The next morning, bright and early, Laura and Joe picked Frank up from the hospital and brought him home.

As Joe helped his brother get comfortable on the couch in the living room, his mother went into the kitchen to make him a nice mug of hot chocolate, although she suspected he would have probably preferred a cup of coffee instead. But she just couldn’t bring herself to make it for him.

Not that Laura had anything against coffee; however, she didn’t think the caffeine was a good thing for kids, and she and Fenton had only allowed Frank to start drinking it when he turned sixteen.  A year younger, Joe was not allowed that indulgence yet, although something told the perceptive mother that her younger son might have already partaken in that liberty….He certainly was very strong in his conviction that he would never drink the stuff!

“Sorry,” Frank said to Joe as the younger boy sat down on the edge of the coffee table next to the couch.

“What’cha sorry for?” Joe asked, his face wrinkled in confusion and his older brother had to laugh. The blond youth had a very expressive face!

“We were supposed to help Chet out today? Remember?”

“Oh that,” Joe said, his lips pursed in a thoughtful way. And then he shrugged, “I’ll call Biff - I’m sure I can get a ride with him.”

Frank sighed and lay back against the pillow his brother had put behind his back.  Joe had also draped him in a warm checkered blanket, and he pulled it up to his chin, the fuzziness tickling his face, as he regarded the other teen with a serious look. “Yeah he probably will. Just be careful, okay?”

“Frank!” Joe said, rolling his eyes, “Geez, I’m only going to Chet’s – not on some secret mission with a hit man dogging my trail! What could possibly happen?”

“Now why doesn’t that make me feel any better?” the older boy scowled, shaking his head – while Joe never went looking for trouble, trouble sure had a way of finding him!

“My big brother, the comedian,” Joe retorted, getting up and heading into the kitchen to use the phone.

Frank closed his eyes for a few minutes, and sighed.  He was still feeling a bit tired but at the same time, he wished he was going to the Mortons’ today – the gang always had so much fun hanging out there!

A few minutes later Joe came back announcing that everything had been set and Biff would be by to pick him up in a few minutes.

Laura followed Joe out of the kitchen with a large mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows.  She smiled warmly at her convalescing son as she passed it to him.  “Are you going to be okay here by yourself for a little while?  I really need to run some errands this morning.”

Frank nodded and sipped the hot liquid – his mom made the best hot chocolate. It was so creamy and chocolate-y!  Someday he’d have to get her secret recipe.  “Yeah. I’m still pretty wiped actually, so I’ll probably just sleep most of the morning anyway.”

“If you’re sure…” Frank nodded, again, and his mother smiled.  “Okay, then I’d better grab my purse and go!”  She fixed her younger son with a stern look.  “And you better be careful, young man!  A farm can be a dangerous place!”

Joe sighed and then blushed as his mother gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left the room.

“Man,” he grumbled wiping his cheek – the last thing he needed was for the guys to see him with lipstick on his face.  “You’d swear I can’t walk out that door without getting kidnapped or something!”

Frank laughed as he teased, “I know…it’s horrible having people around who actually care about you!  Now get your butt outside before Biff decides to make you walk!”

“Big brothers…so pushy,” Joe snorted, and then gave Frank a lopsided grin as he heard the sound of a car horn.  “Take it easy!   I’ll see you later!” and then he was gone out the front door.

“Little brothers,” Frank muttered to no one, “a full time job if there ever was one!”

* * *

Lily pulled onto Elm Street in time to see Joe Hardy trot down the walkway and get into an older green car.  She knew without seeing the driver, who the car belonged to – Biff Hooper – and a smile graced her face.

This could work out even better than she thought.  Picking up her cell phone, she made a quick call.

* * *

Frank had halfway finished his drink when he heard a soft knock on the door.  Pushing the blanket off himself, and setting the mug down on the coffee table – where Joe had been sitting only a few moments earlier – he crossed the living room and opened the front door.

And then his mouth dropped open in shock as he saw Lily Getty standing on his front porch!

“Hi Frank,” Lily said shyly, blushing a little.

“Ah…hi,” was all the dumbstruck boy could get out as he continued to stare at her.  He wished he knew why a pretty girl, particularly this one, turned him into an incoherent, babbling, bit of squishiness!

After a few moments, Lily smiled, “Are you going to invite me in or something?”

Without saying anything, Frank backed away from the door, an open invitation for the girl to come in. And Lily did.

She nodded approvingly as she glanced around the room.  It was a very warm, inviting room decorated in earth tones with accents of red. An autumn room….The furniture was tasteful and not overbearing, and the girl could easily imagine snuggling up on that couch to watch a fire burning in the brick fireplace, with a certain someone….

Lily turned back to look at Frank.  “I hope I’m not intruding.”

Frank finally found his voice as he ushered her towards the couch, where he hastily folded the blanket and laid it on the big easy chair. “No, of course not.  I was just a bit surprised, that’s all.”

Understatement of the year….

“I suppose,” the beautiful brunette said softly, her expression one of remorse and guilt as she sat down on the edge of the couch, “you probably weren’t expecting me to show up after what I’d done.”

The dark-haired teen looked at her but before he could think of how to respond to that, she continued, her voice anguished, “Oh Frank I am so sorry!  It was an accident!  I never meant to push you!  It’s just I tripped and…and you were there…and—”

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Frank interrupted her, hating to see her so distraught, “I’m okay and it was an accident.  You have nothing to apologize for!”

Lily reached out tentatively and touched his hand, surprised to feel him tremble under her touch.  She looked directly into his warm brown eyes, her own blue ones bright and hopeful.  “Really?”

“Really,” he said, working hard to keep his nervousness under control.  But when she touched him, he felt something electric course through his whole body – it was a new sensation for him.  New but definitely not unpleasant!

“Your brother doesn’t seem to feel that way,” she said sullenly, “I think, he thinks I tried to push you on purpose or something!”

Frank shook his head as he thought about Joe.  Lily picked up on the affection in his voice when he spoke:  “He tends to be a bit overprotective at times.  But it isn’t your fault, so he won’t blame you for it…and neither do I.”

“Good because…” she bit her lip, suddenly looking very young and vulnerable, and Frank was filled with an intense need to look after her. The desire was so strong it almost took his breath away…and it was something he couldn’t explain.  “because I really do like you…a lot.”

“A lot?” he echoed, his voice hoarse from shock – was she saying what he thought she was saying…?

“A lot,” she confirmed, and then he felt soft warm fingers on his cheek, caressing his face gently.  Frank closed his eyes and swallowed hard as cold shivers ran through is body….He was the luckiest guy in the world - Lily Getty liked him a lot!

* * *

Biff was about two miles from the Morton farm when he noticed a dark-colored truck coming up behind him.

“Someone’s in a hurry,” he remarked, and Joe turned around in the front passenger seat to take a look.

“You might want to pull over and let him pass,” the fifteen-year-old suggested, not liking the way the truck seemed to be barreling up behind them.

“Good idea,” Biff decided, turning on his right indicator and starting to pull over to the side of the road.  But just as the truck should have passed them, it veered and slammed into the back of Biff’s car…its momentum shoving them right off the road and over a steep embankment!!

The car rolled twice before it came to rest on the roof, its tires still spinning slowly.

The truck stopped, backed up and two older boys ran back to the edge of the road.  Smiling grimly at the wreck, they hurried back to their own vehicle and sped away….