Woah, sorry guys, this chapter took a lot longer than expected, and it's not even that long. I thought I posted this chapter already, and I check my account, and I realized I didn't :) ! So, I finished it up here for you, and this story is winding down, so I suspect there will be two or three more chapters left. But... REVIEWS!
Candylou: I hope they get all better too! They've been through a lot...
ErinJordan: Me too!
Highflyer: I'm sorry I left at that awful cliffhanger and took so long to post. But I hope this will make up for it! Schools about to get out, and I will be able to post a lot more frequently then. And Callie may make an appearance, you never know.. ;)
Supermikeyninjalady: Thanks! I'm probably not going to make a sequel, but I don't know yet. I'm definitely going to have another Hardy Boys story though, these guys are my favorite!
Alrighty guys, please enjoy this overdue chapter!
"Where's Joe?!" Frank repeated, frantically this time. He didn't help his groggy state as he attempted to push himself off the bed in search of his younger brother.
Fenton ran and pushed the boy's shoulders back down, careful to lay him down gently. They didn't need him to rip out his IV or stitches.
"Where's Joe?" Laura squeezed her son's hand tighter as he shouted his question.
"Sh, Frank, it's ok. We're right here. It's ok." Frank's eyes focused on his mother, the worry etched into his half-asleep face.
Fenton cut in next, causing Frank's focus to shift from his mother to his father. "Son, Joe's in surgery right now. He'll be out soon." Frank seemed to relax a little bit and leaned back into the bed. Now his eyes were bright and shining, more awake now.
Fenton hesitated before he asked his question. "Frank. Do you, remember what happened?"
Frank looked past his parents, at the white hospital wall across from him. He thought for a moment before everything that had happened came rushing into his memories like a waterfall.
Electricity from the taser shot through his body, and dark spots filled his vision until he fell.
His eyelids fluttered, and any noise or movement he tried to make was limited by ropes and a gag.
His back was on fire, from falling off the roof.
The man stood in front of them. "Finally. The Hardy Boys. What a pleasure."
Antonio walked around Joe's chair, flipping the knife in his hand. "So tell me, Frank. Is it true, that you can feel his pain?"
"My friends here, well, let's just say they haven't had fun in a very long time."
A guard kicked at Joe, dislocating his shoulder.
Frank smiled at his little brother. "Me too, buddy. Me too."
The bullet slammed through the wood floors of the boat, making a hole
"Hey, leave him alone!" Frank shouted, and Antonio just sneered at him. "Or you'll do what?" Antonio turned his guards. "Throw him in the closet."
Frank was getting no response out of Joe whatsoever. Frank grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the middle of the room. Frank had to think of a plan, quick.
Frank Hardy was almost free. He tugged and tugged at his right hand, and it was finally starting to come undone.
'Think about how I'm going to kill Antonio when we are out of here.' Frank said, wanting to vomit at the very thought of Antonio's name.
Slowly, for like felt like forever, the door creaked open, and whatever was on top of it slid off, letting the door open fully.
Everything was quiet for a second. Then the Hardy's boat exploded.
"No, wait! I want to go with Joe!" He struggled against the grip of two men that came over to hold him down on the bed.
"-ank? Frank, can you hear me?" Fenton waved his hand in front of his son's face, snapping him out of his thoughts. He shook his head lightly, trying to get all the images of everything out of his head.
Loud, rapid beeping caught the rest of his attention and he looked to his heart monitor. The lines were frantically moving up and down, matching the too-quick beating of his heart.
He took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled. After a few more of those, his heart rate lowered to the normal range. His parents looked at him concerned, but Frank waved them off.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just needed a minute," Frank explained, waving his one hand to emphasize his point. "I'm all good now."
His parents smiled unconvincingly, but they dropped the subject. A knock at the door surprised Frank until his dad walked over to the door to open it.
"Also, a friend wanted to drop by," He said with a wink and opened up the door. His girlfriend, Callie, stood in the doorway and gave a shy wave.
"Callie!" Frank was surprised to see her standing there. She had been on a month-long trip to Mexico for a mission trip and wasn't supposed to get back until the next week.
"Hey, Frank. How are you doing?" Calli asked, walking over to his bed. Frank sat up and the two hugged, Callie being as gently as possible as to not mess around with the IV and the wires keeping her boyfriend hooked up to the machines.
"Better, now that you're here," Frank said with a smile and gave her a small kiss. Callie smiled and pulled away, resting up against the handlebars of the hospital bed. He sighed. It was his happy little family. Well, minus one. Joe was still in surgery.
Just then the doctor knocked on the door and poked her head in through the door. "Mr. Hardy? Joe is out of surgery. May I come in?"
Fenton nodded and waved her in. She shut the door behind her and adjusted her clipboard so she could read it.
"The surgery went well. The first part of fixing a dislocation is the reducing of the shoulder, or manually putting the shoulder back into the socket. This is done very well for not being in a professional vicinity, and in much more dire circumstances," Dr. Steinberg smiled down at Frank. Being their family doctor, she knew all about the shanagins those boys got into.
"We did an arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder, which is a skinny metal tube, similar to a pencil. Fiber Optics in the arthroscope gave us a chance to look around in the shoulder, with minimal damage to the surrounding tissue. Joe's ligaments around the socket were torn, so suture anchors were attached inside to keep them together. They're made of a plastic-like material, and overtime, when the ligaments and the shoulder heal completely, they will dissolve." She finished and pulled his clipboard behind her back, opening herself up for any questions.
"Can we see him?" Laura asked the first question, and the doctor nodded.
"He will be moved into this room shortly. I'll make sure of that." Dr. Steinberg nodded to excuse herself and left them alone.
