Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the HDA - Brain Child

The next morning, Frank went with his mother to see Joe at the hospital. The night had been uneventful and Joe looked much better from the sleep he had gotten. “I’m ready to go – Dr. Bates says I’m getting out of here today!” Joe said with a big grin on his face.

Frank was relieved to have Joe coming home as well. He handed Joe the bag he had brought in with new clothes, and helped him pull the curtain around so he could change. “I can’t wait to get out of this place,” Joe called from behind the curtain. “Frank can you help me get this shirt on – it’s kind of hard with one hand.”

“Well, between the two of us, we have two hands – we should be able to manage,” Frank said as his slipped behind the curtain and helped Joe pull his shirt on.

“Thanks. You know, I am so relieved to be getting out of here in time for Iola’s birthday. I usually help set up for the party”

“Joe,” Frank interrupted. He knew he had to tell Joe about Iola. The longer he went on thinking that she was alive, the worse it was going to be on him. Frank knew he shouldn’t upset Joe, but he couldn’t imagine what would happen between them when Joe realized that Frank had kept this from him. Taking a deep breath, Frank said, “We need to talk. Sit down.”

“What’s wrong?” Joe said as he sat back down on the hospital bed. He looked searchingly at Frank’s face which had gotten pale. “Are you okay?”

“Joe, I’m fine. I know you still don’t remember the last year, and that the memories will come back to you soon, but there is one thing that you really need to know.” Frank took a deep breath and said, “Joe, Iola is dead.”

“No.” It came out as barely a whisper. Joe’s face turned white and he looked like he was going to faint. Frank pushed Joe’s head down between his knees.

“Joe, breath. Come on Joe, focus. Breath in and out,” Frank said.

After a few minutes, Joe sat up slowly. “How Frank?” he asked quietly with tears in his eyes.

“Joe, hold on. I’m not sure you need to know any more right now. You know the truth now, but I don’t think you need all of the details.”

“How Frank?” Joe shouted as he jumped to his feet. “Tell me what happened!” His face had gone from very pale to red.

“Joe calm down now or I’ll call for the doctor.” This had the desired effect. Joe sat back down on the bed and turned a tear stained face to Frank.

Frank took a deep breath and said, “Iola died about 8 months ago when a car bomb exploded in our car.” He paused to gauge Joe’s reaction.

“My nightmare…It did happen then…It was Iola. It was true.” Tears were streaming down his face. Joe’s shoulders shook with gut-wrenching sobs. “I --- couldn’t --- save --- her.” His words were punctuated by tears and his breath were coming in gasps. Frank pulled Joe close and held him, but he couldn’t take the pain away.

“Hey, boys, what’s going on in here?” Dr. Bates’ mild voice broke in as he took in the situation. He had just entered the room followed by Laura. Joe’s crying had ceased and he was staring straight ahead.

“What happened? Is Joe okay?” Laura asked anxiously.

“I had to tell him Mom. He couldn’t go on believing that he could leave here and help Iola with her party. It just wasn’t fair to him,” Frank said as he sat with his arm protectively around Joe.

While Joe heard his mother and Frank speaking, he was consumed in his own world of grief. “I knew this happened. I was there, yet I still can’t remember it. What else has happened during this time that I just can’t remember?” he thought. Though he heard voices, he wasn’t listening. He was so caught up in his own thoughts.

“Frank talk to him. See if he will respond to you,” Dr. Bates said.

“Joe. Joe! Can you hear me? Come on baby brother, say something,” Frank said desperately trying to get Joe to do more than stare fixedly at the wall.

Dr. Bates shook his head, “I think it’s best if I sedate him for now. It will just give him some rest and hopefully he’ll be better able to deal with this later.”

Dr. Bates’ words finally made it through the fog in his mind. “No,” Joe said quietly, finally turning to Dr. Bates. “No more medication. I’m okay; I just want to leave here.”

“Joe, I’m not sure that is a good idea,” Laura said, “maybe you should stay here a little while longer.”

“No please. I need to get out of here. I can’t remember what has happened while I’m in here. I want to be at home.” He looked pleadingly at his mom and then the doctor.

“Please let Joe come home. I’ll stay with him every step of the way,” Frank said.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency 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.