Thank you so much for the kind reviews! :-) And for hanging in there. This story has 32 chapters total so I promise, there is plenty of comfort coming up to go along with the hurt. ;-)

Vanished

Chapter 21

Laura Hardy slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside leaning heavily against her husband. She had listened to everything Dr. Greene had said and tried to imagine what her youngest son would look like, tried to prepare herself for the sight of Joe lying in a hospital bed once again. The second she saw him she knew nothing could have adequately prepared her. Feeling light headed, she held tightly to Fenton, taking slow deep breaths until the feeling passed.

Together, they walked to Joe's bedside and took in the sight of a parent's worst nightmare. Laura reached out with a shaking hand and gently touched Joe's hair, the only part of him that didn't appear to be bruised or covered in bandages. She heard the steady, comforting beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor and the louder, slower swish of the ventilator that ensured Joe was getting plenty of oxygen without having to work for it.

Her eyes were drawn to Joe's left arm, seemingly lost in bandages and held aloft by some kind of pulley system to help keep the swelling to a minimum. They hadn't bothered with a hospital gown and Laura could see the tape supporting his broken ribs peeking out from under the sheet and a red, inflamed area on his right shoulder that she assumed had been made by a scorpion. Seeing the large purple bruises that encircled his neck and wrist, she realized she had absolutely no desire to know what had caused them. Her gaze traveled down to the bottom of the bed where, although the sheet covered it, she could tell his right foot was elevated, propped up on a pillow or two.

Silently, tears fell from her blue eyes that were so much like Joe's. Staring at her battered child she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"My baby," was all she could manage to choke out and she knew, while she had long thought of Frank as a grown man, Joe would always be her little boy.

…

The minutes passed as Fenton Hardy watched his wife watching their son. He could see the utter devastation on her face, and for the first time in his life, he regretted encouraging his sons to follow in his footsteps.

"I'm sorry, Laura," he whispered, wanting to fall apart himself yet knowing that was not an option.

"It's not your fault," his wife said, turning understanding blue eyes on him. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, just as she had done with Joe. "I'd like a few minutes alone with him before Vanessa comes in," she requested, offering no further explanation.

Nodding, Fenton hugged her and kissed the top of her head. He reached down, wanting to touch his son in a gesture of comfort and stopped. His resolve to be strong quickly slipped as he found himself afraid to touch his own child, fearing it would only cause Joe more pain. Abruptly, he turned and walked out, leaving mother and son alone.

oooOOOooo

Vanessa stood with one hand on the door. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and pushed it open, walking into the room. As the door closed behind her, she got her first look at her fiancé and found she had to lean against the door for support.

Covering her mouth with one hand she choked back a sob, wanting to look away yet unable to do so. It took almost a full minute before she felt steady enough to take the few steps that would get her to Joe's side. Slowly, deliberately she crossed the room and stood by the bed, gazing down at him. Taking in the bandages, machines, wires, tubes, I.V.'s, bags of clear liquid and blood each doing their part to keep Joe alive, it struck her with terrifying force that she could still lose him.

Sitting in the chair next to the bed, she very gently closed her hand over his and reached out, stroking his cheek. "Oh, Baby, what did they do to you?" Her voice quivered.

Suddenly all the fear, all the anguish turned to red-hot anger at the men who thought they could do this to Joe and get away with it. A new, unfamiliar emotion swept through her and while she couldn't quite figure out what it was, she wondered if this was what it felt like to want to kill the person who had deliberately hurt the one you loved.

Leaning down, Vanessa softly kissed Joe on the cheek. "Don't worry, Baby. Your Dad and Frank caught them. They can't hurt you anymore."

Gently running her fingers through his hair, the way she knew Joe loved, Vanessa continued whispering to him. "If you come back to me, I promise I'll be right here with you every step of the way. We'll get you through this together."

Remembering what Dr. Greene had said, Vanessa sat with Joe for a very long time, talking to him, reminding him of everything he had to live for, hoping that somehow he would hear it and come back to her.

oooOOOooo

Out in the hall, Callie sat on the small couch next to Frank. She had wrapped her arms around him as he had rested his head on her shoulder, content to let her comfort him. She rubbed his back softly as she glanced at Fenton Hardy, who was seated directly across from them, eyes closed, holding on to his wife tightly. Looking back at Frank, Callie realized he and his father were mirror images of each other – pale and drawn with dark circles under their eyes. They both looked utterly exhausted.

She knew Frank wouldn't truly rest until he knew Joe would be all right, but she also knew he was on the edge of physical and emotional collapse. Taking a chance, she made a suggestion that she knew he would hate.

"After you see Joe, maybe you and your Dad should go back to the hotel and sleep for a few hours."

"No," Frank replied, not even bothering to lift his head.

"Yes," Laura Hardy said, reinforcing Callie's suggestion.

Frank did open his eyes to look at his mother, although still kept his head comfortably on his wife's shoulder.

"Mom…"

"Don't 'Mom' me," Laura said sternly. "You and your father did exactly what you set out to do. You found Joe and got him the help he needed. There is absolutely nothing more you can do here today – except maybe collapse and take up a few more beds." She glanced at her husband, daring him to defy her. Wisely, he didn't say a word.

Laura sat up a little straighter before continuing, her eyes flicking between her husband and oldest son. "After you see Joe," she began, letting her gaze rest on Frank for a few seconds, "Callie is going to drive you both to the hotel, where you are going to have something to eat and then get some sleep. Hours of sleep. She'll go back and pick you up at…" Laura glanced at her watch "…five." She then looked at Callie, who nodded her agreement. "And don't even think of coming back one second earlier," Laura admonished them, winking at Callie. "I'll tell hospital security to throw you out if they see you here before five o'clock."

Fenton Hardy grinned at his son wryly. "I guess they told us."

"Guess so," Frank replied with a yawn.

He closed his eyes again and let Callie hold him close, while he waited for his turn to visit with Joe. On the one hand, he wanted Vanessa to hurry up and come out of the room so he could see Joe, talk to him. Yet on the other hand he wanted to avoid going into that room at all costs and having to face the evidence of what those animals had done to his younger brother. One overwhelming thought kept echoing in his brain and the intensity of it terrified him…

'I should have killed them when I had the chance.'

oooOOOooo

Frank sat, watching and listening, as the ventilator compressed itself, filling Joe's injured lungs with air then inflated, forcing the air out. He glared at the machine as the endless cycle mocked him, reminding him over and over again, with every loud whoosh that it was keeping Joe alive. As much as he hated that machine right now, Frank couldn't bear the thought of having to stand by, helplessly, and watch his brother struggle to do something as natural as breathing.

Gingerly, he held Joe's limp right hand in both of his own, being careful not to dislodge the various tubes, wires and I.V.'s, all the while purposefully trying to avoid taking even one glance at Joe's left arm, swathed in bandages and held aloft by some foreign contraption.

Frank looked at his brother, pale and vulnerable, and silently begged him to heal. He hated the men who had done this to Joe yet found he hated himself more for not being able to prevent it; for breaking his promise; for not being there.

"Come on, little brother. You have to fight just a little bit longer, okay? Can you do that for me?" Frank felt his eyes welling up with tears as his voice broke. "Everyone thinks it's you who needs me, but we both know better, don't we? It's the other way around. Don't do it, Joe. Don't force me to go through the rest of my life without you, because I can't. I can't do it. I won't do it."

Frank laid his head down on the rail of the bed, closed his eyes and began to bargain with God, promising anything and everything if He would just let his brother live.