bed. Slowly he lowered it and handed it to Robbie.

  “Those were my results.” Robbie folded the paper. “Jason and Jess are working on them now and we’ll tell dad later what we found.”

  Frank just shook his head.

  “I know. It’s not good, but . . . we’re amateurs, right?”

  Frank gave a thumbs up.

  “How you feeling?”

  Closed mouth, Frank nodded.

  “Wanna talk, huh?” Robbie nudged him. “Go on. Talk. Go on.” He winked. “I won’t tell.”

  ‘Yeah right, you just wanna hear me fuckin squeak’, thought Frank

  “Come on Frank. It’s been two days. Bet you can. Try it.”

  Frank opened his mouth then shut it and shook his head. Nah

  “Baby.” Robbie tossed his hand at him. “I was hoping to hear that squeak.”

  Frank held up his swear-sign. He shot Robbie the finger.

  “Thanks. O.K. I’m out of here. I’ll be back later to go over the finals with you and Elliott about this training tomorrow.”

  Frank nodded.

  “Good plan.” Robbie walked to the door. He stopped in seriousness. “All kidding aside, I miss hearing you bitch, big brother. Hurry up and get well.” Giving a ‘Robbie’ smile, he walked out and shut the door.

  Frank felt slightly touched. He swung his legs up on the bed to lie down and get comfortable.

  The door opened again and Robbie popped his head in. “I do, however, really love that squeak.”

  Rolling his eyes, Frank plopped backwards again.

  ^^^^

  The bandage was pulled backwards as Dean and Ellen peered over Jeff. Jeff’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them as they examined his newly attached lips.

  “They’re big,” Ellen commented, shifting in her stance.

  “They’re swelled.” Dean said as his finger hovered over them. “I do like the lip choice you made.”

  “I think it will make Jeff look more distinguished with a pouty look.”

  “As long as he doesn’t grow fur,” Dean snickered then noticed Ellen moving about in one place. “El, what is up with you? You’re antsy. Go to the bathroom.”

  “No, I don’t have to go. I want to talk to you and I didn’t want to do it during the procedure.”

  “What’s up?” Dean reached for bandage.

  “I saw.” Ellen leaned even closer. “I saw the DNA sequences. William’s. Bev’s baby.”

  Dean raised his eyes. Ellen was right there. “I left them up?”

  “Yes, and I know where you’re going with it.”

  “And?” Dean feared her answer.

  Ellen exhaled. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. Well, of course I didn’t. We got rid of those samples, but not before she could have touched them. It falls in the time frame. How did you think of it?”

  Dean held back his smile. “I didn’t. Frank did.”

  “Frank. How did he . . .”

  “El.” Dean reached his hand up to her face so close. “You believe me?”

  “I’m starting to. I really am. I needed something so badly to grab on to and I think this is it. I really think . . .” Ellen was silenced when Dean slipped his hand further behind her neck, pulled her into him, and kissed her.

  De
an slowly pulled away, keeping his lips near hers, and his hands on her face.

  Jeff looked up with his shifting eyes.

  “Dean,” Ellen whispered. “Please understand how hard it is to believe you weren’t or aren’t with her.”

  “I’m not, El. I swear to you.”

  “This . . . this could prove she set you . . .” Another kiss silenced Ellen until Dean pulled away. “Up.”

  “I’m trying to prove that.”

  Through heavy breaths, Ellen looked at Dean.

  “El, I miss you.”

  “I miss you.”

  Jeff saw them drawing closer again. His eyes kept shifting as they hovered over him.

  “If you can just . . .” Dean kissed her lightly. “Give me one more chance, I swear to you I’ll prove I never did have anything to do with her.”

  “Dean . . .”

  “I love you, El.”

  Ellen let out a slight whimper as she reached across the bed for Dean, latching onto him, and kissing him. Dean released long enough from the kiss only to catch his breath and he grabbed on to her as well.

  Not that Jeff minded a happy reunion, but over his bed? He wanted to speak but his new lips were sewn closed. So . . . he hummed his words. He was ignored.

  Dean’s hands rapidly felt every inch of Ellen’s face. “Oh, God, did I miss you.”

  “I miss you.” Ellen spoke through her kisses. “We should sneak out of here.”

  The noise Jeff made was supposed to be the words ‘yes please go.’, but they were just noises.

  “I don’t know if I’ll make it home.” Hurriedly, Dean backed up and raced around the bed. He bodily met Ellen, pushed her back and onto the bed next to Jeff’s, and pulled the partition curtain closed as he did. Kissing her with passion, Dean scooted them both on the bed. His body was on hers, his hands moved up her leg and secured it around his waist.

  “Dean,” Ellen whispered. “We can’t.”

  “Yeah, we can.” Dean kept his lips in contact with Ellen’s. They paused only to release slight moans and catch simple breaths of air. In the heat of their passion, they ignored the vocal noisy pleas of Jeff trying to convey his uncomfortableness with them in the room.

  Ellen’s head went back. “We shouldn’t.”

  Dean lifted his head and laid an index finger over her lips. He shook his head and brought his lips to her neck. And then Dean stopped. He stopped kissing, moving and touching.

  “Dean? Dean, what’s wrong? Why’d you stop?”

  Something that vocally resembled ‘Thank God’ rang out from Jeff.

  Dean slid from Ellen, dropping her hair he held. “I thought you outgrew sucker bites.”

  “Huh?” Ellen sat up. “I don’t have a . . . shit!” She sprang from the bed and raced over to the mirror in the room. She lifted her hair and tilted her head. “Shit.” The small purple mark looked like a sucker bite, but it wasn’t. It was actually a bruise. When she turned around, Dean was walking out. “Dean.” She chased him, not seeing Jeff happily wave goodbye.

  Dean moved down the hall.

  “Dean. Wait.” Ellen caught him. She grabbed his arm with a giggle. “You’re gonna laugh. Check this out. I know this looks . . .”

  “I didn’t think you’d be with someone else so soon.” Dean turned around. “But then again, it’s you.”

  Ellen let go of his arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like. It’s you. You move on. You did move on. Screw anything we had. You probably never wanted to believe me in the first place.”

  “I can’t believe I even let you touch me. What was I thinking? You’ve got a problem.”

  “I’ve been dogged, El, big time, and I lost the support of the woman I love.”

  “And you think taking this ‘done wrong’ attitude is gonna help?”

  “Done wrong? I have been done wrong, El! And you’re benefitting from it.”

  “I can’t . . . forget it.” Ellen grunted then, with anger, pushed into Dean and stormed by him. “Fuck you, Dean.”

  “You don’t really need to, do you?”

  Ellen froze in her tracks. Her head slowly peered over her shoulder and she shot a fast glare at Dean before she spun around totally and marched straight up to him. She stood toe to toe with him. “You just may have lost any chance you ever had of getting back with me,” she said coldly then stepped back, talking as she walked backwards. “And just so you feel stupid, just so you feel like a real asshole for not letting me explain, Jess, Jenny, and I were trying out the ‘throw back to the seventies’ accessories Ben is releasing. Choker necklaces and Jess put mine on too tight. It pinched my neck.” With a single nod, Ellen turned around. “And . . . they look hideous.” She continued her stride down the corridor and around the bend. “Oh!” Ellen’s voice echoed his way. “Ask him!”

  “Ask him?” Dean tossed up his hands. As they lowered, he saw Jess turn the bend of the corridor. “Fine, I’ll ask him.” Dean walked up to Jess. “Did you pinch Ellen’s neck last night?”

  Jess choked out a shocked laugh. “Hello to you too, Dean.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Is it bad? I didn’t mean to. Is Frank in his room alone?” Jess pointed down the hall as he moved.

  Dean only nodded his response to the ‘Frank’ question, then he turned, leaned head first into the wall, and whined. He was only there a second when he heard Jess again.

  “Frank’s sleeping.” Jess said. “Hey.” He laid a hand on Dean’s back. “You O.K.?”

  Dean nodded, turned his head to watch Jess walk away, and then he stood straight, walked the opposite way down the hall and into Frank’s room. He slammed the door upon his entrance, causing Frank to jump. “Frank.” Dean ran his fingers through his own hair. “I fucked up again.”

  Frank almost grunted.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  New Bowman, Montana

  Hal’s finger grazed across his stubbly top lip. “I think these are the best fifty men to send.” He pushed a sheet across his desk to Corporal Lewis.

  “I have to agree,” the corporal said. “We have fax capabilities. Have you sent this to Sgt. Ryder? There are a few post men he may argue about with you.”

  “Who?” Hal asked.

  “Stanford and James.”

  Hal nodded as he reviewed the list. “But good post men aren’t as important here since we are radar protected. Just good soldiers. Less these fifty, that leaves us four hundred and seventy-two soldiers. We’re good. They go. Beginnings has offered to launder any extra uniforms these men will need. Can you get that together?”

  “Right away, sir.”

  “Good, then we can ship these men to Beginnings tomorrow for their . . .” Hal looked up to the knock on his door. “Come in.”

  Grace entered. Both Hal and the corporal stood. “Please.” Grace lowered her hand for them to sit. “Captain, may I bother you a moment?”

  “Certainly. Do you need Corporal Lewis to leave?”

  “No. No. First, how is Francis?”

  “Better, thank you,” Hal responded. “He still can’t talk.”

  Grace contained her smile. “I’m glad he’s making progress. Second thing, Fr. O’Brien. Monica went to speak to him about baptizing the baby and . . . he’s intoxicated, sir. Again.”

  “I’ll handle that.”

  “And last . . .” Grace exhaled. “I need a jury pool, probably about fifty men. None of our women want to participate because we’re dealing with a conviction of a woman. However, discovery is Thursday and I want to set a trial date. Can you pool some men?”

  Hal looked to Corporal Lewis. “The Corporal and I can draw up a lottery. Will that work?”

  “Yes. Thank you. I’ll leave you be.” Grace smiled and moved to the door. She paused before leaving. “Captain, just another little thing. I wanted to pass along to you how happy I am that you found the woman of your dreams.”

  Hal kept a forced smile upon his face. “Thank y
ou.” He kept the smile there until Grace had left.

  “Captain?” Corporal Lewis questioned. “The woman of your dreams?”

  “I haven’t any idea what she’s talking about. As long as she is not bitching, I’ll nod and say thank you.” Hal resumed his work, truly and utterly clueless.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  A long grunt came from Richie just before he reached across the table in the Skills Room and smacked Sammy on the hand. “No!”

  Sammy whimpered and held his hand. He leaned drastically to the right and one side of his hair was longer than the other. It wasn’t from a bad haircut; it was from Sammy’s continuous pulling of his own hair on one side of his head.

  “Mine.” Richie collected the dominos. “Asshole. You wonder why I don’t like you.”

  “I . . . I . . .” Sammy spoke slowly. “I . . .”

  “You what?” Richie lost patience.

  “Like you.”

  “Oh, who cares?” Richie snapped. “You knocked over my damn dominoes after I was setting them up for an hour.”

  ‘Fun.”

  “Right. Bye.”

  Jason shook his head as he entered into the Skills Room. “Hostility, Richie.”

  “Bite me.” Richie looked over his shoulder and saw it was Jason. “I mean . . .”

  “This ought to be good. What did you mean?”

  “I’m pissed.”

  “And why are we pissed today?” Jason asked in a pacifying manner,

  “Sammy knocked over my dominoes.”

  “Sammy,” Jason said in a soft scold. “That isn’t nice. Richie, are we ready?”

  “This is dumb.”

  “I’m sure you believe that.”

  “I’m going nuts in here.” Richie stood up. “How much longer?”

  “Until we see you’re fit to leave.” Jason led him to Ellen’s office.

  “I was perfectly fine before you people locked me in the mental zoo.”