"How can the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened?" The Lord of the Rings

It was a changed Joe that walked into the courthouse the following Monday.

This Joe was different from the other two -- the confident, smart, caring one from before That Day, different from the scared, quiet, jumpy one from after. This Joe was a trifle thinner, a little slower, and an ocean sadder. Yet he sat on the long bench and smiled at Chet as the boy took a seat next to him. He didn't flinch when Frank put a hand on his leg. He stood up straight and stared at Jacob Roffman with the cool, calculating stare of a detective rather than the frightened look of a victim.

For the first time in months, Frank thought he was talking to the Joe he knew rather than a brick wall. For the first time, Joe seemed to be inputting information into the conversation.

School had been suspended for the duration of the main trial, because so many of the students had been affected and more than a few were witnesses for the prosecution. But even during though classes weren't in session, Frank saw that Joe had taken out a few of his textbooks and were perusing them with interest once again.

Carrie and John noticed the change in Joe first, even before Chet, Tony, and Biff, who had all known him longer. Maybe it was because they had both gone through the stages that accompanied Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, something Joe had been diagnosed with in the week following That Day.

There were more testimonies, the last ones for the prosecution. Joe leaned slightly against Frank in a comfortable way that reminded Frank fondly of the many long trials the brothers had attended after they had wrapped up a case. The two had spent many hours in courtrooms, either to see who the case played out or as witnesses to the events that were the focal point of the trials. Back then, Joe would often put his head on Frank's shoulder as the hours wore on, often falling asleep there.

Frank was glad that this Joe was back.

The Hardy brothers and their friends watched with interest as Charlie Summers limped up to the podium. He had been the star of Bayport High's wrestling team, and both brothers knew him well. He had transferred to the school in his sophomore year. Now a senior, he still retained the heavy Brooklyn accent he had grown up with.

Charlie had been one of the first people shot, after Joe, according to the news. He had been a real target of Roffman's. Frank, for one, couldn't understand that. Though Charlie swaggered like a Jock, he was both smart and interesting and astoundingly good at math, excelling at physics.

On the stand, Charlie seemed somewhat smaller than he did on the wrestling mats, where he was in his prime. His black hair was combed and neat, though he seemed uncomfortable in a suit. Though no one could see it, Frank knew that his right leg was still encased in a cast. He'd probably never be able to wrestle again.

"Charlie Summers, aiteen, an' I'm a senior at Bayport High." Frank smiled at the familiar voice and he could tell right then that Charlie would do fine on the stand. He had a personality that drew people in, even if he was talking about something dreadful.

The lawyer paced in front of Charlie, looking more excited than before, as if he was glad that Charlie had agreed to take the stand. "Where were you right before the incident?"

"Before I got shot, you mean." Charlie's voice wasn't hard. He was clarifying the point. Joe stirred beside Frank, his hair sweeping against the older boy's neck. Charlie wasn't bitter. The best wrestler in Bayport High history didn't seem to mind that he'd never be able to play the sport again.

"Me an' Josh -- Josh Springer, we help the office during the firs' period. Runnin' notes to classrooms and junk. We were goofing off in the History Corridor -- I remember that, because I thought the gunshot and screams were in a movie. The sophomores were on the Civil War…

Anyway, Jake comes 'round the corner --"

"Did you know the defendant?" The lawyer interrupted.

Charlie nodded, green eyes glinting in the low lights of the court room. "Yeah. Jake is -- was -- the manager for the wrestling team. Or co-manager. Somethin' like that. So me and Josh kind of say hi to him and --"

For the first time, it's as if Charlie can't go on. He looks at his hands, the wall, the judge, anywhere but his lawyer and Jacob Roffman. "He's smilin', like he was hoping he'd see us, and that's the first thing I noticed. Josh noticed the gun first. Kid had about six of them. He was holding a big ol' shotgun and had a ton hanging out of his backpack.

"He shoots me first. In the knee; ended up shatterin' my knee cap and growth plate and screwin' me over for life. Like he wanted to. He could have killed me…" he was quiet for a second, and Frank noticed that his hand rested the enormous cast that was covering what was left of his leg. "I was on the floor when I saw Josh fall next to me. There was blood coming from his chest -- I was so sure he was dead."

Someone in front of Frank stirred. Leaning forward, the oldest Hardy brother saw Josh Springer sitting on the bench in front of them, hands clenched, face unreadable. He was staring at the portion of the stand that hid Charlie's leg from view.

"But Josh was too smart to die. He figured that if he went down, Jake would just leave us alone. And he did. So as soon as he was out of sight he picked me up and started runnin'. We were out of the school before most people who weren' injured. Josh wouldn' let them take him to the hospital. He went back in to find other people who were hurt."

It was obvious from his voice that Charlie respected and admired Josh for doing this. "Screwed himself over for doing that, though, by the time he got to the hospital, something weird was up with his arm. His shoulder was pretty bad off. He'll never be able to wrestle again either."

Joe shifted in his seat, and Frank started keeping a running tally in his head. So many people had been affected by That Day in ways that he, Frank, and probably Jake Roffman couldn't ever imagine. Like Charlie's wrestling, which probably could have gotten him a full ride to college, and John, who was forever changed by the death of his brother, Dave. Like Joe, who was just starting to wake up again.

Looking up, Frank managed to catch Charlie's response to one of the lawyer's questions. "Did he take something from me? Yeah. He took something from everyone in Bayport. Used to be we didn' have to walk through a metal detector to get to class. There used to be a couple more people in the school, if you know what I mean, and not quite so many crips like me."

The courtroom was jammed full with people, and more still were just outside the doors, spilling into the street in front of the courthouse. Everyone was silent. "So every mornin' I wake up, and I can' take a shower or go down da stairs wit'out my mum or one of little sista's helpin me. An' they shouldn' have to do that, ya know?"

Charlie was a pretty big guy, and would probably be intimidating to anyone who didn't know he was about as terrifying as a fluffy kitten on the inside. So when he started blinking fast, a low murmur went through the room, and everyone seemed to press in closer.

"My little sista's, they's only eleven an' eight, but I'm always worryin' about them now. That's what they took away from me an' everyone else. We used to think we were safe. I don' know what to think anymore."

There were question, many more question, but Frank couldn't pay attention to them. After they were done for the day, Frank went up to Charlie and leaned down, whispering quietly.

Because he felt the exact same way. For the entire ride home, with Joe asleep in the passenger seat, Frank did not take his hand off his brother's leg. Because you just didn't know what could happen anymore.

For those who are interested, I decided to include a little background information. The characters Carrie, John, and Dave are based off of real people. When Carrie and John were Seniors in High School, they got hit by a drunk driver. Dave was in the car, and he died. He was seventeen. Now Carrie and John are almost twenty-three years old, and getting married in June. I was there when John asked his friend to be his best man. Said friend denied (John was in tears when he asked). There will be no best man at the wedding, because that should have been Dave's job.

Just thought you should know that not everything's made up.

As always, please review.