Johnny didn’t bother sealing it or folding it. He rested it up on the desk in his room so it would be spotted and there would be no qualm about what happened. However, the way Johnny set it up, surely there would be no debate.
Mike’s old revolver that he kept in the burrow of the dining room was loaded.
It was so old fashion that Johnny couldn’t recall ever seeing one.
It had a spinning barrel that the bullets actually slipped into. He hated to use a revolver that belonged to Mike in a personal capacity, but it was the only gun around. Johnny felt it was the only way to do it.
He checked to make sure the bullets were in there then Johnny walked slowly to the chair and sat down.
His hands shook, his body trembled, yet his mind was clear of what he had to do. With the gun held firmly in his hand, Johnny closed his eyes. A tear rolled down his check from the pressure of his creased lids. He brought the revolver to under his chin.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. “God, please help me.” He clicked back the hammer.
Finger ready to depress, just about there, Johnny stopped when he heard the loud continuous horn beeping outside.
“Chief Manis!” a voice yelled. “You there?”
“Yeah,” Mike responded.
Mike was in the house? Johnny thought and replaced the hammer on the gun.
“What’s up?” Mike asked. “Something wrong?”
“No, something’s right. Is Dr. Rayburn with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” the man yelled, “because that call for help he made just arrived. The Beginnings plane just landed.”
No. No. Johnny sprang up. He didn’t hear what he just did. Johnny raced to the window. He ran his hand under his eyes and peered out to Lars jumping into the Jeep. Was it true? Did Lars really send word for help? Was it for himself? For the tumor? There now were unanswered questions and the route Johnny was about to embark on was no longer viable, not at least until he received answers. Heading out of the room with intention of returning the gun to Mike’s room, Johnny had to find out.
He was uplifted, even for a second. A heartbeat away from death and the whisper of a small prayer he recited may have very well been answered.
Help on the way in the form of one very important package . . . Home.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
As if a jolt of streaming electricity, Mike’s anger flowed in the form of a felt energy into Johnny when his hand locked onto Johnny’s wrist as Johnny replaced the gun.
“Mike . . .”
“What were you thinking?” Mike said in a stone cold way. “No, don’t answer. I know what you were thinking.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt anyone.”
“You don’t think?” Mike asked. “You don’t think it would have hurt me if you did this. Christ, John I took you in. I took you under my roof, my wing, my family.”
Johnny’s eyes closed. “Mike, I was so . . .”
“I know how you are.”
“I‘m scared.”
“I know that too.” Mike took the gun and stuck it in the drawer. “But dying or running is not the way to face things. You want to die? I can give you plenty of ways to get yourself killed by doing good things. Die a hero’s course, Johnny, not a coward’s way.”
“I didn’t want to die.”
“Then why were you even considering that?”
“Because I don’t want to become what I was,” Johnny spoke passionately. “That is why I wanted to do it.”
“I hope to God this is all past tense.” Mike stepped to Johnny. “Tell me this will not be a concern of mine.”
“Is Beginnings here for me?”
Mike nodded. “It looks that way. Lars sent a messenger asking them to help with your tumor.”
Johnny closed his eyes in gratefulness. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Fuck, Johnny, I’m glad we didn’t. If they turned us down, how bad would you be then?”
“Who . . . who is coming.”
“We asked for Dr. Hayes.”
“Dean?” Johnny opened his eyes. “Dean’s here?” he asked with enthusiasm.
“That’s what we think. Lars is greeting him now.” Mike watched the smile drop from Johnny’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh my God. Lars . . . is greeting Dean.”
“A little excitement never hurts. Let’s go downstairs and wait for them.”
“Sounds good.” Johnny started to walk, but stopped. He looked at the picture of Mike’s wife on Mike’s dresser. “You know, Mike, I should have taken that picture of Dylan as a sign of hope.”
“Dylan’s picture? Why?” Mike asked.
“You know. I told you. Home. Geez.” Johnny walked by Mike and out the door.
“I know home geez?” Mike questioned. “No, I don’t.” he said as he followed Johnny/ He was certain he would eventually find out what Johnny meant. Maybe later, but at that moment, Mike was almost as enthusiastic about meeting Dr. Hayes as Johnny was.
^^^^
The Beginnings’ plane had landed about a mile and a half outside of Lodi on an old highway. Lars instructed the driver to stop some distance from the plane, about a football field length. He wanted to walk up and greet the Beginnings people, be the first, and make the best impression. Once out of the Jeep, Lars stopped and checked his reflection in the side view mirror.
“How do I look?” Lars asked. “Professional?
“Very.”
Lars peered to the plane and watched as the side door dropped. “Kind of like Close Encounters, only the Alien is Dr. Hayes.”
“That him?” The driver pointed as Ellen stepped out, covered her eyes with one hand, waved then got back in the plane.
“Yes. Dr. Hayes is small. He must have let his hair grow some.”
“He looks awfully feminine.”
“Well, I for one always thought he was queer,” Lars said. “Stay here until I call for you.”
“You sure you don’t want me to join you.”
“Positive. I want to make a good impression. Not a . . . Harley impression.” Lars smiled then walked to the plane. It didn’t take him long to get there and he arrived just as Robbie stepped out.
Swinging the M-16 behind his back, Robbie lifted his sunglasses.
“Hello,” Lars said brightly, walking to Robbie with an extended hand. “Are you the pilot?”
“And protector,” Robbie replied.
“I’m Lars Rayburn.”
“Ah.” Robbie nodded knowingly. “Yeah, the guy who called for help.”
“I prefer to say assistance but that’s trivial. I have a car.”
“We have lots of things.”
“Good. We can unload and I’ll take you into Lodi.”
Robbie shook his head. “The unloading will take a while. I’d like to hang back for a bit. Get used to the thought.”
“Thought?” Lars asked.
“You can say I have a family member in Lodi I am not so sure I want to face.”
“Johnny.”
“Yep.”
“Obviously you are too young to be the grandfather he shot. Are you the father he shot . . . twice, mind you?” Lars asked.
“No, I’m his uncle.”
“The one he set booby traps for, tried to frame and then tried to kill?”
“No. I’m the one whose arm he blew off.” Robbie lifted his right arm.
“Prosthetic?”
“Bionic.”
“Did Dr. Hayes . . .”
“No, two eccentric China men, Danny and Henry.”
Lars grinned. “Excellent.” The smile turned to shock when he saw Ellen step from the plane. The site of her stumbled him back, way back. Lars just stared in amazement.
“Robbie, I tried to move . . .” Ellen slowed down. “Dr. Rayburn?”
“Yes,” Lars said pleasantly. He quickly snapped out of his daze. “And you are?”
“Dr. Hayes.”
Lars took a step back. “Last I knew you were a ma
n.”
Ellen snickered. “The Dr. Hayes you are thinking of still is a man.”
Robbie interjected, “That is arguable in Beginnings, El.”
“El? As in Ellen?” Lars questioned.
“Yes. You know me.”
“Johnny has spoken of you,” Lars replied.
Robbie intervened, “Since he mentioned he shot my dad, his dad . . .”
“Twice mind you.” Lars corrected.
“Twice mind you,” Robbie continued. “And how he blew me up and tried his hand at Hal, did he mention how he tried to make her insane?”
“He failed to tell us that one.” Lars said then extended a hand to Ellen. “Are you really Dr. Hayes as well?”
“Yes. I’m a doctor. Dean is my husband, I mean, ex husband.”
“Then it is a pleasure to meet you.” Lars brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Ellen giggled. “Thanks.”
“Well, my fair and intelligent lady, shall I help you unload and then take you into Lodi?”
“Actually . . . Robbie’s wanting to adjust. Anyhow . . . maybe he can unload and you can take me to Lodi . . . now?” Ellen asked almost pleadingly.
“I can do that,” Lars responded. “The driver will take us in and he can return to Robbie and they can bring the stuff to the clinic. Will that work?”
Robbie nodded his answer. “Yeah, that works for me. I think I want to avoid being seen, if you know what I mean.”
“I do and my lab facility is the place for that.” Lars turned to Ellen. “I suppose I’ll take you straight to my clinic as well?”
“No.” Ellen shook her head. “I would prefer you take me straight to Johnny.”
^^^^
Though Mike couldn’t see the Jeep just yet, he did hear it coming. Releasing the curtain from the window from which he peeked, he turned, “John, come on. I hear them coming.”
“Sorry.” Johnny hurried down the steps, tucking in his shirt. “I didn’t expect them so fast.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “How do I look?”
“Better. Clean. Not as drained.”
“Good.” Johnny laid his hand on his stomach. “I’m nervous. But then again, it’s Dr. Dean. Dr. Dean is fair. He will give me the benefit of the doubt with this tumor. He will. That’s good,” he rambled. “He is really not that bad, despite what Lars says.”
Mike chuckled. Then he and Johnny both turned the heads to the sound of the stopping Jeep. “Good luck to you, Johnny.”
“You’re not coming?’
“I’ll let you go first.” Mike nodded
Johnny walked to the door with Mike behind him. After a breath, he opened the front door and stepped out. A second later he flew in. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“That’s not Dean.” Johnny’s face went pale. “Mike, it’s not Dean.” He sounded panicked. “Give me a second.” He took another breath.
Wondering who was there, Mike foregoing the plan to let Johnny go first, stepped outside onto the porch. He focused, stopped, blinked, and lost all breath, “Oh my God.” frozen right there, watching Ellen step from the keep, Mike couldn’t move. He didn’t budge until Johnny brushed by him.
A lump so huge formed in Johnny throat when Ellen stopped at the end of the walk. She stared back at him, probably in disgust, fear maybe. He had to greet her, say something, face the music.
He walked slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. His mind was racing a million miles an hour, preparing for her blast of, ‘I’m here because I have to, not because I want to’. Johnny was ready for that.
What he wasn’t ready for was for Ellen to pummel him. Not with her fist, but with her body, arms and her heart.
Ellen moved faster toward Johnny than he toward her. She just grabbed him. Ellen just grabbed him and pulled him tighter and tighter to her as if she were trying to absorb him.
What happened? What caused the reaction from her? It should have been hatred when instead Ellen projected a mother’s hold.
That was it.
Ellen was always like a mother to him.
Whatever the reason, Johnny couldn’t take it. His legs buckled, his head dropped to a bury in her shoulder and holding on to Ellen as well, Johnny broke down and cried.
With his hands in his pockets, Lars walked by the reuniting duo to the porch where Mike stood just staring out, the same position he held when he walked out of the door.
“It shocks me too,” Lars said as he joined Mike and looked at Johnny and Ellen. “She says she still has tests to run to satisfy Beginnings, but . . . she is here because of the results. I expected her to not want anything personally to do with him. I asked her. Her response was she wasn’t here to look at what he did. She was here to look at him as her child, her sick child.”
Mike only shifted his eyes to Lars.
“Yes, Mike that’s his stepmother.”
“Oh my God,” Mike whispered out.
“He tried to drive her insane.”
Mike ignored the comment.
“However, I am amazed by the family reunion. You?”
“No.” Mike shook his head. “I’m amazed at how much she looks like Dylan.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
It was the heavy outpouring breath that caught Dean’s attention.
Hand covering his mouth, Frank looked down to the counter in the cryo-lab.
“Are you all right?” Dean asked.
“Yeah. Go on.”
“As I told you, some of scans that they did, this Lars guy didn’t send. He photocopied them, in a sense.”
“Could they be doctored?”
“Could be, but according to Doyle, Lars wouldn’t do that. If Lars sent this, then it’s real.”
“Any chance Lars didn’t send it?”
“Again, something I thought of too,” Dean said. “But Doyle, knowing these people and the way the town works, said the head of the town would not allow one of his men to take a cross country trip if Lars didn’t authorize it.”
Frank nodded. “So this is indication of a tumor?”
“Yes.”
“Could it not be Johnny’s?”
“Possibly.” Dean shrugged. “What this Lars guy sent was scans, copies of x-rays, blood work, physical evaluation, mental history, recent medical history, and his theory. What he requested was Johnny’s full medical history and for us to help with this tumor.”
“Can we?” Frank asked.
Dean went silent.
“We can’t.”
“Hard to say, Frank. There is no depth to the pictures so it’s hard to tell actual size, and placement.”
“Didn’t this Lars guys send that.”
“Yeah, but who is this Lars guy, right?” Dean said. “Chances are he’s some hick who self appointed himself doctor.”
“True.”
“That’s why El is there.”
Frank’s head lowered.
“I would have gone, Frank but I was . . . detained?”
“What exactly is she doing there, medical wise?”
“Same tests. More scans. There are certain tests that concur a brain tumor that Lars didn’t perform.”
“Yeah, but Dean, you can’t blame the Lars guy. He doesn’t know any better.”
“True,” Dean continued. “Also, El is going to do a biopsy before she leaves and pre-test it there. Then I’ll recheck everything. Then, and only then, will we diagnose and prognoses.”
“I see,” Frank said. “How long will she be gone?”
“Well, aside from the testing, she’s gonna do some set up work there get them real medical supplies. Three days, maybe.”
“Good.”
“This time.”
Frank quickly looked. “This time?”
“Well, Frank, if the tumor is determined to be operable, we’ll have to go there to do it. You and I both know there’s no way Johnny can come home for this.”
“I know. Because of that, no one is to know. No one is to find out and especially ei
ther my dad or Hal are to know I was asking.”
Dean chuckled. “You’re being ridiculous. This is your son. You still love him. Frank, if this tumor is legit, he does have sound medical reasoning for his behavior.”
“That’s all well and fine, Dean. You know that, but people, they won’t care.”
Dean only nodded in silence, a silence that was broken when there was a buzz at the cryo-lab door. Dean reached under the counter to remotely open the door. “It must be Jason. He keeps forgetting the code.”
“I do appreciate you telling me about my son.”
Jenny’s ‘you too?’ rang into the room.
Both Frank and Dean turned around.
“Me too what?” Frank asked.
“Visiting?” Jenny stood, carrying a stuffed animal and a book.
“Visiting?” Frank questioned.
“Your son, silly.” Jenny walked across the lab. “I won’t be in your way. I’m going to read to Brian and Caroline.”
“Shit.” Dean’s eyes widened.
“Dean.” Frank snickered. “She can read to them.”
“No, Frank she can’t,” Dean said through clenched teeth.
“Dean, it’s not like she’ll wake them up or . . .” Frank shut up when Dean nodded. ‘Fuck.”
“What?” Jenny asked.
Dean walked around and stopped her. “You can’t go back there.”
“Why? I always come in to read.”
“Maybe another time,” Dean scurried her away. “Tomorrow.”
“I miss her,” Jenny argued. “Why can’t I see her?”
Frank, with quick thinking, interjected, “The floor.”
“The floor?” Jenny questioned.
“Is . . . Is . . .” Frank stumbled.
“What’s wrong with the floor?”
“It’s . . . not . . .” Frank paused.
“There.” Dean continued. “Ok, you got us.” he shrugged. “We had a collapse of the floor in there. We don’t want it to get out.”
“Oh my God.” Jenny was offended. “Are the children . . .”
“Fine. Fine.” Dean led her out. “The case is actually secured to the wall.”
“Good thing,” Frank continued, “because there is no floor in that room.”
The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20 Page 349