Hello, I am back. Once again, I am so sorry for the long delay... life has been busy for me. I've trying really hard to work on it and I will finish it. I want to that everyone who leave me wonderful reviews, follows, favorite, or just reading. and a big thank you to my beta reader for your help with my story. Here's my new chapter, I must warn you there is abuse and strong language in the chapter.
A Brother's Revenge Chapter 29
Friday July 4th 8:15 pm,
Fireworks continued to light up the night sky as Fenton stared at the name badge and mask laying inside the Ziploc bag his wife had given to him moments before when he had arrived back at the picnic area. They were the same items from the pictures Frank had sent to him via text. The badge glistened in the glow of the streetlight. It was just another piece to the puzzle that they were putting together, bringing them closer and closer to solving the case and clearing Frank's name of Jack Hayden's murder.
"I told Callie that I'd make sure that you got this. Frank told her to keep it safe right before he took off after Henry." Laura said filling him in on what's going on. "Fenton, I'm so scared Ryan has them." She said tearfully. She was trying to be strong and brave, but she was so scared for her boys.
Fenton held the Ziploc bag in one hand, as he wrapped his strong arms around his wife pulling her into a comforting hug. "We'll find them Laura, I promise. Everything's going to be okay." He said reassuring his wife. He pulled back and wiped away the tears that ran down her face.
"Vanessa's still not answering! She's my whole world. I can't lose my baby girl." Andrea exclaimed. She tossed her phone on the table in frustration and covered her face with her hands as she started to cry.
"We have to have faith, dear." Gertrude said sitting down beside the distraught mother and patting her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm sure everything's going to be okay. We'll find them just like Fenton said." Andrea just looked tearfully at Gertrude and nodded.
Focusing on the matter at hand Fenton asked again. "What direction did you say Frank and Henry went?"
As the fireworks continued to explode in the night sky, Gertrude answered. "According to Callie they took off running towards the boardwalk, then turned left and disappeared into the woods."
"Okay." Fenton nodded as he quickly began devising the course of action he needed to take. He was torn; both of his sons were in danger, but he felt more urgency in finding Frank. He was sure that Frank was in danger for going after Henry Jacobs by himself. Fenton knew that Henry wasn't exactly a stable person, he was a sociopath like his father, Jack Hayden and he had a dangerous obsession with his youngest son and at the same time pure hatred for his eldest son. This was the same young man who's wanted for the murders of Phil and Seth Cohen and the attempted murder on Frank.
Fenton sighed wearily as his thoughts turned to his youngest. God forgive me for the doubts seeping into my mind on whether or not Joe was in trouble. He hated feeling this way. He knew that the line of trust between them was growing extremely thin. It was partly due to Joe's erratic behavior lately as well as all of the things that had happened tonight. He thought back to the broken window and breaking into the safe in his office, to showing up late to the picnic celebration. And now this…What if this was just another stunt? For all Fenton knew Joe could be fine sitting with Vanessa watching the fireworks show be and completely oblivious to their surroundings which included not answering their phones.
Fenton shamefully shook away the thought. He needed to stop thinking that way. There were reasons behind those stunts. One reason, Fenton was sure of, was Joe's fear of losing his brother. The second reason, Fenton knew, was himself. I don't really have room to talk considering how my actions have contributed to Joe's erratic behavior. Why else would he have this resentment toward me? I did verbally attack him all out of my own anger, fear, guilt and frustrations. It made Fenton sick to think that he may have driven Joe up on that railing prepared to let the darkness take him. Or was there more going on? If only he could get Joe to talk to him without causing a fight or another incident.
Suddenly Fenton's thoughts shifted from doubt to fear. What if he'd had another outburst? Though, Vanessa was with him, surely, he wouldn't do anything with her, would he? She had been able to calm him down the last time, but what if this time she was unsuccessful. What if he had done something irrational and it had hurt them both? What if that's why they're not answering their phones. What if… no, calm down Hardy. Push those thoughts away. The message they had been sent multiple times screamed loudly in Fenton's head. 'Eye for an eye, a brother for a brother...soon a Hardy boy will die!' Hold yourself together man, stay focused. Your children are in trouble, and if Ryan Hayden does have them, they will both need you. Fenton thought while he took a deep calming breath.
Laura noticed the panic in her husband's eyes. "Fenton…" She started to say when they heard their names shouted.
"Fenton, Laura!"
Fenton and Laura turned to see the McNeely's running up to them worry marring their faces.
"What's wrong?" Fenton asked immediately.
"Is Trevor here with you?" Pete asked anxiously between breaths at the same time that Lindsey said, "Please tell me you've seen Trevor!"
"No, I'm sorry, he's not here." Laura answered, concern evident in her voice. Gertrude and Andrea got up from the picnic table to join them.
"Oh Pete, where could he be?" Lindsey said worriedly. She started looking around with her eyes for any sign of her son. "He's just a little boy!" Tears began welling up in her eyes.
"Honey, we'll find him. He couldn't have gotten too far." Pete replied putting an arm around his wife to comfort her. As a father he was worried about his missing son as well, but the former street officer in him was telling him to keep calm.
"How long has he been missing?" Fenton asked.
"About twenty minutes." Pete answered. "We took Trevor over to the game area to play a couple more games and to watch the fireworks to get his mind off of Joe." He said turning back to the Hardy's and Andrea. "He was doing so good. He liked the sparklers Lindsey gave him and was enjoying the fireworks, up until he threw a tantrum because we wouldn't let him go watch the fireworks with Joe." Pete huffed shaking his head raking a hand through his hair, "I'll tell you, he's a stubborn kid with a one-track mind when he wants something."
"It's our fault. I know that we spoil Trevor too much. We told him no and he didn't like that." Lindsey sniffed back tears. She rubbed her little baby bump. "Then I got sick again. Pete helped me to a trash can that was nearby, because we weren't close enough to the bathrooms. Trevor was with us, and he knows better than to take off, but when I was done, we turned around and he was gone." She started crying again.
Pete rubbed his wife's back to comfort her. "When we couldn't see him anywhere, we thought that Trevor might have gone looking for Joe. Or we at least hope that's what happened. Would you be willing to call him and see if Trevor is with him?" He noticed Laura and Fenton exchanging anxious looks with each other as he continued, "Or at least give him a heads up to keep an eye out for Trevor. If he is with them, we'll go and get him so he's not interfering with Joe and Vanessa's date…" His voice trailed off and his stomach started churning when he noticed Gertrude and Andrea exchanging worried looks with each other as well.
"Fenton, is something wrong?" Pete asked anxiously. "Has something happened with Joe? Do you know where he is?" He braced himself for the unwelcome news that was coming.
Fenton turned his attention back to the McNeely's. He let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "We do know about where they're watching the fireworks. However, for some reason Joe and Vanessa are not responding to our calls or texts."
"Do you think they're in trouble?" Pete didn't like the sound of this.
"They might be." Fenton acknowledged. "Frank found these just before he and Callie had a run in with Henry Jacobs." He showed Pete the badge and mask in the Ziploc bag he held in his hand. "Frank took off after him. We think that if Henry's here, then Ryan's here too and that could be the reason that Joe and Vanessa are not answering their phones."
"Is it possible that Ryan or maybe even Henry could be posing as Linsky?" the former officer asked.
"I've had the same thought. We just need to prove it." Fenton replied.
Laura added regrettably. "Callie went to warn Joe and Vanessa and to bring them back here. Which I realize now was not a good idea. I should've made Callie stay here where it's safe. In fact, it was a bad idea to let all the kids go off in different directions period. We should've stuck to the original plan, the group date. Oh Fenton, why didn't I listen to you. This situation with Joe has me so on edge that I can't focus on anything else. Now they're all in danger. If anything happens to them..." Her voice trailed off.
"Honey, don't go blaming yourself, I'm just as much to blame as well." Fenton said wrapping his arms around her. "Let's put all that aside and focus on locating our kids."
"Right, we need to focus on the kids." Laura said teary-eyed but determined, pulling away from her husband's embrace.
"Fenton, I'm here!" Sam called breathlessly running up to them. "Collig's calling in back up to assist us. He said to keep him informed as to what is going on here and he'll do the same with the situation in the parking lot." Sam looked at the stressed faces and asked, "So what's the situation here?"
Fenton nodded quickly bringing his partner up to speed with what was going on, ending with the hope that the McNeely's little boy running off to find Joe.
"It might be a good idea to get a hold of Biff and the rest of the gang to give them a heads up and to get everyone back here safely." Sam said, concerned with everything that was happening.
"I'll do that." Laura said getting out her phone to text Biff.
"Okay, we are going to look for the boys." Fenton said, handing the Ziploc bag back to her. "Keep this safe."
"I will. Now you two just go find our kids." She sniffed back tears.
"Oh Pete." Lindsey cried gripping his arm for support. "We have to find Trevor."
"We will, Lindsey. We will find him." Pete said soothingly pulling her into a hug. "Sweetheart, will you stay here with Laura, just in case Trevor shows up?"
"Yes, I will. What are you going to do?" She asked him softly looking at him with her tearstained eyes.
"I'm going to help." He answered. Pete released his wife from the hug and turned his attention to the two men who were starting to leave. "Wait, Fenton, Sam, I'd like to go with you. If that's okay?" Pete stated stopping them in their tracks.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Fenton asked Pete.
"Physically, I don't know." The former police officer patted his prosthetic metal leg. "I probably don't have a right to be asking you this considering, I haven't been a police officer in two years, but I haven't forgotten everything I knew. The chance to use that knowledge again would be an honor. So, yes, I'm up for it." He looked at the detective blinking tears from his eyes. "I feel like I'm partly responsible for this situation. It was my careless mistake at the shooting range that resulted in Frank's gun going missing, which set off everything else with Hayden's murder."
"Pete…" Fenton started to say.
"No, please, Fenton, let me finish," Pete held up his hand to stop him. "I don't know if he told you this, but Frank and I talked earlier. I apologized to him for what happened with his firearm. He accepted my apology and took part of the blame upon himself, which he didn't have to do." He placed a hand over his chest, tears began welling up in the corners of his eyes, "I feel like it's not enough, I owe it both to him and to myself to right a wrong. I mean if I lose my job over this, then so be it, my family will be fine and we will survive, but I won't be able to forgive myself if Frank goes to jail or if something happens to any of the kids."
Fenton cleared his throat and addressed what the former officer said. "Yes, Laura told me about the conversation you had with Frank. He's not going to hold a grudge against you, and I won't either. Mistakes happen. We all need to take ownership of our actions and deal with the stresses in our lives. Right now, our biggest concern is making sure all of our kids are safe, including yours. Don't worry about your job, Pete. I'll put in a good word for you, so that way you can keep your job at the shooting range. Chief Collig maybe a hard man at times, but he is a fair man."
"I can vouch for that." Sam added. "You're a good man Pete, and you were a good police officer and did your job well. You were moving up in ranks and had almost made lieutenant. I'm sorry that incident two years ago took that away from you, but just know a police officer will always be a police officer at heart."
Lindsey smiled tearfully, as Pete visibly relaxed hearing those words. "Thank you, Fenton, Sam, the both of you thank you." He replied clearing the emotions clouding his throat. His voice grew serious when he said, "Okay let's…." Suddenly a loud blast cut off, Pete's words.
Everyone turns in the direction of the boardwalk to see a fiery inferno where the fireworks were going off. They could see debris flying everywhere.
Fenton could hardly hear the screaming all around him because of the ringing in his ears. He could hear Sam and Pete beside him asking everyone if they were okay. As the ringing abated his own mind started going into panic mode. Frank! Joe! My God! Had he just lost both of his sons?
"Frank! Joe! " Laura screamed, crying hysterically, and snapping Fenton out of his panic state.
He immediately got a hold of himself, wrapping his arms around her. She immediately pulled away from him. " Fenton find our boys!"
Fenton kissed her forehead. "We'll find them," he reassured her, pushing back the wave of emotions that threatened to come spilling out. He had to stay in control for his family's sake. He needed to be their strength.
Pete gave his wife a quick kiss and wiped away her tears, "Everything's going to be okay."
Laura, Gertrude, Andrea, and Lindsey held onto each other as they watched and prayed silently as Fenton, Sam, and Pete took off running down the boardwalk in the direction of the explosion.
FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ
"I'm coming, Joe!"
What the… Why can't I open my eyes? Wake up!
Damn it! Wake up! He cursed panting heavily which made not only his head hurt, but also his chest. Frank began rubbing his chest instinctively as he stopped struggling and just lay still to allow himself to calm down. "Okay. Okay, Hardy, get a hold of yourself. Calm down and think, it's what you'd tell Joe to do." He began taking slow and steady breaths.
A few minutes later Frank had his breathing under control. He slowly opened his eyes and found that his vision was a bit blurry, and he blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Once his vision was clear enough, he could see the stars shining above him in the night sky. Then he heard crickets and other insects chirping all around him, followed by the sound of leaves rustling from the breeze of the wind, he could feel prickly grass beneath his fingertips making him realize that he was outside lying on the hard ground.
Okay, okay. Excellent job Hardy. Now your next mission is to get up. This is going to hurt, but you have to do it. Your little brother needs you. Several grunts and cursing came grumbling out of his mouth as he slowly sat up with his head spinning. He was immediately nauseous, and he could feel that the back of his head hurt. Reaching up he could feel a bump and wincing in pain at the contact, he quickly drew his hand away. Where am I? He wondered until his hand landed on a tree branch the size of a baseball bat lying beside him. The branch triggered a host of memories to come racing through his mind from him chasing Henry only to lose him in the woods. Next to finding himself on the side of the road at the crime scene where Jack Hayden had been killed, before getting distracted by a noise only to be struck in the back of the head with something and everything going dark.
Henry! Frank franticly looked all around him seeing no sign of the crazy kid. He turned his focus back towards the woods. "No!" He gasped as a thought hit him, "Henry…. Henry has Joe!"
"Damn it, Henry, I'll make you sorry, if you've done anything to my little brother." Frank cursed under his breath, fighting off a wave of dizziness that came over him. He managed to get up on his hands and knees, and he cast his eyes downward at the grass beneath him to steady himself, before lifting his head up to focus his attention on a tree about two feet from him.
"OK Frank, you can do this. One, two, three..." He counted and slowly began crawling over to the tree. Once he made it, he held onto the trunk for support as he slowly got to his feet. Shaking off the dizziness, he bit his lip, forcing himself to focus.
Suddenly an explosion went off lighting up the night sky in the direction of the Bayport Pier. "That's not fireworks! That's…" Suddenly the familiar ache in his chest increased even more. Ignoring his pounding head, Frank headed in the direction of the explosion repeatedly shouting, "Joe!" as he ran, staggering through the woods and back down the path that led to the pier. As he ran a disturbing thought came to him, If Henry was here then Ryan must be here too. Oh God… Oh God the threat! His head was pounding he knew it was likely that he had a concussion. His body was screaming at him to sleep and rest. But he couldn't stop, he couldn't think about himself, he had to do his job… he had to protect his little brother. This time he was not going to fail, he would protect Joe at all costs.
Finally, Frank reached the edge of the woods and he saw the destruction at the pier. He could hear sirens in the far distance, and he could see smoke billowing around as flames flickered and lit up the night sky. The sound of people screaming made his feet move faster and faster until he was full-on running. My family! My friends! I have to find them... Not again! NOT AGAIN!
Frank was so focused on the nightmare ahead of him, that he wasn't watching where he was going and he tripped over something and tumbled to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He could feel his heart racing as he laid there and tried to catch his breath. Once he had collected himself, he rolled over and sat up. By the glow of the moonlight, he noticed a set of tire tracks next to a purse and a pair of crutches which were laying haphazardly on the ground. His heart raced as he recognized them right away. Callie's purse! Joe's crutches! What? It didn't make sense…No, oh…no! Why are their things here? He was so confused, and his head was pounding even harder. He couldn't focus or think straight. They had to be around here somewhere. What if they were injured? His head and chest were hurting like crazy. He rubbed at his chest. "Joe!" He shouted. "Callie!" He managed to get himself up off the ground staggering and started to make his way towards the boardwalk where it looked like the explosion had originated.
As he reached the edge of the boardwalk, he heard someone call out his name, "Frank! Frank!" He knew that voice. "J..." He started to call out. "No, that's not, Joe." Frank corrected himself. That's..." His head was pounding, and his vision blurred again, as he tried to focus, he saw two little boys running out of the shadows in the darkness towards him in tears. He shook his head and his vision cleared and he was able to see it was only one little boy running towards him down the lighted pathway. Little Trevor McNeely.
Frank crouched down to the little boy's level as he practically flew into his arms and wrapped his arms around his neck tightly as he exclaimed. "Oh Frank! It's awful! Just awful! There was a loud boom and fire everywhere…I tried to be brave like you and Joe, but I didn't know what to do!" The little boy cried, his tears soaking Frank's shirt.
Ignoring his pounding head and focusing on Trevor, Frank said. "It's okay, Buddy. You're safe. I've got you." He spoke using the same calm, soothing tone of voice he would have used if he had been trying to get Joe to calm down.
After a moment, Frank tried to let Trevor go as his legs started to cramp up and he was starting to feel lightheaded, but the little boy wouldn't let go of him. He didn't dare try to stand up and carry Trevor because he was afraid his legs would buckle under him and send them both tumbling to the ground. He crouched down and held the frightened little boy in his arms until he began to calm down.
Once Trevor started to calm down Frank was finally able to pry his arms from around his neck. Looking down he could see the scared tear-filled blue eyes looking back up at him and he asked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
The little boy quickly nodded yes and then no to each of Frank's questions.
"Do you know where your parents are?"
As Trevor started to shake his head no, they heard a voice calling his name.
"Trevor!" Pete McNeely's voice called out answering Frank's question.
Frank looked up and sure enough he saw Pete McNeely racing towards them with Fenton and Sam right beside him.
"Trevor!" Pete called out the minute his eyes landed on his little boy.
"Daddy!" the little boy exclaimed, breaking free from Frank's arms and running to his father. Pete couldn't help the tears of joy from running down his face. "Oh Trevor, thank God. We were so worried! Don't you ever do that to us again!" He said as he scooped up his little boy hugging him tightly in his arms.
During the little boy's excitement, Frank's legs gave out and he lost his balance falling backwards and landing on his backside. He threw his arms out to brace himself and to keep himself from hitting his head a second time. Nevertheless, the movement irritated the bump in the back of his head. He winced in pain cradling his head in his hands. Damn that hurt!
Fenton's eyes had started to mist over as well when he saw his oldest son. Seeing Frank lose his balance he rushed to his side. "Frank…."
"Dad…Trevor... okay?" Frank stammered as he rose to his feet, but a wave of dizziness came over him causing him to lose his balance again and start to fall.
"Frank!" Fenton caught his son in time before he hit the ground.
"Dad…Trevor..." Frank repeated breaking free from his father's grip only to stumble once more.
This time Sam caught him. "Whoa! Easy there, champ. Trevor's fine. Pete has him and he's checking him over good." Sam reassured him. "Now why don't you sit back down and let your dad check you over." He instructed as he helped Fenton ease Frank back down on the ground.
"My head hurts a little... but I'm… fine." Frank insisted. Shaking off the dizziness that threatened to take over, he took a deep breath and forced himself to focus.
"You don't sound fine." Fenton stated pulling Frank back to get a better look at him. Sam knelt by Frank's side for extra support just in case. Fenton ran a hand along the back of his son's head, feeling the lump beneath his palm. "Let me check your eyes, you may have a concussion. We need to..."
"No time…can't…explosion...pier... Henry...got to find.…Joe!" Frank shook his head, trying to break free from his father's strong grip.
"Frank, don't try to get up." Fenton commanded as he tried to keep Frank still. He was aware of the chaos from the explosion on the pier, and even though he was worried about Joe, but right now his eldest son needed his immediate attention.
"She's hurt Daddy! She's, hurt bad!" Trevor cried pulling away from his father. Frank stopped struggling with Fenton at hearing the boy's response. That grabbed Fenton and Sam's attention as well. Pete sat Trevor on the ground. He knelt to his son's level, "Who's hurt?"
"That girl. Joe's friend." The little boy began stumbling over the name. "V'essa…. Nessa?"
"Are you trying to say Vanessa?" Pete asked.
"Yeah her! She's hurt real bad Daddy! We need to help her!"
"Trevor, you were with Joe and Vanessa?" Fenton asked urgently, needing to know where Joe and Vanessa were.
"Uh-ha. I snuck away…" The little boy looked quickly at Pete. He knew he was in big trouble, "Sorry Daddy…I didn't mean to…I just wanted to watch the fireworks with Joe and you, and Mommy were busy." His little voice quivered.
"It's okay, son, I know you were just excited to see Joe. I'll let it slide this time." Pete replied. He gave his son a small smile. He knew he was in trouble for sneaking away from his parents. "Right now, we need to see about Vanessa."
"Trevor, do you know if Joe's hurt too?" Frank asked breathlessly, the ache in his chest intensifying again.
"I don't know." Trevor shook his head. "The smoky monsters took him and um…um Callie away."
Frank's eyes widened as his heart sank. "What?" He gasped.
Fenton and Sam exchanged puzzled looks with each other. Pete just looked at his son, blinking. "Smoky monsters took Joe and Callie away?" He repeated slowly.
"Yeah. There were two of them. One was tall like you Daddy, but really scary."
"Trevor, you know better than to tell tales like that?" Pete scolded.
"But I saw them, Daddy! I'm not making up stories!" The little boy exclaimed. "Joe and Callie went to see Frank…. right before the big boom! V'nessa fell on top of me, but I crawled out from under her. She wasn't awake and she has an owie on her head. So, I ran to get help! I saw two smoky monsters hurt them and take them in a dark van and drive away…. I ran down the boardwalk to find help….and I found Frank!" His bottom lip started quivering as tears ran down his cheeks. "I tried to be brave like Joe. But I'm scared Daddy!" He threw his arms around his father.
Pete immediately wrapped his arms around his son to comfort him as he cried. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. Daddy's got you." He said consoling him. He cast a look over Trevor's shoulder at Fenton, Frank, and Sam who were just as perplexed as him.
Frank's mind suddenly flashed back to Callie's purse and Joe's crutches! The tire tracks! "Dad!" He exclaimed which made his head hurt, but he forced the pain away. Frank quickly told them about the items that he tripped over which were lying next to a set of tire tracks. "We have to… find them." As he struggled to get up Fenton kept his hands on top of Frank's shoulders to prevent his rising.
"Frank, you stay here. I'll go check it out." Sam offered.
"Thank you, Sam." Fenton said with gratitude. Sam nodded and got up with his flashlight in hand to go check out what Frank had said.
Fenton asked, "Frank, your mother told me you had a run in with Henry?" He wanted to keep Frank talking so he wouldn't pass out on them.
Frank decided not to protest Sam going, besides his head was hurting too much to put up much of a struggle. "Um…yeah," Frank slowly replied trying getting his thoughts together as it was difficult to focus. "After I sent you the pictures of the badge… mask. Callie and I ran… Henry. Chased after him only to lose him in the woods. Umm, I found myself on the side of the road at the crime scene where Jack Hayden was killed. Then something hit me on the back of the head everything went dark. I woke up to Joe calling my name." He rubbed his chest.
They still weren't sure what to make of Trevor's smoky monsters, however when Sam returned he confirmed what Frank had said, "There is a purse and a pair of crutches located next to a set of tire tracks. The tracks are on a side road between the woods and the boardwalk that led to the highway..."
"No!" Frank shouted trying once more to break free of his father's grip. It took the strength of both Fenton and Sam to get him to sit back down again. But the more they held Frank down the more agitated he became.
"Let me go, Dad! What if it's Ryan! He's Linsky I'm sure of it! What if he has them! They're getting away!" Frank shouted struggling to get free from Fenton and Sam and to get to his feet.
"Frank, look at me," Fenton grabbed the sides of his son's face forcing him to look at him. "I know you're upset, believe me, I am too. But you need to calm down and sit back down. We need to take care of you because you have a head injury. We need to..."
"No! Dad, we need…. to find them." Frank pleaded as he looked at his father with desperation in his eyes. He then had a flashback to when Jack Hayden and his minions kidnapped Joe from the Morton farm. Those three agonizing days he was missing and they didn't know if he was dead or alive, then he flashed to the hospital fire. It had almost killed Frank thinking that his little brother was dead. "I can't go through this again, Dad. It's hard enough with Joe…and now Callie…it's too much. I can't lose them." His voice cracked as he looked at his father as tears fell down his face.
Little Trevor clung to Pete just as Pete and Sam stood watching the father and son interaction expectantly from the sidelines waiting to help them if they were needed.
"I know, son, I know," Fenton said softly, letting go of Frank. "We're going to get them back." His heart was breaking at seeing his normally calm and collected son in distress like this. However, he knew that when Joe was hurt or in trouble that Frank's judgement became impaired. With Callie missing that would only intensify his feelings and of course with his own battle with depression it would only make matters worse.
Fenton took a breath to calm himself down and to collect his thoughts before continuing, "Frank, right now we need to see about Vanessa and get both of you the medical attention that you need. The main thing we all need to do is to stay calm so that we can deal with this situation. I don't care what it takes, I promise you, Frank. We'll get Joe and Callie back." Fenton said with conviction even though he was working hard to keep it together. He was trying to keep a brave face, but he was also going out of his mind with worry, wondering what was happening with his youngest son and future daughter in-law. But for his family's sake he had to remain in control.
Frank stopped struggling to break free. He slowly nodded, his worried and desperate eyes never leaving Fenton as he acknowledged that he had heard his father's words. Finally, Frank took a deep breath while raking a hand through his hair he calmly replied, "I'm sorry, Dad," he apologized, feeling slightly embarrassed for his actions. "You're right. I need to calm down. Joe and Callie need me to. God, this is so hard. I can't fall apart. I just can't." His head was pounding so much he couldn't think straight. However, that didn't stop the waves of emotions fighting inside of him each one trying to battle its way to the surface, with anger and fear as the top contenders. Thinking of Callie, he began a silent plead to her, hang on for me, Baby be strong. I love you. Frank began rubbing his chest feeling that familiar ache…. Hang on for me little brother. I promise I'll find you. I'll find you both.
As if in response, a sharp pain shot through his heart. "Joe..." He clutched at his chest as his breathing began to get heavier. Frank went limp and collapsed in his father's arms.
"Frank!"
FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ
Meanwhile around 10pm,
Picasso drove his dark van along Shore Road. About two miles from the Bayport Pier, he quickly turned down a side road to avoid the police and emergency crews that were heading that way. He continued down the rough road until he pulled into a long driveway which was hidden by the trees and lead to the Linsky's secluded three-bedroom log cabin. The property was dark; the only light coming from the moon and the van's lights.
"Well, that was a blast. You people sure know how to plan a celebration, and not only that we got two prizes out of the deal." the Artist smirked. He turned off the engine and the lights before tossing his ballcap behind his seat.
"Shut up." Carolyn snapped from the passenger seat. "You two idiots are going to be in so much trouble with Ryan." She glared at Picasso and then glanced over her shoulder into the backseat at Henry who was glaring right back at her. "We were only supposed to kidnap the Hardy kid. The girl was not part of Ryan's plan."
"So. Ryan should learn that plans change and that he needs to roll with the punches, especially when it benefits others." Picasso laughed dryly.
Carolyn sneered at him, "You won't be laughing when you end up like Daniel Bartend."
"Who's Daniel Bartend?" Picasso demanded sharply.
"Jack and Ryan's lawyer." She smiled smugly at the Artist. "Let's just say he messed up their plans one to many times, Ryan shot and killed him a couple of days ago." Picasso raised a brow at her response as she continued, "Yep, we buried his body behind the cabin along with the old couple that owned this place. So, if you don't want to end up like them…I'd suggest you toe the line."
Picasso gave her a long hard stare. He didn't like the threat she was implying. "Look Babe, Ryan is no threat to me. I'm not afraid of him. Let him come at me. He'll regret it."
"I ain't afraid of him either!" Henry growled.
"Shut it, you little maggot!" She snapped at Henry. "You're already in heap of trouble with him for running off. So, I'd watch it if I were you," sending Picasso an icy stare, she continued. "And I've told you before, don't call me, Babe!"
"You know, your beautiful when you're angry." Picasso said sweetly.
"Don't test me, Picasso." Carolyn threatened him. "I have killed men in my past, especially for being sexist pigs like you, and I won't hesitate to do it again. So, unless you want to be next, I'd suggest you shut your trap."
"You don't say? My, my, my you are becoming a very interesting woman." Picasso said raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. Something about the woman's statement had grabbed his attention. "We should talk later."
"Don't hold your breath!" Carolyn snarled.
Henry rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance as he listened to the two argue with each other. "Shut up the both of you! We're wasting time! Let's get Joe and the girl inside before they wake up. Now get moving!" He shouted impatiently from the backseat.
Taken by surprise at Henry's outburst, Picasso and Carolyn stopped and turned their attention to him. Carolyn narrowed her eyes in disgust at Henry, while Picasso just smirked and drawled. "Looks like the Boss has spoken."
"Shut up. Henry's not in charge." Carolyn hissed, then opened her door than stepped out of the van with a flashlight in hand. She slammed her door and then turned on her flashlight letting the beam guide her way to the back of the van.
"That's what you think bitch." Henry grumbled glaring at his uncle's girlfriend.
Damn, I can totally see Jack coming through this kid bit by bit, Picasso thought and then muttered under his breath, "I can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out." With that he and Henry joined Carolyn by the back of the van.
Picasso opened the back of his van while Carolyn ran the beam of her flashlight over the unconscious forms of Joe and Callie laying on the floorboard.
Henry grabbed Callie and tossed her over his shoulder, while Picasso carried Joe and they followed Carolyn up the front steps of the cabin where she took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Once inside she led them through the living room and passed a small bathroom before leading them down a hallway with three doors: one at the end and two across from it. "In here." She ordered opening the door to the bedroom on the right. She stepped aside so Picasso could enter the room carrying Joe over his shoulder.
"Put the girl here." she pointed to the first bed as Henry followed her instructions.
"Damn! It's about time, this kid is heavy." Picasso complained as he placed Joe on the other bed.
"That sedative I gave them should wear off soon. Here Picasso, secure the kid's hands to the bed post." Carolyn said as she quickly pulled out a couple of large black zip ties from her purse. Then she tossed some to Henry. "You do the same with the girl."
Carolyn huffed a sigh of relief once they had Joe and Callie bound securely to their beds. They then heard the screeching of tires and the slam of a car door, followed by heavy footsteps coming up the steps. She rushed to the window and peered out to see and said, "he's here." She turned and looked at Picasso and Henry. "I'll let you two explain to Ryan why you fucked up his plan."
"His plan maybe fucked up, but mine isn't." Henry growled. "Okay, Picasso, I got you the girl you wanted. Now where's my gun."
"Whoa Kid, not so fast, I gott'a check her out first to make sure everything is up to par." Picasso replied, as he turned on the light to get a better look at Callie.
He walked over to the sleeping girl's bedside. "Not bad, not bad." He commented letting his eyes roam over her navy-blue scoop-neck tank top and white knee length capris that covered her body he so desperately wanted to claim. His eyes lingered back to watch her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. There was something different about her though. Her clothes were different, the last time he had seen her she had been wearing a little white number that showed off those delicious long legs. This beauty has nice legs, but those weren't the legs he had had his eyes on. Picasso knelt so that he could be at eye level with her, and he brushed a strand of her disheveled blonde hair off her face. Then he gently moved her face with his hand to get a better look at her. She is a beauty, he'd give her that, however, this wasn't his blonde legged beauty. This was not the girl that he saw Joe Hardy with earlier.
Damn, what is it with this Hardy kid? He must have a knack for picking up hot ladies. He got up and went over and stood by Joe's bed. Suddenly Joe stirred and a moaning sound escaped from his mouth, "F-Frank!"
Crap! The kid was waking up! Picasso thought as he took a small step back.
Joe began tossing his head from side to side. "NO... Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…"
Suddenly Joe's eyes popped open staring right up at Picasso. Oh shit! Picasso started to panic until, he noticed something strange about them. He waved a hand in front of Joe's face and to Picasso's surprise he didn't flinch and his eyes didn't move. What the hell? It's as if the kid was in a trance. Picasso shifted his attention back to Joe's eyes and he studied his face. There was bruising on his chin from the uppercut he had given him before loading him up in his van, but those eyes. What was it about those eyes? There was something familiar about this kid, he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was nagging at him, who was this kid and why was he so familiar?
Then an idea struck him. He took out a phone from the pocket of his leather jacket and he began flipping through pictures on his phone, until he stopped at a photo in particular…he studied it then shifted his eyes back to Joe's vacant blue eyes.
Well, I'll be damned, I know who this kid is he thought. I know people who'd pay big money for him. And I know just the person who'd pay anything to get him back. But if the Boss finds out, he flashed back to his phone call with the Boss, "…The Hardy's are not to be touched yet. If anything happens to any of them, I'll eliminate you personally and you won't see it coming!" then the line had gone dead. He began to rub his chin as he weighed the pros and cons of his dilemma. All of a sudden, however, an evil grin spread across the Artist's face chuckling inwardly, "I'm going to die a very rich man." He said under his breath as he quickly took a picture of Joe, before putting his phone back in the pocket of his leather jacket.
Joe began thrashing about again, while struggling against the ties. "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! It hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…"
"What are you doing to him, Picasso!" Henry shouted stepping in front of the man and began forcefully pushing him away from Joe's bed. "We had a deal. You promised to help protect Joe, not hurt him!"
"I didn't touch your boyfriend you little prick!" Picasso fired back.
"Then why is there a bruise on his face…"
"Call it a minor setback during retrieval and transportation."
"Get away from him!" Henry pushed the man again.
Picasso stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance. His eyes darkened with anger, and his entire body took on an aggressive stance. "Put your hands on me again kid and I swear it, I'll spill the beans to your uncle about who really killed his big brother."
Henry took a step back from the man keeping his fists clenched at his side as Joe began thrashing again pulling and struggling against the ropes and drawing his attention from Picasso.
"Joe, Joe it's me. It's Henry. I'm here, I'll protect you." For the next several minutes, Henry tried everything that he could think of to get Joe to snap out of it. He called his name, reassured him that he was okay, but everything tried didn't work. "Why's he acting like this?" he cried in frustration.
"Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!" Joe was thrashing so much against the bedpost Henry noticed the zip ties were cutting his wrists raw causing blood to run down his arms.
Henry didn't know what to do. "I don't know how to stop him." Henry said panicking. "Joe is not supposed to get hurt."
Picasso took several deep breaths, and he slowly began to calm down. Once he got himself under control, he decided to teach Hayden junior a lesson and toy with his mind. He cleared his throat and said softly in Henry's ear, "It's obvious what Joe wants. Or should I say…who he really wants, who he's calling for…."
"No!" Henry shouted running an agitated hand through his dark hair, his eyes darkening at the thought of the elder Hardy boy.
He whirled around at Picasso with rage in his eyes and ranted on, "I'm the one Joe needs. Frank doesn't care about him. He's supposed to be his big brother and protector, but I've seen how he treats Joe! Just by his actions today proves it. He didn't see me, but I saw everything! All of Joe's friends and family were ganging up on him, yelling at him, and saying hurtful things! I saw the hurt and tears on Joe's face every time! And what did Frank do? Nothing!"
Joe continued thrashing about and shouting, "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!"
Henry couldn't take hearing that name anymore. "Forget about him, Joe! He's no good for you!" Henry gently placed his hand on the side of Joe's face, trying to reassure him. "I should've killed Frank when I had the chance!"
"What did you say, you little shit?" Ryan shouted as he came into the room with Carolyn right behind him.
They immediately saw Joe thrashing about, "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!"
"Get away from him!" Ryan said angrily pulling Henry away from Joe. He turned back towards the bed and noticed that Joe's eyes were open but vacant looking. Pointing at Joe he demanded. "What the hell did you do to him?"
"Nothing!" Henry fired back.
"We don't know, we can't get him to stop." Picasso replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Carolyn, can you do something?" Ryan asked the former nurse.
Carolyn nodded, took a syringe out of her bag. "Ryan, Picasso, hold him still." The two men firmly held Joe down on the bed while Carolyn administered the sedative. They let go of him when they were sure he had settled.
Ryan turned his attention to his nephew. "Now what were you saying? You should've killed Frank when you had the chance?"
Henry's face paled realizing he had let part of his secret slip out. His eyes widened with fear, and he swallowed a lump in his throat, "I-I-"
Ryan didn't give him a chance to get the words out, he grabbed Henry by the front of his shirt and shoved him against the wall, knocking pictures to the floor. He gripped Henry's chin giving him an icy stare, "Carolyn, informed me that you ran off right before we set off the bomb at the pier. What have you been up to!?" He glanced over at a motionless Callie tied to the other bed. "Who is she?" He hissed stabbing a finger in her direction.
Henry looked at Callie then back at Ryan. "She's Joe's girlfriend."
"Why is she here?"
"I don't know, she got caught up in the excitement." Henry lied.
"Fine." Ryan huffed, "Now tell me what you said about Frank Hardy."
Henry quickly gave him half of the truth. He immediately jerked his head away from his hand. "I had a run in with Frank. I chased after him down the boardwalk and into the woods. He led me to the ditch where he killed Jack and we fought. I hit him over the head with a tree branch, but I only knocked him out. I swear, I didn't kill him, at least I don't think I did…."
"You little shit! I knew you were going to screw this up!" Ryan roared, backhanding Henry across the face knocking him to the floor. Henry slowly sat up breathing heavily while wiping blood from his bottom lip, he knew that he had made a mistake, he had revealed too much.
Ryan turned to Picasso and Carolyn and instructed, "Stay here, keep an eye on these two." He nodded in Joe and Callie's direction. "My nephew needs to be taught a lesson. I owe it to Jack to keep his kid in line."
"No!" Henry shouted fearfully struggling to get away, but he wasn't fast enough. Ryan grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the room.
Picasso and Carolyn stepped out of the room and into the hallway to watch Ryan drag Henry down the hall and into the other bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him.
Ryan threw Henry on the bed where he landed on his stomach with a thump. He just laid there, trying to catch his breath and dreading what was to come.
"Let's go, Henry, you know the rules." Ryan growled.
Oh, yes, he knew the rules. Jack had beaten them into him as long as he could remember. He knew very well what was about to happen. Just take it like a man Jack would always say. It'll be over soon if you don't make a sound or shed a tear. Just take it like a man.
"Let's go! I don't have all night!" Ryan shouted.
Henry got up off the bed. He took off his shirt letting it fall to the floor at his feet, revealing his body scarred from years of abuse. He wasn't going to cry, he would not shed one tear, he wouldn't give Jack or Ryan the satisfaction. I hope Jack's burning in hell and that Ryan would join him soon. He got back on his bed his hands gripping the bedpost and he stared at the wall in front of him. Nope not one tear.
"Take it like a man." Ryan said, pulling his arm back to strike.
What Picasso and Carolyn heard next was the sound of leather hitting flesh ten times, "Damn." Picasso cursed. They each sucked in a breath and raised an eyebrow when everything went eerily quiet. When Ryan came out of the room, his face was flushed from anger and exertion. Picasso and Carolyn went back into the bedroom where Joe and Callie were to wait for him before he noticed them. Once he entered the room, they saw that his jaw was clenched, his chest was heaving and he had beads of sweat on his forehead.
Carolyn cleared her throat. "Ryan, did you…"
"No, I didn't kill the brat, he just passed out." Ryan huffed, angrily answering their unasked question. "You'll need to clean and dress his back though."
"Okay." Carolyn nodded her agreement. She let out the breath she was holding, then asked, "So what's the plan now?"
Ryan glanced over at Joe and Callie. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two. Then he focused on Callie. "Wait a minute." There was something familiar about her. He went over to get a better look at Callie. Once he saw her face, he knew that he was right.
"I know her."
"What? How do you know her?" Picasso asked confused.
"To make a long story short a couple of months back I used to be the principal of Bayport High school, Jack was their history teacher. It was our cover story until Henry started hanging around Joe Hardy and screwed everything up. Anyway," Ryan waved it off not wanting to get into that. He looked down at Callie. "She used to work as an assistant in the school's attendance office."
"I think her name is…Shaw? Um Callie Shaw." Ryan said remembering the girl's name. "Henry said, she's Joe Hardy's girlfriend. But he's wrong." He turned to look at Joe.
"Ryan, what do you mean?" Carolyn huffed impatiently.
"If I remember correctly when I'd walk the hallways, I always saw her with Frank Hardy. They were always together standing at each other's lockers, holding hands, sneaking quick kisses before heading to their classes."
"So, you're saying…she's Frank Hardy's girlfriend, not Joe's." Carolyn concluded.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Ryan nodded.
"Well, I'd say judging by that rock on the girl's ring finger. She's a bit more than just his girlfriend." Picasso said pointing at the engagement ring on Callie's finger.
"Well, if that's the case, your plan to get revenge on Frank Hardy can still work and will be even better. I mean you have his lady and his baby brother. What better way to torture him than by making him choose who he loves more. Then when he's at his breaking point, you can just blow all three of them up." Carolyn said.
Ryan stared at the engagement ring on Callie's finger. Suddenly a sinister grin spread across his face, his chuckling breaking the silence. "I like it." Then his voice grew hard and serious as he said, "We need to find out where he is first. And thanks to the actions of my stupid ass nephew we're going to have to check to see if he's lying in a hospital bed or on a slab in the morgue. It'll be risky for us, but it'll be worth it."
"It'll be better if I go." Carolyn suggested. "I know my way around the hospital, so I should be able to get in and out unnoticed. Especially since the medical personnel are going to be busy treating all of the injured from the explosion." She added, "I gave the Hardy kid another dose of the sedative so he's going to be out for a while. I'll go clean up his wrists and then Henry as well before I go."
"Okay." Ryan added, "I'll stay here to get the rest of the plan in motion." He turned to Picasso. "Do you still have the other bomb?"
"Yep, I do." The Artist replied.
"Good. I'll let you know when I'm ready for it."
"Give me a holler, I'll be in my office." Picasso replied with a smirk on his face. he was so entertained watching the drama going on; he was loving every minute of it. He left the bedroom, headed down the hallway and then out the front door of the cabin. Once he was outside he climbed behind the wheel of his van, he had some business of his own to take care of and he didn't want either Ryan or Carolyn to overhear. He took out his phone from inside the pocket of his leather jacket then dialed a number from memory.
"Hello." A man's voice answered on the second ring.
"Yo! it's your o' pal Picasso'…"
"Picasso?"
"Yeah, I know it's been a while."
"What do you want!"
"Don't be mad. I've got something you want."
"What?"
Picasso pulled up the picture he had taken of Joe, "I'm sending you a photo, now." He hit the send button.
"You're sure that's him?" the man's voice responded back moments later.
"Yup, sure is. Your little cherub's all grown up. I've seen him up close and he's quite the looker, I can see why he makes the girls wet their panties and jingles your bells. Almost makes me want a piece of him too, unfortunately I don't swing that way. " Picasso remarked crudely.
"I want him back, Picasso. Money is no object. Name your price. Wait! Where are…"
"I'll be in touch." Then he hung up cutting off the man's words, "An evil grin slide across the Artist's face, I'm going to be a rich son of a bitch."
FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ
Meanwhile at the Bayport General Hospital...
"Joe!"
Frank's eyes popped opened. He quickly sat up; gasping for breath, making his chest hurt. He heard a beeping noise beside him. He gingerly moved his hand to his face and felt a white bandage wrapped around his head. He reached around to the back of his head, and feeling a small lump there, and winced slightly at the contact. He glanced down at the light blue gown he had on, then saw the IV in his arm and noticed wires that were connected to a heart monitor. It slowly dawned on him that he was in the hospital. How'd I get here? He thought as he started to panic.
"Frank, take it easy." Dr. Bryce said, coming into the room with Laura. "We were right outside when we heard that monitor go off."
"I can't stay here... not safe…after the fire... not after Joe... I need to find Joe…"
"The hospital is fine. It's safe. You are safe. The elevators are up and running, the second floor is still under repairs but other than that the..." Dr Bryce started to say.
"Where's Joe!" Frank shouted breathlessly cutting off the doctor's words. The familiar ache in his chest increased at the thought of his brother. Joe was in trouble he could feel it.
"Frank. Honey it's okay." Laura said softly, moving to stand by his bedside trying to ease him back onto his pillow. "Relax, lay back and try to rest. "She added in a soothing voice, doing her best to stay calm She touched Frank's hand. "Your father and Sam are out working with the police to help find him and Callie. They're trying to locate the dark van that Trevor said he saw. They went back to the pier to look for clues, but it's such a mess down there because of the explosion. The pier's director is helping the police and trying find out how this happened."
"Vanessa was brought in last night by ambulance. She has a mild concussion. She woke up this morning with no further complications, thank goodness. The doctor said that she's going to be just fine, although she will have to take it easy for a few days. She'll be released from the hospital shortly and Andrea is with her now." Laura continued, "Little Trevor, the poor thing. He was so upset and scared after everything. He practically cried himself to sleep wanting to see Joe. Pete and Lindsey took him home after the doctors checked him over and treated him for minor scrapes…."
"Last night, later this afternoon?" Frank looked at his mother confused. "Mom what time is it?"
"It's one in the morning..."
'What!" Frank exclaimed. He grabbed the back of his head and winced at the pain. then memories started flooding back to Frank…from the explosion... the Pier... Henry…Trevor…Vanessa...got to find.…the van…Ryan... Callie…Joe was missing! He started to get up out of his bed causing the monitor to go off again as he almost pulled out the IV.
"Frank what are you doing get back in bed!" Laura said, stopping him by placing both hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie back down.
"No…I'm not staying!" He said, struggling to get back up.
"Frank, listen to your mother." Dr. Bryce instructed his patient. "Lay back down and rest. You also have a mild concussion. We have you hooked up to a heart monitor and you need to stay here until tomorrow for observation. Just to make sure that your heart…. "
"No! I can't!"
"Frank…Please…" Laura pleaded.
"I'm sorry Mom." Frank pleaded. "I'm not in high school anymore. You can't force me to stay, I can refuse medical treatment. I'm over 18 so I don't require your consent….
Laura looked up at Dr. Bryce and implored. "Doctor, please, do something."
"I'm sorry Laura," Dr. Bryce replied, "Although I would advise against it, Frank is right. He has a legal right to refuse medical treatment."
"Please, Mom… I've got to find Callie." he clutched his chest as the pain increased. "...and Joe…I can feel him! He's scared and hurt; he needs me!"
"Joe," Laura whispered softly. She bit her bottom lip and her heart ached, thinking of her not so little baby boy and how much she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She turned back to her eldest son noting the determination in his eyes. She knew that it went back to the 'special connection' the boys shared. If Frank was sensing what his brother was feeling was true, then... then she was not going to question it.
"Okay Frank," She reluctantly agreed. Why do my boys have to be so stubborn, she thought ruefully. "I love you and I know you're an adult now and you don't need your father and I to make decisions for you. Just know that no matter how old you are, you will always be my child. And I'll always be your mother." She grabbed his face in her hands, making sure he was listening to her. Frank looked up at his mother noting the stern look in her eyes, and her tone, "I want you to promise me, that you're going to take care of yourself. I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time Joe went missing. You're not going to do him or Callie any good if you're going to worry yourself sick."
The last thing Laura added was, "Remember if you are sensing that Joe is scared and hurt, then he's going to need his levelheaded big brother to stay calm and to think things through so that he can come and save him. Is that clear?"
Frank took in a deep calming breath then slowly let in out, "Okay, Mom. I promise." He agreed. "I'll take care of myself. it won't be like before."
"That's all I ask. Now I'll go get your clothes, then I'm going to go call your aunt and let her know you're coming home, and to ask her to get your room ready. Prepare yourself for a lecture with her." She went to the closet to get her son's clothes then brought them over set them on the bed for him to change into.
"Thank you, Mom. And I love you too." Frank smiled and put his hand on top of hers. Laura leaned over and kissed his cheek; she stood up and sniffed back a sob. He watched his mother start to leave when thoughts of the whereabouts of his friends entered his mind. Were they safe? He already lost his best friend when Phil was murdered; he couldn't bear the thought of losing anymore of his close friends. Frank asked concern for his friends. "Wait Mom. Where is everyone? The gang's not hurt, are they?"
Hearing the concern in her son's voice Laura turned back around. "They're fine." She said trying to ease his worry. "They were over at the game area watching the fireworks, when I texted Biff to let him know everything that was going on, I also asked him to get everyone back to picnic area, just in case. They all made it back safely a few minutes after the explosion. Thank God none of them were hurt. Right now, they're all home with their families. They've been anxious to see you, but I told them visiting would have to wait until tomorrow. They were very understanding.
"I'm glad they're okay." Frank replied relieved to hear that his friends were safe. "Was anyone else hurt?"
"Yes, Tony's Uncle Angelo broke his leg from tripping over debris during the explosion, he going to be laid up for a while. That means the renovation of the new agency will be on hold for a bit until he is more mobile so he can oversee his crew."
"Wow, that's too bad. I hope he's going to be OK? I guess that means he's going to be out of work for a while." Frank commented, "but with the way things are going right now with Joe and everything else, I guess the new agency will have to be put on hold." It saddened him to think with uncertainty that his and Joe's dream of collaborating with their father may never happen.
"Also, Harry Garrett was killed in the explosion. He was struck in the head by flying debris while trying to help people." Laura said breaking into Frank's thoughts.
"Not Harry!" Frank replied shocked by the news thinking of the retired police officer, Harry may have been heavyset, boisterous, slob of a man, but he was a good man with a big heart who cared about people.
"Mom, thank you." Frank said again as Laura gave him a comforting hug and kiss before leaving the room to call Gertrude.
"I'll have a nurse bring you the release forms." Dr. Bryce reluctantly agreed as well. "Now you get home I want you to get a good night sleep. That way you'll be well rested so you can help your dad find Callie and your brother."
"I will Doctor and thank you."
Once the doctor took out Frank's IV and detached the heart monitor he left the room, Frank laid back down began rubbing his chest feeling that familiar ache in his chest. Hang on for me Callie, little brother. I promise I'll find you. I'll find you both! He vowed to himself.
Dr. Bryce left Frank's room and went to the nurse's station to give his orders. There were two nurses currently behind the counter. One was an older stout woman with gray curly hair wearing pink scrubs and entering data on her computer. The other nurse, a young slender woman of about thirty had long blonde hair and wearing wire-rim glasses and pink scrubs, was putting files away in the filing cabinet.
"Deloris, I need you to get a release form for Frank Hardy ready." The doctor said addressing the older nurse.
The nurse looked up from her computer. "A release form for Frank Hardy. But isn't he..." She asked surprised.
"I know." he said with a sigh. "Just get the release form and take it to him, please."
"Sure, thing Doctor."
"Thank you." Dr. Bryce said then left to make his rounds.
Nurse Deloris stepped away from the computer to get the release form out of a drawer and take it to Frank's room. "Oh, wait. I'm supposed to take inventory of our pharmacy and medical supplies." She said stopping in her tracks.
"I can do that." The younger nurse offered closing the file drawer. She walked up to the older nurse.
"What's your name again? I don't remember seeing you here before." Deloris asked.
"Diane. Diane Jenkins. I'm the new R.N. I just started a few weeks ago. I'm still learning the ropes to do my job well and for our patients of course." The nurse smiled cheerfully. "So, I'd be happy to do the inventory for you. It would be another learning experience for me and my way of helping out a fellow nurse."
"Oh, Diane that is really sweet of you." Deloris gushed at the woman's kindness, most of the nurses she had to work with hated doing the inventory. She smiled," Thank you so much. That would help me out a great deal. Okay. Here's the list. All you have to do is make sure that everything on the list is accounted for and checked off," The older nurse handed her a clipboard with a supply list to the young nurse. "And here you'll need these." she said taking a set of keys out of her pocket, "This is to the pharmacy and medical supply room. Thank you again. I've got to take this form to Frank Hardy."
"You're welcome." the young nurse smiled, clutching the keys tightly in her hand as she watched the older nurse head to Frank's room. "Oh no thank you, ya old crow." she grumbled under her breath as her cheery smile faded into an evil grin across the face belonging to Carolyn aka Nurse Crazy Matthews. Five minutes later, she saw Nurse Deloris pushing Frank Hardy in wheelchair with his mother walking beside them past the nurses' station and towards the exit doors.
She took a phone out of her pocket and speed dialed a number.
"Ryan." She said into the phone as soon as he answered. "Frank Hardy, just left the hospital. From what I gather he's just got a mild concussion. Anyway, he's alive and Henry didn't screw him up to badly. Let's wait a few days to give him time to recuperate and that way it'll give us more time to work out our plan. I'll be home soon. I just need to pick up a few things."
With that she hung up the phone and made her way down the hallway to the pharmacy and medical supply room. She quickly unlocked the door, looking both ways up and down the hallways before slipping inside.