The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10 (2 page)

“He’s twitching,” Dr. Morris explained to George as they both peered into Frank’s room. “His left hand is moving, twitching often.”

“Like a muscle reaction?” George asked.

“It’s involuntary, yes. He’s also experiencing rapid eye movement. That’s something we haven’t seen in him before. So, he’s dreaming. And . . . his heart rate has been changing.”

“He’s getting ready to wake up.”

“I’d say so,” Dr. Morris answered.

“All right, from here on in
, nothing is said in his room on the outside chance he can hear it. Got that? I’ll order guards to be outside this door.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Let me know as soon as he wakes up.”

“I will.”

Dr. Morris walked down the hall. George could have walked away too, but he didn’t. He couldn’t leave without looking at Frank and saying something to him. George walked into the room and close to Frank’s bed. “Soon Frank,” he spoke to him. “Soon you will wake up. I can’t wait to see your face when you see who has you.”

^^^^

Trish was
annoying as she held Jason Godrichson’s camera. She stood outside of the chapel and took shots of the faces that entered the memorial service for Frank. She stopped recording and lowered the camera when she saw Ellen walking with Joe. She hurried to her.

“Ellen. Can I speak to you
?”

Ellen released Joe’s arm and let him go in ahead if her. “What’s up
?”

“Well, remembering Princess Di’s funeral, I wanted to know what you would think if I got crowd reaction for the video.”

Ellen shifted her eyes. “That might not be a bad idea. Try to get the faces of those who really didn’t like Frank.” Ellen started to walk. “Wait, scratch that. It could be very depressing if anyone rolls their eyes. Just get the sad faces.”

“Got it.”

Ellen moved from Trish, placed on her grieving face, and walked into the chapel.

Reverend Bob read the scripture like he meant it. “ . . . and yes we are fully confident that we would rather be away from these bodies. Then we will be fully home with the Lord . . . Amen.”

The congregation responded.

Reverend Bob closed his bible. “Corinthians always offers beautiful passages, comfort in times of sadness, reassurance in times of insecurity, and words of wisdom in times of happiness. Ellen shared with me this morning that Frank often read from the book of Corinthians . . .”

Ellen saw Joe and Robbie both look at her. “He asked me
,” Ellen whispered.

Joe rolled his eyes and looked forward to the reverend.

“ . . . and when you know a man like Frank,” Reverend Bob spoke, “it should not be surprising to us that he lived by the Bible and often read the word of God . . .”

Joe’s jaw clenched and he looked
, over Robbie, to Ellen again. Ellen sucked in her lip and stared forward.

“ . . . Frank was
a rich man. Not of money, but of things that matter most in this life. He was a man rich with strength, with many friends, and with words of wisdom he shared with us all.”

Dean knew it. He didn’t have to look to know what the childish expressions of Robbie and Ellen would be. But when he looked, his eyes glanced down to the leg nudging match that entailed between Robbie and Ellen. Dean merely reached his hand down, grabbed Ellen’s
, and held it.

Ellen leaned her head on Dean’s arm. “Sorry.”

Dean wrapped his arm around her as he stared forward. He laid his hand on Ellen’s cheek, pulled her to him, and spread his fingers to cover any expression she made at that moment.

Reverend Bob paused momentarily when he saw the sadness Ellen portrayed. “I could stand before you and speak words of comfort. I could read passage after passage
but that isn’t what we need. We need to feel Frank. We need to share in memories. That is why we have this memorial service. So . . . because I’ve known Frank and have been a member of the community for quite some time, I have taken the liberty to ask a few of you to share some words about Frank. Eulogize him as only you can do.” Reverend Bob stepped back and took his seat.

Ellen and Robbie’s heads immediately swayed to each other when Dan, one of Frank’s most trusted Security men, gripped emotionally to the edges of the podium, lowered his head, heaved his shoulders, and let out a single long sob.

Dan sniffled loudly and long and
then raised his head. He ran his hand down his reddened face. “I’m sorry.” He held up his hand. “It’s just a very . . . it’s an emotional time for me. I guess it didn’t seem real until today.” He let out a heavy breath. “I kept hoping to see him come back.” Dan’s lip quivered. “When I first came to Beginnings, and I was one of the first survivors here, Frank . . . he saw something in me. He took me under his wing. I thought, sorry Ellen, I thought when I first met him he was one of the meanest men I had ever encountered in my entire life. But when you got to know Frank, you saw that he had a heart as big as he was. He taught me how to do things I never thought I could. He taught me how to take care of myself and anyone I’m around. I loved Frank and I’m gonna miss him. This community will never be the same without him, but I’m sure there’s always gonna be a little bit of Frank hanging around.” Closing his mouth tightly, Dan stepped from the pulpit and walked to Ellen. He extended his hand and gripped hers. As Dan looked at her, he lost it again, crying as he made his way back to his seat.

Ellen whispered into Robbie. “Frank will never let him live that down.” She felt Dean’s arm move from around her and curiously Ellen watched Dean stand up. “Shit.” She whispered and looked at Robbie. “Dean?”

Dean stood silently before everyone. “I promise not to bore you with anything medical.” He brought from everyone a light rumble of emotional chuckles. He cleared his throat. “When Reverend Bob came to me yesterday morning and asked if I would speak second today about Frank, I . . . I kind of laughed. Frank and Dean being used in the same sentence usually meant impending disaster, but then I started thinking.” Dean leaned on the podium. His wrists rested against the edge of it and he spoke relaxed. “I thought, what would I say? I thought this after the laugh and then I got serious. Someone once told me there is a fine line between love and hate and for as much as I hated him at times, I guess . . . I guess I loved him too. I never realized how much life and spirit he brought to me until now.” Dean paused. “I miss him. I miss his walking into my lab and calling out my name really loudly to make me drop things. I miss his fighting with me over Ellen. I miss his telling me I had little-man-attitude. Without Frank being around, his children will miss knowing one hell of a father. There is nothing I wouldn’t do, if I could bring him back. Beginnings is not the same without Frank. None of us are the same without Frank.” Dean straightened up. There were strong sniffles in the chapel. He walked solemnly down and sat next to Ellen.

“Oh Dean.” She kissed him on the cheek. “That was really nice.”

“I wrote it yesterday before I knew what I knew,” he whispered to Ellen. “Don’t worry. I do want him back, even if it is just to kill him for kidnapping you.” Dean patted her hand then looked up when Henry stood before the congregation.

“Frank.” Henry spoke his name. “He was my best friend. I knew him well. A lot of people really didn’t know Frank, probably because they didn’t like him.” Henry shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess if you look at it, you can see their point. He could be really mean…and loud.” Henry shook his head with a loud breath. “Boy, could he be loud. How about when he would yell over the radio? He’d yell a lot but that was just Frank.” Henry looked at Johnny who sat in the same row as Ellen. Johnny’s head was down as he stared at his hands. “Johnny, when I look at you, all I see is your father. You should take pride in that because your father was someone to be proud of.”

Johnny lifted his head and smiled a sad smile
at Henry. Joe reached over and grabbed Johnny’s hand.

“Your father saved my life more times than I can count. He saved a lot of our lives
and he did it with style. He did it without regards to himself or to his life. It didn’t matter who it was, Frank’s life played second to whoever he tried to help.” Henry’s hands held to the podium. “I forever will be grateful for having known him, loved him, and been his friend. I will never forget him. I will make sure, for the rest of my life, no one ever forgets Frank Slagel.”

Ellen watched Henry sadly step from the podium and back to his seat. She saw
Robbie standing up through the corner of her eye. Her hand grabbed his as he slid from the pew and walked to the front of the chapel. She thought how strong he looked and handsome he was dressed in a grey shirt and black tie. His hair was combed neatly instead of spiked up and tossed about.

Robbie swallow
ed before he said anything. He held his hand up a little above the podium. “I remember,” Robbie closed his eyes, “when I was six, my father let me walk to the store for the first time, but I had to walk with Frank. I can still hear my father yell out the screen door. ‘Frank, hold Robbie’s hand’. I didn’t see it, but I’m sure, knowing Frank, he winced. But I didn’t. I was so little for my age, and Frank, he was so big for thirteen. My little hand was so lost in my big brother’s hand.” Robbie stared at his own hand. “And I loved it. I was so proud to be walking with my big brother. I felt like the coolest kid in the world, thinking, ‘hey, look at me. This is my brother Frank.’” Robbie snickered. “And it’s funny, isn’t it. I still feel the same way when I would walk with him, proud to be seen with him. I guess every kid who has a big brother looks to them with pride. I always looked up to Frank. He has gotten my butt out of trouble for as long as I can remember. Man, the shit he could do.” Robbie swayed his head with a smile. “To work with him, to fight side by side with him, and to even stand next him are the greatest privileges I will ever know. Yeah we had our ups and downs. We’re family. But from kids on up, I wanted to be like him.” Robbie grew very serious and his words gasped with emotion. “He’s been my hero since I was three years old.” Biting his bottom lip, Robbie looked forward, stepped away from the podium, and walked straight out of the chapel.

Through the silence of the chapel, Ellen stood up,
slipped past Dean, and followed Robbie out. He stood in the quiet empty street with his back to the chapel.

“Robbie.” Ellen walked up to him
and laid her hand on his back.

“I know . . . .I know he’s out there
, but he still needs us, El.” He turned around. “I don’t think I can ever remember a time where Frank really needed help. He needs our help.” Robbie closed his eyes as he spoke with passion. “If I have to give my life to do it, I’m making sure he comes back. I want him back.”

Ellen, with no words to say, stepped to Robbie. Her arms went around his waist and her head fell to his chest.
While the service finished inside without them, Robbie and Ellen stayed on the street in their own emotional embrace.

Hal’s stomach grumbled in anxiousness. He just wanted to get it over with. He knew it was going to happen. It was just of matter of when. Like a bomb going off, Hal waited for doomsday to arrive.

“I like the teams you picked
,” Sgt. Ryder told him as they sat in Hal’s office. “Captain?”

“Huh?” Hal looked up. “I’m sorry.”

“Deep in thought?”

“Deep in dread.” Hal took the paper Sgt. Ryder handed him. “You didn’t say
what you thought of my teams I picked out?”

“I’m sorry. I like them.”

“Good, I’ll start prepping them tomorrow. We might as well send out the Mathias scouts as well as the Wild Cats scouts. We should also be hearing from someone regarding the search for our men and Beginnings man. When is he due back for supplies?”

“Tomorrow morning
,” Sgt. Ryder answered. “Boy, you are in deep thought. Usually you know exactly . . .”

“Shh.” Hal held up his hand. “Listen.
It
nears.”

“I’m leaving.” Sgt. Ryder started to stand up.

“You’re staying. Prepare.”

The
re was a knock at the door, only one. It opened and Grace walked in. She looked back into the hall. “Wait there and don’t leave. I will not walk these streets alone.” She straightened her moo-moo style dress and closed the door. “Captain. Can we be alone?”

“No
,” Hal answered as he sat down after playing the gentleman and standing on her entrance. “Elliott must be here. He’s learning the tricks of the reigns if I must leave.”

Grace smiled some. “Elliott
, that will be a welcome change. Perhaps you can make your men behave like civilized human beings.”

Hal waited for it
. He wanted it over with so he figured he might as well get it started. “I’ve spoken to my men. They said nothing out of the ordinary occurred.”

This was a m
istake on Hal’s part. Like a monsoon wind, she blasted him. Hal thought--only for a second--that he saw fire spit from her mouth. “Where do you get off taking their word over mine!”

Hal leaned back.

“Do you realize, Captain, that three of those men had dirt ... dirt imbedded in the grains of their skin? Dirt! Do you believe that? Dirt!”

Dirt. Dirt.
That word started to make him smile.

“Is it any wonder you find yourself in this position?” Grace asked loudly.

Upon her words, Hal seemed to leave that office and escaped the pain of that moment for the pain of another . . .

“Is it any wonder you find yourself in this position?”
Lucille, Joe’s fifth fiancée yelled at a fourteen year old Hal. Lucille was older than Joe. It was his experimental phase when he was tired of the young dumb ones. Of course, Hal never remembered that phase lasting past Lucille. She could have been attractive had she not been so nasty, yet she turned on the sweet as pie act when Joe walked in.
“Are you listening to me?”

“Are you listening to me?” Graces voice interfered with Hal’s memory.

Hal snapped back. “Um, yes. Go on.” But Hal didn’t listen his mind went back to that day again . . . the day Lucille found a few innocent pornographic magazines and went after Hal.

“Look at you. Is it any wonder I’m not shocked to death at this moment.” Lucille was in her bitching glory. “Do you really think I need to subject myself to this when I make a bed? Being your father’s slave? Working unappreciated for you boys? And you don’t care. Do you help? No. Look at you, Hal Slagel. You scream future rapist.”

Hal snickered at his thought. Not at Grace, though it appeared otherwise.

“Captain.” Sgt. Ryder called his name. “Any suggestions?”

“Um . . . You said the man filling in for Peter was what?”

“Pornographic.” Grace nodded.

Hal tried not to laugh. “Sorry. Let me hear it all first. Finish.”

Grace began to. She had a list.
She rambled off on things such as preparatory actions not taken prior to arrival at the house. As Hal thought of how he would get his men out of this mess and forever save them from the ‘Grace’ torture again, he thought of how he got himself out of that mess with the porno magazines.

“Robbie.” Hal walked into the second bedroom. Robbie sat with Jimmy on the bed. Both of them look worried. Hal did not. He shut the door and smiled.

“Tell us,” Robbie said. “I know it’s bad.”

“Nah.” Hal joined them on the bed. “I explained everything.”

“Shit!” Jimmy freaked. “See, now Doug at the store is going to get in trouble for selling them to me. I’m only sixteen. God, it’s against the law you know. I knew I should have never have gotten those for Robbie. He was too young.”

Hal fluttered his lips. “He doesn’t know what he’s looking at anyhow. Don’t worry. I didn’t say it was you. O.K.? I explained it to Lucille and she is explaining it to dad.”

“Thanks,” Jimmy said in relief. “I’m sorry they thought they were yours.”

“Me too
,” Robbie said.

“Hey, what are big brothers for
, huh Robbie?” Hal rubbed his head. “If not to take the entire blame?”

“The entire blame?” Jimmy asked. “Wow.”

“Yep.” Hal exhaled. “The entire blame.”

Upon completion of Hal’s words, the door to the bedroom blasted open as if an explosion went off. The door slammed against the wall and brought in something worse. Frank stood in the door. He huffed. “Which one of you told Dad
those were my fuckin magazines?” Frank asked so angrily his face was red. “You have three seconds or I start beating you up. One, two . . .”

The three boys looked at Frank.

“Three.” Frank slammed the door and dove after Jimmy. Hal, knowing what he had to do to help, took his opportunity as Robbie jumped on Frank. Hal darted from the room, screaming the entire way. “Dad! Frank’s mad because we told and now he’s beating us up! Dad! Help!”

The loud shrill long call of his name brought Hal back to the painful world of Grace. “Captain!” Her face was so near to his. “What do you plan on doing?”

“Can I get back to you?” Hal asked.

Graces hand slammed on the desk. “I should have known. We don’t ask much. We merely ask that you handle these situations. I certainly hope you aren’t ignoring our needs.”

“Never
,” Hal told her. “While I determine a suitable action, what do you have in mind? Any suggestions?”

Grace raised her head high as she moved to the door. “We can forget about this whole mess
if you can get Peter to be a permanent monthly guest at the house for myself.”

Hal’s eyes widened. “I’ll uh, see what I can do.”

“It would prove beneficial and I can guarantee there will be once less complaint each month.” Grace opened the door. “I expect to hear from you within the hour.” She stepped out. “Soldiers, guard me on my way back.” The door closed.

Sgt. Ryder looked at Hal. “You
cannot even consider her request,. I’ve heard what that woman does. It would be cruel to ask Peter that.”

“I know
but she likes him.” Hal tapped his fingers together. “One less complaint, Elliott.” Hal smiled. “Doesn’t hurt to ask, now does it?” Hal stood up. “Isn’t he up for promotion? I think he is. Yes.” Hal paced around with a thinking, smiling face.

“It’s bribery.”

“It’s Gr . . . Gr . . .”

“Grace?”

Hal cringed. “Yes, it’s her not bitching, one less slot open per month, and another less chance of us being picked.”

Sgt. Ryder stood up. “I’ll go summons Peter.”

Hal grinned with arrogance and thought again then returned to his desk.

^^^^