The Inner Struggle: Beginnings Series Book 7 (18 page)

Frank’s mood certainly wasn’t up after seeing his brother Robbie. He wanted so badly to step off that helicopter and stand with him, yet he knew he couldn’t do that. He dropped off the box Robbie sent at the mobile, leaving it with Johnny. He returned his bike to the garage then trudged into town, speaking really to no one. Frank wasn’t really in the mood to talk, let alone face who he was going into to town to face. John Matoose.

Grateful that he didn’t have to chase him down, his timing was perfect as he spotted John stepping from the clinic the moment he rounded the bend. Silently, Frank approached him.

It was awkward as expected it would be. Tension surrounded them both and ahead of time they knew not too many words would be spoken. It would be awhile before Frank would feel comfortable pretending to be John’s friend again. John wasn’t that stupid and if Frank tried too soon, he would know Frank was doing just that...pretending.

“John.” Frank raised his head in a hello gesture.

“Frank.”

“Ready?”

“I’m behind you.”

Leading the way and dreading what he led John into, Frank brought him to containment. They went through the small office, past Dan--they didn’t say much to him--and into the hallway. As they passed Ellen’s office, Frank saw her door was closed. Knowing that never meant anything, he decided to try there instead of looking in the skills room first and having to be exposed to the survivors who lingered there. He told John to wait, knocked once, and opened the door and stepped in. Ellen was sitting at her desk as she worked on her reports. “You have company. Try to control yourself right now.”

He took a step back and opened the door wider. Frank lowered his head, running his hand down his goatee and staring at Ellen through the tops of his eyes when John walked in. He watched her try to be serious but he saw that top lip of hers twitch. “El., John has something to say to you.”

“Ellen.” John stepped before her with folded hands “First, I want you to know that this is sincere. The other day when we had our confrontation, I did something . . .”

Seeming a little despondent, John continued on, “Anyhow, some things were said, and some things were done. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Ellen was quiet, shifting her eyes from John who awaited something from her, to Frank who shook his head at her. “Oh.” Ellen let out a breath. “O.K. Thanks.”

“Then we can put this behind us?” John extended out his hand.

Ellen waited for the ‘O.K.’ nod from Frank and she shook his hand. “It's behind us.” She raised her eyebrows.

“All right.” John stepped back. “Thanks. Bye Ellen.” He walked to the door. “Frank.”

“John.” Frank held the door opened for him, the whole time biting his lip in disgust. When John was through, he closed it and turned to Ellen. “Quiet.”

“But Frank I have to . . .”

“Quiet.” He walked up to her and placed one hand behind her head and the other over her mouth, whispering to her, “He could be waiting in the hall.” Frank felt the slight shaking of her body. “Quit it.”

Ellen tried not to laugh.

Frank held her like that until he heard the buzz of the containment door. “Now you can laugh.” He took his hand from her and saw the perplexed look on her face. “What’s wrong?

“It’s gone. The laughing moment is gone. Thanks Frank.” She folded her arms and leaned against her desk.

“Sorry.” He pulled her to him and kissed her on the forehead. “Good job.”

“See Frank see. I can act really well. Wait until I get a hold of Jenny today.”

“Today?”

“Yep.”

“You don’t think it’s too soon.”

“Now I’ve thought about this, when will it ever be the right time for Jenny’s mortal enemy to want to be friends? Never. So I might as well start this thing right?”

“I guess you’re right,” Frank said. “I should be going.”

“Did you see Robbie? How was he? How did he look?”

Frank raised his eyebrows and hesitated, his entire mood dropped. “He tried to hide it but I know my brother.” He exhaled. “He’s scared.”

<><><><>

The three of them stood in Andrea’s small office at the clinic. Joe was behind Andrea’s desk, Andrea in a chair next to him, and Dean standing before them like an attorney pleading his case.

Dean looked upset. He was holding onto a letter he had just received from Robbie. His usually messy hair was even more messy from running his fingers through it so many times. He argued with one hand on his hip, holding back his lab coat. “Joe, listen to me.”

“Dean. I’ve listened. What do you want me to do? They can’t come in. If I put it to a community vote, you know how it will get out. Rumors are flying about anyhow. I didn’t want general population to know our men were sick, but somehow a lot of people do. Tell him Andrea, what you’ve been hearing.”

Andrea crossed her legs as she went into the explanation. “Dean, people are worried. They’re worried we’re gonna let this in. I have assured them, as a council member, we are not.”

“Fine.” Dean slammed the letter onto the desk. “Read your son’s words. Your son, Joe. He needs help. I don’t see why we can’t try to accommodate them.”

“Listen to you for Christ’s sake.” Joe shoved the letter back. “Try to accommodate them? What, do they have a cold or something? No. They have a highly deadly virus that you have confirmed as the same on that wipes us out in the future. Accommodate them.” Joe shook his head. “There is nothing more I would want than to have my son in here with me. I can’t. You know that. Robbie knows that.”

“Then let me go out there, Joe.”

“No.” Joe shook his head.

“I’ll go.”

“You won’t get back in,” Joe stated strongly. “You won’t until you know the danger has passed.

“I’m immune. Ellen is immune. Henry, Frank, and Johnny are too. Let two of us go out there. Me and Ellen. Let us try to give them medical attention.”

“What are you nuts?” Joe’s face turned a shade of red. “First, as a leader of this community, I say no. Second, you think as a father I am going to not fight you tooth and nail about wanting to take my daughter with you. I have one kid out there. I will not let another one go.”

“Joe.” Dean took a second to calm himself down. “We are immune. Maybe you aren’t grasping what I mean by that. That means we can’t catch it. I have confirmed that we can’t carry it. What residue of it that remains on our clothes will be dead and non-viable in twelve hours. Whoever would go out there with me, and I prefer that be Ellen because she knows this better than anyone, would stay in isolation for a day. We will not be a threat. Don’t you understand that?”

“Don’t talk down to me like I’m an idiot,” Joe scolded.

“Then don’t treat what I’m saying to you as if I am guessing. This is fact, Joe. I know what I do. This is what I do. I will give you the fact that bringing them in here can be a risk, a minimum risk but sending me out there will not be. I know this. I will stake my life on it.”

“I can’t allow it, Dean. I can’t take a chance of any contact whatsoever. Please understand that. Please see my point. We don’t know if they are the start of it all in the future we were warned about. We don’t.”

“You’re scared,” Dean stared coldly at Joe.

“Hell yeah I’m scared. I have a hundred and twenty-six people in here. Twenty-nine are children. Twenty-nine. That’s one quarter of our population Dean. I can’t take a chance no matter how small. We knew this going in. We have to prevent that future from happening and we will. I realize you have run your tests on the samples Robbie sent.”

“I have to get out there, Joe.”

“Tell me why,” Joe asked. “Tell me what you can do out there that Robbie isn’t doing now. What will it do?”

Ellen's voice was not one they expected to enter into the conversation. “It will show them we haven’t forgotten about them, Joe.” Ellen entered Andrea’s office. “It’ll show them we care. I care. I worry about Robbie. If he sees Dean, and maybe me, he’ll see we haven’t left them out in the cold and that is so important.”

Dean swung his head around to her with a closed mouth and a ‘thank you’ nod. He reached out his hand and pulled her in, whispering to her, “Where did you come from?”

“I heard you in the hall.” She faced Joe. “Joe, listen, if you send Dean and me out there, or even Johnny and Dean, we won’t be a threat to anyone when we come back in. We won’t carry it and to ensure it, put us in isolation for a day or so.”

“Ellen.” Joe stood up. “I listened to this argument from Dean. I understand all that. I do.”

“Then understand this.” Ellen walked to him. “I heard you say we have a hundred and twenty-six lives in here. How many of them are your family? You don’t want to see them at risk? I know what your argument is for keeping Robbie and them away and any of us far away from them, but here’s some food for thought for you. If Robbie and his men aren’t the ones who brought this into our home in that future, then it’s still coming.” Ellen softened her voice. She spoke in a hypnotizing passion with her fist clenched tightly to her chest as she nearly stood toe to toe with Joe. “We aren’t ready for it. Let Dean and I go out there and just check them and see it face to face so we can know exactly what we’re really up against. Letting us do that and giving them some of the prototypes we have, is another way you can protect the people of this community. Joe, we are making progress, but if we were put up against the real thing right now, all the practice in the lab may just mean shit. Like Robbie and his men and Beginnings are at war with George and whatever he has running around out there, Dean and I are at war with this virus. Take us out of the simulator, Joe. Let us go up against it and see what we really can do. We want to be ready. We need to be ready when and if it comes.”

Joe stared at his daughter’s face, so close, and her eyes that never left his. He took a breath through his nostrils and shifted his eyes to Dean. “You said twelve hours and anything you have left on your clothes will be non-viable?”

Dean closed his eyes. “Yes.”

“What about those bio-hazard suits? How much of risk will you be if you wore those in there?” Joe asked.

“Joe.” Andrea stood up. “You aren’t . . .”

Joe held out his hand. “If I fly you two in there and you wear those suits, how much of a risk am I looking at?”

Dean shook his head, “Even less.”

“All right.” Joe looked at his watch letting out a breath. “Johnny, since he is immune, will fly you in there wearing those suits. Johnny will not leave the helicopter. We park the bird for twelve hours. You three disinfect and stay at the mobile for twelve hours. Can you do that?”

Dean clenched his fist with a smile. “Yes Joe, we can. Thank you.”

Andrea was still at a loss. “Joe, you’re giving them permission to go out there?”

“Yes.” Joe turned and faced her. “No one is going to know about this. The only ones outside of this room who will know are Frank and Johnny.” He faced Dean. “Can you have your prototype or whatever, ready by tomorrow morning?”

“Yes,” Dean said. “What time tomorrow?”

“Let’s say about eight or nine in the morning.” Joe saw Andrea’s mouth open. “Quiet Andrea. You and I will talk. Dean, if I send you out then, figure an hour for the whole trip, I can have you three back in town and out of that mobile by ten, eleven at night at the latest. Sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Dean held out his hand to Joe. “Thanks Joe.”

Joe shook it. “Don’t thank me. Thank her.” He looked at Ellen laying his hand on her face. “You, like Frank, really have your moments.”

Ellen smiled at him. “Thanks Joe.”

Joe kissed her on the cheek then gave a pat to her face. “Too bad, like Frank, they’re few and far between. Let’s go, Andrea.” Joe took hold of her arm. “It’s time for that talk.”

“Oh you better talk, Joe Slagel since you are diminishing my authority as a council member,” Andrea bitched at him as they left the office. Her voice faded as they moved down the hall. “Making me out to be the bad guy and you the good guy. Look at you right now. Dean and Ellen thinking you’re all that.”

Dean laughed and faced Ellen as soon as he couldn’t hear Andrea anymore. “What can I say?”

“Well, Dr. Hayes.” Ellen took his arm and led him from the office. “You can say you’ll do my share of preparations for this trip tomorrow.”

“I can, can’t I?” Dean gave her a grateful look and stopped walking. “I can. I will. Thank you. He wasn’t hearing me.”

“I have news for you Dean. Joe has never heard you,” Ellen snickered. “I have to go see Nick. I guess I won’t be seeing you later than?”

“Oh you will. I’m heading to the lab right now. I can get it ready. I’ll have Johnny help me since he’s there.” Dean started walking backwards. “I’ll see you at the house tonight as planned.” He hurried back to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks again for your help.” He spun around to walk forward and stopped cold.

Ellen noticed. “What’s wrong?” She moved to him.

“Nothing I’ll be all right.” He held up his hand.

Ellen rested her cheek against his shoulder. She could feel the vibration of his fast beating heart. “It’ll come back. Take a breath.”

“It already is.”