Chapter 18

Frank sank to his knees beside Joe and reached for Joe's hand. Clasping Joe's hand in his own he tried to make sense of what the medical team were saying. Numbly he looked at the medical personnel trying to understand the words being spoken to him. "Frank …Frank are you with me?" he heard the man ask and he shook his head trying to clear the moss clouding his head. He nodded "yeah..yeah sorry. What is going on with him? He will be okay right?" he asked needing to know the positive answer.

To his eyes Joe looked more dead than alive and he felt almost paralyzed with fear. Joe lying still was an anomaly in itself and he decided that he would never get used to it. It just made everything more unreal and dreadful. Joe's face was painted in varying shades of every color that could come from a wound and that was the good news. His shirt had been cut off and Frank could see the medical team cleaning up the gunshot wound and stitching up the worst of the cuts on his arms. Between the bandages around the chest and the ones on his arms Joe resembled a mummy more than a live human at the moment.

"He will be but it will take some time" the medic answered breaking into Frank's morbid thoughts. "The bullet is lodged in his chest and until we do the x-rays we won't know exactly where it is. Surgery is definitely on the cards but he has lost an alarming amount of blood which kind of complicates matters. The cuts on his arms show signs of becoming infected and I am starting intravenous antibiotics and fluids to deal with it and the dehydration. Now, if any of you have compatible blood groups I would like to get that started as well so that we can take him into surgery before his blood pressure starts dropping. I am afraid that is all can be done on an aircraft. Now Frank, it would be really convenient if you share his blood type" the man said causing Frank to shake his head in the negative.

Frank opened his mouth to explain further but suddenly an alarm started to blare. The medic who had introduced himself as Ryan moved fast. "Shit! He is heading into cardiac arrhythmia" he shouted more for Frank's benefit and held out his hand for the defibrillator. The vision of Joe's body arching off the floor as the paddles dumped electric impulses in his body was the scariest moment of Frank's life. He would freely admit that it was the moment that he had screamed aloud and cried without holding back. That was also the most religious moment in his life as he found himself praying to every known deity in mankind and he knew that he almost collapsed when his prayers were answered and Joe held onto precious life.

"What was that?" he asked weakly holding onto Joe's hand even more fiercely as he bent down to whisper in Joe's ear. "Don't you dare leave me, You hear? Don't you dare give in. I need you to fight…we need you" he whispered desperately willing his brother to be alright. "what was that?" he repeated lifting his eyes to meet Ryan's. "The electrical rhythm of his heart was a bit messed up. Do you have any idea why that could be?" he asked making Frank kick himself.

How could he have forgotten Joe screaming as the cattle prod sent waves of electricity into his brother's body? Pure rage and sadness warred within him as he nodded his head slowly. "He was electrocuted with a cattle prod" he offered softly causing Ryan to look up sharply. "Well that explains it and I have to say that your brother is lucky to be alive. Now, as I was asking earlier do you share your brother's blood type?"

"No, but we carry blood samples whenever we go into a mission as both of us have rare blood types. This is his own blood by the way" Frank said moving to retrieve the blood bags with Joe's blood. The EMT took the bag and raised an eyebrow looking at the label "you guys don't do anything by half do you? AB-ve? Good thing you carry the sample otherwise it would take considerable time to track down a donor" he commented. The man then looked at Frank curiously "and you?" he asked causing Frank to shrug and casually say "O-ve". The man whistled a low whistle muttering "and you are in this line of work?" and concentrated on starting the blood line for Joe.

"So, how is he really?" Frank asked running a hand over his face as another member of the team handed an envelope over to Frank. Frank took it knowing that it was what Roger had given Joe. Feeling the envelope Frank realized that it was a pen drive inside and he breathed a sigh of relief. Any paper would have been soaked in Joe's blood and they wouldn't have been able to save it even if the very thought made Frank nauseous.

"Deep in the woods and that's all I can say for now" Ryan continued to talk "I don't have enough data to give you a correct diagnosis yet. It's not life threatening unless the infection sets in or the pressure fluctuates and if he has not buckled so far I believe he will be alright" the man replied to Frank's question. Frank sighed "then why is he unconscious?" he asked knowing and yet not knowing the answer to that.

"Blood loss, exhaustion, dehydration, gunshot…take your pick" the EMT answered that did nothing to ease Frank's anxiety. Silence fell onto the group and Frank sat holding onto Joe's hand willing him to open his eyes which reminded him of another thing. "Ryan, Joe was using contact lenses. Would leaving them in be a problem?" he asked. The other man assessed the situation thoughtfully before nodding "there will be protein deposits and getting them out later might be painful. If you can get them out now do it. Here flush his eyes out with water and then remove it" he said handing a syringe with water in Frank's now sanitized hands.

Frank took a deep breath and let it out feeling a bit calmer at the action. He then gingerly pried open Joe's eyelid and sprayed the water over the pupil. He was ready for the jerk that he anticipated but Joe remained still and that spiked Frank's fear more than ever. He never thought removing someone else's lenses would be scary but he was glad when he finally saw the blue of Joe's eyes come into light. A dull blue at the moment but Frank was content with the knowledge that his brother was alive. That in itself was a gift under the circumstances.

With Joe deeply unconscious Frank turned his attention to the other person being attended to. Mike was also not in great shape but apart from the gunshot wound and dehydration there were no other complications and Frank was truly glad for the reprieve. Mike was a good man and did not deserve to suffer even this much.

Soon he felt the aircraft dipping and he called out to Jerry asking if he needed his help. His copilot however assured him that everything was under control and he could bring them to land in another ten minutes. He kept his word and within minutes they taxied in and Joe was lifted onto a gurney as was Mike and loaded onto two ambulances.

Frank made it very clear that he would ride with Joe and Jerry accompanied Mike who had been drifting in and out of consciousness as well. He was also in need of treatment with surgery on the cards but he had been lucky. One of the medics had shared his blood type and the transfusion had been started for him as well. All in all he was holding his own which left just Tony to look at. Tony who was weak but conscious and mobile was being treated for dehydration and malnutrition. However he was in decent shape considering that he had been in captivity for months which had been quite a relief as well as an astonishing thing.

Finally half an hour later Joe was wheeled into surgery and Frank once again found himself seated in tense anticipation. Jerry was by his side offering silent support as they waited for information on both Joe and Mike. It was at the point where Frank was sure that he would burst into the surgery himself that the doctor walked out in his direction.

"Mr. Hardy?" he enquired and when Frank nodded tersely the doctor spoke "Joe is fine. The bullet was lodged thankfully not near any vital organs and we managed to remove it. He did not suffer any other heart disturbances and he is undergoing one more round of transfusion to set right his blood levels".

Frank heaved a sigh of relief sending up a prayer of thanks as the doctor continued "having said that, his body has undergone a lot of trauma in a short period of time. He will be incredibly sore from the injuries and lacerations to his shoulder and face. The cuts on his arms will heal with time but faint scarring is a possibility. With sufficient rest however he should be completely fine within the week. He will be shifted to a room in an hour and you can see him then. Don't expect him to be coherent though as he has a multitude of drugs going through him as well as remnants of anesthesia" the man cautioned as Frank nodded and thanked the man. He then sat down to talk to the doctor attending to Mike.

When it turned out that Mike had fared better than Joe and was comfortably resting, Frank went to see Joe. Over the course of the previous hours, his team mates had been picked up by the local law enforcement agents and were on their way to the hospital now. From what he had gathered the camp had been completely routed with Alex and the Arabic looking man shot dead in the melee. The white man found in their company was now in the custody of Reach. He would be taken to the States where the interrogation experts would take over. Perhaps the pen drive would give some answers Frank mused as he entered his brother's room.

The room was silent except for the beep of the machines hooked to his brother. Joe himself was still and Frank sank into the chair next to Joe with a sigh. He reached for his brother's hand dimly noting the bandages around the wrist and forearm and curled his fingers around Joe's. "It's over little bro. No more terrorists, no more Al for a while. It's time to come home Joe, God knows I missed you. I am never letting you go off by yourself again" he vowed leaning down to place his face near Joe's hand. With the case wound up he felt the pent up emotion catch up with him. All the fear that he had not allowed to be expressed, all the sadness that he never gave vent to, all the worry that he had buried now came rising up.

He did not notice the tears that ran down his face or his body give in to the tiredness as he drifted off into light sleep. When he woke up several hours later it was to Joe's hand twitching in his. He became alert and looked up to see Joe stir. "Joe" he called wanting his brother to wake up but Joe seemed to still be in the state between awareness and not as he tried to open his eyes. He could see Joe struggle to open his eyes and called out encouragement till finally a sliver of blue peeked out from under the eyelids.

Joe turned his head to follow the voice that he would know anywhere and whispered a feeble "Fr..ank..". Frank grinned and rushed to get a glass of water with a straw. Helping Joe to take a sip of the water he answered "in the flesh, how are you little bro?" he asked trying to hide the concern that he knew was still shining in his eyes.

Joe gave a wan smile "m' kay..Mike?" he asked becoming more awake and alert as the minutes passed. "Mike is fine" Frank assured him and laughed aloud at Joe's next question "when.. outta..here" in a voice that was still a whisper. "Soon …Joe, you had surgery kid. Your body has been through the grind. You need to heal" Frank said softly as Joe groaned. As much as he wanted to stay awake his eyes were already drooping and much to Frank's chagrin went right back to sleep. "This is so not nice you know" he grumbled before pushing back the hair from Joe's forehead tenderly and once again resumed his position by Joe's side.

His vigil was interrupted some time later by Jerry's presence. "How is he?' he whispered holding out the coffee to Frank. "Tired and doped but otherwise alright. He asked about Mike" Frank answered taking a sip of the hot liquid. Jerry shook his head with a chuckle "Is your brother always this selfless?" he jested but fell thoughtful at Frank's reply of "you have no idea".

"Did you see Mike?" Frank asked and Jerry nodded "yep and before you ask he is fine. He will be out in a couple of days. It was a straightforward wound". Frank nodded and let out a relieved breath "good" he observed "we don't need him to be sick as well" he said. But before Jerry could respond the door opened and a nurse walked in. She gave both of the men an assessing glance and checked up on Joe's vitals. Noting the readings on his chart she spoke looking at Frank "I will be giving him the next dose of medication now. I expect that it will put him to sleep for a few hours. You should take the time to get some food and rest yourself" she suggested.

When Frank hesitated Jerry spoke up "she is right Frank. You will not be helping anyone by falling sick yourself". Frank acknowledged the logic in the words and agreed to do the same. "Let me know if anything happens. I will be back soon to relieve you" he said and gathered his jacket. "Don't worry mate, the entire team is going to take turns being here. You get some rest" Jerry stressed as Frank nodded again and walked out the door.

His team mates had already booked a few rooms at the hotel down the road and he thanked them for the foresight. He was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally and all he wanted was to collapse on the bed and forget everything for some time. He was doing exactly that and shrugging out of the jacket when he felt the envelope fall out. The envelope! He had forgotten all about it and in spite of his exhaustion he could not deny the wave of curiosity that went through him. He booted his laptop and plugged in the pen drive.

Fifteen minutes later he sat back assimilating the contents of the pen drive. A slow smile crept on his face as he thought of how much the data would help clean up matters. Joe would have good news to look forward to he thought with satisfaction and shut down the laptop. He then flopped on the bed for some well-deserved rest until the alarm woke him up some four hours later.

Rubbing away the lingering sleep with a yawn he pulled his weary out of the bed and headed to the shower. A shower and hot coffee later he felt more like a part of the human world and scooping up the pen drive made his way to the hospital again.

After a quick hello to the nurses he entered Joe's room to the welcome sight of a very awake Joe. "Hey fancy seeing you awake" he quipped as Joe gave a wry smile. "At least I am awake, you look like you are continuing your dream" Joe quipped back bringing a chuckle to Frank's lips. "And whose fault is that huh?" Frank asked but immediately regretted it at the flash of guilt on Joe's face and he hastily sought to correct the situation.

"Joe, it's alright, it comes with the territory. I am just glad that you are okay" he said sinking into the chair by Joe's side. Recognizing the brothers need to be alone Jerry took the opportunity to take his leave citing "dinner, shower and sleep..not necessarily in the same order".

Once Jerry left Joe held out his hand and clasped Frank's tightly "thanks" he murmured but Frank simply got up and gathered his brother in a hug. He held onto Joe tightly "you scared the hell out of me and we are going to have a long discussion when you are out of here" he murmured against Joe's hair.

"I know and I am sorry. But I wanted to go out swinging Frank…what would you have done in my place" Joe asked burying his face onto Frank's chest. Gently Frank lifted Joe's head and looked at his brother "not bait them for one" he said seriously as Joe looked sheepish. "You know me" he muttered looking down as Frank continued seriously "you could have been killed Joe. Do you have any idea what it did to me to hear you scream and not be able to do a thing? I felt like I was dying too" Frank said uncharacteristically emotional as his eyes became wet with tears.

Joe looked down not knowing what to say and kept quiet as Frank gathered his composure. "I had a look at the pen drive" he said quietly breaking up the emotional moment making Joe look up sharply. "I almost forgot about that" Joe said and the look of regret came back. "He died for me Frank, how messed up is that" he asked softly and Frank shook his head fiercely.

"It was his choice Joe. Turns out your Davies was an agent too…MI 6. Your true blue Bond. He went deep undercover and uploaded all his Intel on that pen drive. That pen drive is a bomb, it has everything needed to bust this terrorist group worldwide. It has all the data, all their operations, where they operate, how they operate and a complete list of everyone associated with the group. It spans countries across the world and it will be the biggest bust in history" Frank elaborated.

"Moreover Joe, it looks like getting the information out was his priority and when you landed there he took the opportunity. By saving you he made sure that the information reached the correct people and you have to be glad for that" he said attempting to put Joe at ease. Joe nodded slowly not fully convinced but could accept the truth of the statement. "I heard Mike is doing alright" he said diverting the issue and Frank nodded "thanks to you he is. But how are you?" he asked pointedly.

"Sore but okay. I can't wait to get back to my own skin though" he said and Frank nodded sadly. "You and me both" he muttered and silence pervaded the room. "You know there was a moment where I wanted to just give up" Joe said and Frank looked up sharply feeling a spike of fear in his gut. He had heard the fatigue in Joe's voice but to having his brother admit to it was like a punch to his system.

"I am making a rule against giving up, now or ever" Frank said the words in jest but the feeling accompanying it was definitely not. He was scared out of his wits and he knew that Joe knew. "I know" Joe confessed softly with a small smile "I have you to answer to and that is what made me go on. My only thought was to reach you Frank. You pulled me out, if you were not there…I don't know.." he trailed off only to be smothered in a hug again.

"I am not going anywhere now or ever" Frank swore fiercely. "You are stuck with me. When you went back I was so mad and I swore I would give you the dressing down of your life when you came back. But seeing you here, in this bed looking worn down and tired all I felt was fear and sadness. I got you back and that was all that mattered. I was so afraid I would lose you and I am not sure I can live with that" Frank confessed and Joe looked up in surprise. "You know, you are being uncharacteristically open and emotional" he observed and Frank smiled with a shrug. "Has anything about this case been normal?" he asked and Joe ruefully shook his head with a sad "no".

Joe fell into thoughtful silence and suddenly he looked up at Frank with a haunted look. "What is it?" Frank asked moving close to Joe and he had to strain to hear the small voice of his brother. "I killed people Frank or at least I think I killed them I didn't stop to check. What does that make me? Am I too far gone? Am I even me anymore?" he asked and Frank almost unraveled at the anguish in Joe's eyes.

His brother was questioning his own humanity..his selfless brother who had just hiked five miles carrying another man while wounded and tortured was questioning himself and he felt angry. Pure anger at the injustice of it ate him up and he looked at Joe fiercely. Damn if he was going to let Joe doubt himself. However he could not lose it, not while Joe was struggling with his emotions.

He took a deep breath and answered calmly "you were making a choice in an impossible situation. Sometimes we need to make the difficult choice for the right outcome and that is what you did. You were surviving and making sure that the others with you also survived. What does that make you? A soldier, a commander, a man who takes the burdens that others do not. It makes you a leader and this is not going to be the end of it. You know that. In our line of work there are going to be more situations like this but the difference will be that I will be there to share the burden or if I can, take it all. You haven't lost yourself Joe you just became more" Frank answered quietly hoping that some of what he believed reached Joe.

Joe remained silent assimilating Frank's words before smiling slightly "when did you get so wise?" he asked and Frank smiled back. "When you became my brother God upgraded me" he quipped and laughed as a pillow hit him in the face. "That should be my line" Joe joked and then fell silent as the weight of the last few days settled in the room again.

"What happened to the camp?"Joe asked at length and Frank became serious "completely routed. The Indonesian government is stepping in though I don't know why they didn't all this time. Perhaps they just needed a bit of support. Anyhow it's over and we will be flying back soon" Frank said with a sigh as Joe nodded. "Yeah ..looking forward to going home. But we do need to try the local food before we leave" he said eliciting a dry chuckle from Frank. "You do know it will be rather spicy right?" he asked and Joe nodded with an impish grin "just another challenge don't you think?" and Frank let out a false groan.

The brothers fell into companionable silence until the door opened again to reveal a young good looking nurse. "hey good to see you are awake. The doctor will be pleased with your progress. How do you feel?" she asked fastening the blood pressure cuff onto Joe's arm. Joe grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye "good enough to go on a date" he quipped causing the young nurse to break out in a faint blush.

"Not yet…but I guess in a couple of days you might be" she replied keeping her composure as Joe winked at her with a blinding smile. "I do need someone to guide me to a good restaurant. I want to sample local fare" he said as the nurse smiled shyly getting the double entendre. "Yeah and you might need a nurse to make sure you don't fall down during the meal" she quipped causing Frank to break out in a case of the false cough.

Joe glared at Frank for breaking the moment but Frank looked back unapologetically "the saccharine was getting a bit too much" he said dryly. "My brother is just jealous and your English is very good" Joe whispered conspiratorially as the nurse proceeded to check the bandages and make a note on the pad. Once done, "everything seems to be fine, I will let the doctor know and I did my college in the UK" she said with a smile and headed for the door with Joe's words of "don't forget …two days" ringing in her ears.

Frank shook his head in exasperation "how do you do it? You are lying half dead in a hospital dressed in a hospital gown for heaven's sake and you get a date?" he asked incredulously. "it is the famous Joe Hardy charm, you will not understand" Joe replied with a smirk. "Yeah and I will be sure to let Vanessa know that you are alright and ready to go on a date" Frank smirked back as Joe glared at him with a grouchy "jerk" under his breath.

"Looks like you are in a good mood Casanova so why don't you get some rest and we will talk later?" Frank suggested and Joe agreed gratefully. He was already feeling tired and before he knew it he was drifting back into sleep as Frank settled down to watch his brother for the night.

A few days later found Frank once again at the controls of the aircraft as he set a course for home. Jerry strapped in next to him and gave him a thumbs up as they rose up in the sky. The original team was minus one member who had been shot at the camp but his body was being carried back home. Inspite of the sadness that lingered at losing a brother everyone was happy to go home.

Joe and Mike had reverted back to their original looks and Mike had joked around as if he was being floored at Joe's good looks and Joe had actually blushed a bit. Joe also had tasted the local cuisine and had made a point of inviting the pretty nurse along with the team. The young lady had forgiven the lapse of a date and had talked and had fun with the team. After all it was not every day that a team of dashing young men in uniform would accompany her for dinner.

Now, as he looked around the aircraft Frank felt a wave of happiness for these men as they rallied around his brother and it felt like home.

Epilogue

Frank and Joe spent the next few days debriefing and writing out their reports during which massive raids were organized by multiple countries to bring down the terrorist organization. Joe had moved back to his apartment and spent time with Vanessa trying to get back to his old rhythm. But his days as Alan had left him a changed man and after discussing with Frank he had started the Iola Morton helpline for the kids who just come out of the foster system into the adult world. The helpline would assist them with settling down into the world in the right way.

Reach had also taken effort to contact the families of the youngsters who Joe had identified as addicts, some of whom had been addicted by his own hand. Those were the tough days when Joe had been wracked by guilt and remorse and Frank had sat with him lending a strong shoulder for his brother to cry on. But the reprieve had come when many of them took up the offer including Samantha's family and even though Joe kept out of the picture it had been a gratifying moment.

And then one morning an envelope had been delivered to Joe with a note saying "I hope this qualifies as a big present. Thanks for everything…Tony". Inside the envelope were weekend reservations at a resort for two couples and Joe had sent back a simple reply "Yes it does even though I would have done what I did even without the gift. But beach and bikini I would not say no to so yes accepted with thanks. Joe".

Author note: And that is a wrap! Thanks for being with me on this journey and I sincerely hope that I have tied up everything satisfactorily. Thank you HNBFJRAY, you set me on a path I never planned for. This was a challenge as the story had to be written almost backward what with the climax already in place. So thank you for making me stretch myself.

As for my plans, I am planning to do a small supernatural drabble before coming back to this fandom. Once again thanks for the many words of encouragement and I hope you folks will be there for my future stories as well! Thank you…take care and stay safe. Adios!

P.s: I will personally respond to the reviews .