"…Now, this is a family meeting so that's why we're holding it here," Fred said as he arranged some chairs near Stoney's bed so that Wilma, Pebbles, Barney, Pebbles, Bamm Bamm, Betty, Roxy, and Chip could visit later on. "Stoney?"

At first, Stoney didn't respond, as he was deep in thought about the final exams he was set to take later that morning, "Stoney, are you all right, son?" Fred asked, noticing the faraway look in Stoney's eyes.

"Yeah, Dad, just thinking about my exams," Stoney replied, gazing up at his father. "I'm nervous."

Fred nodded and gave Stoney a reassuring smile, "You've been working hard in school this year, kiddo," he replied in a reassuring voice. "I know the last few days haven't been easy because you've been in pain, but you managed to study and also relax. Do you know when the teacher will be here?"

"I'm not sure," Stoney replied tiredly. "Mom said that one would come sometime this morning."

Fred sighed and his gaze drifted to the wheelchair parked in the corner of the room, "We should get you into your chair so that you're all ready when your teacher does get here," he said in a worried voice.

Stoney nodded and quickly removed his blanket, "Dad, why do you look so worried?" he asked, suddenly feeling as if his father was hiding something from him. "Where's Mister Rubble at?"

"I'll tell you AFTER you're done with your exams," Fred replied anxiously, not wanting Stoney to worry and end up doing badly on his exams. "The accident put you under enough stress, so never mind, okay?"

Stoney sighed and watched as his father wheeled the wheelchair over to the side of the bed, "Just take it slow," Fred cautioned as he watched Stoney slowly sit up and lower his casted leg to the floor.

As Fred helped Stoney to stand on his good leg and maneuver into the wheelchair, a nurse came into the room pushing a breakfast tray, "Ready for breakfast, young Mister Flintstone?" she asked cheerfully.

"I guess so," Stoney replied softly, his eyes on the bookbag on the chair near the corner of the room.

Fred sighed and quickly turned the chair so that Stoney couldn't look at the bookbag, "Now, stop worrying and eat your breakfast," he said in an encouraging voice. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Stoney nodded and silently watched the nurse uncover the tray as Fred left the room in silence, "A good, hearty breakfast of oatmeal, juice, and a bit of fruit is the best thing for you," the nurse said in a cheerful voice as she tied a napkin around his neck. "Now, just relax and enjoy your breakfast…"

Rocky Ratrock grimaced as he lifted a large poster on to a wooden stand while Mr. Slate, Barney, and several other members of the Gravel Pit Board of Directors sat at the large boardroom table waiting for Frank to arrive with his proposal, "…As we've already told you, Mister Ratrock, your son's carelessness caused a serious accident that has left the quarry closed and an employee seriously injured," Mr. Slate said in an aggravated voice. "I refuse to listen to any more drivel about your lakeside condos…"

The door suddenly opened and Frank came into the room in a suit and tie with a briefcase in hand and he was followed by a well-dressed younger man who was in a suit, "I apologize for my tardiness," he said in an apologetic voice as he and the younger man came into the room. "Do we still have a deal?"

"Who's this freak?!" Rocky snapped angrily as Frank and the young man came up to the front.

Mr. Slate harrumphed impatiently, "Frank, the investigation is still ongoing," he explained, pointedly ignoring Rocky's temper tantrum. "Once the investigation is over, we can proceed with the merge."

"The investigation would be done if you'd let my son out of jail and stop forcing me to take care of my only grandson!" Rocky shouted. "Skip's not suited to be rotting in jail waiting to be charged while that Flintstone brat is being coddled by his tarpit trash family! That kid should have never been working…"

Frank looked confused, "Pebbles was working at the quarry?" he asked in a confused voice.

"No, the Flintstones adopted a son about 10 years ago," Mr. Slate replied. "I'll explain later."

Rocky scoffed, "You'll be sorry you messed with the likes of Rocky Ratrock!" he shouted in a pouty voice as he stormed past Frank, the young man, and the entire board. "You'll regret ever saying no to me!"

As the door slammed, the board members murmured quietly to each other, "Since you're here, Frank, why don't you share your plan with the rest of the board members?" Mr. Slate suggested tiredly.

Pebbles sighed as she hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen where Wilma was making breakfast for a tired looking Roxy and Chip, "Mom, Mister Pyrite needs me back in Hollyrock right away," she said in a distressed voice. "I want to talk to Bamm Bamm before I go; where is he at, anyway?"

"Mom, I don't want to stay in Bedrock!" Roxy cried in a whiny voice. "There's nothing to do here!"

Wilma sighed, "Bamm Bamm went out for a run with Barney and they should be back any time," she replied, concerned by the fact that Pebbles and Bamm Bamm didn't seem to be spending too much time together lately. "Pebbles, can you come help me in Stoney's room for a minute, please?"

"Roxy, Chip, eat your breakfast," Pebbles called out as she followed her mother out of the kitchen and through the living room into Stoney's room. She couldn't help but smile at seeing the 'Bedrock High' banner that hung on the wall above Stoney's bed and also at the pictures and books that were on the small desk that was next to a closet filled with trendy clothes. "Mom, what do you need help with?"

Wilma sighed, "Nothing, I just thought we could talk," she replied softly. "How are you doing, honey?"

"I'm fine, Mom, just very busy," Pebbles replied softly. "I'm hoping Roxy and Chip will be happy here."

Even though Wilma could sense that not all was all right with Pebbles, she nodded, "Bedrock's not as big as Hollyrock, but there's still plenty of things to do here," she replied reassuringly. "They'll be fine."

"Grandma, can I have some more food?" Chip's voice called out. "I really love your cooking!"

Wilma chuckled, "Chip's already settling in and it won't be long before Roxy does too," she said in a reassuring voice as she gently patted Pebbles's arm. "I'll make you something to go, okay?"

Pebbles nodded and after her mother left the room, she silently walked over to Stoney's desk and noticed that there was a college catalogue in the garbage that was covered with postal paper; she figured he had done that so that their parents wouldn't see it. The question was; why did he do that?

Letting out a sigh, Pebbles grabbed an empty slate and chisel off the desk and began to write her brother an encouraging letter; given all that had happened to him, he could use encouragement.

"Son, let's stop for a rest," Barney said in a breathless voice as he stopped and saw Bamm Bamm stop a few feet away near a rock that was near the city limits. "When you said you wanted to go jogging…"

Bamm Bamm sighed and sat down on the rock, silently gazing up at the sun, "Bamm Bamm, are you okay?" Barney asked in a concerned voice, seeing sadness in Bamm Bamm's eyes. "Want to talk?"

"I'm not sure," Bamm Bamm replied in a reluctant voice, continuing to look at the beautiful sky.

Barney was silent for a minute and then Bamm Bamm swallowed hard, "Do you remember a few years ago when I told you and Mom that we couldn't come out for a visit because we were going on a family vacation to Honolurock for work?" Bamm Bamm asked in a nervous voice. "We didn't go."

"I see," Barney replied in a confused, but concerned voice. "What did you do instead?"

Bamm Bamm was quiet for several seconds, "We were in a bad car accident on the Hollyrock freeway during one of our Sunday drives," he explained, not daring to look at his father. "Some speeders came into the wrong lane and sent us into the rock rail. The car was totaled and w-we…"

Suddenly, Bamm Bamm went chalk white, "I can't tell you anymore about what happened, Dad," he replied in a somber voice. "If I said anything else, Mister and Mrs. Flintstone would be upset…"

Tears of anxiety filled Bamm Bamm's eyes and he hurriedly wiped them away before standing up, "We should really get back to the house," he said in an anxious voice. "I really want to talk to Pebbles."

"Son, if you ever want to talk, I'm here," Barney said gently, his heart aching at seeing his son's tears.

Bamm Bamm nodded and pasted a smile on his face, "We should get back," he said in a soft voice. "I'm sure that Pebbles wants to visit Stoney at the hospital at some point and I should visit him too."

"Stoney Flintstone?"

Stoney looked up from the now empty breakfast tray and saw that a thin woman who looked about the same age as his mother standing in the doorway in a red dress and her black and white hair done up in a fancy style. She was carrying slates under her arm and a chisel and small stand in the other hand.

Just then, Fred came out of the bathroom and froze at seeing Hidea there, "Ah, Fred, it's been a while since I've seen you or any of your family," Hidea said in a pleasant voice. "Is this your son?"

"Yes," Fred replied pleasantly. "Stoney, this is Mrs. Frankenstone; she used to live next door to…"

Hidea smiled, "Professor Frankenstone, actually," she replied pleasantly. "I'm a very qualified teacher."

Stoney sighed, "Dad, I don't think you're allowed in here during the exams," he said in a quiet voice, silently hoping that all the studying he did was enough. "Could you take my books for me, please?"

"Sure, son," Fred replied calmly as he gathered up Stoney's bookbag from the bedside table and walked over to the door. "Your mother, the Rubbles, Pebbles, and Bamm Bamm are going to come later so that we can have a family meeting about Roxy and Chip. They're going to be here in Bedrock for a while."

Stoney nodded as Hidea walked over to his wheelchair, set up the stand, and placed a slate on it before handing him the chisel, "You have an hour for each exam." Hidea explained gently. "Any questions?"

As Fred left, closing the door behind him, he could hear Stoney answering in a quiet, subdued voice and his heart couldn't help but ache. Stoney had been doing so well and this accident had no doubt ruined his confidence.

"Frank, when did you move back to town?" Barney asked as he and Frank left Mr. Slate's office after Frank had shared his proposal to merge his company with Slate Gravel Pit. "I haven't seen you in years."

Frank smiled, "After Freaky and Atrocia moved away from home several years ago, I decided to go into business for myself and Hidea went back to school for a more advanced degree," he explained as they walked away from the office and across the top of the pit. "I thought coming back to Bedrock would give me more of a chance to expand my business and there are plenty of teaching opportunities here for Hidea to use her degree on. Right before we moved back to Bedrock, however, Atrocia came home…"

Suddenly, Frank fell silent as he saw that his car, a blue truck that had a four door cab and an empty back, had been vandalized; 'FREAK' had been chiseled into the door and one of his tires was smashed.

"Oh dear, I'll have to phone Hidea and ask her to come pick me up after she's done work," Frank said in a subdued voice as he turned away from the truck. "She's overseeing a young man's exams today…"

Annoyed that bigotry-fueled vandalism still existed in this day and age, Barney sighed, "I can give you a ride, Frank," he offered in a gentle voice. "Where do you need to go? I don't mind taking you there."

"Thank you, Mister Rubble," Frank replied calmly as he turned back around. "Just back to my home."

Barney nodded, "It's not a problem," he replied in a pleasant voice as they began to walk across the lot.

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