Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8 (63 page)

“
Stew, we need our manpower for bigger things and you know it. Though we can afford the loss of lives now, in the long run, in the big picture, we cannot. Beginnings is a step to the big picture. We need that land, but we have to do it right. If we obtain that land through massive losses, then we’ve defeated the entire purpose of needing that place.”

“
So why not build what they have, another Communications Division? We have the technology.”

“
We could.” George nodded. “But what they have someone else could very easily get their hands on and that we cannot chance. It’s in the interest of our country to seize our assets and we will. But Beginnings is smart. They also have a budding Air Division which we do not have. We have to hit them differently and differently we will. Everyone knows how to count to three. You know two comes after one, and three comes after two, but what happens if you’re expecting, one, two, three and you get, three, one, two? Confusion. When Beginnings gets confused, we get a victory.” George smiled and he knew he had lost his specialty team that sat at the conference table. They hadn’t a clue, no matter how well informed they were, to what he meant about number sequences, but George did. Soon so would Beginnings and that was all that mattered.

<><><><>

“Rolling Stones,” Frank stated with assurance as he sat next to Henry on Henry’s porch.

“
Very good, Frank.” He showed Frank a bag of sunflower seeds. “Want one.”

“
Nah. I’m telling you, Henry, I’m the seventies guy. There’s not much I don’t know about the seventies.”

“
Frank?” Henry looked up to the darkened sky. “I heard you’re pulling an extra training session tomorrow.”

“
Yeah, a couple of the guys want it. Why?”

“
Could I ... Could I come?”

It was an odd request
, and the oddity of it showed on Frank’s face. “Yeah, sure.”

“
In fact. I’d like to ask you to teach me more, more hand to hand, more ...”

“
Henry, does this have anything to do with what happened yesterday?”

“
Of course it does.” Henry folded his hands.

“
You’re a good fighter, Henry.”

“
Not good enough.”

Frank took a second
, trying to come up with words to say. He saw the hurt and the pain on his friend’s face. “You think if you were a better fighter, you could have done things differently?”

“
Yes.”

“
No,” Frank told him. “No. There were ten men.”

“
You took them on.”

“
Henry, I dropped my bike and snuck up on them when they were ... when they ... I snuck up on them.”

“
But what if you were in my position? Answer me honestly. Would you have ...” Henry paused to catch his emotional breath. “Would you have been brought down? Would they have gotten to that point with you that they got with me?”

“
You mean at the point when I arrived?”

“
What did you see at that point, Frank?”

“
I saw my friend in trouble.”

“
Oh God.” Henry covered his face.

“
Henry.” Frank grabbed his hands and lowered them. “Come on.”

“
You didn’t answer my question. Would you have been in my position or would you have gotten out of it?”

Despite what Frank believed
, despite what he himself was confident of, he was being asked—in a roundabout way—to make his friend feel better. “Honestly?”

“
Please.”

“
I would have been in the same position as you with ten men taking me by surprise. I’m good, Henry. I’m not that good.”

“
Really, Frank?”

“
Fuck yeah. There’s only one thing that may have stopped them from taking it too far.”

“
What’s that, your anger?”

“
No way.” Frank shook his head. “One look at my big hairy ass and I would have been dropped.” Frank started laughing when he heard Henry laugh.

“
You’re a good friend, Frank.”

“
Yeah I know.” He snickered then drew Henry’s attention to his left. “Look.”

Henry shifted his eyes
, saw Ellen, then looked straight ahead again.

“
Hi, Henry.” Ellen approached them. “Frank, what the hell are you doing?”

“
What?”

“
You left the house over an hour ago to check on something. I got the kids in bed. I can’t believe you left me there doing the mother-thing. Go home.”

“
Who’s with them now?” Frank asked.

“
Josh, but he’s going out with Denny.”

“
To do what?”

“
Hang out,” Ellen snapped. “Go home.” She waved her hand but Frank didn’t budge. Ellen shifted her eyes toward Henry. “Frank, do I need to be direct about this?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Asshole.” She shook her head. “Could you let me speak to Henry?”

“
Sure.”

“
Alone.”

“
Oh.” Frank stood up immediately. “Sure. I’ll call you in a little bit. Wanna come back over.”

Ellen shrugged
. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

“
Don’t play hard to get, El ... I may have to take you seriously and never hit on you again.”

“
Oh that’s a threat.” She rolled her eyes and twitched her head.

“
I’m going.” Frank gave a pat to Henry as he walked by.

Ellen watched Frank disappear down the street
, waited that extra second to make sure he wasn’t hiding around the building eavesdropping, then she looked down to a very silent Henry. “Dean’s not home. He’s working late on the virus. Geez, Henry, he’s so engrossed in this seeing thing since you gave him back his sight.” She took a breath. “Anyhow, wanna go to the house and we can divide up our work hour winnings?”

“
No, you can have them.”

“
Henry, can I be honest? You’re not yourself and I was wondering if you needed to talk.”

“
No, El. Right now, I just need some time alone.”

“
Are you sure?”

Henry nodded and stood
. “Thank you though. I just ... I just need to distance myself from everyone for a little ...”

“
I understand. Thought I’d offer.” Ellen nodded, gave a sad smile and turned.

Henry watched her go into her house and he heard the
shutting of her door. He knew there was no way he could truly face Ellen until he faced his problems fully himself. When he did that, he promised himself he would try again to get in her good graces. Until then, Henry would be as he was for a very long time ... alone.

<><><><>

No sooner had Frank walked into his house when his cellular phone began to ring
. First listening for it then searching out the ring, he found the phone on the dining room table. “Yeah.” He answered it in his suave Frank-way.

“
What are you doing?”

“
El?” Frank walked into the living room, holding the phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear. “I thought you’d be talking to Henry.”

“
He didn’t want to talk, he just wanted to be alone.”

“
OK.” Frank undid his shoulder harness and draped it over the chair. “Is he alright?” He sat down.

“
Apparently not, Frank. What are you doing right now?”

“
Talking to you.”

“
I was wondering if ...”

“
Yes.”

Ellen
’s giggled carried over the phone. “I didn’t say it.”

“
You want to come over. Please.” Frank leaned forward. “Come over. Josh ran out as soon as I walked in.” He smiled. “I’d like very much if you hung out.”

“
I’ll be over as soon as I take my shower.”

“
Thanks, El.” Hearing her hang up, Frank bit his bottom lip and tapped the phone to his chin. Realizing he didn’t shut the phone off, he reached down for the button. It was then Frank’s finger shook so badly he could barely press it.

He stared in debate at his hands
, at that phone, and then he looked at his watch. Wringing his hands together as he sat in the chair, Frank decided one drink would not hurt. Setting down the phone on the coffee table, he stood up and went into the kitchen.

He opened the cabinet above the stove
, staring at his bottle, reaching for it, pulling back, and then finally bringing it down. Grabbing a glass, he poured a small amount into the glass and opened the fridge for some ice. He swished the ice around, cooling the moonshine.

As he brought the glass to his lips
, ready to take that first drink, he paused when he heard the tiny voice in the living room.

“
Da-da. Da-da.”

Frank smiled in amazement at how Brian was climbing from his crib already
. “OK. Bri.” Pulling the glass from his mouth to set it down, his hand gripped it so hard it shattered in his hand when he heard Brian again.

“
Da-da. Gun.”

Bang
! ... Silence.

With her head bent down toward her knees as she brushed out her towel dried hair, Ellen screamed when suddenly a set of feet appeared right in her vision. She jumped back, flinging her hair back and grabbed her chest. “Henry.”

“
El ...”

“
What are you doing here?”

“
I came to get you.” He stepped to her. “We couldn’t reach you on the phone. Come with me. We have to get to the clinic, El.”

“
What happened?”

“
Brian crawled from bed. He ... he got a hold of Frank’s gun. It went off.” Henry swallowed. “Brian’s been shot.”

Ellen
’s hand sprang to her mouth in an out of breath gasp and raced toward the door, slipping on her shoes as she did. “How is he?”

“
I don’t know anything yet.” Henry followed her.

“
Did someone call Dean?”

“
He’s on his way.”

With her entire insides shaking
, Ellen felt like she had just slipped into a nightmare and she ran as fast as she could to the clinic.

She barreled through the front doors of the clinic at full speed with Henry right behind her. As soon as Ellen made it into the hall, she saw Joe. “Joe!” She raced up to him. “How is he?”

“
He’s in the operating room now.”

“
Oh my God.”

“
Ellen.” Joe pulled her into him. “He’s alive. That’s what counts right now. He’s alive.”

“
Dean!” Ellen stepped back when Dean came charging into the clinic. “Dean.” She ran up to him.

“
Where is he?” Dean asked, laying his hands on Ellen’s shoulders.

“
He’s in the back. I’m scared, Dean. You have to find out what’s going on. Please,” she said through her anguish.

“
I will. I will.” He started to move. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Placing both hands on her face, Dean kissed her. “He’ll be all right.” Before running down the hall he gave her a quick embrace then took off.

Ellen folded her arms tightly to her body
, holding back the tears that were coming anyway, and she turned back to Joe. When she did, she saw Frank in the waiting room. He sat on the sofa, leaned forward, face buried in his hands, Robbie on one side, and Johnny standing on the other. Slowly she walked into the waiting room and up to him. “Frank,” she called his name out softly.

Through his rocking back and forth he lifted his head
. “I’m so sorry, El.”

“
What happened?”

“
He got a hold of my gun.”

“
How? Ellen sat on the coffee table across from him.

“
It was over the chair. I thought he was in bed.”

“
Why, Frank, why wasn’t the safety on?”

“
I don’t know.” Frank shook his head with emotion filled words. “I just don’t know. It’s all my fault.”

“
Well you’re not getting an argument from me there.”

Robbie
’s strong, warning ‘El’ didn’t even faze her.

“
Answer me this, Frank. Were you drinking?”

Frank slid his hands down some from his face
.

“
Answer me.”

His eyes only met hers

“Answer me!” Ellen screamed her loudest.

“
I ... I was getting a drink when ...”

“
No!” Ellen sprang up from her seat on that table so hard it flung the table on its side. “You son of a bitch!” She blasted her angry words at him. And Frank sat quietly listening, taking it all in, without any argument. “Our son is shot all because you found it more important to drink than to worry about your gun lying around? Look at you.” Her hand flung out. “Look at you! You sit here worried, you’re sick about this. You’re apologizing when you have no right. No right! To feel sorry! None! You’re pathetic, Frank. You have been asked to quit drinking. You have been told to quit. You have lied about it. And now you have proved to me where your priorities lie. Our son has been shot.” Ellen placed her face close to him as she nailed him with her sharp words. “Shot! You have just lost every right you ever had to call yourself a father. You are not fit to call yourself a father. From this moment on, the kids are with me. I don’t want you around them. I don’t want you near them.” She stood up and stepped back. “When you go home tonight, you will go home to an empty house then you can leave your gun wherever you like. You can drink your alcohol whenever you like and you don’t have to worry about putting anyone in danger but yourself. You know what, Frank? Right now, I don’t give a fuck if you even do that.”

Frank
’s head began to drop into his hands but he stopped when he heard Dean.

“
El.” Dean stood in the waiting room. His eyes kept shifting back to Frank.

“
Dean.” Ellen stood before him. “Tell me.”

“
It’s not as bad as we thought.” Dean saw her shoulders drop. “He’ll be fine. He has some burns on his fingers, and they’ll be fine. The only thing is he’s lost the top portion of his little finger.” Dean gripped on to Ellen. “This isn’t bad, really since he’s so small. It won’t make a difference to him.”

“
Thank you.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Dean. “Can I see him?”

“
They’ll be bringing him into recovery in a few minutes.” Dean released the embrace. “Andrea agreed that we can take him home tonight. Between you and me, we can keep a pretty good eye on him.”

“
I’m heading down there.” As she moved away from Dean, she saw Frank standing up. “No!” she yelled to him. “I don’t want you anywhere near him. You did this to him. You did this.” With her last words, Ellen spun around and raced from the waiting room.

It was too quiet in the waiting room for Frank
. He looked around at the faces in the room as if waiting for all of them to take their turn at him. With a heavy feeling in his chest he stepped to Dean. “Give Brian a kiss for me.”

“
Frank,” Dean called to him as he started to leave, “he’s your son too. If you want to wait and see him, you wait and see him.”

“
No.” Frank shook his head with closed eyes. “I’m gonna go home and uh ... I’m gonna get Robbie and Henry to help me bring the kids to your house tonight.”

“
Frank.”

“
No, Dean, she’s right. I don’t deserve to be around them. I don’t. What happened tonight was all my fault. I might as well have put the gun in my hand and shot him myself.”

“
Just tell me this, Frank,” Dean spoke without accusation. He spoke calmly. “Were you drinking when it happened?”

“
I hadn’t had a drink all night.” Frank shook his head. “I had just ... just poured one. But still, I guess that’s where my mind was.” He took another step toward Henry and Robbie. “Just know something, Dean, I would never, never do anything deliberately to put any of my kids in danger, never. They’re my life. I’m so sorry that this happened.” Before giving Dean a chance to say more, Frank walked solemnly from the waiting room, leaving behind a strong air of guilt.