Read The Inner Struggle: Beginnings Series Book 7 for Free Online Page B

men in the room. “I need an uplift. I think I’ll let my daughter annoy me for a bit while I visit her. Is it going to be an alone visit or are any of you three bozos going to intrude?” He didn’t get an answer. “Henry, wanna walk me over and show me the baby?”
    Henry stood up. “Oh sure, Joe I’ll . . .” He shifted his eyes to Frank. “You know what Joe, I have some work in Mechanics to do. I can’t.” He walked to the door. “I’ll walk to the clinic with you though.”
    “Sounds good.” Joe followed him. “Frank, Dean, thanks for your help.”
    Dean lifted his hand in acknowledgment as he watched Joe and Henry leave. Seeing Frank follow behind, he stood up. “Frank, wait up.”
    Frank stopped and flung his head back. “What, Dean?”
    “What’s going on? Earlier you were fine with Henry and now the guy seems petrified of you and you’re acting . . .”
    “Hold it.” Frank halted him. “I acted this afternoon. What you saw here is not acting. If Henry is petrified of me, let him. He should be and he’s lucky he’s walking right now.”
    “Frank. You divorced Ellen. You can’t be upset about them being married.”
    Frank laughed. “Married? Something is up with that shit. Personally, that’s the least of my worries. Their marriage means shit to me. Shit. As far as how that baby came to be … I’m not buying it. One or both are lying. Henry fathered that kid. Fake understanding or not, he broke the rules. Unforgivable.”
    Dean lowered his head and nodded. “You’re right.”
    “I am.”
    Dean was going to say more, but before he could, he heard the door close. Frank was gone. “Hey!” He jumped to the door. “Hey!” He called out echoing down the hall. “Shit.” He threw his hands in the air and went back in. Alone, he looked around and searched out a radio. “Left me alone in here.” Dean found one, turned it on, and listened for the hiss. “They just better not say anything if something happens and I miss it. It is not my fault.” Switching around the channels, Dean sought out Joe or someone from security to fill in. While he sat down to wait, he pulled his folders closer to review them. Through the tops of his eyes he noticed a volume adjustment and turned it all the way down. He figured Beginnings was already screwed if something should happen while he was on watch. He didn’t want to hear it coming.
     
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    Frank grumbled in his walk back to his office. He grumbled and whistled some old song he barely remembered the melody and tried to keep his mind from worrying about Robbie. He did that until Joe yelled through his radio that Frank had his headset on and not only was he annoying Joe, but the community as well. Frank’s mood could have been better. He knew it would start to get there as soon as he finished off some things in his office so he could take advantage of the couple of days off Joe always gave the fathers when they had a baby born.
    He passed the nursery, ignoring the call of Hap. Figuring it was a nursery and what kind of security problem could they have, Frank moved faster. He never thought that a man pushing eighty could run so fast. Spinning around in hurried annoyance, Frank controlled himself while looking at the wrinkled man with the abundance of white hair. Control. Patience. “What!” Frank barked.
    “No, no.” Hap shook his old finger. “Let’s try this again.”
    “I don’t have time.”
    “Everyone has time for politeness.”
    “What do you want?” Frank asked harshly.
    “I said we’ll try this again.”
    Grunting and realizing that Hap had just been hanging out with Trish too much, Frank turned back around.
    “Excuse me, Frank.” Hap tapped him on the shoulder.
    “What!” Frank spun around. “Spit it out or I’m out of here.”
    “I give up on you. Here.” Hap handed him a piece of paper. “Could you drop this requisition off at Mechanics for me, please? The air conditioning isn’t kicking on in the infant