Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

Thank you: Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. A big help, as always! Typos are mine and I discover them all the time. :-)

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is AU.

Author's Notes: Finally you get to find out how Joe is! Thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Agent Williams answered her cell phone with a quick, "Hello." Williams listened for a moment and then said. "We'll be there in five."

Five was the number of minutes they were from their destination. They had been waiting anxiously for a call that one of the other units had arrived. The ambulance had arrived five minutes earlier but it had been waiting outside the cemetery for a police or ORT unit to arrive. In a situation like this, they weren't allowed to go in unescorted in case the criminals were still at the scene.

Angela turned in her seat. "Agents Evans and Gomez have arrived and the ambulance is going in with them." Her phone rang again. "Williams." She turned to look at the backseat passengers once again and said, "Joe's alive."

Sounds of relief came from the Hardys and Vanessa. Still they couldn't wait to see Joe for themselves.

.**********.

When the SUV arrived, they parked about twenty yards from where there were lights and people in case there was any evidence to recover near the scene. The vehicle quickly emptied as everyone hurried to where two EMTs were working to place Joe on a stretcher.

Agent Gomez moved to stand between the onrushing Hardys and where the EMTs were working. His hands were outstretched as he said, "Just slow down. Be sure to give them the space they need." The warning did cause the Hardys to check their speed slightly and stand back away from the man and woman working on Joe.

"I'm his father," Fenton said as the woman glanced his way.

"Just give us a moment," she said as the two moved in unison to raise the stretcher up on its collapsible legs.

Fenton and Frank got a good look at Joe's bruised skin and then Frank's eyes were drawn to the object in his brother's side. "Is that a knife?" Frank asked in confusion.

The male EMT, whose nametag said Trayvon, replied as they began moving the stretcher toward the waiting ambulance. "It's an ice pick."

Frank and Fenton stared at each other for a moment. The female EMT, whose name was Alice, added, "That's the worst injury that we know of. He has a broken leg, and some other… minor puncture wounds. Follow us to OLOM. A surgeon will need to examine the large puncture." The stretcher was now to the back of the ambulance where they quickly loaded it in.

Trayvon turned to the waiting group as he and Alice climbed in the back, "Meet us there." He closed the door and the vehicle began to move. It's flashing lights were at odds with the darkness of the cemetery.

"Before you go, I'd like you to see this, Fenton," Agent Johnson called from over near the open grave.

Fenton hurried over with Frank and Vanessa not far behind. Johnson looked down into the shallow grave and said, "I think this is one of his abductors. We've called for the coroner."

Fenton nodded to Johnson while Frank and Vanessa stood silent. They all took in the sight of the dead man laying face down in the shallow grave. Each had their own thoughts about the man in the grave. After just a few moments, Fenton said, "Let's go."

Frank cast a glance over his shoulder at the grave marker that read 'Joseph Hardy.' "Not today," he murmured. "Not today."

The SUV pulled out of the cemetery into the empty street. Agent Johnson stayed behind at the scene so Agent Williams was driving with Fenton in the passenger seat. The phone call Fenton made to Laura was difficult for Frank to listen to as he sat in the backseat with Vanessa. Frank was thinking about Joe's injuries when he felt Vanessa's hand take his. He glanced at her but she was looking out the window. He didn't know if she had done it for his comfort or hers, but he was glad for it when the vehicle pulled into the parking area for the ER.

The four of them proceeded to a waiting area to sit or pace depending on their personality. Fenton paced. Frank sat. Vanessa would sit and then stand and pace for a minute and sit back down only to stand and repeat the process. Agent Williams stood against the wall and kept her eyes glued to the entrance as if willing the doctor to walk through the doors.

Ten minutes after their arrival, a doctor came in. "Family of Joe Hardy?"

"Here," Fenton said as he stood.

The doctor walked over and looked at the others who had gathered around. "I'm Dr. Walsh. Let's go over to the conference room."

"They're with me," Fenton said.

"They can come along. I just think the conference room is a better place to discuss this." Dr. Walsh motioned them to follow him to the nearby conference room that had six chairs and a small table. "Joe is currently in surgery to remove the ice pick and repair any internal damage."

"Is there a lot of internal damage?" Frank asked.

"We won't know until the surgery is under way. There was not a lot of bleeding so that is a good sign. However, the intestines and colon are in the area of the puncture and may need to be repaired. In addition, if either of them were perforated, then the abdominal cavity will need to be cleaned to remove any contaminants." He waited for their nods of understanding. "After the surgery…" Dr. Walsh paused and then gently asked, "Do you about all of Joe's injuries."

Fenton drew a deep breath and said, "We saw the bruising so we know he took a beating and we know about his broken leg. I take it there is more."

Walsh nodded. "The puncture wound is our priority, but we have noted other injuries. From x-rays, we have determined that he does have a broken right fibula and two cracked ribs on his left side. The large bruise that is diagonal across his face caused us some concern but there are surprisingly no facial fractures but he does have a large cut inside his mouth that will be stitched as well as a chipped tooth that our oral surgeon will look at later. The redness around his eyes would indicate some form of pepper spray. Joe's wrists are very swollen with some cuts." Walsh stopped for a moment and asked, "Any questions so far?"

"No," Fenton said, "But is there more?"

"I'm afraid so." At their looks of concern, Walsh said, "The injuries aren't major or life-threatening, they're just… disturbing. You see, after the surgery, we'll be working to remove the rest of the staples-"

"Staples?" Frank asked leaning forward.

"Yes. We've already begun removing some of them as we prep him for surgery, but the ones on his back will wait until after the surgery."

"Staples?" Frank asked again. "Joe has staples in him?"

Dr. Walsh drew a breath and said, "They are the type you would use in a staple gun. We have taken them out of the soles of his feet, abdomen, and chest already. Thankfully they were primarily placed in muscle tissue and not in a sensitive area such as the neck or wrist-"

Frank stood up abruptly and walked over to the wall where he leaned back against it.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Walsh said. "This isn't easy news to break to anyone."

"It's okay, Dr. Walsh," Agent Williams said. "As you said it's hard news to give and even harder to hear when it's someone you care about."

The doctor nodded and then stood. "The surgery will take a little over an hour if there isn't much damage. We'll update you at that time."

As Walsh reached the door, Fenton said, "My wife will be here in about thirty minutes. Will you be available for questions if she has them?"

"Certainly. Stay in here as long as you need to," Walsh said and exited the room.

As the door clicked shut, Frank spoke. "We should be thankful they weren't in a sensitive area?" His tone was angry.

Vanessa stood and walked over to him. "Yes. We should be." Laying a hand on Frank's arm, she said, "You know the doctor meant well by what he said."

"I know. It's just-"

Fenton interrupted. "It's just hard to be thankful when all you can see are the bruises." Three sets of eyes turned to him. "It's even harder when it's your child." He dropped his head into his hands. "How am I going to tell Laura?"

Frank felt guilt wash over him. Even though his father had mentioned his mother to the doctor, Frank had been consumed with his anger and pushed the thought of his mother to the side once again. He certainly wasn't 'Son of the Year' material at the moment; but he could work on making things better. "I'll help you explain it, dad."

"Thanks, Frank," Fenton said with gratitude. "Your mother will need us both."

Agent Williams cleared her throat. "I've sent for another vehicle. The three of you can keep this one until we can bring you your own car." Agent Williams handed Fenton the keys and took his so that the Hardy car could be brought to the hospital. "Vanessa, do you want to stay longer or should we take you home?"

"I'd like to stay if that is okay," she said quietly.

"It's more than okay," Frank responded as he reached out to take her hand.

.**********.

An hour later…

Chloe Morton had driven Laura Hardy to the hospital and after checking on the family in the waiting room, she had left them at their insistence. They would contact her once they had more news. For now, Laura sat between her son and husband on the waiting room couch. The arms of her husband wrapped around her as she leaned on his shoulder. "I don't want Joe working with these people anymore," she whispered quietly but firmly. "And if we can get Frank to stop, I'd like that too."

"Laura, it's too soon to-"

She pulled back and looked at him. "I don't think it's too soon. In fact, it wasn't soon enough," she whispered angrily.

"Mom?" Frank said from beside her. When he had her attention, he said, "Let's talk about this once Joe is on the mend." He looked her straight in the eye. "You know he won't like us making decisions without him."

The anger that was in Laura drained out. "You're right. He won't. But we will talk about it," she said firmly.

Frank nodded and his mother snuggled back down into her husband's embrace. Frank saw his father's smile of thanks for diffusing the situation. Laura would have argued with her husband, but she wasn't ready to argue with Frank when he brought up Joe's reaction to being left out of discussions about his own future. He himself had no plans to quit ORT. The training he had gotten at ORT was the reason they were going to catch the traitor. He was just waiting to get word on Joe and then he planned to get Vanessa's laptop and continue what they started.

"Joe Hardy's family?" a voice called from the entrance.

"Here," Laura said as she stood.

The doctor motioned them over to the same conference room they were in earlier. He shook each of their hands as he introduced himself. "I'm Dr. Berstein."

Fenton introduced himself and then pointed to the others, "My wife, Laura, our son, Frank, and a close friend, Vanessa."

"I wish we were meeting under more auspicious circumstances, but at least I can provide you with some positive news."

"What is it, doctor?" Laura asked as she leaned forward, both her hands grasping Fenton's.

"Joe came through the surgery with no problems. The perforation of his intestine was just a small tear which we repaired and then cleansed the area. I was surprised that his intestinal tract was empty in that area."

"We have reason to believe that Joe had some stomach issues before he was kidnapped. It might explain the lack of… material," Fenton said when the doctor paused.

"Well, whatever the reason, the lack of material in the colon also means there wasn't as much material to contaminate the area. However, we will be putting him on some very strong antibiotics for a few days and then stepping him down on the dosage. Because his condition could worsen quickly, we'll be keeping him in ICU for a couple of days and then evaluate his condition at that time. Now as to his other puncture wounds, we've removed the staples and have cleaned the areas. There is some minor swelling and bruising at each site, but we expect these to heal up with no problems. The antibiotics that will be protecting him against internal infection will also help with these smaller wounds." The doctor looked at his tablet and said, "We've set his leg but have it in an air cast at the moment. We'll look at putting on a hard cast once the swelling goes down."

"Can we see him now?" Laura asked as the doctor paused.

Dr. Berstein looked at his watch. "Give them twenty more minutes. I've ordered a CT scan just to be sure there aren't any bits of metal left in the muscle tissue." He looked at the group carefully. "Now he will be in SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit), so that means just two visitors at a time."

"Unfortunately, we know this all too well," Fenton said with a faint smile.

"Are there any other questions?" Dr. Bernstein asked as he set his tablet down.

"How long will it take him to recover?" Frank asked.

"His leg will be four to six weeks and his intestinal tract should be back to normal by then as well."

"Besides antibiotics and crutches, will he need anything special for his recovery?" Laura asked.

"He will be on a clear liquid diet for a few days and then we'll move him to pureed or finely ground foods that won't irritate his GI tract. We'll provide you a list of foods to avoid during the recovery as well as a guideline for introducing foods back into his system." He paused, "Anything else?"

Fenton looked at his wife who shook her head no. He turned to the doctor and said, "That does it for now. Will they come get us when he's in a room?"

"Yes. I'll make sure they do that." He rose from the chair and excused himself.

"Well, that could have been much worse," Laura said. Frank looked at his mother in surprise and she gave a small smile and said, "I know it could have been much worse. It doesn't mean that I'm in favor of either of you working with this group further; it just means that I'm happy he's alive." She stood and pulled Fenton up with her. "Let's go back to the waiting area for now. When they come to get us, your father and I will go in first but we'll just stay fifteen minutes and then come out so the two of you can go in."

"Oh no, Mrs. Hardy, I don't want-" Vanessa began to say.

"Nonsense, dear. Joe needs to know his friends are here as well," Laura said as they exited the conference room.

"Well, if you think so," Vanessa said.

"I know so." Laura reached over and patted Vanessa's hand as they moved toward the seating area.

As they waited, Frank got a call from Jules. "What's the word on Joe?"

"We've recovered him," Frank said with a smile.

"That's incredible, Frank! Is he all right? Has he been able to give you any information?" Jules asked.

"He's in SICU but he's expected to make a full recovery. Right now, no one has had a chance to speak with him about what happened."

"It's great that he's going to make it, Frank. I know you two are close." He paused. "Are there any leads on the why he was kidnapped?"

"We were told that there's a mole in government somewhere that set Joe up," Frank said carefully.

Jules whistled. "Well, if there's a mole, there'll be a trail. I'll call Lisa and Amber and we'll come on in. We need to get on this before anyone can cover their tracks."

"Thanks, Jules."

"Don't mention it. You'd do the same for me."

"Yeah, I would," Frank said with a smile.

"Consider it done." Jules stated. "We'll be at the main office in the hour or so. Send me whatever you've already found out and we'll continue from there."

As Frank disconnected the call, he began to frown. Something was nudging his memory but he couldn't bring it to the surface. Then, as the doctor had predicted, the nurse came to get them. Nothing unusual had been seen in the CT scan and they could begin going back to see Joe.

When Fenton and Laura left to follow the nurse, Frank turned to Vanessa. "After we see Joe, I want to get on your laptop. There's something I need to check."

"You've thought of something?" Vanessa asked hopefully.

"Yes, but I don't like where it's leading me," he answered honestly.

"If it will help us find who set Joe up, why does it bother you?"

"Because it might be leading me to a friend," he replied quietly. He was grateful that Vanessa didn't ask any further questions. Could Jules, Amber, or Lisa be involved? he asked himself. There was video that could give him a clue but he'd wait until after he'd seen his brother to investigate it.