"And you believed him?" Frank asked, narrowing his eyes. This new information gave a whole new light on the whole thing. Painkillers? Was Craig telling the truth or was that just a cover-up?

"Honestly? No." Vanessa laughed, shaking her head a little. "Guess I’ve been around you guys for too long now. I get suspicious of almost everything." Frank could detect a hint of sadness in her voice. Frank couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Ever since Joe met Tessa, his brother hardly ever mentioned her name anymore. It seemed like Vanessa had never existed in his life before. Tessa must be a real magic-worker to make Joe forget all about Vanessa in just a short period of two weeks, he thought, unsure whether to feel angry or disappointed in his brother. It’s his life. But let’s go back to the story-

"What made you not believe him?" Frank asked. He hadn’t told her about the unknown substance in Craig’s body yet. Vanessa could have stumbled upon the biggest clue so far.

Vanessa shrugged. "Just a feeling. And the fact that I found this-" Frank’s eyes went wide at the object Vanessa was holding up. "-in his backpack which I, ah, well, you know, when he wasn’t looking." She leaned forward and gingerly handed it to Frank. "And there was plenty where that came from."

"Vanessa, you’re an angel!!!!" Frank exclaimed happily. He carefully inspected the small vial, which was filled with a clear liquid, excitement shining in his brown eyes. "But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell the police about this when you made the report?"

Vanessa shrugged again but this time she took a longer time to answer. "I don’t know. Maybe because I thought that it had nothing to do with his disappearance. Maybe because I did want to keep it a secret for Craig’s sake." But Frank knew she was lying. He could tell by the way Vanessa was avoiding his eyes.

Frank remained silent.

"Alright, alright," Vanessa said at last, throwing up her hands in the air at last. "I didn’t want Joe to know all right? It’s just, that-" Vanessa was clearly frustrated. "He and Tessa seemed so happy and I wanted to show him that I was happy with Craig. That’s why I didn’t say that Craig was a junkie. I-I wanted to prove to him that I could be happy without him too."

"Could you?" Frank asked gently, the vial with the mysterious potion momentarily forgotten.

But Vanessa didn’t really have to answer that. The answer was evident in her pain-filled eyes as she lifted her face and shook her head unhappily.

Frank could only offer her a sympathetic smile. The break-up was bad but to him, both Vanessa and Joe were at fault. They just didn’t seem to have the commitment to each other in the first place, the type of commitment in which he and Callie both firmly believed in. And now Vanessa was paying for the mistake they both could have avoided if only they had made an effort to make it work, instead of being so casual with each other and taking each other’s commitment for granted.

"He’s with her, isn’t he?" Vanessa asked bitterly.

"I-" Before Frank could think of something to say without hurting Vanessa’s feelings further, the phone down the hall suddenly rang. Ah, saved by the bell, Frank thought gratefully, getting up quickly to get the phone. Vanessa stared after him with sad eyes.

"Frank?"

"Hello, Dad?" Frank broke into a smile. This was his chance to tell his father about the latest break in the case.

But Frank’s smile quickly faded as he listened intently to his father’s next words, his fingers clenching the phone so tight his knuckles turned white. His lips drew to a tight line and at last, with a trembling hand, Frank replaced the receiver, his face a deathly shade of white. He turned slowly toward Vanessa, who had somehow read the expression on his face and gone pale herself.

"Joe’s in the hospital. Someone attacked him and Tessa."

"My God…" Frank whispered aghast. He was looking through the glass window of the trauma room where a couple of doctors were still working on Joe. Vanessa, who was standing beside him, watched silently as a doctor inserted a tube down Joe’s swollen throat, swallowing hard when she saw how still and lifeless Joe was.

His face ashen, Frank turned to his father. "How did this happen? Who did this, Dad?"

Fenton Hardy took in a deep breath before answering. "The Reids came home from a party and found Joe unconscious in their house, barely breathing and Tessa gone. Good thing they arrived home just in time and called an ambulance, or else-" Fenton hesitated a little,

"-I don’t know what would have happened to Joe."

A lump rose in Frank’s throat. Joe could have died tonight, he thought in horror. Oh God, my nightmare nearly came true. He couldn’t help thinking of how close Joe had come to being the killer’s next victim. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Tessa was going through right now. Of all the people who’d disappeared, Tessa had been the one closest to him and his brother. A bolt of terror ran through him as he pictured the possible upcoming headlines, ‘SECOND EXCHANGE STUDENT VICTIM IN BAYPORT TERROR’. Frank shuddered at the thought. Please let Tessa be alright. Wherever you are, Tessa, please be alright.

"Mr. Hardy?" Frank whirled around and saw a young woman in scrubs approaching them with a chart in her hand. "I assume you are all here for Joseph Hardy?"

"Yes," Fenton Hardy spoke up quickly. A sound from behind caught his attention and all three of them turned to see Joe wheeled out of the trauma room on a gurney, his face pale and his eyes closed. Frank exchanged worried glances with Vanessa, and it took Frank everything to restrain himself from running to his brother’s side. He watched for a while as the attendant wheeled Joe down the hall and turned to the doctor.

"How is he, doctor?" Fenton asked anxiously. "Is my son going to be alright?"

Frank glanced at her tag. "Dr. Hudson, what’s wrong with my brother?"

"Apparently, Joe has been administered with a dangerously high dosage of a kind of tranquilizer drug to his neck, and most of the poison unfortunately had spread, triggering a reaction, much like an allergic reaction, causing his throat, his bronchial tissues…his lungs to swell up."

Tranquilizer? Allergic reaction? Frank’s blood ran cold. He remembered an occasion when Joe had mistakenly eaten some macadamia nuts, which unfortunately he was very allergic to, and had a full-blown allergy attack, costing him a night in the emergency room. The sight of his brother swelling up like a balloon and gasping pathetically just to get some air in his blown-up lungs was still fresh in his mind, and it had cost him a few sleepless nights after that.

"We are now trying to control this reaction by administering doses of Epinephrine in specific durations and hopefully, we can see some positive changes in Joe. But right now, he’s still under oxygen and deeply unconscious."

"Can we see him?"

Dr. Hudson smiled benignly at Frank. "Of course you may, but one at a time, please. You can come with me."

"Hey, bro." Now Frank was alone with his brother. Fenton had to go to the police station to assist Mr. Reid in lodging the report on the attack and Vanessa, reluctant to stay longer than necessary, had left a half hour ago after planting an awkward kiss on Joe’s forehead. Frank could see how badly she wanted to do more than that but there was nothing he or Vanessa could do about it, not until Joe woke up. Which was something Joe still hadn’t done.

Joe remained motionless, an oxygen mask covering a big portion of his face. More than once Frank was assaulted with the crazy temptation to take that mask off, pry Joe’s eyes open, and take him home. The hospital room, the machines surrounding Joe, the smell…they were all conspiring together to bring back unpleasant memories, memories he had once thought as real when he was still trapped in the grips of a feverish delirium.

Though Frank’s mind was clouded with worry and concern over his brother, it was fortunately still functioning at its normal pace and as the wheels in his mind spun faster and faster, the more confused and baffled he got. Who is this killer? It couldn’t be Craig; he’s dead. Could it be someone I don’t know? But he went after me first; and then Tessa. And why did he take Tessa only? Why not take Joe too?

Frank perked up when he felt Joe move slightly in his bed. To his disappointment, Joe only moved his head slightly before lapsing once more into his unconscious state. Then his heart soared hopefully once more when Joe moved his head again, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Joe?"

Frank pulled in his chair closer to his brother. He took one of Joe’s hands in his and squeezed it lightly, encouraging him to wake up. "Joe, come on."

Holding his breath, Frank watched as Joe’s eyes flickered open slowly; revealing disoriented and glazed blue eyes. As if dazed, Joe blinked a couple of times, and at last, the flicker of recognition returned to those familiar blue orbs as they rested on Frank.

"Frank," Joe mouthed through his oxygen mask. Again Frank felt a rush of de ja vu fighting with happiness for control over his emotions. The nightmare had seemed so real and so SIMILAR to what was going on right now. Tiredly Joe closed his eyes, and for one second Frank was afraid he’d gone back to sleep; but when Joe opened them again, instead of feeling relieved Frank felt instantly alarmed. His brother’s eyes were filled with tears.

"Tessa?" Joe mouthed, his pain-filled eyes boring deep into Frank’s troubled ones. Frank bit his lower lip, unsure whether to lie or tell him the truth. He decided on the latter.

"Tessa’s missing, Joe," he said gently.

From behind the oxygen mask, Frank could hear an audible gasp.

"Fra-" Joe couldn’t finish his plea. He was too busy wheezing.

Frank jumped out of his seat in horror. "Joe!!!"

Joe was choking!!!