Chapter 3:

"CALLIE!" Vanessa yelled.

Joe was speaking into his cell phone. "Yes I need the police to respond to 15 Pine Street. My girlfriend Vanessa Bender is on the phone with Callie Shaw...she just said that someone raped her. The phone line is no longer active."

Joe watched as Vanessa tried to call Callie's phone number. "The line is busy..." She tried again. Joe heard the familiar...beep...beep...beep... Vanessa threw the handset across the room. She stood up and started to run to the door. Joe grabbed her arm...she tried to break free. "JOE LET ME GO!"

He hung up the phone and reached down and picked up Vanessa's shirt. He handed it to her. "You need this..." She blushed and put it on in haste. Joe was putting on his shoes and dialing his house at the same time...

Frank and Phil had just finished their project. They were in the kitchen with Fenton having a late night snack. "I bet you boys are glad to get that senior project done."

Phil nodded. "Definitely."

The phone rang. Fenton reached for it. "Hardy residence...Joe...what is it?"

Frank shook his head. Joe probably was going to ask if he could stay over at Vanessa's. Like his father was going to allow that...but then he saw his father turn pale. "JUST NOW!"

Fenton hung up the phone, jumped up, and ran to the hall. He stopped briefly at the low boy. Fenton grabbed his keys then opened the first drawer. Which Frank knew carried his law enforcement badge from the force and his service revolver. Frank and Phil followed anxiously.

"Dad what is it?"

"That was your brother...Vanessa just got a phone call from Callie."

Frank was confused but then he remembered what his father told him that morning. They ran towards the door.

Fenton tossed the keys to Frank. "I don't have my wallet on me."

Frank turned the car around and pulled out of the drive way. It took him two minutes to get to the Shaw's street. A black mini cooper S careened around the corner. Frank managed to get a partial license plate number. "EZF." The driver had on a Mets baseball cap and was a Caucasian.

They pulled up to Callie's house. He jumped out of the car. Fenton, Phil, and Frank crept up to the house. Frank tried the door but it was locked. He knocked...no answer. He pulled out his key ring and slipped Callie's house key into the lock and turned. He opened the door and the three of them walked in. Fenton moved in front of the two boys. He first checked the kitchen, then the den. His gun was drawn. He then went towards the bedrooms. They looked in the bathroom in the hall. The shower curtain was open and it was obvious no one was there. Then they reached the first bedroom on the left...which Frank knew was Callie's room. Fenton opened the door and his heart stopped.

Frank looked over his father's shoulder. He saw his girlfriend. She was having difficulty breathing, naked, and blood was everywhere. "Callie..." Frank had reached her at that moment. He gently lifted her into his arms. "Callie?"

Frank saw that she was bleeding from several stab wounds. He took a towel from off the floor and started to try to dampen the flow from the two that looked the worse. "Callie...it's alright. You're going to be alright."

She didn't respond. Fenton was dialling on his cell phone and Frank could see the blue lights appear on the walls from the windows.

"FREEZE!"

They all jumped. The officer lowered his weapon at once. "Sorry Fenton, Frank...I didn't realize it was you. Joe must have called you."

Fenton nodded. "We saw a black mini cooper careen out of the subdivision. The licence plate number was EZF-424."

Phil added. "The driver was white and wore a Mets baseball cap."

Con Riley spoke into his radio. "Yes the medics can come up...it's all clear. OH and put an APB on a black Mini-cooper S licence plate EZF-424. Possible suspect Caucasian and wearing a Mets baseball cap."

The medic's came in at that moment. Fenton spoke to the Con Riley quietly. Phil took Frank's arm and pulled him away so that the medics could work. Frank was gripping Phil's arm. The medics looked up after a couple of minutes. They had given Callie and IV and had put an oxygen mask on her face. "We have to take her. She's critical."

They strapped her to the gurney and Frank followed with Phil and his father right behind.

"I'm going with her."

The medic nodded. Fenton called as Frank climbed into the front, "We'll follow the ambulance son."

Joe was driving the van as fast as he dared. His cell phone rang. Joe answered it. "Dad! Did you get there? Is she okay?"

Joe pulled over and grabbed Vanessa's hand. She began to tremble. "How bad is she?"

Joe listened for a few more minutes. "We are on the way." He hung up the phone. He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "She's in bad shape."

He pulled back onto the road...just wanting to get to the hospital. He held her hand the whole way. They drove in silence. The drive across town took about ten minutes. They went through the ER doors and saw Frank, Fenton, and Phil sitting outside the ER.

"Dad? Any word?"

"Nothing yet Joe..."

Vanessa sobbed. "It was awful...I knew something was wrong. I just knew it. But I never would have thought…"

Frank looked up at Vanessa's pale face. He took her hand, but he couldn't say anything. Joe hugged her.

Fenton was standing at the phone speaking to Mrs. Hardy. He hung up and approached. "I just talked to your mother. She is going to call the Shaw's."

"Mr. Hardy..."

They all jumped up. Frank approached the doctor. "Is she alright?"

"She's bleeding internally. We have taken her to surgery. We are going to have to remove her spleen. She has lost a lot of blood. Hopefully we will be able to stop the bleeding."

Fenton asked the question on everyone's mind. "What are her chances?"

The doctor hesitated. "She has a fifty percent chance to survive this."

Vanessa collapsed in Joe's arms crying. Phil put a supportive hand on Frank's shoulder. "She's going to be alright Frank. She's tough."

Frank was sitting by Callie's bed. She was in a moderate care unit and had not awakened yet. He held her hand in both of his own. How could this happen? He was angry at the person who did this to her. He would have done anything to turn back the clock and invite her over to the house while he and Phil worked on their project. He couldn't help it. He looked at her face. She was sleeping peacefully. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He wanted to protect her. He closed his eyes. He wanted to ease her pain before she felt it. The humiliation and embarrassment she was going to feel. Callie deserved to be loved...cherished...she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be tortured and raped.

Callie moaned and her hand moved slightly. Frank jumped at the movement. "Callie...love can you hear me?"

Frank watched anxiously. Her breathing began to quicken…

"It...hurts." She started gasping.

Frank pressed the nurse button. He stood up so that she could see him. When there eyes met she gasped. "Frank...what..."

He squeezed her hand. "Callie...you're in the hospital."

"Frank...I'm..." She winced in pain and squeezed his hand. "It really hurts."

The nurse came in mercifully at that moment.

"Good morning...what is your pain level 1 being no pain, 10 being the worst pain ever."

Callie was practically hyperventilating. "It's...a...nine."

Frank was a bit annoyed at this nurse. "Can she have anything for pain?"

The nurse said absentmindedly, "I'll check her orders." She scribbled something on Callie's chart and left.

As furious as he was he tried not to let it show. The door opened and Frank looked up. He saw his parents, Vanessa, and Joe standing in the doorway. He nodded at them but continued to try to comfort Callie. He took a cool cloth and placed it on her forehead.

"She'll be back soon."

Vanessa went to the other side of the bed and ran her fingers through Callie's hair. Callie continued to grasp Frank's hand. Joe looked at his watch. It had been twenty minutes and he couldn't take this anymore. He marched outside to the nurses' station. The nurse that had been in Callie's room was eating a sandwich.

"Excuse me...but Callie Shaw is in room 308 and seems to be in a lot of pain."

The nurse shrugged. "I have to check the orders."

"You said you were going to check it twenty minutes ago."

She didn't look up. "I have 15 minutes left on my lunch."

Joe rolled his eyes. He was furious. He went into Callie's room again to get his mother. She was a nurse and was a charge nurse on a different floor.

"Mum..." he hissed. "The nurse is eating a sandwich and hasn't checked her orders yet. Can't you do something?"

Laura frowned and left the room. She went to the nurses' station and grabbed Callie's chart. She saw the doctor's notes. She could be given Morphine for pain. She saw that she had received pain medicine during surgery but nothing since. She could have a dose right now. She went to the medicine cabinet punched in her combination and found Callie's morphine. The nurse at the desk didn't even see her. She did see the charge nurse in charge of the unit and nodded to her. She looked swamped. Laura held up the morphine and the charge nurse nodded her consent. Laura hurried into Callie's room. She was gasping.

Laura walked back in through the door. She put on some gloves and approached the bed. She turned on Callie's oxygen and put the mask on her face. Then she took an alcohol swab and cleaned the lead for the IV and started pushing the morphine and saline mixture.

Joe watched as Callie's face began to relax. And her breathing became more controlled. Laura soothed. "It's going to be alright sweetie."

Her tears fell down her face. Frank dried her eyes. "How is your pain?"

Callie whispered. "Better..." Then she addressed Frank. "Frank promise me you'll find him...I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

Frank kissed her forehead. "I promise."