MAKING IT OFFICIAL
by
RM
Chapter 16
THE CHAPTERS
It was in the early hours of the morning and Joe was staring at the smoking pile of rubble that covered a portion of the ground on the bluff. The last of the firefighters were soaking the debris to make sure the fire was really out.
Fenton had arrived shortly after talking with Joe. He had been shocked at the devastation before his eyes. But Fenton had not been alone. Police Chief Ezra Collig had also arrived on the scene.
The Chief had ordered in lights to be shined on the rubble so that investigators could begin sifting through the debris. Joe knew the Chief had called in the light and manpower since there was a possibility two people had been inside.
Now, crews were going through looking for the cause of the fire.
Joe stood and watched them work. He wanted to be there in case they found something. Fenton had suggested they move away from the rubble, but he couldn’t. He had to be there.
As the night slowly shifted to morning, with the sun breaking over the horizon, Joe began to fee a sense of loss. No one had been found in the search. He feared he had lost his best friend.
Needing a moment to get his emotions in check, he stepped away from the tree line where he had stood for hours and moved to the edge of the bluff. Staring into the rising sun, he tried to picture what the future would hold. But he couldn’t. He had only the thoughts of him and Frank together. He couldn’t believe this had happened. It seemed like a nightmare and he really wanted to wake up with Frank standing by his bed, pulling the covers off him.
Closing his eyes, he tried to calm down. He could felt he emotion bubbling forth from inside, but he wanted to control it until he was alone. He didn’t want to lose it in case the worst wasn’t real. He hoped everything was a mistake.
He felt an arm get wrapped around him and could smell Vanessa’s perfume. He took hold of her arm and held it tight.
“How are you?” Vanessa asked softly.
Joe swallowed the lump in his throat and took a breath before answering. “I’m okay.”
“Liar,” Vanessa said even softer.
Joe allowed a small grin to cross his face before he turned to Vanessa as he opened his eyes. She leaned in close to him and gave him a hug. Joe welcomed the affection since he was having such a hard time.
“Things will be all right, Joe. I know they will.”
Joe remained quiet. He didn’t trust his voice.
After a few minutes, he leaned back from Vanessa. He saw love and understanding in her eyes and knew she comprehended what he was feeling.
Vanessa turned her head slightly away from Joe. He turned to see what she was looking at. The sun had completely broken through the horizon. It looked to be the start of a beautiful day.
“They were supposed to get married today,” Joe said quietly.
“Don’t give up hope,” Vanessa said. “Anything is possible.”
“I know,” Joe said, turning back to the rubble. “But how? I mean, look at this mess. That fire was hot and nothing is left of the building. If Frank and Caren were in there, there is no way they could have survived.”
“I can’t believe you’re giving up,” Vanessa said, taking a step back from him.
“I’m not giving up. I’m just looking at what is right in front of my eyes. But I can tell you this, I’m not going anywhere until I know for certain one way or another.”
“Just keep hoping for the best, Joe. That’s all we can really do.”
Joe nodded his head.
After a few more minutes standing on the bluff, they made their way back toward the tree line where Fenton was standing. His face was pale as he stared at the remains of the building.
“Have they found anything?” Joe asked, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
“Nothing yet,” Fenton said. “The police are checking Caren’s car to see if there is a clue to their whereabouts.”
“I have a feeling they are close by,” Joe said. “With seeing Caren’s car on the side of the road, this is the only place they could be.”
“Only time will tell,” Fenton said. “Only time will tell.”
They stood is silence as they watched the crews work.
“There’s a basement here!” a voice yelled out from the debris.
The three of them hurried forward and stopped at the edge of the rubble.
“Do you see anything?” Fenton asked.
“There’s nothing down here.”
Joe closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe it. His brother was gone. He didn’t know how he was going to go on. His brother meant the world t him and now he was gone. He felt sick.
“Wait. I see something.”
Joe didn’t bother to look. He knew what the out come was. He knew it wasn’t good.
“They’re alive!” the voice yelled. “There are two people here alive!”
Joe’s hands fell away from his face as he stared down at the ground. He wasn’t sure he ha heard the voice correctly.
“Someone take her.”
Joe watched as one of the firefighters climbed out of the hole with Caren over his shoulder. He face was covered in soot. He watched as she was carried several feet away before being set down on the ground. He watched Vanessa hurry to Caren’s side.
“Someone help me with him.”
Joe jumped into action and hurried to the ladder. He quickly climbed down and lifted the unconscious form of his brother over his shoulder. He retuned to the ladder and began his climb.
Once he was out of the hole, he moved over to where Caren had been placed. He set Frank down beside her and stepped back as the paramedics got to work.
He watched as the paramedics applied an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth before they began assessing his condition. Joe waited with bated breath for some word from the paramedics.
Just as the paramedics leaned back from Frank, Joe saw his older brother’s eyes were open slightly. And he was blinking.
“Frank!” Joe called out as he dropped to the ground by his head.
He watched Frank reach up and put his hand on the oxygen mask.
“Leave it on, Frank,” Joe said. “You’re all right.”
Frank moved his lips, but Joe couldn’t understand what he was saying. Although Joe knew the oxygen was to help Frank, he also knew he needed to find out what his brother wanted. He lifted the mask and put his ear close to Frank’s mouth.
“Caren?” Frank whispered.
Joe put the mask back down. “She’s fine, Frank. Just relax.”
Joe watched Frank let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. Joe glanced at his future sister-in-law and saw that her eyes were open. Vanessa was speaking softly to her.
“We need to get them both to the hospital,” one paramedic tending to Frank said. “Although they don’t appear to be hurt, the doctors can evaluate their conditions much better.”
“That’s fine,” Fenton said. “We’ll follow behind.”
Fenton, Joe and Vanessa watched as Frank and Caren were prepared for transport and then loaded into the ambulance.
When the doors closed and the ambulance began to pull away, the three of them hurried to the cars to follow.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.