Again, I want to thank everyone for your wonderful reviews!
I also want you to know that I do read your reviews and it's encouraging that you like my story. (Please keep them coming!)
I always thought the Hardy Boy's friends are just as important as the Hardy Boy themselves. In this chapter you'll see just that, so let me know what you think.
Oh yeah... and you might need tissues for this one. Hope you like!
A special thanks to my beta reader (JustAnotherGirlInTheWorld) who is helping me with my grammar and to improve my story.
I do not own The Hardy Boys
(Heartless)
Sequel: A Friend in Need
Chapter 25
The boys carefully climbed through the rubble until they heard the sound of more rumbling over their heads. Each boy feared that the rest of the warehouse would start falling on them. They pushed the thought out of their minds, however, instead focusing on finding Frank.
Once the boys made their way to the door, Joe staggered over to it. His body felt weak and tired, but he didn't care. He immediately started calling out his brother's name.
"Frank!
No response.
Frank!"
Louder this time, but still nothing.
"FRANK!" Joe's voice cried out for a third time, desperation clear in his face and actions. He leaned his head against the door. "Please, God, let him be in there."
Then, suddenly, Joe heard a noise from behind the door. He heard a muffled voice call out, "Joe?"
Soon the voice got louder, "Joe!"
Joe started laughing hysterically, and tears of joy stared rolling down his face. It was the most beautiful sound ever. The sound of his brother's voice.
"Frank!"
"Frank, I'm here!" Joe called out to his brother, doing his best to stay calm, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No... I'm okay!" Frank hollered back, but his breathing sounded heavy.
"No, you're not okay!" Joe yelled, suddenly realizing the situation his brother was in. He felt a stir of panic inside his chest. "Somethings wrong! We are going to get you out, Frank! Just hang on!"
"We? Joe!... Who's... with... you?!"
"Frank, we're going to get you out, buddy!" Chet answered, relieved to hear his friend's voice again. "Just hang on!"
"Chet?!"
"Yeah, I'm here!"
"We're here too!" Tony, Phil, Biff all spoke up. They, too, were relieved to hear Frank's voice.
Then everything went quite. Joe really started to panic when Frank didn't respond back.
"Frank!" Joe shouted, then he fell to his knees as a pain shot through his chest.
"Joe!" Tony, Phil, Biff, and Chet cried out.
"Joe, what's wrong?!" Chet asked, panic in his voice when he saw Joe clutching his chest.
Joe took a few breaths, then proceeded to get to his feet. Again, he felt pain shooting through his chest.
"Awwww!" he screamed, and fell to the floor, panting. "I... can't... do this."
The others just looked on, wide-eyed and confused.
"Frank..." Joe cried, "Frank... need... Frank!"
"Joe, is it your heart?" Phil asked, kneeling next to him and trying to stay calm.
"Yes... it hurts!"
"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Tony shouted, frantically pacing back and forth.
"Tony, try to calm down," Phil said, seeing his friend was on the verge of having a panic attack. "We all need to stay calm."
"Okay, I'll try." Tony slowly began to calm himself, knowing Phil was right. Frank and Joe needed them. Then he asked, calming his voice, "What do we do?"
Joe was still screaming out repeatedly, "Frank! Frank!" Everyone was scared and confused.
"Frank!
No response.
Frank!"
Louder this time, but still nothing.
"FRANK!" Joe's voice cried out for a third time, this time more panicked than the last. "Why is he not answering!?"
"Frank... please!" Joe screamed as the pain in his chest increased. "Frank!"
Tony, Phil, Biff, and Chet all exchanged looks, trying to figure out what to do.
"Tony, stay with Joe," Biff instructed, then he looked up. "Chet, Phil, help me move the beam blocking the door."
Chet, along with Phil and Tony, followed Biff's gaze on a huge beam blocking the big, metal door. Chet's eyes widened when he realized that part of the beam was still attached to the ceiling. They could still heard the sound of more rumbling over their heads. "If we try to move it. The whole thing could fall on our head!"
"What choice do we have?!" Biff shot back, looking at Joe. His skin had went from pale, to ghost-white, and his breathing was slow and shallow. "Don't you get it? Joe is dying! That means Frank could be..."
His voice trailed off, and then came back at the start of a new sentence. "This is Frank and Joe Hardy we are talking about! Our friends! They have risked their lives countless times to save the life of a stranger, or a friend, in need."
All the other boys looked at him, nodding in agreement.
"If there is a chance to save them both," he continued, swallowing a lump in his throat, "Then we have to try."
"Okay," they all chorused.
Phil and Tony moved Joe safely out of the way. Then Phil joined Chet and Biff standing next to the beam. Tony held Joe in his lap, trying to calm his nerves. Meanwhile, thoughts of his son Antonio ran though his head, wondering if he would ever see him again. In a soothing voice, Tony said the first thing on his mind.
"Joe, everything is gonna be okay."
Tony's heart sank when Joe closed his eyes. His chest was barely moving. "Joe? No, God, please!"
He started shaking Joe, and numerous tears ran down his face. "Don't leave us, Joe!"
Tony looked up at Phil, Biff, and Chet and cried out, "Hurry! We're losing him!"
With all their strength, Phil, Chet, and Biff began to push on the beam, the sound of more rumbling over their heads. Each boy feared that the rest of the warehouse would start falling on them any moment. They pushed the thought out of their minds, however, instead focusing on saving Frank and Joe.
"Hurry!" They kept hearing Tony's panicked voice in their ears.
Suddenly, the beam started to shift, sending dust down on them. Again, the boys began pushing the beam, and they could hear the squeaks and rumbling. Then, finally, with a final push the beam broke loose and started it to fall. "Take cover!" Biff shouted.
Tony immediately protectively shielded Joe with his body, as Biff, Chet, and Phil ran like the wind towards them, ducking for cover. Then the beam hit the floor with a loud "CRASH!"
Each boy sat there for a long time, waiting for the rest of the building to fall on their heads. Once again, after a few minutes, everything stopped.
Chet slowly raised his head. To his surprise, everything was still standing.
"Guys!" he shouted, "We're still here!"
Phil, Biff, and Tony were also surprise. Then their eyes fell on Joe.
"How's Joe!?" They shouted in unison.
"He's not doing so good," Tony replied, his voice heavy with emotion. " Get the door open now!"
Immediately, all three boys got to their feet and ran to the door.
Chet pulled hard on the handle. "It's stuck!"
"Come on, come on!" he chorused, pulling as hard as he could manage. Then, finally, it opened with a loud click!
Their hearts dropped in shock to see Angela Santos pumping Frank's cheat and a man in a gray suit and glasses breathing into his mouth.
Even though the Gray Man was very surprised to see the boys, he still remembered to ask breathlessly, "Do any of you know CPR?!"
"Yes!" Phil answered immediately.
"I do, too!" Chet added.
"Okay, take our places!" Gray nodded, catching his breath.
Angela and Gray quickly moved aside so that the boys could take their place.
Phil rushed over. Dropping to his knees, he deftly placed one hand over the other on Frank's chest and started pumping with a steady rhythm.
"One... two... three... four... five..." He counted as he pressed down firmly. Phil kept repeating the five count in a calm, clear voice. Every time Phil reached five, Chet would blow forced air into Frank's lungs with trained mouth-to-mouth breathing.
"Come on, Frank, breathe! Joe needs you!"
"Three... four..." Phil counted out. Then, suddenly, it hit him, thinking back to the conversation they'd all had with Dr. Stevens.
(Flashback) "Look, we all know that Frank and Joe have a very strong connection with each other," Dr. Stevens piped in, "We have all seen it. It is a bond that we may not fully understand... but they do. They complete each other. Where there is one brother's weakness, there is the other brother's strength. They rely on each others' strength not only when solving a case, but in life, too. I don't fully understand it myself."
The doctor paused, but then continued. "It's almost supernatural, or may be spiritual, in the way that they can communicate with just a feeling or the words they use. It's like, together, they are a whole person."
"Kind of like soul mates," Phil spoke up, understanding what the doctor was saying.
"So you're saying Joe's illness and Frank's disappearance are somehow connected?" Fenton said, letting what the doctor said sink in.
"Yes, exactly," Dr. Stevens said, nodding, "Like I said, I don't fully understand it, but if Joe is sensing that Frank is alive, then it must be true. There is no doubt about it. I think once Frank and Joe are together, you will to see a dramatic change in Joe's condition."
(Back to Phil) Phil's eyes widened as he shouted "Biff! get Joe in here! Hurry!"
Biff ran out of the room without a question. A few seconds later, Biff and Tony walked in, carefully carrying Joe into the room.
"Three... Four..." Chet counted out for Phil as he pumped Frank's chest. Then knowing what Phil was doing, Chet said, "Lay Joe next to Frank!"
Biff and Tony did as they were told and laid Joe next to Frank, placing Joe's hand on top of Frank's.
"Come on, Frank, breathe! Joe needs you!" Chet shouted, praying for this to work. "God, please, let this work."
Then they heard a low, rasping noise escape from Frank's lips. Suddenly, his body was wracked by violent bursts of coughing. To everyone's great surprise and joy, Frank's eyes fluttered open, but then he quickly closed them due to a splitting headache. He opened them slowly, realizing he was laying on the floor.
His breathing slowly back to normal, Frank looked up to see Phil, Chet, Tony, and Biff's eyes filled with tears, each face stretched with a smile.
"What's going on?" he asked slowly sat up with Chet's help.
Suddenly, Frank felt a cold hand on top of his. He let out a gasp of shock when he caught sight of his little brother laying beside him. His skin was ghostly white, and his lips were blue. There were dark circles around his closed eyes, and his skin felt cold and clammy. No! It was almost as if Joe was... dead!
Going into big brother mode, Frank reached out and touched his little brother's cheek.
"Hey, little brother. Don't you dare leave me!"
There was no response.
"Come on, Joe, wake up!"
Nothing.
"Joe, come on!
Still silence.
"Please, Joe!" Frank begged, his voice quivering, "Wake up, baby brother. I'm right here! Just come back to me! Please, Joe… don't leave me!"
Joe still didn't respond, and Frank's heart sank a little in his chest.
"Please wake up, Joe," Frank said softly, praying for a response from him, "I can't lose you. We are a team."
Slowly, Frank leaned forward and kissed Joe on the forehead. "I am back, little brother. Just like I promised you," he whispered.
There was a heavy sting of silence in the air. Everyone held their breaths, waiting and praying for a response.
"I'm right here," Frank said in a soothing voice, "Joe, just open your eyes."
To Frank's great surprise, Joe's eyelids started moving.
"That's it, little brother! Open your eyes!"
Frank's brown eyes lit up when he saw Joe's baby blue one's staring up at him.
"Joe."
Joe turned his head to the sound of Frank's voice. "Frank?"
"Frank!" Joe started crying. "I thought.. I..."
His voice trailing off from pure emotion, but then he found the words to continue speaking, "I thought I just lost you."
Joe practically flew into his brother's arms, knocking them both to the ground. Frank couldn't hold it back anymore, feeling the tears running down his face. Both brothers just sat on the floor, holding each other and crying.
Frank just laid there, holding his little brother. "Shh... it's okay. I'm here. Just like I promised. I am back."
wooo! that was emotional! What do you think? Please review! Will update soon!