DISSONANCE
by
Duckling
Chapter 20
The Chapters
Laura Hardy gazed down at her sleeping son and smiled softly. A bit of color had returned to those wan cheeks, and the medical staff was satisfied that the infection would not return. They were happy with Joe’s progress and expected him to wake sometime later in the day.
The petite blonde woman savored this time with her youngest son. Neither Frank nor Fenton was in the room to spoil the tranquil atmosphere with barely suppressed animosity. She and Joe were alone; she found herself feeling more at peace than she had for days.
As her slim fingers stroked her son’s cheek, she let her thoughts wander. Joe was a good son to her; both boys were, actually. Or rather, Frank used to be a good son to her. She frowned slightly as she remembered Frank’s indifferent behavior towards her. She loved him dearly; she loved both her sons equally, but the fact that her first born so closely resembled his handsome father made him all the more special to her. She had always been proud of his accomplishments and of his tender devotion to his younger brother. The closeness the two brothers shared had always been a source of comfort to her too; it was heart-warming to see her children look out for each other, encouraging each other.
Which made Frank’s running away so incomprehensible to her. Joe had adapted surprisingly well to life without his big brother, but as Fenton had later explained to her, that seemed in large part due to the fact that the brothers had remained in constant communication with each other. Laura’s frown deepened. Why hadn’t Joe told her he spoke to Frank on a daily basis? Surely he understood her desire to talk with her oldest son. A sudden vivid memory of reading Frank’s letter to Joe sprang into her mind, and with it, a renewed understanding of why Joe had kept the phone calls secret.
Her hand moved from the soft, warm cheek to the mass of soft, golden curls that framed the young face. Poor Joe, she thought compassionately, always thinking of others. Keeping his contact with Frank a secret must have been difficult for him.
Laura was suddenly surprised at the wisp of anger that leapt up within her. It was unfair of Frank to burden Joe with such knowledge, just as it was unfair of him to leave the family in the first place.
As she absently ran her fingers through Joe’s fine, silky hair, her face began to harden and her frown deepen as that first flicker of anger and resentment towards Frank ignited something deep within her.
***
“Fenton, there’s nothing we can do.” Ezra Collig peered into the angry, anxious eyes of his old friend. “I know as well as you do that Frank will do his best to persuade Joe to leave, and that Joe will in all probability do so. And you know as well as I do that persuading someone to leave home, even a minor, is not necessarily a crime. There is no law that says a child must live with his parents.”
Fenton Hardy sat forward in the old chair across from Collig, his elbows resting on the desk in front of him, fingertips pressed to his forehead.
“Besides,” Collig added, “Joe’s almost eighteen. It would be an entirely different matter if we were dealing with a seven-year-old instead of a seventeen-year-old.”
Fenton sighed. He had known all this, had even argued this to Sam. Still, he was desperate to prevent Frank from taking his brother away with him.
“By the way, you failed to tell me when you came in how Joe’s doing,” Collig stated more gently.
“Fine.” A slight smile appeared fleetingly on the worried face. “He’s beat the infection and the wounds are healing up nicely. They expect him to wake up sometime this afternoon.”
“That’s wonderful,” Collig agreed heartily.
“In fact, I probably should be heading back.” Fenton announced as he got to his feet.
“Keep me posted,” Collig said as he too stood up. “You’d never get me to admit it in a court of law, but I’m kind of fond of the kid.”
Fenton flashed his old friend a genuine smile before he turned and walked out the door.
***
Brian Bixby stood and gazed down curiously at the blond boy sleeping in the bed. So this is the famed Joe Hardy, he mused privately. Frank sat in the chair between Bix and his brother, one of Joe’s hands clasped firmly in his own. Laura Hardy had been cajoled by Callie and Iola to leave Joe’s bedside for a bite to eat and a bit of fresh air. Fenton Hardy had been gone all morning.
“So this is baby brother,” Bix stated softly, taking a seat beside Frank.
Frank looked up at him and smiled. “Yes,” he said fondly, a mixture of pride and affection in his eyes.
Bix regarded the young face thoughtfully. He could see the resemblance between the brothers in the structure of the jaw, the shape of the mouth, the clarity and pleasant proportionality of the features.
Frank returned his gaze to his brother, reaching out his hand every once in a while to smooth the bright hair or touch, however briefly, the pale cheek. Neither boy spoke; each content to sit in a restful, companionable silence.
***
Joe Hardy gradually became aware of the soft ebb and flow of muted voices around him, of a softness beneath him and a warmth around him. As the darkness that had enveloped him began to gray, he became uncomfortably aware of pain; a sharp, pervasive pain that simply refused to be willed away.
As he gasped in agony, he felt someone squeeze his hand, soft fingers brush his forehead. A low, soothing voice encouraged him to open his eyes, although Joe really didn’t think he could do so. Suddenly more voices sounded; still gentle, still calm, but all pleading for him to open his eyes, to come back to them.
The words echoed dully in his brain. Come back, come back. Joe slowly tried to determine who they were talking to, and why they thought that person was leaving. The voices were familiar, that much Joe knew for certain. And suddenly Joe understood that the voices were speaking to him, although he wasn’t sure where they thought he was going.
Summoning his strength, Joe Hardy slowly opened his eyes.
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Disclaimer
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.