Frank Hardy and Jason Hladley came running back through the jungle. The two boys had gone to the edge of the foliage near the road to investigate the rumbling noise they all heard.

 

Fenton Hardy and Jack Wayne had agreed to stay and wait for Sam Radley, Conner Bailey and his youngest son, Joe, while the boys checked out the noise.

 

"Dad! There are army trucks coming down the road to..." Frank stopped short, peering at his brother’s bloody torso. Joe’s eyes were closed, but he was moaning softly so Frank knew he was alive.

 

"What happened? Is he going to be okay?" Frank asked, falling to his knees beside his brother. "Hey Brat! Open your eyes, Joe."

 

Fenton put his arm around Frank’s shoulder. "Let Conner have a look, Frank." Conner Bailey had removed Joe’s shirt to see how badly the younger Hardy boy had been wounded. He now bent in close and began checking Joe’s chest for bullet holes.

 

"Frank," Conner spoke as he continued to check Joe out, "What were you saying about trucks?" Frank told Conner about the line of military trucks he and Jason saw on the road heading toward the ‘Sons of Fire’ compound.

 

"Did they have emblems or flags on them?" Conner asked, digging into his backpack.

 

"Ah, Bolivian flags, I think," Frank replied, "What are you looking for? How bad is Joe hurt?"

 

"There were Peru flags, too," Jason interjected. "And the lead truck was bearing a French flag."

 

Conner Bailey smiled for the first time in a long while. "First, the bullet passed right through the muscle in Joe’s side. I don’t think it hit anything vital, so other than blood loss and risk of infection, he should make it. Secondly, those trucks are on our side. No doubt, Dr. Du Pree called the French Embassy. He has connections there. They are probably looking for us." Conner looked up from the backpack, pulling out some clean gauze and surgical tape. "Frank, give me a hand."

 

Frank moved closer to Conner and helped him wrap Joe around the middle with the gauze and securing it with tape. Joe moaned and opened his eyes, but gritted his teeth at the pain.

 

"Joe, relax," Conner stated, peering into a pair of pain-filled, sapphire eyes. "We’re gonna get you some help real soon."

 

Conner got up and started for the jungle than turned around. "Radley? You still got that ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ t-shirt under your camo?"

 

"Yeah, why?" Sam questioned.

 

"We’ve got to flag down one of the trucks to take us back to the mission. We might need to show them our American spirit." Conner answered with a grin. Sam jumped to his feet and chuckled as he followed Conner into the foliage.

 

The Hardys, Jack and Jason kept low to the ground, listening to machine gun fire and mortar shells exploding all around them.

 

Frank stayed close to his brother’s side, keeping pressure on the bullet wound. Joe’s eyes were closed, but Frank knew he wasn’t sleeping. Joe’s jaw muscles were tight and his breathing was coming in rapid gasps. Frank felt helpless. His baby brother was hurting and there was nothing he could do to ease the pain.

 

Several minutes passed before Conner and Sam returned, bringing two Bolivian medics with them. The two soldiers carried a gurney and medical supplies between them.

 

"How’s Joe holding up?" Sam asked, peering at Joe’s pale skin and fevered brow.

 

"He’s strong. He’ll be fine." Frank replied, as much for himself as for Sam. Both Jack and Fenton gave Frank reassuring pats on the back.

 

"Let’s get Joe ready to move out," Conner recommended, moving close to Joe’s shoulders, "We’ll lift together. One, two, three, go!" Conner, Fenton, Jack and Sam lifted Joe on to the olive green canvas gurney, while Frank kept pressure on the open wound.

Joe Hardy was slipping in and out of consciousness. He felt himself being lifted and wanted to scream, ‘NO!’ He knew it was going to hurt and his expectations were met beyond measure. He tried to hold back a cry of pain, but it escaped through his clenched teeth.

 

"Wait!" Frank cried, noting not only the cry of pain his brother emitted, but also the tears streaming down the sides of Joe’s face and his white-knuckle grip on the frame of the gurney. "Give Joe a minute before we move him again." Mr. Hardy also wanted to wait, seeing Joe’s pain.

 

Seconds later, Joe opened his deep blue eyes. "L-let’s go." he whispered, looking up at his dad and Frank with a weak smile. The group moved through the jungle to the rutted, dirt road. Joe was loaded on to a military truck. Conner, Fenton and Jack sat along one side of the truck while one of the medics, Frank and Jason sat on the opposite side. Sam Radley sat in the cab with the other medic and Joe Hardy’s gurney rested on the floor between the men in the back.

 

The medic, Corp. Tier De Sisto, immediately started an IV in Joe’s right arm. Jack Wayne had moved to takes Frank’s place at Joe’s side, keeping constant pressure on the wound, while Fenton kept hold of his young son’s left hand.

 

Joe opened his eyes and saw Conner Bailey’s blue eyes gazing back at him.

 

"Hey, Joe," Conner smiled at the youth, "You are the craziest, most stubborn, hot-tempered kid I know, but I’m sure glad we were on the same team."

 

"S-st-stopped S-Santiago," Joe grinned, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

"You sure did, Buddy," Conner replied, gently pushing Joe’s hair off his damp forehead.

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.