Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8 (3 page)

“
Are you all right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I mean you were real quiet when I dropped the kids off. And Dean, Dean was fuckin rude. He wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence or look at me. I was only trying to ask him how he was.”

Ellen stood immediately up
, keeping her back to him, wanting him to go away. Not because she didn’t want him there, but because she needed him there.

“
You’re quiet. Did I do something? I know I did. What was it?”

Ellen shook her head
. “Nothing, Frank. Really.”

Frank heard it in her voice
. She spoke differently. She spoke sadly. “Talk to me.” He laid his hand on her shoulder and immediately he watched her head go to it. As she brushed her cheek against it, Frank felt the dampness. “El?”

Ellen spun around to him
, said nothing, and threw her arms around his neck, grasping so tightly to Frank.

“
El. What is it?”

“
I’m just having a really bad day. Could you ... could you just hold me, Frank?”

Frank
’s response was his answer. His huge arms wrapped around her almost twice as he pulled Ellen up and into him, cradling her with his whole being. He felt, as he held her in his arms, he was giving her the strength she needed. But what Frank didn’t realize was, he was giving Ellen the strength that only he could give.

<><><><>

“I promise you, El,” Henry said as they sat in Dean’s living room that night. “I promise you it will be better tomorrow.”

“
Dean still won’t be able to see tomorrow, Henry.”

“
No he won’t but it will be another day. With every day that passes, he will get better with it. He’ll adjust. He has to.”

“
Will he?”

“
Yes.” Henry wanted to give her the answers. “Dean doesn’t adjust well to change, El, you know that. This is a big change, but you and I both know when he does adjust to something, he does it well. He will do this well. He’ll learn to live with this. He just needs time to know he has no choice but to learn. And when he does, you watch him.”

“
What about his state of mind, Henry?” Ellen held on to him, nuzzling more. “I’m worried about that.”

“
That will take time too.”

“
I have to help him.”

“
I know you do. Dean needs you. I saw that tonight. He was lost when you weren’t around.”

“
He has so much to learn now. With him being so down, I’m afraid he won’t learn. If he doesn’t learn, we’re in so much trouble if this virus hits.” Ellen closed her eyes. “Was that selfish of me to say that?”

“
No.” Henry’s hand ran down her head. “Answer this question. Dean would be traumatically affected by the loss of his sight under normal circumstances; don’t you think with this virus heavy on his mind, things are worse?”

“
I do.” Ellen raised her head to look at Henry. “Thank you.”

“
You’re welcome. I’m a part of this too. And we better get some rest. It’s getting late and project Dean ...” Henry looked at his watch. “Starts in four hours.”

The theme song to
Mission Impossible
played in Henry’s head as he slithered his way to Dean’s front door. The morning silence filled the street. Henry, back against the archway, leaned his head out first then slipped his body out from the house. Like the big spy, he checked up and down, darted a house forward, looked around the bend then hurriedly returned into Dean’s house. “All clear,” he told Ellen and Dean.

“
Thanks, Henry,” Ellen said. “You’re sure no one is around.”

“
Positive,” Henry answered. “Keep in mind that it is Sunday, so you shouldn’t run into anyone on your way to the clinic. Just avoid being center town between ten fifteen and ten thirty. Services let out.”

Ellen gave a wink and a
thumbs-up. “You’ll stop by and see us at the clinic?”

“
Yep.” Henry nodded. “Joe and Andrea are supposed to pick up the kids, so as soon as they do that, I’ll be by. Are you sure you can make it there all right?”

“
Oh sure,” Ellen told him with such confidence. “Dean?” She looked to the couch were he sat. “You ready.”

“
I don’t know, El.” Dean shook his head with fright. “People are gonna know. We should go straight to the mobile lab.”

“
I’d love to,” Ellen told him, walking to the couch. “But unfortunately Andrea says there is a lot of clinic work to do. Annual physicals took place this week, remember?”

Dean nodded
. “I do. But what happens if someone walks in? What do I do?”

“
What we talked about. You pick up that pen and bury your face into the notebook.” Ellen reached for his arm and helped him to stand. “Ready?”

“
I guess.”

Walking with Dean
, Ellen waved goodbye to Henry and walked out of the house. So as not to look like she was guiding him, she leaned against him as they walked, like two lovers on a stroll.

Dean felt the openness and the warmness of the air. The sounds and smell of outside immediately hit him and he stopped walking.

“
Dean? What is it?”

“
It’s just a little frightening, that’s all.” Dean started walking again, only this time a little slower and depending on Ellen more to lead the way. “I guess you never realize how small you really are until you can only feel how big things are around you.”

<><><><>

“
Baby exchange.” Frank handed Nick to Joe and took Brian, laying him down on the couch, getting ready to change his diaper. “So what are you exactly doing with the entire brood today?”

“
Andrea and I are taking the kids out to the field. We’re gonna spend the day out there with them. We’ll pick up Nick after lunch.”

“
Man, are you a glutton,” Frank commented as he changed Brian’s diaper.

“
I’ve been a busy man, Frank, and I haven’t had time to spend with my grandkids.”

“
But to take all of them in one shot.”

“
You do it,” Joe commented, “and you’re putting the diaper too tight on that kid.”

“
No-no. Don’t even tell me how to change diapers. I am the master. I fuckin have two of them in diapers right now.” Frank pulled up Brian’s pants and held him. “What is taking Alexandra and Henry so long up there? Henry? What the fuck? Come on!”

“
We’re right here, Frank.” Henry came down the steps. “I was fixing Alex’s hair. It was a mess you know.”

Frank rolled his eyes
. “What the hell is it with you and your obsession over fixing the kid’s hair?” He stood up and looked at Alex’s perfect braid, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t be able to fix her hair like that, Henry. Something’s just not right about that.”

“
She looks pretty.” Henry ran his hand down the back of Alexandra’s hair.

“
Yeah, well in about an hour she’ll look dirty. She’s gonna be running around the baseball field.”

“
At least she started her day off looking good.” Henry checked out the time. “Joe, should we still be at your house for dinner at the normal time?”

“
No,” Joe told him, “make it six tonight. By the time we get back, we won’t have time to get it ready.”

“
OK, I’ll see you then. Bye.” Henry hurried to the door.

Frank called out
, stopping him, “Wait a second.”

Henry hunched and turned to face him
. “Yeah, Frank?”

“
Where the hell are you going?”

“
To the clinic.” Henry watched Frank shake his head. “No? Why?”

Setting Brian down on the floor
, Frank took Nick from Joe’s arms. “Your turn, Henry.”

“
But, Frank ...”

“
Henry, take your kid.”

“
But, Frank, I have things I have to do.”

“
So do I.” Frank moved to him, extending the baby. “Take the baby.”

“
Frank, I promised El I’d stop by before she went to the mobile. I can’t watch the baby until Joe picks him up. I have to go to the clinic. It’s really important. How about I get him after I stop at the clinic and then I’ll take him to Mechanics with me.” Henry widened his eyes, smiled and nodded his head. “Good?”

Frank grunted and pulled Nick into him
. “One hour. You be back here to get him in one hour or I’ll chase your skinny ass down. If I chase your skinny ass down, I’m beating it.”

“
Deal.” Before Frank could change his mind, Henry was out the door.

Joe couldn
’t believe it. “You really let him get away with pushing off that baby. I thought he’d want to be more a part of that kid’s life.”

“
Oh he does. He wants to be a big part of this kid’s life.” Frank kissed Nick. “Just as long as he doesn’t have to feed him, walk him, change him, or bathe him.”

“
I’ll pick up Nick from him after we’re done at the field. Is Ellen coming to dinner tonight, her and Dean? Did you talk to her?”

“
I talked to her this morning. She says they have a lot of work to catch up on.”

“
So Dean is better.”

All Frank did was shrug
.

“
Something is up.”

Frank raised his head
. “You think so too?”

“
My gut tells me, Frank, we don’t know something. Both of their demeanors were bad yesterday.”

“
How about this? I’m on my way into your house last night, right? I see Ellen book into Henry’s. I go in. She’s crying. Crying, Dad. I held her for at least twenty minutes, just held her. She wouldn’t let me go. All night long I kept on thinking about that. Why was she crying ... And don’t light that up in my house.” Frank saw him pull out a cigarette. “Not in front of Nick.”

Joe grew perturbed as Frank waved his hand about
. “Christ, Frank, I haven’t even lit it yet.” Joe put the cigarette back. “I’ll be nice. I won’t smoke.”

“
Thank you.”

“
You’re welcome.” Joe ran his hand down his own face. “Ellen, our Ellen was crying?”

“
Yep.”

“
Something’s wrong with Dean. Something is really wrong with him.”

“
You mean like sick?”

Joe
’s eyes rolled slightly. “Yes, Frank. What the hell else do you think I mean? Come on, do you honestly think Ellen would be crying over nothing.”

“
She said she had a bad day.”

“
Ellen’s had a bad life. She still doesn’t cry over it.”

There was a pause of silence then Frank
’s big mouth broke it so loudly that it made Nick jolt in his arms. “Oh! This is good. What if he’s dying?”

“
Frank!”

“
Not that it would be a good thing. But say that’s what’s wrong with Ellen. What if Dean has this horrible disease?”

“
You just really want to get rid of the man, don’t you?”

“
Not really.” Frank handed Nick over to Joe. “But I’m gonna find out.”

“
How? You’re just gonna walk right up to him and ask him.”

“
No.” Frank was offended that Joe would think he would be that callous. “No, I’m not gonna just walk up to him and say, ‘Dean are you fuckin dying’. I’ll find out. From Ellen.”

“
Frank, if there’s something wrong with Dean, it’s really none of our business.”

“
Bullshit. It’s all of our business. Like him or not, if Dean is dying or if there is something wrong with him, then we’re screwed. And we all have the right to know because that virus is coming, Dad. It’s already crossed our soil and we were lucky enough to keep it contained. How lucky are we gonna be the next time? Or worse, how lucky will we be if something hinders Dean from stopping it.”

It was at that moment Joe received a slap of reality
. If a hundred SUTs came barreling through Beginnings’ back gate, Beginnings had a plan, and if that failed, they had a backup. But if a little, tiny virus crept into Beginnings’ air, Beginnings had Dean. If he went down, so did their first and only line of defense against that virus. That, right there, was the scariest of thoughts. What would they do if something actually happened to Dean?

<><><><>

“
And Joe says he’s gonna have them until tonight.” Henry rolled up surgical instruments in a green cloth as he and Ellen sat at the counter. “What time do you think you’ll be done?”

“
Most of the experiments, Henry, take hours. We’re almost finished here. I ran the test.” Ellen, who rolled up instruments to prepare for sterilization, looked back to Dean who sat at the computer. “How’s it going, Dean?”

“
Good.” Dean typed slowly.

Henry leaned forward to Ellen whispering
, “Should he be typing in the results?” He raised his eyebrows.

“
I heard that!” Dean yelled.

Ellen waved her hand at Henry
. “Oh, he’ll be fine. He does that home-row-key thing. Anyhow, I’ll check it when he’s done for errors.”

“
Did you check to see if his hands were on the home row?”

“
Um ...” Ellen turned back again to check. “They are, I think. Are they, Dean?”

“
Yes, Ellen, now please I’m listening to your tape, I can’t listen to both of you.”

Ellen giggled
. “Look at Dean doing dictation, Henry. And did you see his hair? I parted it on the right side today.” She turned when she heard the click of the stopping of the tape player. “What is it, Dean?”

“
You parted my hair on the right?”

“
Um ...” Ellen hunched. “No, Dean. No I didn’t do that. Left, I meant left.”

Dean
’s hands rose to his head and he felt around. “Aw, Ellen. Stop laughing.”

Henry tried not to laugh
. “That isn’t very nice. Dean likes his hair parted on the left.” Henry peered at Dean. “I do like it better like that, but he needs to shave. Dean? Dean?” Henry stood up and walked over to Dean. “Dean?” He lifted the headset from his ear. “Dean?”

“
What, Henry!” Dean’s hand slammed on the counter. “What?”

“
You need to shave. You never go without shaving. If you don’t want people to know that you can’t see, you have to shave.”

“
I’ll keep that in mind.” Dean felt the keyboard to reposition his hands.

“
Did you need me to come over tonight and help you shave?”

Dean paused before he answered Henry
, his head dropped slightly. “No, Henry. I’ll figure it out.”

“
Good boy.” Henry gave him a pat on the back, sending Dean forward some and knocking his positioned hands off the keyboard. “Sorry.” Henry grabbed his hands and put them back. “You’re doing really good, Dean. You can’t even tell you can’t see.”

“
Thanks, Henry.”

“
Your eyes have stopped bouncing around. They did that yesterday, you know. Bouncing and bouncing.” Henry walked back to Ellen. “They stopped though.” He sat back down next to Ellen. “Kind of reminded me of this woman I knew when I was a kid. She was cock-eyed. I never knew what eye to look at when I talked to her. I always felt I was being rude.”

“
Henry, I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Ellen said. “You kept thinking, what if you were looking at the wrong eye. Do you suppose people with crossed eyes know that people have a hard time knowing which eye is the correct eye to look at?”