Playing For Keeps

by Phx

During a school presentation of Romeo and Juliet, things get a little too real when the ill fated lovers are actually poisoned. Can Frank find out who the harsh critic is in time or will this be the final curtain call for Joe? This Story is Completed

Playing for Keeps

Authors Note: Romeo and Juliet is a wonderful play by William Shakespeare. However in Joe and Natalie's school presentation, a few scenes have been edited. For example the sequence of events between Juliet's "death" and Romeo's finding her were been left out. This is a school presentation so they had time and set restraints so Mr. Convoy took out a few scenes to fit everything in. So in this presentation, after Juliet drinks the "poison", Romeo finds her body in her bedroom. She is not moved to a crypt. As you read the story you will see why I had Romeo find her in the bedroom. Please be gentle…

This takes place after Deadly Serious - Phoenix

Joe felt silly. He was dressed in tights and goofy pants – very Shakespearean he was told by his mother but all Joe noticed was that his older brother, 18 year old Frank Hardy had a hard time keeping a straight face when he looked at him.

The curtain was getting ready to go up and Joe took a deep breath and decided he was going to try and make the best of it. What was it that Frank had said to him? Just pretend that you are working undercover…with a script, that's all! Joe knew all about that.

After the first Act, Joe was pleasantly pleased to discover that he loved it. He got to be someone else without being shot at, kidnapped, tortured or amnesic – it was the best of both worlds. After all he was Romeo!

Sitting in the second row of the audience, Frank was proud of his little brother. It had been hard to keep a straight face when he first saw Joe in costume, but that was only because of what a spectacle Joe had made of himself parading around. The costume actually looked good on him and Frank was glad that their drama teacher, Mr. Convoy had decided to use Joe instead of the understudy. Joe was a much better Romeo than Melissa!

As the death scene started, Natalie winked at Joe, it was time to turn on the water works in the audience. She knew she was a great Juliet and she relished being the leading lady – look out Hollywood, she thought as she took a sip of the "poison" and faded into Juliet's death sleep.

Romeo seeing Juliet's "dead" body laments, drinks his "poison" and he falls dramatically next to her. Joe almost gagged on the drink, it was more bitter then he thought it would be and as he closed his eyes and dropped down next to Natalie he briefly wondered why hadn't started to get up yet and then darkness overtook him.

In the audience, everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation of sweet Juliet's awakening.

Everyone was in awe of the performance and had hung on each word of the star-crossed lovers. Mr. Convoy was still patting himself on the back for choosing his leads so brilliantly. Of course, it had helped that Joe Hardy had come back to school just in time to replace Stephen Fell who had broken his leg roller blading. The understudy, Melissa Newman, was more then happy to have Joe take on the role. And Natalie Grenfell, as Juliet – there could be no one else!

Seconds passed as Chet, the closest stage hand, was frantically signaling Natalie to wake up. Every second, he grew more concerned. It was not like Natalie to miss a cue – she was always all pro when it came to drama.

Frank glanced at his parents – was this part of the act?

Mr. Convoy motioned for Chet to go onstage and nudge the sleeping girl. This brought snickers and a few wise cracks from the audience until Chet's face turned white when he got close enough to see how blue Natalie's lips were underneath her pale pink lipstick.

"She's not breathing!" the words were hardly out of the mouth before pandemonium erupted in the school gym. Mr. Convoy was yelling for the curtain to be closed as he raced onto the stage; Fenton nodded to Frank to go and check things out while he and Laura moved over to where Natalie's father was now rising from his seat; the principle was trying to keep as many people off the stage as possible.

Frank saw Mr. Convoy calling 911 on someone's cell phone as Chet now trying to wake Joe. All the color drained from his face when he saw that Joe was not pretending to be asleep – he was unconscious!

Pushing his way past Chet, Frank grabbed his brother's wrist while Biff started CPR on Natalie. He felt Joe's pulse but it was faint and getting slower with each beat.

"What happened to them?" demanded Chet as he watched Biff working on Natalie and saw Frank still trying to get Joe to awaken.

"I don't know!" Frank yelled back getting frustrated. What had happened?

Seeing the empty vial that Joe had drunk from still on the floor, Phil bent down to pick it up but then stopped realizing that it might be evidence.

Just then Fenton and Mr. Grenfell burst through the side stage door, followed by Laura. They couldn't stay in the audience any longer; they had to see why the kids hadn't woken up yet.

Laura grabbed Fenton's arm in shock as she saw Frank check Joe's wrist again, and then with a frantic glance at this parents, he started CPR on his brother.

Where is the ambulance, he kept thinking feeling his brother slipping away from him. This can't be happening!

The paramedics arrived a few minutes later and took over for Biff. Frank could see them out of the corner of his eye trying to revive her. Everything seemed like a bad dream. He could hear her father calling her name over and over again as he kept working on Joe.

Come on baby brother, breathe! But still nothing.

Chet offered to take over but he shook his head and within another minute the second ambulance crew was there and Frank stood by his parents and watched everything, still in shock. It was all too unreal – this can't be happening…

What felt like an eternity later, the Hardy's arrived at Bayport Memorial Hospital. Natalie's dad arrived with them. Fenton had offered the distraught man a ride and he had graciously accepted. A widower, his beautiful daughter was the only person he had left and he was in no shape to drive anywhere.

An hour later, a large East Indian man came into the waiting room and introduced himself to the growing group that had gathered in the waiting room. Along with the Hardy's and Mr. Grenfell, there were Chet, Biff, Tony, Phil, Callie, Mr. Convoy, the school principle and vice principle, and numerous other friends and members of the audience who were still in shock but came to offer their support.

"I am Dr. Sidhu, I am the attending physician on tonight. Mr. Grenfell?" his dark brown eyes quickly scanned the anxious faces until they came to rest on the short, balding man who was coming towards him, 'Can I see you privately for a moment please? Excuse us". He took Natalie's father and led him further down the hall. What about Joe?

Seconds later, they heard an anguished cry and knew that Natalie was dead. Mr. Grenfell's sobs tore threw the hearts of everyone in the waiting room as they could hear him from the room down the hall.

Laura turned her worried face to her husband and buried it in his strong arms. She was terrified that the doctor would be coming for them next. Frank just sat there.

It was another hour before Dr. Sidhu returned to the waiting room to talk to the Hardy's and they followed him, solemn faced into a room just past the one Mr. Grenfell was in.

As they walked by they saw him sitting on the edge of a small neatly made bed. His eyes were swollen and puffy and they could see he was in shock. A nurse was with him in the room and they saw her preparing his arm for an injection. If the needle hurt, he gave no indication as he just sat there stone-faced.

"He is very upset. We are just giving him something to help him calm down", the doctor felt compelled to explain as he instructed them to sit down. This room was obviously an office as it had a formal desk and three chairs in front of it. Fenton sat down between his wife and son and took one of their hands in each of his. They braced themselves for the worst.

What happened? Frank kept asking himself. It seemed like only yesterday that he was sitting on the beach with his brother as Joe told him about the breakup with Vanessa, and the brothers tried to heal some of the scars they did not even know they still had.

And now, he and his family were once again sitting in a hospital room waiting to hear that Joe Hardy might be dead…what happened?

phx

6 weeks earlier –

Joe Hardy stood outside the gray door and couldn't help but notice how cheerless everything was.

Considering that it was a psychiatric hospital where many of the patients were prone to depression, he felt it should have at least looked a lot more cheerful.

I'm suicidal just standing here! he thought to himself and then immediately chastised himself, Knock it off Hardy – this isn't funny.

A man in an equally grey suit came from the room and motioned for him to come in.

Winston Abernathy, Pharaoh's executor, had requested to come with Joe on this visit and he stepped past Joe and entered the room first. Winston felt he owed it to his deceased employer to do what he could to help the young man that they were now going to see. Joe had not protested – as much as he felt he owed it to Pharaoh to do this, it still did not make it any easier.

He purposely waited for Winston to go in first and as he stepped over the threshold and into the small room, Joe felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs as he saw for the first time since that night, the face of the boy who had tried to kill him; the face of the boy who had killed his brother; the face of Romulus Plyth.

Maybe this isn't such a good ideal, he thought as he felt a wave of panic going over him. The last time he had seen Romulus they had also been in a small room – only that time, Pharaoh had been killed.

Now Joe wished he had not convinced Frank to go back to Bayport, he really wished his big brother were here with him right now. But Joe already felt bad that Frank was missing school and had insisted that at least one of them pass this year. Frank had protested and Joe almost had to hire some muscle to put his brother on the plane. But finally, his big brother had relented and went home only after Joe promised that he would be right behind him in a couple of days.

That had been two weeks ago and so far Joe hadn't made good on his end of the deal. It was not that he didn't want to go home but then there was the reading of Pharaoh's will and then after that there seemed to be an endless amount of paperwork. Paperwork and guilt, thought Joe sadly and not for the first time.

Pharaoh had named Joe his beneficiary and this bothered Joe for a number of reasons. The biggest one being Romulus.

Joe did not believe that the money should go to him while Romulus was still alive. Although, as Martin Black, the lawyer, Winston and his father, who had flown back to be with Joe for the reading of the will after everyone else had returned home, insisted – that is what Pharaoh wanted. He had not known his brother was still alive and even if he did; there was no guarantee that he would have changed anything.

And that also bothered Joe. Andreya Plyth knew Romulus was still alive – why didn't she make him a beneficiary in her will? But she had not. She had left everything to Pharaoh. What was that madwoman planning to do with Romulus? Joe found himself wondering about that and also not for the first time either.

And so each passing day, Joe called Frank and came up with another reason why he couldn't come home yet. Frank was ready to fly back and kidnap him but Joe had convinced him that it would only be a few more days.

Winston had agreed to stay on as Pharaoh's will provided for him quite nicely if he would continue in his capacity and run the business and estate for Joe. Other details put the bulk of the money in trust for Joe until he was 25 with Winston acting as the trustee. At the age of 25 everything would be turned over to Joe to do with as he saw fit. But Joe wanted that changed and that was why they were here right now.

When Romulus saw Joe his face went white. He knew that they were coming but no matter how hard he tried to prepare himself, he still wasn't ready to deal with his brother's ghost. Although he had not been in the hospital long, he was responding well to treatment and was slowly trying to get past what had been done to him.

And he was also trying to come to terms with who Joe really was and why he was here. Remus was dead. Pharaoh was dead. Romulus felt very alone.

All he could do was say the first thing that came to mind, "I'm sorry!' The voice was so full of anguish and torment that Joe immediately went to him and put his arms around the taller boy to comfort him.

Winston tensed ready to help if he needed. He knew that Romulus was a long way from being well and he was worried that he still might try to hurt Joe.

At first Romulus stiffened and then for the first time since he had been a little boy, Romulus Paris Plyth, broke down and cried.

The weight of his grief caused Joe to slowly lower them to the ground as Romulus openly sobbed in his arms. Joe cradled him and caught up in everything that had happened, he started to cry as well. But this time, instead of crying for himself, Joe Hardy cried for Romulus. He cried because Romulus had killed his brother and he would have to live with that.

The doctor who had let them into the room shook his head sadly as he watched. He was just only scratching the tip of iceberg that was Romulus and he only hoped that there was enough of him left to save…

After a long time Romulus finished crying but he was not ready to let go yet. Joe continued to hold him although his shirt was soaking from the tears and his back was aching. He was glad that the cast had finally been taken off his arm a couple of days earlier and that his other arm had healed up nicely with only a minimum of scarring, as he knew he would have not been able to hold the distraught boy in his previous condition.

Finally, he felt the older boy give a big sigh and taking that as a cue, he released him and they both stood up. Joe stifled a groan as he straightened up – I am out of shape, he thought and then took a good look at Romulus for the first time.

Romulus reminded Joe a lot of Frank and he thought that was ironic seeing that he was the spitting image of Romulus' fraternal twin, Remus. How fitting, he thought.

Franks height with dark brown hair and eyes, Romulus was a little thinner and paler. Haggard looking was the way Joe would have described him. But still a handsome young man even with the tormented look on his face.

Joe tried to describe it to Frank later, when he had finally admitted to going to see him. Frank had been outraged at first that Joe would go and see Romulus – Joe owed Romulus nothing, after all it was Romulus who tried to kill him, not the other way around!

He finally calmed down when he realized that Joe might clam up again if he thought Frank was going to overreact. Joe had only just begun talking to Frank like they used to before and he didn't want to jeopardize that.

Joe told him that it would be along time before he could get the image of the pain in Romulus' face from his mind. He said that he had to see Romulus to tell him something or it was going to eat away at him. He knew that Romulus had already suffered at the hands of his mother and then again because of his own actions – he had killed his own brother.

It had taken Joe all this time to finally realize what was gnawing at him; why he couldn't put Pharaoh to rest. And then he had to go and see Romulus. He had to let him know.

Joe started speaking before Romulus – he didn't want to hear him apologizing and there wasn't anything else for him to say.

"Romulus", the boy jumped at the sound of Joe's voice but still looked him in the eye. He is a lot more braver then I would probably be in his situation, thought Joe as he continued before he lost his nerve, "I forgive you."

It was the hardest three words Joe had ever said – I forgive you. But with it, he gave Romulus freedom and he gave himself permission to heal. He thought of a saying he had heard when he was younger and it only now made sense to him…If you keep picking at a scratch it will become a scar – Joe had enough scars. He needed this scratch to heal.

He nodded to Winston as he quickly turned and left the room. That was all he could give Romulus right now. He was determined to let this scratch heal, but that did not make the pain any less.

Winston took over and explained to the shocked boy that Joe did not want the money. He wanted it given to Romulus but because of the conditions of the will, the best he could do for now was to make sure that Romulus was provided for. And that was Winston's job.

When Joe had told Winston what he wanted, the older man had been floored. He could not say anything as the depth of compassion that was in this one young man overwhelmed him. Pharaoh had filled him in on Joe's past before he died and given everything that the kid had been through, Winston honestly had not expected to see such a strong and good spirit. It seemed that no matter how hard Joe Hardy fell, he would get right back up again, brush off his knees and keep going.

And the one other thing that Pharaoh had informed him of – Joe Hardy's strength came from his brother, Frank.

As he watched the blond haired man leave the room, he knew that was why Joe had decided to do what he was doing, because he loved Frank. And deep down that was what this was all about – brotherly love.

Joe did what Pharaoh never had the chance to do – open the door for Romulus to come home.

phx

Dr. Sidhu cleared his throat before speaking, "Your son is a very sick young man".

A sigh of relief escaped from the other three people in the room and noticing Dr. Sidhu's confused look, Laura quickly smiled and explained, "We were terrified that you were going to tell us Joe was dead!"

Frank felt a weight being lifted up off his shoulders – Joe was alive!

But the relief was short lived as the doctor continued, "Yes he is alive - but in a coma."

He continued ignoring how much paler they were growing with each word, "Your son arrived here in full cardiac arrest. We were able to get him back but only through extreme measures."

Pausing briefly he explained, "We had to crack his chest."

"Oh my god", Laura exclaimed as her hands flew to her mouth. Fenton didn't know what to say to comfort his wife or his son and so he just continued to stare at the doctor with horror filled eyes. They had come that close to losing Joe – it was just a play…

Frank found his words first, "Will he be ok?" He needed to know.

The doctor shook his head sadly, "It is too early to tell. Right now he is in a coma. The poison was very quick acting and his body is responding slowly to the antidote. However," he was determined to try and give the family some hope, 'your son is strong and he is responding – slowly yes…but at least responding. As long as he remains stabilized and continues to make progress, then he could come out of the coma within the next couple of hours."

"It was poison?" Ever the detective, Fenton wanted conformation on what had caused this.

"Yes, " nodded the doctor, "unfortunately for Ms. Grenfell, it was deadly."

The doctor told them he would take them to see Joe and as they went towards to the ICU, he turned and said to them, "Your son is very lucky – if he had taken a greater dosage or had been delayed in any way from getting medical attention, he would be dead".

Poor Natalie, thought Frank. Although Frank had not known her very well, Joe had spent a good deal of time with her rehearsing for the play and she seemed like a very nice person. She certainly had a lot of patience, he thought sadly, as he remembered how hard she had worked to help his brother.

Joe had tried hard but found it difficult learning all his lines in such a short time.

phx

After Joe had left the hospital all he wanted to do was go home. His father had stayed with for the will reading and to make sure that everything was ok. It had taken a lot of pleading from Joe to make Fenton wait in the car for him while he went in. Joe did not want too many people there because he was afraid it would overwhelm Romulus. Besides he really wanted to do this by himself.

"Are you ok?" Fenton asked as he saw the look on Joe's face as he slide in the back of the limo next to his father. Hearing the compassion in his father's voice was too much for the teen and he broke down and allowed his father to hold him. He didn't cry this time, he just wanted his father to hold him.

Fenton Hardy held on to his son all the way back to the estate. Winston had come out 20 minutes later and had climbed in next to the driver. He never looked in the rear seat but he just knew that Joe did not need him back there right now.

Joe buried his face in his father's chest as the older man softly stroked his hair stopping only when the limo pulled up to the front door.

'I want to go home" was all the Joe said.

A few hours later, Joe and his father were headed back home. Joe, feeling better then he had in a long-time, called Frank.

'So when are you coming home?" Frank demanded as soon as he heard Joe's voice.

Frank heard his brother's laugh and he breathed a happy sigh. It had seemed so long ago since he had heard that sound.

"How about before Sunday?", he asked and Frank let out a loud whoop of joy.

"Yahoo! Do you know exactly when yet?" Demanded Frank as he was already thinking of everyone he was going to call in the next few minutes.

"Uh, I don't know yet but you'll be the first person I'll tell, " he promised and for once Joe was glad that Frank could not see the mischievous look in his eyes, "But I gotta run know – say hello to everyone for me!"

Frank couldn't believe it – his baby brother was finally coming home…again.

phx

Joe Hardy pushed the END button on his cell phone and grinned at the older version of Frank seated next to him on the private plane.

"He's just a little excited, I think", he grinned as his father had started to laugh when he heard his older son's whoop on the phone. And then he turned his dark brown eyes onto his younger son and became serious again.

'Are you sure you're ready to go home? I don't want to rush you', he added.

Fenton was worried that if Joe came home before he was ready he would find it too easy to just leave again.

"Yes", was all Joe answered as he closed his eyes to get some sleep. Although he did not like flying, he had gotten some mild tranquilizers from the stewardess and was determined to get a little shuteye while he could – flying on a private plane does have its advantages, he thought as the tranquilizers started to kick in.

phx

The rest of Frank's morning periods went quickly. His history exam had been tough but he felt confident that he had done well. And now as he was seated with his friends at their usual table, Frank Hardy was feeling pretty good. Joe was coming home soon and life was wonderful.

He was busy thinking about the last couple of months and didn't notice the look of surprise or mild gasps that were emitted by his friends when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

'Hello big brother!" Frank shot up out of the chair in disbelief and turned to the new arrival. It was Joe!

Grabbing the blond haired young man in a tight hug, Frank was oblivious to the looks of the other students, "You're back!". His eyes shone as tears threatened to erupt.

"Surprise!" Grinned Joe and within a few minutes Frank had let him go and his friends surrounded him with their own hugs and pats on the back. Joe was glad to be back.

Frank did a quick appraisal of his younger brother to see if he was really all right. His father had told his mother that Joe was doing good and as Frank looked his brother over, he was pleased with how much better Joe looked.

In fact, Joe looked great! His normal good looks had been intensified by the time he had spent on the island. His skin had turned a dark bronze from the sun and his blond hair had an even more golden hue with white blond highlights. Even his blue eyes seemed brighter then they had in a long time and it when Frank looked in them that he knew everything was ok. Joe was really back!

The lunch period was almost over so Joe wished his friends good-bye as Frank walked him to his first class.

"You're going to class?" Frank was surprised. He thought Joe would want to go straight home but Joe just nodded his head, "Yea, I've already missed way too much time – and since I am already here, why not?"

Frank didn't even try and hide his smile as he left his brother at the door to his drama class and went on to his own economics class. He kept grinning all through his afternoon classes and then all the way to the parking lot. And then his grin only faltered for a second as he waited for a ride. They still had not gotten a replacement van from when it had been stolen although the insurance money had come through quickly.

Frank wanted to wait until Joe was back. He did not feel like looking for another vehicle without him.

Biff had been giving Frank a ride to and from school and he knew that there was room for Joe as well. He still felt guilty for taking Joe's new motorcycle the day that the van was stolen and had not driven it since.

He waved to his brother as he saw him and Biff walking towards the parking lot. Normally Frank would have waited for Joe at his locker but Joe had already told him to wait in the parking lot because he had nothing to go to his locker for.

Joe was talking animatedly to Biff who was almost doubled over with laughter. When Frank was in earshot Biff yelled out to him, 'Guess what!"

Frank saw his brother's red face and knew it was going to be something good, "What?"

"May I have the honor of presenting, " his voice mimicking a boxing announcer, "the new junior lead in the class drama presentation of…Romeo and Juliet. Oh Romeo…oh Romeo…where forth are thou Romeo", the last part he said in a falsetto voice and barely ducked a poke from Joe. Frank stared in amused shock, how had this happened?

"Don't ask", grumbled Joe now wishing he had just went straight home. But Biff was not letting him off so easy.

"Well as it happens, Mr. Convoy needed a new Romeo because Stephen Fell broke his leg. When Joe walked into class, Mr. Convoy took that as a sign and immediately enlisted Joe!"

"What about the understudy?" Frank queried as he heard Joe still mumbling that he should have just stayed home.

"Get this – Stephen's understudy was actually Melissa Newman. We didn't have enough guys in the class to have a male Romeo understudy – so Melissa or Joe – no contest!"

"No contest!" snorted Joe and then he tuned a desperate eye to his big brother as Biff pulled out his keys to unlock his car, "I can't be Romeo! I'll never remember all those lines!' Frank could see Joe starting to panic already and they hadn't even left school yet.

'Don't worry kiddo, I'll help. Anyway let's just home I am sure mom is dying to see you", Frank tried to distract Joe and his brother just gave a big sigh and climbed into the back seat.

"And besides, " piped up Biff, "Natalie Genfell is Juliet and you know she is going to make sure you learn your lines!"

Joe groaned – he had forgotten that. Natalie was a girl that he had shared most of his classes with ever since her family had moved to Bayport a few years ago. Although, Joe thought she was pretty, she was definitely too neurotic for him and after one short date he had found that out the hard way.

And then Iola had smiled at him…Joe lay back and closed his eyes as he remembered that smile.

Although he had gotten some sleep on the plane he was still exhausted. He had been up early the day he had left and now he was having severe jet lag. Joe was asleep before they left the parking lot.

Frank turned around to ask his brother something when he saw that he was already asleep. He smiled to himself as he realized that he would just have to wait until later to find out what had happened when he went to see Romulus.

Frank was just happy to have his brother back, so he turned back towards Biff.

"He's asleep already".

Biff glanced at his passenger in the rearview mirror and chuckled quietly, "He looks good, though. Better then I've seen him in a long time and I am not just talking about the tan, although I am a bit jealous".

Most of the girls at Bayport High had trouble deciding who was the best looking between Joe and Biff, as both were blond with blue eyes…without Joe having an edge with an awesome tan!

Frank nodded in agreement. For the first time since Iola's death, Joe Hardy looked peaceful

phx

Frank was shocked when he saw Joe. His brother looked so small in the bed with tubes and monitors all over the place. He was surprised to see Joe's chest wrapped in bandages until he remembered that Dr. Sidhu said they had to open his chest to shock his heart back to life. He heard the steady beep..beep of the heart monitor and that gave him some relief.

His mother gently kissed his forehead noticing how pale he was under his tan, "Hi baby – Mommy's here". She desperately wished he would open his eyes but knew that wasn't going to happen for a while so she stroked his face gently for a few minutes as she spoke to her husband and older son.

"He was Romeo…it was only a high school play – what happened?"

Fenton was standing behind his wife with his hands on her shoulders for support – who was supporting who was the question as he felt so helpless looking down at his son.

Joe being the shortest of the Hardy men looked even smaller to his father as he stared down at him while Frank just stood on Joe's other side. Neither man had an answer.

"I don't know", confessed Fenton.

"But we will find out", finished Frank as he just shook his head in disbelief. Who else but his brother could end up in the hospital because he was in a class play? But then he remembered that it was not just Joe…there was also Natalie.

Juliet had ended up in the morgue. Who did this?

phx

"Joseph Hardy! So help me God, you had better be a damn good Romeo!" were the first words out of Natalie's mouth when she caught up to him as they went into class together. Before Joe could retort, she tossed her head back and sat down in the front row.

Shaking his head, he took his usual seat next to Biff who was trying to keep from exploding with laughter. He had heard Natalie – as did everyone else in the class. And it was only because they were afraid that Joe would back out of the play if they laughed that kept them quiet. But there were still snickers.

Joe couldn't resist – he couldn't let Natalie have the last word so he called over to her, "What are you talking about? I thought we were doing Othello this year!"

The class lost it and it took the teacher 10 minutes to quiet down the laughter. Natalie just pretended Joe did not exist which was extremely difficult as he was Romeo and she was Juliet.

Biff was just happy to see a glimpse of the old Joe Hardy and hoped that it would stay around; making a mental note to tell Frank about this.

Natalie and Joe made the perfect star-crossed lovers, though Mr. Convoy the drama teacher. She was beautiful and he was handsome. This is going to be great. Now if only Joe could learn his lines.

Joe was thinking along the same line (no pun intended). He was already incredibly behind with his regular schoolwork and now he was also trying to work in extra time to practice. Fenton had offered to talk to Mr. Convoy and explain to him that this might be too much right now but Joe refused saying he didn't want special treatment. Besides he was actually enjoying the sparring with Natalie – she certainly did not go easy on him and it took his mind off the recent events.

But the workload was mammoth. Even Frank was getting frustrated. He has always had an easier time with schoolwork – it came naturally to him.

Hell I would be a bookworm if it weren't for Joe, he thought more then once.

It was hard for him to watch his younger brother struggle to catch up, especially when it seemed that Joe was having trouble catching on no matter how hard Frank worked with him.

Joe, as stubbornly persistent about catching up as he was about every thing else, refused to give up. Now that he was back he was determined that he would not fail this year. All he had to do was keep trying no matter how much he didn't like it.

This was made even more difficult by the fact he was having trouble focusing on what Frank was trying to teach him. He kept thinking about his inheritance and Romulus.

His family had been beside him through the whole thing and although they had been surprised to find out he was the sole beneficiary, they supported him as best they could. He knew that they were having a bit more trouble with the fact that he wanted to give it to Romulus.

It was not the money they were thinking about, although it was a lot and Joe would never have to worry financially; they were worried that Pharaoh's brother might try to hurt him again.

Joe couldn't explain it to them so they decided to put off discussing it any further until after things settled down. Winston kept in close contact with Joe on the estate matters and on Romulus matters but the latter part was kept from his family. Joe just wanted to move on and to move back into regular life.

Be the sponge, be the sponge, he kept coaching himself as his torturing lessons (as was his pet name for being locked in his room while his brother tried to teach him theories, history and other useless things) dragged on late into the night. He found himself actually looking forward to rehearsal because he was having fun – although a lot of work, it was a different kind of work. Joe could memorize when he saw the logic and he saw the logic in Romeo and Juliet.

And Natalie had turned out to be a great coach. She challenged Joe to excel by amplifying how little she thought of his acting ability. Joe was extremely competitive and she knew this and used it to their advantage.

Hour after hour they spent together rehearsing. Everyone at the school started to call them 'Romeo' and 'Juliet' instead of their real names. Joe didn't care – he was used to people calling him anything but Joe Hardy. And Natalie loved it…

Natalie loved the fact that her Romeo was Joe Hardy but he would never know it.

They had dated once but it had not worked out. She would never admit it to anyone but she was disappointed about that – most of it was her own fault. For some reason she could not relax around him, he made her nervous and when she was nervous she became extremely neurotic.

And then Iola Morton had smiled at Joe…

phx

"So where do we start looking?" Chet's voice startled Frank who had been sitting by Joe's side since his parents had left. He had finally convinced them to go home and get some sleep after promising to call them if anything changed.

It was now early morning and Frank, who had finally managed to fall asleep in the chair woke when he heard Chet's voice.

Joe was still unconscious but his face seemed to have more color in it and Frank hoped that was a good sign.

"What?" he was confused, what was Chet talking about.

Chet shuddered slightly when he saw the bandages on Joe's chest. He had heard what the doctors did to save him and it horrified him to think about them having to cut him open to start his heart. Thank god he got to the hospital in time!

Chet was feeling incredibly guilty, believing that somehow he was partially responsible. He was the stagehand and he was only feet away from both Natalie and Joe when they had consumed real poison.

"I want to help you find out who did this", he paused, "I need to help".

Frank looked at his best friend as he heard the plea in Chet's voice. The stout boy normally didn't go looking for trouble but when it came to Joe or any of his other friends, Chet was always right there but there was something different about it this time and Frank could just sense it.

'Why?' he saw Chet lower his gaze to the ground and realized for the first time that Chet had not actually done more then glance at Joe since he had come in the room. That was unusual. Any other time, Joe had been sick, Chet was always right there holding his hand. Something was wrong.

Chet still couldn't look at Joe but just shrugged, "I don't know". But Frank wasn't buying it.

"Why?" he repeated his question. This time Chet did look up and when he did, Frank's throat caught, Chet was crying.

"Because it was my fault". Frank was stunned. Did Chet mean he had poisoned Joe and Natalie? No that can't be right…

"What are you talking about?" he demanded letting go of Joe's hand and standing up to face his friend.

Chet glanced back at Joe nervously before wiping his eyes.

"I was there Frank! I was only a few feet away. I got the drinks myself!" Chet was almost hysterical and this unnerved Frank, his friend was usually as solid as a brick wall.

'Chester Morton! Calm down. Unless you gave them the poison on purpose, you have nothing to be guilty for. Now what were they drinking?" It was the first time that Frank had actually went into detective mode. He was so worried about Joe that he had forgotten to find out why this happened!

'Kool aid" Chet replied still upset. He must have mixed the drink wrong although that didn't make sense because it was kool aid – who could mess that up?

Before they could finish their conversation, Frank heard a slight groan from the bed. Both boys moved back over to Joe's side and stared anxiously down at his pale face.

"Joe? Come on kiddo..wake up", Frank encouraged but Joe remained motionless. Chet saw the despair cloud Frank's face again and he tried to cheer his friend up.

'This is good! It means he is waking up!"

Frank knew that Chet was right but he had so hoped to see his brother's blue eyes flutter open. Sighing he turned his attention back to his friend.

phx

Joe Hardy could hear voices around him – it sounded like Frank's and Chet's. It couldn't be time to go to school yet – it had to be too early. And why did his chest hurt so much? With a groan he allowed himself to go back to sleep. He could hear Frank calling his name but he was too tired. Tell the teacher I'll be late, he thought as he drifted away from the voices

phx

"Chet we have to find out who did this…Natalie is dead…I cannot even imagine how Joe is going to feel when he finds that out – they have been spending a lot of time together lately.

But you are no more at fault then me. I was sitting in the audience only a few rows away! No, whoever did this is to blame – not you. But I do appreciate your wanting to help because when Joe wakes up I don't think he is going to be in any shape to help", finished Frank as his eyes flickered over the bandages.

No his little brother would probably be in here for a while longer and even if he wasn't Frank was determined that Joe would lay low for a while; hell, he would send him back to the island if that is what it would take.

"Ok so where do we begin?" asked Chet as sat down in the chair Frank had been using while Frank sat on the bed next to his brother. Frank was looking in Joe's face for any sign that he was getting ready to open his eyes.

Before Frank could answer the room door swung open and Winston Abernathy strode in, his face a mixture of concern for Joe but then relief when he saw that Joe was still alive.

Fenton had called him from the hospital after Joe was admitted. The two men had grown a mutual respect for each other in the short time that Fenton had spent in the house after Pharaoh's death. Winston thought Fenton had done a wonderful job raising his sons and Fenton sensed that Winston's concern for Joe went past Pharaoh's instructions.

So he had called Winston who immediately made arrangements to fly to Bayport. He had called for updates frequently through the night but would not believe that the boy was ok until he saw it with his own two eyes.

"Thank god!" he said coming in to the room.

Chet stared at him, recognizing him instantly from the island and wondering why he was here. He was one of the few people in Bayport that knew about Joe's inheritance and quickly figured that he must have come to make sure his beneficiary was still breathing.

I wonder if Joe has written a will yet? Chet found himself wondering and then shuttered at the thought – he was too young to be thinking about dying. But then Chet thought about Iola…and suddenly he just wanted to leave the room.

Getting up he excused himself and promised Frank he would be back later. He had a strong desire to get some fresh air.

Frank nodded and watched Chet hurry out of the room.

"Is he ok?" Winston asked watching the door close behind Chet.

Frank assuming that he was talking about Joe just shrugged, "The doctor says it is a waiting game. We just have to watch to make sure his body is still responding to the poison's antidote".

"Good, but I was actually meaning your friend there. The boy that just left, Chet I think his name is", corrected Winston, and Frank looked blankly at him for a second as he thought back to Chet's actions.

"Oh…sorry I was just thinking about Joe. Chet blames himself". Frank explained and then turned to the older man, "Why are you here?"

"Because I am worried about your brother. He's a good kid". The way he said it make Frank feel bad about questioning his actions. Although he did not think he could ever get used to it, Joe had new people in his life that cared for him as well. And Frank knew it wasn't about the money…as Winston continued, "I am kind of shocked though. Who ends up in the hospital poisoned because they are in a school play?"

'Or the morgue" Frank said sadly thinking about Natalie's dad. Winston paled; he did not know what Frank was talking about.

"What?"

"Natalie", and when he saw that Winston did not know what he was talking about he explained, 'Natalie was Juliet. She drank poison first and then Joe did a little while later. Well when she didn't wake up for her next lines, that was when we found out something was wrong. Unfortunately, the poison was in her system too long and….she died".

Winston did not say anything for a long time. He walked over to the small window in Joe's room and looked out it for a long time. Frank was just going to ask him if he was alright when Winston turned back and Frank saw tears in his eyes.

"So young…death is supposed to be for the old, " thinking of the other funeral he had recently attended, he cleared his throat and looked around the small room that Joe was in, "if your family doesn't mind, I would like to make arrangements to have Joe moved".

Frank started to protest, misunderstanding what Winston was thinking about, "I mean have him moved to a bigger suite. That way there won't be so many restrictions on visitors and I will make sure there is a nice pull out sofa for you to sleep on". Frank thought about it, it would be nice to see Joe in one of those luxury rooms…especially since he was probably going to be here for a while.

"Frank…" Winston continued when Frank didn't respond right away, "Look I know that Joe has some issues about the money and all but I want to do something to help – and whether he likes it or not, everything is his until he can legally turn it over to Romulus".

Frank cringed at the mention of that name but then he sighed. Winston was right. So he nodded his agreement, "I don't have a problem with it – if you want you can wait until Dad and Mom get here or call them. They're at home".

Winston was relived. It made him feel a little better to think he could do this one thing for the Hardy family and he went to make sure the hospital had an appropriate suite ready – after all Joseph Paul Hardy was not just the son of a famous Private Investigator he was one of the richest teens in North America…and if money talked, his yelled…

But just as he was getting ready to go and make the arrangements he remembered the gift that he had brought with him. Smiling at Frank, he opened his hand case and pulled out a large Tupperware container.

Inside it were homemade double chocolate chunk cookies.

"I would have been here sooner but Mrs. Corradi insisted I wait while she baked some of these for Joe", he said as he smiled and left the room.

phx

A few hours later, Joe was moved to the executive suite and Frank marveled at how much more it was like a grand hotel room then a hospital. As he surveyed the soft pull out bed, he was glad that Winston had persisted and gotten this room.

Chet had returned a little while later and Frank could see he had been crying and felt guilty for not noticing how upset his friend had been earlier.

"Are you ok?" he asked him and Chet just nodded as he they watched the nurse check Joe's vital and write something down on his chart. She smiled encouragingly at them as she left.

Frank offered Chet one of Mrs. Corradi's cookies, they seemed to make Joe feel better when he was down and he knew his brother wouldn't mind sharing with Chet – as long as it was only one…

Chet accepted one and finished it before answering Frank. These cookies are the best, he thought briefly before turning back to Frank.

"Ya, I just can't believe that Natalie is dead. She was so young…like Iola". Frank felt a lump in his throat – like Iola? Was his friend thinking that Natalie was dead because of Joe? Did he blame Joe? But then Chet continued, "And Joe…he's probably going to blame himself for this – and we don't even know why it happened!"

Frank moved over and gave his friend a hug, "We will just have to find out that, now won't we?"

A few minutes later the phone rang and Frank answered it. It was his father. He listened to what he was saying and then gave him a quick report on Joe – no change, before saying good-bye and turning back to Chet, "That was my Dad, he and my mom are going over to Mr. Grenfell's house to see how he is doing before they drop by. This isn't going to be easy".

Frank sat back down but before he could say anything else, there was a quick knock on the door before the curly dark head of Tony Prito popped around the corner, "Can we come in?'

Before Frank could ask who "we" were, Tony came in followed behind Phil and Biff. Frank was disappointed when he saw that Callie wasn't with them. He had only talked to her briefly when he called to tell her that Joe was being moved to a bigger room. She had promised to let their friends know and hung up. She seemed a bit ticked off that they would have to cancel their date. Something was up with her but he didn't have time right now to be concerned about it. I'll talk to her later, he thought sadly.

He couldn't understand it. Callie had been so supportive and was always there for him during the two months of hell that he had spent believing that Joe was dead. But now that he was back, she was different – a bit more edgy.

Chet smiled at the other boys, "Good thing Joe got this big room – the nurses would have a fit if we all tried to visit him in another room!"

"We want to help!" Announced Biff after they had each checked on Joe.

"Good timing then, 'started Frank glad for every bit of help he could get, this was going to be tough,

"As I was just saying to Chet this is not going to be easy – there are too many suspects!"

"What do you mean?" Phil Cohen, the Hardy's quiet sandy haired friend asked.

"Well I was just talking to my Dad. He dropped by the police station to see if they got anything off the container that the poison was in. There were three sets of finger prints on it – two belonged to Joe and Natalie and the third was Chet's. So whoever did this used gloves".

'So much for an easy out", groaned Chet while the others agreed.

"And?" asked Phil sensing that there was more.

'And, Dad checked to see if any old enemies of his, or ours, have recently been released or are back in town and there was no one. The most recent parolee has been out for months…"

'So that means it could have been anyone" stated Tony as he went over to fix the blinds so the direct sun was not on Joe.

Frank nodded.

Winston Abernathy, who had quietly come into the room to hear the tail end of what Frank said and Tony's comment cleared his throat and the boys turned to him, "And of course, it might not have anything to do with you or your father".

Everyone waited for him to continue and he did, "Romulus Plyth was still alive. Lord knows how many more surprises are still out there that we don't even know about. Andreya didn't work alone and she did have a lot of money. So it could be related to her".

Frank groaned, "I didn't even think about that", he ran his hand threw his dark hair, 'I don't even know where to begin looking!"

'What's your father saying?" Pressed Winston. Frank shook his head, "Same thing. He doesn't know where to begin either!"

"Well, who had access to the kool aid besides Chet?" asked Phil and Chet wrinkled up his forehead as he tried to think back through that evening.

"Well", he started, "I had picked up a bottle of water at the supermarket but I didn't mix up the juice until just before the apothecary scene. Natalie had already warned me that she didn't want it to be warm – she liked her kool aid cold. So I waited until a few minutes before they needed it and then I took out the kool aid pack and mixed it up."

He stopped for a minute as he tried to think about everything that happened after that but before he could continue Dr. Sidhu came into the room and asked if everyone could leave for a few minutes while he checked on Joe.

"I put the Kool-Aid in two vials, one for Joe and one for Natalie, and then I went over to help with the next scene", he finished in the hall.

"Did you see anyone around that shouldn't have been there?" questioned Tony.

Biff and Chet screwed up their faces as they tried to remember before they both shook their heads, no.

"Keep thinking about it and see if anything else comes to mind", Frank implored, "You guys are our best start".

Dr. Sidhu indicated that they could come back in but only Frank and Winston went back inside as the other boys left reminding Frank to call them as soon as Joe woke up.

'How is he?' asked Winston as Frank went over and squeezed Joe's hand to let him know he was there.

"Better. He is still responding to treatment and I am hopeful that we can remove the ventilator in the morning. The nurse mentioned that he almost regained consciousness a little earlier?" Dr. Sidhu confirmed with Frank.

"Yes when Chet was here".

"Good. That is very good. Page me as soon as he wakes up. I am sure that will be sometime in the next few hours." And then he left.

'Thank you", Frank said to Winston as the door was closing behind the doctor. Winston turned, surprised, "For what?"

"For coming. For being here. For getting this room for Joe. For bringing cookies".

Winston smiled and patted the young man on his arm, "Your brother is a very lucky young man to have you as a brother."

"If he is so lucky – then how come he seems to spend more time in hospitals then everyone else I know, combined!" Frank asked exasperated and Winston laughed at how indignant Frank looked.

"Well, how indeed? Maybe he just likes all this attention", he answered.

Frank glanced at him surprised until he realized the older man was trying to be funny and he smiled briefly for the first time since the play.

"That's our Joe – always in the middle of everything!"

An hour later Frank's parents arrived and Frank left the hospital for a little while to give them some time alone with Joe. They had been over to Mr. Grenfell's condo to offer their support and he had been grateful to see them. Although his own family and friends surrounded him, he felt he had a bond with the Hardy's and was especially glad they had come.

He had asked how Joe was doing and although he was happy to find out he was doing better, Fenton knew that somewhere in the back of his mind, no matter how much he would try and hide it, the man had to be thinking – why couldn't it have been your son instead of my daughter?

Fenton watched as his wife comforted the man and noticed who much she and Joe were alike. They were both social people and just had a way or a charm that worked on others. Mr. Grenfell smiled back at her as she took his hand and spoke to him. And then a little while later, they had gone back to the hospital to see their sons.

phx

Joe's eyes flew open and he glanced wildly around the room – where was he? It was dark but the little light above his bed illuminated a lone figure laying on a pull out bed across the room from him – Frank.

As he adjusted to the dim light he realized that he was in the hospital. His chest hurt and he had a tube down his throat – what had happened? The last thing he remembered was drinking the "poison" and lying down next to Natalie. His part was done, now all he had to do was play a dead man convincingly.

Maybe I was too convincing, he thought as he could see and hear the steady beep..beep…beep of the heart monitor. He wanted to ask Frank what was going on but it hurt too much to move so he just shut his eyes and tried to relax, he was sure that his brother would awaken soon.

Natalie was pissed off at Joe. This was nothing new to him now as she started out each rehearsal that way. It seemed like everything he did just made it worst so finally in desperation he refused to say his lines and started using sign language. Of course this made her only madder.

"Hardy – what the hell do you think you are doing?" She had demanded with her hands on her hips. She kind of looks like Iola when she does that, Joe had grinned to himself. Sometimes it didn't hurt too badly when he thought about her.

'Well", he said very loudly and distinctly as she had just moments earlier accused him of not using proper enunciation when he said his lines, "it would seem that the very sound of my voice has been enough to set her highness off today – so I thought I would spare you the horror of having to listen to me…so where are we?" Joe continued signing his lines for the next few minutes until Mr. Convoy came into the class apologizing for being late. He was puzzled for the rest of the rehearsal at the dirty looks that his Juliet keep shooting his Romeo while everyone else couldn't seem to stop chuckling.

Two days before the play was scheduled to open, it finally came together. Natalie and Joe had stopped picking at each other and Natalie had even offered to come by and help Joe with some extra practice and, to everyone's great shock, he accepted.

The day before the production was a school professional day and Joe had invited Natalie to practice at his house as they had worked the night before at her fathers.

Natalie's father was a lawyer and they lived in an upscale condo on the third floor. Joe was impressed by it and earned brownie points with Mr. Grenfell when he acknowledged how tastefully decorated it was by complimenting a few choice items.

About the only good thing that he had learned while living as Remus Plyth was the value of the right compliment. Joe had a charming personality, too charming sometimes, but material appraisals were new to him; he either liked something or he didn't.

However, Andreya had surrounded herself with quality items and Joe was given a crash course in appreciating items of taste and if he did not like them, then to at least have something charming to say.

The practice had been fun and Joe was starting to notice that Natalie was a very different person once she let her guard down. She wasn't so…so…so annoying.

Mrs. Hardy was elated to see Joe having so much fun with this girl. She knew that, although Joe never mentioned it, he missed Vanessa a lot. Natalie seemed very nice and Laura hoped that she would help Joe take his mind off Vanessa and Iola.

Physically Natalie was similar to Iola in that they both had long dark hair and big doe eyes but that was where the similarity ended. It was like comparing Demi Moore and Sandra Bullock with Iola being Demi.

Bringing out some sandwiches to the teens, Laura heard them practicing and stopped to listen for a few minutes. They sounded pretty good and she was looking forward to seeing the performance the next evening. Joe was excited because his whole family was going to be there as his father was due to arrive back in town later that evening.

Joe and Natalie gratefully accepted the lunch as they sat down to take a well-deserved break. And for once they just sat together and ate in silence each one lost in their own thoughts.

Natalie was enjoying herself and for the first time she felt relaxed around Joe and had stopped acting neurotic. Afraid that she might open up her mouth and spoil the mood, she sat and ate her sandwich quietly wondering what he was thinking about.

Joe was thinking how nice it was to spend time with Natalie. Maybe after the play was over, he might ask her out again. What are you thinking about Hardy? He immediately chastised – are you a glutton for punishment? Too much pain…sadly Joe shook his head, he wasn't ready for another relationship yet so he would just have to content himself with being her friend.

Strangely as it seemed, once he had made that decision – to just be her friend, he felt at peace. He could be himself without worrying about impressing her or anything. Smiling through his sandwich he decided that she was going to be an interesting friend.

phx

It was early the next morning and Chet and Biff were on their way up to see how Joe was doing before they went to school when they were shocked to see the person standing outside Joe's room door. It was Vanessa!

They had not seen Vanessa since just after Joe's supposed death months earlier and couldn't believe she was here now. Sporting a sassy short haircut, and looking like she had lost some weight, Vanessa Bender tried to look a lot more at ease then she felt.

As beautiful as ever, thought Biff as he wondered if she was just coming out of Joe's room or going in.

"Hey", she said casually as she saw the boys approach. She felt very awkward and started feeling that this had been a big mistake.

"Hey yourself, " Chet smiled as Biff just scowled at her. Joe had never really told them what had happened but Biff was sure it was Vanessa's fault.

"Callie just told me", she explained as if apologizing for not getting there earlier. Although she had transferred to another school after Joe's death because she found it too difficult to see their friends' everyday, she and Callie had remained close. Not as close as before, but they still talked a couple times of week.

Vanessa had been getting ready for school when her cell phone rang – it was Callie Shaw. She hadn't talked to Callie since last week and was wondering what she did the weekend.

"Hi Callie", she greeted her, "How's it going?"

She could hear the sound of Callie's Porsche in the background and knew she was driving somewhere. Vanessa hoped Callie was using her ear piece because she hated people driving and using their phones at the same time – it was too dangerous!

"Horrible!" Callie said exasperated! She was upset that her plans with Frank this weekend had been changed because Joe was still in the hospital. It never occurred to her to call Vanessa and tell her about what happened at the play because Vanessa had made it quite clear that she wanted nothing else to do with Joe.

Callie, although she loved Frank, was jealous of Joe and the hold he had over his big brother.

An only child, she could not understand how come he was so important to Frank. She tolerated Joe the same way that you tolerate sand at the beach – it gets into each crook and cranny and is difficult to get rid of, but that doesn't stop you from going to the beach. She had been secretly pleased that Vanessa didn't go running back to Joe when he came home, like everyone else had.

Before Vanessa could ask her why, Callie continued deciding she had to tell Vanessa now before she heard about it at school, "Well the junior drama class gave a presentation of Romeo and Juliet on Friday night. And now Natalie Grenfell is dead and Joe Hardy is in the hospital! Of course, Frank wouldn't leave Joe so he cancelled our plans for Saturday night!"

Vanessa was so shocked she dropped down on her bed, her face turning a deathly shade of white, "What!" Natalie dead…Joe in the hospital? Vanessa knew Natalie as they had shared most of their classes together when she was still at Bayport High and Joe…

"What happened?" She demanded concern overwhelming her shock.

"Well Nat was Juliet and Joe was Romeo and apparently someone replaced their pretend "poison" with the real stuff. Juliet drank hers first and was dead before she got the hospital. Romeo was saved because he drank his a little while later!" Callie explained as she pulled into the gas station to get gas. The pump attendant gave her a look as he pointed to sign, which said "NO CELLPHONES", but Callie ignored him.

Vanessa was reeling – how could they have not known that something was wrong with Natalie? She remembered the play very well. After Juliet drinks the poison that the apothecary gave her to make her seem dead, her family has her moved to the crypt before Romeo returns and finds her.

"Didn't anyone get suspicious when they changed the scenes and Natalie didn't get up?" she asked as she imagined that the poison probably rendered her unconscious.

"No", came Callie's reply, "Mr. Convoy changed that a bit. Instead of having her family find her and move her to the crypt for the final scene, he had Romeo find her in her room. Romeo then drinks the poison that he bought when he found out Juliet was dead – Convoy felt that the whole crypt scene could be left out without interrupting the…how did he put it, oh, ya – the flow of the play. Personally, I think he did it to save everyone making another scene!"

A few minutes later Vanessa was on her way to the hospital.

Please be all right! She kept thinking.

Vanessa had tried to get over Joe Hardy. It had been so hard when she thought he was dead; it was like a piece of her had died and then she finally knew how he felt about losing Iola. How did he go on? She had thought as one night in a fit of grief, she had chopped off her own hair hating it as she remembered that Joe would never run his hands threw its silky length again.

And then he had come back.

Vanessa wanted so desperately to just have everything go back to normal and go running into his arms, but she couldn't. It hurt too much.

It hurt too much to give him back that power. Vanessa loved him but she couldn't let herself be hurt like that again – so she said good-bye and hung up on him before he could even say anything. And then she tried to move on.

But here she was minutes later, speeding towards the hospital – she didn't know if she wanted to see him or not, but she needed to go there.

phx

"Oh," commented Biff and Vanessa avoided his gaze as she could see he was not pleased to see her. They don't understand, she thought but then Chet spoke up.

"It's good to see you, Van – did you see him?" he asked indicating Joe's room.

Vanessa shook her head. She had been standing outside his room for 10 minutes and still couldn't decide whether or not to go in. She wasn't sure how he would react and she wasn't sure if she could handle it if he just told her to go away – she loved him so much. But she also knew that she had hurt him and she was just getting ready to leave when she had seen Chet and Biff, "No I..um…"

Suddenly the door behind them opened as Frank Hardy almost ran into Vanessa. His eyes registered shock at seeing her but he quickly recovered. Closing the door behind him, he took her arm and steered her away from the room.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed trying to keep his voice down. He had woken up only a few minutes before and thought he would just go for a short walk to stretch his legs. Before she could answer he turned to Chet and Biff, "Can you guys go and keep Joe company in case he wakes up?" he asked relieved that they were there. He had been feeling guilty about leaving the room but he really needed to get out for a few minutes.

Vanessa stared into Frank's intense brown ones and could tell by the look on his handsome face that he knew…she knew that Joe had told Frank what had happened between them and he was not pleased to see her.

"I…I…I needed to see if he was ok", she stammered. The intensity of his gaze was making her nervous. This had been a mistake.

"Why?" he demanded still holding her arm. She didn't try and pull away and tears sprang to her eyes as she said shakily, "I just had to!"

It was the only answer she could give him. Vanessa couldn't say she loved him…she just couldn't admit that.

Frank looked at her for another moment before he gave a big sigh and let go of her arm. She didn't have to say it, Frank knew she still loved his brother.

They sat down in silence beside each other and when Frank didn't say anything Vanessa started, "Frank…I care for him…I have always cared him. But I can't go through that again – it hurts too much. I can't lose him again". She tried to explain as she was crying now.

Frank didn't try to comfort her he only replied, "So you let him go".

Vanessa didn't know how to answer that one because it was true and it was eating her apart. At the time it had seemed like a good ideal but she was only beginning to realize now that it was hurting her more to know that Joe was alive and not with her, then when she could at least cherish his memory.

"I was pretty stupid", she finally admitted.

Frank sighed and stood up.

"Look Vanessa, I am not going to say this is a good ideal; or that I forgive you for hurting my brother like that…but it is up to him to forgive you – not me. He is still unconscious but if you want to see him, I won't stop you', and then Frank Hardy left her there sitting alone.

She saw him go back into Joe's room and then a few minutes later he came back out with Biff and Chet. Biff threw her a dirty look as Frank nodded at her – she could go in now, if she wanted.

Taking a huge breath, Vanessa Bender ignored their looks and pushed open the door stepping into Joe's room.

phx

"Are you sure that is such a good ideal?' Biff asked rolling his eyes to indicate Vanessa. He couldn't forgive her for running out on Joe, as he saw it, no matter what Joe did or didn't tell them.

Frank sighed not sure how to explain it, "Yes. If I sent her away and Joe ever found out – he would be furious. It's up to him. All I can do is stand by and catch him when he falls – you know Joe.." his voice trailed off and they knew Frank was right.

Joe would need to make that decision for himself -what to do about Vanessa.

"Besides she does care about him" Frank added.

phx

As Vanessa approached Joe's bed she started to shake. It had been months since she had last seen him and had forgotten how he made her feel whenever she was around him.

"Hi baby", she said as she brushed a lock of hair from his face and gently stroked his chin, 'I'm so sorry" And then she lay her head gently down on his stomach and started to cry.

Joe heard someone crying. He then smelt her perfume – Vanessa? It couldn't be… slowly he opened his eyes and saw it was now morning and he no longer had the tube in his throat. Glancing down, he saw the top of her head and could hear her crying.

He was confused – why was Vanessa here? He tried to move his hand and she looked up at him as she felt the movement.

"Joe!" she said softly and then seeing his blue eyes peering back at her she pushed the call button and shouted out for Frank. Immediately the three boys burst into the room followed by the nurse.

Seeing Joe was awake, the nurse left to page the doctor while Vanessa moved back to let Frank next to Joe. She quietly slipped through the door and with tears streaming down her face, she ran out of the hospital.

"Hey little brother – how are you feeling?" he asked forgetting about Vanessa.

"What happened?' Joe tried to ask but his throat hurt from the ventilator and it came out more as a strained whisper. He was trying to remember what had happened.

Where was Vanessa? His eyes quickly glanced around the room but he didn't see her. Did I dream her? He wondered as he tried to focus on Frank.

"You were poisoned". Frank explained and not wanting to overwhelm Joe he left out the other details.

Dr. Sidhu came into the room before Joe could ask anything else and spent the next few minutes explaining to his young patient what was going on medically. Joe's eyes widened in horror when he heard they had opened his chest to revive him.

Frank patted his hand for support but it took a few more minutes before Joe got over the shock. That explains why my chest hurts, Joe thought.

"Now Joe, I want to limit your visitors because you need to get your rest. So please," he turned to the boys, "let him sleep as much as he can and try and keep him from getting too upset".

The doctor knew that his patient did not know that Natalie was dead yet and he left instructions with the nurse to come in and give Joe a mild tranquiller in a few minutes knowing it would be needed.

I was poisoned? Joe repeated to himself. The last thing he remembered was being in the play. And then an image flashed into his mind: Natalie. He remembered wondering why Natalie wasn't starting to wake up yet after he lay down beside her. Natalie!

"Natalie?" he whispered – it really did hurt when he tried to talk. As if on cue, the nurse came back into the room with the shot.

"Dr. Sidhu asked me to give this to you", she explained as she prepared his arm and gave him the injection. Joe hardly noticed as he was staring at the looks on his brother's and his friend's faces. They had all paled and neither Biff nor Chet would look him in the eye. He turned back to Frank and saw Frank's gaze flicker for only a moment before he answered.

"I'm sorry Joe – she never got here in time. Natalie is dead". They waited for some kind of reaction from Joe.

Each word hit Joe like a knife in his chest and he saw the heart monitor respond as he had a little trouble catching his breath. But waving his brother off from calling the nurse, he calmed himself down, closed his eyes and asked them to leave, "I want to sleep"

The boys exchanged worried glances – was Joe shutting down again? It had happened after Pharaoh's death. Joe hardly talked to anyone and all he wanted to do was sleep. Frank was terrified, he had felt that he almost lost Joe then, he couldn't bare to go through that again.

'Joe", his voice pleaded but Joe kept his eyes shut.

A minute later, as if sensing how distraught Frank was becoming, he said, 'It's ok Frank…I will be ok…I just need some time – please?"

Frank didn't want to leave but he knew he had to respect his brother's wishes so he left to find a payphone to call home.

Outside the room, he saw Chet and Biff talking and it was then that he remembered Vanessa.

"Where's Vanessa?" he asked and the boys shrugged their shoulders. They had seen her leave the room but figured she was just running away again.

"Who cares", Biff retorted. It would take him a long time to forgive her, if he ever did. You don't abandon the people you care about, he reasoned, "Look we gotta get to school. If you or Joe need anything, I'll keep my phone on."

Frank didn't say anything – he didn't know what to say. Vanessa seemed to want back and now she was gone again…

'I'll bring your homework", Chet promised as they left together.

phx

Vanessa banged her head on the steering wheel in frustration. She should have stayed. She should not have left.

Frank said she could see him…and then Joe looked at her and she felt such strong feelings for him she panicked!

Stupid..stupid..stupid, she kept saying and then burying her head in her hands she cried.

An hour later after she regained her composure, she finally drove home. Her mother was working in her home office and Vanessa slipped by her and into her room. She was supposed to be at school but she would explain what had happened later – right now she just wanted to be by herself.

Something was bothering her but she couldn't place her finger on it.

phx

Joe slept for the next couple of hours while his mother sat with him. Fenton and Frank were grabbing a sandwich in the cafeteria.

"You need to go to school tomorrow", his father said between bites of his tuna croissant.

Frank nodded his head. As much as he wanted to catch the person who did it, not going to school wasn't going to help, "Yah I will. I just feel so frustrated -" His own roast beef sandwich sat untouched on his plate.

"Eat!" his father said, "Son, I know this is hard. I have solved many cases in my career but I don't even have a starting place with my own son's case – what happened just doesn't fit anywhere!"

Frank agreed and the two finished their lunch in silence. Fenton asked Frank to drop his mother off later as he wanted to stop by the police station before checking out the alibi's of a couple of suspects who had been out on parole for 6 months now. It was slim but he had to do something. Frank agreed and said even if he didn't drive her himself, he would have one of the gang take her. He was sure he would see them later.

"Is Winston still here?" asked Frank before his father left. He had not since the man since the prior evening.

"Yes but he is in the city for the day. He said he would be back this evening". Fenton then left and Frank took the elevator back up to Joe's room.

phx

Joe was dreaming.

In his dream he was in a boat on the open sea during a wild storm. The little boat was tossed and battered by the intensity of the wind and waves as Joe tried to keep from being blown overboard. A couple of times, he felt his feet being blown out from beneath him as he was swept over the edge. But always at the last moment, he managed to grab hold of something and pull himself back.

Not today – he screamed into the storm, not today!

And then he heard the wind howl back...Romeo…Romeo…where forth are thou Romeo…

phx

Joe was awake, and to Frank's relief he seemed to be having a conversation with his mother. As he heard what they were saying, his relief wavered.

His mother was telling Joe about what she thought of the play!

But rather then looking upset, Joe was smiling at her as if enjoying what she was saying. Laura stopped when she heard the door and saw it was Frank.

Joe had asked his mother what she thought about the play and, at first, she was hesitant to talk to him about it because she thought it would be too painful for him to hear. But as she started talking she was surprised to see that instead of upsetting him it seemed to make him feel better.

"Are you ok?" Frank asked concerned and when Joe looked at him and smiled he saw it was genuine.

"Yes, I am. It's ok – but I do feel bad about Natalie. I just don't understand it…" he trailed off as his voice became the merest of whispers. God his throat hurt.

Their mother excused herself to get a sandwich leaving the two brothers alone.

"Are you really ok?" Frank asked again just to be sure. Joe shook his head smiling – ever overprotective Frank, he thought.

And then in a flash he remembered his dream and smiled inwardly as he realized that every time he felt himself being swept overboard, he always managed to grab onto something before he was lost in the sea – that something was Frank.

He wanted to continue talking with Frank but his throat hurt too much to talk so he asked in a whisper for a pen and paper. At first Frank was confused but then realized that it would be easier to talk this way for a while. Dr. Sidhu warned that Joe would have a sore throat for a couple of days.

I'M FINE. WHO DID THIS? Joe wrote and Frank shook his head.

"I don't know. Joe there are too many suspects – it is going to be hard to figure it out. Did you see anyone who looked out of place?" Frank despaired.

Joe pursed his lips thoughtfully as he tried to recall if he saw anything that in hindsight looked out of place. And then he did remember someone.

CALLIE. He wrote. Frank was surprised – Callie?

"You saw Callie there? Are you sure? She was sitting in the audience with her folks. I saw her", he asked.

Joe nodded and wrote for a few minutes before giving it to Frank to read.

YES. CALLIE. I SAW HER BEFORE THE FINAL ACT. SHE SEEMED TO BE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING. WHEN SHE SAW ME LOOKING AT HER SHE SMILED AND LEFT. CALLIE WAS NOT IN THE PLAY OR A STAGEHAND. I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE WAS THERE.

Frank had a sick feeling in his stomach. Callie?

phx

Vanessa sat up in her bed – oh my god, she suddenly remembered what was bothering her. Having fallen asleep from being emotionally drained, Vanessa was surprised to see that it wasn't even suppertime yet.

First she tried the Hardy residence, she had to tell someone. The answering machine picked up on the 5th ring. Hanging up, she then tried Frank's cell number and received a message telling her that his phone was not on. She hated to do this, but then she called the hospital and asked to be put up to Joe Hardy's room.

The operator asked for her name and then told her she was not on the list of approved callers. She was put through to the nursing desk and was told she could leave a message for Frank there.

Frustrated she almost hung up the phone but then told the woman her name; number and said it was urgent that she talks to Frank Hardy. The nurse assured her she would give him the message and then hung up.

phx

Joe continued to write. FRANK. CALLIE DOESN'T LIKE ME VERY MUCH BUT I DON'T THINK SHE WOULD TRY AND KILL ME. BESIDES WHOEVER DID IT WAS AFTER NATALIE NOT ME.

Frank read the note, "Why do you say that?" he asked wondering why anyone would be after Natalie.

CALLIE KNOWS THE PLAY. HELL HALF HER CLASS HELPED BUILD THE SETS. SHE KNEW THAT NATALIE WOULD DRINK THE POISON BEFORE ME. WHY WOULD CALLIE POISON NATALIE? WHOEVER DID THIS WAS AFTER NATALIE.

Frank breathed a sigh of relief. Callie had been acting strange since Joe got back and he had almost believed that she could be behind this. And then another thought hit him – they were wrong!

Frank, his father, their friends, even the police were making the assumption that Natalie was the innocent victim, but what if it was Joe? Whoever did this was after Natalie.

He noticed that Joe was getting very pale and realized he must be very tired. Remembering the words of the doctor, he took the pen and paper from his brother and told him to get some sleep.

"Hey little brother, I'm gonna go to the vending machine and grab a drink. I will be right back, I promise so try and get some sleep", Frank said softly as Joe nodded his head and shut his eyes, he was tired.

When Frank left the room the nurse on duty at the desk called out to him and handed him the message from Vanessa. Wondering what it was about he headed over to a payphone to call Vanessa.

After a three rings, Vanessa picked up, "Hello!" she almost yelled into the phone.

"Vanessa it's Frank", he said after rubbing his ear – what was her problem?

phx

The teen saw the dark haired Hardy, Frank if he remembered, leave the room. He had been watching the room for a while and knew that Joe was alone. A nurse nodded hello to him as she passed and he smiled back. He only had a few minutes – Frank was never gone for very long.

Quickly taking one last glance to make sure no one was watching, the boy slipped inside the room.

phx

"Frank! Callie told me something on Thursday evening that I thought I should tell you – " she took a deep breath and then just blurted it out, "Callie and Natalie had a big fight and she told me that she wished Natalie never existed!"

Vanessa waited for Frank to say something but on the other end Frank's knuckles had turned white from gripping the phone so hard, 'what?' he finally managed to get out.

"I have never heard Callie so mad. Frank she said that if she thought she could get away with it, she would…she would", Vanessa's voice broke off in a sob as she remembered the conversation.

'That she would what!" Frank yelled.

"She would kill her!"

Frank felt like a knife had been jabbed in his stomach and twisted – Callie. He had to talk to Callie.

Barely saying good-bye to Vanessa, Frank's hand shook as he called his girlfriend. He kept hearing Vanessa's voice saying "She would kill her!"; he kept seeing Joe's handwritten note CALLIE DOESN'T LIKE ME VERY MUCH; he kept remembering how strange Callie had been acting lately – being ticked off because Frank had to cancel their date because Joe was in the hospital – did Callie kill Natalie and almost kill Joe?

He had to know.

phx

The boy saw Joe Hardy sleeping in the bed and quietly approached it. He could see the bandage wrapped tightly around his chest and watched the gentle rise and fall with each breath – you should be dead, he thought sadly…you should both be dead.

phx

Callie Shaw picked up her phone on the second ring, "Hello" she said seductively. She had seen the Caller ID as BAYPORT HSP and figured it was Frank.

"Callie I need to talk to you", he said curtly but Callie thought he was just being playful.

"You're talking to me now!" she purred.

Frank felt his patience going, "I'm not fooling around. I need to see you right now. Can you come to my house in 30 minutes?" He was going to ask his mother if she could stay with Joe for a little bit while he went to meet Callie. The conversation they were going to have was one that he did not want Joe to hear.

'Ok darling see you then!" Callie said sweetly before hanging up.

Frank stared at the receiver in his hand – he felt sick but he had to know – did Callie put poison in the Kool aid?

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Chet coming down the hall towards him carrying a basket. No doubt some goodies that Ms. Morton had sent them. But his stomach churned, he could not think about food right now.

Chet seeing the sick look on Frank's face immediately thought something had happened to Joe.

'What's wrong! Is Joe ok?"

Frank looked at his friend and then broke down and sobbed. Chet held him unsure of what had happened.

phx

Joe sensed someone else was in the room with him and opened up his eyes to see who it was. He had heard the door open and expected to hear Frank's voice or feel him touch his hand, and when nothing happened for a few minutes, he decided it wasn't Frank.

He recognized the youth that stood beside his bed and smiled and started to say hello even as he wondered why he was here. They weren't close enough to warrant a hospital room visit.

But before he got one word out, the other youth leapt on top of him and wrapped his hands around Joe's throat. Already weakened Joe tried to fight back but knew he didn't have the strength to push him off. He could feel excruciating pain from his chest from the weight of his assailant on him.

Frank – help me! He wanted to scream but nothing came out as his head began to swim and darkness overtook him. The last thing he heard was his mother's scream.

phx

Laura Hardy, oblivious to what was happening in the other corridor opened the door to go back into Joe's room.

'Hi honey, I've brought…" her voice cut off as the door closed behind her and she saw her son.

phx

The sound of a scream pierced through Frank's heart – it was his mother. He and Chet raced for Joe's room and as they burst in threw the door with two nurses and an orderly right behind them, they froze for a second at the commotion in the room.

Shane Bonner, a classmate of Joe's, had his hands wrapped around Joe's neck while Laura Hardy was trying to get him off her son. Frank was the first to move and quickly pushing past his mother, grabbed Shane and between him, Chet and the orderly managed to pry his fingers from Joe's throat as Laura sobbed in the background.

While they waited for security, the nurses started CPR on Joe and Dr. Sidhu was paged. Just as the doctor rushed into the room, Frank let out a sigh of relief, Joe started to breath and then cough.

A few seconds later, he was being taken to another room to make sure his wound had not reopened while Security handcuffed Shane and the police were called.

"Why!" demanded Frank but Shane just smiled at him and said nothing. Within ten minutes the police had arrived and Shane was taken into custody.

"Are you ok?" Frank asked his mother as they sat in Joe's room and waited for him to come back.

He was proud of his mother, although she hadn't been able to get him off Joe, she had made it more difficult for him finish off Joe.

"Yes – oh Frank…when I came in and saw…and saw him on top of Joe…I …" she started to cry and buried her face in his shoulder. As if on cue, Fenton Hardy rushed in to the room demanding to know what had happened. Chief Collig had called him as soon as they got the call from the hospital and Fenton rushed right over.

Frank filled him in and saw Fenton's face turn a shade of gray, 'What was the boy's name again?' he asked.

"Shane Bonner. He was in Joe and Natalie's drama class. Remember, he was the boy who played Paris, Juliet's husband, in the play", Frank reminded him.

"Bonner", Fenton mused, that name sounded familiar.

"Well, that would give him opportunity – but motive?" Laura asked as she came out of the bathroom after washing her face. She now felt better and settled down next to her husband so he could put his strong arms around her.

Before they could answer, the door swung open and Joe was brought back into the room. He smiled at his family when he saw them.

"Everything is ok!" he announced as loud as his sore throat would allow and Dr. Sidhu reaffirmed that a moment later when he came in behind in.

"Yes, thankfully, his stitches held and except for minor bleeding, everything is ok. However, his throat will definitely be sore for about a week or so."

"However, " he said as he smiled down at Joe, "barring no further complications, I will release Joe in a couple of days as long as he gets strict bed rest and goes to see his family doctor or clinic everyday to have the dressings changed and make sure there is no infection."

Everyone cheered and as Dr. Sidhu was getting ready to leave, Joe motioned for him and when the doctor got close enough he bent down to hear what Joe was whispering. A sad look flickered over the doctor's face as Frank wondered what was going on. The doctor stood up and seemed to give great thought to whatever request Frank's baby brother had just made.

Finally he sighed and turned to the Hardy's, "Joe can go to Natalie's funeral as long as he doesn't over do it. By this I mean he will need a wheelchair as I do not want him standing for any periods of time. And then right here afterwards. No exception – understand?" They all nodded and Frank felt the lump come back in his throat.

How could he have forgotten about that? Of course, Joe would want to go to the funeral.

As his parents walked out with the doctor to go over what kind of care Joe would need once he got home, Frank sat down on the bed next to his brother and took his hand.

"I'm sorry!', he said and Joe looked confused.

"Why?" he whispered and Frank reached back over for the pen and paper and handed it to him.

"Because I should never have left you alone."

Joe shook his head and then wrote, his hand shaking slightly from the stress of the recent events.

NO IF YOU HAD NEVER LEFT THEN SHANE MIGHT NOT HAVE TRIED TO ATTACK ME. AND THEN WE WOULDN'T KNOW WHO DID THIS. DON'T FEEL GUILTY, FRANK. PLEASE.

HE WAS BACKSTAGE BUT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.

One name shot in Frank's head and he almost fell off the bed – Callie! Oh my god, he had thought Callie did this!

"Joe, I gotta go – I thought Callie did this and I asked her to meet me at home so I could confront her!' he almost yelled.

Poor Callie, he should have known she would never do anything like this! He saw Joe writing and started pacing as he waited for him to finish – he needed to get to the house, Callie was going to be furious!

WHY. I TOLD YOU THAT CALLIE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT.

"I know but then Vanessa…." Frank's voice trailed off and he saw Joe's face go pale. He had not told Joe that Vanessa was here.

"What…" Joe started to speak but grimacing and holding his throat, he wrote.

VANESSA?

At that moment Chet came back in the room followed by the boys parents. Chet had left to call everyone and tell them about Shane.

Frank wanted to finish his conversation with Joe but he needed to get home first.

'Joe, I'll explain everything later! I gotta go, ok?" Frank never really waited for Joe's answer as he bolted out of the door and raced home.

phx

Callie was upset but not because Frank was late. She was worried that Frank found out.

She had arrived on time but no one was home. As she sat in her car to wait she saw a black limo pull up beside the curb and a stocky, dark haired man get out and come up towards the house. He was wearing an expensive suit, Callie recognized money, and he was obviously someone important.

Winston paused beside the Porsche and saw the beautiful blond sitting inside it. At first he wondered if it was Vanessa Bender, the ex-girlfriend that he had heard about but then decided it must be the other one– Frank's girlfriend, as he remembered hearing that she came from some money.

Wondering why she was sitting in her car, Winston knocked on the door. When no one answered, he used the key that Fenton had given him before he left and went into the Hardy house. He had planned on staying at a hotel but the Hardy's had insisted that he could use Joe's room until he got him, if Winston didn't mind.

Although Winston was used to luxury, he was very down home at heart and looked forward to staying with the family. It was refreshing to be around the Hardys, everything else was just frills.

Callie waited a few minutes before she left her car and knocked on the door again.

Almost immediately it was opened by Winston.

"Hi I'm Callie Shaw, Frank's girlfriend. He was supposed to meet me here but he's late, ' she explained trying to be very friendly.

Winston did a quick appraisal and he knew immediately whom he was dealing with – because he dealt with people like her all the time. She thought she was important just because she had money…

But he smiled charmingly and invited her to come in.

"I'm Winston Abernathy", he introduced himself but never offered her any more information. He put her on a need-to-know basis and right now that was all she needed to know.

Callie tried unsuccessfully to strike up a conversation with this obviously wealthy man. She wondered why he was staying here at the Hardy's instead of at a fancy hotel. But Winston, although polite enough, refused to bite and kept everything very casual.

He wanted to go to the hospital to see Joe, he had only intended on stopping at the house long enough for a shower and change his clothes, but he knew it would be rude to leave her alone in the house. So he put on the kettle and sat down to enjoy a cup of tea and see what was happening in the Bayport local papers.

30 minutes later he heard Frank come rushing in to the house.

'Callie! I am so sorry. But Joe was attacked at the hospital and we got the guy who poisoned them!' he explained breathlessly, 'It was Shane Bonner!"

Callie's face registered shock and Frank thought it was over finding out about Shane. He gave her a hug as he felt her shudder, 'it's ok honey – and I need to apologize to you".

"Oh sweetie – that's ok. I understand why you were late!" Callie insisted once she recovered from the shock but Frank shook his head, 'No I'm sorry because I thought it was you!"

"What?" Callie's face had turned pale and her voice came out as almost a whisper.

"Joe said he saw you behind the stage on Friday night just before the final act. And then when Vanessa called and told me that you were upset with Natalie…well…well…I'm sorry!" Frank did not know what else to say. He just hoped Callie could forgive him.

Shane poisoned the drink…Joe saw me behind the stage…Vanessa told Frank. …Callie felt her legs go weak and Frank seeing her falter grabbed her and lead her to the couch. After a few minutes, Callie found her voice.

"It's ok Frank…I understand."

Frank looked her in the eye and saw she was telling the truth – she wasn't angry with him. In fact she seemed relieved. He grabbed her in a tight hug and promised her, 'I'll never doubt you again, I promise you that!"

Callie smiled when she heard that – that was a very powerful promise. A Frank Hardy promise.

phx

"Shane Bonner is the son of Brian Bonner!" Fenton explained to Frank and Winston later that night as they sat in Joe's room.

Joe had drifted off to sleep before his father had gotten back. Fenton had spent the last couple of hours at the police station, 'I knew the name Bonner sounded familiar".

Frank sipped his coffee and looked at his brother's sleeping form affectionately – the world was all right again. Callie wasn't mad at him and Joe would be home in a couple of days!

"Bonner was charged with racketeering and it went to court last year. I remember hearing about the case. The police thought it was airtight but then Bonner's fast talking lawyer shot holes in everything and got him off.

The interesting part was that Natalie's father, Corwin Grenfell, was Bonner's lawyer."

"Why would Shane kill Natalie then if her father got his off?" Frank demanded.

"Well that is where it gets interesting, ' explained Fenton, "It is still under investigation but from Shane has been willing to tell the police, it would seem that Bonner was being blackmailed by Grenfell and I guess he decided to use Natalie to teach Grenfell a lesson".

'So he had Shane poison the drink. That makes sense. Shane was also in the play and no one would think anything about it if he was seen back stage", surmised Frank and his father nodded.

"But why attack Joe again?" Winston asked completely fascinated to here all this detective stuff. It was so much more interesting then the accounting and legal muble jumble he dealt with.

"Ya why attack me? He wasn't on my suspicion list" came the sound of Joe's sleepy voice no more then a mere whisper. Frank smiled at Joe – he was glad to see color slowly creeping back in to Joe's face.

"Because he was jealous that you were Romeo."

'What? Both Frank and Joe said at the same time.

Fenton continued as he rubbed his face tiredly.

"Well this is where it gets strange. While Shane says he was going to kill Natalie, he claims he never got a chance and that it wasn't him who poisoned the drink.

As for you, he was pissed that you got the part. I guess he was hoping to convince Mr. Convoy to have him play Romeo and give the understudy, a girl I believe, the part of Paris. He figured since Romeo was the lead, it would be easy to convince Convoy to switch them.

But you came back and he gave it to you. So Shane is claiming that when someone else put the poison in the drink and Natalie died, he felt cheated out of doing the deed himself. So he decided to finish the job on you". Fenton ended.

Joe was shocked and even if his throat was too sore to really say anything, he doubted he could but then he heard Frank speaking again, "Shane is saying he didn't put the poison in the drink?'

"Yes, but we are thinking it is because he would rather be charged with attempted murder then with 1 count of murder and 2 counts of attempted murder".

Everyone agreed that made sense and Winston said goodbye to Joe as he was flying back to the island in the morning, assured that Joe was going to make a full recovery. He did make them promise to visit him during the next school break.

And then Joe settled down to go back to sleep with Frank standing vigil over him.

Poor Natalie…was Joe's last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep…all she wanted to be was famous.

phx

Joe was happy to be home. He had rode in an ambulance home and was now settled very nicely in his bed.

However, right now he was feeling a bit cheated. The doctor had said that he still wasn't allowed to have solids for another day but he could smell Mrs. Corradi's chocolate chip cookies. Someone had heated one up in the microwave!

He was beginning to worry that there would be none left by the time he was well enough to eat one!

Natalie's funeral had been held the previous afternoon and Joe shook his head sadly when he thought about that.

I go to too many of these things, he had silently thought, as his brother had helped him dress in the same suit he had worn only too recently at another funeral.

Joe had sat in the wheelchair during the service and then again at the graveside. But before they lowered the casket into the ground, he gathered his strength and stood up. With Frank's support he approached the casket holding a single perfect red rose. And then placing a shaking hand on the lid he began to speak in a whisper as that was the only sound his sore throat would allow.

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief

That thou her maid are far more fair than she."

And then he as placed the rose on the casket, he finished "For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo" and allowed Frank to help him back to the wheelchair that he could hardly see through his own tears.

Around him, everyone had become silent as they had heard his words and thought about the beautiful young girl they had come to bury…Natalie…Juliet…goodbye.

phx

Joe saw Vanessa at the funeral but neither of them spoke. He also knew that Vanessa had been there at the hospital when he woke up, and it was not a dream.

Frank had finally told him about everything that had happened with her, including the information she had given Frank about Callie.

This made Joe very sad.

Joe still loved Vanessa but now he understood why she had turned away from him. She had loved and lost him and was afraid of ever having to go through that loss again.

And then Joe lost her.

It was now his turn to walk away.

He needed to protect himself…it was his turn to say good-bye.

Picking up the phone, Joe called the local florist and asked for a dozen red roses to be sent to Vanessa Bender. After giving them her address, he told them what he wanted written on the card. His throat was starting to feel better and he was relived because this was something he wanted to do himself.

They promised to deliver them right away and Joe lay back in his bed and let the tears slide down his cheek.

Is it better to have loved and lost, then to have not loved at all? Romeo…Romeo…were forth art thou Romeo…? Romeo was dead.

Joe closed his eyes and went to sleep

phx

Vanessa Bender opened the door and signed for the delivery of roses.

They're beautiful, she thought as she saw the card addressed to her. Opening it, she read the card.

Love is not enough.

Joe

An hour later Andrea Bender found her daughter sitting on her bed still holding the card as her eyes had long since dried from their tears.

"Are you ok?" she asked her daughter, her voice filled with concern.

Not answering her mother, Vanessa just asked…she had to know, 'Is love enough?"

Andrea stared at her beautiful daughter for a long time before answering her. She did not know the details but she knew what Vanessa was talking about. Joe Hardy…it was always about Joe.

Thinking back over her own life and mistakes of the heart she gave her daughter the only answer she had - "I don't know sweetie…I just don't know…"

In the back of her mind, Vanessa heard the lyrics to an old Bob Seger song came back to haunt her…

Somewhere tonight

Someone's reaching out to someone who's refusin

Someone's tired of all the reasons someone's using

Someone doesn't understand

Somewhere tonight

Someone's thinking back to someone who got closer

Someone's realizing somethings really over

Someone's thinking it's too late

Someone's thinking it's too late

There's a cold wind blowing from the north

And the summer birds are leaving

As the sun slips ever further south

The lakes will soon be freezing

And the ice will claim the empty shore

Where the ones in love went walking

And the hard blue skies will shiver

As the winter clouds come stalkin

And unless you find someone to hold

Unless someone starts caring

Unless you find the warmth you need

Unless someone starts sharing

When the long dark nights come closing in

And the winter winds come howling

You don't know if you'll make it

Without someone you can count on

Somewhere tonight

Someone's packing up and someone's really leavin'

Someone's not quite sad only disbelievin'

Someone's walking out the door

Someone's walking out the door

The End

-from the Album "Like a Rock" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band