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The Divine Right of Kings	By : vinsmouse Category: G through L > Hardy Boys Series Views: 5915 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hardy Boys, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Chapter List
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Chapter 8

“Joe will be okay,” Phil whispered to Frank, laying a supportive hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Frank didn’t turn from the window. “You don’t know that,” he pointed out. He unconsciously pressed his foot to the floor as if by doing so he could make the car travel faster.

Phil sighed. He didn’t know what else to say. He could argue that Joe would be fine and he knew he was right at least in the physical sense. But he knew Frank wouldn’t believe it until he could see Joe for himself. Maybe it would be better to focus on other aspects of the torturous day. “Do you know who those men are?”

Frank shook his head. He hadn’t really had a chance to think while everything was happening. Now that it was over though…”Was this revenge against Dad?” he wondered out loud.

“Do you think that’s what it was about?” Phil knew that Fenton Hardy sometimes helped bring very dangerous criminals to justice. He supposed some of them would want revenge but he wasn’t too sure these men had been after revenge. They had never mentioned the famous detective, nor had they said anything that would make anybody think they were aware of just whose family they were tormenting.

“I don’t know,” Frank sighed. “Sam?”

Sam had heard the boys talking in the back seat and had expected the question. He only wished he had an answer. “I don’t know Frank. I only got a quick look at them but I didn’t recognize either one.”

“If it wasn’t revenge then why us?” the teenager asked. His tone was steady, making it clear he was only seeking information, trying to understand what had been done to his family.

“I wish I knew Frank,” Sam quietly admitted. “I will find out, I promise you that.”

Frank nodded. He wondered if it really mattered. Knowing why wouldn’t undo the day. Joe would still be hurt; his mother would have still betrayed them. After the second whipping Joe had endured she shouldn’t have tried anything else. How could she risk her son that way? “Does dad know?” Suddenly he wanted his father here with them.

“I couldn’t contact him without risking his cover,” Sam replied. “I did talk to his contact and the sting is set for tomorrow. He promised to have Fenton call me as soon as possible.”

Frank frowned. His father never seemed to be around when they really needed him he thought resentfully. No, that wasn’t fair. The job his father did was important; he and Joe even planned to follow in his footsteps. It was just an unfortunate fact that being a detective often meant periods of being incommunicado and this time something truly awful had happened.

Before anything else could be said Sam was following the ambulance into the hospital parking lot. While the ambulance stopped at the emergency entrance, Sam drove into the lot searching for a parking space. Fortunately it seemed to be a slow night and he quickly found a spot not far from the entrance. He barely had time to stop the car when the doors opened and his passengers were climbing out, moving quickly towards the emergency room. Less than four minutes after the ambulance stopped Sam was following the others into the hospital. There was no sign of Joe. He must have already been taken to the back.

Laura glanced anxiously around the emergency room but she didn’t see her youngest. She hurried to the desk. “Excuse me, my son was just brought in.”

The nurse eyed her sympathetically. “The young blond from the ambulance?”

Laura nodded. “Yes, where did they take him?”

“He’s in exam 1.” Seeing the woman’s gaze moving to the doors leading to the exam areas she quickly continued. “I need to get some information from you before you go back.”

“Of course,” Laura sighed. “What do you need?” she asked.

Frank was headed towards the desk when Sam grabbed his arm. “Why don’t we sit down over here Frank?” he gently suggested, steering the boy towards a row of chairs. “Maybe you can fill me on what happened.” Seeing the teen’s hesitance the detective quickly pointed out that he wouldn’t be allowed in the exam area yet at any rate.

Conceding the point, Frank let Sam lead him to the chairs. Dropping heavily into one of the seats, he buried his face in his hands. He could feel a hand rubbing his back but whether it was Phil or Sam he didn’t know. The soothing movement did serve to calm him down, to some extent. Seeing his brother and knowing he would be okay was what he really needed.

“It started mid-morning,” Frank began. In halting sentences, Phil occasionally adding his own observations, he told Sam all that had happened. By the time he had finished Laura was no longer at the nurse’s desk. Looking around the room he was surprised to see she was nowhere in sight.

Guessing who he was looking for, Sam answered the unasked question. “The nurse took your mom to the back.”

“She shouldn’t be back there.”

Sam was shocked. He knew that the invaders had used Laura’s actions as an excuse to hurt Joe but surely Frank wasn’t blaming his mother. “Frank…”

“Don’t,” Frank cut him off. He didn’t want to hear the man defending his mother’s actions. “If she hadn’t put whatever she did in their drinks Red never would have had the chance to hurt Joe.”

“She did say she didn’t do it,” Phil pointed out.

Frank turned towards his friend, his contorted into a vicious snarl. “You heard him, in the kitchen, heard him crying and begging, so don’t you dare defend her, not to me and not to Joe.”

Phil recoiled, shocked by the anger pouring from his friend. “I’m not Frank, I swear. If she spiked their drinks, after what they’d already done to Joe, there isn’t any defense for that, but what if she didn’t do it?”

“You think they did it themselves?” Frank scoffed.

“Not they, but what about Red? You saw what he did to Joe and the way he looked at him. Don’t you think it’s possible he did something to Blue Eyes’ drink to get him out of the way?”

“Mom was the one who brought the food and drinks into the living room, she was the one who fixed everything. Red never touched anything.”

“That we saw. He was in the kitchen with your mom, he could have done something then,” Phil pointed out.

“Phil’s right Frank,” Sam broke in. “Don’t condemn your mother without all of the evidence, you know better than that.”

“Phil, oh my baby,” Edith Cohen cried as she wrapped her arms around her son. “Are you alright darling?” She looked him over with a critical eye but she couldn’t see anything wrong with him.

“I’m fine Mom, they never touched me,” Phil assured his mother. “Uncle Paul,” he greeted the older man as he joined them.

“Have you seen a doctor?” Edith asked.

“I don’t need a doctor Mom,” Phil protested. “There’s nothing wrong with me, all they did was tie me up, that’s it.” He looked to his uncle, silently begging for help.

“Edith the boy is fine, anybody can see that,” Paul interjected, wrapping an arm around his sister’s shoulders.

“But what if…”

“There is no what if Edith. Phil doesn’t need a doctor,” Paul firmly stated.

Edith sighed. “I suppose you’re right,” she admitted. Taking Phil’s arm she tried to move him towards the door. “Come on son, we’ll take you home now.”

“I don’t want to leave yet Mom.”

“I don’t understand, if you’re not hurt why stay?”

“They hurt Joe and I want to stay at least until we know how he is,” Phil explained, “and Frank needs the support.”

“He probably has to make a statement to the police too,” Paul pointed out.

Phil shot his uncle a grateful look. “That’s right; I do need to talk to the police.”

“You can talk to them tomorrow,” Edith insisted. She wanted her son home where he would be safe. “As for Frank, I think maybe you shouldn’t be spending time with…”

Phil jerked back. “I know you worry about me Mom, but you can’t wrap me in cotton and lock me away from the world.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Edith protested.

“You do,” Phil retorted. “But it won’t work Mom. Bad things happen,” he glanced at Frank, “they can even happen in your own home, no matter what precautions you take.” The look Phil gave his mother clearly conveyed his determination. “Frank didn’t do anything to cause this and I’m not going to stop being his friend because of it.”

“The boy’s right Edith,” Paul spoke quietly next to his sister’s ear. “We’ll take Phil to the police station to make a statement after we know how Joe is. Then we can all go home and get some rest, alright?”

Edith nodded. She knew the look on Phil’s face, she’d seen it often enough on his father’s face. There wouldn’t be any dissuading him. Later, after some rest, she would be able to admit that she was proud of him. That loyalty to his friends was exactly the sort of behavior her Henry would have wanted their son to display. He’d been just as loyal to his own friends. “I suppose we should find seats.”

Phil smiled. “Thank you Mom,” he softly said as he leaned down to brush a light kiss on her cheek. He returned to his seat, his mother and uncle taking the seats beside him.

Laura had to force herself to stay calm as she answered the nurse’s questions. She knew it was important information, but all she wanted right then was to be with her son. She didn’t want to sit in an uncomfortable chair answering question after question about Joe’s medical history as well as the injuries that had brought him here today. Finally the nurse had all she needed. “Can I see my son now?” Laura asked, just barely keeping her tone civil.

Sandy Morrison didn’t blink at Mrs. Hardy’s tone. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with a worried, anxious, family member, nor would it be the last. She had learned long ago not to take either tone or words personally. “Of course, I need to get this information to the doctor anyway.” Standing up, she led the petite woman through the doors and into the back where the exam areas were located.

“Dr. Roberts, I have the patient’s medical history,” Sandy said as she led Laura into exam one.

“Good,” the doctor said. Taking the papers from the nurse he quickly looked them over. No allergies, a few childhood injuries, no known medical conditions. “Is this his mother?” he asked Sandy as the other woman moved to stand near the exam table.

“Yes sir,” Sandy replied.

“Mrs. Hardy, I’m Dr. Roberts,” he introduced himself. “I’ve been treating your son.”

“How is he doctor?” Laura anxiously inquired, ignoring the introduction.

“Physically he’ll be fine. None of the cuts required stitches. We’ve cleaned them, applied antibiotic ointment and bandages. I’ll write you a prescription for more ointment, it will need to be applied three times a day and the bandages changed at the same time.”

“Were there any other injuries?” Laura quietly asked. She didn’t want to think about it but after the things the men had said, the way they looked at Joe, she knew she couldn’t ignore the possibility.

Tim frowned. “Were you expecting other injuries?”

“I don’t know, it’s just that they said things and…” Laura trailed off, unsure of how to continue. How did you tell a stranger that you thought your son might have been molested or worse?”

“I’m not sure I understand Mrs. Hardy.”

“He called Joe pet and he kept touching him,” tears streaked Laura’s face as she spoke in a tight whisper.

“I see,” Tim Roberts said sympathetically. He turned to Sandy, “We’ll need to do a sexual assault kit.”

Sandy nodded, her heart aching for the young boy lying so still on the table. If he had been assaulted it would certainly explain his lack of response to their conversation. Though they weren’t speaking loudly it was unlikely he hadn’t heard them.

Turning back to Laura, Dr. Roberts gently touched her arm. “Mrs. Hardy, I need to ask you to leave the room during the exam. You can wait in the hall if you like.”

“He needs me,” Laura protested.

Tim wasn’t convinced of that. The boy hadn’t responded since he’d been brought into the ER, he doubted Joe would know if she was there or not. “Mrs. Hardy the exam will be difficult for your son as it is, do you really think he’d want you to see him in such a vulnerable state?”

“Can I talk to him, before the exam?”

“Of course.”

Laura moved towards the head of the exam table. “Joe, honey, I’m so sorry for what they did to you,” she whispered, brushing his hair away from his face.

“Go away,” Joe mumbled, surprising the doctor.

Laura gasped, tears once more falling over her cheeks. “Please Joey…”

“Don’t call me that!” Joe yelled. Alex had called him Joey, he didn’t want to hear anybody else using that name.

“Oh god,” Laura whimpered. How could she have forgotten the way that man had used the nickname? “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t think.”

Joe turned his head, spotting the doctor. “I don’t want her here.”

“Mrs. Hardy I think maybe it’s best if you leave for now,” Tim quietly suggested. He didn’t know why the boy was reacting to his mother with such anger but her presence was obviously upsetting to him.

Laura nodded; her movements were jerky as she moved reluctantly to the door. She wanted to argue but how could she? She couldn’t blame Joe for his reaction, after all she was responsible for at least some of his injuries. And in her son’s mind it was because of her that Red had hurt him. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t done anything to their food or drinks, Joe believed she did and as a result he didn’t want her near him. No matter how it hurt Laura knew the best thing she could do for her son at this moment was to accede to his wishes.

Joe lapsed back into silence as soon as his mother had left the room. With nothing to distract him from the traumatic memories Joe quickly sank back into his previous state, oblivious to presence of the doctor and nurse. An unexpected hand coming to rest on his hip jerked him back to awareness. “What?” he asked.

Tim sighed. “Did you hear anything I said Joe?” he gently asked.

“Umm, not really, sorry sir,” Joe quietly admitted.

“That’s alright son, you’ve had a pretty trying day. My name is Tim Roberts, I’m the doctor who has been treating you. This is Sandy, she’s a nurse and will be assisting me with the rest of the exam,” the doctor explained.

Joe’s face scrunched up. He knew he hadn’t really been paying attention but he could feel bandages covering his back and chest, what else could there be. The doctor must have seen his confusion for he went on to explain. As he quietly explained the type of exam they would be giving him Joe could feel his face turning red and he had to avert his eyes. “They didn’t…I don’t need that kind of exam,” he finally managed in a voice barely above a whisper.

Doctor and nurse exchanged a look. Neither had missed the look of shame on the boy’s face. It was possible the child was only embarrassed but it wasn’t unusual for victims of such crimes to insist nothing had happened. “I’m sorry Joe,” Dr. Roberts apologized. “I know you don’t want us to exam you but once a suspicion has been raised we’re required by law to carry out the exam.”

“But I told you they didn’t…” he trailed off. He could see the doubt in their faces. “Please don’t do this, please,” he begged. Though they didn’t mean him any harm his pleas went unheard. He couldn’t fight them. He’d seen enough tv shows to know they’d just restrain him and do their exam anyway. Joe chose the only path open to him, retreat. As the doctor performed the exam, touching Joe in places nobody else was meant to, exposing him to the eyes of the nurse, leaving him humiliated and shamed the teen did his best to block it all from his mind.

TBC....

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The Divine Right of Kings