Cold Spell

Chapter 17

"Joe, I look ridiculous!"

"No, you…actually yes, Frank, you do. Sorry, bro!"

"That's it, I'm taking it off!"

"No welching! I ate the stupid beans, didn't I?"

A long pause.

"Didn't I? Hello, earth to Frank, come in, Frank!"

"That's different; your body needed the beans."

"Hope you're still saying that a little later…Sorry."

"Joe!"

"Okay, all kidding aside, big brother. Your lips are all cracked and chapped. You don't want to use the lip balm because someone else already has! This stuff is moisturized, at least, and it'll help heal and protect your lips!"

"But it's so…so…so pink!"

"Yeah it is…isn't it?"

"Joe, you're not helping!"

"Sorry."

"hmmph"

"No, honestly. I'm sorry…"

A barely controlled snicker.

"Oh yeah, little brother, that sounds sorry."

"Well I am…. Sorry I don't have a camera, as that shade looks divine on you, big brother!"

Frank pursed his lips and refused to talk to his brother, no matter how much Joe cajoled him! Instead, he just set a furious pace towards the pond.

Finally, twenty minutes later, exasperated by his brother's mood and exhausted from trying to keep up, Joe needed to stop as a strong wave of dizziness staggered him. This was the first time since the wolf attack that he'd been out of the burrow, and his body was protesting this sudden spurt of activity.

He'd taken two Tylenol™ before even attempting to get up, but they didn't seem to help dull the horrid ache in his shoulder or do anything about the weariness that still tugged at him. The bite itself wasn't as bad, he was just incredibly sore…even with the sling Frank had improvised.

Grudgingly Frank had put the pink lipstick on, and although he knew that his brother was right on all counts about it, he still didn't have to like it! And the teasing had done nothing to help his unnaturally surly mood this morning.

He just felt extremely and defensively silly…even if his lips did feel a bit better….

It took Frank a few moments to notice that it had gotten awfully quiet and he glanced over his shoulder, alarmed to see that Joe wasn't following him anymore.

"Joe?"

Hurrying back, he saw Joe squatting down, and at first he thought he was looking at something. But when he got closer he saw his brother's face was pale and he had his eyes closed.

"You okay?" he demanded, concern replacing the earlier sharpness in his voice. Joe didn't open his eyes but he answered him.

"Just give me a moment."

Frank crouched down next to his brother, and his worried brown eyes searched his brother's pale face, looking for any signs of fever. He started to reach out with his hand to check his forehead when vibrant blue eyes opened and smiled wanly at him.

"I'm okay," Joe insisted before he took a deep breath and stood back up; the older teen rose with him.

"You're pale."

"Yeah, well, I haven't had much chance to work on my tan." Joe tried to lighten the serious look from his brother's face, but it didn't work.

Frank opened up his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself and looked back towards the burrow. "Maybe we should wait another day or two, until you're feeling stronger."

"Frank, I'm fine." Joe tried to keep the irritation from his voice but it was hard. His brother had always been fairly protective, but the past two days, he'd become so much so, that at times, the younger boy found it overbearing. But he didn't say anything, knowing Frank was just worried about him and troubled that they hadn't been rescued yet.

Or at least that was what he was figuring, but he wasn't 100 sure about that. All he knew was that his brother was brooding over something….

Frank was a very reserved, private person, normally, although he was a lot more forthcoming with Joe than anyone else. However, it was still difficult to get him to talk without pinning him down, and the younger teen was in no shape to wrestle with him this morning.

"You're not fine," Frank snapped, "So why pretend? Or would you just rather I have to carry you back to the burrow…again?" He regretted it as soon as he said it – he wasn't angry at Joe…but Joe was the only one around to take it out on.

What he was, was extremely frustrated by his lack of control over their situation; an irritation that was growing each day since his brother had gotten hurt. He could feel it gnawing away from the inside, and although he knew he should talk to Joe about it, he was afraid to. He was afraid of what his brother would say…or that he'd in some way validate Frank's greatest fear….

So the older Hardy kept it inside and stewed; trying to keep the other teen from seeing the anxiousness on his face every time he checked the bite.

Joe snorted softly, shook his head and continued walking towards the pond.

"Joe, I'm sorry!" Frank reached to grab his brother's right arm but the younger boy shook him off and then turned on him.

"What's your problem, Frank?" he demanded, hurt evident in his voice. "Did I do something to piss you off this morning? I'm sorry for teasing you about the lipstick, okay! Trust me, you have no idea how sorry…but I'm just trying to get you to lighten up! You've been so quiet the past couple of days, and I know something's bothering you, but for the life of me I have no idea what! I can't read minds…so unless you're going to tell me, I can't help you – I-I don't even know where to start!"

Frank just looked at him, and Joe scoffed, "See! This is exactly what I mean! Frank, please, talk to me!"

He was surprised to find himself shaking as he waited for some kind of response, or at the very least a cold rebuke, but to his surprise the older boy's face grew sad and he sighed heavily.

"I'm worried…about you," Frank finally admitted, his voice soft and hesitant, and when Joe looked at him, any anger he had, dissipated, replaced by intense compassion for the look of deep sadness he saw on his brother's face.

"I told you I'm fine Frank. Yeah, I got a bit dizzy for a minute, but I'm okay now. Honest."

"That's it," the older boy said, looking deep into the expressive blue eyes watching him. It was evident that Joe had no idea what he was worrying about. "What if you're not?"

Joe thought about that for a moment and then pressed, knowing there was something else going on that he was missing; something about him. "What, Frank? What aren't you telling me? I thought my arm was doing okay…. Do you think it's infected? I don't feel any worse!"

"No, it's not that! The bite itself is healing nicely," Frank rushed to assure him – and it was, to his relief.

"Then what is it?" Joe demanded, his voice soft as he tried to coax the truth from his brother. "Please tell me big brother, you're beginning to scare me…"

Frank met his gaze and then sighed again and looked away, his eyes suspiciously bright as he whispered hoarsely, "What if that wolf had rabies?"

Joe was stunned. He just stared at his brother for a few minutes, unable to say anything. That thought hadn't even occurred to him…well it had, but only briefly before he'd dismissed it.

Finally he just said bluntly, "I don't."

"You don't what?" Frank looked at him again.

"I don't have rabies," Joe clarified.

"How do you—"

Joe cut him off gently, "Frank, that wolf wasn't frothing at the mouth or red-eyed. He wasn't acting in any way unusual for a wolf—"

"But he attacked you!" Frank persisted, not wanting to admit to his brother's common sense right now, as he'd stewed about this for too long.

"He wanted me for lunch!" Joe refuted, and then before Frank could say anything else, he continued, "And if he did have rabies he would've gone after me again instead of Pup…or you! For Pete's sake, you were on his back!"

"Pup?" Frank was confused. Who was Pup?

"The silver wolf." Joe smiled, thinking about his traveling companion. "We kind of had a thing." The smile turned into an open grin as he saw the look on his brother's face. "Get your mind out of the gutter, perv! He shadowed me for a bit, and even kept me from becoming wolf chow when that pack showed up just before I decided to head back."

"Oh," Frank said, glancing towards the pond again – his brother's reasoning started to stir up the logic in his brain again…a bit.

Joe reached out and touched his brother's arm, drawing his attention back to him. "I don't have rabies, Frank."

The older boy regarded him for a few long moments before he said, "I want to believe you Joe, but there's still a chance. Not every animal infected with rabies behaves the same."

"True, big brother, but don't go punishing yourself about it just because you've got nothing better to do!" Joe chastised, and then quipped, "That's my job!"

Frank just looked at him and Joe became serious again. "Look, I will admit there's a chance…a very slight chance," he amended when he saw the fear on his brother's face, "however, we have a much better chance of being rescued in the next ten minutes than I've got of having rabies, okay?"

The older boy chewed his lip and Joe sighed. "Look, I promise you that if I start to feel any worse, I'll let you know. But please don't worry until there's really something to worry about…" his mouth twisted in just the faintest smile, "'cause you can't afford to waste the calories worrying!"

Frank looked at him strangely for a moment, but then a smile, a genuine smile, lit up his face and he reached out and mussed up his brother's hair affectionately. "When'd you get some smart?"

"Well," Joe admitted dryly, "I've had a lot of time to reflect lately!" And then he laughed, "That…and the 'not-so-stupid-anymore' wolf documentary that Vanessa made me sit through, before we left!"

"I've always been rather fond of that girl…" Frank mused and then narrowly dodged a back swipe from his brother.

"So now are we going to stand around here all day, or are we going fishing?" Joe asked, glad to see the dark seriousness that had plagued his brother all morning, lifted from his face – if only for a little while, anyway.

Frank laughed. "Fishing." And this time when they set off, the pace was much slower and they stopped periodically to give Joe a rest.

When they did finally get there, Joe picked a good spot and then after taking off his coat and spreading it on the ground to sit on, wearily settled down to watch. It was a fair walk from the burrow to the pond, an hour usually, but longer today.

The only good thing was that it was reasonably warm and a small breeze kept the insects from savaging them too much….

Frank looked at him and then grinned, "All right you, no comments on my technique!" He stripped off his jacket, passed it to Joe and then rolled up his sleeves.

"Uh, Frank," Joe asked cautiously, "What are you doing?"

Crouching down, the eighteen-year-old winked and then gave a sly grin, "Look, listen and learn…"

Within minutes, Joe was laughing so hard that his stomach hurt – he had never seen antics like this before from his normally reserved, older brother, and while wearing such a charming shade of pink lipstick too….

It reminded Joe of watching someone trying to catch a piglet…and it would be one of the few memories that he truly cherished from this time….

And then Frank cried out, "Aha!" and stood up proudly. Joe just shook his head and wiped the mirthful tears from his face.

"My hero," he quipped at his brother standing triumphant on the tundra….He'd caught a grasshopper!