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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Better.” Robbie watched Frank’s hand lift to the glass. “Watch those smudge marks, Frank. We don’t want people thinking you and Ellen gave an encore performance of her last time in quarantine.”

  Frank snickered especially when he saw Ellen smack Robbie’s leg.

  Joe looked at Frank. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  “Must be the fever.” Frank returned to looking at his brother. Though he still looked pale, he looked better than he did before. “I’m glad you’re better. I am really glad you’re better.”

  Robbie scooted his chair closer to the window. “Last night Ellen was really there for me, Frank.”

  Frank smiled at Ellen, a grateful smile.

  “She bathed me, Frank,” Robbie told him.

  “I told her to take care of you.”

  “She did.” Although Frank did not, Robbie saw it on his father’s face… Joe’s squeamishness on where his youngest son’s story was going. “She . . . she got in the tub.”

  The look changed on Frank’s face, but not too drastic.

  Robbie grinned. “We took a bath together last night.”

  Frank’s mouth closed tightly and his eyes shifted to Ellen.

  Robbie went on. “She washed me, touched me, got aroused, and took advantage of . . .”

  “Robbie!” Frank shouted. “Enough! Fuck.”

  Robbie laughed. “I’m kidding. But we did bathe together.”

  Frank turned off his microphone and whispered to his father. “Why do I get this feeling I am never going to hear the last of the bath thing?”

  “You won’t,” Joe told him.

  Frank put his radio back on. “El,” he called her, “even though you took a bath with my brother, thank you for being there with him.”

  “I told you I would be Frank. I had to. It’s Robbie.” She reached her hand up to the glass, ignoring Robbie’s ‘here they go again’ comment.

  Frank brought his up as well, placing it over where hers was. “I owe you.”

  “No you don’t.”

  Frank softened his voice, “Then I guess I don’t get to show you my gratitude.”

  “Depends. What do you have in mind?”

  Frank held up his finger, reached to his father, took Joe’s radio and shut it off. He then brought his mouthpiece close to his mouth and whispered. “Put it to your ear and I’ll tell you.”

  Ellen giggled with an ornery smile, paying no mind to the rolling eyes of Robbie and Joe. She turned down the volume and brought it close to her ear. Just as she did, she felt a tap on the shoulder and Dean reached down for the radio.

  Frank’s jaw tightened and he twitched his head to one side when Dean took the radio. If he could have reached through the window and strangled him at that moment he would have. “Dean. Give it back.”

  “I want to say something, Frank.”

  “Right now? Right at this moment. It couldn’t wait five fuckin seconds until I talked to Ellen.”

  “Nope.” Dean jumped back with a laugh at the loud bang against the window Frank delivered. He indicated to Joe to pick up his radio, and when he did, Dean began to talk to them. “I’m sorry for interrupting dirty-talk-time between you and Ellen, Frank, but I wanted you guys to know that Robbie shouldn’t be alive right now. He certainly shouldn’t be sitting in this chair. His vitals, his breathing, and blood pressure were so low, he was a heartbeat from death. I’m running tests right now to make sure he’s not just in remission. My gut tells me something worked on him. He’s still sick and weak. Don’t let him kid you. But he’s better. Last night was one of the hardest nights Ellen and I ever faced with anything we fought in a long time. I also realized something, Joe.”

  “What’s that, Dean?”

  Frank nudged his father with a whisper. “Dad, don’t encourage him to keep talking.”

  Joe snarled at Frank. “Go on, Dean.”

  “Thanks.” Dean took a deep breath and looked at Ellen who sat next to Robbie. “We originals have a bond. But you, Joe, your family has such a bond . . . I can’t even describe to you what I saw last night. I know you’ve always treated Ellen as a daughter but I don’t think I realized, until last night, how much she really is your daughter. Blood or no blood, she is a Slagel with the way she was with your son. I really believe Robbie would have given in if she hadn’t been there and been his strength. I just wanted to let you know that.”

  “Thank you, Dean,” Joe said to him.

  “You’re welcome.” Dean smiled and handed the radio back to Ellen who held Robbie’s hand. “Talk dirty to Frank.”

  Ellen raised her eyes with a ‘thank you’, and took the radio.

  Joe watched Dean return to the lab. The airwaves were silent. He turned to Frank. “That was really nice of him to say. Don’t you think, Frank?”

  Frank scoffed with a flutter of his lips, “Right, he wants something.”

  Joe tossed his hands in the air. “I give up. Talk to Ellen.”

  Just as Ellen was about to speak, she noticed Robbie’s stature had worn down more. “Frank, Joe, I’m gonna take Robbie back to bed.”

  Robbie stopped her. “No, El, I’m fine.”

  “Robbie.” She faced him. “If you want to be strong you have to rest. You still have to fight this thing.”

  Robbie nodded. “All right.”

  Ellen stood up at the same time as Robbie. “Frank, will you stop by later and see me?”

  “You know I will.”

  “Will you tell Henry to stop by also? He hasn’t even tried to call on the radio or phone.”

  Frank nodded. “I’ll tell him. But in Henry’s defense, he’s a walking zombie from being up all night with the baby.”

  Ellen looked happy about this. “He got up with the baby? Did you have to help him at all?”

  “Help him?” Frank snickered. “El, I asked him to heat the bottle and he burned it. But I made him stay up to watch and learn. He’ll learn.” Frank winked.

  “Thanks. And we’d . . .” She motioned her head to Robbie. “We’d better get some rest.” She grabbed hold of Robbie’s arm. “Bye Frank. Bye Joe.”

  Frank stood there watching Ellen and Robbie until they were no longer in his view. He stepped back from his close peer through the window. “You think he’ll be all right, Dad?”

  “Fine, Frank,” Joe stated with so much confidence. “I think he’ll be just fine.” Hearing Dean’s words about Ellen running through his mind were only a confirmation of what he already felt to be true. Joe breathed a little easier now. Robbie was home. Robbie was better. One crisis, one of many in Beginnings, was finally over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “The virus is still present, but definitely decreasing,” Dean told Ellen as he stared at the computer shots of his slides. “Robbie’s not in remission.”

  “What happened, Dean?” She asked. “Did that antiserum finally kick in?”

  “I don’t think so,” Dean shrugged. “If you ask me, it has to be a combination of what we used. I mean, rabbit three and Robbie both had the exact same things given to them. Rabbits one and two only had the antiserum.”

  “That just doesn’t make any sense,” Ellen stated as she stared at the screen with him. “What was in those vials was an antiserum. Not an antidote. The results we are seeing here are the results of an antidote. Correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “So where did the antidote come in?”

  “It has to be the serum we got from the SUTs.”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head.

  “No? Ellen, yes.” Dean spun around to face her. “Where else is it coming from then?”

  “Us. Our agent seventeen. We had good results with that.”

  Dean fluttered some in his words. “Granted yes. But . . .” He spun back to the computer and started showing slide after slide to her. “None, not this one, or this one, or this one shows the defeat of the virus. What we are witnessing with Robbie, is the defeat of the virus. We aren’t doing that. If we were, then
we would have done it earlier. And . . . and mind you,” Dean spoke so corrective to her. “A-17 would have worked on Greg and the others. We gave them that with the steroids and all. It has to be their antiserum. It finally kicked in. It sped up the virus to the point it burned itself out.”

  Ellen waved her hand in a scoffing motion. “Oh that is the stupidest theory you have had yet.”

  “Stupid?” Dean stood up speaking dramatically. “Stupid is thinking that somehow an agent that we’ve used before, somehow miraculously, without change mind you, started to work.”

  “Oh listen to the way you talk to me. You’re an asshole Dean.”

  “Asshole.” Dean swayed his head and sat down.

  “Combination, it has to be it. A combination of the two.”

  “That’s what it has to be. Now, if that proves true, which we will check, then we’ve beaten this thing as long as we can recreate what they have in their antiserum. Otherwise we’re out of luck. Unless of course, according to your theory A-17 actually works. Which it wouldn’t . . .” Dean got a bright look on his face. “Unless.”

  “Unless?” Ellen hurried to his side. “Unless what?”

  “Ellen, what is an antiserum or inoculation?”

  “It’s giving someone an immunity to whatever.”

  “Yeah but, how is that done?” Dean quizzed. “Think about it.”

  “Giving a small dose of the virus, small enough not to harm, but large enough to make the body think it has it.”

  “Small pox, polio. Remember those vaccines. How were they done?”

  Ellen wondered where he was going. “Synthesized versions. The most effective vaccines were the ones made with the live . . . the live . . .” she smiled, “virus.”

  “Exactly.” Dean smiled also. “What if our agent seventeen actually does work, but it works on the original strain, not the mutated form. That would mean that the antiserum is created with the virus taken directly from the host, whether the host be an animal or test tube. The antiserum is the virus, original virus, in a milder form.”

  “So when you injected Robbie, that antiserum virus took over the mutated one and our agent seventeen beat the original virus, therefore beating the illness all together.”

  Dean nodded. “So in essence, if we want to beat this thing, right now, if A-17 works against the original strain, we give our victims the original strain, taken directly from the host and then give them A-17.”

  “Dean, even though we’re further ahead than we were three days ago, we still are out of luck. We don’t have the original strain.”

  “Good point.” Dean slumped on the counter.

  “And . . . this Henry style theory game we have going, is good. But, we’re wrong. If the antiserum was taken from the host, and that host virus took over Robbie’s virus, we would have seen the difference. Just like the future samples were different than the ones Robbie had. So should the host sample too, right?”

  “You’re right. We would have seen the change in the virus itself. Obviously it didn’t happen.” Dean returned to the computer screen. “Robbie samples. Robbie at eight a.m., Robbie at ten a.m., Robbie at . . .”

  “Holy shit!” Ellen commented loudly as she moved to the screen. “Look Dean, it changed.”

  “Where?”

  “Right there. Minor, but change. You probably weren’t looking for a change in the virus, that’s why you didn’t see it.”

  “I wasn’t,” Dean said. “I was only looking for diminishing.”

  “Well you missed it then. Check out the right top portion.”

  “I can’t Ellen, not right now. My eyes are pretty bad. Could you describe it for me? What is the change?”

  Ellen was silent.

  “El?”

  “I’m sorry, Dean.” She backed up.

  “What?” Dean in a spin stood up and followed her. “You’re kidding me right? What was all that work we did El? I trained you to see the way I would, so you could tell me, so I could work. My eyes are blurry right now so things aren’t crystal clear. This is one of those times we trained for.”

  “Yeah it is.”

  “O.K., so why won’t you help me now? What’s the problem?” Dean spoke to her back.

  “The problem is, Dean,” she turned and faced him, “All those plans, all that training went out the window the second you chose Jason to work with you. Since you’re working with him, then I suggest you train him to be your eyes because I refuse to be.”

  “This is bullshit. We are working together now. That ought to tell you something.”

  “That tells me you’re stuck and you have no choice right now.”

  “Wrong. That is wrong.” Dean told her “I was mad at you. We’re getting along fine right now.” He saw her turn away. “We’re not getting along fine?”

  “Do you think just because we made it through a crisis that everything that transpired between us is swept under the carpet?”

  “I thought so.”

  “And everything you said, all the mean things, and the way you are, I should just forget about?” Ellen asked with an edge.

  “You haven’t?”

  “No.”

  Dean laughed angrily. “We haven’t fought in days Ellen. Why in the world would you . . .” He grunted in frustration. “Never mind. This is so typically female of you. It’s just like a woman to throw it back in your face when you least expect it.”

  “Am I throwing it in your face, Dean?”

  “As a matter of fact . . .” He followed her as she paced. “You are.”

  “Good.”

  “That’s wrong,” Dean pointed, “and it’s wrong that you won’t help me.”

  “No Dean, it’s wrong that you assume I would. I’m not. Find someone else to be your seeing eye pet because I’m not. My suggestion to you, if you want to see the changes in the virus, then you should wait until your sight becomes clearer.”

  “That’s pitiful.”

  “Excuse me?” Ellen crossed her arms with attitude.

  “It’s pitiful how you’ve sunk to the depth where you have to be so callous and so mean.”

  “And you weren’t?” Ellen’s arms waved about with her every loud emotional word. “You weren’t callous and mean to me for no reason? Yet you want me to forget about how you started this whole thing. When you have yet to apologize for how you overreacted.”

  “Is that what you’re waiting for an apology? I’m sorry! I’m sorry I was like that to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Dean breathed outward and dropped his head forward. “Now . . . now can we get past this and work together?”

  “Nope.” Ellen raised her eyes.

  “What!?” Dean was so shocked that his one word reached a high pitch. He graveled in anger when he received an ‘I don’t care’ expression from her and she turned her back to him. “You know what Ellen, forget what I said about you being typically female. You’re not. You’re being typically Ellen. But if I were Frank, I could say, do, act, treat you any way I wanted to and all I would have to do is give you some half ass, lame, pathetic apology and you would run to me at the snap of my fingers. Why are you like that with him and not me?”

  Ellen spun to him. “Because you’re not Frank! And you will never be Frank! Don’t even flatter yourself by putting your name in the same sentence as his.”

  Dean’s breath escaped him as fast as his heart beat from her words. Through his anger and frustration, his hand slammed down hard upon the counter. “I can’t believe you would even talk to me like that. Me of all people.”

  “This argument with you is over, Dean. Drop it.”

  “I will not drop it.” He charged to her. “I was ready to end this shit and put it behind us.”

  “You’re ready to end it only because you need me.”

  “Well I don’t need you anymore! I don’t want your help. If you were the last person on this earth I wouldn’t come to you.”

  “It’s funny how you can say this all now, like I’m the
bad guy, when you were the one who started this war without any basis for confrontation.” Ellen backed up from him, “This is over. I’m not arguing anymore.”

  “It’s not over.” He stepped to her. “What you said . . .”

  “Over!” She threw her hands up.

  “It’s not . . .” Stepping forward Dean swayed some, his hand reached to the side for support of the counter when he felt the blood rushing, filling his head, and everything went immediately black. “El.”

  Ellen saw the expression and demeanor totally change from angry to scared. Instinctively she stepped to him, but stopped. In silence and debate she stood for a second, her jaws twitching. She swallowed so harshly the lump in her throat barely moved. “You were saying it’s not over. I think it is.” She stepped back even further watching as Dean swayed his head back and forth, gripping one hand so tightly to the counter’s edge his knuckles were red. He reached to his side, trying to find his stool, trying to find something to sit on. Ellen closed her eyes tightly then stepped to him. “Dean.” She spoke softly and grabbed hold of his arm. “Here.” She led him to sit.

  With his eyes still forward, Dean sat down. “Thank you.”

  Ellen leaned closer to behind him. “This isn’t getting us anywhere Dean. Nowhere. I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t.” She stood upright.

  “El . . .”

  “Jenny?” Ellen said the name with an odd tone.

  “What?”

  “Jenny Matoose is here.”

  “Where?”

  Ellen moved to the window. “Aren’t you the lucky one right now, Dean. She’s wearing an awful shade of blue. She looks like something out of a comic book. Where is Henry now?” She pulled up a chair and picked up the radio.

  Despite Ellen’s off-the-wall reference to Dean’s blindness, he wished he could see what she was talking about. But then something hit him, a thought as he heard Ellen talk in the radio. Where was Henry?

  <><><><>

  “I feel really awful, Joe.” Henry walked with Joe part way toward the mobile lab. “I don’t mean to be like this, but I am.”

  “Is it like you have a break from her and you are going to seize the opportunity.”