Chapter 21
"Aunt Gertrude, I swear, I didn't mean it! It was stupid what I said! You have to believe me!" babbled Frank as his aunt lead him down the corridor from Joe's room.
"Shhh! I do, Frank. And I'm sure Joe does too. Don't worry, he'll come around."
"What if he doesn't?" Frank mumbled.
"He will," said Gertrude as she hugged him. "Joe's just confused. He's been through a lot."
Frank didn't answer. He wasn't so sure. Joe looked like he really believed that Frank didn't care. And he thinks I let him get hurt, thought Frank miserably.
"Let's get something to eat," his aunt suggested.
They sat in the hospital canteen for nearly an hour. Gertrude made several attempts to cheer Frank up but the teenager remained despondent. Finally Fenton joined them.
"Did you talk to him?" asked Frank hopefully, jumping to his feet. "Does he know I didn't mean it?"
Fenton shook his head, wincing at the disappointment that crossed Frank's face. "Frank, Joe's just a little confused right now. Don't worry, he'll come around."
"That's what Aunt Gertrude said," Frank muttered.
Fenton exchanged a quick glance with his sister. "Then listen to her. She knows what she's talking about," he said, trying to sound cheerful. Frank merely scowled.
Fenton sighed. "Come on, I have something to do. Laura gave me the car keys so I can drive you two home on the way."
"We're leaving already?" said Frank, aghast. "But…what about Joe? Don't we get to say goodbye?"
Fenton shook his head. "Frank, he's still pretty sick and it's not good for him to get upset like that," he said gently. "Let him rest and we can see how things are in the morning."
Frank bit his lip and nodded.
The car was quiet as Fenton drove back to Elm street. Frank stared dejectedly out of the back window. Fenton and Gertrude sat in front, neither knowing what to say to cheer him up.
"I'll be home later," Fenton told them as he dropped them off.
Frank didn't answer but headed straight for the house instead. Fenton watched him go, concern etched on his face.
"Don't worry, Fenton," Gertrude said. "It will all work out. You just be careful with whatever you're doing, you're not even supposed to be driving yet."
Fenton couldn't help but grin as he drove off. He had wondered how long it would be before his sister commented on that, and thought she had been remarkably restrained in waiting until now.
Probably didn't want to upset Frank further, he realised, his smile fading. Fenton gritted his teeth and griped the steering wheel hard. Give me five minutes alone in a room with Miles Denton! Five minutes, that's all I ask…
The man had literally pulled the strings of his family apart and Fenton wondered if he would be able to pull those threads together again. I can try, he thought wearily.
As he pulled into the parking lot of Bayport Police Station, Fenton suddenly felt saddened by what had become of John's family. He wondered if John had lived, would Miles have turned out as he did?
I guess we'll never know, he thought, shaking his head.
Fenton entered the station and was greeted by Con Riley. "Fenton! What are you doing here?" The officer looked exhausted and he had his coat on. Fenton guessed he was heading home.
"Unfinished business," said Fenton quietly.
Con shuffled uncomfortably. "I think you'd better have a talk with Chief Collig," he said simply.
Confused, Fenton followed him to the office of the Chief of Police. Con knocked on the door and a gruff voice answered, "come in."
Con pushed open the door and Fenton followed him in. Closing the door, Fenton was surprised to see that Chief Collig didn't look happy to see him.
"Fenton, what are you doing here?" he demanded.
"You know why I'm here, Ezra," said Fenton quietly. "I want a word with Denton."
Chief Collig and Con exchanged a worried look, then the chief turned to Fenton and sighed. "I'm sorry, Fenton, he's not here."
"He's not?!" Fenton was shocked. "Surely he hasn't been transferred to the state pen already?"
The chief didn't look at him "He hasn't."
"Then…where is he?" Fenton asked, an uneasy feeling working its way through his stomach.
"He was transferred to a high-security psychiatric facility in New York this morning," Con answered quietly.
"WHAT!" Fenton roared. "He's been released?! After what he did!"
"He's still locked up, Fenton," Chief Collig tried to appease the man. "He's in a maximum security wing and he'll stay there for a long time."
"How could you let this happen?" Fenton was seething. "After what he did to Joe?"
A look of annoyance crossed the police chief's face. "I did not let this happen, Fenton, I had no choice! Hurd Johnson showed up with a Court Order this morning demanding the immediate release of Denton into the care of one Dr. Davis at the Ryder Hospital in New York."
"Just like that? Without Denton even going before a Judge?" Fenton raged. "Most people have to be declared insane before someone can do that!"
"But that's just it, Fenton," said Con quietly. "Denton was declared insane nearly ten years ago. He was just never considered a threat to anyone until now, and that's how Johnson got the order issued."
"Bastard!" Fenton muttered angrily. "I thought he wanted to help us."
"Maybe he is…" Con began but Fenton, outraged, cut him off.
"How is this helping?" he spat.
"Joe won't have to testify against Denton now," Con replied quietly. "Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?"
"Can you imagine how hard it's going to be on him when I tell him the man who tormented him for seven days won't be going to prison?" said Fenton bitterly.
"He'll still be locked up," Chief Collig pointed out. "He might not even have been found guilty if this had gone to court…."
Fenton stared at the Police Chief disbelievingly and the man sighed heavily. "I know, Fenton, I know. He would almost certainly have been found guilty, but what can I do? It's out of my hands." The man rubbed his head wearily. "Denton will probably be locked away for a very long time this way. If he went to Prison, he might have gotten out in just a few years."
Fenton shook his head. "It's not enough," he said quietly.
The Police Chief surveyed him sadly. "I know, but it's all we've got."
XXX
The next morning, Frank, his father and his aunt returned to the hospital. Laura had rang to say that Joe was a little stronger and might even be transferred out of the ICU in a day or two. Gertrude and Frank had been delighted at the news, but Frank noticed that his father hadn't greeted it with much enthusiasm.
Frank frowned as they walked up to the ICU. His father had been very subdued ever since he had returned home the previous evening. Frank didn't know where he had gone, but suspected it was something to do with Denton.
The teenager sighed. He had tried to ask questions without arousing his father's suspicions, but Fenton hadn't been very forthcoming with answers of any sort to his eldest son.
Frank felt apprehension rise as they neared Joe's room. How would his brother react to him today? Would he be forced to leave the room in shame once more? He glanced at his father and aunt as they stopped outside the door, and could see that they were just as tense as he was.
Squeezing Frank's shoulder reassuringly, Fenton opened the door. "Morning," he greeted his wife quietly. "Joe, how are you feeling?"
Joe shrugged indifferently, then winced in pain. He had forgotten he wasn't supposed to move his shoulder.
Fenton glanced at his wife who bit her lip and shook her head. Fenton watched as Gertrude leaned in and kissed Joe. "Morning, Joe," she said.
"Hi," he greeted her listlessly.
Frank had remained by the door. He looked to his father who nodded encouragingly.
"Hi, Joe," he said nervously, stepping nearer to the bed. Joe pretended not to hear him and Frank looked at his father for help.
"Joe, aren't you going to say 'hello' to Frank?" Fenton asked gently. Joe merely looked at his father. "Joe?" he prodded.
"Can I have a drink of water, please?" Joe asked his mother quietly.
"Sure, honey," she responded, reaching for the cup on the bedside table. Joe sat up a little as she held the straw to his lips and took a sip then lay back against the pillows once more.
"Thanks," he mumbled.
"Would you like to do something nice when you get out of hospital?" Fenton asked. Joe nodded. "What would you like to do?" Fenton tried again.
"Dunno," Joe mumbled and Fenton frowned, not liking this apathetic behaviour from his usually energetic son.
"We could go away for a few days, just the four of us," Fenton suggested. "Would you like that?" Joe didn't respond.
"Joe, what's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," the blond boy mumbled.
Fenton and his wife exchanged a look. Joe saw them do it, and before they could ask anymore questions, he spoke up. "I'm tired. Would you guys mind if I went to sleep?"
"Sure, Joe," his father replied. "Just get some rest. We can come back later."
Joe nodded as each of them said good bye to him. When it came to Frank's turn, Joe acted as if he wasn't there.
"I'm going to go home to take a quick shower, sweetie," his mother told him as she kissed him. "I'll be back later, and your dad will be here if you need him."
"Thanks, Mom," Joe mumbled, closing his eyes. He kept them closed until he was sure all of his family had left the room, only then did the boy open them.
Joe stared despondently at the ceiling. He knew he wasn't behaving very well but he couldn't help it. He wished that Frank would stay at home; he didn't want his brother there. It hurt too much. The fact that Frank didn't want him around hurt worse than anything Miles had done. Joe didn't care what his parents said; they hadn't seen Frank stand back and watch while Miles yanked his arm from its socket! They hadn't heard him tell Joe he wished he didn't have a brother anymore!
Joe felt tears prick his eyes. His memories of what had happened after Miles had started to strangle him were hazy, but he was positive he had seen Frank just stand there and watch that too. He was even more sure that Frank hadn't tried to stop the paramedics when they had popped his shoulder back into place.
There was a time he would have yelled at them for that, Joe thought miserably.
Sighing, he shifted in the bed trying to get comfortable then gave a little groan of pain. He couldn't lie on his left side because of his shoulder and he couldn't lie on his right side because of his arm. Joe was getting pretty sick of trying to sleep on his back.
Wonder when I can go home, he sighed to himself. He was terribly homesick, it felt like an eternity since he had been home and he just couldn't sleep in the hospital. There were constantly nurses and doctors coming in to check on him during the night which woke him up. And every time it happened, for a split second, he was back in that cell with Miles. It made him too nervous to go to sleep.
But going back home meant dealing with Frank, and Joe didn't know how to handle that either. Hurt anger welled up in him at the thought of his brother, and the tears that had been threatening to fall began to flow freely. Joe tried to burrow his face in his pillow to stifle his sobs.
XXX
"Has he been like that all night?" Fenton asked Laura as they walked down the corridor.
His wife shook her head. "No, only since I said you were coming back to visit him," she whispered.
You mean because Frank was coming back, Fenton thought and clenched his fists. What the hell had Denton done to turn Joe against his brother like this?
Fenton glanced at the teenager. He was shuffling down the hall beside his aunt looking like he had just lost his best friend. And for all he knows, he probably has! Fenton realised. We need to sort this out!
"Mom, Dad," said Frank suddenly. "I need some air." Without waiting for an answer, the teenager took off down the hall. Ignoring the startled looks of some of the patients and the disapproving ones of the nurses, Frank tore out the front door of the hospital and headed for the park across the road.
It was a bitterly cold morning, and there were only a few hardy souls around, so Frank felt relatively unselfconscious at kicking the living daylights out of the nearest tree. Not expecting anyone, he was shocked when a soft voice said, "Frank?"
Frank spun around and his mouth dropped open when he saw who was standing there. Looking very pretty and holding a large bouquet of flowers was Annie!
"Annie?" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you actually," she said quietly. "I heard on the news last night that they found your brother and he was in the hospital so I brought these flowers for him."
"They're very nice," Frank mumbled, unable to look at her. This was Mrs. Deagan's
granddaughter!
"Actually," she continued, "I was hoping to talk to you as well, but as I was walking up to the hospital I saw you come tearing out like a madman and followed you here instead. Are you okay?"
Frank felt numb with shock. Didn't she know who he was?
Annie seemed to guess a little of what he was thinking. "Frank," she said quietly. "I know you were there the day Gran was attacked."
Frank looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "I also know you didn't do it," she continued softly, "and that you were forced to leave by bigger boys."
Frank glanced at her, not knowing what to say.
"The police said you were the one who came forward." Annie stared at him questioningly and Frank made a movement between a shrug and a nod. Annie sighed. "I won't pretend I wasn't angry at first…I was," she said. "But then I remembered that day in the hospital. You struck me as the kind of person who blames himself for everything, even when it isn't your fault. I guessed that what happened with Gran was probably eating you up."
Frank found his voice. "Annie, I'm really sorry about your grandmother. If I could have stopped it from happening…"
"You would have, I know. Don't worry, Frank, I'm not angry anymore. Life's too short for anger." They stared at each other for a long time. Finally Annie spoke again. "How's your brother?"
"He thinks I hate him," Frank confessed, and told Annie everything that had happened.
"What are you going to do about it?" asked Annie.
"I don't know," Frank responded gloomily. "Joe won't even listen to me."
"Then don't talk to him, show him you care."
Frank blinked. "How?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Annie smiled. "Just make sure he knows you're doing it for him."
An idea struck him and Frank's face broke into a huge grin. "Annie, you're a genius! I know what to do!"
"See?" she smiled. "I knew you'd work it out."
Frank's smile faded as he stared at her. "Annie, thank you," he said quietly. "That's the second time you've helped me."
Annie's smile widened. "Don't mention it. Here," she added, handing him the flowers. "Give these to your brother." Then, without warning, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Frank turned crimson.
"Good luck, Frank," Annie smiled once more and then she was gone, leaving the teenager rooted to the spot.
I don't believe it, she kissed me! he thought, trying to stop the goofy smile spreading across his face. She KISSED me! Frank nearly did a little dance, but stopped himself on time. Get a grip, Hardy! he scolded himself. You have work to do!
As the teenager made his way out of the park and back to the hospital, his mind was full of plans. First things first, he thought. Got to find a phone!
XXX
"Let me get this straight, Frank," said Sam Radley, as they stood outside the hospital. "You want me to flirt with the nurse?"
Frank nodded eagerly.
"No way, absolutely not! Ethel would kill me!" Sam declared, crossing his arms.
"Please, Sam?" Frank begged. "It's for a good cause!"
Sam stared at the teenager in his colourful regalia. "Frank, this is insane! You're going to get thrown out of the ICU!"
"Not if I don't get caught! Will you help me?"
"Please, Sam?" Chet chimed in.
"Oh-My-God!" Sam rubbed his temples. "Do you hear yourselves?! Guys, this isn't going to work! You won't even make it to the first floor!"
"We will if you help us," Frank told him. "Sam, I can't do this without your help!"
"Come on, Sam, please?" Biff added his own pleading to the mix while Phil - who for some inexplicable reason was holding a bouquet of flowers - stared at him beseechingly.
Sam groaned. It was bad enough that Frank was trying to guilt him into doing something he didn't want to do, without all the other munchkins he had enlisted to help him concoct this crazy scheme joining in.
"Please?" said Frank. "For Joe?"
Sam snapped. "Fine! But this is emotional blackmail and you know it!"
Alright!" Frank crowed while the other boys cheered. Sam shook his head despairingly.
Fenton is going to kill me! he moaned silently.
"Frank! Frank! I got them! I got the balloons!" a voice yelled and Sam's mouth dropped as a huge cloud of helium balloons with a pair of legs beneath them came running towards them.
"Excellent! Thanks, Tony!" said Frank as the cloud drew level with them.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Sam's voice rose to a near shriek. "Frank, it was going to be bad enough trying to get you upstairs, but this?!! Nu-uh! No way!"
Frank's face fell. "Come on, Sam, you said you'd help!"
"Frank, don't you see how crazy this is? How am I supposed to help you get that in the door of the hospital much less up to the third floor?" Sam gesticulated wildly towards the balloons.
"It's okay, I've got a plan," Frank told him confidently.
"You've got…" Sam put his fingers over his eyes. "You've got a plan?"
"Yeah. You're going to tell them it's for the children's ward," Frank said simply.
I'm gonna be arrested, Sam groaned as they walked towards the front door.
Five minutes later, the strange little group was moving towards the elevator.
I don't believe that worked! Sam thought, flabbergasted. The security guard had waved them on when he had said the balloons were for the children's ward. Actually, that's kind of worrying, Sam reflected, shaking his head.
As they made their way down the corridor, Frank and the boys were too excited to notice the strange looks they were getting, but Sam was painfully aware of them. He kept his head down until they were in the elevator.
"See, Sam?" said Frank. "Told you it would work!"
"We still have to get into the ICU," Sam reminded him.
"We will," said Frank, his excitement growing.
The elevator doors opened and they crept towards the doors that led to the ICU. Chet peered in through the glass panels. "Uh-oh! Frank, there's two nurses at the nurses station."
"So?" said Frank, taking the balloons from Tony. "Sam can handle them."
"I…what?" Sam spluttered. "Two? Frank, this is getting ridiculous."
"But we're so close!" Frank pleaded with him. "Sam, please!"
Sam sighed. "Fine, fine. Just wait until I get them to look the other way before trying to sneak in. And Frank?" The teenager looked at him. "Try not to get caught."
"I won't," Frank grinned and his painted face contorted strangely. "Thanks, Sam. I owe you."
"You bet you do," Sam muttered, as he entered the ICU and set off towards the nurses station. "You owe me big time, Frank Hardy!"
Chet watched Sam's progress down the hall. "He's nearly there," he whispered.
"Okay," said Frank. "Tony, quick! Go down to the elevator and delay anyone that gets off it for a few minutes until I get into Joe's room." Tony nodded and shot off.
"Phil," Frank addressed the other boy. "You do the same with the stairs."
"Sure thing," Phil replied and headed over to the stairs.
Frank turned to Biff. "Biff, anyone comes down this corridor or gets past Tony and Phil before we're in, delay them! Pretend to be lost, upset, anything! Just delay them!"
"You can count on me, Frank," said Biff, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
"Frank!" Chet hissed. "The nurses are looking at Sam! Now's our chance!"
Quietly, Frank and Chet opened the doors to the ICU and eased in the balloons as silently as they could.
As Frank made his way down the hall, he could see that Sam was standing at the other side of the desk keeping the nurses attention on him and away from the door to the ICU and Joe's room. They reached Joe's room and as Chet gently turned the doorknob and pushed open the door, Sam laughed loudly to cover the noise.
Frank fired the balloons into the room, making sure to hold onto one balloon as he entered also.
"Good luck!" Chet hissed.
Frank heard the door close behind him and swallowed nervously as he stared around the balloon-filled room. His aunt was sitting in a chair, her hand to her throat, gasping with shock. His father had jumped to his feet and was standing defensively in front of the bed. Laura and Joe were staring at Frank, their eyes wide and their mouths open.
"Hi, guys!" Frank waved.
"Frank?" his mother gasped incredulously. She hadn't recognised him. None of them had. Frank was wearing a canary-yellow, baggy trousers with a red stripe down either side and a bright red coat with tails. It's pockets were bulging with tricks his friends had helped him pull together. His purple shirt clashed horribly with the blue tie that lit up and sang, but that was nothing to the wig Frank had put on; a spiky green Mohawk complete with bright pink ribbons. Frank had painted his face like a clown and wore colossal clown shoes to complete the effect.
He looked utterly ridiculous, and Fenton couldn't repress a snort when he realised the crazy vision in front of him was his usually serious eldest son. Even Gertrude's mouth was twitching.
Without further ado, Frank began his act. Withdrawing four tennis balls from his pocket, he began to juggle. After twenty seconds, Frank began to drop the balls, being careful to hit himself on the foot or head as he did so. He then removed a small trumpet from his pocket and began to toot tunelessly while performing the most uncoordinated dancing he could think of. While he was dancing, Frank slipped on one of the tennis balls he had dropped and landed hard on his backside, setting off the whoopee cushion in his back pocket. His family howled with laughter as he scrambled to his feet.
Feigning annoyance, Frank tutted and removed a clear plastic cup from his pocket. The cup looked like it was filled with liquid, but Frank knew the liquid was actually trapped between the double sides of the cup which could only be released by pressing a small button. Wiping his forehead and pretending he was thirsty, Frank tried to take a drink from the cup. Pretending to be puzzled when he couldn't taste anything, Frank closed one eye and squinted into the cup. With a shrug of his shoulders, Frank tried to drink again but nothing came out and in pretended annoyance, he turned the cup upside and shook it. Scratching his head, Frank held the cup high in the air and pretended to peer into it. As he did so, he pressed the little button and water whooshed out over his face soaking him. His father snorted with laughter and his mother giggled furiously as Frank groped for a handkerchief to wipe his face. As he wiped his face, Frank chanced a peek at Joe.
His heart soared. Joe was laughing! He was actually laughing!
Frank continued with his act, each trick becoming more ridiculous until finally he reached the end of his performance. Opening the balloon he had kept for himself, Frank took in a huge gulp of air then struck a dignified pose. He started to sing and his family erupted with laughter. Frank wanted to laugh himself when he heard how ridiculous his helium-filled voice sounded, but the teenager continued to sing until he had finished his song.
When he was done, Frank took a large elaborate bow, being sure to trip over his clown feet as he did so. His family applauded and cheered as Frank straightened up.
"Hooray for the best clown in Bayport!" his mother called, her eyes twinkling and Frank grinned at her. Then he looked at Joe.
"See, Joe?" he said quietly. "I don't care about looking stupid."
"I think we need a coffee," said Laura at once. "Come on, Fenton, Gertrude."
The adults left quickly, leaving Frank and Joe alone.
Frank moved over and sat down beside his brother. "Joe," he said quietly. "I don't know what Denton said to you, but whatever it was, it's not true! You're my brother and you're more important to me than anyone. I lost my temper that last day, and I should never have said I wished I didn't have a brother. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."
"Then why did you let him hurt me?" said Joe miserably. "You just stood there, doing nothing."
"I couldn't do anything! He would have shot you the second I took one step towards you."
Joe looked confused. "Shot me?"
"Yes! Joe, didn't you see the gun?"
Joe shook his head and understanding flooded Frank. "Joe," he said urgently. "Denton had a gun and he was pointing it at your head. I was too afraid to move in case he shot you. It was bad enough that he already did that while I watched." Frank gestured towards Joe's shoulder. Joe stared at his brother. "Joe, don't you remember me tackling Denton?" asked Frank quietly.
Joe closed his eyes and a vague memory of Frank howling in anger and flinging himself at Miles flashed through his head. He opened his eyes. "So, you didn't leave me to Miles because you didn't want me?" he asked nervously.
"NO!" cried Frank vehemently. "We didn't even know who had you until three days ago! And as soon as I did, I went straight out and found you!" Joe still looked unsure, so Frank added, "you were missing for a whole week and it was the longest, most horrible week of my life! I really missed you and I was so afraid I'd never see you again."
"I was afraid I'd never see you guys again too," Joe whispered, and his bottom lip trembled a little.
"He's locked up now," said Frank quietly. "He can't hurt you anymore." Joe nodded, but Frank noticed his eyes were suspiciously bright. Instinctively he reached over and hugged his brother tightly. "It's good to have you back, Joe," he whispered, feeling relief wash over him.
Several minutes passed before Frank let go of his brother. When he did, he noticed Joe wiping his eyes. "You okay?" he asked.
Joe nodded and gave a shaky smile. "Yeah," he mumbled. Then he looked at Frank and grinned. "You know, you look like a complete idiot dressed like that!"
Frank smacked his head. "And here's me thinking I looked like James Bond!"
The room rang with their laughter and Fenton, who had remained outside the door to make sure that no-one disturbed them, smiled. The broken threads of his family were already beginning to sew themselves back together.
XXX
Nearly two months later, the Hardy home was filled with noise and laughter.
It was Joe's twelfth birthday, and Fenton and Laura had thrown a huge party to celebrate the occasion.
Fenton had been unsure about the idea but Frank and Laura had persuaded him, insisting it would be good for Joe. Fenton was glad he had listened when he saw Joe laughing and joking with the other kids. He had even cheerfully suggested that Frank give a repeat of his performance in the hospital room, to which Frank had blushed and mumbled something inaudible. Fenton knew Joe was on the road to recovery when he heard him teasing his brother like that. It had taken time, but he was getting there.
Fenton frowned a little as he thought of how hard the past two months had been. With the exception of Joe's shoulder, the physical scars had healed. The mental ones were taking a little longer, and Fenton knew that much of it was because Denton had not been sent to prison. Joe had been crushed to learn that his kidnapper wasn't going to prison. After all, he was still a child and the concept of Multiple Personality Disorder meant nothing to him. The way Joe saw it, Denton wasn't being punished for what he had done to him and the boy was finding it difficult to deal with.
Fenton understood how he was feeling. It had been a blow to the detective to discover that the legal system he had always believed in so strongly, had failed him when it mattered most. He had tried to get Hurd Johnson's Court Order overturned but with no luck. The Judge had insisted that Denton was legally insane, therefore he couldn't be tried as a capable adult.
Fenton scowled. He'd like to show that Judge the young boy who refused to sleep with his door closed or the light off, and often woke up screaming anyway.
"Stop scowling!" he heard a voice beside him and glanced down to see his wife standing there. Laura Hardy smiled at her husband. "There's a lot of children here today, do you want to scare them off with that face of yours?"
Fenton laughed. "Fine! I'll be Mary Poppins for the rest of the day! Sound good?"
"Perfect!" his wife agreed and they both laughed.
"Mom?" Frank appeared beside them. "I think Joe wants to know when he can open his presents."
"Oh, he does, does he?" said Laura cheerfully, then headed into the living room calling, "okay everyone, Joe is going to open his presents now and we can eat then."
Frank and his father grinned at one another as cheers rose in the living room.
"Want to watch?" said Fenton.
"Wouldn't miss it," Frank replied.
They moved into the living room and positioned themselves so they could watch Joe opening his presents. Frank couldn't wait to see Joe's reaction to what he had got him; a brand new play station. He'd had to save every cent of his allowance, as well as doing odd jobs around the neighbourhood to earn extra money, but Frank knew it would be worth it when Joe saw the computer.
The last two months had been tough. It hadn't been easy to watch his brother dealing with the aftermath of his kidnapping, especially since Denton was going to get away with it.
Frank bit his lip. He was having trouble dealing with that himself. The teenager didn't care whether Denton was sick or not. As far as he was concerned, the man should have been strung up for what he did.
Then there was the fact that Frank had had to do twenty hours community service for what had happened with Mrs. Deagan. Keith had had to do forty. Unsurprisingly, Ryan had been sent to a detention centre for young offenders for two years.
Despite not actually hitting Mrs. Deagan, Paul had been given eighty hours community service because he was the one who had been instrumental in covering up the attack.
The hardest of all had been Annie's death. She had died just two weeks earlier and Frank had received a letter from her after her death. Apparently, Annie had written letters to her friends with instructions that they were to be mailed after her death. Frank was touched to discover that she had counted him amongst her friends.
Her letter had reminded Frank to get out and grab life, and told him to cherish the people he cared about. Not that Frank needed the reminder; he had learned in the most brutal way possible to never take for granted the people he cared about.
The day after he received her letter, Frank had gone to the cemetery to say his goodbyes to Annie, and had placed a single white rose on her grave with a note that simply said; my guardian angel. The teenager wouldn't soon forget how she had helped him when he had needed it most.
He was dragged out of his thoughts as several loud gasps and cheers erupted around him. Joe had opened his present from Frank.
"Oh wow! Frank! Thanks!" he gasped, his eyes wide as he ran his hand over the play station box. "This is so cool!"
"You're welcome," Frank smiled, pleased, while Joe stared reverently at the Play Station. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his parents shooting him looks that he knew meant he was in for a lecture later about spending so much but he didn't care. It was worth it to see Joe so happy.
Joe was now ripping the wrapping paper off another large box and Frank marvelled at how quickly he could do it with only his right hand; his left was still strapped tightly to his chest. "Awesome!" Joe said as he pulled out a pair of ice-hockey skates. "These are excellent!" From his vantage point, Frank could see that the skates were of excellent quality and probably rather expensive.
Wonder who sent those? he thought.
Joe was obviously thinking the same thing. He was rooting around in the wrapping paper for a card.
"They're from me!" a small voice piped up and Frank was surprised to see Chet's pretty little sister grinning at Joe.
He was even more surprised when Joe went purple right to the tips of his ears and mumbled, "thanks, Iola. These are great!"
As Iola smiled and Joe continued to blush, realisation crashed over Frank. I don't believe it! he crowed gleefully. Joe has a crush!
He couldn't wait to get his brother alone and tease him about it. After all, it was part of his duty as a big brother.
A/N: Okay, that was it, the final chapter! Hope you all liked it and enjoyed the story. I know I've enjoyed reading your reviews! ;-) But please let me know what you think of this final chapter too!
Paperdaisies: Thank you so much for all the fantastic reviews. And I'm really glad you liked how I wrote the action and psychological angst. It's what I enjoy writing most!
Whashaza: Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to review, and I'm delighted you like how I write. It's one of the biggest buzzes as an author to be told that!
Shee1: Hee hee! glad you got two chapters in a row...there's nothing worse than waiting, is there? ;-) And I'd better warn you that although I am working on another Hardy Boys story, it's not finished and I usually don't post them until I'm finished. And I'm afraid this one might take a while because I'm also working on a CSI fic that's just begging to be written and that one seems to be taking up most of my time! Hopefully I'll have the HB one finished in a month or two.
astalder27: Thanks for all the great reviews; feedback is addictive. Hope this final chapter satisfies you and you enjoy it as much as the others!
penguinlover: Well, you got your happy ending, I hope it's to your liking:-) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, it means alot that you always took the time to review.
epalladino: Beth, thanks for all the great reviews! Hope you liked the final chapter and enjoy the next story as much!
DawnStrider: And it's all finished! Thanks for all the reviews, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter as well as the others!
The Silent Rumble: Thanks again for all the great reviews! Now, I know you're a Frank angst fan and probably prefer stories where it's Frank in danger so I think you deserve to know a little secret; I do have a Frank angst story in the pipeline! It's not the next one (which will probably be quite short), but the story after that. Hope you're still around to read it!
Also to CA and Mariethorne who both reviewed alot but had no questions for a while; thanks guys, for taking the time to review. It's always nice to know your work is appreciated!