Frank rushed into the Shaw's and grabbed the phone.  "Mom?"

"Frank, there's been an accident," she said, and he could tell she had been crying.  "Joe's been taken to Bayport Memorial," she told him.  "Your father and I will meet you there."

Frank hung up, his face white.  Callie came over and placed her hand on his arm.  "Joe's at Bayport Memorial," he said, his voice harsh as he tried to control his emotions.

"Let's go," Callie said gently, pulling on Frank's arm.

Arriving at the hospital, Frank opened the door and jumped out of the car before Callie had killed the ignition.  He rushed into the emergency room and saw his parents sitting near a window.  "How is he?" Frank demanded, going over to them.

"We don't know," Mr. Hardy replied, his voice thick.

"What happened?" Frank asked, sitting down as Callie came inside.  She came over and took the seat beside Frank.

"We don't know that either," Mr. Hardy answered wearily, raking a hand through his hair.  "Chief Collig said he would come over as soon as he knew what had happened."

After almost an hour, Chief Collig arrived.  His face was etched in concern as he approached the Hardys.  "How are they?" he asked.

"They?" Callie asked in surprise.

"Mrs. Barley and Jim were in the wreck with Joe," Mr. Hardy explained.  "We haven't heard anything," he answered the chief.

"What happened?" Frank asked.  "Why did they wreck?"

Chief Collig looked down at his feet, trying to think of the best way to impart what he had learned.  After a moment, he looked back up to find all three Hardys and Callie staring at him anxiously with bloodshot eyes.

"It wasn't an accident," he began.  "We found a broken mirror which had been set up on Joe's side of the road.  Part of the easel which held it was still in place."  He paused before continuing.  "From the skid marks, it looks like Joe swerved to go into the field but someone put up spikes on the right side and the front wheels blew.  The van spun and skidded, then went over the embankment on the left."  He looked straight into Mr. Hardy's eyes.  "The left rear tire was shot out," he said.  "It looks like Joe may have gotten control of the van and someone took it away again."

As he finished speaking, Dr. Willows, the doctor on duty, came into the room.  He approached the group, his face firm, showing nothing to let them know how Joe was doing.  "Mrs. Barley  has a slight concussion," he informed Chief Collig.  "Her son also suffered a concussion but is otherwise unharmed."

"How about Joe?" Frank demanded when Dr. Willows quit speaking without mentioning Joe.

"He has several bruised ribs, no breakage," Dr, Willows answered, a bit hesitantly.

"But?" Mr. Hardy asked the doctor, his stomach in knots matching those of his wife and eldest son.

"But he hasn't regained consciousness," Dr. Willows said.  "He definitely has a severe concussion."

"How severe?" Mrs. Hardy demanded fearfully.

"There's a chance of brain damage," Dr. Willows answered her gently.  "We can't know for sure how much until he does awake.  Then again, he may make a full recovery.  Until he regains consciousness, there is no way to register the damage, if any."

"But?" Frank asked this time.

"But the longer he remains in his coma, the greater the chance of brain damage," came the answer no one wanted to hear.

"When can we see him?" Mrs. Hardy asked.

"I'll have a nurse take you up," he told the group.  "Chief, you can see Mrs. Barley and Jim whenever you like."

Callie said goodbye to the Hardy's when she was told by Nurse Darnell that only family would be allowed to see Joe tonight.  "I'll be back in the morning," Callie promised Frank, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a reassuring squeeze of his hand.

"Hey, baby brother," Franks said softly, looking down at Joe lying on the hospital bed.

Mrs. Hardy leaned over and gently kissed Joe's forehead just below the bandage which was wound around his head.  She looked up at her husband.  "I'm staying here tonight," she told him.

"Me too," Frank asserted.

"Easy you two," Fenton told them softly.  "I want to stay with him too, but if he stays unconscious for any length of time we will have to set up shifts."  Frank grimaced, but knew his father was right.  "Laura, you can stay with Joe tomorrow," he continued.  "I'm going to check out the scene of the crash and then talk to Agent Patrick."

"About?" Frank inquired, looking over at his dad.

"Devon's murder was the only case you two are working on, right?" Frank nodded.  "Well, it's time to see who else is under suspicion."

"Who was under suspicion when Devon was killed?" Frank asked his dad.  He told him about his meeting with Father Ramster.

"I'll tell all tomorrow when I bring Laura back," Fenton promised his son.  "Right now, I want to get to where Joe crashed."

"I'll take a cab home," Laura told Fenton as they left Joe's room.  "I should go and see how the Barleys are doing."

"Okay" he said, kissing her forehead.  "I'll see you later," he added, leaving.

Mrs. Hardy spent almost an hour with Mrs. Barley and her son.  She dropped back by to check on Joe, then called a cab and went home.

Frank sat in a chair by Joe's bed, watching him until he fell asleep.  Frank awakened some time later and looked over at Joe, jumping to his feet when he saw Joe turning his head restlessly.  He hit the call button and touched his brother's cheek.

"Yes?" asked a nurse.

"He's conscious," Frank said, watching as Joe's eyes fluttered open.

Joe looked up at Frank, his eyes heavy, for a few seconds, then closed them again.  "Uh-uh," Frank admonished him.  "Open your eyes baby brother.  Stay with me."

Joe's eyes flickered, then opened again.  He tried to speak but no words came out.  Dr. Willows arrived and asked Frank to step outside while he checked Joe out.  Frank went to the pay phone near the elevators and called home.  His father answered and, after hearing Joe was awake, promised to be right over.

When Frank returned to Joe's room, Dr. Willows bade him enter.  "How is he?" Frank asked anxiously, looking at his brother with concern.

"I'm fine," Joe answered for the doctor.

"Why couldn't he speak before?" Frank demanded.

"Dry throat," Dr. Willows replied.  "Relax.  When his ribs stop hurting, he'll be as good as new," he promised Frank.  "Now if you'll excuse me," he continued with a grin, "there are some patients who really need me."  He left the room as Frank sank down onto the chair beside Joe's bed.

"Don't do that to me," Frank told Joe in mock anger.  Joe gave a little laugh which turned into a groan.

"My ribs," Joe explained as Frank's eyes took on their anxious quality again.

"Are Jim and Mrs. Barley all right?" Joe asked, his face etched in concern.

"They are okay," Frank assured Joe, then told him what the doctor had told them.

"What did you find out from Greg?" Joe asked Frank, giving him the half-empty cup of water he held and laying back on the bed.  Frank filled Joe in on his conversation with Greg, warning him not to mention to anyone where the abuse theory came from.

"Now, what happened to you?  How did you spring Jim?  And who do you think tried to kill you?" Frank demanded.

"We would like to hear that too," came Mr. Hardy's voice from the doorway as he and Mrs. Hardy came into the room.

Mrs. Hardy walked over and kissed Joe.  "Oh, baby, we were so worried about you," she said.

"I'm fine," he told his parents, grinning.  "Dr. Willows said I can check out right after breakfast."

Mr. Hardy took Joe's hand in his own and squeezed it.  "You're sure you're feeling okay?" Joe nodded.

"Okay, spill," Frank ordered.

Joe told his family about Mrs. Barley's datebook and his conversation with Agent Patrick.  Then he told them about having been followed but losing the tail at the police station.  Next, he told them about the wreck.  "I don't know why the tires blew though," he ended.

Mr. Hardy's face was hard as he told Joe about the mirror, spikes, and the bullet in the tire.  "Someone obviously doesn't want you finding out anything," he concluded.

"I don't think I was the target," Joe said, surprising everyone.  "I thought the car that followed me to the police station was an unmarked.  We weren't followed after we left, so I didn't even think about it until just now.  But maybe, whoever tried to frame Jim is trying to kill him for the same reason."

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