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

by Jacqueline Druga

  Henry lifted his head, the gash in his face bled and smeared across his cheek. “You saved my life again, Frank.”

  “Yeah well.” Frank sniffed and wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, trying to joke it off. “It’s my job you know.”

  Henry closed his eyes. “Do you know how close ... how close I came to being ...”

  “Henry.” Frank stepped to him, squatting down and extending out his hand. “Let’s go, buddy. It’s all right.”

  Henry looked at Frank’s bloodied and dirty hand, and he reached out his own, gripping to Frank’s in support and gratefulness.

  Frank stood up first then, in a pull, brought Henry to his feet. Seeing how down Henry was, Frank placed his hands on Henry’s shoulder. “Let’s get that face taken care of.”

  “Thanks, Frank. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You being alive is thanks enough.” He walked with Henry to the jeep.

  Henry felt and heard Frank stop abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

  Frank looked up at the tree before him. “Hey. Did you guys finish getting that tracking thing up there?”

  <><><><>

  “Get me three pints of ‘A’ positive blood in OR-3 and bring me two cc’s of the antitoxin STAT!” Dean screamed out to Patrick. With Ellen’s help, he wheeled the empty cart down the corridor, to the front doors of the clinic. “Ellen, where’s Andrea?”

  “She’s still in that knee surgery. Jason is in the OR now, prepping it. Dean, tell me all three of them are OK.”

  Dean stopped wheeling the cart at the door. “I can’t tell you that.”

  “Dean.” Patrick ran down the hall. “The antitoxin.” He tossed it on the cart. “Jason’s having trouble with the vital monitors in that room.”

  Dean shook his head peering out the door. “Shit, that has the tricky switch ... El, could you?”

  “Be right back.” She took off running with Patrick down the hall.

  The second she left the jeep pulled up. Grabbing the syringe, he held the door open for Frank and Robbie who carried Danny in. “Lay him on the cart.” He looked at Henry who followed behind. “You OK?” Dean gave a pat to Henry’s cheek then ran to Danny. “Frank, good job.” Dean lifted his stethoscope to his ears and placed the diaphragm to Danny’s chest. “Heartbeat’s good.” He dropped the stethoscope, flicked the bubbles from the syringe, and immediately injected it into Danny’s thigh. As he raised his eyebrows, he saw the blood on Frank’s white tee shirt. “Yours?”

  “Yeah, fuckin Savage bit me.”

  “Damn it, Frank,” Dean spoke in a snap.

  “What, I can’t help it.”

  “No. You should have radioed me about that. You have to be given an antitoxin too.”

  “Fuck that. I’m fine.”

  “No.” Dean, with Robbie’s help began to move Danny toward the OR. “Both of you,” he yelled to Henry and Frank. “Frank, room three, Henry, exam room two. I’ll send Ellen and Patrick to take care of you.”

  “Dean.” Henry ran up after him. “I know you saw what happened from that roof. Does Ellen know?”

  “Henry, I have to ...”

  “Dean, don’t tell her if she doesn’t, OK? Please don’t tell her what almost happened.”

  Dean paused wheeling the cart to look at Henry. “I won’t. Just get to the examining room now.”

  “Thanks, Dean.”

  <><><><>

  “Oh my God!” Ellen cried out as she came from the OR to see Dean and Robbie approaching with Danny. “Is he gonna be all right?”

  “I think,” Dean said, pushing Danny inside then rushing to the sink area in the adjoining room. He pressed the intercom to the OR. “Jason, hook him up and start his IV. Get the sutures ready. We have to do this quickly.” He raced over to the sink, Ellen behind him, and Patrick washing up. “Both of you,” he spoke to them, “I need you at the examining rooms. Jason and I can handle this. I got a bite in room three and a Henry-scar gash in room two.”

  Ellen backed to the door. “I’ll take the gash. No way am I touching the bite.” She shuddered. “Savage spit. Good luck, Dean.” She took off.

  Patrick headed out also. “Guess I have the bite.”

  “Two cc’s of antitoxin, Patrick, followed by the Kenyan. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Pushing the doors open with his back, Patrick left the washing area.

  Flinging the excess water from his hands, Dean dried them, ran to the OR, grabbed a mask, tied it on, and then grabbed his gloves. “Ready?” he asked Jason.

  “Ready. We’re filling him back up with blood. Vitals are good. Everything is ready.”

  “Get the suction prepared.” Dean stood above the only exposed part of Danny’s body, the arrow. “God, I hate arrows.”

  “Kind of barbaric.”

  “So is most of the world.” Dean grasped the arrow. “Ready ...” He took a breath. “Now.” As soon as he pulled out the arrow, blood shot up as if it were a fountain. “We have bleeder.”

  “Looks like it may have punctured the splenic artery.”

  “It missed any vital internal organs, thank God. More suction.” Dean peered into the wound, retracted it open, and then reached into Danny’s stomach with an arterial clamp. “A little more, Jason.”

  “Almost there.”

  “Getting a clear view and ... got it.” Dean clamped the artery and the spurting bleeding stopped. “We’re gonna need more than three pints.”

  “Nah.” Jason shook his head. “Notice the slight clotting around the artery. The arrow helped there.”

  “I see that.” Dean grabbed the sutures. “Oh damn it.”

  “What?”

  “We have a splinter, pyloric antrum stomach region.”

  “Where?” Jason looked in.

  Dean, using his hand, maneuvered the stomach. “There. See it?”

  “No.”

  “Right ... never mind. As soon as I suture this, hand me the tweezers.”

  “Dean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good thing you have those new and improved eyes huh? We’re talking major infection if you didn’t see that.”

  Dean smiled as he worked. “Hey, I guess you’re right.”

  <><><><>

  “So I’m taking it ...” Ellen injected the needle, which contained a numbing agent, into Henry’s cheek. “I’m taking it that Frank was bit.”

  Henry nodded.

  “What doesn’t happen to that man, I’m telling you.” She wiped the blood from Henry’s cheek. “This isn’t that bad, Henry, really, just few stitches. I promise to do better than I did on Frank’s.”

  “Thanks, El.” Henry said, so down.

  “I’m getting quite good at this.” She started to stitch. “Dean taught me well.” Her fingers probed his face. “This cheek doesn’t feel broken.” She continued stitching. “Anyhow, when I’m done it will look a lot worse than it is. I filled it with the numbing agent.” She pulled the thread. “You have that high cheekbone look the models in the old world loved. Too bad it’s only one.” Ellen chuckled. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe I should have asked that before I started stitching.” She pulled and stitched, tucked and cut. “Almost done, Henry.” She made her last stitch. “Bandage or no bandage?”

  “None.”

  “Wanna display that macho, rugged hero look, huh?”

  “Yeah.” As soon as Henry knew she had finished he lowered his head.

  Ellen set her supplies aside and grabbed the cloth from the basin filled with warm water. Using her index finger, she lifted Henry’s chin. “Let me just wipe you off.” She noticed as she wiped his face clean, she wasn’t wiping any of the sadness there. “Henry?” She softened her voice. “Are you all right?”

  So close she was to him and so much he needed her at that second. Seeing her hand on his face, Henry reached up and grabbed it, squeezing it tight. “El.”

  “What is it, Henry?” She cased her eyes acros
s his face then to his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  Henry swallowed, still looking at her. “Nothing.” He released her hand and shook his head. “It ... it was just a bad time out there.”

  “You’re very lucky, Henry. Look at Danny. Things could have been worse.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Henry slid off the table. “I’m done, right?”

  “You’re finished.”

  “Thanks.” Henry started walking out, stopped and turned to face her. “El? Can I just ask one favor of you?”

  “What is it?”

  “Just ... just for a second. Could you ... could you just ...” Before Henry could get out the words, the door to the examining room opened and in came Frank. The finish to his question, ‘hold me’ was buried with Frank’s loud ‘hey’ when he walked into the room.

  Ellen grinned wide. “There he is.” She held out her hand. “Here’s the man who deserves the Mighty Mouse theme song.” She ran to him and threw her arms around him. “And who deserves to be hugged.”

  “Whoa.” Frank hugged her back lifting her from her feet and swinging her around. “This is the best part. Now can you make me my own Frank doll?”

  “You bet.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Will it get me laid?”

  “No.”

  “Right.” Frank set her down. “Anyhow, I came to see how Henry is doing.”

  Ellen looked around Frank. “He’s ... he’s gone.” She walked to the door. “What happened out there, Frank?”

  “Henry was ...” Quickly Frank’s mind went to Henry and Dean in the hall. “Henry was jumped by a bunch of them. He had a hard time, but ... he did good.”

  “Of course.” Ellen winked at him. “Look who taught him.” She put her arms around him again.

  Frank looked back at the door. He would enjoy the moment of Ellen’s gratitude, but not for long. He’d have to find Henry and do what he came to the examining room to do, check on his friend and see if he was all right.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “And ...” Jenny spoke so chipper before the group of women in her home, a group of women less Bev. “Agriculture has promised us ten chickens for our gala.” She nodded happily at the applause. “Not that we can feed a hundred people with ten chickens, but if we cook them up and cut them up, we can certainly incorporate it into that pasta dish Andrea will make.” She checked over her notes. “I spoke to everyone that I wanted to speak to and everyone looks like they’re coming, not like they have anything else to do. And, Trish?”

  Trish lifted her head and wiped the ketchup dip from her mouth. “Yes?”

  “If you don’t have that baby in the next few days, you won’t be able to attend, so concentrate, concentrate hard.”

  “OK,” Trish said chipper. “I will.”

  “Last, before we head off to the Social Hall for our monthly game of ‘Dart the Big Fart’, Ellen has an announcement to make.”

  Ellen stood up and the room went silent. “Thank you, Jenny.” She cleared her throat. “First of all, I want to say all of your bids were especially great. Danny and I had a hard time with them. Which by the way, Danny is doing splendid, splendid enough to have helped me with my final decision, which I bring to you. I spoke to Blake prior to coming here. He is excited about the change of ownership. I have the papers completely drawn up, and since Andrea is Council, she can officiate them. And now ...” Dramatically Ellen spoke, “With the bid ... drum roll please.” She rolled her tongue in a drum roll then laughed. “With a bid of eight consecutive Fridays laced with her famous Beginnings’ Pizza, coupled with the clincher of one month of filing, filling out, and routing of my stupid reports, Blake is now the property of ... Jenny Matoose.”

  Jenny screamed with excitement. Her fist clenched and she jumped up and down. “I got him I got him. Yes. Yes. Yes. I got him.” She ran around in circles. “Oh my God. Get those papers, Andrea, before Ellen changes her mind.” She began to sing. “I got him. I got him. Oh-oh I got him.” Suddenly her excitement stopped and she stood still. “Uh-oh, how am I gonna tell John?”

  <><><><>

  Dean saw it. It was so evident as he walked back to his house from a final round at the clinic. Henry was sitting on his front porch, his face buried within his hands.

  His mind flashed back to the old world and he remembered a similar scene when he walked home through the base housing on his way back from the lab. Some corporal was sitting the same way as Henry, every light off in his house. Dean remembered looking at that corporal and truly seeing that something was bothering him. Dean also remembered walking right by him and going home. This was not the old world and Henry was his friend. Dean also knew what all was bothering Henry, every aspect of it, and that was probably more than anyone else did.

  “Hey,” Dean called out, trying to sound as if he wasn’t there to ‘lend an ear’, which he was. “I just got done at the clinic.”

  “How’s Danny?” Henry raised his head some, not much.

  “Get this ... may I sit down?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks.” Dean scooted next to him. “He’s talking.”

  “What?”

  “Danny. He’s talking and talking and talking. Going off about how he got hit with the arrow and how he had an ancestor who died back in the Cowboy and Indian days by being hit with an abundance of arrows. He thought it was only fitting that he followed the footsteps of this ancestor.”

  Henry looked at Dean with an odd smile. “Were there Chinese immigrants over here back then?”

  “I don’t believe so, Henry. However, I do think we learned something about Danny Hoi. Not only does the man recover nicely, but he’s a hell of a storyteller.”

  “He’s a lucky man,” Henry said.

  “I’ll agree with that. So ...” Dean subtly cleared his throat. “I’m looking at you sitting here. I don’t need to be a scientist, even though I am to know something is heavy on your mind. Henry, do you want to talk about today?”

  Henry laughed and shook his head with so much sadness. “Talk about it, Dean? I don’t even want to think about it but that’s all I do every second since it happened.” He closed his eyes tightly in pain. “Tell me something, Dean. He hasn’t said anything and I don’t want to bring it up, but how much does Frank know?”

  “I think Frank knows enough to know what was going on but he was really too busy at that moment to see too much.”

  “Thank God.” Henry’s head dropped.

  “Henry, come on, this is your best friend. Maybe he wants you to talk to him. Maybe you need to talk to him.”

  “I’m talking to you, Dean. Does this make you uncomfortable?”

  “No!” Dean quipped. “No, Henry, it doesn’t. I want to help you, and part of helping someone is directing them to whom or where they can get the most help.”

  “Ellen is where I could get the most help.”

  “Then go to her,” Dean told him strongly.

  “Are you crazy? I went to her today.”

  “Did you tell her what happened?”

  “Did you think I would? I just need her. I just need her comfort, but I want to get it without telling her what happened. I don’t want anyone to know what happened, no one, Dean,” Henry spoke as if he were on the edge.

  “I’m not understanding why. Please explain to me why.”

  “I cannot believe you of all people have to ask me that. You saw me, Dean. If you could see me scratching my head, then you saw everything, did you not?”

  Dean ran his hand down across his mouth then peered out into the street. “Yes.”

  “Then you know how close it was.” Henry’s voice dropped. “I felt him, Dean. I felt him. If Frank was a split second longer I would have felt him more than I could have lived with.”

  “Henry, what happened to you is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Yes it is.”

  “No, it is not.”

  “Yes, Dean, it is.” Henry’s words we
re strong. “I am not a small man. I’m six feet tall. I weigh nearly two hundred pounds. I can hold my own and I’m a good fighter. How did I get to that point? How did I allow myself to be placed in that position? That ... degrading, degrading ... position.”

  A lump formed in Dean’s throat. He was so lost as to what to say. He could only try. “You say I saw it and I did. I also saw that there was nothing more you could have done. There were ten men, Henry, ten of them. You fought. I watched you. You fought as well as any man could have.”

  “Even Frank? Would Frank have let it get to that point?”

  “Now see, that is not fair. You can’t ask that. Frank is a much bigger man. And ...” Dean grew frustrated. “And yes. With ten men, I believe so. You ask Frank, because contrary to what his ego would tell him, the man in him and the friend in him would admit to you that he would have been no better off than you at that point.”

  “Even so it doesn’t make it any easier knowing I got to that point. I got to that point and I will never forget what it felt like. It was so humiliating.” Slowly Henry stood up from the steps. “If you’ll excuse me, Dean, I think I would like to go to bed now.”

  “Henry.” Dean stood also. “Go to Ellen. If not to tell her what happened, but just to try to get her comfort. Don’t tell her the whole truth. Tell her that you’re just upset over the attack. Tell her something, anything. You need her.”

  “I need ... I need to forget about this, but I’m afraid the man in me will never let me forget it.”

  Dean’s hand gripped the porch hand railing as he watched Henry go inside. He had tried, but he felt so helpless. There was nothing more he could do. He couldn’t go to Ellen. He couldn’t break that trust of Henry’s. All Dean could do is go home with Henry heavy on his mind and hope that the next day would breed something, anything that could help get him through the rough times that had him so down.

  The slight breeze through Andrea’s open living room window, brought more to Joe then just a refreshing break from the August heat as he lay there, smoking the last cigarette of the day. It brought to him emotional whispers carried in the late night wind. It brought to him the painful revelation that one of his own, his family—Henry—was in need. As painful as the truth Joe should not have learned was, it was a fact there was nothing, right there, Joe could do about it.