The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  Jenny stopped cold in her fussing over the bed. “Oh, my God.”

  “Are you . . . are you pregnant?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh shit!” An excited Ellen yell echoed in the bedroom. “Oh, Jenny, that is so great!” She hurried to Jenny. “Why didn’t you come to me? You had to have just realized.”

  “Well, no.” Jenny shook her head. “I’ve known for a while.”

  “How long?” Ellen asked.

  “Andrea knew.” Jenny shifted her eyes to John. “Four months.”

  Ellen’s eyes widened. “You’ve known that long? Why keep it a secret?”

  “Me,” John interjected. “I’m the reason, aren’t I? You’re ashamed if the baby is mine.”

  Jenny exhaled. “I was a little. I’m sorry.”

  “No,” John said sadly. “You have every right. Don’t apologize, but I promise you something. I promise you if this baby is mine, I will make you proud of me again.”

  “Oh, John,” Jenny wisped out. “There’s no doubt that this baby is yours. I was glad. At the time, Bev was screaming paternity tests enough for everyone.” She quickly looked at Ellen. “I’m sorry, Ellen.”

  Ellen shook her head. “It’s all right.”

  Jenny saw the confusion on John’s face. “That’s right, you were comatose. Bev was running around saying she was pregnant by Dean.”

  “Dean?” John laughed. “That’s absurd.”

  “That’s what she was saying.” Jenny shrugged. “But it wasn’t Dean’s. She was probably trying to pass off Kevin’s as his.”

  “No,” Ellen corrected. “Remember she said Kevin was out on runs during conception.”

  “That’s right,” Jenny said. “Then I wonder whose baby it is? Could be anyone’s, she was a slut.”

  ‘Whose baby is it?’ rang through John’s mind and it made him produce a smile that he had to hide. It was a smile he got when he heard Johnny’s voice taunting him, ‘After all, someone took Bev and my baby from me, so what the hell do I care’ John knew the secret to Bev’s baby’s paternity held more than the truth of who she slept with. It told the truth, and gave the proof, that John Matoose needed to hang Johnny. And all he had to do was figure out a way to get that truth out because the last thing he wanted was the parentage of the child to be buried along with the mother.

  ^^^^

  “I don’t know.” Joe cupped his hands behind his head and rocked back in his office chair.

  Hal looked again at his watch. “Why can’t they just be punctual? Is that too much to ask?”

  “Your brothers can’t be like you.”

  “They should be.”

  “Except the hair.” Joe pointed. “You ought to cut it.”

  “Right away.” Hal shook his head. “At least you can’t have them hold me down and shave my head during the night.”

  “You don’t think?” Joe snickered.

  Robbie’s talking was his entrance into the office. “Keep in mind, the last place I want to be is in a meeting with Henry.”

  Ready to reprimand his little brother for tardiness, Hal looked back. When he did, he immediately stood up. “Christ. What happened to your nose?”

  Before Robbie could answer Joe pointed to the door that opened, bringing in Henry.

  Hal looked. “Him? You let him get the best of you?”

  “No.” Robbie plopped down to a chair. “He took a cheap shot at me. Hit me from behind.”

  A shift of Hal’s eyes went to Henry. “You took a cheap shot at my brother?”

  “Your brother . . .” Henry pulled out a chair with attitude. “Was starting trouble.”

  “When doesn’t he?” Hal said.

  “Hal,” Joe warned.

  “It’s no reason for a cheap shot,” Hal continued.

  “Hal, sit.” Joe pointed to the chair.

  “You know what I think, Dad.” Hal took a seat. “I think a long history of bad blood between these two should come to a head. Put them in the street and let them beat the hell out of each other until one of them concedes.”

  Robbie grinned. “Hal, you are fast becoming my favorite big brother.”

  Joe winced. “We can’t do that, Hal. No offence Henry, but Robbie would kill you.”

  Henry rolled his eyes.

  Robbie snapped his fingers with a bright smile. “Hal, you just gave me an idea. You know what we should start? A wrestling federation.”

  “Yes.” Hal smiled. “Entertainment. Frank would take it so serious.”

  “He’d hate it if he got booed.”

  “Boys.” Joe tried to stop the ‘off the subject’ talk.

  “Oh.” Robbie laughed. “We can make Henry, Mr. Fuji.”

  Henry hit his hand on the chair. “Joe, can we just start this meeting?”

  Joe shook his head. “We have to wait for Frank. Speaking of . . .” Joe looked at his watch. “Where is Frank?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Frank smiled, staring down into the huge hole. “Someone’s hungry today and been eating the oatmeal. Smart bear, avoiding my trap.”

  Crack.

  The snap of a twig made Frank’s head lift, and the he took in a long whiff, “Man, what stinks.”

  Growl.

  Frank turned around and he looked up. Way up. “Fuck.”

  Henry held one ear closed in annoyance to Hal and Robbie’s back and forth talking. “Joe, can we just start this?”

  “I told you Henry, we can’t . . .”

  “Henry,” Robbie snapped, “quit bitching.”

  “See.” Henry pointed to Robbie, “I didn’t say anything to him.”

  “All I did was tell you to stop bitching,” Robbie defended. “Are you bitching? Yes.”

  Henry grumbled, “And you’ll wonder why I want to leave Beginnings.”

  “Yes!” Robbie yelled out. “Go.”

  “Robert,” Joe said calmly. “Henry, you don’t want to leave Beginnings.”

  “Yes I do, Joe. I hate it here anymore.”

  “You hate it here?” Joe questioned.

  “I want to move to Bowman. I hate it here and everyone here.”

  “We hate you too,” Robbie said.

  “Robert. Stop. Henry.” Joe looked at him seriously. “Quit with the juvenile antics. You hate this. You hate that. What is up your ass?”

  “Yeah, Henry,” Robbie instigated. “Grow up.”

  “Robert.” Joe quickly looked at Hal. “Quit laughing, Hal.”

  “I quit!” Henry stood up. “Yeah, all of you come down on me. You’re a family. I’m outnumbered. Why am I even wasting my breath?”

  Robbie waved. “Bye.”

  “Robert!” Joe said his name as he slammed his hand. “Henry, sit your skinny ass down right now before . . .”

  Hiss. Static. “Dad.” Frank’s voice came over the radio.

  Holding his hand up to Henry, Joe lifted the radio. “Frank, where the hell are you?”

  “Dad I . . .” Frank grunted. “I think I need some . . . uh! Help at the back gate.”

  “You need to get your ass down for this meeting. Hal has to go back to New Bowman,” Joe scolded. “Get down here.”

  “Dad, I can’t . . . hold on.”

  With a twitch of his head in disgust, Frank watched the huge and towering bear begin a taunting move his way. Figuring it was just a bear and he was a big guy, Frank charged shoulder first.

  “Frank!” Joe called out. “Frank!” He moved his head back from the radio when he heard a scream. “Frank?”

  “Dad, I’m a little busy. I need some help with the bear.”

  “Goddamn it, Frank,” Joe said so perturbed. “There is no . . .”

  GROWL.

  “Jesus Christ.” And on Joe’s exclamation of blasphemy, he, Robbie, Hal, and Henry flew from his office.

  “Dad.” Rushing, Hal held his hand out to Joe at the back gate. “Stay here.”

  “What?” Joe said with a laugh.

  “Dad, it’s a bear.” Hal moved to the fence.

  “
No shit Sherlock.”

  “Dad, a man of your age.” Hal grabbed Robbie.

  “Fine.” Joe tossed up his hands. “Bet me not one of them pulls out their gun.” Joe reached for his revolver. “Morons.”

  Hal made a hushing sound to Robbie. “Listen. I hear scuffling.”

  “Do you think Frank is . . .?”

  A loud Frank scream rang out seconds before his body seemingly dropped from the sky and landed at Hal and Robbie’s feet.

  Hal reached down to a bloodied Frank. “Are you all right?”

  Like a cat, Frank twitched his head and stood up. “He’s strong.”

  Robbie snickered. “He’s a bear.”

  “And we can take him,” Hal stated.

  “Hal,” Frank said with disgust. “He’s my bear.”

  “You called for help,” Hal said. “We’re here to help.”

  “Yeah, Frank,” Robbie interjected. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Let us help with the . . .”

  A loud growl rang out and all three Slagel men looked up.

  “Hal,” Frank whispered, eyes locked on the bear. “Whatever you do, don’t be a pansy and pull out that sword.”

  Offended, Hal looked at Frank. “What do you mean, pansy? My sword could . . .”

  “Hal!” Robbie shouted. “Watch out!”

  “Yeah, watch . . .” Frank cringed when the bear lifted Hal as if he weighed nothing and tossed him hard the other way.

  “Hey!” Robbie charged out, racing full speed to the bear. He rammed shoulder first into the beast and bounced backwards. The bear reached down, lifted Robbie, and threw him at the same time Frank and Hal thought maybe double teaming the bear would work. It didn’t.

  Joe allowed it to amuse him for a while, watching his sons get tossed about as they all made attempt after attempt to tackle that bear. He enjoyed their squeals and thumps and their little huddled strategy meetings on to bring the animal down, but Joe had enough. He had a busy day. Shifting the chamber on his forty-five semi-automatic, Joe twitched his head in disgust, waited until the bear threw the last of his sons, and then fired four shots, rapid and accurate, all to the bear’s head. The smile on Joe’s face lasted only for a moment before it was replaced with annoyance when Frank yelled out. “He’s weakened. Get him!” After raising his hand, Joe dropped it in defeat and finally chuckled as he watched his three sons, all together, shove the bear into the hole that Frank had created.

  Snap-snap-snap-snap.

  “Oh yeah.” Frank smiled peering into the crater. “He’s down.”

  Robbie wiped the blood from his mouth. “We should go down there and collect some souvenirs.”

  Hal nodded. “We should. Clip the claws. Frank?”

  “Sure. I’ll go.” Frank sniffed through his blood clogged nose. “I wonder who shot him.”

  Joe’s voice was crass. “Who do you think?”

  Frank turned around. “Who?”

  “Frank,” Joe cringed.

  “Oh, hey, Dad, look.” Frank pointed to the hole. “We got the bear. We’re gonna go clip its claws. Want one?”

  “No, but clip the claws after you boys get some medical attention. Christ.” He stepped to the bloodied three. “Look at you. What the hell were you thinking? Didn’t one of you think to pull out your goddamn weapon and shoot him?”

  All three brothers looked at each other and shrugged.

  “You have to admit,” Robbie said, “it was fun.”

  Hal nodded. “It was.”

  “And . . .” Frank interjected. “Someone shot him. I heard. I think. Did I?”

  “Yeah, Frank,” Joe snapped. “He was shot four times in the head.”

  Frank looked around. “By who?”

  “Me!” Joe yelled. “Now get your asses down to the Clinic before you get rabies.” Shaking his head, Joe turned and walked away.

  “How do you like that?” Frank said. “A family effort.” He looked down at the hole. “We huffed and we puffed and we blew that bear down.”

  Hal blinked several times. “Frank? Huffed and puffed?”

  “Um, yeah, Hal.” Frank spoke to Hal as if Hal should have known. “It’s from a children’s story. Man, where have you been?”

  “Frank.” Robbie tapped him on the shoulder. “The one story with ‘huff and puff’ that was about pigs and a wolf.”

  “Yeah,” Hal snapped, “wrong fairy tale, asshole.”

  “O.K., O.K.” Frank held up his hand. “But still . . . did I or did I not say there was a bear? I did and we got him.” Frank smiled and looked down at the dead bear. “The nightmare in Beginnings is finally over.” The grin of Frank’s face dropped. “Fuck. It’s gonna get boring again.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  His eyebrow raised with oddity about the same time that Jason raised a shredded and bloodied tee-shirt with two fingers. “And they survived?”

  Joe shrugged. “Go figure. But I’ll tell you Jason, it was the funniest thing watching them try to take down that bear.”

  “How big was it?”

  “Ready? Twenty-two feet.”

  Jason whistled and set down the shirt. “And they tried without weapons?”

  “My boys were always demented. It goes with their love of wrestling. Hell, you should have seen Hal and Frank trying to double team clothesline the thing. Even jumping in synch they made it to his stomach. The bear just got pissed.”

  “What made you decide to step in?”

  “I saw a bit too much blood.”

  Jason nodded. “Robbie was lucky none of those ribs were broken. He . . . he was the lucky one.”

  “No stitches?” Joe nodded pleased when Jason agreed. “How about Hal?”

  “Dean’s finishing him up. He’s getting a couple to his temple. I’m more worried about that thigh. So is Dean. That’s why we need him to stay in Beginnings over night. That bear tooth went awfully deep.”

  “Frank?”

  Very seriously, Jason looked at Joe. “The man should be gutted. That’s how close he came. How he escaped is beyond me.”

  “Me too. Remind me not to make up any lies.”

  “You could turn into the boy who cried wolf.”

  “Or bear,” Joe snickered. “No more lies. No more trouble.”

  “Joe!” Jenny Matoose called as she raced down the hall. “Oh, Joe.” She caught her breath. “We’ve heard rumors. Tell me. Tell me the grizzly scare is over.”

  “Yes,” Joe stated.

  She shrieked a little and grabbed her chest. “Thank God. Joe, the women and I made a little gift for the person who was responsible for saving us from the bear. A nice sweater. Was it Frank?”

  “Um . . . no.” Joe shook his head. “It was Hal, all Hal.”

  Jenny grinned. “Thank you, Joe. I’ll go get it and give it to him.”

  Joe winked.

  Jason cleared his throat. “I thought you weren’t gonna lie and start trouble, Joe? Frank lured that bear in. He called it his bear.”

  “Yeah, but Hal’s more of a sweater guy.”

  Jason nodded. “Valid point.”

  ^^^^

  “Ouch.” Frank said with some tone of ‘fake’.

  “Stop it.” Ellen snickered as she leaned over his prone body. “I’m almost done.”

  “It’s not that bad. Do I need stitches?”

  Ellen looked up from the six inch gape in Frank’s gut. “No, I need practice.”

  “Oh. O.K.”

  “Frank?” Ellen’s hands stopped moving. “You have a bullet scar. When were you shot in the stomach?”

  “Oh, Robbie shot me. Remember?”

  “No. Robbie shot you?” Ellen looked at him with curiosity. “When?”

  “El,” Frank said with annoyance. “Fuck. I can’t believe you forgot. I almost died. I did die. Dean saved my life with that drug and . . . and . . .”

  Ellen waited.

  “And . . . am I done?”

  “Yes, but when did Robbie shoot . . .”

  “My shirt.” Frank sat up with a g
runt. “Where is my shirt? I know I put it . . .”

  “Frank. It’s shredded. When did Robbie shoot you?”

  “He didn’t. He did. But he didn’t. It’s the time machine thing. It was in the Beginnings when he didn’t arrive until late. He shot me by accident during shooting practice.”

  “Boy, he must have sucked.”

  “Yeah.” Frank laughed. He started to get off the table. “Hey, El . . .”

  “Frank, let me bandage that.”

  “No. Hey, El.” Frank stood before her. “I’m not working Wednesday. What are you doing?”

  “Why?” Ellen asked.

  Frank gave a shy shrug. “Just curious.”

  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  “No.” Frank shook his head. “Yeah. Maybe. Would you?”

  “I don’t know. The last time we went out, you got me drunk and didn’t put out.”

  “I had reason.”

  “Yeah and if I recall . . .” Ellen began to gather her supplies. “It was a lame reason that made me vow never to bother with you again.”

  “Man . . . you’re tough.” Frank followed her.

  “So you’re not stuck to that code of Dean honor?”

  “Sort of, but we have an agreement. So are you busy?”

  “Why are you asking me out, Frank?” Ellen questioned.

  “Because, maybe I’m wrong, but I think things are coming back together for us. I want to keep it going.”

  “What, uh, do you have in mind?” Ellen looked over her shoulder at him while she put things away.

  “I want to spend some of my hard earned Danny dollars, hit the Danny-plex, bowl at the Dan-a-Rama, maybe eat the Hoi-Hoi on the Range Diner.”

  Ellen snickered. “An all out date then? Complete with sex?”

  The corner of Frank’ mouth rose in a smile that he quickly erased. “I would never presume that.”

  “Right.” She shook her head. “I’m in New Bowman on Wednesday working at the Clinic.”

  “What about after?”

  “I’m busy.” She turned and faced him. “I have a date.”

  “Now see, why did you let me go on and on when . . .”