Frank bolted out of the seat, his cheeks so hot he was sure they must be on fire. He glanced back at Callie, thoroughly embarrassed, expecting her to be horrified. Instead she smiled serenely and winked. Standing up, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently.

"Uh, um, he’s… he’s back there," Frank stammered lamely, pointing in the general direction of the emergency room.

"You’re sure he’s not seriously hurt?" Fenton asked, referring to the brief conversation they’d had when Frank called earlier. He gestured Laura towards the chairs, and then sat down next to her.

"Yeah… pretty sure," Frank hedged. "I mean he didn’t complain and fight me like he usually does, but he walked in under his own power." He sat down again, still holding Callie’s hand loosely in his.

"Was he in pain?" Laura asked worriedly.

"He was uncomfortable, but he was joking with us on the drive over," Callie offered, helpfully.

"Has anyone been out to talk to you since they took him back?" Fenton’s gaze flickered between Callie and Frank.

"A nurse came out once," Frank responded. "She said he had a split lip and was pretty banged up. He had some new bruises on his side and they want to take x-rays to make sure he doesn’t have any broken ribs. But she seemed pretty confident the x-rays would come back negative."

"What do you mean by new bruises?" Laura asked, narrowing her eyes as she stared at her elder son.

"Uh… well…. um…." Frank stuttered, unable to figure out how to answer the question truthfully without digging himself, and Joe, into any more trouble than they already were.

Fenton sat back and crossed one leg over the other, staring at Frank with a look that was usually reserved for interrogating suspects. "I think you better start at the beginning – wherever that is - and don’t leave anything out."

"Yes, sir," Frank mumbled, feeling only slightly better when he felt Callie squeeze his hand in support. Grasping her hand a little tighter, Frank took a deep breath and began telling his parents about the hazing that had been going on since the beginning of football practice several weeks earlier. He described how the hazing had escalated to assault, including the attack on Heath Webb, almost breaking his arm.

Frank told them about Joe being beaten up by Steven and his buddies, first for asking Iola to the dance and then for coming to her aid in the stairwell that afternoon. Frank found a little humor in his father’s reaction when he told Fenton how Biker and his friends were the ones who had come to Joe’s rescue. Fenton made no secret of the fact that he thought Biker was a bad influence on Joe. Frank finished by telling his parents about the ‘breaking in’ of freshman girls and Joe’s attempts to, essentially, get Steven and Jonathan to confess on tape.

"That’s why Joe went with them tonight; to get everything on tape. Otherwise it’s just Joe’s word against theirs," Frank explained.

"What about all the other boys they attacked?" Laura replied, confused.

"A few, like Joe and Chet, kept their mouths shut and just took it. The rest decided to play on the junior varsity squad. But a couple of them went to the principal. He in turn went to Coach Miller."

"So why didn’t it stop then?" Fenton asked warily.

"Apparently he knows about it. He seems to think it helps build team spirit and make ‘men’ out of the freshman players," Frank said disgustedly.

Fenton sighed in frustration and sat back rubbing his eyes tiredly. "And you’ve known about this all along?"

"No," Frank said quickly. "I found out about the bullying during practice when school started. But the rest of it, I just found out about yesterday."

Fenton looked at Callie questioningly. "Exactly how are you involved in all this?"

"I’m on the school newspaper. I was already doing an article on the football team so when Frank told me what was happening with Joe, I volunteered to help," Callie responded nervously. She’d only just met Fenton and Laura Hardy that afternoon, and Frank knew his father could be pretty intimidating to those who didn’t know him, thanks to his reputation as a former cop and, now, as a private investigator.

Fenton looked at Frank, shook his head and, much to Frank’s relief, chuckled. "Were you able to find out anything?"

Callie glanced at Frank excitedly and sat up a little straighter. "Well, I interviewed Steven, Jonathan, Clayton and Mike today. They never came right out and admitted to anything specific, but they alluded to doing a lot of things that support what Joe says."

Fenton glanced at his wife and squeezed her hand. Turning back to Frank and Callie he said, "I think it’s time we heard this tape Joe made."

*****

Laura gazed out the window of the waiting room, staring at the headlights of passing cars. She was proud of Joe for eliciting enough information from Steven and Jonathan to make them pay for what they’d been doing, but she was also concerned at the way he had completely disregarded his own safety.

Laura sighed, feeling a little depressed. She had always hoped her sons would become doctors, lawyers, businessmen… anything that didn’t entail putting their lives in danger on a daily basis. It was bad enough wondering whether or not her husband would come home alive each time he left the house; having that same fear for her children was something she had never wanted to experience.

‘Too late now,’ Laura mused dejectedly.

She recalled the tremor she felt the first time Frank and Joe had shown an interest in their father’s work. She’d hoped it was a one time thing and that their interest would wane, but it didn’t. If anything, it grew stronger. While Fenton never pushed the boys to follow in his footsteps, he never really tried to discourage them either.

She had seen the look in her husband’s eyes when the boys begged for a blow-by-blow description each time he wrapped up a case – unabashed pride. His beloved little boys were growing up and they wanted to be just like their daddy. They would sit, absolutely mesmerized, as he gave them all the minute details of the investigation and explained how he put the clues together until he was able to apprehend the person responsible for whatever crime he’d been asked to solve.

Laura sighed and chided herself, a small smile tugging at her lips. ‘You’re being a hypocrite, Laura. You’re crazy about their daddy – still! Why are you so annoyed that they want to emulate him?’

Shaking her head and admitting there was no turning back, Laura acknowledged she would have to get used to worrying about her sons as well as her husband. ‘I just never thought I’d have to worry about them while they were at school!’

"Mr. and Mrs. Hardy?"

Laura turned towards the nurse who had entered the waiting room. As Fenton stood, she hurried to his side. Frank appeared next to her with Callie on his other side. Laura suppressed a grin as the young girl surreptitiously slipped her hand into Frank’s.

"How is he?" she heard her husband ask.

"Joe just came back from x-ray. We should have the results back shortly and then you can take him home," the nurse smiled. "Would you like to go sit with him?"

"Please," Laura replied, gratefully.

Laura and Fenton quickly hurried after the nurse while Frank hung back, looking at Callie uncertainly.

"I’ll wait here," she replied to his unspoken question. Giving his hand a squeeze, she picked up a magazine and sat down. "Maybe after you see Joe, you can drive me home," she smiled up at him through her long lashes.