The first thing that Joe noticed when he opened his eyes was that he wasn’t dead.

That actually took a few minutes to digest, as his mind felt sluggishly slow and it took him a bit to clear his vision enough to discern that all the brightness was not heaven or hell. Although he did take a few seconds to ponder the wonder of whether or not he’d had enough time in his young life to actually accumulate enough sin to qualify for hell!

Once his befuddled mind accepted the truth of the matter, that he was indeed alive, Joe realized a couple of other things amazingly fast: he was in a hospital bed, and Frank was here….

The older teen was sitting in a hard-backed chair next to the bed, holding one of Joe’s hands and watching him with intense dark eyes.

“How are you feeling, kiddo?” Frank asked, his voice barely a whisper as if afraid the sound of it would make Joe retreat back into the darkness.  He reached out with his free hand to push back a lock of his own hair so brown it was almost black.

Joe opened his mouth to reply when he was overcome with a bout of vicious shivering that left his teeth chattering.  Instantly Frank was pressing the call button even as he tried to comfort his pale brother, “Don’t worry, its pretty normal when you’re recovering from hypothermia to still feel cold for a bit—” and then he broke off to ask a disembodied voice for warmed blankets and to tell them Joe was conscious.

Frank smiled down at his brother.

Joe watched him, a bit surprised, but too cold and weary to wonder. Instead he just closed his eyes and fell back into the darkness.

* * *

Frank sighed as he adjusted the warm blanket over his sleeping brother and watched the nurse check his temperature and other vitals.

She gave him a supportive smile and left, promising to be back in an hour, and telling him Joe was doing very well.  But Frank already knew that. The ride to the hospital had been harrowing, with the paramedics concerned about the real worry that Joe would go into cardiac arrest.  But once they got him to the hospital and he started to respond to treatment, Frank knew his brother would be fine…but the real question burning a hole in his mind was would they?

Seth’s voice rang in his ears as he stood beside Frank while the paramedics gently got Joe ready for transport…. Lily did this.  Davis was just her puppet; cowed since infancy by a domineering, twisted sister who had blinded their parents with her perfection, he only did what she let him….

“Why?” Frank had asked, “Joe did nothing to her!”

“He loved you,” Seth said, sighing and stepping out of the way of the paramedics.  “He was your brother and you listened to him.  Frank, I don’t know what you said to her yesterday, but she called Davis and told him that she wanted Joe to be taught the cost of interference. Davis and Evan picked me and Jorgen up…and…well, you know the rest...”

“So she was there?”  Frank felt Callie put a comforting hand on his arm and, surprising himself, Frank put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug.  “Thank you,” he whispered.  She smiled and blushed, but never tried to pull away.

“Yes she was,” Jorgen answered, coming over to stand by them.  “She watched and then after giving him one final threat, added her own mark to his body….” The blond teen had paled then, and shook his head, “I am so sorry Frank….”

Frank released Callie, turned and abruptly walked away to where his father was standing beside the ambulance as Joe was being loaded in.

The paramedic gave them an apologetic look, knowing what neither had asked yet.  “I’m sorry, but there’ll be no room for a passenger…”

Fenton nodded and put a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder.  “We’ll follow.  Bayport General?”

“Bayport General,” the medic confirmed before climbing into the back of the ambulance and slamming the door; seconds later, with sirens blaring, it was on its way to the hospital.

Frank scowled as he closed his eyes and shook his head…

“FRANK!”  Her voice sent a chill through his body as he started to follow his father towards their car.  It was Lily.  She was handcuffed and sitting in the back of a patrol car with an officer standing guard over her.  Davis was in the car also, but never even so much as looked towards him.  “Please, I can explain!”

Around them the house was abuzz with activity as police officers searched the premises.

“You have nothing to say that I want to hear,” Frank said coldly, preparing to walk past her.  He felt his father’s grip on his shoulder tighten supportively.

“I love—”

“Don’t you dare say it!” Frank yelled at her, his rage finding a voice amid the ludicrousness of her attempted explanation.  “Don’t you dare sit there and try and tell me you did this because you loved me!  Lily, I don’t think you even know what love is…”

“Frank“—” She tried again, and again he cut her off, moving away from his father.

“No one who cared even an iota about me would ever have done what you did to my brother…or my friends!”  Frank took another step closer to her.  “I cared about you, Lily, yeah that’s right…I actually cared.  How stupid was I?” he snorted. “Joe tried to tell me, but I was too taken in by you and everything you pretended to be!  I wanted to believe so badly in us that I’ve almost cost me the most important person in my life!” Frank held her blue eyes in an intense gaze as he finished; his tone grim and unforgiving: “My brother.”

Snorting in disgust, Frank started to walk away but then stopped and looked back at the girl. “You know the saddest thing about all this, Lillian Getty?” He shook his head, angry at himself.  “You did have me… hook, line and sinker…” and then he turned and walked away.

Opening his eyes, Frank ran his thumb absently across his brother’s still hand as he whispered, “I’m so sorry, little brother…so, so sorry….This never should have happened.  I should have listened to you.”

Sighing wearily he looked at his watch. It was almost four a.m.  It had taken some convincing to get his parents to agree to allow him to stay with Joe. Their mother had wanted to, insisting that Frank needed to try and get some sleep, but the older boy hadn’t relented in his plea and his parents finally agreed, realizing how important it was to him to be there when Joe woke up.  Although they did try and convince him that Joe would understand and it wasn’t really Frank’s fault.  Lily had fooled him just as she had them all.  But he still needed to be here.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he let out another heavy sigh and wished Joe would wake up so he could talk to him….

* * *

Fenton Hardy stood by Police Chief Collig and shook his head.  It was almost nine a.m. and the two men had just met outside; Ezra had dropped by on his way to the precinct to meet with Fenton, who had left Laura at the hospital only minutes earlier.

“I can’t believe it, “the detective said, shaking his head.  “It was here all along.  Barely a block from my own home.”  They watched as the tiger print was carefully removed from the house by the CSI team.  “A bunch of kids…rich kids, thrill stealing, just for kicks.”

The police chief agreed, “Yeah.  Bored out of their skulls.  And they probably would have gotten away with it, if they hadn’t let things get personal.”

Fenton’s jaw twitched as he agreed.  During a night of interrogations, they had finally gotten the full story from Seth, Jorgen, and Evan about everything.  Davis and Lily were not so forthcoming, which wasn’t surprising seeing they were facing the worst of the charges: kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder….

“That little girl is one conniving piece of work,” Ezra admitted as they walked towards the backyard.  Fenton hadn’t been there during the night, as he and Laura had spent most of their time at the hospital, only coming home a few hours earlier; long enough to grab a shower, a quick nap and out the door again.  Neither would have it any other way. “She tried to pin everything on her brother,” he continued. “If it wasn’t for the collaborating statements by the other three, she might have gotten away with it.”

“Plea bargain herself into a nice cushy JV hall, probably out in two years,” Fenton speculated grimly, incensed that this child would think she could almost kill his son and get away with it.

The police chief nodded his head as his eyes surveyed the hole that had almost been Joe Hardy’s grave.  “Instead we’re petitioning for her to be tried as an adult.  Hard time for that one.”

Fenton nodded his approval before he turned and walked away.  He couldn’t stay there another moment.

* * *

Laura pushed open the door to Joe’s room and a sad smile crossed her pretty face.  Both boys were still asleep; the younger boy in his bed, the older in the chair next to it.

She winced as she saw the position Frank was in – poor kid was going to have a kink in his neck for sure.

Quietly she crossed the floor and looked down at the pale face of her baby…. “Oh Joey,” she whispered, as she gently stroked his cheek, relieved to feel how warm it was.  “Baby…” Blinking quickly, she gave a quick prayer of thanks that Frank had found him when he did – he was severely hypothermic, and would not have lasted much longer… without being buried alive!

Shivering at the thought, she pulled his blanket up a bit more and then turned her gaze on her older son.  Poor Frank, she thought, her heart going out to him, the kid looks like he’s aged during the night.

Laura knew this was hard on him…probably even more so than on Joe.  Frank had been manipulated and used; his blossoming maturity put through a test no one should have to endure, and he was paying a terrible price for it.  Laura only hoped this did not dampen his perception of the opposite sex.  Frank had always been a child who learned his lessons well, never making the same mistake twice; she could only hope that in this case he would not judge all girls by what had happened with Lily….

She seethed as she thought about the pretty brunette…but seeing Frank’s eyes slowly flicker open before he offered her a wan smile, drew her away from her dark thoughts of what she’d like to do to that girl if she ever got her hands on her.

“Hi sweetie,” Laura said, pulling over another chair and sitting down beside him, “How you holding up?”

Frank stretched and then winced as his neck hurt.  He massaged it absently as he thought about his mother’s question before he gingerly shook his head.  “Not too good, actually.”

She waited patiently for her exhausted son to continue.  He stood up, and after checking on his brother, the dark-haired teen moved to the window and looked out.  He sighed heavily.  “I just feel so many things right now, Mom, too many things…and it hurts so much.”

“Oh, my little boy,” Laura said, her voice soft and tender as she came to stand beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing him close to her, “that’s what happens when you care.”

“I know,” Frank said, his gaze never wavering from the window, although it was doubtful he was actually looking at the view, “But I just feel so incredibly guilty about what happened; like a fool for letting it happen….I’m angry at Lily…myself…and—” he paused and Laura could feel her son trembling against her, “and I’m terrified.”

“Sweetie, Lily and her friends did this, not you!  If you’re guilty of one thing, it’s of being young and of following your heart. You were misled but, my precious, precious child, you never let this happen. There is nothing in you that could allow your brother to get hurt – let anyone get hurt – that isn’t you, Frank, and we both know that.”  Laura ached to have the right words to take the tormented look from his handsome young face.

The teen never said anything; he just kept staring unblinkingly ahead, his eyes suspiciously bright.  After a few moments, Laura pressed gently, “What are you so scared of, Frankie?”

He closed his eyes reflexively, swallowing the lump as he heard his mother address him by his childhood name.  He spoke softly, his voice anguished:  “What if I can’t fix this?  What if he can’t forgive me?”

Laura felt her breath catch in her throat as she knew he was talking about his relationship with his brother. They had always been close, well until Lily…

“Sweetie,” Laura let go of his waist and reached up to caress his anxious face.  He opened his eyes at the contact and looked into his mother’s pale blue eyes.  “Oh baby,” she whispered, her eyes searching his dark ones, “your brother loves you…we all love you…he will forgive you…”

“But will he ever trust – trust me…a-again?”  The words stuck in Frank’s throat and suddenly he was breaking down, enveloped in her arms and pressed against her bosom as she held him tightly, rubbing his back and whispering comforting words into his ear.

“Oh baby,” she repeated over and over again, “Shhh, it’ll be okay…it’ll all be okay….”

He wanted so desperately to believe her.

* * *

Joe lay in his bed and listened to them.  They didn’t know he was awake.  He kept his eyes closed…even when the hot tears burned his cheeks as they ran unbidden down his face.

I can forgive, the blond teen thought, that’s the easy part, but can I forget? That he didn’t know….