The news that Joe had apparently fallen victim to complications, even as the infection was being conquered, had been devastating for everyone. A tense, ominous silence almost swallowed up the small room as each person seemed to retreat into themselves, wondering what they could have done differently to prevent this outcome. It was evident from the looks on their faces that Fenton and Frank held no one but themselves responsible.

Frank had asked to see Joe after Dr. Andress had told them about the seizures. Since Joe’s condition was still unstable and the emergency room staff was closely monitoring him, his request was denied. Knowing that the rest of his family had seen Joe, spoken to him, watched him seemingly improve over the previous twenty-four hours left Frank feeling cheated and a little jealous. The last time Frank had seen his brother, Joe had smiled at him and given him words of encouragement for the trial.

Frank had promised to do so if Joe promised to start getting better. Joe’s response was a thumbs up, indicating he’d hold up his end of the bargain if Frank would do the same. Somehow, Frank thought that was the turning point. He still worried about Joe, but felt certain he’d begin to recover now that he’d be on antibiotics and able to get the rest he needed.

Restlessly pacing the waiting room and corridor for the last few hours, Frank had developed an all-consuming need to see his brother. Knowing he had been expressly forbidden to do so only made the need that much stronger. Frank had left the waiting room a while ago and was now stalking the doors to the examination area of the emergency room. Every so often, the receptionist would look up at him and smile almost apologetically. Everyone, it seemed, was concerned about the young man who had been brought in with such a high fever and had been trying to keep up the spirits of his family who refused to leave the hospital despite being told they wouldn’t be able to see him until morning at the earliest – and maybe not even then.

They didn’t know Frank Hardy, though. He was determined to see his younger brother and no one was going to stop him. Over the past hour Frank had been keeping the ER staff "under surveillance", although they thought he was just a worried family member with too much excess energy to burn off. While it appeared the comings and goings of the staff was random, Frank noticed a pattern. When the receptionist needed to take a break, another staffer would keep an eye out for incoming emergencies, but they did so from a distance, leaving the doors leading back to the exam rooms temporarily unguarded. With the patience of a saint, Frank waited…and waited…and waited.

Finally, his persistence was rewarded when he heard the receptionist ask one of the nurses to keep an eye on the desk while she used the restroom. Thorough as always, even in times of stress, Frank nonchalantly made his way to the doors, opening one of them just a crack. Peering into the heart of the emergency room, he saw the nurse with her back to the doors, at an angle giving her a full view of the desk and reception area. She was leaning against the wall, talking quietly on the phone.

Soundlessly slipping through the doors, Frank partially hid himself behind a cart, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the layout of the emergency area. As luck would have it, he happened to have chosen a spot directly under a map of the emergency exit routes out of that section of the hospital. Quickly committing it to memory, Frank said a silent thank you as he realized the exam rooms were to his right. He wouldn’t need to go anywhere near the nurse standing guard over the desk.

With a stealth that came from years of experience, Frank rapidly made his way to the exam rooms without making a sound. He noticed the curtains covering the doorways were open on every room save one, the only one, he assumed, that contained a patient. Getting closer, he stole a glance in the room relieved to see the lack of personnel in there. Pushing the curtain aside, Frank stepped inside. Making his way to the bed, which was really a glorified stretcher, Frank gazed down at his younger brother, his heart aching.

There was a fresh white bandage wrapped around Joe’s forehead, replacing the makeshift dressing Laura had applied. His right eye and the area surrounding it was a striking shade of deep purple. Several plastic bags filled with liquid hung on either side of the bed, attached to IV lines that disappeared beneath the silver cooling blanket covering Joe. Reaching out, Frank laid his hand gently on Joe’s cheek, which was sweaty, flushed and hot to the touch. Not really expecting any kind of response, Frank was still disappointed when Joe didn’t even flinch.

Noting the chart hanging from the foot of the bed, Frank quietly removed it from the hook and began to read. Joe’s temperature had shot up even further after he’d arrived in the ER, but then miraculously started to come down, before stalling at 107 degrees, where it continued to remain. As his eyes fell on the final notation that had been made only ten minutes earlier, Frank couldn’t stifle a small cry.

Returning the chart to it’s hook, Frank walked back to Joe’s bedside, resting his hand on top of the cool silver covering in the spot where he assumed Joe’s arm to be. Knowing how much Joe hated to be lectured, Frank decided that was just what his brother needed at the moment.

‘Maybe he’ll hear me and get so mad he’ll wake up just to tell me off.’ Frank thought hopefully.

"Listen up, little brother, because I’m only going to say this once. This is the third time this year I’ve had to stand next to you in a hospital bed and beg you not to leave. We all know you love being the center of attention but this is getting really old, okay? At this rate, I’ll be gray before I’m thirty. People will start thinking I’m your father instead of your brother." Frank’s voice softened.

"After twenty-three years, I’ve gotten pretty used to having you around, even if you do have a flair for the dramatic. And I’d really rather not learn what it’s like to be an only child if it’s all the same to you. Besides, I still have to pay you back for that bachelor party you threw for me. Look, Brat, I know you get a kick out of pushing my buttons, but I give up, okay? You win. So, if you’d stop all the theatrics and just wake up so we could all go home…well, I’d really appreciate it."

Patting Joe on the arm, Frank abruptly turned and left the exam room. He quietly made his way down the corridor, through the swinging doors and back out into the hall. Bypassing his family in the waiting room, Frank didn’t stop, completely exiting the hospital. Searching the grounds just outside the doors, he saw a secluded spot behind some bushes where he could have the solitude he craved. Taking a seat on the ground, he pulled his knees up to his chest, leaned back against the hard brick wall and closed his eyes. Joe was going to be all right. He had to be. Frank refused to consider any other outcome.

Frank knew he’d been sitting there in the dark, in the middle of the night, for well over an hour, unconcerned that his sudden disappearance might worry his family. They were all too caught up in their own grief to even notice he was gone. All except Callie. But she understood him like no on else – except maybe Joe. Callie would know if Frank had not returned to the waiting room, it was because he needed time alone to think about his brother and sort through his feelings.

Just as Frank was contemplating going back inside he heard female voices approaching. Peering over the bushes, he saw two of the ER nurses take a seat on the bench, apparently on a break. He listened as they talked about the beautiful fall weather their small town had been having, an upcoming baby shower for one of their coworkers and that weekend’s high school football game which one of their sons would be playing in. They lapsed into a momentary silence until one of them brought up the lone patient occupying the ER.

"It’s just so sad. Have you seen his family out there? They refuse to leave even though they know they can’t see him. Dr. Andress told them if they wanted to go get some rest, he’d call if there was any change in his condition. I really hope he makes it."

Frank smiled at the woman’s heartfelt wish. ‘Me too.’

"I hate to say it, but don’t get your hopes up." The second woman responded somberly and Frank’s heart plummeted. "Just before I went on break Dr. Andress asked me to get him the number of the local contact for the National Organ Donor program. Apparently the guy has an organ donor card."

"It’s that bad?" The first woman asked.

"I’m afraid so. Such a shame, too. He’s so young…" As the two women stood and walked away, their voices faded, leaving Frank stunned.

‘Organ donor program? NO! He can’t die like this!!’

Now on his knees, Frank wrapped his arms around himself, overcome with dry heaves, feeling sick to his stomach. Rooted to the spot, Frank wondered how he could possibly say goodbye to his brother, his partner, his best friend.

‘Maybe they’re wrong.’ Frank thought grasping at any bit of hope he could find. ‘They don’t know Joe. They don’t know what a fighter he is.’

Hearing a noise Frank looked up expecting to see another employee on a break, but instead found himself looking into Callie’s worried brown eyes.

"Frank, you need to come back inside." She said soberly. "Dr. Andress is coming out to talk to us. He wants the whole family there."

Callie helped a zombie-like Frank to his feet. Slipping an arm around his waist, she guided him back to the entrance to the emergency room.