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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Sleeping.” Frank lifted a glass to his lips. “Why, you wanna take him home tonight?”

  “Oh no, not tonight Frank,” Henry explained. “I have him tomorrow night, remember? Anyhow, why is everyone sitting outside?”

  Ellen grew excited as she gripped Henry’s hand. “Jason said there is going to be a meteor shower tonight. We’re all waiting but nothing has happened yet.”

  Henry looked oddly at her. “How does Jason know that? He’s kidding all of you.”

  “I told you, El,” Frank spoke loudly. “There’s fuckin something wrong with the guy. Henry, he made me gay tonight. Gay. I loved Dean for a little bit,” Frank shuddered. “Did you know about that?”

  “That you were gay for a while?” Henry asked. “Oh sure, Frank. Everyone knew.”

  “Man, the power of hypnosis.” Frank shook his head. “You know it has to be strong if it got me.”

  Ellen released Henry’s hand. “I’m going to say goodbye to the baby. I’ll be right back out.”

  Henry nodded, watching her walk into the ,hen watching Frank lift his glass again. “What are you drinking Frank?”

  “Why?”

  “Frank.”

  “I’m having a drink, Henry. El knows. One drink.”

  “Has it been, or is it going to be, your only drink tonight, Frank?”

  Frank closed his eyes and let out a breath as he started to talk. The screen door opened and Ellen walked back out.

  “I’m ready.” She ran her hand over Frank’s head as she stepped by him. “Ready, Henry?”

  “Um . . .” Henry looked down to Frank. “El, do you wanna hang out here for a while and wait to see if Jason is right?”

  “No, I’m pretty tired. Can we go?” Ellen looked back at Frank. “You really don’t want us hanging around anyhow, do you, Frank?”

  “Nope.” Frank shook his head. “To be honest, I need a Henry-break. He’s so hyper. How do you live with the guy?” He stood up. “I’m heading in anyhow. Night, El.” He leaned forward and kissed Ellen on the cheek. “Thanks for tonight. I had a great night.” Closing his mouth tightly with a smile, Frank raised his eyebrows in a goodnight gestures and with his glass in hand, turned and went back into his house.

  “Ready, Henry?” Ellen asked him as he just stared at Frank’s door. “Henry?” She snapped her finger in front of him.

  “Should we leave, El?”

  “Of course we should,” she told him pulling his hand and pulling at him. “Let’s go home. Henry, I just got out of quarantine.”

  “You’re right.”

  “What’s wrong, Henry?”

  Henry’s head dropped as they walked.

  “Did something happen tonight?”

  “Aside from the fact that Jenny accosted me and made Ben measure me in my office?”

  Ellen giggled. “She didn’t.”

  “She did. I felt so violated, El.”

  “Aw Henry, I’m sorry. You should have been at Frank’s tonight. It would have made you happy. You should have seen Frank telling Dean he loved him.”

  “I’m sorry I missed it.” Henry smiled. “I bet it was funny.”

  “It really was.” Ellen noticed the less-than-genuine smile. “Henry, what is it?”

  “It’s Frank, El.”

  “What, what happened?” She stopped walking. “Were you two fighting? Did something happen this past week when you were living together? He didn’t make a pass at you, Henry, did he? I mean he was gay for a while.”

  “No,” Henry said with a chuckle, “that’s not it.”

  “Well what is it?”

  “He . . . .he’s drinking, El.”

  Ellen waved him off. “He always drinks.” She started them walking again. “It’s O.K. to have one. I told him that. Don’t be silly, Henry. He’s doing so good with it. Right?”

  “El . . .”

  “Henry.” Ellen stopped walking. “He is doing good with it, right? Don’t tell me he broke his promise to me.”

  Henry opened his mouth to speak but stopped. Telling Ellen that Frank did indeed break his promise, not mildly but majorly, wasn’t going to help matters at that moment. If he wanted to help Frank, making Ellen mad at him wouldn’t do it. It would only make matters worse. “You’re right, El. Maybe I’m overreacting.”

  “Of course you are, Henry. You’re just concerned for your friend. So am I.”

  Ellen wasn’t kidding when she told Henry that. He threw his arm around her neck and pulled her to him. Henry closed his eyes as they walked. If Ellen realized how much concern Henry had over every aspect of Frank’s life, she would realize how much it was taking over every aspect of Henry’s.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  JULY 24

  “Take a deep breath,” Jason spoke in his soft voice. Its hypnotic factor rang through as they sat in Andrea’s little office. Joe was behind Andrea’s desk, Frank to the back with his arms folded, and Jason standing before a sitting Dean. “Where are you now, Dean?”

  “I’m . . . at the window with Ellen.” He spoke slowly, his eyes closed.

  “What are you two doing?”

  “Ellen’s bitching.” Dean smiled. “She’s hungry. We’re getting ready to eat Frank’s stew.” His head twitched.

  “What is it?” Jason asked.

  “A note. A note. El? Where did this come from?”

  Joe stood up quietly and leaned toward Jason. “I thought you said you were tapping into his memory. You said nothing about sending him back there,” he spoke in a whisper.

  “I didn’t send him back there, Joe. You heard me.” Jason held his hand up. “Dean?”

  Dean jumped in his chair.

  “Dean.” Jason called to him. “What do you see?”

  “Bill’s dead. El, we have to get out.” His head turned from side to side. “The banging, the banging. Who’s banging?”

  Jason took notes. “Dean, watch it from a third party. Step back. You’re watching your . . .” Jason watched Dean jolt again then hold out his hand. “Dean.” Jason used a firmer voice. “Step back. What’s happening?”

  “I just . . . I just shot Moses. No!” Dean’s head flung to the side.

  Joe grew with concern. “He’s slipping into that. Is this safe?”

  “It happens,” Jason answered. “The books said it was safe but we have to pull him out if it gets dangerous. I don’t think it is.”

  For the first time, Frank spoke, “Pull him out. We’ll try another time.”

  “Ellen,” Dean called out weakly. His body shuddered in the chair and his head dropped forward.

  Jason shook his head and moved closer to Dean. “Dean., answer me. Dean, remove yourself.”

  A long breath came from Dean. “I’m on the floor. I can’t move. My eyes, my eyes are blurry. I can feel the blood.”

  “Where is Ellen?”

  “I hear her. Oh God I hear her screaming. I can’t do anything about it. I can’t move. Someone help her! Help her!” He let out a short breath. “El.”

  “Is she there Dean? So you see her?”

  “In the door way,” Dean said. “El . . . I see her. No! No! He got her. Fight El.

  “Who has her, Dean?” Jason questioned. “Focus in. Who has Ellen?”

  Frank paid even more attention. “Come on.”

  “It’s not . . . I can’t make out his face. He’s behind Ellen. Moses.”

  Frank tossed his head downward. “Son of a bitch. It was Moses.” He felt so defeated until he heard Dean say, ‘Moses is there too.’ Frank snapped his attention to Jason. “Ask him if Moses is the one that has her?”

  “Dean.” Jason called out. “Does Moses have Ellen? Is Moses the one that has Ellen?”

  “No, Moses is the one next to him . . . No, bring her back. They’re leaving.”

  “Who are they? Moses and who?”

  “I can’t make out who it . . .” A deep grunt, loud and strong, came from Dean and his head fell forcefully forward. After a silent second, Dean frightened the thr
ee of them into a jolt when he loudly gasped inward, his head flung back, and his eyes rolled behind his head. Dean’s hands gripped the arms of the chair and he struggled with all of his breath.

  “Pull him out of there,” Frank spoke strongly. “Pull him out! Now!” He raced over to Dean who held on to the chair while his body convulsed. “Dean!” Frank tossed his view to Jason. “Get him out of this thing!”

  “Watch out.” Jason stepped forward. “Dean. Dean, listen to me. Dean!” Jason kept calling despite Dean’s struggling. “Dean! Listen to me. When I count to three you will be out of it and back here in Andrea’s office. One . . . two . . . Three.”

  Dean stopped shaking. His head returned to a normal position and he looked around the room at the three faces who stared at him. “I’m sorry.” He stood up, swayed, and grabbed his head.

  Frank grasped him in support thinking Dean had some repercussion of being hypnotized. “Are you all right?”

  Dean’s still looked fogged. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. His head felt like it was going to explode. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help.” Still off balance, Dean hurried from the office because running from the office was running from the nightmare he felt he had just had.

  Joe walked from behind Andrea’s desk and took in the stunned looks of Frank and Jason. “What happened to him?”

  Jason shrugged “I don’t know. Maybe at that point in time, Dean was in traumatic pain and he relived it. It’s hard to say. We can try again. He definitely saw whoever it was with Moses but right now his mind just doesn’t want to focus in on him.”

  Frank had his own questions. “Could something else have happened? Something else up there that he just doesn’t want to remember? Because it certainly looked to me like Dean was experiencing a piece of a puzzle we didn’t know we were missing.”

  Both Joe and Jason faced Frank and their interest became piqued with the validity of Frank’s suggestion.

  Ellen assumed when she heard Dean walking into the clinic lab so soon after he left, that the hypnosis session was a bust. Knowing how strong Dean’s mind was, Ellen did have her doubts on whether it would actually be successful. Instead of talking about it and making Dean feel badly for being unable to do something Frank did, she continued in her gathering of things, rambling on as she did. “I have your notes all ready for you to take to the lab.” She tossed a file in a box. “Beakers are in here, enough for you to do a mock up mass production of our agent 17. Let’s see.” She tapped her finger to her lips. “You should have plenty of work time at the mobile. The twins are playing with Katie. Denny is watching them They’re staying at Andrea’s tonight. You know that. Good weekend, Dean, huh? No kids at all for either of us.” Ellen shrugged. “Of course how often do I have the twins? Isn’t Joe a glutton for wanting to play super Pap tomorrow? Anyhow, Josh has Brian for you, Johnny is taking Joey . . . you’re free and clear.” Finally, she faced him and saw the reason for his silence. Dean slumped forward both hands held on to his head. “Dean?” She walked over to him. “I’m sorry you couldn’t be hypnotized.”

  “I was.”

  “What happened?”

  He raised his bloodshot eyes to her. “Not now, El. My head is killing me.”

  “Dean, are you all right?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head. “No I’m not.”

  “You went under, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you go back to that night?”

  “Yes and I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “Why?” Ellen asked.

  “Because it doesn’t make sense. None of it makes any sense.”

  “What doesn’t make sense, Dean?” Ellen wanted to understand. “Did something happen when they brought you back there?”

  When he shut the door, Frank’s entrance into the lab made Ellen and Dean both turn to him. “That’s what I want to know. Are you all right, Dean?”

  Frank's concern surprised Ellen because if he was concerned, she knew something out of the ordinary had transpired in that office. “He has a bad headache, Frank.”

  “Dean.” Frank moved to him. “You flipped out. You looked like you were struggling, This was after you said Moses and the other man took her away. Did you see the other man?”

  “Yeah I did.” Dean ran his hand down his face. “But Frank, I couldn’t focus on his face. I’m sorry.”

  “No, that’s all right. We can do this again if you want but tell me what you meant when you said ‘it doesn’t make sense’, What doesn’t?”

  “You’re gonna think I’m nuts.”

  Frank fluttered his lips. “Doubtful. Especially after what I saw you do. Tell me.”

  Dean shook his head. “Nothing indicated it. Nothing. I have to be wrong.”

  “Dean.” Frank spoke calm and with reason looking at the pale face of Dean. “Tell me what you’re talking about.”

  “It can’t leave this room. Not yet. Not until go under again and see if it really happened.”

  “What?” Frank asked again.

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.” Frank put his hands on his hips.

  Dean took a breath first, looked at Ellen then Frank. “When I was under, I felt like I was lying on the floor. I could feel my gunshot wound. I watched Ellen being taken away but after she was gone is when the strange part happened. I felt like I had another blow to my head,. I felt like my hair was being pulled and my head was being lifted.” Dean looked so confused when he talked. “It could have been a dream I was having at that moment. But if the hypnosis jarred my memory, then we just learned something we didn’t know. Right before I blacked out I saw . . . I saw a tip of a boot.” Dean lifted his head to Frank. “Someone else was in that mobile.”

  Frank’s breath escaped him, but only for a second. What Dean said made a lot of sense. It confirmed a part of the incident and the theory his father had on there being a survivor from outside. How much easier it would have been for John Matoose if that was the case. A third party helping Moses out with Ellen allowed John to stay in Beginnings and never be missed. The only thing that didn’t make sense to Frank was why this third party kicked and tried to take out a downed man. Did this person think they finished off Dean? What did he have to gain by doing it? For fun? Why waste the time to do so? Why take the chance on being caught unless the third party totally understood the importance and the relevance of Dean seeing more than he should have? If that was the case, Frank was certain that Dean knew more--a lot more--than his mind was letting escape.

  <><><><>

  Dean couldn’t believe the time when he actually arrived back at the mobile. As he set up for his mass production of agent 17, he thought for sure after dinner with his kids he would be able to get right back up to the lab and begin to work. It would have been the case had Henry not caught him on the way out the door. Had it been any other person the interruption would have been fine but Dean had to waste twenty minutes convincing Henry that the baby was not hurt, that he didn’t need to examine him, and that Henry would cry too if he was sitting in a wet diaper. Why Henry couldn’t understand that just because Ellen recently changed him didn’t mean that the baby wouldn’t need to be changed again. Finally after directing Henry in someone else’s direction, Dean managed to get to the lab. His head was still hurting from the afternoon trip into his subconscious mind. Pounding was more like it. It didn’t seem to matter what he took, the headache was not going away. Feeling that twinge of nausea begin to hit him from the pain, Dean pushed through his work, reading over his clipboard notes and mixing up his mass batch of agent 17 to test that evening.

  <><><><>

  “Thanks Josh.” Henry handed Nick to him as soon as he walked into Frank’s house. “I really appreciate you helping me out. Hap kicked me out.”

  “No problem, Henry.”

  Henry ran his fingers threw his hair, looking so frazzled. “I just don’t know what to do. I can’t get the air to escape him.”

  “You mean, like, get him
to burp?” Josh asked.

  “Oh.” Henry cringed. “That term just doesn’t sound right. Anyhow, I tapped and tapped his back. I think he did but I’m not sure. I don’t want to beat the child unnecessarily.”

  “Of course not.”

  “So thank you. I don’t think he needs to eat. Hap changed his diaper and . . . ow!” Henry’s eyes gazed down to his leg where the sudden pain emanated. Little Brian looked up with a wide smile and a baby laugh. “Why is he in the walker? Doesn’t he walk now?”

  “Yep.” Josh sat down on the couch with Nick.

  “Should he be in the walker? I mean should we really encourage him to be so dependent on a mechanical device to get around?” Henry pointed at him

  “Go on and take him out but I’m not chasing his little butt around here. He’s safe in there.”

  Henry bent down and rubbed his shin. “For you maybe. Hey, Bri.” Henry rubbed his head. “Why does Frank insist on dressing this one year old child like a militant soldier.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “It’s cute.”

  “I really hope he doesn’t make Nick into one.” Henry placed his hands in his pockets. “It looks like the tray to this walker is dirty. Maybe I should . . .”

  “Henry?” Josh interrupted him nicely. “You know what? If, like, you need something to do while I take care of the babies, which by the way my dad said I rule at, I need to finish the laundry.”

  “Oh my God!” Henry sounded so upset. “He expected to you to do laundry while you were taking care of the baby? Was he nuts? You can’t do that? How can you . . .”

  “Henry?” Josh stood up. “Would you kind of, like, help me out and, like, do that for me? I am taking care of Nick for you.”

  “Oh sure, Josh. Wait until I tell Frank about this. He really expects too much out of you.” Henry walked to the kitchen and didn't see the sigh of relief Josh gave as he did so. He walked down the basement steps and saw the small load of laundry in its pile on the floor. Dark colors . . . easy enough

  Checking the washer, Henry removed the clothes that were in there and placed them in the dryer. He picked up the pile of dirty clothes, one article at a time, holding each piece by two fingers and at arm’s length as he dropped them into the washer. Henry looked up to the shelf for the bottle of soap. When he lifted it, he saw it was empty. “Great.” Turning his head, he saw the white cabinet. Remembering that’s where Frank stored the extras, he walked to it, opened it up, and lifted the refill bag of soap. As he did, he saw something that he really shouldn’t have. Hidden that refill bag was a bottle of moonshine. Surprised by this and thinking it was old, Henry took it out and held it up to the light. There were no particles floating about in the half empty bottle which told Henry it wasn’t as old as he thought. He replaced the soap but not the moonshine and wondered why it was there. Most of all he wondered why it was hidden. Knowing alcohol problem that Frank had been having lately, Henry realized the answers to his questions.