Glancing to her right, Vanessa took in Laura and Fenton Hardy, looking more devastated than she could ever recall seeing them. They hadn’t spoken a word in over an hour, leaving her very scared. Normally, when waiting for word on one of their injured sons, Laura and Fenton would talk softly between themselves, drawing support from each other. Occasionally, they would offer words of hope to others who gathered for the vigil. Tonight, however, they had remained uncharacteristically silent, leaving Vanessa terrified for them, for Joe and especially for Frank.

Her sad, grey eyes moved only inches, coming to rest on the figure next to her and her heart broke just a little bit more. Joe was sitting there, motionless, his head resting on her shoulder, one of her hands grasped tightly in both of his. His intense, deep blue eyes that normally sparkled with mischief were staring at something only he could see, dead and lifeless. Vanessa found she was more scared for Joe than for anyone. Normally, he would be pacing a hole in the floor, unable to remain still for even a second, harassing the hospital staff, demanding an update on his brother’s condition every few minutes.

This time was very different. When she, Laura, Callie and the Shaws had arrived shortly after Fenton’s phone call, Joe had quickly taken Vanessa outside to a secluded area near the entrance to the E.R. He had somehow been able to explain to her what the madwoman had done to Frank, choking back tears, until he finally collapsed in her arms, sobbing for his older brother.

Vanessa didn’t know how, but she had been able to remain strong for Joe, shedding a few tears that he thankfully didn’t see. When his heart wrenching cries had ceased, she gently led him back to the waiting area, sitting him down next to his mother. He had immediately curled up next to Vanessa, his head on her shoulder, and hadn’t moved or spoken since.

And so they sat, keeping vigil, as Vanessa continually ran her fingers through Joe’s hair, a gesture she knew he always found comfort in. Occasionally she would kiss him gently, reminding him of her presence and that he wasn’t alone, but they never spoke. No one ever spoke as if to break the sacred sound of silence would bring about the bad news they prayed would never come.

Dr. Bowles had come out once more to update them on Frank’s condition. They had chosen to continue treating him in the Emergency Room, waiting until they were absolutely sure the seizures had stopped before transferring him to a room. That had been several hours ago and although it had not been said aloud everyone knew, the longer it took for Frank to be moved into a room, the greater the chance of some kind of permanent brain damage.

As the first shades of morning gray began to peek through the windows, Joe sat up, and looked at Vanessa. Wordlessly, he got up and tugged on her hand, indicating he wanted her to join him, wherever he was going. Looking around she noticed everyone else seemed to have fallen into a restless sleep, so she silently followed Joe out of the waiting room. He stopped at the reception desk and murmured a question Vanessa didn’t quite hear, but when the young woman pointed down the hall, she assumed Joe had asked for directions to somewhere. Still holding tightly to her hand, Joe led Vanessa through a set of double doors and down to the end of the hall where they entered the hospital chapel, which at this time of the morning was deserted.

Joe walked to the middle of the room before choosing a row and walking halfway in before taking a seat, Vanessa right beside him. Initially, Joe simply stared straight ahead, not speaking, the listlessness in his eyes replaced with a faraway look she couldn’t quite place. Soon Joe turned to her, his eyes now questioning.

"Why?" He whispered. "Why did this happen?"

Vanessa’s heart stopped for a second as she wondered if Joe really expected her to have an answer or if he were just trying to put his emotions into words. "Is this God’s way of telling me I took too long to give Frank another chance? That I took too long to trust him again? That I took him for granted and I really don’t deserve him? Is that why all this is happening?"

Her decision to remain silent and simply listen was quickly pushed aside. "No, Baby, that’s not it. And even though I can’t tell you why this happened, I truly believe, with all my heart that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reasons just aren’t apparent to us right away. But I do know, if God wanted to send you a message, He wouldn’t hurt Frank to do it." Vanessa replied earnestly.

Joe glanced back towards the front of the chapel again, thinking about what she said and finally nodded in agreement. "The other night when Frank and I talked, I was…confused about a lot of things. I knew he could make sense out of everything for me. And I knew it was time…you know, to give him a chance. To trust him again." When Joe turned back to Vanessa, she saw both joy and despair in his eyes. "And he didn’t let me down. He believed in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself. There are so many things I need to tell him, to talk to him about. Things he promised to help me with. I still need him, Van."

"I know you do." Vanessa said softly. "Since we’re here, why don’t we say a little prayer? Why don’t we ask for help? For Frank. And for the doctors and nurses. They’re doing everything they can for Frank, but sometimes they need a little help too."

Holding tightly to each other’s hands, Joe and Vanessa each said their own little prayer before quietly leaving the chapel and returning to the waiting room.

As they passed the entrance to the Emergency Room, Dr. Bowles came walking out right in front of them.

"Dr. Bowles?" Joe called out. "What’s happened? Is something wrong?" He asked, the anxiety he was feeling clearly written all over his face.

"Actually, Frank has stabilized and we’re getting ready to move him into a room. I was just on my way to tell your parents." The doctor replied falling in step next to Joe and Vanessa who quickened their pace.

As soon as the threesome entered the waiting room, everyone was instantly on their feet, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

"The seizures have stopped and Frank’s condition has stabilized." Dr. Bowles announced. "We’re preparing to move him to a private room. He’ll still be monitored closely via machines, but we feel he’s improved enough that the nurse and respiratory technician no longer need to remain with him." He waited for the sighs of relief to subside before continuing. "While that’s obviously good news, there’s still a long way to go yet. We still don’t know whether or not Frank has suffered any permanent brain damage and if so how much." He cautioned them.

"When will you know?" Callie asked, wedged between her parents for both physical and emotional support.

"The best case scenario, and the one that we are hoping for, is that Frank will regain consciousness sometime in the next four or five hours. If that happens, we can be fairly certain he’ll make a complete recovery with no permanent damage."

"And what if that doesn’t happen?" Fenton asked the question nobody wanted the answer to.

"Then we’ll have to start testing to see how severe the damage is." Dr. Bowles replied quietly.

"Can…can we see him?" Callie asked, clearly fighting to stay in control.

"Yes. Once we get him moved to the room, you can see him one at a time. And I would encourage you to talk to him. All of you. He may recognize your voices which could help push him in the right direction." Taking in the looks of hope on their faces, he smiled. "He’ll be in room 428. Give us about twenty minutes and then you can start to visit with him."

As Callie huddled with her parents and Fenton and Laura once again turned to each other for comfort, Joe pulled Vanessa aside. Looking into his eyes, Vanessa saw hope.

"Van…do you think…I mean…was it just a coincidence that this all happened right after we came out of the chapel?" Joe asked, cautiously. "Do you think our prayers…"

"Were answered?" Vanessa finished for him. "What is it your Dad always says about coincidences?"

"There’s no such thing." Joe replied, allowing himself the tiniest of smiles.