Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8 (39 page)

“
But is it enough to oust John?”

“
Oust him?” Frank shook his head. “Dad, I am more convinced now, that we have to keep him in Beginnings. As long as we keep close tabs on him, we’re fine. Right now, John is our only definite link to George and what he is doing.”

“
That we know of.”

Frank hesitated in the scariness of that thought
. It was something he didn’t want to think of or consider as a slight possibility. To Frank, there wasn’t anyone else who could be a part of it. Though he would keep his mind open to that possibility, Frank wanted to keep his focus on John. At that moment, that meant, going back into History and resending that message to John in hopes it would push him into contacting George.

<><><><>

“Excellent.” George read over the news as he sat at his dining room table, a chicken dinner before him. “Excellent, Steward.” He held his hand over his coffee cup when his houseman tried to pour him more. He shook his head and sent the houseman back to the kitchen. “Steward, we only have ten minutes left. Get back to me if John contacts us.” He handed Steward the information.

“
What if he doesn’t make contact today?”

“
I’m not worried about it.” George dug into his dinner again. “He will. I’m certain of that. He will.”

<><><><>

In the basement of his home, crying baby and all, John watched as the paper fed through the fax machine. With a look as if he wished it would hurry, as he held his daughter, John looked up at the ceiling. He cringed when the front door opened. “Shit. Come on.” He placed his lips to the baby’s face to try to calm her.

“
John?” Jenny called out.

“
Down here.” John grabbed the paper from the fax machine, didn’t read it, unhooked the phone, and unplugged the machine. “I’ll be right up.”

“
Is the baby with you?” Jenny yelled down the steps.

“
Uh yeah.” John fussed to the storage cabinet, pulled out the awaiting box on the bottom shelf, and set the machine awkwardly in there, while holding the baby.

“
You need me to come down and get her?”

“
No!” John yelled up. “We’re fine.” He covered the fax machine with cloths, shoved it in the box on the bottom shelf again, and placed it way in the back. “I’m getting my clothes for the game. I’ll be right up.” Walking over to the dryer where he laid down his fax, he could hear Jenny walking above him. He picked it up, bouncing the baby on his hips as he read. “Are we getting a little panicked, George?” He looked at the words. ‘Contact us now! This is not a game. This is your warning!’ John shook his head. “Yeah, well what are you gonna do about it? I think you’re at a loss or you would have done something by now.” Smirking at the note, he nearly dropped the baby and the paper when Jenny’s voice was far too close.

“
John?”

John looked up immediately
. Jenny was on the bottom basement step. “Jen.”

“
Are your clothes done?”

“
As a matter of fact,” John turned the dryer on, “they were still damp.”

“
What are you reading?”

John looked down to the paper
. “A Frank-roster.” He crumbled it up.

“
Don’t you need that?” Jenny asked.

“
No.” John threw it in the wastebasket by the washer. “Nope, not at all. It’s not important.” He walked to the steps and handed Jenny the baby. He followed her up the stairs, looking back to the trash. “Not important at all.”

<><><><>

Dean felt the warmness of the late afternoon sun beating down upon the bridge of his nose. The heat that generated from the homemade bleachers he sat upon made him just a little uncomfortable. So many sounds surrounded him, children screaming and laughing to his right, adults chattering to his left. The deadened sound of ‘thumps’ followed by yells which were as distinctive to Dean as the ball players playing on the field. Dean never played, but what he wouldn’t give to be out there playing now. It felt like a great day. He only wished he knew. “El?”

“
Yes?” Ellen sat next to him on the fourth bleacher. She held Nick.

“
What color is the sky?”

“
The same color it’s been all my life. Blue.”

“
No, I mean now. Is it overcast? Is it light blue, dark, what?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
Can you look?”

Ellen gasped
, perturbed.

“
I can’t believe you just gasped at me.”

“
Light blue, Dean.”

“
Any clouds?”

“
Dean!”

“
El, be nice.”

Ellen looked up
. “Very few, and don’t ask if they’re white and fluffy.”

“
I won’t. You know ...” Dean leaned forward. “It’s days like this, when so much is going on, that I wish I could see.”

Ellen got somber and she reached out her hand to his face
. “I’m sorry. I wish with all my heart you could see too, Dean.”

“
I know.” Dean touched her hand as it slid from his face. “Are they starting yet?”

“
Nope. The star is not here.”

“
Frank?”

“
Who else?’

“
El? You got awfully quiet. First you were rambling, then you got quiet.”

“
You hate when I ramble, Dean,” Ellen stated.

“
But I also hate when you’re quiet.”

“
Well make up your mind,” Ellen snapped.

“
Get out of the mood. I didn’t do anything to you.”

“
You’re right. Sorry. I was just staring at Nick. He looks so much like Henry. So much. Why does he have to look so much like Henry?”

“
That’s very simple, El. The Asian characteristics are very dominant traits. Basic genealogy will dictate that to ...”

“
Dean, I wasn’t asking for an explanation.”

“
Yes you were.”

“
No I wasn’t. I was merely stating a question, not looking for an answer.” She adjusted the baby. “Then you go off being all scientific on me.”

“
Ellen, come on. Knock off the attitude with me.”

“
Sorry. Dean? Do you think it’s too hot for the baby out here?”

“
No.”

“
Too cold?”

“
No.”

“
Should I have him in the ...”

“
Ellen.” Dean reached out sideways to touch her. “You know how it goes, however you feel then that’s pretty much how the baby feels.”

“
I’m comfortable, a little hot here and there.”

“
Then so is the baby.”

“
I take it I should remove the blankets.”

“
Blankets?” Dean asked. “Yeah, take off the blankets unless you want to give the baby heatstroke.”

“
But he’s so tiny.”

“
Ellen.”

“
They’re coming off right ... hey, looks like they’re gonna start. No, they’re switching warm up ... Oh my God.”

“
What?”

“
Frank. He looks so hot when he dresses like that. He has on these long shorts, this tee shirt, a backwards ball cap, and ...”

“
El, I really could care less how hot Frank looks.”

“
He does look ...” Ellen’s voice dropped, “Oh.”

“
What’s wrong?”

“
Henry’s there. Maybe he’ll get hit with the ball like he did last time.”

“
Knock some sense into him, huh?”

Ellen smiled
. “You’re cute, Dean.”

“
But not as cute as Frank.”

“
Not at this moment. No.”

“
Thanks.”

Ellen waved to Frank who was catching
. He tossed the ball back to Robbie then signaled to Ellen to come down. “Dean? Will you be all right for a second?”

“
Sure. Where are you going?”

“
Frank wants me. I’ll be back. I’ll grab you a cold drink while I’m there.”

“
Want me to hold Nick?” Dean asked.

“
Do you mind?”

“
Nope. Hey, I have to practice, right? Tonight is the big ‘try it alone’ night.” Dean felt his hands being maneuvered and Nick set in them. “Is he sleeping or awake?”

“
Sleeping. What does it matter?”

“
I’ll feel real dumb talking to a sleeping baby, El.” Dean made the infant more comfortable in his arms. “Go on. I’ll be fine,” Dean told her, not even realizing Ellen was already gone.

She walked to the fence that the men had proudly erected a few months earlier
. As she walked to it, so did Frank. She saw Henry look over to her and miss the ball thrown to him because he was so preoccupied with staring at her. Ellen snickered and met Frank at the fence. “Hey, Frank, you guys gonna start soon. It’s five thirty.”

“
In a minute or two.” He adjusted his cap and looked to the bleachers at Dean. “You don’t have the baby in blankets, do you?”

“
No. Do you think I’m nuts?” Ellen fluttered her lips. “You look good, Frank.”

“
Thanks.” He smiled. “Hey, what are you doing later?”

“
Why?”

“
Answer the question.” He poked his finger through the fence and touched the tip of her nose. “What are you doing later? Wanna go out?”

“
As in a date?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Don’t ask me on a date, Frank. I have to say no.”

“
All right, you wanna hang out then?”

“
I don’t know.” Ellen looked back at Dean. “He’s trying to be alone with the kids later, but I still want to hang out there.”

“
I can get Josh to go over.”

“
Frank ...”

“
Will you think about it?” he asked.

“
Will you let me touch your chest?”

With an ornery grin
, Frank walked to the edge of the fence and lifted his shirt.

Ellen followed him then smiled as she ran the palm of her hand up his hairy flat stomach and to his
hair-filled chest.

“
Not that I’m complaining, but can I ask why you asked for this?”

“
Call it a fix. You look really good and I haven’t touched a hairy chest in a while.” She continued to touch him with a peaceful look on her face.

“
Almost done?”

“
Not yet.”

“
Can I make a suggestion? Unless you want to embarrass both you and me, you’d better stop.”

Ellen quickly pulled back her hand and laughed
. “I’ll head back up, with Dean.”

“
Think about tonight. I have some perimeter work to do and we can go, I mean hang out after.”

“
I’ll think about it.” Ellen flashed flirtatious smile at him, walked to the lemonade cooler, got Dean a drink, carried it back up to the bleachers, and stopped once more to wave to Frank.

Frank walked back to the fence and leaned on it
. While he watched Ellen, his fingers gripped tightly to it. He watched her demeanor and really worried about it. Though she smiled, she didn’t smile one-tenth as much as she looked lost.

“
She hates me.” Henry walked up behind him.

“
Nah. She’s pissed at you.”

“Well at least you are benefitting from this.”

“
Not really.” Frank dropped his voice to a murmur, “Not yet.”

“
I heard that. Don’t be a dick, Frank, or at least don’t rub it in. I’m depressed.”

“
Well, I can’t rub anything in yet. Not with Dean like he is.” Frank motioned his head up to the bleachers to Dean and Ellen. “Look at her with him. It’s sick. She gets him his drink, lives with him. God, I have to get him self-sufficient or I’m not getting her away from him.”

“
He’s getting there, Frank. You did good.”

“
Not good enough.” Frank nudged Henry. “Hey, you’re the fix-it guy. Why don’t you make him some new eyes so he can see?”