Biff Hooper waited a few moments before going to the nurse’s station to find out when he could go upstairs to see Frank and Joe.

The nurse was on the phone and he waited patiently but when he heard the nurse mention the patient in 3A, his ears perked up. Joe was in bed 3A.

But then when he heard the words ‘rape kit’ all the blood drained from his face as his stomach lurched and he barely made it to the bathroom before dropping to his knees and becoming violently ill.

No not Joe…no…

His mind was whirling as he retched… if only he had stayed last night, instead of letting William push him away…if only he had made Will let him see them…if only…

* * *

Dr. Greenland found Fenton Hardy upstairs in the room of a boy who looked shockingly like his own patient, Joe Hardy.  He knew there was a brother upstairs who was suspected of causing his patient’s condition but he never had any idea it was a twin.  An identical twin nonetheless.

The doctor was afforded a glimpse of what the beaten youngster he was treating looked like minus the bruises and abuse.

“Mr. Hardy?”  He said softly.  The man was staring at the figure in the bed that appeared to be sleeping.

Fenton jumped at the sound of the man’s voice.  He had been deep in thought since William dozed off and hadn’t heard the doctor come in.

“Yes?” he said getting up to greet the tall dark man.

“I’m Dr. Greenland, I’ve been treating your son Joe,” he introduced himself and shook Fenton’s hand.

“How’s he doing?”  Fenton asked as he sat back down in the chair and watched the doctor.

“Well he’s a very sick boy”, the doctor admitted and then as he started to list off Joe’s various conditions he noticed a dark look building on the father’s face.  He started to tell him about Frank’s special request but held back.

The man looked like he was about to lose it and he decided to wait until they had the results before upsetting him any further.  He already had his own suspicions on that but didn’t want to say anything until he got conclusive results.

Letting out a heavy sigh when Dr. Greenland finished, Fenton shook his head sadly, “I should have been home.”

The doctor had nothing to say to that but offered, “Provided nothing unexpected turns up”; he said tactfully, “Joe should make a full physical recovery.  It is going to be long and painful recovery though as unfortunately 2^nd degree burns are very painful and need daily cleaning and dressing, which we will show you how to do.  But his prognosis is good.”

Looking at the twin, Dr. Greenland lowered his voice and advised the obviously distressed father, “However, the psychological wounds…well that’s something I can’t heal as easily.  I strongly suggest that Joe gets some sort of counseling to help him deal with this.”

Fenton looked at the doctor in shock.  Counseling? And then lowering his head into his hands, he just nodded his head.  He should have never left the boys alone.

The doctor gave the man’s shoulder a supportive squeeze, “It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”

Fenton smiled thinly, “Thank you.  When can I see him?”

“Well he’s being moved to a room as we speak, so give us some time to get him settled… say in about 30 minutes?  He’ll be in room 215.” 

“Thanks…Dr.?”  Fenton stopped the man before he could leave, “How’s my other son, Frank?”

Dr. Greenland smiled. At least he had better news about that one. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Fenton must be going through will all three of his sons in the hospital and knowing that this one son, asleep in front of them, was responsible, “Exhausted and a bit battered but he’ll be fine.  We’re just keeping him overnight to get some fluid into him and give him a head start on antibiotics.”

“Antibiotics?” Fenton questioned.

“Yes his wrists were badly torn from trying to get out of the handcuffs”, the doctor said and then offering the man another supportive smile, he headed out the door.  He needed to check on his patient.

The police officer at the door glanced up briefly as the doctor went by before he continued reading the paper.

* * *

William listened with growing pride as the doctor listed Joe’s condition.  And then his heart almost stopped when he heard the other man tell Fenton which room Joe was in.

215…They were making it too easy for him.

* * *

Con Riley was in shock.  This whole day had gone from bad to worst so quickly.  It was only a few short hours ago that he had woken up with an intense need to talk to Fenton…to warn him.

But as he stood numbly and watched the crime scene investigators process the mess that was Joe’s room, he just shook his head.  He had been too late.

The room itself could only be described as a horror.

Puke and blood - in the closet, on the bedroom floor…

Mattress stained with blood and discharge from a weeping back…

Cigarette butts on the floor…

A pair of soaking wet jeans on the floor… most likely Joe’s

Bloody handcuffs in the living room…

Con was abhorred… he had been too late.

He only hoped that Joe was able to recover from this somehow… and that somewhere in all this mess he hadn’t become lost to them all.

* * *

Frank lay in his bed and waited.

Joe wasn’t in the room when he got there and he was just starting to get worried that there was some sort of complication when the door opened and two porters, Dr. Greenland and a nurse came in with Joe.

Wordlessly he watched as they made Joe as comfortable as possible and then one by one they left with Dr. Greenland being the last to leave.

He smiled at Frank as he checked the leads on Joe’s chest and the dark haired boy was alarmed to see that Joe had a heart monitor on.  Seeing the look the doctor explained, “It’s just a precaution.  Joe was in extreme shock by the time he got here.  We just need to make sure the strain on his heart didn’t cause any damage.”

Frank nodded and then calmed himself down with the rhythmic beeping from the machine. Dr. Greenland turned it down so it wasn’t distractingly loud and then winking at Frank he left.

As soon as the doctor left, Frank was out of bed.  He still had the IV in and pulled the trolley with him. He needed to be close to Joe.

Joe looked terrible.

His brother was lying on his stomach and the damage done to his back was hidden underneath sterile bandages that wrapped his back and front like a mummy.  He figured the same bandages were also working to provide support to the cracked ribs.

Other then the heart monitor and the brace on Joe’s knee, Frank could see that his arms and he knew from memory, his legs were dotted in bruises.  There were even bandages on his wrists and most likely on his ankles as well. Frank didn’t look.

Reaching out he gently touched Joe’s forehead.  It was warm but not as much as before and Frank gave a shaky sigh of relief.  That was something anyway.

“Hey kiddo”, he said softly, “you just get some rest okay? You’re… you’re safe now.”  His voice shook as he spoke and it took him a few moments to compose himself.

Frank wanted so desperately to just lift Joe into his lap and hold him.  But he couldn’t right now.  He’d have to wait.

Sighing he stayed by Joe’s bed for a few more minutes before his own exhaustion and aches forced him and his trolley back to the other bed.

“I’ll be right here little brother if you need anything”, Frank said softly as he then groaned and settled down in his bed before turning his head so he was facing Joe.  With a weary sigh, the older boy slowly closed his eyes and let his body relax.

They were safe now… he could let down his guard.

And sleep.

* * *

Fenton quietly slipped into the room and stood between the two beds.  He shook his head in disbelief.

This couldn’t be happening.  This had to be some sort of jaded horrible nightmare that he just needed to wake up from.

He stayed in the room and watched them sleep.

And that was where he was when Chief Collig found him.

“Fenton”, he said softly looking at the two sleeping boys, “Can I see you for a moment?”

The detective looked up at his old friend and then nodding his head he rose stiffly from the chair he had been sitting in for the past hour.

“Sure”, he said and then with one final glance at the sleepers he followed the Chief into the hall.

“We need to talk about William,” Ezra said gently and then led him down the hall where they could talk privately.

“Yeah we do”, admitted Fenton, “yeah we do.”

* * *

Pain…dull pain…

Joe slowly woke up.

Pain…

His world still revolved around pain but curiously enough it was nothing compared to what he had lived with before.  In fact, he realized in shock, the pain was duller… more controlled.

And then he recognized where he was.

He was in a hospital.

Safe…the word echoed through his mind but Joe refused to grasp it.  He couldn’t make that leap so soon… William had proved to him that he was never safe…never…not even in his own home.

So Joe decided he had been given a reprieve… but not safe… never safe.

Slowly he forced his eyes to open and then even more slowly to focus, his mind was a confused numb place of half images and deliria inspired snatches of what happened, but none of it made sense.  And then he had one thought.

Frank.

Oh my god Frank! 

Frank had been there… with this remembrance Joe finally forced his eyes to work and then his heart dropped.

Frank was in a bed across from him with an IV!  And then Joe saw the blackened bruise on his face… his eye… and he had to see.

He had to know just how badly he had failed… just how badly he had let William hurt Frank.

Oh god…his mind anguished, not Frank!

Gritting his teeth against the pain, the nausea, the dizziness Joe forced his hands under him body and pushed up.  Pain shot through his body and he gasped and bit his lip so hard to keep from crying out that it bled.  He tasted something like copper in his mouth.

Bad move, he cursed as his head swam sickeningly.  But as he focused his single minded energy on getting to his brother, the teen was able to slip over the side of the bed so that he was half on the bed and half off.

Déjà vu, he thought miserably but couldn’t place the familiarity before he forced himself up on shaking legs holding onto the bed for support.  Gauging the distance, Joe prayed that he could make the one step he’d need before he could use Frank’s bed for support.

So intent was he on getting to Frank, he never even noticed the IV’s in his hands or the leads on his chest or even the brace on his leg.  He just had one thought…Frank.  He needed to get to his brother.

Taking a deep breath, he moved.

And then as his legs gave out beneath him, and he started to fall, he only knew one thing…this was going to hurt.