Frank was puzzled and confused. "Well… because…I mean…" he stammered.

"Just tell me why," Joe interrupted, but before Frank could answer. The phone rang.

Still staring at Joe, Frank picked up the receiver. "Hello?" he asked, not wanting to cut short his conversation with his brother.

As Frank remained on the phone, Joe watched his brother’s face as he listened to the speaker. "What?!" Frank stammered into the phone. For a few brief moments, that was all that Frank said, but Joe knew instantly that something was the matter. Frank’s breathing had become more shallow, and his face paled. Nervously, he ran a hand through his dark hair, ending with rubbing his eyes. "I’ll be right over."

As soon as Frank hung up, Joe stood next to him. "What’s the matter?" he asked instantly, more than a little afraid of actually getting an answer.

"Callie," Frank said numbly, turning to Joe. "She…just slipped into a coma." His voice was so low that Joe barely heard him.

"What?!" Joe asked, stunned. He was sure that he hadn’t heard Frank correctly. "No way! You must have misheard! Callie had a miscarriage, she wasn’t in an accident or anything." Joe reached out and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

"I… well, that’s what they said," Frank answered him, and Joe saw that Frank was in shock at the news, as was he. Frank looked utterly lost as he stood there, unsure of what to do, of what was real or unreal.

Although Joe was in a considerable amount of pain, he realized that he had to support Frank. Somehow, he’d have to drive back to the hospital. Honestly, he had no idea how he’d do it with his head pounding and his vision still as blurry as it was. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about it. With impeccable timing, Vanessa knocked at the door and let herself in. She stood, surprised, at the look of confusion on both Joe and Frank’s faces. On one hand, she was glad Joe hadn’t killed Frank or himself; she had been worried about that when she saw how upset Joe had been about talking to Frank. On the other hand, something was obviously very wrong, and she knew she had to do something.

Looking at Joe, she asked, "Honey? What is it?"

Joe walked slowly over to her and hugged her tightly. He said softly to her, "Frank just got a phone call that Callie’s in bad shape. One of the doctors called to say that she was in…well, in a COMA, if you can believe that."

Vanessa felt her heart stop. "What?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I know," Joe answered. "It makes no sense. I ALSO know that we have to get back to the hospital—pronto—and make sure we find out what’s going on. I don’t know how Frank’s keeping it together," Joe said, nodding in his brother’s direction, noting Frank shaking his head as if in a fog.

"Oh, Joe," Vanessa sighed. She felt like crying. Callie had been through so much; it was so unfair. Still, she knew she had to be there for both Frank and Joe. Softly, she said to him, "Well, it looks like you two made up, anyhow."

"Yeah," Joe said.

"That’s good."

"Uh huh."

"Joe? Let’s get Frank over there right away. I’m sure…I mean, it has to be… a mistake. Frank needs to speak with her. He, you know… well, maybe he can cheer her up and talk about the wedding or something."

Joe faced his girlfriend, and his expression softened. Never, never would he allow something like what had happened to Frank and Callie to happen to her. He’d either prevent it, or die trying. He continued to be amazed that she could be such a rock at a time like this, but she was. "Van," he whispered, taking her hand, "They broke up."

"What?!" Vanessa exclaimed, far more loudly than she intended to. Her voice snapped Frank back to the present, and he looked up, as if noticing for the first time that Joe and Vanessa were standing there.

"Let’s go," Joe said, motioning for his brother to follow him. The pounding in his head was getting worse, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Ironically, it seemed to him, his nightmares occurred when he was awake.

The drive to the hospital was spent in silence. Vanessa’s mind was whirling as she maneuvered her way through the streets. She silently prayed for Callie to be okay, hoping against hope that Frank had heard incorrectly. She didn’t know what she would do without her best friend. She couldn’t believe that Frank and Callie had broken up, either. What in the hell had happened to them…to all of them…since last summer? She was desperately worried about Joe, seeing him push himself way beyond what he should be doing so soon after his release- the very day of his release, in fact! And Frank was a mess. The rock solid, sweet, and ideal older brother had reached rock bottom, and Vanessa didn’t know if he could make it back from the depths of the darkness he had fallen into.

As Vanessa parked the van at the hospital, she let Frank and Joe get out first. Frank took off at a run towards the open doors, and Vanessa heard Joe sigh under his breath before taking off after him. She could just imagine what all this movement, lack of sleep, and stress was doing for his health.

It wasn’t long before Joe and Frank saw a group of nurses who were able to steer them in the right direction. Apparently, somehow, Fenton and Laura had also received the same news, and Joe and Frank bumped into them as they ran through the corridors.

"What happened?" Frank asked his father, frantic.

"I don’t know," Fenton answered, trying to be calm. "We got the same phone call you did. I guess they had both numbers here since Joe had just been released, and clearly they know we’re here with Callie."

The next half an hour was spent in agonizing silence as the Hardys and Vanessa waited to find out what was wrong. A nurse had come out briefly and explained that Callie’s vital signs had gone wild, her blood levels dropping, and her body beginning to hemorrhage again. Her fever had skyrocketed without warning, and she had been rushed into the ICU.

Fenton sat holding his wife’s hand and keeping a close eye on Frank. He watched as Joe and Vanessa sat nestled together, his younger son fighting exhaustion, but also watching Frank at all times. He marveled at his boys’ strength as they refused to let anything permanently separate them. Apparently, they had worked out whatever issues they had. Frank sat quietly; the only indication of his complete worry and fear were his hands, which were tightly balled into fists. And he noticed that Frank had something on his thumb, which he continued to stare at, unrelentingly. Fenton could have sworn, if he didn’t know better, that it was Callie’s engagement ring. But… that was impossible.

As Fenton watched the scene unfold before him, he was filled with worry, with dread, and with sadness. If, God forbid, something happened to Callie, he knew Frank’s life would never be the same. Looking at his sons, he wished that he had somehow been able to protect them from this nightmare. He longed for the passage of time to stop, to take him back to the day when Frank and Callie, with Joe and Vanessa in the background, had called, deliriously happy, about the engagement. He recalled Joe’s chatter and teasing, Frank’s voice so bright Fenton could have sworn he was beaming, and Callie, voice thick with emotion, saying, "Bye, Dad!"

And suddenly he felt anger unlike anything he had felt before. He would get these bastards if it were the last thing he ever did. No one hurt his sons, his family. Laura looked up at him questioningly as he had inadvertently squeezed her hand.

"Fenton? What is it?" she asked.

Before he could answer, a doctor came into the room and looked around. "I need to speak with whomever is here for Callie Shaw," he said, glancing around.

Frank stood up at once. "That’s me. That’s us."

The doctor took a minute before continuing. He hated moments like this, moments when all of medical technology and miracles could not explain the most fundamental of problems.