"Now remember, Stoney's still coming out of the anesthesia, so he may be a little groggy," Dr. Moonstone said as he, Fred, and Barney walked down the hallway and stopped outside a room.

Fred nodded, "You mentioned that Stoney had surgery," he replied softly. "What kind of surgery?"

"Stoney had to have his spleen removed to stop some very serious internal bleeding and he also had to have some screws put into his broken leg to set it," Dr. Moonstone explained. "He also has a mild concussion and some broken ribs because of the accident and he'll have to be here for about a week."

Fred swallowed hard as he entered the room and saw that Stoney was asleep in bed with a blue gown and sabertooth blanket covering his body. His left leg was in a cast and in traction, a bandage was around his head and made his golden hair even messier than normal, and small IV lines were in his arms and attached to bags that were held up by small birds perched on specially crafted stone IV poles.

"You can sit with him however long you like," Dr. Moonstone said in a gentle voice. "Now, I've got to…"

A faint groan could suddenly be heard and Dr. Moonstone and Barney hurried into the room just in time to see Stoney's eyes slowly open and focus on Fred, "Stoney, it's Dad," Fred said slowly, seeing that Stoney's look was one of pure confusion. "You're in the hospital. There was an accident at the quarry…"

"Oh yeah," Stoney replied in a groggy voice as he struggled to stay awake. "I'm so sleepy, Dad."

Letting out a sigh, Fred moved to Stoney's bedside, "I know," he replied gently. "You had surgery..."

"I have exams coming up," Stoney said groggily. "Miss Chisel says I have exams starting Monday."

Fred sighed, "Don't worry about that right now," he replied gently. "Just close your eyes and rest."

Stoney sighed, "I don't feel so good," he said in a soft voice. "Maybe a little more sleep would help…"

"You can stay with Stoney however long you'd like to, Mister Flintstone," Dr. Moonstone said as Stoney fell back into a deep, restless sleep. "I'll check back to see how he's doing in a few hours, all right?"

Fred nodded and walked over to Stoney's bedside, "When are you going to tell Stoney about what Mister Slate said?" Barney asked worriedly, remaining by the door. "It's really important to tell…"

"When Stoney's in good enough shape to talk, I'll talk to him," Fred replied softly. "Not right now."

Barney nodded, "I'm gonna go check out the gift shop to see if there's anything I can get for Stoney to cheer him up a little," he said in a calmer voice. "Do you want anything from the cafeteria, Fred?"

"No," Fred replied somberly as he sat down in a nearby chair. "I'm fine for a little while."

You're not fine, Fred, but you're too stubborn to say it. Barney thought as he silently left the room.

"I don't want to eat a greasy burger from RockDonald's, Daddy!" Roxy, who was used to the gourmet food that Hollyrock had to offer, whined as she followed her father and Chip over to the RockDonald's that was close to the airport gates. "Doesn't this airport have anything that teenagers like to eat?"

Bamm Bamm sighed as they approached the counter, "You and Chip are eleven, Roxy," he replied in a tired voice, fighting the urge to scoff as Chip wandered over to a trash bin and leaned against it.

"That's almost like being a teenager!" Roxy whined. "I'm too good to be in this place full of nothing!"

Swallowing hard, Bamm Bamm drummed his fingers on the counter and smiled as a RockDonald's worker came up in front of the register, "Hello, welcome to RockDonald's," the worker said in a cheerful voice. "What can I get for you today, sir? Our specials include a MacRocker Combo with fries…"

"Four of those, please," Bamm Bamm replied, anxious to get the order and meet up with Pebbles.

The worker nodded and Bamm Bamm turned away from the counter; Chip was still leaning against the garbage can and had gotten his CaveBoy portable game out of his pocket while Roxy was in a nearby airport shop looking at the latest cosmetics and latest teen magazines with an expression of intrigue.

"Well, at least they're not causing any trouble," Pebbles said as she came up beside him and gave him a very gentle, but romantic hug. "Mister Pyrite said that they can't go without my help for very long, though."

Bamm Bamm nodded, "Maybe Chip can help Stoney and your dad with some yard work or something during the summer," he replied tiredly. "Our moms can teach Roxy how to become responsible…"

"Speaking of responsible, why is Roxy reading a teen magazine?" Pebbles asked, frowning as she spotted Roxy standing in the store flipping through the magazine. "Roxy Rubble, why are you reading that?"

Roxy scoffed and continued to skim through it, "Hey Mister, your order is ready," the worker behind the counter said as he pushed a tray filled with boxed burgers, fries, and shakes across the counter.

"Thanks," Bamm Bamm replied as he turned back and got some clams out of his pocket. "This enough?"

The worker nodded and took the money, "Mmm," Pebbles commented as she looked at the food. "I absolutely loved going to the drive-thru as a kid and getting these; Chip and Roxy, it's dinnertime!"

"Cool," Chip replied as he put his CaveBoy away and walked over to them. "What are those?"

Roxy scoffed as she walked over to the RockDonald's, "It's a burger," she sniffed. "It looks awful."

"Don't knock it until you try it, Roxy," Pebbles replied, her worry temporarily forgotten as she picked up a burger from the tray and took it out of its box. "This is just what all of us need after a hard day."

"…And so, it is with no reservations, that I announce that Slate Corp. has merged with Frankenstone Enterprises and is now venturing into the business of home creation," Mr. Slate announced as he stood before a large crowd of people that included reporters and a few police officers to keep order.

Applause filled the crowded office and for a brief moment, Mr. Slate looked out the window at the cordoned off quarry where the police were still taking statements from Skip and the others. The police also wanted to talk to Fred, Barney, and Stoney, but they would send someone to the hospital later.

The merge had previously been in the works and wasn't set to be finalized until the summer, but due to the accident, Mr. Slate had contacted Frank and quickly arranged a press conference. Tugging at his tie, Mr. Slate moved out of the way and smiled as Frank Frankenstone approached the podium in a suit.

As Frank began a speech that he had hastily assembled in light of the sudden conference, newly appointed Police Chief Phlio Quartz slipped out of the office and walked over to his parked patrol car. He needed to go to the hospital and talk to Fred, Barney, and Stoney about what was going on before it became too hot of a news item; he also needed to see if Fred and Stoney wanted to press charges against Skip for causing the accident. As it was, Skip was already facing a reprimand and heavy fines.

"Hey, Chief Quartz, just a second," Joe Rockhead, who had just finished talking with the officers and permitted to leave, spoke as he got out of the elevator. "Are you going by the hospital right now?"

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Philo nodded, "I was just wondering because right before the accident, Skip was making some hurtful comments about Stoney," Joe replied worriedly. "Are you gonna do…?"

"I'll talk to Mister Ratrock about it later," Philo replied. "Have you been cleared to leave yet?"

Joe nodded, "This quarry will be closed for the next few days," Philo replied. "Enjoy your days off."

Before Joe could ask any more questions, Philo continued walking to his patrol car in silence. Joe sighed and then, not wanting to go home until he heard news, sauntered over to the window of Mr. Slate's office to see if he could learn anything about the 'secret meeting' that was going on in Mr. Slate's office.

By the time Wilma and Betty made it through the rush-hour traffic and out to the airport, the sun was setting and the airport parking lot was nearly empty. Fortunately, Wilma quickly spotted Pebbles, Bamm Bamm, Chip, and Roxy lingering at an outside table with only a few bags on a small luggage cart.

"Pebbles, Bamm Bamm, I'm so sorry that we're so late, but it took forever to get here from the hospital in all the rush hour traffic," Wilma explained as she pulled the car over to the curb. "Anyway, can I…?"

At the mention of the hospital, Pebbles looked alarmed, "Did something happen to Daddy or Mister Rubble, Mom?" she asked worriedly. "I thought that the quarry had undergone some upgrades…"

"Stoney was doing some repairs in the pit today and one of the workers got careless with a bronto crane and there was a big accident," Wilma explained as Bamm Bamm loaded the bags into the back of the car. "Your dad and Barney are at the hospital with Stoney right now and I don't know anything else about what's going on."

Roxy frowned as she and Chip got into the backseat of the car, "I hope Uncle Stoney's okay," she replied even though she hadn't spent a lot of time with her uncle over the years. "Can we go visit him now?"

"I don't want to sit around a hospital waiting room," Chip whined. "I'm getting really tired."

Pebbles sighed, "I want to see if Stoney's going to be all right, but I'm not sure how long Chip and Roxy will be able to be at the hospital and manage to behave themselves," she replied as she got into the car and waited for Bamm Bamm to get in. "Actually, Mom, Bammer and I really need to talk to all of you."

"Have you all had any dinner?" Betty asked in a worried voice. "We could always go home for a bit…"

Getting into the car, Bamm Bamm nodded, "We had some food at the RockDonald's," he replied tiredly.

"Maybe we should all just go home for now and I'll phone Daddy about Stoney from there, okay Pebbles?" Wilma suggested as she looked back at her daughter. "That way, you can all settle in."

Pebbles nodded and sighed as Wilma quickly started the car and drove away from the quiet airport.

"…No, Wilma, Stoney woke up for a few minutes, but he went back to sleep not long after that," Stoney heard his father say in an unusually soft voice that was filled with concern. "He had some very serious surgery, so I'm not sure if he should have a lot of visitors tonight. Barney and I are going to stay here to help Stoney get through the night and make sure he's okay…"

Stoney opened his eyes and was surprised to see that his father was sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed holding the family portable phone to his ear, "…Right, you call Bedrock High tomorrow and let them know that Stoney will have to take his exams here," he heard his father say. "…I know Pebbles is worried about Stoney, but he really doesn't need all that attention right now; he just needs quiet tonight…"

Barney suddenly came back into the room holding a book in one hand and a small water bottle in the other and saw that Fred was on the phone, but oblivious to the fact that Stoney was awake again. Stoney sighed tiredly as Barney approached the bed.

"Any news from Mister Slate yet, Mister Rubble?" Stoney asked groggily. "Am I going to be disciplined for what happened?"

Barney shrugged and quickly looked at Fred, "…All right, Wilma, I love you," Fred was saying into the phone. "Bye bye."

"The accident wasn't your fault," Barney replied gently, noting Stoney's look of confusion. "Don't you remember?"

Fred frowned and quickly put the phone on the table as he stood up, "Barney, not now," he said in an anxious, almost angry voice, silently reminding Barney that Dr. Moonstone had mentioned that Stoney had a concussion and needed rest and quiet.

"Uh, right," Barney replied nervously as he held out the items. "Stoney, I got you a book from the gift shop and as I was coming back to your room, I ran into Doctor Moonstone. He told me to make sure you drink this all by the end of the night…"

Stoney nodded and winced, "Dad, can I watch a little TV to keep myself awake?" he asked tiredly. "I'm tired of sleeping."

"Maybe there's an old movie or a game on," Fred replied gently as he picked the remote up from the table, pressed it, and watched as a small bird flew out of it and over to the small TV that was hanging from the ceiling in the far corner of the room.

When the bird turned the TV on, however, a scene of the quarry appeared on the screen, "…Tonight, we bring you an exclusive from the Bedrock quarry," a female reporter's voice spoke. "Just hours ago, there was a terrible accident involving 17 year old quarry mechanic, Stoney Flintstone, and Skip Ratrock, an employee already on probation for numerous safety violations…"

"Turn that off!" Fred snapped as he threw the remote to Barney and looked at Stoney. "Stoney, don't pay any attention…"

Stoney sighed wearily as Barney turned the TV off, "I need to study," Stoney said in a tired voice. "Where's my backpack?"

"I sent it with Wilma," Barney replied gently. "You should drink the water and try not to read anything until at least tomorrow."

Swallowing hard, Stoney took the water and drank a little bit of it before returning the cup to Barney, "Everything hurts and now I feel like the biggest screw up in all of Bedrock," he said in a distressed voice as he put his hands over his face. "I-I…"

Warm tears suddenly fell from Stoney's face and hit the blanket, "Oh, Stoney, come on," Fred said in a gentle voice as he moved closer to the bed and put a gentle arm around his son. "You are not a screw up; you are my son and I love you."

Letting out a tired sigh, Stoney cried quietly for a few more minutes before moving his hands away from his face, "I'm really tired all of a sudden," he replied in a sleepy voice. "Dad, Mister Rubble, could you both stay with me while I sleep tonight? I'm just feeling so awful and I don't want to be alone right now..."

"Of course, son," Fred replied gently as he gently stroked Stoney's hair. "You're not alone in this, Stoney; you have all of us and we all love you very much."

Nodding, Stoney grasped his father's hand in his own and then fell asleep. Fred sighed and he and Barney quietly watched as Stoney slept; the day had been long and hard for all three of them and it would probably only get harder.

However, they were a family and would get through everything that came from this accident as a rock solid family. It had been and would always be that way

As Fred stood there, he silently promised that he would do whatever it took to help Stoney in his recovery and to also help him find a way to finish high school and to find a way in the world where he would be both happy and successful.

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