Dean flung open the door to his room. “You don’t even comprehend anything do you? You took me at the lowest point in my personal life. You snatched me up when I needed to resolve things. So yeah, I’m pissed. I miss my kids. What are they going to think? How’s Ellen going to deal with that? With them?”
“I would have let you talk to her. But no, you just dropped the radio and walked away.”
Dean turned to face Robbie. “O.K., I want to talk to her . . . Now.”
“Nope can’t do that. Not now. I have to be careful you know, I can’t have you passing information back and forth.”
Dean took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s not Joe that we’re talking about, it’s Ellen. Anything I say to her will be on a personal level. Either about us, or our children. O.K.?”
“Nope. Dean, it’s my game. My rules, man. Sorry.”
Dean said nothing, he merely slammed the door sternly in Robbie’s face.
***
Ellen cupped Frank’s hand in hers, tracing small circles on the outside of it. She could feel the roughness of his hand, the strength that he always held in them. Occasionally, while talking she’d bring her lips to them, smelling his skin, tasting him.
Frank had made it through the crucial first twelve hours. His heart remained strong. Andrea was more than confident that a full recovery would be imminent. Still, Ellen needed to speak to him, hear his voice, feel him. Ellen knew, the moment he opened his eyes, she would be relieved. Things would be different between them once he awoke. They had to. Her recent inner revelation of feelings for Frank would forever change the course of their relationship . . . she thought.
“Hey.” Joe called from across the room and walked closer. “How’s things going?” He watched Ellen weakly shake her head and Joe stepped to her, pulled Ellen away from Frank and took her in his arms. “It will be all right.”
Ellen felt that it would. Feeling secure, feeling like a small child wrapped in safety in her father’s arms. She needed him to hold her like that. Ellen for the first time, in a long time, was beginning to fall apart. Her strength lay in the bed next to her.
“Come on.” Joe pulled gently, moved her from his chest. “Get yourself together. The twins are in the waiting room. I’ll help you get them settled into containment.”
Ellen ran the back of her hand across her nose. “Have they asked about Dean?”
“Yes they have. The great thing about kids is, you can change the subject and they never even know.”
“We have to tell them.”
“We do.” Joe put his arms around her shoulder and began to walk toward the door with her. “I will be with you when you do. Let’s go get them.”
Ellen sniffled, looked back one more time at Frank, then walked from the room with Joe.
***
Henry looked oddly at his key that seemed to be somewhat bent. “Shit.” He shook his head and picked up his pace as he made his way to the receiving center to find George who was packing up the radio.
“Hey, Henry.” George looked up as he gathered up the wires. “I was thinking about the radio situation. I was thinking the containment center, in that front little office. We always have security on there and we wouldn’t have to have an extra man on radio watch. Kill two birds with one stone. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.” Henry looked at his key again. “George can I borrow your key?”
“Which one?”
“The master panel key. Mine seems to be bent.”
George unhooked his batch of keys from his belt. “How in the hell did you bend that key? We never use it.”
“I don’t know maybe I sat on it. But you’d think I would have felt it. It’s probably about time we thought about going keypad.”
George snickered and took the security key from the clip and tossed it to Henry. “Here. Don’t bend mine.”
“I won’t.” Henry caught it. “I’ll make another one for myself tomorrow.”
“What are you doing with it?” George asked.
“I want to do a perimeter history, you know see if the system was overridden at all. I need this key to get into the system.”
“What for?”
“It’s just an option we haven’t checked, as far as figuring out how Robbie got in goes.”
George just shook his head as he finished packing up the radio. “We didn’t check it, no. But you and I both know there are only five people that can override that panel. The council, Frank, and John Matoose. We all have keys.”
“Count me out since I never use mine, and I haven’t a clue how long it’s been out of commission. John and Frank are the ones who check that panel twice a day.” Henry gripped the key. “But humor me please. It’s just a corner we haven’t checked. I just want to eliminate it.”
“Considered yourself humored.”
“Thanks.” Henry took the key and left the receiving center. He headed to the security systems building. Though running a history on the perimeters could be a waste of an hour, Henry had to check it. Even if it was just to say he left no stone unturned.
***
Dean lay on his bed, hands behind his head, looking up at the cracked ceiling. His head started to feel a little better. His anger level beginning to leave. Dean didn’t want that. He wanted to stay angry, at Ellen and the world. But so much had happened. All he could think about was Ellen and the kids.
Ellen.
It was over, really over. It didn’t matter how many times in the past they pulled away from each other. When Dean thought of home, he thought of her. She and the kids were his family. His entire life. And what made matters worse for him was, he didn’t even know when and if he’d see his family again.
The door knob to Dean’s room clicked once. A lantern illuminated Robbie as he walked in. “Dean?”
“Yeah?” Dean glanced over, his voice more somber.
Robbie slid a chair over to the bed. “I told you I like you. I have nothing against you. I’ll never forget how you stood up for me when they ousted me.” Robbie brought his hand up and set a radio on the table next to Dean’s bed. “I don’t know exactly what you are feeling. But maybe if you talk to her it will clear your mind enough to make this situation tolerable for you.”
Dean looked at the radio. “You’re just handing me your radio?”
“How did you put it before? It’s not Joe, it’s Ellen.” Robbie relaxed back in the chair. “Go ahead. Channel six, they’ll pick you up.”
Dean swung his legs over the bed and sat up. He picked the radio up from the table, and held it close to his mouth. He thought about what he would say before he called out to her.
***
“So you see . . .” Joe picked up Billy and placed him on his lap. “Daddy’s on a business trip. That’s why you’re sleeping in this big room with all these kids. Most of these kids, their parents are on trips. But your dad, his business trip will keep him away for awhile. He’ll be back.”
Billy tilted his head sideways. “Pap? What’s a business trip?”
Joe laughed and hugged Billy at the same time George stepped into the doorway.
George looked shocked. “Ellen?”
Ellen turned around smiling. “Done already George? Radio working?”
“You could say that. Ellen, someone’s on there wanting to talk to you.”
Ellen quickly looked at Joe, then George. “Who?”
“I’d rather not say in front of the kids. Come on.”
Ellen placed Alex down, as Joe did with Billy, and they followed George out in to the small front office.
George pulled out the chair at the desk for Ellen, and sat her in front of the radio. He handed her the microphone. “Go on.”
Ellen depressed the button. “Hello?”
“Ellen,” Dean spoke softly. Her name rolled off his tongue almost as a sigh of relief.
“Dean,” she called excitedly. “Dean, are you O.K.?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dean’s attitude was much different than w
hen he had spoken to the community earlier. He was calmer. He sounded more depressed. “How are the kids?”
“They miss you.”
“Tell them . . .” Dean released the button, regained his composure, then spoke again. “Tell them I love them and I miss them.”
“I’ll do that. Dean, I know this may not be a good time. I have to tell you something. I want to tell you I’m sorry. Really sorry.”
Ellen’s words made Dean’s heart beat stronger, so strong he could feel the emotion in his throat. “You’re right, El. It’s not a good time.” He paused. “But . . . the only reason I’m allowed to radio is to talk to you.”
“Then talk to me.” Ellen whispered in a beg. “Tell me anything. Yell at me. Scream. Please.” Ellen beckoned anything other than the demeanor Dean projected.
“I’m angry, El. Really angry. You said . . . you said you’d marry me. You never said you wouldn’t. Was the baby, was that the problem you had to deal with.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you come to me?” Dean asked with passion. “Huh? We could have worked through it. We could have. I would have tried.”
“I wanted to. But then . . .” Ellen emotionally searched for the right words.
“But then Frank got shot and you realized who you really loved. I have to go.”
“Dean, no.” Desperation laced Ellen’s voice. “Be careful. We need you.”
It was slight, but it was still an emotional chuckle. “You know what would have made tonight bearable. If you would have just . . . just said, instead of ‘we’, said ‘you’ needed me.” Dean turned off the radio and handed it back to Robbie. “Thanks.”
Robbie held his thumb up to Dean. “Way to lay on the guilt.”
Dean ignored him, and lay back down.
“Dean!” Ellen called into the radio. “Dean?”
George took it from her hands. “He’s gone.”
Ellen covered her face with her hands. “Oh, God?”
Joe hovered over Ellen. “Stop.” He helped her from the chair. “This is a good sign. They let Dean call. They trust what he says,. We can use that.”
Ellen stood up slowly. “Let’s just hope our using that doesn’t get him in trouble. I’m gonna go say goodnight to the kids.” Ellen reached for the door to the hallway that was still open. She paused, and her hand tremble as she pulled it back.
“What’s wrong?” Joe put his hand on her back.
“Oh nothing.” Ellen shook her head. “I feel a little dizzy.”
“When’s the last time you ate?” Joe noticed the clueless look on her face. “I thought so. Let’s get the kids down and how about I fix you one of my famous Joe’s egg sandwiches. Huh?”
“Sounds great.” She moved slowly down the hall and spotted Alexandra standing in the doorway of the skills room. Ellen waved and Alex took off running to her. “Hey sweetie.” She bent down and scooped her daughter up in her arms. As she lifted Alex waist high, a intense pulling pain occurred from her stomach up, causing Ellen to immediately put down her daughter, and gasp aloud.
“Ellen?” Joe moved to her.
Ellen lifted herself from the half huddled position. She held up her hand to Joe. “Please get them into bed for me.”
“Ellen what’s wrong?”
“Please Joe.” Ellen turned away and saw her office a few feet from her. With every step she took the pain within her increased. She went into her office and shut her door. “No.” She spoke softly. “Please stop.” She took slow deeps breaths, trying to calm herself, trying to pass off the pain. It was useless. A cramp stronger than the last struck her, and Ellen cringed in pain loudly, grabbing hold of her desk for support. Her legs felt weak as the pain emanated down through them. The cramping grew stronger in her abdomen. She couldn’t stand any longer. She lowered herself to the floor and pulled her knees close to her as she leaned against her desk. She rocked back and forth, trying her hardest to fight off the pain.
“Ellen!” Joe burst into her office. He saw her huddled at the foot of her desk. “Honey.” He knelt down next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll uh, I’ll be all right.” Ellen reached her arm out to him. “Help me get up.”
Joe helped her to her feet and ran his hand across her pale face. “Something’s wrong.”
“I’m fine. I’m . . .” Ellen began to lose her balance, and she gasped loudly in pain. She fell into Joe.
As he tried to stop her from falling, he noticed it. The blood that lay on the floor where Ellen had been sitting. “Oh no, the baby.” He picked Ellen up into his arms, and carried her out, only stopping long enough to tell George to radio Andrea.
***
The smell of tobacco and the sensation of fingers running across her face, woke Ellen. Her eyes felt heavy as she opened them to the brightness of the clinic room. Joe sat next her. His face close to hers, his hand grasping tightly to her hand. “Joe?”
“Hey.” He ran his fingers over her hair.
The room was so quiet. Looking around, Ellen saw Andrea. She stood at the other side of her, tucking in the white blanket that covered her from the chest down. “Did I pass out?”
Andrea smoothed out the blanket. “You’ve been out for a little while, yes.”
The look. The look on their faces. Something had happened. Ellen knew. “Andrea?”
Andrea lowered her head and rested her hand on Ellen’s knee. “I’m sorry, you’ve lost the baby.”
“No.” Ellen shook her head. “No.”
“Ellen it was too late. There was nothing I could do. You were bleeding very badly. I had to do an extraction to stop the hemorrhaging.”
“No.” Ellen brought her arm over her eyes and fought back the tears. “What did I do?” She bent up her knees and rolled into a fetal position toward Joe. Ellen’s words cried out with her every heartache. “What did I do? I lost Frank’s baby. How can I face him with this? We just heard the heartbeat.”
Joe covered her with his arms. Trying to calm her, holding her tight as her body shook while she wept.
Andrea rubbed her hands down Ellen’s arched back. “There was nothing you could have done to prevent it. With everything you’ve been through, it could have been physically worse on you. I want you to rest here tonight. I’ll give you something to calm you.” Andrea didn’t know what to say to Ellen. Her heart ached for her. Deciding to leave Ellen and Joe alone, Andrea turned from the room. Henry stood in the doorway. She approached him. “What is it Henry?”
“I need to speak to Joe.”
Andrea pulled him to the hall. “It’s not a good time. Ellen lost the baby. Can it wait?”
Henry looked into the room, he saw Ellen breaking down into Joe’s arms. He wanted to leave them to their moment. He knew Ellen needed Joe. But what he had to talk to Joe about was vital. “It really is important, Andrea. I would leave if it wasn’t.”
“I’ll get him.” Andrea slowly walked into the room, she bent into Joe and whispered in his ear. “Joe. Henry needs to speak to you.”
“Tell him not now.”
“He’s says it’s very important.”
Joe lifted his head and looked at Henry who paced back and forth in front of Ellen’s door. “It must be. Can you stay with Ellen?”
“Sure.”
Joe stood up. “I’ll be back.” He kissed Ellen, then walked out into the hall to Henry. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Joe.” Henry peeked into the room then pulled Joe further down the hall. “I wouldn’t bother you if this wasn’t extreme.”
“What’s wrong?”
Henry was apprehensive about telling Joe, and Joe sensed it. “I, uh, I figured out how Robbie broke into the community.”
“This is what you call extreme? My daughter is in there and she needs me. You came to tell me you know how Robbie dug himself in?”
“No, Joe. We’ve been looking in the wrong direction. All along we were kicking ourselves for thinking he crawled in under our n
oses. And while we covered almost every square inch watching for him, he walked right in the front tunnel gate.”
“He what?!”
“Look.” Henry pulled a sheet of paper from his back pocket. “Just on a hunch I pulled a history on the perimeter to see if it was overridden and shut off. It was, four times. Twice to let him in. Twice to let him out.”
“That’s impossible. Only five of us have the key to do that, none of us would have done that.”
“Take a look.” Henry showed him the paper.
Joe read over it carefully. “Henry, it was your key that opened the perimeter.”
“I know, but I didn’t do it. Someone got a hold of my key.”
“How in the hell did someone do that?”
Henry put his head down, shaking it back and forth. “Let’s just say I was vulnerable to this person.”
“You know who it is?”
Henry nodded.
“Take me to them. Now!”
Without knocking. Without thinking. Without even trying the doorknob. Joe, with a fury, kicked in the front door of the second house on the third row. Wood splinters went flying, as a shriek of surprise was heard coming from the dining room.
Joe pulled out his gun and charged in. With his weapon extended in front of him, Joe pointed his revolver at Michelle who sat at her dining room table, a spilled cup of coffee now before her.
“Oh my God.” She tried to stand.
“Sit down!” He pointed the gun at her. “Now!”
Michelle nervously held up her hands. “What’s going on? What . . .”
“Shut up!” Joe motioned his gun to Henry. “Get in here, Henry.”
Henry walked into the room. He stared long and cold at Michelle.
With a frightened look on her face, her eyes pleaded to Henry. “What did I do? Please tell me.”
Henry shook his head at her and walked behind her chair. “I guess you’re the one who’s fucked now.”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 68
