a/n: Honestly, guys I tried for two hours last night to post this but the site was FUBAR. I am also reposting the last couple of paragraphs from Ch6 as some of it got eaten during transition. not sure it makes a huge difference in flow or context, but I think it needed fixing.
"Mr Frisk, Where. Is. My. Family?" Joe growled. Frisk jumped, startled at the intensity of Joe's voice. He swallowed convulsively and seemed to be searching for the words. Joe felt himself go faint and he sat down heavily on the edge of the rescue vehicle. The implications were ominous.
Oh, gawd. Big Brother. Please, no. The tears began flowing through tightly shut eyes as Joe refused to give voice to his fears.
Chapter 7
Frisk was spared the daunting task of explaining to the man whom he owed his son's life what had happened by the timely interruption of Paul, who had satisfied himself that Danny was uninjured. "Your brother collapsed early yesterday afternoon, Joe. I am pretty sure it was a combination of his injuries and exhaustion. He was brought to the local hospital and your father went with him."
"What injuries?" Joe cried, relief at discovering Frank had at least survived the cave in warring with the fact that he had been hurt.
"Far as I could tell, a couple of cracked ribs and a mild concussion. He wouldn't let me do anything more comprehensive, not even after your father started pushing the issue." Paul replied, placing a hand on Joe's arm in quiet support. "Truth be told I figured they'd be back here by now after a few x-rays and some stronger pain killers. Other than some pretty intense agitation, he seemed fine up until he collapsed. Your Father said that he's like that, never thinks of himself when there's something going on with you."
Joe nodded, saying "Yeah, it's kinda annoying, and at the same time kinda humbling. He's always been over protective. I wasn't always in imminent danger of grievous personal injury, but he sure acted like I was while we were growing up."
"Look, Phillips is going to insist that you and Danny both be taken in for a check up. And I am going to back him up on it. So why don't you climb on in here next to your partner and we'll be off. Mr Frisk, you can follow along behind." Paul turned to the man, who was reluctant to let his son out of his sight for even a few minutes.
Danny piped up "It's okay, Daddy, Joe won't let anything happen to me. He's awesome." Danny's simple and utter faith struck a chord in Joe's heart and he suddenly had a lump in his throat to go along with the blush on his cheeks. If it weren't for the fact that Danny had black hair and hazel eyes, he'd swear he was looking at himself 15 years ago. Same dogged devotion to an older brother(figuratively speaking), same unflagging acceptance that he was safe in such a presence.
Frisk gave Joe a Look That Spoke Volumes( now he knew where the younger version got it from) and gave his son a quick hug, saying "I'll be following right behind you the entire time." It almost felt as if there was a formal Handing Off of responsibility for the oblivious 9 year old. Joe hoped to hell that Paul was a decent driver and there would be no accident on the way to the hospital. It would just be his luck that they'd get a flat or something.
Paul not only turned out to be an excellent driver, they encountered almost no traffic and in less than 10 minutes they were pulling into the emergency entrance of the small private hospital that served the area. It actually took longer to convince Danny to quit playing with the machines in the back of the rig and allow himself to be brought inside for a quick going over by the ER staff. Joe wasted little time handing his charge back over to the boy's father and then went off in search of his own. Paul had told him where to get the information and in moments was on his way to the fifth floor.
When he reached the nurse's station, he had to wait a few minutes as the lone nurse he could see was receiving detailed instructions from a harried looking doctor who looked as if he needed about 3 days' sleep and a shower, not necessarily in that order. When he finished, the doctor gave Joe a small nod of acknowledgement and said good night to the nurse.
The nurse returned the sentiment and then turned to the impatient (but rather cute, she thought) blond young man. "May I help you?" she smiled at him.
"Yeah. I'm Joe Hardy and I've been told my brother Frank was brought in yesterday. My Dad was with him."
"Oh, yes, of course. Your brother is just down the hall in room 511. Left side. I believe your father is in with him currently."
With a harried "Thanks" thrown back over his shoulder Joe was already halfway down the hall by the time she finished speaking. The Nurse pouted a little but then got on with her day. She knew she'd be seeing the cute one at least another day, possibly two.
Joe didn't hesitate but pushed open the door without drama or fanfare. The room was bright and cheery and Fenton was seated on a low chair that looked pretty comfortable actually. Far cry from the hideous plastic monstrosities of Bayport General. Fenton leaped out of the chair and engulfed his youngest in a fierce hug that threatened to crack a few ribs of his own.
"Oof. Can't. Breathe." Joe gasped half laughing. "I"m fine, Dad, and so is Danny. Everything's great."
Fenton gave his own half laugh, half sob and stepped back although he did not disengage his arms completely; instead he continued to grasp his son by the arms. "I should have been there. I'm sorry I wasn't. Are you sure you're okay?" Father looked intensely at Son as if to reassure himself that Joe was indeed really there and in one piece.
Joe grew serious. "Not a scratch on me. I was in more danger of death by boredom than anything. And Danny, wow. He held it together pretty well. Not sure I would have been as strong at that age, especially after the roof collapsed. Speaking of which, why was Frank caught in it? I told him to wait outside!" Joe glanced over to the quiet form of his brother who had not stirred at his entrance.
"I called his cell to see how you two were faring. When Frank told me that the mine shaft belonged to Frisk, he warned me that it had been closed because of an accident. He was on his was to warn you and got caught. It was a miracle he ended up on the far side of the collapse and not trapped along with you." Fenton led Joe over to the chair and sat him down. Joe kept looking over at his brother, wondering how he was. He certainly didn't look too battered or bruised. Despite his anxiety, he kept his questions to himself and let his father continue.
"He had said he would call back immediately, but when he hadn't after ten minutes, Frisk and I got in the car and started towards you. And yes we tapped your GPS. Deal with it." Fenton gave a mock glare that dared Joe to argue. Wisely, Joe opted to let that pass. "After about an hour of me trying to get through he finally picked up. Said he'd been knocked out by the blast. So I called in the big guns and the miners were there almost as soon as we were. We were on site and working towards a solution before midnight." Fenton paused as he gazed earnestly at his blond offspring. "You were never alone."
" Never thought I was." Joe was unwilling to voice his momentary lapses of despair, feeling that it was unimportant after the fact, plus there was no reason to cause his family any guilt over his doubts.
Joe had to suppress a twinge of his own guilt as he listened to his father continue the story, hearing of their feelings of helplessness after being barred from the shaft by Phillips. He and Danny had been almost enjoying themselves, while their families had been besides themselves with worry. Part of him was irritated at the man's seeming callousness but he also conceded that in retrospect it was the smartest move. He knew just how pushy Frank could get. He gave a sharp bark of laughter at what he assumed was one hell of an understatement when Fenton said "Frank got a little..upset.. when the excavator failed."
"I bet. I can just see him getting all scary calm and up in Phillips' face and explaining to him that he damn well better get his Baby Brother out 25 minutes ago." Joe tuned his gaze fondly on his sleeping brother. "Hey, Bro, wake up!" he nudged Frank's arm lightly.
There was something about the silence that followed that sent a chill down Joe's spine. He turned back to his father and was shocked at what he saw. Fenton had gone very pale and his eyes had taken on a haunted look.
"Dad?" he gasped fearfully. "What aren't you telling me?"
Fenton swallowed hard, and took a few moments to compose himself. "Son, Frank went completely off the deep end. Scary Calm Frank was nowhere to be found. He was like a madman, he got physically violent and he nearly attacked Phillips. I had to drag him away by force. I even had to threaten to restrain him." he paused as if afraid to go on, but Joe leaned in close to him and pleaded with him to continue. "I have never seen him lose control like that. When he took a swing at me, I had...to..." Fenton stopped, ashamed to go on.
Joe lightly placed his hand on his father's knee, silently telling him it was okay to continue.
"Joesph, I hit your brother." Fenton's voice was anguished. In 27 years of parenthood he had never raised a hand against his children in anger. Joe was numb with shock at the announcement. "I haven't even told your Mother. All she knows is that Frank collapsed and he's being held for observation." Fenton took another deep, shuddering breath before dropping another bombshell. "It's a Psychiatric hold."
Joe's world crashed around him. "I don't believe it" he whispered. "Frank's the sanest, most rational person I know."
Fenton nodded in agreement. "If anyone were to ask me which of my sons was crazy, you would have been my first choice." this was said with a very wan smile that produced an equally wan one in return.
Fenton took a deep breath and plowed on with his story. "After I knocked your brother out, the EMTs on site sedated him and one of them drove us here. They did an MRI to rule out inter cranial bleeding, then worked their way through the gamut, ruling out tumors, thyroid issues etc. Any minute I expected Greg House to limp in the door, insult me and then waltz back out after diagnosing him with some rare disease no one ever heard of before." Joe smiled a little at his father's attempt at levity.
"He has 3 cracked ribs and a very mild concussion. They can find no medical explanation for his violence and paranoia. Any time he was conscious he was fighting tooth and nail to get back to the mine. He kept screaming that he had to save you. I managed to talk them into not doing anything until you showed up. Maybe seeing that you are fine will snap Frank out of it." He sighed, looking very tired and worried. Joe realized that he had been in a very hard position, not knowing Joe's fate but at the same time being wrapped up in Frank's.
"Dad, why don't you go take a break and find Frank's doctor. Now that I am here they can take him off the sedation so he can see for himself. And I really need a shower." Joe sniffed his armpit dramatically and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I can do that while you are looking for the doctor. I just need to umm..find something presentable to wear." Fenton told him there were scrubs in a drawer over by the sink on the far wall. Joe's face it up at the thought of clean clothes and hair and skin and he shooed his father out of the room. "We'll figure this out. Frank's gonna be fine. All he needs is to see my handsome mug!" Joe didn't show that he didn't believe a word of what he was saying, and Fenton gratefully pretended he had bought it hook line and sinker. Neither man's smile remained when they were alone.
Joe swiftly divested himself of the now ruined clothes he had been wearing for the past 4 days. He took a long shower that included shampooing twice and a shave with the cheap plastic disposable razor that was in the bathroom's wall unit. He emerged feeling about a thousand percent better even if the scrubs were a bit too tight across the shoulders and a bit to short at the ankles. He rummaged through the drawers in the side table next to his brother who was, to his amusement, snoring lightly. Just as he suspected he found Frank's personal effects, including his cell phone, which he was glad to see had half a charge left on it. The first number he dialed was home. He was pretty sure Dad had already let his mother know he was safe but he also knew he was expected to do so himself. "Hi Mom. Yes I am fine. I am with Frank now, but he's still asleep. Didn't want to disturb him." he wisely said nothing to Laura about the conversation he had had earlier. He spent only a few more minutes reassuring her and promising that he would be home soon before hanging up. His second call was to his date. He got her voicemail, which didn't surprise him as one she was probably still at work and two he doubted she would recognize his brother's cell number. "Hey. It's me. Need a rain check on tonight. In case you hadn't heard, I have been trapped in a mine shaft the last 4 days with a 9 year old, and no this is not some lame ass attempt to stand you up, either. My brother is in the hospital. I probably won't be back in town until this weekend some time. My cell died and Frank's is close to doing so as well so as soon as I get it charged I'll call you again. Sorry. Ill make it up to you, promise."
Joe made himself comfortable, deciding to wait rather than go seek out anyone. He shocked even himself at this uncharacteristic display of patience but something told him he needed to be in the room more than he needed to be out and about making things happen. It was only a few minutes before Fenton returned with a doctor, who introduced himself as Dr Charles and shook Joe;'s hand before turning off the sedative drip in Frank's IV. "He'll probably take a few hours to wake up. And something tells me that you will be as insistent as your father that you spend the night, am I right?" he smiled.
"Wild horses, doc. Not goin' anywhere."
"Thought so" he turned to the older man, and said "That means you no longer have an excuse. You are exhausted. Go home, get some rest." he leaned in to whisper in Fenton's ear "and bring back some clothes that fit him" jerking his thumb in Joe's direction "Carrie is already making googly eyes about him." he was referring to the nurse who had given Joe the information on his brother earlier.
Fenton's grin was a bit more pronounced this time and he promised to be back mid morning. He embraced his younger son again, whispering "I'm glad you're okay, Joe" before departing for the night.
Almost immediately, the door was opened again, this time by a very hyper 9 year old boy who was also dressed in scrubs although his were much too large on him. Now that his ordeal was over, Danny was rambunctious and bouncing off the walls. He also carried with him the unmistakable scent of golden crispy delicious french fries. And a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. " Ahh, Danny m'boy you are a sight for sore eyes. And an empty tummy. Give over." and he playfully made to grab the bag out of the boy's hands. Danny laughed and danced just out of Joe's reach before relenting and allowing Joe to stuff his face with the greasy goodness.
They spent a few minutes just sitting together and relaxing. Joe made a production out of introducing Danny to his sleeping brother, promising that soon he'd be awake and they could meet for real. It was only a few minutes later when Mr Frisk came in with the Nurse.
"Danny, can you give me an Joe a minute? I want you to go with Nurse Carrie and I'll be right out."
Danny gave Joe a tackle hug around his knees and Joe laughingly sent him on his way. He turned to Mr Frisk and began to speak, but was stopped with an upraised hand.
"I just wanted to thank you for being there for Danny. I owe you more than I can ever repay." his voice was thick with emotion and tears shown in his eyes. Joe tried to demur, saying he was only doing his job, but Frisk would have no self depreciation. "I mean it. Danny hasn't stopped talking about you. If it weren't for you I think he would have died." he stretched out his hand to Joe but was not content with a mere handshake and pulled him into a rough embrace. Both men were embarrassed but tried to pretend they weren't.
"He's a good kid, bravest one I ever saw. And when Frank gets out of here I want to help find Danny's kidnapper. I have some thoughts based on what I found in the shaft that I think the FBI should hear."
"I'll arrange for the lead Agent to contact you then." Frisk shook Joe's hand again and then departed.
Joe found himself alone for the first time in four days. He was also in no danger, except maybe boredom again. So it didn't take long before his eyelids drooped and he was asleep in the chair that he had pulled up close to the bed. He was so close in fact that he was woken up out of a sound sleep by Frank's thrashing about. He got clocked in the head by a wildly waving arm and it took him a few seconds to get situated.
"Frank! Take it easy, Bro. Yer gonna give me a black eye!"
But Frank was lost in his own nightmare as he continued to thrash about, and he started saying "Let me go! I have to find him! He needs me!"
"Frank! I am right here! I'm okay! Relax. Everything's fine." It took many long minutes before Frank became cognizant of his surroundings. When he finally cut through the haze, it was as if he had been muffled in his head. Everything was fuzzy and he was very confused.
Frank looked straight through his brother and said "I couldn't save him. I failed. Oh god Mike's dead and it's my fault!" Frank's eyes were blank, empty.
Joe was horrorstruck at the words. He began pleading softly to his brother "Frank? C'mon Big Bro yer scaring me. Look at me, Frank! It's Joe. Please Frank, tell me what's wrong." Joe was using the same soft soothing voice he had used just a few days earlier to coax Danny down from his fear. Eventually it seemed that he was getting through, because Frank's eyes lost their glazed look and he took a deep breath.
"Jjjoe?" he said tremulously. Joe gave a huge sigh of relief and smiled tenderly. "Hey there."
Once again Joe found himself attacked but this time Frank threw his arms around his brother and started sobbing "Oh, Joe!"
Joe was, in the words of a friend from Great Britain, gobsmacked. It was the only world that could adequately express the shock he felt at this supremely uncharacteristic loss of control by his older sibling. "Frank, it was no big deal. In fact you are gonna be seriously pissed to have wasted valuable time worrying about me. While you were outside freaking, Danny and I were eating Twinkies and reading Harry Potter!" he tried to joke his way into a sense of normalcy that fell flat when he noted that Frank had not changed his expression of panic at all.
"I can't lose you too. I just can't" Frank whispered in a voice so low Joe barely understood it.
"Frank." voice of extreme patience. "I am right here. Not going anywhere. I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. Honest. Look, Frank. I'm okay." Frank nodded, but refused to let go of his brother so Joe ended up scootching onto the bed next to him. And for the first time in his life, their roles were reversed as Joe held his brother close while Frank cried himself to sleep.
A/n: almost to the end, just a couple of chapters to wrap up the pesky kidnapping and to set up the next story, which as I have already said will deal with Frank's breakdown. It's going to be a new direction for me storytelling.. not much levity as Frank never was much of a casual kinda guy.. so I think it may take longer for me to get the tone right.
