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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “So?”

  “So? Where’s the clot? Where is the swelling?” Dean moved about his lab, almost rushing. He slid to a stop, bent down to the tiny fridge, and opened it. “Yes. Sorry. As I was saying, it just isn’t right. Something should have shown by now.”

  “What else could it be?”

  “I don’t know. I want to run more test. Bet me top cupboard.” Dean moved--again--across the lab.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Andrea asked in scold, watching Dean race around.

  “Um, nothing, searching for clues. Don’t worry about. I have a test that Jason and I . . .”

  “Oh no. No, no!” Andrea waved her hands and shook her head. “Do not tell me that you and Mr. Quantum leap man have been consulting on my patient when I am not around!”

  “It’s suspicious that’s all.”

  “Suspicious?” Andrea laughed. “You think someone did this to him?”

  “Don’t laugh at me.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? You, Dr. Hayes, were once some top government doctor. You are our town’s bright boy and you can stand here and tell me Joe’s condition is suspicious? On what basis?”

  “It shouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t predictable.”

  “You think not?” Andrea pointed her finger at him. “Don’t question my judgment on treatment when you make a statement like that.” Her fingertip pounded down on the counter with her words. “Joe had been stressed out. His blood pressure was through the roof. He had dizzy spells, extreme headaches. What does that sound like a prelude to? I think you better hit those books again if you can’t see it.”

  “Why are you getting so pissed off at me?” Dean continued searching the cupboard.

  “Because you are questioning something that is plain and simple.”

  “But look at his previous health history. Joe is fit, very fit and . . . oh! Yes! Ha!” The argumentativeness left his face and Dean smiled. “El, did it.” He showed the note to Andrea. “Whoops, you can’t see it.”

  “Oh!” Andrea said in a disgusted manner, rolling her eyes at Dean. “I’ll just leave. We’ll finish this later.” She moved closer to Dean. “You make me sick.”

  “I make you sick? Why do I make you sick?”

  “Look at you chasing Ellen’s note.” She looked behind him, checking out his rear. “If there was a tail back there it would be wagging.” Andrea moved to the door.

  “Andrea, wait,” Dean called out in vain. She had left. He looked at the note that told him the password to another file. He smiled, forgot what he had been working on previously, and headed to the cryo lab.

  ^^^^

  Frank really didn’t want to carry so much wrath with him when he went into his father’s room. But John Matoose got him going, then Henry, and then little-man Dean nearly knocked him over as he walked through the clinic doors. Knowing he had to present a meeker demeanor, Frank took some calming breaths and turned the corner into his father’s room. “George?”

  “Hi, Frank.” George stood up.

  Joe felt a sense of relief. Frank, I see that look on your face. You heard him. You heard him didn’t you?

  “Hey, my Dad is sitting in a chair now.” Frank pointed and smiled.

  “Yes he is.” George gave Frank his chair. “Did that this morning and Andrea told me they are going to try feeding him liquids through his mouth.”

  “Oh, that is great.”

  Great? I’m an invalid for Christ’s sake. Great would be used to describe me walking, not eating broth.

  “Frank, I’ll just leave you with your father. Talk to him. I have a feeling he can hear you. I did. We had a nice conversation.” He reached down, resting his hand on Joe’s. “Didn’t we Joe?”

  “George, thanks a lot. You’re a good friend.”

  “No problem.”

  No, Frank, no. You are not this dumb. Can’t anyone see through him?

  Frank slid the chair closer to his father. He leaned over and kissed his dad on the forehead. “George isn’t telling me any news. I know you can hear me. That’s why I come here and talk to you.”

  What’s it gonna be about today, Frank? Ellen? Or how about Ellen? Or better yet. Ellen.

  “I guess because you’re the only one who can listen to me talk about . . . Ellen.”

  ^^^^

  “Hey George.” Ellen approached him as she made her way to the clinic. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

  “What’s going on, Ellen?”

  “Not that I think you’re blowing me off since I realize you’ve been busy adjusting, but I have things that have to be taken care of in containment.”

  “You go on.” George patted her on the shoulder and began to walk.

  “Gee thanks but I can’t. That is the community leader’s responsibility.”

  “Well, what is it?” He asked hastily.

  “Agitated about something, George?”

  “Ellen, I have things to do.”

  “Fine. I have two that need released from containment. And I can’t . . .”

  “Bring me the papers and I’ll sign them.” George, again, tried to make his escape.

  “Just like that? Don’t you want to see them? Or verify where I want to put them so you can give their work orders.”

  “You take care of the work orders. I trust you.”

  “Me?” She placed her hand to her chest. “Joe would never let . . .”

  “Ellen, take care of it.”

  Ellen shrugged “O.K. Whatever. Hey George, did you just come from seeing my father?”

  “Yes.” George forcefully smiled. “He’s doing well.”

  “Good. I want to do his hair. By any chance, Frank wasn’t there, was he?”

  “No Ellen, Frank isn’t there. I just left. I didn’t see him.”

  “Thanks, George.” Ellen finally walked on.

  “No problem.” The thought of Joe being subject to Frank and Ellen bickering when he could nothing about it, made George smile as he walked on.

  ^^^^

  Ellen walked, cradling the box tightly in her arms. She thought of stories to tell Joe on her visits, hopefully amusing ones. She was going to gripe about George giving her power. She thought that should stir him. She hoped--as she closed in on the room--that she wasn’t going to bore Joe.

  All of her attempts to build a wall of strength were futile. Ellen’s stomach twitched as she stepped into the room and saw Frank. He lifted his eyes to her as she stopped mid doorway. She paused, frozen, surprised to see him. She was also afraid. Her mouth opened slightly, her lip quivered in nervousness as she quietly spoke. “Sorry.” She swallowed. “I didn’t know you’d be here.” Clutching the box tightly, she turned and left the room.

  “El.” Frank’s call to her carried down the hall. “El . . . stop.” Frank watched her turn the corner, debating with every step he took whether he should follow her. He saw Ellen go into the lab and heard the door close.

  Ellen let out the breath she held once she was safely inside the lab.

  “El.”

  Ellen screamed in surprise and spun to Frank who walked in. He closed the door and latched it. “I’d really feel much more comfortable if you opened that door.”

  “When I’m done.” He stepped closer to her. “I’ve wanted to talk to you all week, but somehow no one will tell me where you are. Dean or Henry always stop me right before I find you.”

  “I want it that way.” Ellen tried not to look at him.

  Frank took another step closer. Taking a breath, he placed his one hand on his hip and ran the other over the corner of his mouth, pausing before anything was said. “El . . . the night after my dad . . . after he had his stroke…what happened that night after we made love . . .”

  “Don’t.” Ellen held up her hand. “Don’t you dare call it that. You made it perfectly clear Frank that was not what it was. You made it painfully clear what happened between us.”

  “I know, I . . .”

  “Do you have any idea how that felt? Do you? D
o you have any idea what it was like to have the man you love tell you that he didn’t make love to you, it meant nothing, and just to leave? You don’t.” She turned her back to him, gripping the counter.

  “No, El.” Frank stepped even closer. “It was wrong. I shouldn’t . . .”

  “You’re right it was wrong. I was such a fool to be with you that night. Such a fool to let you touch me. To touch you.”

  “No.” Frank raised his hands reaching them out to her hair, stopping before he touched her. He leaned closer to her ear. “I needed you that night and I need you now to listen to me.” He saw her head drop. “I was wrong for making you feel that way. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. And I am so . . . so sorry I . . .”

  “Don’t apologize to me. I don’t want it.” She moved away from him. “You lost all respect for me and I was too blind that night to see that you were punishing me. I see it now.” She walked to the door. “Please leave.”

  Frank’s head lowered and he swayed it side to side.

  “Just so you know. In case your mind is thinking of ways.” She opened the door. “I don’t think there’s anything left that you can do to me that would bring me down any further.”

  “I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m done with that shit.”

  “Good I’m glad. Maybe now we can sit rationally with Reverend Bob. If you think that’s possible, I’ll speak to him today and set up a time.”

  Frank moved to the door. “I can . . . I can do that. I’m ready to do that. Are you making the suggestion to see him, to get him to help us work it out?”

  “No Frank, I’m not. I’m giving you what you want. I’m going to ask him to let you have your name back. It’s over. Let’s just end it officially now.”

  Frank closed his mouth, swallowing drastically, trying to think of what to say in that awkward silence. Before he could counteract, or speak up, Ellen was gone.

  ^^^^

  Giggling was never something Dean prided himself on doing. But in the cryo-lab, Ellen’s note in hand, he booted up the computer. At first he thought her game of clues was stupid. Following one note that led him to another and so forth, but when he finally found the last note, he was glad for the search.

  Excited like a kid, he pulled up the program, entered the password ‘Dragonfly’ and sat back with his fingers crossed. He waited and anticipated hoping it was information he needed. When the file popped up, Dean’s head dropped. “No.” He whined, crumbling the note. He lifted his head back up and read the heading of the file that indicated it was about insect control. Dean shook his head, but he wasn’t giving up. Ellen may have unlocked a moot file, but she was making progress. She was almost through all the words under the letter ‘D’.

  ^^^^

  ‘I am proud of you’ was the last line of the little note Henry wrote Ellen and planned to put it in her inner office mailbox. He knew he probably told her so when he saw her at containment and she filled him in on the Frank confrontation, but he wanted to tell her again. She wasn’t giving in. She was staying strong. And telling Henry she was sure Frank could not bring her down again was only a reiteration of the promise she made to him outside the tunnels.

  Sitting behind Joe’s desk, Henry folded the note and placed it in his back pocket. His hand tapped on the folder before him as he waited.

  Humming a show tune from Bye-bye Birdie, George slid his walk into the office when he saw Henry. “What’s going on?” He asked.

  “I wanted to talk to you.” Henry held up the folder.

  “What are you doing sitting in my desk?”

  “Joe’s desk.” Henry gave a crooked smile. “Anyway, I wanted to . . .”

  “Get the hell out from behind my desk!” George blasted. “Now!”

  Henry remained calm. “Fine.” He stood up slowly and allowed George to sit. He raised his eyebrow with almost a snicker as George sank in the chair with an ‘ah’. “Now can I . . .” He shut up when George held his hand up to him. “George.”

  Taking a breath, George leaned back. “What?”

  “In that folder are the releases from containment. Ellen assigned these people to different areas. She said you gave her the authority to do it.”

  “I did.”

  “Ellen can’t have that authority. She bases her decisions on personal choice instead of necessity and skill. We need to . . .”

  “Give Ellen the decision.” George cut him off.

  “No.” Henry snickered. “I like El and all, but she . . .”

  “Has to learn.”

  “George, may I finish a sentence please?” Henry almost snipped.

  “Are you going to argue with me on this Ellen authority situation?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then no,” George firmly stated. “I gave her the job. She’ll do what she sees fit. If she screws up, that’s how she learns.” George saw Henry’s mouth open to argue. “No.. . End of discussion.”

  “But Joe wouldn’t like this.”

  “Joe isn’t capable of using the potty, let alone capable of not liking my decision.”

  “Oh,.” Henry gasped. “That is such a wrong thing to say.”

  “It’s the truth and another truth is . . . I am the leader now. Bye.” He wiggled his fingers in a wave.

  After a near silent grunt, Henry reached forward, snatched up the file and headed to the door.

  “Henry, have a good evening.” George said snidely.

  Henry turned after opening the door. He wanted so badly to blast back at George, but that was what George waited for. Not giving him the satisfaction, Henry just smiled widely and left.

  ^^^^

  More so than ever before, the emptiness of his house hit Frank the moment he walked in the door. He turned on the light and took off his shoulder harness, dropping it to the couch. No kids so no locking away the gun. He just got back from meeting Dean to give him Brian. Frank shook his head over that thought. He tried to get past the clinic with Brian. Wanting to take him to containment as a sort of mental slip, pretending he didn’t know Ellen had a social skills class. But Dean saw him, and stopped him. It was like no one had noticed that he just wasn’t going to fight with Ellen anymore.

  Frank moved slowly through the quiet living room to his kitchen to get a drink of water. He grabbed a glass then paused before opening the refrigerator. He stared at the drawing Billy had made. It was a picture of a family with all of the kids, Frank, and . . . Ellen. Frank ran his rough finger over the stick person painting, closing his eyes for brief thought.

  He would have thought the knock at the door would be a welcome break from the quiet house, but to Frank it wasn’t. Walking with his full glass of water he went to the door and opened it. Jenny Matoose stood there. “Jenny?”

  “May I come in Frank?”

  Frank shrugged and stepped back, bringing his water to his lips. He shut the door and moved past her to the living room. “What’s up?”

  “John sent me.” Jenny spoke softly. “He sent me because he thought you might be alone.”

  “I am.”

  Jenny paused to close her eyes, avoiding the frustration she was feeling by trying to get through to him. “No, Frank. He said that you were down. Maybe needing some comfort. He thought you might like company.”

  “Tell John that’s nice but . . . Hey . . .” Frank’s hand was empty as Jenny took his water. “My water.” Frank’s hand followed the glass that she set on the table next to the couch.

  Jenny moved his hand away and stepped into his full view. Slowly, almost seductively, she lifted her shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor. She gathered her long strawberry blonde hair to fall on one side of her full body, allowing the wispiness of its ends to brush over, just slightly, one of her very large breasts.

  Sometimes he was slow, but Frank got the picture. “Jenny I . . .”

  “No.” She moved closer to him. “Shh.” She placed her finger to his lips then slowly moved her hands down his ches
t, across his waist and to his back. Her fingers pressed and rubbed. Her hands found a home following the journey of sliding them down the back of his thighs, then bringing them up just a little. “Relax. You’re so tense.”

  “Jenny.” Frank closed his eyes as her lips moved on his neck. He swallowed so harshly her lips had to feel it as they parted there. A knot formed in his stomach. His mind immediately crashed to Ellen. “Jenny.” He reached down grabbing her arms and removing them. “Stop. Tell John thanks for the offer, but. I can’t.”

  “Yes you can.” She edged back in. “You need the company, the comfort, to take your mind off of things.”

  “No.” Frank removed her again. “Besides the fact I have no desire to be with anyone else, I want my mind where it should be . . . on Ellen.”

  Jenny ran her hands through her hair, stepping back from him in aggravation. “You aren’t with her anymore.”

  “Yeah I am.” Frank spoke softly. “I’ll always be with her. I love her. No one can even attempt to fill that with me, because no one ever can.” He reached down and picked her shirt from the floor, handing it to her. “Here.”

  She hurriedly threw on her shirt. “John is going to be very insulted by this. He was being generous.”

  “John’s gonna have to get over it.” Frank walked to the door and opened it. “Night.” He felt her abruptness as she stormed out the door. Without a second thought about what happened, Frank closed it. He paused in his stride to retrieve his water, water that Jenny took from him. He started remembering, remembering tenderness, touching, and lips on his neck. But they were Ellen’s lips and Ellen’s touch. He shut his eye breathing in frustration at himself for missing that and wanting that so badly again that it was starting to hurt.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Dean had just about all he could take of the ‘give it backs’ and ‘no, El, my turn’. The bickering caused a pain in his temple and his hand slammed to the counter where he worked with a rabbit.. “Knock it off!” he blasted at Ellen and Henry.