Chapter Nineteen

Con heard the first gunshot and although he knew he could help out, he also knew that he needed backup since he didn't know exactly how many men there were. Making a quick decision, the officer made his way back to his truck, listening for any other sounds along the way. More gunshots echoed around him and Con quickened his pace. He wanted to get back as soon as he could to help out but just before he made it to the road, a scream erupted behind him. Pausing, Con thought about what he could do. If he took the time to radio for help, it could mean someone's life. Grunting, the officer pulled out his weapon and backtracked toward the house.

Moving swiftly and quietly, Con rushed through the trees. He came to a halt at the sound of someone's voice. It was a man's voice, one seething with anger and menace. Con tried to listen for the woman who screamed but all he heard was the sound of rustling leaves and underbrush a few feet from where he stood. As he crept forward, he finally saw the source of the voice. A man was kneeling on the ground several feet away, a woman's legs kicking beneath him. Her movements came slower and slower and Con knew he had to act before it was too late. Without even thinking, the officer aimed and shot his gun at the man, the bullet exploding from the gun. Con could see the impact of the bullet as it ripped through the man's back and out his chest. He watched the assailant go limp, his body falling onto the woman beneath him. That was when he saw the bright blue hue of the dress she wore and realized who she was.

"Nancy!" he cried scrambling over to her. Con holstered his gun then flipped the man off her. The man with a pompadour haircut stared blankly at the sky, bloodied scratches along his cheeks from where nails raked across them. Blood spewed from the open wound where his heart once was, covering his once nice suit.

Con turned to Nancy, her reddish-blond hair spayed around her as if a halo encircled her head, a splatter of blood still wet from her assailant's wound. Her eyes were barely open as he gently shook her. Con leaned over her, his ear inches from her nose. He was alarmed when he felt no breath and quickly fell into a panic. What could he do to save her?

"Where's Nancy?" Joe asked.

Frank's heart plummeted. He forgot all about Nancy with Nick going after her. The final gunshot echoed in his mind, jolting him back to reality. Thoughts went through Frank's head as he pushed his way past Joe. He heard his father order Joe to follow him but he said nothing as he made his way outside. Frank halted at the house's edge, unsure of which direction to go. There was no sign of Nancy or Nick down the open driveway. He looked down to possibly see any footprints only to find dead grass and dry dirt. Frank rushed toward the trees, the only other place Nancy would have run to.

"Frank!" Joe angrily cried behind him. He caught up to his older brother, stopping him inches from the tree line. "Why the hell would you bring her here? You knew something like this could happen!"

"Not now, Joe," Frank growled, yanking away.

"No, now is the perfect time! If anything happens to her, it'll be your fault!"

His brother whirled around on him, his fists clenched at his sides. Frank's deep eyes flared with anger as he spoke, his voice quivering. "You really want to know why she came? Because that's more important than actually finding her? For your information, I didn't want her to come with me! She wanted to come, Joe! She wasn't about to stay home knowing you and Dad were in danger. You know Nancy! I would never have been able to stop her even if I tried! Neither one of us had any indication that someone was following us. We got the last two plane tickets, for crying out loud! But if you want to blame me for this, then fine! Just add it to the list of things to be angry at me for!"

"Frank! Joe!" cried a voice from the trees, interrupting the argument.

"Con!" yelled Frank, recognizing the voice.

"Over here!"

The brothers rushed into the trees, following the sound of Con's voice. They were a few hundred feet beyond the tree line before they came across Con, kneeling over Nancy. Nick lay a few feet away, his eyes still staring at the sky. Frank felt a lump in his throat as he slowed toward the scene. Flashbacks of when his mother died visualizing in his head. No, not Nancy too, he thought. He raked his hands through his hair as Joe brushed past him.

"What happened?" Joe asked kneeling on the other side of Nancy.

"I was just about to my truck to call for backup when I heard her scream," the officer explained, his eyes full of pain. "I…I had no choice but to shoot. He was going to kill her. She stopped breathing, Joe. I did what I could do to bring her back but at least she's breathing again, even though it's shallow. She needs a doctor."

Joe looked down at his friend. There was blood all over her though he wasn't sure if it was all hers. He could hear her struggling to breathe and his anger rose. Joe looked up at Frank, daggers in his eyes.

"This is your fault, Frank!" he screamed. "First Mom, now Nancy! Who else are you going to take away from this world?"

"Joe, what are you talking about?" Con asked confused though the younger Hardy ignored him.

Joe rose from the ground, keeping his eyes on Frank. The older Hardy shook his head in disbelief as his brother came at him.

"You bought those jewels, Frank! You did this!" Just as Owen made the same mistake with Frank, Joe threw a punch at his older brother. Reflexively, Frank caught Joe's fist in midair. The younger Hardy's eyes went wide in shock while Con took in a breath.

"I'm not going to fight you, Joe," Frank softly said, letting go of his brother's hand. "If I could change the past, I would. It seems like no matter what I do, you're never going to forgive me." He looked over at Con, his eyes full of heartache and pain. "Where's your truck?"

The officer pointed toward the direction where his truck was parked. "The keys are still in it. Chief Collig needs to know where we are."

"I'll take care of it," the young man nodded. "I guess it's the only good thing I can do."

Frank looked down at Nancy before stepping away, turning his back on the scene. Joe stood watching his brother, his fists no longer clenched. It was the second time he pushed away Frank only this time, he regretted it the moment he saw the anguish written across his brother's face.

"What was that all about?" Con cried, whirling around on Joe. The young Hardy's lower lip trembled his blue eyes still following the direction Frank went even though he could no longer see him. "Why would you do that? He came here to help and you acted like spoiled brat!"

"I…I'm just so angry at him, Con," Joe mumbled. He glanced at the officer, his eyes watery. "He brought Nancy here, putting her in danger."

"And you didn't listen to him," he angrily snapped. Joe was startled by Con's harshness as the man continued. "I heard you all the way over here. You know Nancy just as much as he does! She's as stubborn as a mule! If he left her in Chicago, she would have followed him anyway. You know that, Joe."

Con shook his head then knelt next to Nancy. He was glad she wasn't awake to hear the arguments around her. It took what seemed like forever to finally get her to breathe again only to hear the argument of the brothers not far from him. The Hardy brothers were just as stubborn as Nancy but Con had hoped that they could finally resolve their differences since Frank came back.

Joe stared at the ground and shook his head. He glanced in the direction Frank went, wondering if he should follow him. Hearing Con speaking softly, Joe looked down to see Nancy stirring. Relief coursed through him when he saw her eyes fluttering open.

"Don't move, Nancy," Con ordered, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. Nancy jerked away as if she didn't see who was there.

Joe knelt next to her as she quickly sat up. "Hold on, Nan," he said calmly. "It's Joe and Con Riley. You're safe."

Nancy quit struggling as her eyes focused on him. She blinked a few times then looked over at Con who gave her an encouraging smile. The two men steadied her as she shifted. Looking around, her eyes went wide and she gasped when she saw Nick lying not far from where they were. She glanced at Joe, giving him a questioning look.

"That was Con," he answered. "He saved your life."

"He was…strangling you," Con said defeatedly. "I had to shoot him before he killed you."

She nodded and hugged him, grateful for his timing. As Joe watched, he thanked God that his friend was okay. The two men helped her off the ground, steadying her when she swayed slightly. Nancy turned around, searching the area before turning to Joe. Her lips moved though nothing came out of her mouth. She stopped, confused then tried again with still no words the second time. Nancy looked frustrated as she rubbed her neck.

"That man must have damaged your vocal cords," Con pointed out. Nancy gave him a sad look before looking at Joe.

Where's Frank? She mouthed at Joe expectantly.

He looked away, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Nancy smacked his arm, giving him a dirty look. "Ow!" Joe cried, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

She continued to look at him, her blue eyes blazing and her lips tightly pursed.

"I think you might want to answer her," the officer chuckled.

"Okay, okay," he conceded. "I…may have said something wrong. Ow!"

Nancy smacked him again. Con let out a snort though he hid it behind a hand. Nancy glared at Joe, her silence worse than words. The young Hardy glanced at Con for help though the officer shook his head. Dropping his shoulders, Joe looked back at Nancy.

"I blamed him for what happened to you, just like I did Mom." He cringed slightly, lifting his hands protectively. When she didn't move, he continued. "I…I…okay, I made a mistake."

"I told you," Con smirked then touched Nancy's arm to get her attention. "Frank went to radio the Chief, Nancy. I'm sure he'll come back soon."

As if in answer, the sound of sirens approached from a distance. Con held out his arm for Nancy. "Here, let's get out of here."

She nodded, her anger gone as she took the man's arm. Nancy turned toward Joe, motioning for him to follow. The young Hardy grimly nodded then followed the two back toward the house, leaving Nick behind.

Frank got to Con's truck and radioed the police. He sat at the wheel for several minutes, contemplating if he should go back to the house. He didn't want to see Joe at the moment but Frank also wanted to make sure Nancy was okay. She looked pale and her breathing was shallow enough that he almost thought she was dead. Frank couldn't live with himself if she was. There was so much he wanted to tell her still.

Sighing, Frank started the engine after finding the keys and turned the truck around before stopping a few feet away. He thought about what Joe said to him and shook his head. Going back would mean confronting Joe but also seeing his father and making sure Nancy was okay. If he didn't go back though, Frank figured no one would miss him, just as it was eight years before.

But you were missed he thought. Dad at least did. Nancy was upset when she first saw him but she eventually confided in him about Owen. Did she really care though considering he left without saying goodbye to her so many years before? Joe was obviously never going to get over what happened especially if Nancy died.

Frank cried out in frustration. It would be so easy for him to just slip away again and never return home. The temptation was too great not to. Closing his eyes, Frank leaned on the steering wheel and tried to clear his mind.

When he opened them again, he was surprised to see that he was no longer in the truck. It was downtown Bayport, right near the bank. Frank looked around, wondering how he got there when seconds ago, he was sitting in Con's truck. It was then that he realized exactly where he was: the spot where his mother died. But he was alone, the street empty and the town quiet save for the rustling of leaves nearby. He stopped, hearing the sound of someone walking toward him, their heeled shoes clacking on the pavement.

Frank turned to look around him, searching for the source of the footsteps. There was no one around but the footsteps continued to come toward him.

He suddenly felt a hand tenderly touch his shoulder and Frank turned to see Laura Hardy standing behind him. She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with pride and emotion. Frank took a step back, his mouth open slightly in shock.

"Mom?" he sputtered.

"Hello, Frank," Laura said, her voice calm.

"You…what's going on here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she replied.

Frank shook his head. "This isn't real. You're dead. I've been blaming myself for it for years."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. It was an accident that couldn't be avoided."

"But…"

"Just watch."

Suddenly the town came alive as if it had been paused. People appeared from behind, cars moved back and forth down the street. Frank saw himself walking with his mother, both oblivious to him watching them only feet away. He watched as his mother pushed him toward where Callie waited for him, a smile etched on her face. Laura stopped briefly, watching her son before stepping off the sidewalk and into the street.

Frank could see the car slowly coming down the street, the same car he remembered that fateful day. He could see the memory of himself glancing at the car as it passed, briefly exchanging a look with the passenger. Frank looked back at his mother who stopped in the street to pick up something she had dropped. He opened his mouth to warn her though nothing came out. The car picked up speed, making its way toward Laura who was still in the street. It's aim wasn't directed toward her but to the side. Suddenly, a ball bounced into the street and a child ran after it. The car swerved to avoid the child, aiming at Laura but before the car hit her, the scene dissolved and Frank was alone again.

Tears flowed down his cheek as he stared at the space where his mother had been. Frank felt a hand engulf his own and he turned to see her standing beside him.

"It was never your fault, sweetheart," Laura said tenderly.

"But you still died," he protested. "If I hadn't bought that ring or necklace, you would still be here. They wouldn't have tried…"

"You didn't know that was going to happen, Frank. You did what you thought was right at the moment, what you felt in your heart. There's nothing that can change that. But think of this: if the driver didn't swerve to avoid the child, would you feel the same way if the child died?"

Frank thought about it for a moment. "No," he finally stated. "I never thought of it in that way. I didn't even know a child was almost hit. There was no mention of it."

"The young man driving the car made a choice," Laura continued. "Either decision would have resulted in the same way, just different victims. He chose one over the other and took that guilt to his grave." She lightly touched Frank's face and looked deep into his eyes. "You need to quit blaming yourself for what happened. Your brother is hurting just as much as you are. You need to talk to him, Frank. You both need to heal."

"Mom, I…"

Frank blinked hard, his head shooting up off the steering wheel. His mother's voice still echoed in his head as if she were still talking to him. He looked around though he was alone. The truck was idling, waiting for Frank to go but he didn't move right away. All he could do was sit and think about what just happened. How? A thought came into his head and Frank knew what he needed to do.

Author's Note:

Well, I do apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. I meant to get it out before Thanksgiving but the day I wanted to do it, I had a massive headache and really was having a hard time functioning. Then the holiday came...then family stuff...football...mind on football for a little longer...yeah, it's been that kind of week. As for football, did you see The Game this weekend? Hoowee! I'm still reeling from that one! One of the best versions in the history of the series. Hasn't been like that since 2006. If you didn't get the chance to see it, highlights are all over the net but most especially check out the interception with 25 seconds left on the clock that sealed the game. Simply magical. I just love watching it over and over and over again. I know. I'm awful. Anyway, back to the story. We are winding down here which is probably the other reason why it took me so long to get it out. I always have a hard time getting the drama down to what I want. Hopefully, it's okay. I'm probably being a little fickle about it but so be it. I'm just hoping that it makes sense to you all. Well, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and if you did, please leave a review to let me know what you think. I'm sure everyone had a decent Turkey Day. I know mine was filled with drama that I just love so much every year. So much so that my mom is no longer having certain family members over at the house. Yeah, it went that well. Anyway, have a great week and until next time, God bless! Go Blue!