“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Well ... all right. Bev.” Ellen tossed the folder harshly. “She’s waiting in examining room one. I heard she was flirting with Mark to get out of Holding early. Pisses me off.”
“She’s the injection right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll do it.”
“No!” Ellen snapped.
Dean laughed. “What? Why?”
“I don’t want you near her OK? Please. Jenny told me this morning to watch my back. She thinks Bev has this vendetta against me. I just don’t want her throwing herself at you.”
“Ellen come on, it’s me.” Dean stepped to her. “Don’t worry about me with her.” Dean brushed his nose against her cheek then kissed her softly.
“I don’t. I just don’t like the thought of her coming on to you.”
“I don’t like the thought of you dealing with her right now. It’ll bother you plus I don’t trust her either. She isn’t that nice of a person.”
“But you know what, Dean?” Ellen gathered up the folders. “I’ll be fine with it. Besides I am the one with the needle, right.” She kissed him on the cheek and backed up. “See ya.”
“Ellen, what are you ...”
“See ya in a little bit.” Taking a deep breath and deciding to get the worst over with first, Ellen headed down to the examining room where Bev waited.
A single knock and holding Bev’s folder, Ellen walked in. Not saying anything, Ellen set the folder on the tray.
“I thought someone would never come.” Bev sat on the table, her legs swinging back and forth.
“We’re busy,” Ellen said as she reviewed the amount of hormone she was to give Bev. Looking at her stats, Ellen couldn’t help but think at twenty-two years old, Bev was so young there was so much she could have going for her but Bev was so stupid.
“These shots are so convenient. I was too young to know about them in the old world. Whose idea was it to bring them back?”
“Dean’s.” Ellen grabbed the hormone vial.
“Did he recreate it?”
“Yes.”
“Dean is so smart. There’s just something about him I find ...”
“Fatherly?” Ellen asked as she filled the syringe.
“Excuse me?” Bev asked.
“Do you find something fatherly about Dean? He is old enough to be your father.”
Bev giggled. “I don’t pay attention to that. Kyle is the same age. Besides, Dean looks so young, don’t you think? I find something very attractive about older men. Don’t you? Of course, the men Dean and Frank’s ...” She jolted at a slam of the tray, “... age aren’t that old to you.”
Ellen flicked her finger to get the bubbles out of the needle, wishing in her mind that there were enough in that syringe to kill Bev, and walked over to the table Bev where sat.
“I don’t know why I’m getting these. I don’t need them. I did break up with Kenny and Kyle ...”
Ellen rubbed her arm with alcohol.
“... maybe for Henry.” Bev turned her eyes to Ellen who raised hers. Their eyes met. “There’s just something about him. Ow, you’re pinching my arm.”
A twinge immediately hit Ellen’s stomach and she instinctively closed her eyes, releasing Bev’s arm and stepping back.
Andrea stepped in. “Oh, I see I’m not too late.” She looked at Ellen. “Ellen, you okay?”
“Yeah.” Ellen nodded.
Andrea turned to Bev. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing. And ...” She slid from the table. “I’m gonna go.” She walked to the already open door. “I think I’ll pass on that injection. Maybe I just might decide to get pregnant by ... Henry.”
Ellen saw Andrea ready to charge after the leaving Bev so she grabbed her. “No, Andrea, let it go.”
“No, I will not let it go.” Leaving the examining room, Andrea stormed down the hall. “Beverly.” Being ignored, Andrea kept up the pace, following Bev right out into the street. “Beverly, you best stop right now!”
Bev turned around. “What?”
“I want to have a few word with you, little girl.”
“I don’t want to listen.”
“Oh well you will and you will hear what I am saying. There is no room in the community for trouble, you hear me? I won’t tolerate it. I won’t tolerate the behavior.”
“Or what,” Bev came back so snidely, “you’ll move to have me ousted? For what? Hitting on someone else’s man? Andrea, you think because you’re on Council you can move to have me ousted? I don’t fear that. I don’t even sweat the fact that you’re sleeping with the leader of this community.” Bev stepped closer Andrea. “Don’t think I can’t remedy that.”
Andrea laughed loudly and folded her arms. “Look at you.”
“What?”
“You just think you’re all that, don’t you?” Andrea’s hands waved about and her head bobbed back and forth. “Strutting your little skinny, pretty ass around here. Well, let me tell you something. You aren’t all that, baby doll. I’ll let you in on a little wisdom my years of living have taught me. When it comes to any of the Original men in this community, they’ll keep their distance, sweetheart, because they just don’t know who’s been using you.” Andrea moved closer to her. “Let me give you a little advice. This attitude, this behavior and that mouth ... there are certain people in this community I view as my family. So heed this warning. Don’t fuck with my family or you’ll have to fuck with me and I’m the wrong bitch to be taking on.” Andrea stared hard and cold at Bev, watching the young woman clench her jaw, spin the other way, and leave.
Closing her eyes, catching her breath, Andrea turned back to the clinic only to see Frank standing there. “Frank.”
Frank looked stunned. “Oh my God. That was great! What caused that?”
“Oh.” Andrea shuddered. “I was helping Jason and I remembered one of the patients I left for Ellen was ... was that.” Andrea pointed back. “But I was too late. When I walked in the room she was already there alone with Ellen.”
“Did El deck her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Andrea shrugged. “Don’t know.”
“Should I talk to her?”
“No I want to unless you were going to see her.”
“Actually I was looking for Henry. Let me know if she’s OK.”
“I will.” Andrea stepped away. “Oh, Frank ...”
“Yeah.” Frank turned before he left.
“You got a little smudge of something on your cheek, right ...” Andrea licked her fingers and wiped it off. “Got it.” She smiled, tapped his cheek, and headed off to the clinic.
Frank’s wide eyes couldn’t bulge out anymore. “No, she didn’t just do that to me.” He rubbed his cheek. “No.” He stormed off, grabbing his headset. “Well I’m telling.” He spoke into the microphone. “Dad.”
<><><><>
“Henry, this is really great.” Frank viewed the workbench in Danny’s basement. “So you guys are working on the tracking here, together?”
“We figured it would be easier and faster if we joined forces.”
“Excellent.” Frank looked over the plans.
“We hope to have the first prototype available by the end of the week and be running tests on it over the weekend.”
“No shit?” Frank nodded with approval. “Test meaning?”
“Maybe have someone place some of the microchips in an area to see if we pick them up. Plus it would really be helpful if Robbie brings back a SUT.”
“If that creation of yours works, he will.”
Henry showed Frank his crossed fingers.
“I’ll radio and let you know as soon as I hear anything from him.”
“Yeah, I’d better be getting back to Mechanics.” Henry began to gather his things. “Oh, Frank, thanks a lot for today again. It meant so much to be talking to her, even briefly.” Henry noticed the smile on Frank’s face, subtle but there. “What?”<
br />
“I was thinking after you told me she spoke to you. I was thinking about the other night when she and I were hanging out. Ellen was talking, doing that rambling thing. Anyway, did you know Ellen always rambled? From the first time I met her, she rambled. Fast, mindless, whether she was excited or bitching.” Frank snickered. “It dawned on me, thinking back, that after the plague, Ellen stopped rambling.” Frank raised his eyebrows. “No matter how much she moved on, she just didn’t go back to being Ellen until ... until you and her clicked.”
Henry gave a smile of gratitude to Frank for that compliment. “Thanks. You got her to say ‘hi’ to me. Any chance you can get her to have a conversation with me?” Henry finished getting his things.
“I could.”
“I doubt it.”
“No seriously, you don’t think I could?”
“Frank, she hates me. Things happened. Things transpired. Some can’t be taken back.”
“True,” Frank said. “But sometimes, all you need is time and me. I got an idea. Step one.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’ll cost you.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’s simple Henry. I get you two to be friends again, you follow my advice, you are buddies. No more, Henry, I am the primary and you support that.”
Henry grumbled. “Fine. Deal.”
Frank stepped to him. “It’s time to tell her what you created, not the Auralnator but the optical enhancer.”
“Frank, if she shoots it down, or couldn’t care less, I would ...”
“Have faith in her, Henry. I know El. Tell her, and tell her today. If you think I have this spot in her heart, you haven’t realized what torch she carries for Dean. And with him being blind, fuck, no one stands a chance.” Frank looked at his watch. “In fact, she’ll be ready for lunch soon. The ‘hello’ was the first step, this will be the second.”
Henry placed his hands in his pocket. “Should I really tell her?” He saw Frank nod so assuredly. “If she burns me, Frank ...”
“She won’t. I’ll test the water for you first before sending you to the shark.”
“Ha, ha, ha.” Henry shook his head. Apprehensively he then agreed. Though making a deal with Frank was bad, and following Frank-advice could be worse, Henry knew he was at a low, and not much at that point was going to make things worse. Of that Henry was sure.
<><><><>
Peering over the hill, laying stomach down, Curt held the binoculars. “What the hell is he doing?” he asked Neal, the other guard.
Neal shook his head. “Looks like he’s crawling to the SUT on post.”
“Should he be doing that?” Curt asked. “Why isn’t Robbie following Joe’s advice? We’re supposed to aim down, miss one, and grab one. No, instead we have Robbie two feet from an armed thing, Steve in the bush waiting for God knows what, and us up here watching.”
“Yep,” Neal said, “he’s giving a thumbs-up.”
“He’s just not right.” Curt shook his head, positioned his rifle better and waited.
Forearm over forearm, on his stomach, rifle over his back, Robbie crawled with a grunt on his face. So quiet, he was gripping the Auralnator in his hand, keeping his faith in Henry and Danny. One foot from the SUT and Robbie was still unnoticed. The SUT stared out watching and waiting. Grateful for their stupidity, Robbie counted to three in his head, jumped up at the SUT from behind, secured his arm around his neck, and placed the Auralnator in his ear, depressing the button. Robbie felt the slight vibration of the silent weapon then he felt the SUT drop lifeless into him. Closing his eyes tightly with a wide open mouth and a quiet ‘oh yes!’, Robbie pulled the SUT backwards into the trees.
Though tough, he dropped him fifteen feet away at the feet of Steve. “Fuckin brilliant,” he told Steve in a whisper.
“It worked?”
“Hell yeah.” Robbie clenched the Auralnator.
“Can we take the rest out now?”
“Um ... no.” Robbie walked away.
“Robbie, where are you going?”
“Just one more,” Robbie said. “I saw one taking a nap. Just one more, this is way too cool.” As soon as he drew closer to the camp, Robbie circled to where a few SUTs slept. He dropped to his stomach, crawling in his entrance, and sneaking up on the next one.
So easy it was, all except for dragging their motionless, limp bodies to Steve.
“Good job,” Steve said. “Now let’s get ... Robbie?”
Robbie held his finger to his lips in a ‘shush’ manner. He mouthed the words ‘one more’ and headed into the trees. Robbie spotted a third one, sitting and cleaning his rifle off by himself. How brainless Robbie thought them to just be so lax to the fact they could be attacked.
The sneak approach to the SUT who sat on the rock, a grab to his neck, a buzz to his ear ... and Robbie felt the struggle. “Shit.” Getting a fight from the man he braced from behind, Robbie noticed the left temple. No marks. Not a SUT. So with that, Robbie broke his neck easily, pulled him into the woods and figured since he told Steve he was getting one more, Robbie hit the camp again.
<><><><>
Did she smell tea? Ellen knew she did when she raised her head to the opening of her Containment office door and saw the cup first, then its presenter, Henry. “What ...”
“I thought you would like to have lunch with me.” Henry walked in and set the cup down. “I brought you a sandwich.”
Ellen turned her head from him and collated the papers on her desk. “Thanks, but I’m not eating, I have a meeting with Joe.”
“El, that’s not for twenty more minutes. I can walk you there.”
Ellen just shook her head, looking down.
Henry sat down in the chair across from her. He nervously folded his hands watching Ellen stay busy and not look at him. “I came here to talk to you. Can I talk to you? It is really important and I promise you, it won’t be about us. It has nothing to do with ... with ...” As painful as it was to admit, Henry was being ignored. “I’m sorry. You spoke to me today. I thought I could come to you with this. Did something happen?”
“Let’s just say I uh ...” Ellen slammed the papers down. “I had a little talk with your new girlfriend.”
“What? Who are you talking about?”
“Bev, you know the one that left Kenny and Kyle for you.”
“Ellen I ...”
“The one who says she will have your baby.”
“Oh my God. No, El.” He saw her look away again. “I told you I didn’t sleep with her ...”
“Stop it, Henry,” Ellen snapped. “Just stop OK?”
“I threw up.”
“I’m ... I’m sorry? What?” Ellen asked.
“I got sick and threw up before we finished.”
“You were drunk.”
“Yeah, no excuse, but I was.”
“And,” Ellen said. “She’s foul.”
Henry laughed.
Ellen gathered her things. “Thank you for the tea.” She took a sip.
“Will you eat the sandwich I brought you?”
“On my way to Joe’s.”
Henry smiled gently. “Thank you, El.” He saw her stand. “Are you going there now?”
“Yes.” Ellen grabbed the cup and wrapped sandwich.
“Can I walk you?” Henry asked as she moved by him.
“Henry, no.”
“But there’s something I need to tell you, something very important.”
“It’ll have to wait.” She moved to open the door. “It can’t be that important.”
Henry shuddered in a breath, getting up his nerve, and chanced it by blurting it out. “I’m going to make Dean see again.”
“What?” Ellen stopped and spun to him. “Henry, you can’t do ...”
“Yes, yes I can. I have ...” Breathing heavily, he stepped to her. “Danny and I have reinvented the microchip. I created a program that will enhance his vision and the chip will send the signals to Dean’s eyes that
his brain is unable to do now. We have worked day and night. We have it now. As soon as Jason completes his tests, we’ll do it. Dean will see again. I’m sure of it.”
The tea cup dropped from Ellen’s hand, shattering on the floor by her feet. Not knowing what to say or do, Ellen, with shaking hands, bent down to the floor to pick up the pieces. As she did, Henry joined in helping her. “He’ll see?”
“He’ll see. But we don’t want to tell him until we know all tests have been completed successfully. They will be, I’m certain.”
“You did this? You came up with the program?”
“Yes, and the chip idea, I just couldn’t make it. But it’s made.”
“Oh, Henry.” Ellen was so shocked. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’re happy, El. Say I did something that didn’t hurt you this time, but made you happy.”
Holding the broken glass in her hand, Ellen stuttered, “You made me happy with this one, Henry. Thank you.” She moved to him, dropping the glass to the floor again and laying her hand on his face. “Is this what you came to tell me?”
“Yes. I was scared to. I didn’t think you’d care.”
“I care.” She took her hand back and looked one more time at Henry’s smiling face. “Wow.” She shuddered then smiled too. “This is great.” She finished picking up the pieces of the cup. “And ... and I’d better hurry to Joe’s. I’ll get one of my guys to clean this up.”
“Can I walk with you now, El?” Henry stood to his feet the same time as Ellen.
“Walk with me now?” Ellen opened the door. “Henry, I’m sorry. This was a great, great thing you shared with me. So great. I’m proud of what you did, but it doesn’t make me see you any different right now. It doesn’t erase what happened. OK? I ... I still want to walk alone.” Giving Henry a peaceful look, Ellen walked over the spilled tea and slowly from her office.
Failed. Henry’s heart fell so hard at that moment and the glorification of what he accomplished in helping Dean, faded to the background. It meant nothing to him because Henry felt like he failed. How could he bask in what he created if he couldn’t fully bask in it with the person he cared most about? Until he could achieve that, what he did for Dean would never mean to Henry what it should.
Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8 Page 38
