Incredible as it seemed, the Wrangler was upright on its wheels; apparently it had somersaulted completely over. Thank God for roll bars! Frank switched off his engine and grabbed the large flashlight from the door pocket, then leaped from the van and scrambled down across the ditch and into the field, fighting his way through knee-high grass and berry brambles to get to the jeep.

"Joe! Vanessa!" he yelled, hoping against hope for some response. He struggled through the tangled grass, and ran up to the little vehicle. "Joe!"

"Frank?" It was Vanessa’s voice, frightened, but strong.

"Vanessa!" Frank ran to the passenger side of the jeep and yanked the door open. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I – I think I’m okay…banged around a little…." She reached for her seat belt buckle with trembling hands. "Scared…."

Frank caught her shoulders to hold her still. "Take it slow, hon. Don’t try to move around too quickly. Make sure you’re okay."

"I think I’m all right. But Joe – " She turned toward the driver’s seat. "Joe? Joe?"

Frank handed Vanessa the flashlight and moved hastily around the front of the car to get to his brother’s side. "Joe? Little brother? Joe, can you hear me?"

Joe was slumped forward, over the steering wheel. He didn’t respond at first to Frank’s urgent questions; but as Frank opened the driver’s door, he stirred and groaned.

"Ohhhhh….Van – Vanessa?…."

"Easy, Joe. Take it easy."

"Vanessa….the car…." Joe attempted to lift his head, but dropped it back down. "Ohhhhh…."

Very cautiously, Frank took hold of Joe’s chin and gently tilted his head back. He felt a warm slickness on his fingers as he did so. Uh oh – he’s bleeding somewhere…"Joe, can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," Joe squinted through barely-opened eyes. "Oh, my head!" He let Frank ease him back against the headrest, and his eyes fluttered closed again.

"Van, give me some more light, please."

In the glow of the flashlight beam, Frank could see Joe’s face was streaked with blood dripping in a slow stream from a cut on his forehead. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the laceration for a moment, then removed it to see how serious the injury was. To his immense relief, he saw the cut was only about half an inch long. He pressed the handkerchief back down firmly.

"Ouch…" Joe’s voice was stronger now.

"Take it easy," Frank repeated soothingly. He could see Joe also had a lump forming on his temple; apparently he had hit both the steering wheel and the side window during their abrupt flight and landing.

Joe finally opened his eyes fully, wincing away from the bright light. "Vanessa…"

"I’m all right, Joe." She leaned closer. "I’m not hurt. Just bruised a little, maybe, and scared."

"Told you…dangerous…" Joe’s voice trailed off and his eyes wandered a bit, finally focusing on his brother’s face hovering close beside him. "Frank…?"

"It’s me, kiddo. Can you see okay? Double vision, or anything?"

"Little…bit….killer headache…."

"Vanessa, will you hold this while I get the first aid kit from the van?" Frank indicated the makeshift bandage he was applying to Joe’s forehead. "I’ll be right back."

"Sure." She pressed her fingers over his, and the transition was easily made. He hurried through the grass and brambles, secured the first aid kit and returned to his brother’s side.

"I’m okay…" Joe was muttering. "I’m fine…." He struggled to sit erect, reaching to unsnap his seat belt.

"Hey, hey, hold on." Frank chided, restraining him gently. "I didn’t take all those advanced first aid classes just so I could carry a pretty card in my wallet. Just stay still a minute, okay?" He carefully raised the blood-soaked handkerchief and inspected Joe’s wound. "I think you’ll probably live." He opened the kit and took out a couple of butterfly bandages. "Hang on, I’ll get that bleeding stopped in a sec…." Carefully, he applied first one, then the other suture bandage to the cut, patted the area with his handkerchief to remove the remaining blood, and looked again. "That’s better."

Joe focused on him again. "Told you…dangerous…" he murmured again.

"Frank, he doesn’t sound very coherent," Vanessa whispered.

Joe turned his head slightly. "I’m okay. Just…dizzy."

"He should probably go to the hospital," Frank admitted. But Joe shook his head, wincing at the pain it caused him.

"Uh-uh. No hospital. I’m fine. Stop fussing."

"Do you think you can walk to the van, Joe?" Frank asked him. "You can’t drive the Wrangler out of the field. You can’t drive at all. Vanessa, could you get it out, you think?"

Vanessa surveyed the ground surrounding her car. "Probably. But I’d rather do it in daylight – and without Joe in the car with a head injury." She got out and walked around to the back. "Damn it, that guy dented it!" She kicked angrily at one of the tires. "He dented my pretty Wrangler!" Her voice shook with fury, and she began to choke up. "He dented…my…"

"Vanessa – don’t cry!" Joe struggled against Frank’s restraining hand, trying to reach his girlfriend. "We’ll get him! Ouch!" He sank back again, lifting a hand to his head.

"Settle down, brat." Frank commanded. "Yes, we’ll get him. Later. Right now, we need to get you to the van, get Vanessa to her house, and then get us back home." He slid an arm behind Joe’s shoulders. "Want to try standing up?"

"Yeah." Joe slowly swiveled his legs out the door, felt for the ground with his feet and shakily pushed himself to a standing position. He leaned against his older brother. "Everything’s tilting…."

"Hang on," Frank pulled Joe’s arm across his shoulder and looped his arm about Joe’s waist. "Vanessa, grab whatever you need and let’s get out of here."

She quickly picked up her purse, turned off the headlights, took the key from the ignition. Patted her pocket to make sure the tape was still there. "I’m ready." She slung her purse strap over her shoulder and moved to Joe’s other side. "Come on, Joe, we’ve got you. Just move your feet occasionally." She slid her arm around Joe, criss-crossing with Frank. The three of them moved across the field slowly. Joe leaned heavily upon his supports at first, but walked more and more steadily as they progressed towards the road. By the time they reached the van, he was insisting he was fine, and attempting to walk unaided to prove it.

Frank slid open the side door, and he and Vanessa eased Joe onto the seat. "Stretch out flat," he advised his brother. "We’re going to ignore the seat belt laws just this once; we’ve only got a little way to go to Vanessa’s." Joe nodded silently, lay back and put his arm across his eyes.

Vanessa climbed into the front passenger seat, and Frank resumed his place behind the wheel. Starting the engine, he carefully steered the van back onto the highway, creeping along at a slow rate of speed, endeavoring not to jar Joe more than necessary.

Lights still blazed from the Benders’ farmhouse, and Vanessa sighed.

"Uh-oh. It looks like Mom’s still up. This will take some explaining."

"She’s going to have a fit," muttered Joe from the back seat.

"Why?" Frank inquired. "Vanessa’s not hurt, and the jeep’s pretty much okay. And Andrea’s sort of like Mom – she’s getting used to occasional mayhem in her life!"

Vanessa laughed ruefully. "I think she still wishes I’d find someone a little safer to date."

They got out of the van; Joe still somewhat shaky. Frank took his arm to steady him as they went into the house through the back door.

"Mom?"

"Hi, guys." Andrea Bender, a slightly shorter version of her blonde daughter, walked into the kitchen to greet them, but the welcoming smile on her face faded as she took in their appearance. "What in the world? What’s happened to Joe? Vanessa, are you okay, honey? What happened?"

"Some creep ran the jeep off the road, back there by the fields," Vanessa explained briefly. "I’m fine, Mom, but Joe’s hurt. And – and the Wrangler’s dented a little. And – um – it’s still in the field."

"Frank, bring Joe in here so he can lie down on the couch." Andrea beckoned the Hardys toward the living room. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No," Joe answered quickly. "I’m fine, Andrea; it’s just a bump on the head and a little cut. Frank patched it up already." He winced as Frank eased him onto the long sofa. "But I’d appreciate some ice – "

"I’m on it!" Vanessa called from the kitchen. "Be right there!" There came the sound of ice cubes being rattled in their bin.

" – and maybe some aspirin," Joe finished, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I think there’s a little imp pounding messages on a log, inside my head."

"Why would someone have run you off the road?" Andrea wondered aloud. She glanced from one boy to the other. "You two on another case? If so, I’d rather you left Vanessa out of it, if it’s going to put her in danger like this!"

"Forget it, Mom, I’m already involved," Vanessa announced. She bent over the couch and placed an ice pack on Joe’s forehead. "There babe, that should help." She pulled the precious tape from her jacket pocket and held it up for Andrea to see. "This is something you absolutely will not believe, Mom. And I need to make a copy of it, right away." She headed toward the entertainment center against the wall and began touching buttons.

Andrea’s lips twitched. "Sounds like I’ve been overruled, and right here in my own living room!" she murmured. "I’ll get you that aspirin, Joe."

Frank watched Vanessa do her set-up and start the copying process. She didn’t turn on the television to monitor it, merely made sure the original was rewound before she started. "I don’t want to watch it again; at least not right now," she admitted to the boys. Joe chuckled a little, then muttered "ouch," and subsided into silence again. Andrea returned to the room with a glass of water and a couple of Excedrin, which she handed to the younger Hardy. Joe thanked her, gulped the capsules and lay down again, carefully adjusting his ice pack.

"We don’t need to stick around, really," Frank said, as both Andrea and Vanessa sat down. "Joe needs to get home to rest. But we did want to explain about the jeep."

"It’s not badly damaged?" Andrea asked, and all three teens were quick to assure her that the damage was minimal. "And Vanessa, you think you can get it out without a tow truck?" Again, an affirmative response from her daughter. "Well, since it wasn’t your fault, nobody’s seriously hurt, and we can get it back okay, I don’t see that you’re any of you in trouble. At least not with me!"

Frank heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Andrea. I was hoping you’d understand." He patted Joe’s foot. "Hey, little brother, you up to another ride?"

"Yeah." Joe slowly sat up, still holding the ice against his forehead. "Let’s get moving. Thanks again for the aspirin," he added to Mrs. Bender. "Van, see you tomorrow." He got to his feet, and Frank took his arm once again. Vanessa and her mother followed them to the door, and watched as the boys got in the van, Frank started the motor, and they pulled out onto the highway, heading for Bayport once again.