Wasting no time, Joe unsnapped his seat belt and scooted up and over the front seat, giving a silent prayer of thanks that his mother's car had the gear shift on the steering column instead of in the floor. He hit the floor in the back as the front end crashed into the concrete pillar.
Phil pulled to a stop behind Joe, jerking out his cell phone as he did so. "Joe?" Phil called out as he neared the wreckage.
"I'm okay!" Joe shouted. "But I'm stuck."
Phil poked his head in the missing rear window. He could see Joe's feet protruding from beneath the front seat but his upper torso and head were absent. "Are you bleeding?"
"Not much," Joe replied. "A little. But nothing hurts all that much. I'm just stuck."
"That's because the front of the car is now part of the back," Phil said, hitting the appropriate numbers on his cell phone. He gave the location of the accident and all the details he could about Joe's condition.
"I'm going to call your brother," Phil told Joe after he had finished with emergency services.
"No!" Joe shouted. "He needs some rest. I'm fine."
"If I didn't tell him then he wouldn't be my friend anymore," Phil pointed out as he hit the speed dial.
At the Hardy house, Fenton heard Frank's cell ringing from the hallway and entered his room. Frank stirred on the bed as Fenton pulled the phone from Frank's jeans' pocket. "Hello?" Fenton answered, dropping the pants back onto the chair where Frank had lain them.
"Mr. Hardy?" Phil's voice came through, slightly perplexed that he was answering Frank's cell.
"What's the matter Phil?" inquired Fenton, recognizing Phil's voice and the urgency therein.
"There was an accident," Phil said. "Joe's okay, but he's trapped in the car."
"Where are you?" demanded Fenton, gripping the cell a little tighter. Phil had said Joe was okay but until he could see his son for himself he could not relax.
"At the curve on Bayview Hill," Phil answered. "I've already called for help."
"We're on our way," Fenton said, looking at Frank who was already reaching for his clothes.
Fenton hung up. "Joe's been in an accident," he said and gave Frank all the details Phil had passed on to him. "I'll get your mother. You pull my car out of the garage."
The Hardys reached Bayview Hill minutes after the rescue team arrived. "How is Joe?" Fenton demanded of Sergeant Con Riley who was the officer in charge at the scene.
"He's conscious and lucid," Con quickly informed the distraught family. "He assures us he is all right but the paramedics won't be able to access his actual injuries until we can get him out."
Phil came over to join them. "He just lost control," he told them. "He said the steering wouldn't work."
"I knew I shouldn't have let him go alone," moaned Frank.
"He shouldn't be going at all," Laura stated firmly, her lips pressed together in a tight frown. "He doesn't need all of this excitement. Not until the doctor gives him the all clear at any rate."
Frank started over but Con grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "You need to stay back and let them do their job," he said, referring to the rescue workers. Frank bit his bottom lip but nodded. Con was right. His being in the way wouldn't help Joe at all.
It was almost twenty minutes later before Joe was lifted from the car and placed on a stretcher. "I don't need to go to the hospital," Joe insisted.
"Be quiet and lay still," snapped Laura, going to his side with Fenton and Frank. "We will let the doctor decide if you are hurt or not."
"I'm not," Joe assured her. "But I am sorry about your car," he added, frowning. "Someone must have messed with the steering line. It turned a couple of times but made noises and then..."
"You're lucky to be alive," Phil said, looking over at the remnants of Mrs. Hardy's car.
"I'm lucky mom's gearshift wasn't in the floor," Joe retorted and then groaned.
"We had better get him to the hospital," one of the paramedics said.
Frank rode with Phil and they followed Mr. and Mrs. Hardy to the hospital. "I wonder if there was an attack on Nick or Emily?" Frank said thoughtfully.
"Doubtful," Phil answered. "I followed Nick home earlier and then came back. Vanessa and Callie were taking Emily home."
"Nick left early?" asked Frank.
"He quit when he heard about Joe being poisoned," Phil explained. "Um, Frank.." Phil began hesitantly. "Joe had an idea and the principal agreed with it."
"What?" Frank demanded, his eyes narrowing on his friend. He could tell by Phil's tone that he wasn't going to like it.
"Dylan wanted to drop out of the event all together but Joe convinced him to just have one school champion," Phil informed Frank. "Joe told Emily if he won that she and Nick would still reap the benefits as they had discussed before but it would be safer it were just him participating."
"Makes sense," Frank said in a calm voice. "We wouldn't have to watch Emily and Nick all the time."
Phil kept silent. He knew Frank wasn't finished. "Why does Joe always have to do this?" he demanded, leaning his head back and expelling a breath of angry air. "Okay, it is better for Nick and Emily but it makes it that much worse for him. Doesn't he think about these things?"
"You know Joe," Phil said, shrugging his shoulders. "He never wants anyone to get hurt."
"Except himself," retorted Frank.
"That's not true," denied Phil. "Joe knows he can take more than the average person. He already has."
"But he cold get killed!" Frank snapped.
"He doesn't think so," Phil pointed out. "He is too sure that you will be there to save him."
"You think my being there to save his hide is a bad thing?" Frank asked in shock. "It makes him less careful?"
"That's not a bad thing," denied Phil. "It's just the way you two have always been. You take care of Joe and he takes care of everyone else."
Phil pulled to a stop behind Joe, jerking out his cell phone as he did so. "Joe?" Phil called out as he neared the wreckage.
"I'm okay!" Joe shouted. "But I'm stuck."
Phil poked his head in the missing rear window. He could see Joe's feet protruding from beneath the front seat but his upper torso and head were absent. "Are you bleeding?"
"Not much," Joe replied. "A little. But nothing hurts all that much. I'm just stuck."
"That's because the front of the car is now part of the back," Phil said, hitting the appropriate numbers on his cell phone. He gave the location of the accident and all the details he could about Joe's condition.
"I'm going to call your brother," Phil told Joe after he had finished with emergency services.
"No!" Joe shouted. "He needs some rest. I'm fine."
"If I didn't tell him then he wouldn't be my friend anymore," Phil pointed out as he hit the speed dial.
At the Hardy house, Fenton heard Frank's cell ringing from the hallway and entered his room. Frank stirred on the bed as Fenton pulled the phone from Frank's jeans' pocket. "Hello?" Fenton answered, dropping the pants back onto the chair where Frank had lain them.
"Mr. Hardy?" Phil's voice came through, slightly perplexed that he was answering Frank's cell.
"What's the matter Phil?" inquired Fenton, recognizing Phil's voice and the urgency therein.
"There was an accident," Phil said. "Joe's okay, but he's trapped in the car."
"Where are you?" demanded Fenton, gripping the cell a little tighter. Phil had said Joe was okay but until he could see his son for himself he could not relax.
"At the curve on Bayview Hill," Phil answered. "I've already called for help."
"We're on our way," Fenton said, looking at Frank who was already reaching for his clothes.
Fenton hung up. "Joe's been in an accident," he said and gave Frank all the details Phil had passed on to him. "I'll get your mother. You pull my car out of the garage."
The Hardys reached Bayview Hill minutes after the rescue team arrived. "How is Joe?" Fenton demanded of Sergeant Con Riley who was the officer in charge at the scene.
"He's conscious and lucid," Con quickly informed the distraught family. "He assures us he is all right but the paramedics won't be able to access his actual injuries until we can get him out."
Phil came over to join them. "He just lost control," he told them. "He said the steering wouldn't work."
"I knew I shouldn't have let him go alone," moaned Frank.
"He shouldn't be going at all," Laura stated firmly, her lips pressed together in a tight frown. "He doesn't need all of this excitement. Not until the doctor gives him the all clear at any rate."
Frank started over but Con grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "You need to stay back and let them do their job," he said, referring to the rescue workers. Frank bit his bottom lip but nodded. Con was right. His being in the way wouldn't help Joe at all.
It was almost twenty minutes later before Joe was lifted from the car and placed on a stretcher. "I don't need to go to the hospital," Joe insisted.
"Be quiet and lay still," snapped Laura, going to his side with Fenton and Frank. "We will let the doctor decide if you are hurt or not."
"I'm not," Joe assured her. "But I am sorry about your car," he added, frowning. "Someone must have messed with the steering line. It turned a couple of times but made noises and then..."
"You're lucky to be alive," Phil said, looking over at the remnants of Mrs. Hardy's car.
"I'm lucky mom's gearshift wasn't in the floor," Joe retorted and then groaned.
"We had better get him to the hospital," one of the paramedics said.
Frank rode with Phil and they followed Mr. and Mrs. Hardy to the hospital. "I wonder if there was an attack on Nick or Emily?" Frank said thoughtfully.
"Doubtful," Phil answered. "I followed Nick home earlier and then came back. Vanessa and Callie were taking Emily home."
"Nick left early?" asked Frank.
"He quit when he heard about Joe being poisoned," Phil explained. "Um, Frank.." Phil began hesitantly. "Joe had an idea and the principal agreed with it."
"What?" Frank demanded, his eyes narrowing on his friend. He could tell by Phil's tone that he wasn't going to like it.
"Dylan wanted to drop out of the event all together but Joe convinced him to just have one school champion," Phil informed Frank. "Joe told Emily if he won that she and Nick would still reap the benefits as they had discussed before but it would be safer it were just him participating."
"Makes sense," Frank said in a calm voice. "We wouldn't have to watch Emily and Nick all the time."
Phil kept silent. He knew Frank wasn't finished. "Why does Joe always have to do this?" he demanded, leaning his head back and expelling a breath of angry air. "Okay, it is better for Nick and Emily but it makes it that much worse for him. Doesn't he think about these things?"
"You know Joe," Phil said, shrugging his shoulders. "He never wants anyone to get hurt."
"Except himself," retorted Frank.
"That's not true," denied Phil. "Joe knows he can take more than the average person. He already has."
"But he cold get killed!" Frank snapped.
"He doesn't think so," Phil pointed out. "He is too sure that you will be there to save him."
"You think my being there to save his hide is a bad thing?" Frank asked in shock. "It makes him less careful?"
"That's not a bad thing," denied Phil. "It's just the way you two have always been. You take care of Joe and he takes care of everyone else."
