DISSONANCE
by
Duckling
Chapter 22
The Chapters
Frank and Biff rounded the last corner before the corridor led out into the waiting room. In front of him, Frank could see Iola, Callie and Phil. To the side sat Tony, Biff and Chet. Frank’s arrival was quickly noted: by the time he had reached the gang, the teens were standing, facing him, waiting.
Frank stood and marveled silently at the change he saw in these once-familiar faces. These were his friends; he had grown up with them. He knew them just as well as he knew his brother. Before, he could tell from a casual glance how they were feeling, what they were thinking. But now the faces before him were devoid of emotion; they gave him no clue as to the feelings that might be roiling beneath the surface. The only emotion they all held was a wary uncertainty. Apparently, they were just as unsure as he was as to the success or wisdom of this meeting.
Biff, alone in the group, gave Frank a slight smile. Shifting his weight self-consciously, he asked: “How’s Joe?”
Frank visibly relaxed as a huge grin broke out on his face. “Fine,” he declared jubilantly. “He woke up a bit ago. He’s coherent and lucid.”
For a second, the teens were united in their relief and joy at the news. Chet was about to clap Frank good-naturedly on the back when he stopped, suddenly remembering. As his arm fell awkwardly to his side, the gang once again slipped back into their indecipherable expressions and stood, silently.
Frank studied the intricate pattern of the floor tiles for a minute or two. Finally, he looked up at the circle of serious faces and said softly, “For what it’s worth, and I do realize that might not be much, I’m sorry.”
“I know I hurt you all terribly,” he continued, “but you must believe me that what I did I did for Joe.”
“How?” asked Callie fiercely. The pain and rejection and betrayal she had borne for weeks came out now as fierce anger. “How can running away help Joe?”
“You hurt him,” she continued, her lovely features disfigured by rage. “You hurt him, you left him; how could that be of any help to Joe?”
“Do you know what he did in the days after you left?” The voice he knew so well was now strange to him in its vehemence. “He put aside his own pain and comforted us. He let me punch him when he told me you left and then he held me when I cried.”
“He sought us out when we distanced ourselves from him,” Phil spoke quietly, but coldly. “He came to reassure us, remind us that we weren’t just disposable friends even though he was the disposable brother.”
Frank’s warm brown eyes narrowed dangerously, as a frown creased his face. “Joe isn’t a disposable anything,” he hissed angrily. Bix laid a restraining arm on his friend’s shoulder.
“Well,” declared Tony, “That’s one thing we all seem able to agree on.”
Biff spoke up a bit hesitantly. “Um . . . guys . . . perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere. The nurses are giving us mighty dirty looks.”
Callie forcefully snapped her mouth shut, but she continued to glare daggers at Frank. Phil seemed just as adamant to make his displeasure known. Finally, Iola, glancing from one angry youth to another decided to diffuse the situation. “Is it okay to see Joe now?”
The teens relaxed involuntarily; seeing Joe was first priority, dealing with traitors could wait. Frank sighed and nodded his head. “Yes,” he said. “Mom and Dad are in there now, but the nurses will allow up to four visitors at a time. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if two of you went on in.”
He added with a trace of a smile, “And I’m positive Joe will want to see you. You’ve always been very good friends to Joe. To both of us.” Frank averted his eyes quickly after making this pronouncement.
Had he not, he would have caught the flash of confusion in his friends’ eyes. Did Frank still value their friendship? But if he did, then why did he leave them all? Why did he run away, and stay away? Maybe Frank hadn’t rejected them. But if he hadn’t, who had he rejected?
With these questions echoing in their heads, the gang watched Frank and Bix slowly amble away.
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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.