The "Pure Mushroom" pizza was lying on the plate in tatters after being attacked by so many pairs of hungry, grubby hands but the aroma of it lingered behind to cause more hunger pangs. However, Frank could not force even a bite down his throat, no matter how hard he tried because he was anxious. Anxiety was a good slimming aid; it closed up the stomach and made the most sumptuous meal extremely upsetting.

There was only him, Phil, Chet, Tony and Mina present. Mina. He had the idea that Mina would be able to provide assistance for them at the very last minute so he asked the girl to come along, even went to her house to fetch her. She digested his theory without fuss or questions and quietly agreed to join their discussion. The foray into the Bender’s house was a little nerve-wracking. Though usually composed, Frank had not seen Andrea for close to a year and he knew Andrea was adamant about staying angry at the Hardys- Joe in particular. Laura and Andrea used to get along quite well but after Vanessa’s death, Andrea would not even look Laura in the eyes when they passed by each other in the Supermarket.

In a strange way, Frank wondered if he was really trying to create opportunities for Joe and Mina.

Throwing anxious glances out of the glass panels, Frank willed for Joe to just turn up; willed for the black van to swerve recklessly into the car park in front of Mr. Pizza. But it did not happen. Joe was late for close to an hour and maybe it was big brother’s instincts but Joe could be in trouble. Despite the cathartic outpouring last night, Frank had, in recent days, grown much more worried about Joe’s mental state.

Calm down, Hardy. There’s a reasonable and simple explanation for everything. Joe’s always forgetful. Maybe he forgot.

Most likely, the little brat forgot.

No rush here. We’ll just call him and bark at him to come over, pronto. Problem is- he trashed his mobile.

Mina was on the phone, trying to get to Shane, but somehow, the phone just wailed and wailed for attention that it did not receive. Frank saw her slap the cover of her mobile up against the keypad in frustration.

"No one’s picking it up." She laid her tiny phone on the table. Chet and Tony exchanged some knowing looks.

"What?" Frank asked, perplexed by his friends knowledge about something that he did not have the key to.

"Are you sure Joe’s coming? I mean, he was pretty… well…" Tony began tentatively. "Hmm…"

"Me, Tony and Biff ran into Joe yesterday. I know… I should have told you…" Chet added as an afterthought when he saw Frank glowering at him. "I mean, well, he was kind of weird…"

"What kind of weird?" Frank pressured coldly.

"Ahm… that kind… you know… him… edgy, eccentric. Like his old self but several levels more… hmm… weird." Chet gazed at Frank helplessly and shrugged. Frank squeezed his eyes shut. How could he have made such a blatant error? He should have told Biff to steer clear of Joe. No, he should have commanded Biff to. Catastrophe would be the result of such a meeting and Frank wanted to shield Joe away from it until he was ready. Now, the unfortunate encounter had occurred and Frank could almost imagine the rush of emotions that would surely course through Joe’s veins to bring about madness.

"You’re my best friend! Can’t you even have the sense to call me or something?" Frank lashed out at Chet who twisted his lips this way and that. "And Biff! What were you two thinking? He’s not prepared for it yet!" Frank took in a huge breathe to temper his anger. Failing so, he took a deep gulp of the thick latte he ordered. The lukewarm drink rolled abrasively down his throat and he choked a little before pushing the coffee cup away from him.

"Neither are we, Frank. But we kinda bumped… ok… Biff kinda bumped into him outside Meridian… and... well… he’s always so crazy anyway…" Chet pushed all the wrong buttons, further infuriating Frank. The surface of the still waters rippled; its eternal picture of calm and stoicism disturbed.

"Joe may need help but he’s not crazy… alright? We remember how he is. He’s emotional and rash but he’s not crazy." Frank warned in a chilling voice, still having the mind to caution Chet that he was treading into dangerous waters with his choice of words.

"I don’t mean it as in the ‘bound for asylum’ sense… more like what he was before…" Chet defended himself but the more he did, the more offensive he seemed. Frank threw his hands up in the air and shook his head. He did not want to flare up in front of his friends. He would just calmly walk away.

If his craziness was like what was before, how wonderful it would be. That was zest; enthusiasm; creativity.

I know what you mean, Chet. You don’t have to heap on the lies to cover it up. It’s on all your minds. That Joe’s crazy; suicidal.

Maybe all of you are right…. but he is not…not that bad yet.

He grabbed his jacket. Mina pushed her chair out in response to his abrupt actions. "Where’re you going?"

"To look for Joe. I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe he forgot…" Frank offered up a tight smile at the petite girl who had invested so much feeling into his brother in such a short time and gotten her heart absolutely broken.

You don’t know what you’re missing, bro. Here’s a beautiful oasis in front of you and you passed her by.

"I’ll go with you. No…" She raised a hand up to halt Frank’s impending protests. "I’m going because I want to."

"So, with you two gone, what do we do?" Phil asked. He pointed to the duplicated case file on the table which was now scribbled all over with Frank’s thoughts and deductions. "Can we go through it?"

"Of course. That’s what you guys will do. I don’t think I’ll take too long. Joe most likely forgot." Frank repeated, not trying to assure anyone but himself that Joe was going to be fine.

"C’mon, Mina. Let’s go."

***

 

"I’m sorry Mina, about Joe… I’m think he’s still confused… but… it’s brave of the two of you to try… maybe it’s not the best time, catch my gist?" Frank commented as he drove down the street that would lead him to the campus. He was concerned, of course. If Mina decided to stop trying to reach to Joe, and he knew Joe had feelings for Mina as well, then it would be one wasted chance for the both of them.

He was Joe’s brother and thus, had every right to be selfish about his ideas of Mina and Joe’s budding romance. He had placed much hope in it that Mina could be the salvation that Joe was looking for. For a while, it looked like the hope was materializing.

Then it flickered and dimmed.

Mina, with an ear plastered to her mobile, smiled grimly. "Yes, I do. You’re right. It’s too early. We should have given it more thought but when he asked me out, I just could not say… ‘Hey! Let’s take it slow…’ I mean, he asked me out."

"Joe’s been through a lot. He told you anything…anything about… you know… the four months when he was incarcerated?" Frank ventured, not knowing how to prepare Mina for some shocking truth knowing that even he did not have the whole picture. But maybe Mina should at least have a hint or be prepared. At the back of his mind, the image of his brother on the hospital bed- badly beaten up, his face a strange veil of guilt- haunted Frank always.

Because he was not there with his karate chops to fend off Joe’s assailants. Joe could have died from the brutal blows.

Mina pursed her lips; contemplation in her large, grey eyes that even Frank found rather irresistible. If Joe could resist that gorgeous mien, if must mean only one thing.

That the old Joe was still lost somewhere out at sea without a compass to guide him home.

"No. But I can imagine how he must have felt. He told me bits and pieces of the cases the two of you solved, believe me, I’m in awe when he told me about some Assassins gang or something. He seemed so proud of himself during those conversations and then, something will take the spark away. Putting the criminals behind bars, he never thought one day he would be the one to be handcuffed and arrested; by his own misguided statement- no less. And I’ve read some literature before about prison systems in general…I know what I’m in for, should the worst happen, Frank. Understand that I do love your brother- even in the short time that I’ve known him- willingly. One day, I hope, my love will be unconditional. I can’t explain… my feelings but I can assure of you their veracity, if that’s what you’re worried about." Mina spoke somberly, her eyes on the road ahead of them, her ear still waiting for the hope of Shane’s voice blaring through on the other line.

Frank was touched by her words and he knew in his heart that she was only speaking the truth. The image of Callie’s face flashed across his mind’s eyes and Mina’s words about loving Joe willingly, knowing what she was in for, replayed over and over again in his mind, molding to the context that he needed to hear them in.

I love Callie. Unconditionally. I know what I am in for.

Damn, shouldn’t have left her just like that… can’t give up.

No… not now. Now, Joe’s more important… now.

"Shane! Where have you been? Where’s Joe? Oh…yes… Frank’s with me…"

"Is that Shane?" Frank asked, gesturing with his right hand for Mina to hand the phone over to him which she did.

"Shane, do you know where Joe went?"

"Hmm… no… but he left after reading a note that was left for him and told me to tell you he’d join you guys shortly." Shane sounded uninterested; like he was engrossed in something. "Can I talk to Mina, please?"

"No, you can’t. What note? Where’s the note?" Frank commanded in his anxiousness. Damn Joe for not telling him anything these days!

But he came crying to me last night. That meant something… something... I can grab and reach out to him with…

"On the table…why?"

"Read it! Now… just go…"

"Please…" Mina mouthed to him. "You’ve forgotten ‘please’…"

With that prodding from Mina, Frank realized that he was not exactly very friendly towards Joe’s band members, always treating them like a bunch of aimless kids when in actual fact, Craig and Shane were as old as Joe with Wayne just a year younger. He was, thus, not very much older than them. Chastised, his cheeks flushed.

"Please go read it for me, Shane. Hurry!"

"That’s more like it. You can drop the ‘hurry’… ah… oh oh… I think Joe’s in trouble." Shane sounded smug initially and that peeved Frank off for a moment. However, the ominous end of Shane’s conversation- marked by the withering away of his voice- began pounding at Frank’s heart again, making him more flustered than he already was.

"What did the note say?"

"It says, ‘Meet me at 124, Port Alley if you want an end to the pranks.’"

Frank disconnected the call immediately and floored the accelerator. Making a drastic u-turn, he sped down all the way to the old warehouses with Mina gripping on tightly to the door handle; her face a shade paler than white.

Time to get her acquainted with our driving skills when we’re on a case.

***

Frank reached the destitute ex-industrial hub of Bayport in no time. The air reeked of the failure to progress but at the same time, there was a melancholy charm about the place. The buildings all seemed to be pining and hoping for some sense of revival that was eluding them but not for too long. Frank read the business section of Bayport Times regularly and therefore knew that Nathan Ophir, the President of the Ophir Empire, was in talks with other major companies about acquiring this part of the town. Set along an isolated but picturesque part of the coastline, Port Alley had the abandoned rustic appeal that Nathan Ophir probably wanted to exploit.

If only he knew the kind of talks Randy was involved with Callie.

The door opened reluctantly; emitting a groan. Frank walked in and was immediately assaulted by clouds of itchy dust. Mina covered her nose and sneezed.

"Bad for my sinus…" she commented and then gasped, pointing at a broken body on the floor.

 

"Joe…" She whispered harshly and raced over to Joe’s fallen form; an angel to rescue her collapsed warrior.

"I’ll get you out of here, Joe. But first, tell me, what happened? Why did they beat you up?"

"No, shut up! Shut up!"

"Joe…"

"Out! I want out!!! Please, I want solitary confinement… until I die…"

"Don’t touch him, Mina… just in case something’s broken. Call 911…" Frank grabbed her hands to stop her, fearing that Joe could have some broken bones. He knelt down next to his brother and peered at the battered face, pushing a lock of hair sticky with blood away from Joe’s eyes. Fear doubled up as adrenaline that somehow did not get better even when he saw Joe’s chest heaving up and down.

"I’m so sorry, Joey… so sorry…"

"Don’t get mushy on me. The lady wants to cuddle me and you stopped her…" Joe’s mumbles caught Frank by surprise. Weakly, Joe opened his eyes and tried to smile but somehow, the smile was more of a grimace. Mina took one of Joe’s hands and squeezed it gently.

"Don’t move, you’ll be ok…"

"I am ok…just… just whacked…and I know who did this…" Joe tried to struggle up and Mina helped support his back. Frank could just look on, a little speechless.

"Who?" Mina smiled at Joe- the tenderness clearly shining in those grey eyes of hers made Frank a little uncomfortable. He felt like he was intruding on the two ill-fated lovers and thus he stood up and backed away a few steps to a comfort zone.

No one noticed…

"You know, remember those jocks in the cafeteria, those you stood up against for me? Yah, I remembered their voices…" Joe feebly snuggled his head against the softness of the hollow between Mina’s neck and shoulder. "I was just too tired to get up and go after them".

Frank coughed.

Hello! I’m here! And I thought you were dying!

"Silly!" Mina punched him lightly on his left cheek that was not bruised and bloodied. "If you did, you’d probably be dead!"

"Yah… thanks… Ness…"

Frank coughed again, this time to warn Joe but he need not because the damage was done and Joe knew it himself for he weakly smacked his own forehead.

"Stupid, stupid me… Mina! Mina, Mina, Mina! Argh!" Joe pounded a fist on the hard concrete floor- a violent climax to his tirade- and growled in frustration. "I’m sorry… I shouldn’t… I… she… you… oh man…" Joe looked up into Mina’s eyes with apologetic blue orbs. "I’m sorry…"

Mina’s mien had remarkably not divulged any of the hurt that must be eating at her. "I understand…" she spoke softly, choking a little.

"No, you don’t… I can’t… Mina… I screwed it up, huh? You see, I… she may be… forget it…help me up will you, Frank? Instead of standing there like a dope?" Once again, Joe looked to Frank to be his savior- to deliver him from such trying times to come clean with his feelings. Frank sighed, noticed at last but for all the wrong reasons.

"There you go… can you walk?" Frank lifted Joe up; swinging one of Joe’s slackened hand over his shoulder, letting Joe rest a fair share of his weight on him. Joe grunted and he managed a slight nod.

"We have to get you to the hospital and get you patched up."

"And him too, help him up, he’s very badly…" Joe gestured vaguely to the left of him but stopped abruptly and shook his head. "Ah… I mean… me…. Oh… I’m already helped up… geez… they must have hit me on the head too many times…haha…" Joe grinned sheepishly and Frank helped him towards the door. Joe was uttering rubbish and Frank could only hope there was no permanent brain damage.

Mina shuffled along behind the brothers and Frank could feel the stabs of love spasms that Joe must have, in his callous neglect, thrust into her heart and then twisted the blade into the soft; beating flesh. If Joe could open his eyes and his heart finally, he would see a human seraph waiting for him in the wings- waiting so patiently.

If only you can let go, brother. And start to live.