Thank you for the reviews. I promise that when things settle down I will get to everyone's stories!
Classified Secrets
Chapter 11
Joe returned back to the school about fifteen minutes late, which wasn't too bad for him. As far as he was concerned, things didn't usually start to liven up until he got there, anyway. He had dropped Iola off, and made sure that she was comfortable. Then, he had made a quick stop at McDonald's. All this sitting around was making him hungry, and he realized he hadn't eaten in a while. He would have bought Frank and Callie something, too, but he had spent the last of his money on a nice vanilla milkshake. Besides, if they were that hungry, they could certainly get something when they got back to the hotel. Oh, well. At least he wouldn't have to do any detective work tonight.
He could see what his brother had found out, which he suspected was nothing, and then he could go with Frank in the morning to report their findings to the local and to the national authorities. This case was pretty interesting, and he was eager to catch the sickos responsible for killing teens with a rare strain of a virus. Shuddering, Joe couldn't help but to think what a terrible way that must have been to go.
At first, Joe didn't see Frank or Callie. "That's strange," he muttered. "They probably just found a nice, quiet spot to relax."
Joe yawned, beginning to think that his brother probably had the right idea. He was about to close his eyes and wait for either of them to show up when, in the distance, he saw flashing lights. Joe peered out more closely and realized that it wasn't just the police this time that he saw. If he wasn't mistaken, there was an ambulance there, too. At once, Joe felt his stomach turn, and his mouth became dry. Turning back on the ignition, he gunned the car over to the front of the school. Then, turning off the engine, he hopped out and prayed that his brother and Callie were okay. As soon as he turned the corner, his heart dropped. His brother was on a gurney, ready to be taken in the ambulance.
"Oh, My God!" Joe shouted. He ran to his brother, who looked as pale as death.
"Is he…." Joe croaked, barely able to get out the words.
"Who are you?" one of the medics asked, while two others were working on Frank, attaching a breathing apparatus and some sort of i.v. into his arm.
Joe could barely speak. "His brother."
The medic's face softened slightly when he spoke. "He's in pretty bad shape. He was shot, twice. We need to get him to the emergency room now. You can follow in your car if you want. There's no room in the ambulance."
Joe felt like he was going to hyperventilate. His brother looked terrible. He wanted to talk to him, to touch him, but within moments, Frank was in the ambulance and the sirens went on. An instant later, a police officer was tapping him on the shoulder. Joe, confused and, trembling, could only look in his direction.
"I heard you just a minute ago. The kid's your brother? I can take you to the hospital. Do you know the girl?" the officer inquired.
Joe looked over in the direction the officer had just pointed, and he saw Callie, huddled on the ground, covered in blood. "Callie!" he called. "Is…"
"She's okay. She flagged us down and we were able to call an ambulance. When we got to her, she was back with your brother. She's in shock right now, and we haven't been able to speak with her. We'll obviously need to do that, later. Is she your sister?"
Joe could barely manage to shake his head. "N…no. She's my brother's girlfriend."
"Is this a case of love gone wrong?"
Joe was shaken back to reality by the implication of that question. "No! Never!" With that, he ran to Callie.
She looked horrible. Joe, anxious to get to the hospital, slipped an arm around Callie's waist and guided her into the police car. He sat next to her as the officer pulled out into the parking lot. It was not until they arrived at the hospital and they were ushered into a "family and friends" waiting area, that Joe first got a chance to speak with Callie.
"What happened, Callie? Frank was shot?" Joe asked, desperate for answers.
At first, Callie didn't respond, but, rather, just stared right past him, not even appearing to see him. Joe noticed she wasn't crying, but she was paler than he ever remembered seeing her. She was, however, trembling badly, and was covered in blood. With a gulp, Joe couldn't help but to realize it was his brother's blood. He felt terrible for Callie, too. What had she seen to make her like this? Softening his voice, he repeated the question. Callie seemed to respond better to that tone.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his and said, voice cracking, "I… I don't know. I got there. We were apart. And then…"Callie wasn't making sense.
"Slow down," he told her, trying to be calm.
With a great effort, Callie seemed to be coming back to reality. She told Joe exactly what had happened.
Joe had to turn away as he felt his eyes burn with tears. He should have been there! He should never have left with Iola. Then came an even worse thought. If he hadn't stopped for food on the way back, he could have helped. This never would have happened. He suddenly felt very sick. Running to the bathroom, he vomited. The worst thing to live with, Joe thought miserably, as he washed his face, is guilt. Please, please God, Joe prayed, let Frank be okay. I will never ask for anything again.
Returning to the waiting area, Joe heard his name being called. He approached the doctor.
"Your brother is in surgery right now," the doctor began. "He lost a lot of blood, and the bullet that entered his right side may have caused internal bleeding and damage as well. That's our biggest area of concern. The good news is that his leg will be okay. The bullet just grazed it. I mean, I think sports and dancing are through for a while, but he'll certainly be able to walk okay in a few weeks. As far as the internal injuries, that's what we're working on now. We'll simply have to wait and see."
"He'll be okay?" asked Joe, daring to hope.
"Again, we have to see. He should be. I think we got to him in time, but surgery is always risky. I will come out and update you. This surgery could be a few hours, depending on the extent of the damage."
Joe felt slightly better. "Thank you," he whispered.
Returning to the waiting room, he looked at Callie. He told her the news. She looked so sad, and Joe's heart went out to her. He knew what life was like living through a waiting game, and they were in this one together.
"I… I'll be right back," she said.
A few minutes later, Callie returned, having wiped blood off her face and arms. She sat down next to Joe. Without really thinking about it, Joe took off the sweatshirt he was wearing over his tee shirt and gave it to Callie.
"Here. Wear this," he told her. He didn't really want to look at Callie's blood-soaked shirt any more, and he wanted to keep her warm.
Taking it, she whispered, "Thanks."
Joe was fighting back his own guilt and worry and he didn't know how long he could hold it together. He blinked back tears as he stared at the clock. At once, he felt Callie take his hand and squeeze it gently. "It'll be okay, Joe. I know it will."
Joe turned to Callie, his eyes burning with unshed tears. In an instant, he took back every bad thought he had ever had about this girl, and saw Callie with the eyes of his brother. Joe moved next to Callie and hugged her tightly. He knew she was with the one person who could really understand the deep pain and worry he was going through. He felt her breathing change and become ragged, and he knew that she, too, was holding back tears. "It's okay to cry," he said softly to her, as his own tears slipped down his cheeks. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, and continued to hold her, realizing that he needed the hug as much as she did.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Mr. Hardy?" Joe thought he heard someone calling his father but paid no attention. Instead, he tried to shift in his chair and to get more comfortable.
"Mr. Hardy?" This time Joe couldn't ignore the name. It took him a second to realize that he was Mr. Hardy, and that the doctor was trying to get his attention. Joe was instantly alert as the events of the past few hours came rushing back to him. He must have fallen asleep. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized it was almost 4:00 a.m. Joe looked at the doctor.
"Your brother's out of surgery now. He should be fine. There was some internal damage that we were able to repair, and he'll be in some pain and pretty weak for the next week or so. Also, he'll need to be on crutches for at least a few weeks. The bullet grazed his knee, but we still had to do minor surgery where it did hit. He is one very lucky young man."
"Can I see him?" Joe asked, anxious.
"Sure, although he's sleeping right now. Let him. He's had a rough night. Have me paged if you have any questions. He's in Room 303."
"Thank you!" Joe exclaimed, feeling relief wash over him.
Joe looked at Callie, who had also just awoken.
She met his eyes, and smiled. "Go ahead. He's your brother. You can come and get me when he wakes up. I have a feeling you'll want to talk to him."
Joe, impulsively, leaned down and gave Callie a hug. "You were right. Frank's okay."
Callie stood up, weakly. It had been too long of a night. "I'm always right, Joe."
Joe laughed for the first time in a while. Same old Callie. Things were getting back to normal.
"Then you must take after me."
"Oh, good lord!" she quipped back.
"Hey! Have you called Iola?" Callie suddenly asked.
"Iola!" Joe groaned. "No, I forgot. I…" he looked longingly at the elevator.
"I'll do it. Go to Frank. And don't forget me later."
"Thanks, Callie," Joe said quickly, and rushed towards the elevator.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Close to four hours later, Joe Hardy watched his brother begin to move for the first time. Frank squinted his eyes and tried to open them. Slowly, but surely, he did. Joe had thought that he would be okay once he knew that Frank was going to be all right. However, looking at his brother, who was so pale and hooked into an i.v, brought back all of the emotions that Joe had felt the night before. I should have been there he thought to himself for about the hundredth time that day.
Frank took a few minutes, but finally focused on Joe. "Hey," he said weakly, "I'm alive. These bad guys ought to be better shots, you know?" He gave a small smile.
Joe again fought back tears and swallowed hard. He tried to return Frank's smile, but he couldn't. He had come too close to losing his brother, and there was simply nothing funny about that.
Frank peered more closely at his brother. "Joe? You okay?"
"Well, no Frank. You almost died and..." Joe's voice cracked. He turned away from his brother.
"Joe. Look at me," Frank said to his brother.
Joe turned around, slowly. He wiped the tears from his eyes, hoping Frank didn't see them.
"Joe, I'm your big brother. I couldn't go and die on you. Who'd get you out of trouble all the time?"
Finally, Joe managed a smile. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
Suddenly, Joe was serious again. Joe looked Frank in the eye and said what he'd been dreading. "I… I'm so sorry, Frank. I left you there. I never should have done that. And then, I stopped off and got a Happy Meal and that made you wait longer and …" Joe couldn't finish.
Frank let out a big laugh, and then gasped in pain and clutched his side.
"Are you ok?" Joe asked, rushing to Frank's bedside. "I can call a nurse."
"I'm fine," Frank asked, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Don't cry!" Joe exclaimed, not knowing if Frank was crying in pain or because he was angry at him.
Frank had a silly grin on his face.
"What?!" Joe asked,
"You had a Happy Meal? Did you at least get a toy with it? I hope it was a good one!"
Joe would have smacked Frank if he wasn't hurt already. "How can you laugh about this?" Joe asked, somewhat upset.
"Oh, Joe," Frank said softly, while his smile faded. "What else can I do? Cry about it? Yeah, it's horrible, and to be honest, it hurts. It really hurts a lot." Frank winced, and held his side. "BUT, I'm alive, and I'll be okay, and we've still got a case to solve. So... let's go!"
"You still want to work on this?" Joe asked, incredulously.
"Well, yeah. I mean, we have to, Joe. A lot of kids have died, and we've got a connection now, which we have to report. Maybe we can find this guy ourselves, even though it's a long shot." Frank paused, and then chuckled. "No pun intended."
Joe rolled his eyes. That was something he would say.
"Frank?" Joe asked, serious again.
"Yes?"
"You really scared me. I thought you were gone."
The brothers stared at each other.
Frank broke the silence as he looked at his emotional brother. "Are you going to give me a hug now or something? Because I feel I should at least be warned."
Joe broke into a huge grin. "You bet!" He leaned over and held onto Frank tightly, being very careful not to cause him pain. "I love you."
Frank sat back as Joe pulled away. He was still in a lot of pain, even though he was trying not to show it. "I love you, too, Joe."
Joe felt like he was getting back to normal. "Well, you should. I'm a lovable guy."
Frank sat up quickly as a thought hit him, and immediately realized it was a mistake. "Owww!" he moaned, trying not to call out.
"What's the matter?"
"Where's Callie? Is she okay?!"
"Yeah. I'll go get her."
Minutes later, he returned with Callie. Frank looked up and was shocked to see Callie's jeans covered in blood. For the first time in all the years they'd been together, Callie actually didn't look neat.
"What? Do I look that bad?" she asked.
Joe was about to leave to give them privacy, but Callie caught his arm. "You don't have to leave, Joe." She reached over and gently kissed Frank, then sat down on a chair next to the bed and held his hand. "How're you feeling?"
"Better, now," he said, looking into her eyes.
Joe was a little jealous. In those two simple exchanges between Frank and Callie, there was more love and emotion than a thousand 'I love you's'. He longed for that connection with someone, and couldn't help but to think of Vanessa, as much as he tried to push the thought of her out of his mind. So, he felt compelled, looking at the couple in front of him, to do what any mature, forward-thinking and admiring person would do when confronted with such love.
He crossed his eyes and made a gagging noise.
That broke the spell.
"Great, Joe. I see you've been working at expressing your emotions," Callie sighed.
"I hear there's a great Laundromat a few blocks away. Why don't you go there? Just a suggestion."
"Why? When you're the one who's all wet!"
Frank sighed, loudly. Some things never changed. "Will you two stop it, for me? Please. I really don't think I can handle this now."
Frank then squinted at Callie. "Are you wearing Joe's sweatshirt?"
Frank caught the look between his girlfriend and brother. "What's going on?"
"Nothing!" they both said at once.
Frank shook his head. "I'm surprised you both didn't kill each other."
Frank couldn't swear to it, but he thought they both blushed.
"No—we, uh, got along okay. Joe was great. I mean, good. Well, he was okay. For Joe. You know what I mean," Callie stammered.
"Yeah—uh, what she said. Except for Callie," Joe added, bushing.
"What?!" Frank asked.
"Nothing. Let's get back to the case," Joe interrupted.
"We need to take a look at those columns again in the Classifieds. Joe, can you pick them up?" asked Frank.
"Sure. I'll get Iola and she probably has the ads from the last few days back at the hotel."
An hour later, the four friends sat in Frank's hospital room, ready to scrutinize the personals and to try and catch their "Prince Charming."