A very special Thank you to candyLou, rebeccareneesharplake, Highflyer ,Cherylann Rivers, Penlew, Ritu, for reviewing my last chapter and for those who are reading and Following and Favorites. Also, want to give a big thank you to elven buddy for helping me beta read my story. You are awesome!
Oh and, Highflyer I went back and changed the color of Callie's eyes, thanks for pointing that out to me, this is my first time writing Callie, so please all you Callie fans let me know how I'm doing :)
here is my new chapter hope you like?
Aftermath
Chapter 2
Callie felt the warm evening breeze blow through her hair as she made her way up to the farmhouse. "Oh, Frank," she sighed, lost in her thoughts thinking of him worrying himself sick over his brother. It had nearly broken her heart when she saw him earlier, seeing the devastation on his face when he'd hugged his mother.
She was trying to put up a brave front and be strong for Frank, but she wasn't sure if her strength was enough to help him get through this.
Everything had gone downhill; all because of Hayden. He'd killed the Morton family dog after breaking into their home and to add insult to injury Joe was now missing.
She really did like Joe, even if they drove each other crazy sometimes. Maybe it was time the two of them sat down for a chat; it would give them the chance to iron out their issues and hopefully, come to an understanding. She knew Joe was a big part of his brother's life, it would probably mean a lot to him if the two of them could be friends. Frank loved them both she knew and it wasn't fair to constantly be putting him in the middle.
"If Joe is dead... I'll want to die, too," Frank's words began playing in her head like an old broken record player. She hated seeing him looking so lost without Joe.
The way she saw it, that meant he was already giving up hope. Frank and Joe had a special connection she knew, it was evident in the words they used and in how they seemed able to communicate through their feelings. Not everybody was able to understand it but to Callie, it almost seemed like Frank and Joe were each a half of a whole person. She was certain they could feel each other's pain.
If Frank really felt that Joe was… was, no! No! Callie could not let herself think that way and she could not let Frank do the same. She was happy that she'd made the decision earlier to pull Frank aside to knock some sense into him. She'd wanted to offer him a bit of hope and give him that little bit of motivation to keep fighting. After all, this was the man she loved and wanted a future with one day. They'd sat under that oak tree, not more than a few hours ago, pouring their hearts out; confessing their love for each other.
As Callie made her way past the barn, she couldn't help but think of the way Frank's warm lips pressed on hers, sending a tingling sensation through her body. Letting her mind wander even further, she wondered what it would be like to take things to the next level, blushing as she wondered if people around her could see where her mind was. Suddenly, a loud crash snapped her right out of her fantasy.
Looking to her left, she noticed the barn door was still open. There was Laura, broken dishes scattered around her.
"Oh, Donna I-I'm sorry." Laura gasped, her eyes widening as she surveyed the mess she'd made. Bending down to pick up the broken dishes, she went to grab a piece when, "ouch!" she cut her hand on a jagged edge, blood starting to run down her hand.
"Laura!" Donna Morton exclaimed as she dropped a container of food on the table and hurried to Laura's side.
"Oh, no!" Callie rushed over to offer her aid. "Here take this." She kneeled down, and handed Laura a cloth she got of the table. Callie noticed Laura's eyes were blood-shot, red, and puffy from crying and worrying herself sick over Joe.
"Thank you Callie." Laura took the cloth and held it to her hand to help stop the bleeding. "Donna, I am so sorry about the dishes…"
"Don't worry about the dishes. I'm more worried about you." Donna pushed back her own grief and worries, to support her friend.
Laura had always been a good friend to her, especially in the aftermath of Iola's death. They'd all shared her grief, after all, Joe had been a very special person in her daughter's life. She knew how Laura was feeling; the worst kind of pain for a mother was the thought of your child, lost, hurt, or worse. She prayed that they would find Joe soon and that he was all right.
Donna knelt besides Laura. "Can I see your hand?" Opening the cloth, Laura winced as she held her hand out for inspection. "It doesn't look too deep." Donna examined the cut.
"I'll be fine. I need to clean this mess up." Laura replied, not wanting to make a fuss over a cut.
"No, you are not." It was obvious to Donna that Joe took after his mother when it came to refusing medical attention.
"Laura, you're going to go up to the house. In the bathroom on the main floor, you'll see a first aid kit. You go take care of that hand; I'll clean up this mess. If Fenton and Frank saw you hurt, it would be something else for them to worry about, and they'll lose all focus when it comes to finding Joe."
"Alright." Laura gave in. Donna was right; Fenton and Frank needed to stay focused on Joe; finding him was their main priority right now.
"I'll go with you." Callie offered, as she and Donna helped Laura to her feet.
"That's okay, Callie, there's no need, I can manage." Laura protested.
"Besides, I want to see how Chet is doing." Callie persisted; looking after Laura was one responsibility she could take off Frank and his father's shoulders.
"Alright, thank you, Callie." Laura smiled as she patted the girl's hand with her own uninjured limb. She was very touched at the girl's kindness. With that, the three women parted ways.
(OOOOOOO)
Donna Morton swept up the broken dishes with a broom before discarding the pieces into the garbage can outside. There she caught Henry sitting on the ground against the barn door, with his legs up to his chest and, his arms tucked tight around them. He had the saddest expression on his face.
She walked over, kneeling down beside him. "Henry, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged.
"What are you doing, sitting out here?" She asked him gently.
"I'm just staying out of everyone's way." He grumbled looking down at the ground.
"You're not in the way." Donna ran a hand through his blond hair. "Why don't you go join Chet and the other kids on the front porch?" She suggested.
Henry shook his head before glancing up at his new foster mom. "I-I can't". Henry stuttered before he started to tear up.
"Well why not?" Donna asked puzzled.
"They hate me." He stifled a sob, "Because of what J-Jack did to your house and dog... Joe is missing. It's m-my fault!"
"No, Henry, none of this is your fault." Donna shook her head. "I can assure you the kids don't hate you." She said feeling sorry for the boy. "They're just upset that's all it is."
"Frank does." Henry cut in. He wiped his tears from his face. "For some reason he doesn't want Joe to be friends with me. That's why he didn't come to pick me up with Joe, Chet and your husband. He didn't want to be near me."
"Did he tell you he hated you?"
"No, but I can tell. The other day at the hospital he came with Joe to see me." Henry lied, sniffing back tears." At first, Frank was nice to me; he wanted t-to get to know me better, and to learn about things that I am interested in like superheroes and comic books. Frank said he wanted us to be friends. I know he was lying; he just said that because Joe was there."
"When Joe wasn't watching, Frank glared at me with hatred in his eyes. Just like J-Jack always does." He began to choke up. "Frank hates J-Jack. He thinks I'm just like him." Henry added more tears as he strove to be convincing. "I'm scared that if Jack actually has done something to Joe...I mean if... Joe is d-dead, Frank's going to come after me..." his voice trailed off.
Donna blinked at the boy's voice; there was genuine anger and fear in his voice. She wasn't sure what to make of this. "That doesn't sound like Frank." Donna replied at last. "He, Joe and Chet grew up together. They're such good friends; I've always known Frank to be a kind-hearted, polite, young man."
"Maybe you misread his reaction." She suggested. "I'm sure Frank isn't directing his anger towards you personally. It's just because of the situation." This had to be a misunderstanding, she thought. "And I'm sure things will calm down once Joe is back with his family, safe and sound. Then you can try to work things out with Frank."
"It's obvious you don't believe me; why would you? You're friends with his mom!" Henry narrowed his eyes at her "I'm telling you Frank hates me!" He said heatedly. "It's only a matter of time before he turns everyone against me. And because of what J-Jack did to Joe, they have a reason to!"
"Oh, honey." Donna said wrapping her arms around the boy, pulling him into a warm, motherly hug. "Everything's going to be okay. We'll work this out."
Henry hesitated at first then allowed himself to let this woman comfort him in her arms. Looking over her shoulder, Henry smiled inwardly, his eyes darkening. My plan is working; with this woman's help, I will soon have Frank out of the way.
(OOOOOOO)
"There, all patched up." Callie said as she finished applying a bandage to Laura's hand.
"Thank you Callie."
"You're welcome, Mrs. Hardy." Callie answered as she began to pack the first aid kit up and put it back under the sink. "I'm happy to help."
"I appreciate it." Laura said gratefully. "You know, it's nice to be taken care of for a change. Usually, I'm the one playing nurse."
Callie leaned back against the sink and said, "I'm sure you've had plenty of practice patching up your boys, especially with all the trouble and cases they get into."
"Oh yes, with all three of them." Laura nodded. "Although I'd much rather patch up scrape knees and remove splinters to have to deal with bullet and knife wounds any day." Laura began to tear up. Callie's heart went out to her boyfriend's mother who was worrying herself sick over her youngest son.
"Mrs. Hardy, I'm praying for Joe." She said, placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "And I know that Mr. Hardy and Frank will move heaven and earth to find him."
"Yes they will." Laura brushed the tears off her face. She wrapped her arms around Callie. "Thank you." She released Callie holding her at arms length. "I hope my son knows how lucky he is to have you in his life. You know one of these days you're going to have to start calling me Laura."
Callie blushed slightly. Smiling, she answered, "I love Frank very much. Although I want to help and support him through this, I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to handle it all." Her smile turned into a frown as she added. "You've gone through this so much; I wish I could be just as strong as you are."
"Callie sweetie, just you being here means a lot to him I know. You are much stronger than you think you are. I imagine it'd been difficult to get Frank to open up about how he's feeling…?"
"Well yeah," Callie admitted, it felt somewhat weird to be talking to Laura like this, and yet comfortable at the same time. "He's starting to become more open. I let him take baby steps with the whole process; I don't push him. I'm learning to be patient and to just let him talk when he's ready."
"That sounds so much like Fenton, when he was Frank's age." Laura remarked. "I've been watching you both; the way you and Frank look at each other, it reminds me so much of Fenton and I at your age. We were high school sweethearts too."
"Really?" Callie gushed, her eyes wide. "That is so sweet."
"Yes, but it wasn't always sweet." Laura said thoughtfully. "When we started dating it took Fenton a while to open up to me about whatever it was he was feeling. I had both friends and family telling me I should break it off with him, because Fenton was incapable of loving anyone; there was no future at all with him."
Callie knitted her brows together. "Why would they say such a thing?"
"Unlike our boys, Fenton never had a close relationship with his father. From what I was told, he was a hard man to live with; he never showed any kind of emotion, physical or otherwise. The words 'I love you' were not in his vocabulary. He taught Fenton that men don't cry, if they did, it was a sign of weakness."
"Fenton was around Frank and Joe's age when his father was killed in a car accident." That was the story Fenton had given her and the boys. They knew very little of the Hardy family history because Fenton and his older sister Gertrude refused to talk about their father, Frederick Hardy. Laura had always suspected that the two of them were hiding some secret, something they didn't want anyone to know about.
Laura had always thought it was unfair to the boys. It was important, she felt the boys should know about that side of their family; it was after all a part of who they were. Frank and Joe would be carrying on the Hardy family name, after all.
Callie broke into Laura's thoughts. "That must've been awful; to grow up and not hear your father say he loves you."
"Yes, it was." Laura nodded as she continued. "That's why I went against what my family and friends wanted; I could see there was something different in Fenton. Deep down, I knew he was capable of loving people; he just needed to be shown what love was."
Callie found herself captivated by Laura's story. How it hadn't taken long for her to fall in love with Fenton and know that he was the one she'd marry. She felt honored that Laura would share something so personal with her.
Callie knew that both her mother and Laura Hardy were very strong women; to have that strength and confidence, that's what Callie wanted for herself as well.
Laura had fought hard for the man she loved; acknowledging him and everything he did with positive reinforcement. Giving him her undivided attention, she helped him to feel comfortable around her and in talking to her about what he was feeling. She was there to support him.
Laura did everything she could to help him feel that the two of them were a team; she held him hands when they went for walks and rested her head on his shoulder, she wanted him to feel like he was the one helping her, protecting her from the world, even if she didn't need all that much protection. She wanted him to see that she loved him and that reciprocating on occasion was okay; it was allowed and even, appreciated. Eventually her plan worked as he began showing his affection for her more openly.
"We got married right out of college, soon after Fenton decided to go into law enforcement. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. Then, when Fenton found out he was going to be a father, he vowed then and there that he'd always show his children just how much they were loved."
"Holding Frank for the first time Fenton, there's no better way to describe it, basically turned into mush. A year later, I witnessed the same thing happen when Joe was born. I have never seen a father so in love with his boys as Fenton is." Laura wrapped up her story with a smile on her face as a single tear fell down her cheek.
"Fenton to this day still has problems when it comes to showing his emotions. Frank and he are so alike, it's scary sometimes. From their good looks to their personality; I think though that being afraid to show emotion is the one trait Fenton regrets passing onto Frank."
"My advice to you Callie is to keep doing what you're doing with Frank. Like I said; you are a lot stronger than you think you are. Being patient and open with each other in regards to your feelings is the key to a strong marriage; just don't lose yourself in the process."
(OOOOOO)
A few minutes later, Frank and Fenton made their way up to the Morton's farmhouse. Frank could see Mr. Morton and his friends gathered around Chet on the front porch.
As they got closer, Frank noticed Chet was sitting on the porch with Ginger's head in his lap, stroking her head as he wore the saddest expression. It wasn't right; this was fun, easygoing Chet Morton who'd never hurt anyone. Frank hated to see Chet like that; Chet didn't deserve to be hurt. Losing Iola had been painful enough and now Hayden had had to go and murder his beloved dog?
If Frank remembered correctly, Chet had rescued Duke from the pound. Chet had been looking into getting another dog as a playmate for Ginger; rather than look at the pet stores, he'd checked out the local SPCA. He'd been just in time, someone had just brought a stray in and Chet had ended up adopting him.
Just then, a police car pulling into the farm's driveway interrupted his thoughts. Frank and his father watched as the car stopped and the Chief stepped out flanked by Sam Radley and Officer Baker. Their presence alone, told Fenton that there was something going on.
"Fenton, we may have found something". The chief of police interrupted Fenton's thoughts.
"Chief, what have you got?" Fenton prompted as he clutched Joe's wallet in his hand. Finally! This could end up being the break they needed.
"A black sedan was found abandoned about two miles out of town, along the oceanfront on Shore Road" the Chief replied.
"Shore Road, of course!" Frank exclaimed. "The tire tracks that we found on the other side of the stable lead to a back road that eventually gets you to the highway. From there you can easily access all the highways of New York City, New Jersey, and even, possibly Connecticut."
"Who found the car?" Fenton asked forcefully.
"Officer Baker and I came up on it." Sam answered. "We did a thorough search of the car, and found a blond hair in the trunk and along with something else." Sam stopped, finding it hard too just say the word.
"Sam? What did you find?" Fenton asked anxiously. His heart stopped when he saw the hesitation in his friend's eyes. He braced himself for the bad news that was coming.
Sam let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "Blood."
