The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  Ellen sat at his side. The bed railing was down, she held tightly to his hand, staring down at it, as her head rested gently on his thigh. The room was silent and Ellen’s eyes began to feel heavy. She wanted so much to be alert when he woke up. Just a few minutes of rest. She thought. Just a few minutes and then there will be the second wind. Knowing she couldn’t hold herself awake any longer, she let herself relax. She parted her lips and kissed Frank’s hand, laying her cheek against it. “I will see you soon, Frank.” She whispered. “Very soon.” As she drifted, slumber just moments away, into the half dream phase, she felt it. The twitch of the fingers of the hand she held, followed by heavy feeling of a hand pressing against the back of her head, sliding down her slowly. Was she dreaming? Afraid to look for fear of disappointment, Ellen slowly lifted her eyes to see.

  Frank looked down at her. His dark eyes slightly parted and groggy. “You know, El.” Frank cleared his throat, and moistened his lips. His voice was hoarse, almost strained as he tried to speak to her. “If you stay down there any longer, you’re gonna excite me.”

  He was back. Frank was back. The smile he gave, the perverted sense of humor. All of which made Ellen’s heart jump from within her, as she flung herself from her chair closer to him. “You’re all right.” She ran her fingers across his face, feeling it. She touched his lips with her fingertips before she kissed him. “Say something again, please.”

  “My throat hurts.” He tried to clear it again.

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Ellen reached to the stand next to the bed. “I have it all ready for you.” She held a glass of water before his mouth. “Sorry about the Mickey Mouse straw. I pulled it from my nostalgia box.” She put the purple straw to his lips. “Slow, drink it slow.”

  Frank sipped the water, then lifted his hand to her. Ellen pulled it away. “It’s warm.”

  “Sorry, I got it ready for you last night.” She smiled at him. A huge, real smile. She placed her face close to his. “Frank Slagel you don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

  “You did?” Frank’s eyes began to roll, he was still so groggy. He rested back. “I must have been out for awhile.”

  “You have. Two years.” She stroked his face.

  “Two years?” Frank’s half closed eyes opened wide.

  “I’m kidding. A few days. We were worried.”

  Frank grunted, the soreness of his body was beginning to hit him. “You had me written off, huh?”

  “Not me. Never me.” She kissed him again. “Shit. I have to get your dad and tell him you’re up. And Johnny. They’re waiting.” She ran to the door and stopped. “Andrea too.” She ran back to Frank, kissed him and excitedly darted to the door again. “I’ll be right back.”

  “El?” He called out, his voice not too loud. But it was too late. Ellen was gone.

  Andrea gave an approving look as she stepped back from Frank. “Well Mr. Slagel, I’d say you are on your way to a full recovery.”

  Ellen squeezed his hand tight as she sat in her spot. Joe stood on the other side of the bed.

  Andrea moved to the foot of Frank’s bed. “We were all worried that you wouldn’t be all right when you woke up. You did die.”

  “No way.” Frank shook his head.

  “Yes way.” Andrea stated. “Your heart stopped beating for eight minutes.”

  “Fuck.”

  Joe held out his hand. “There you have it, he still has his extensive vocabulary. And we all wondered if he’d be the same Frank. Do you remember getting shot?”

  “Yeah.” Frank nodded with seriousness. “I remember hearing the noise and running down. Robbie was there. I wanted to shoot, but I couldn’t. I don’t know why. And all I thought was getting El out of the . . .” His eyes widened and he turned his head to Ellen. “Bedroom. Did we get . . .”

  “Oh yeah, busted.” Ellen told him. “But that’s another topic for later. Quit gloating.”

  Frank swiped his hand down his face to get rid of the grin. “Sorry.”

  “Frank.” Ellen softened her voice and moved closer into him. “You had me scared. It was . . . it was the first time in five years that I was . . . Please.” Ellen closed her eyes tight. “Get that gloating look off your face.”

  “Sorry.” Frank fought his smile. “It’s just that, you know, the busted thing and now you’re sapping out. Go on.”

  Ellen really debated, but continued. “I was worried. I thought I lost you. And I thought . . . I thought I wasn’t capable of feeling the pain I felt when I watched you die. And I realized . . .”

  “You really love me.” Frank grinned and nodded.

  “Can I say it. Please?’

  “Go on.”

  “Frank, I realized that I really . . .”

  “Ellen!” Their peaceful quiet moment was interrupted as Henry burst in the room. “Ellen.”

  Ellen turned from Frank. “What’s wrong?”

  Henry realizing that Frank wasn’t to know anything yet, quickly calmed himself down. “Oh . . uh.”

  “Henry!” Joe snapped. “Spit it out.”

  Running his fingers through his longer black hair, Henry nervously stepped back. “I just wanted to let you know. Um, Dean would like to speak to you.”

  Ellen jumped up from her seat. “Frank I’ll be right back.” She kissed him quickly and took off running from the room. Joe joined her.

  Frank was lost. Baffled. He shifted his eyes to Andrea who stepped to the bed, patted his hand and smiled.

  The energy began to leave Ellen about half way down the hallway as Joe had long since passed her in their run. An overwhelming feeling of dizziness stopped her cold in her tracks, and she grasped the wall for support. She could see Joe pushing for the front doors. How long would it be until he noticed she was no longer following him closely. “Joe.” She called out to him. She couldn’t go on. “Joe, please.”

  Joe stopped, turned around and looked back at her. “Ellen what’s wrong?” He ran to her side.

  “I’m gonna pass out.” Ellen slid down to the floor and rested her head on her knees. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s all right. I’m getting Andrea.”

  He didn’t have too. Andrea emerged from her office, saw Ellen on the floor and ran over. “You are doing way too much.” Andrea knelt down beside her. “Can you stand up?”

  Ellen shook her head. “I’m too dizzy. And . . . I’m bleeding. I can feel it. Bad.” She said weakly.

  “This is not good.” Andrea stood up. “Joe get her into the examining room. This talk with Dean is going to have to wait.” She began to walk down the hall.

  “Where are you going?” Joe called to her as he lifted Ellen up.

  “I need to speak to Dean. He has something that will help her.”

  “They won’t let you. He can only talk to Ellen.”

  “Wanna bet!” Andrea’s head moved as she talked and she flew from the clinic. It did not take her long to arrive at the containment center. Henry stood from behind the radio the moment she walked in.

  “Andrea where’s Ellen?”

  “Ellen sick.” She reached her hand out to him. “I want to talk to Dean.”

  “They won’t let you.”

  “They will. I need to talk to him. He was working on a drug that can help Ellen.” She moved behind the desk and picked up the radio’s microphone. “Do I just press this button?”

  Henry nodded. “They won’t . . .”

  “Dean.” Andrea called to him. “I have to talk to you.”

  “Andrea? Where’s Ellen?” Dean was bewildered. He did not expect to hear her voice.

  Robbie took the radio. “Andrea. You are breaking the rules. Either Dean speaks to Ellen or we end this now.”

  “Dean can’t speak to Ellen. She’s sick. She’s very sick. He can help her.” Andrea stated strongly. “I need to speak to Dean about this.”

  “Nope. No can do.”

  Andrea lost it. She didn’t know what caused her to do it, but she went out of control. “Robert
Linus Slagel. You will put Dean on this radio and you will put him on this phone right now. I know your father raised you better than this. I thought you cared about Ellen, obviously not. Now, if I do not speak to Dean I swear to God I will get in a jeep, head my ass on over there and slap you myself. And sweet Jesus help you, you don’t want me there. I’ll take down the whole lot of you.”

  “Andrea! All right!” Robbie snapped. “Make it short. God!” He nearly dropped the radio and rubbed his temple.

  Dean picked it up. “Andrea?”

  Andrea’s body totally relaxed as she sat back down in the chair. “I’m still here.”

  “Tell me what’s wrong with Ellen.” Dean hung his head low, and his heart dropped as he listened to Andrea tell him in a delicate medical terminology that Robbie couldn’t interpret. Using words such as, ‘spontaneous’ and ‘menorrhagia’ all but told Dean, Ellen had lost her baby. “Second shelf, third med fridge.” Dean informed Andrea. “PHS. It’s marked. Fifty-milligrams every four hours.” Dean set down the radio and rubbed his eyes. As much as it angered him that Ellen was pregnant to Frank, the miscarriage bothered him. It happened again. The cruel hard world had taken from Ellen, yet another child.

  ***

  They had left Frank alone in his medicated healing state to ponder why Ellen rushed from the room. And also what had been happening with the crisis situation. Joe didn’t even want to think where Frank’s demented mind would travel. His son was not the brightest of men. Outside of the brilliant military strategist that Frank occasionally turned into, like some sort of transforming Mr. Hyde, to Joe, Frank was a short-bus candidate. But Frank needed to know. Joe absolutely, without a doubt hated to be the one to tell him. Despite Andrea’s strict, ‘let his body and mind rest’ policy, Joe prepared to inform Frank.

  “Dean . . .” Joe cleared his throat as he sat next to Frank’s bed. “Dean . . . Dean is gone.”

  “What do you mean Dean’s gone? What is he dead or something?”

  “Christ no, he’s not dead. He’s gone.”

  “I don’t understand.” Frank began to smile. “Did he run away from the community? Ha! He couldn’t take it and ran away like a teenager. This is funny.”

  Joe rolled his eyes at his son. “What the hell is the matter with you? Use the goddamn brains given to you. No, wait, you are. That’s why you said that. Dean didn’t run away, he’s gone. Someone took him. Robbie took him.”

  “Wait a second.” Frank tried to lift himself, it pained him, but he managed to sit up. “If Robbie took him that means you didn’t get Robbie after he shot me.”

  “No we didn’t.”

  “No?” Frank huffed and hit his hand on the bed. “What the fuck, Dad.”

  “Frank. Christ.” Joe held up his hand. “I’m not supposed to be getting you excited.”

  “I certainly hope not.”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. We didn’t get Robbie, because we didn’t look in the right spot. We were checking for where he would escape back out, but he uh . . . he walked out the front gate.”

  “He what!”

  Joe cringed. “Someone on the inside was letting him out.”

  “Who?”

  “Now you can’t say I told you so.”

  “I won’t. Who?” Frank questioned again.

  Joe had to just blurt it out. No beating around the bush.“Michelle.”

  “Ha! I knew she couldn’t be trusted. I told you so.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Joe rubbed his eyes.

  “Wait. There are only five keys that can override the panel. How did she do it if she wasn’t working security.”

  “Let’s just say she seduced one of the council and stole his key.”

  Frank rolled his eyes. “Fuckin George. I knew he was a dirty old . . .”

  “Frank. It wasn’t George.”

  “Oh, my God, Dad. Don’t . . . Don’t tell me it was you. I don’t wanna have to call you Joe.”

  “It wasn’t me.” Joe’s voice raised more with his irritation. “It was Henry.”

  “Henry? Henry? Henry!” Frank shouted.

  “Hey, Frank.” Henry, bubbly, walked in.

  “Henry!” Frank yelled. “You slept with . . . with . . . with . . .it!”

  Henry turned and walked back out.

  Joe slapped his hand on his own knee as he stood up. “Thank you very much Frank. I was waiting on a radio update. You scared the man away.” Joe moved to the door. “We’ve, we’ve been receiving radio messages from Dean. And he can only speak to Ellen.”

  “That’s why she ran out.” Frank said. “Is she coming back?”

  “Frank . . . Ellen, she’s been tired.”

  Frank nodded. “I understand. Tell her to rest. All this can’t be good for our baby. Our baby, Dad. Hey!” Frank snapped his finger. “Did I tell you we heard the heartbeat? It was so great.”

  Joe closed his eyes briefly. “Frank I have to tell . . .” He had to stop himself, Joe just couldn’t do it, he couldn’t tell Frank about the baby. “I have to go. I’ll tell Ellen you said to rest.”

  “Oh Dad?”

  Joe turned around. “Yeah Frank?”

  “Could you tell her I love her. Tell her I love them both.”

  Frank’s words struck him hard. It made his heart ache and drop to his stomach. Joe couldn’t say anything, it hurt too much to. Head down, Joe lifted his hand in acknowledgment and continued to leave the room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  June 25

  He was calling it the Ellen fog. A haze that took over Dean’s mind and clouded any focus he should have had on other matters. How was she feeling? Was she physically recovering? Dean couldn’t stop thinking about her. He couldn’t believe how heavily she was on his mind, especially when he should have been concentrating on how, with the limited ‘love talk’ subject matter, he was going to convey to Beginnings that Robbie was preparing. Constant training drills took place on the streets of Egypt. Exercises that were preparing Robbie’s men for a Beginnings sneak attack. Robbie had an unshakable confidence that, combined with the skills Dean watched Robbie display, worried him.

  “Hey!” Moses burst through Dean’s door. “That tall skinny kid.”

  Dean, who sat at a small table, hands covering his eyes, peered slowly backwards to Moses. “Must you make the huge entrance every time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Figures. Using brawn to make up for lack of brains are we?”

  “I’m not here to trade insults doctor. You know that tall skinny kid?”

  “You mean Denny?”

  “Yeah, whatever you call him.” Moses walked closer.

  “What about Denny?” Then it hit Dean, what had Moses done to him. Dean jumped from his seat. “You didn’t touch him did you?”

  “No. Not yet. He tried to escape last night. Climbed through the window. Talk to him doctor, talk to him now. The next time we may not be so nice. Got it?”

  Dean’s nerves were rattled. He took a few breaths to calm himself. “I’ll talk to him. Who caught him?”

  “I did. Pissed me off too.” Moses lifted his pants, as if to act like a big man. “I was in prayer, reading my bible.”

  Dean, shook his head. He wondered what bible Moses was reading. He never got any passages correct. Then it struck him. Passages. “Moses.” Dean turned solemn. “I really miss reading my Bible. I can understand your anger at getting interrupted. As, uh, one religious man to another. Any chance you can find me one to fill my nights? Nothing like it to comfort you.”

  Finally Dean had said something to Moses that didn’t perturb him. Though he wasn’t quite the religious man he prided himself on being, it only happened since he adopted the name, he was impressed. “I didn’t know you were religious.”

  “Please. Me? I went to services twice a week with my kids. I read to them from the bible.” Dean spoke the truth, all truths. “In fact, Ellen and I would cuddle in bed with the Good Book. So what do you say Moses? God would shine favorably on you for this
one. Please?”

  “Well, I suppose I can get you one. Only because I’m a Christian man. But you take care of that kid when you see him. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Dean watched Moses storm out. He clenched his fist tightly in excitement and pulled them to himself. “Yes. I am so smart sometimes. The Bible.” Dean knew the Bible well. He knew it enough to be able to find the passages that would say what he needed. He could even use dates and such to convey where Ellen could find the readings. “Oh no. Ellen.” He whispered out loud to himself. Ellen could give Moses a running for his money on bad Bible quotes. Dean knew what he had to do. He had to warn her first that he was going to use the Bible. Then Dean would have to pray that Joe or Henry was listening when he radioed. Because, if left up to Ellen figuring out the passages, Beginnings would be kept in the dark, no matter how much information Dean passed to them.

  ***

  Rest was what Ellen needed and rest was what she was given . . . against her will. Heavily sedated and completely knocked out caused her to be irritated when she awoke, but she did feel a lot better. She spent time with her children before they went to school and then she went back to the clinic. It was time to see Frank. It was time to make up an excuse as to where she was. Because she wasn’t ready to give him the truth.

  “Look at you.” Ellen called out enthusiastically as she entered Frank’s room. “All sitting up.”

  Joe, who stood by Frank’s bedside, immediately pulled a chair next to Frank for Ellen to sit in. “He looks all spiffy doesn’t he?”

  “Sure does.” Ellen sat in the chair, and grabbed Frank’s hand. “What’s the deal? I know you don’t feel that much better.”