“Oh God,” Frank thought as he turned his gasp into a cough. “This is worse than I thought. Of all the years to forget, this one will be the hardest for him to remember. He hadn’t even come to terms yet with Iola’s death and now he is thinking she is alive again.” Frank stared at the ceiling lost in his thoughts.

“Frank? Are you okay? I can call the nurse in for you,” Joe asked hesitantly.

“No. No, I’m okay. Just thinking. I’m going to go for a short walk, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Joe said as he started to throw back the blankets with his good arm.

“No! You have a concussion, and an IV, and the doctor will want to check you over before you even try to get up. Just stay here,” Frank said.

As Frank opened the door he saw his mother and father step off the elevator. They rushed towards him. “Frank is everything okay? Should you be out of bed?” Fenton asked him.

“I needed to talk to someone about Joe without him being there,” Frank said as they walked slowly towards the lounge. “I was talking to Joe this morning and from what I can tell, he thinks he is 16. He can’t remember the last year.”

“Oh no,” Laura said, he eyes wide with shock. “I thought he was okay last night.”

“Frank, what exactly did your brother say?” Fenton asked.

Frank explained the conversation that they had just had to his mom and dad and then dropped the biggest bombshell of all. “He doesn’t remember that Iola was killed. Joe thinks he’s still dating her.”

“Oh no!” Laura said. “This is going to devastate him when he remembers. He was already having problems coping with her death before the accident.”

Fenton said, “Your mom and I will go talk to the doctor. Then we’ll be in. Frank, you had better go back in there with him or Joe is going to start to worry and come looking for you.”

Frank went back to the room, took a deep breath, and opened the door. This was not going to be easy on Joe, but he was going to help him every step of the way. As Frank eased himself into bed, Joe asked “Did you see anyone we know out there?”

“I saw Mom and Dad, they just arrived. They said they would be in after they spoke with the doctor,” Frank said. He had never lied to Joe before, and he wasn’t planning on starting now. He just hoped Joe didn’t ask any questions that would be tough to answer.

Just then, Fenton and Laura walked in with the doctor. After saying hello, the doctor took a few minutes to examine Frank. “You seem to be doing well Frank. Let’s try to get you out of here by this evening. I’ll come though one more time later for a final check before I release you.”

The doctor moved on to Joe. “So how is that head of yours?”

“It’s okay – I have a headache, but that is it. Can I leave tonight too?” Joe asked anxiously.

“Hold on – there are other things I need to check out first so I can say I’m doing my job,” Dr. Bates said as he smiled at him. “I need you to answer a few questions for me.”

“Okay. Anything,” Joe said.

“Where are you?”

“Bayport General Hospital.”

Who’s the president?

“George W. Bush. What is this for?”

“You have a concussion and were incoherent last night. I have to ask these questions to make sure you are aware of what is going on. Like I said, I have to seem like I’m doing my job. What’s the date?”

“Well if the calendar on the wall over there is correct, it is December 5^th.”

“What’s the year?”

“2003”

“What grade are you in?”

“10^th grade.”

“Joe, while you are clearly coherent now, I think the concussion has caused some amnesia.” Dr. Bates said.

“W-What? I remember who I am, where I am, and my family. I don’t remember the accident, but that’s not that unusual is it? What am I missing here?” he said going very pale.

“You seem to have just lost your memory of things that have happened in the last year. Just rest and don’t force the memories. They will come back, though it may be slow. We’ll just keep a watch on it,” Dr. Bates said. “Hang in there Joe, it will all be okay. Just stay calm, you need your rest to get better. I’ll be back in later to check on you.”

The doctor left and Joe sat there shocked and pale. “Joe, are you okay?” Fenton asked as he took a hold of Joe’s good hand.

“What am I missing?” Joe asked in a daze. “What happened that I can’t remember?”

Silence.

“Tell me! I have to know!” Joe said, his anger rising.

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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.