As always – I don't own the Hardy Boys or their friends and don't make no money from this…

This little ditty takes place a week after "The Devil U Know" – it is a bit more fanciful then the previous stories but I hope you will enjoy it. If you don't…I don't want to hear about it! LOL – Seriously, I would like to hear what you thought of it either way. – Phoenix. "When Angels sleep…do they dream?"

When Angels Sleep

"Joe would you get out of the bathroom – I need to get ready !" 18 year old Frank Hardy banged on the door of the bathroom that he and his younger brother Joe shared.

Frank used to be the first one up every morning but lately Joe had been having a lot of trouble sleeping as he was still plagued with nightmares of Paul Mitchell, and was usually the first one in the bathroom. Frank was trying to get used to cold showers as Joe usually spent so much in there that all the hot water was gone but this morning Frank was determined to have his share. It was the middle of January and it was too darn cold for a cold shower!

"Joseph "Pain-in-my-butt" Hardy I need to get in there NOW!" Frank was getting frantic when his father opened the door to see what all the ruckus was about.

"Frank? What's wrong?" Fenton asked instantly concerned that something was wrong with Joe. His youngest son had changed so much in the last month that he was terrified that something else had happened.

"Joe's been in there for the last 30 minutes and I need to get ready!" it was Sunday morning and the family was supposed to be getting to go to Church and then Frank turned back to the door, "Joe?"

He was now starting to get concerned. It had been 15 minutes since the water turned off but hadn't answered Frank since his last, "Give me a minute…then I'll be out of your hair permanently!"

Frank thought he meant that he would let him get ready in peace as Joe had a habit of going in and out of the bathroom a couple of times before he was dressed… but now the words came back to haunt him… I'll be out of your hair permanently.

"Joe – this isn't funny anymore…Joe?" Frank glanced at his father and saw he was thinking the same thing – not even bothering to try and unlock the door Frank nodded to his father who stood back while Frank up with his leg and used a powerful karate kick on the door. The locked popped and the door swung open.

Neither Frank nor his father were prepared for the sight that met their eyes – Joe Hardy was lying in the bathtub in a pool of blood that was steadily streaming from his wrist with the razor still held between his fingers!

phx

Joe Hardy stared at himself in the mirror for a long time.

"Who are you?" he whispered to the reflection as he heard his brother knock on the door telling him that he wanted to get in.

"Give me a minute…then I'll be out of your hair permanently!" he called back knowing that his brother did not get the irony of what he just said.

Joe then carefully placed towels on the floor outside the tub. Thinking of his mother, he chose darker ones so they would be easier to clean later.

Then wearing only a pair of briefs, he climbed into the tub and sat down. A shower person, it felt strange to sit down in the tub and he found it funny that given what he was going to do, that he should notice how uncomfortable he felt in the tub!

He sat for a few minutes fingering the razor blade as his tormented mind kept replaying flashes of the attacks and Mr. Shaw's voice echoed in his mind… you were a lot less trouble for your family when you were dead …he thought of all the times he had been injured, kidnapped, lost and he then he thought about Iola.

Joe remembered all the anguish he had caused his parents as it seemed he could never do anything right – he thought about Vanessa and how she deserved someone who was not as much trouble as he was. He knew she was going to be angry and hurt but in the long run he was going to save her…from himself – I am trouble, he thought as he started to cry…and then he thought about Frank.

Big brother you won't have to worry about me anymore…you can get on with your life…I'll be all right now…

…I'll finally be able to sleep where Paul Mitchell can't find me…

…I love you…

and then he took the blade and placed it over his wrist. He knew he had to make the incision vertically but as the blade pierced his skin he shivered as a cold feeling washed over him and the blade slipped and cut across the wrist instead.

Damn, Joe thought as he watched the blood seeping from the wound and then he closed his eyes unable to correct the mistake…

phx

"LAURA CALL 911!" Fenton yelled to his wife who was just coming out her room. She grabbed the extension and was dialing the number as she stepped into the room and saw her husband gently lifting her youngest son out of the tub and laying him on the floor. Frank had grabbed a facecloth and was applying pressure to Joe's wrist to try and stop the bleeding. He felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach as he saw how pale and lifeless Joe was and for a terrible moment he was terrified they were too late.

His father checked Joe's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, "He's breathing and has a pulse but it is getting weaker, " he called out to Laura as she relayed the information to the 911 dispatcher, "he is still losing blood", he added as he saw Joe's blood seeping through the facecloth.

"Joe…come on kiddo…don't do this to me…don't leave me…" Frank was sobbing as he tried to will Joe to open his eyes but they remained closed and almost transparent in his white face.

Laura grabbed a blanket and passed it to her husband to cover Joe in as they knew his body would be going into shock – he was just losing too much blood.

"Both my son and I will go in the ambulance – we can give blood to Joe", she said to the dispatcher who had just asked whether or not he was still losing blood. Blood reserves were in critical supply and Laura didn't see why it should be used when both her and Frank could donate it to him.

After what seemed like an eternity the Hardy's heard the ambulance and Laura ran down to meet the paramedics who wasted no time in securing Joe to a stretcher and putting him aboard.

"Only one person can ride with us – we might need the room to work on him", one of the paramedics said and Laura nodded to Frank to go with them as she knew she wouldn't have been able to get him not to anyway.

And then she turned back to her husband and saw tears in his eyes, "Laura I failed him", was all famous private investigator Fenton Hardy said as he buried his face in her thin shoulders and cried. Laura held her husband for a few minutes and then pulling his face up to hers she kissed him gently before saying, "Fenton Hardy you listen to me – you did not fail Joe. You supported him as much as he would let you…or Frank…or me. There was no way you could have known – he seemed to be getting better.

Now come on – we have a sick son in the hospital and it going to take all our strength to give him enough to get past this. We will make him talk to us – I am not ready to lose him yet!"

Fenton Hardy was surprised by the determination in his wife's voice as he knew she was right – Joe wasn't dead yet which meant they still had work to do. They were going to save Joe…even if it was from himself.

phx

"OOOHH" Joe said opening his eyes, "My head hurts". As he got up off the bed, he was amazed to see he was in a hospital room.

"What…" and then his voice trailed off as he saw his brother come in the room and go right past him, "Frank?" But still Frank did not acknowledge him and then when Joe turned around he got the biggest shock of his life.

"I'm dead!" He said as he saw his own self laying in a hospital bed with tubes, IV's and monitors everywhere and then promptly passed out and fell to the floor.

phx

"Your son is very a sick young man", Dr. Sidhu said as he sat once again with Joe Hardy's family in a private room. He had been finishing his shift when he heard that Joe was being brought in and decided to see what was going on. Shocked when he found out about the suicide attempt, he took off his coat and prepared for a long day.

"He has lost a lot of blood. Both Frank and Laura have donated blood but it will take a while for his own volume to build back up. Right now he is in a coma. I cannot say for sure when or even if he will ever regain consciousness – all we can do is watch him and hope".

The family sat in silence. They should have been in church right now but instead they were in the hospital and had just been told that their son might never wake up.

"Can we see him?" Frank finally asked numbly and Dr. Sidhu nodded as he wished desperately that he was able to give them some good news – they were such a nice family.

"Yes – I have already moved him into the executive suite in anticipation of Mr. Abernathy's call but I must warn you he is on life support and is very ill." This made Fenton smile sadly – the head of trauma even knew Winston's name and that he would be calling to make sure that Joe was in the best suite they had…that was horrible – Joe spent too much time here.

A few minutes later Frank opened up the room and, even with Dr. Sidhu's warning, was still shocked to see how deathly pale Joe was. He quickly walked over to his brother's side and pulled up the chair. Sobbing quietly, he picked up the lifeless hand and held onto it, "Hey kiddo I'm here…I'm so sorry…" and then he broke down. His father and mother came in a few minutes later after making a couple of phone calls but they stood back in each other's embrace letting their son cry in private.

Unseen by them, the family was watched by a pair of equally pain filled brown eyes…

phx

"Joe…Joe…come on get up…"

"Go away Iola…I'm too tired to go to school today…IOLA?" Joe bolted up and then looked into the loveliest big doe eyes he had ever seen. Iola Morton stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and one hip thrust forward in her trademark pose before smiling at him, "Where's your manners Joe Hardy? Aren't you going to say hello?"

Joe flew at her and grabbed her in a tight embrace holding her fiercely as the tears streamed down his face. He buried his head into her long slender neck and breathed in the smell of her perfume – it was Iola…and she was alive? No…he was dead.

"I'm dead", he whispered still hugging her but then she pulled away from him and took his face in her soft gentle hands. Joe had forgotten how it felt to touch Iola and he cried even harder, "Joe, sweetie you're not dead…not yet anyway".

"But then why…how…", his voice trailed off as he saw his parents come into the room and he head Frank sobbing behind them, "Oh Frank…"

"Joe you're very sick…you did cut your wrist, although thanks to me not the way you had intended, and right now you are in a coma…but you have to go back."

Joe shook his head emphatically.

"I can't Iola…I can't", he whispered his voice sounded tormented and Iola felt her own tears sting her face. She knew why Joe didn't want to go back…she knew everything he had been through because she had been through it with him.

"Joe…they need you", she said gently laying her head on his shoulder as they watched his family hovering over his body. Joe actually laughed as he heard her.

"Need me for what? For something to do? Iola all I ever do is cause them problems. Frank even gets hurt sometimes trying to protect me – see that mark on his forehead…that's because of me…" Iola smiled as she nodded her head letting her long black hair swish around her shoulders.

"No actually that is because of me".

"What?" Joe said shocked although he didn't believe he could have been any more shocked then he already had been…

"Joe, you are never alone…I am always with you…always. I saw everything that happened and I knew that Frank needed to go back to the Chalet and that there was only one way I could think of getting him there…so I waited in the road for him".

"But why?" Joe asked confused, "We would have sorted everything out eventually – why did you almost kill Frank to make him talk to me?"

"I never said to talk to you. I said he needed to go back to the Chalet and he did. If not, Mr. Shaw would have succeeded. Callie survived right? And she would have even if Frank didn't show up when he did. But by then Mr. Shaw would have shot you, Tony and Vanessa", her voice trailed off when she said Vanessa's name.

Vanessa, Joe had almost forgotten about her and felt horrible about that…

"You know about Vanessa?" he asked as he wanted to leave the room, he didn't think he could take any more watching his family crying over him – it was too hard.

Joe decided that maybe he had succeeded in killing himself and maybe this was hell – having to spend eternity watching your loved ones' cry for you while you stood only a few feet away and could not comfort them. But then if this was hell…why was Iola here?

"I like Vanessa…but I don't think you give her enough credit. She loves you and doesn't consider you the burden you seem to consider yourself", Iola then continued as she noticed Joe trying to open the door, "Joe you cannot go anywhere – you are bound to your body right now".

"How come you're here then?" he shot back still trying to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

"I don't remember you being so bull-headed when I was alive but I guess people are entitled to change – stop…rewind…play…what did I say to you when you thought you were dead?"

Joe looked at her like she was crazy and then he remembered, "Oh yeah…you're dead and I haven't made up my mind yet. So when I do I will be able to leave this room?"

Iola looked at him sadly before nodding, "Yes you will…one way or the other".

phx

Over the next couple of hours Joe and Iola talked. He told her everything, although he suspected she already knew, and she held his hand and listened. When he finished he just looked at her too tired to even cry anymore, "But you already knew all this didn't you?"

Iola didn't say anything for a while as she was crying too, "Joe it is one thing to know something and another thing to hear about it from the survivor. I'm so sorry for everything you went through…" She wrapped her arms around him and held him for a long time. As the day became dark, they sat together and watched his family and the countless doctors and nurses who came by every 15 minutes to check up on him.

"How can I end this?" Joe asked quietly, "I can't put them through this anymore".

Iola looked at him curiously, "What do you mean?"

"I mean my family has suffered enough because of me…I just want it to be over for them", he was speaking very softly now but volume didn't matter as she could even hear his thoughts.

"I'm kind of surprised", Iola said to him, "I never figured you for a coward…" she let the word drop off her lips a she knew that word would get a rise out of him. One thing Joe Hardy never was was a coward and she was right.

Enraged Joe jumped up and turned to her, "I am not a coward – but don't you think they have been through enough hell because of me!" Iola hid her smile wishing that Frank could see and hear Joe right now because standing up to his full 6 foot height with his fists clenched and his face red with rage, was the real Joe Hardy – the impulsive quick tempered boy that Iola Morton still loved with all her life… and now with all her death.

"What if is were Frank lying there instead of you?" Iola asked and watched Joe immediately deflate, "Would you want him to just get it over with and bow out of your life just because he had a perchance for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"I love Frank – nothing would ever be too much trouble…I would die for him!" Joe said as fresh tears fell on his already stained cheeks.

"Why should he care any less about you then you do about him?" Iola's words hung in the air as Joe sat down heavily and then turned his head to her.

"I'm sorry", he finally said, "for not being there for you." Now it was Iola's turn to sit down heavily in a chair next to him.

"Joey…you were there for me. It was just my time…", Iola was crying silent tears now as she knew how much guilt Joe carried over her death but she also knew it was not fault, " we are all here for a short time…some shorter then others, I will admit…but Joey it was just my time".

As he heard her he felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders…Iola didn't blame him for not saving her…she didn't blame him…

"Joe…" he heard her voice but just wanted to stay enveloped in her arms forever…he felt so safe there, "You have to go back".

"Why?" he whispered, "Can't I just stay here with you?"

"Watch Joe, please…" Iola motioned towards the drama going on in the room and he suddenly knew what she was talking about…

phx

Frank finally fell asleep with his head resting next to Joe's hand. He was too exhausted and as much as he wanted to stay awake he couldn't. His parents had left to go home to get some sleep, as it was now late Sunday night. Frank couldn't believe how fast the day had passed as he had waited anxiously for some sign that Joe was walking up.

Dr. Cain, also familiar with the Hardys' having treated Joe on a couple of occasions now, stopped by to see how he was doing. She checked Joe's vitals but had nothing new to offer the distressed family, as their youngest son lay comatose on the brink of death. She stayed for a while until she was paged to the ER to help with a hit-and-run victim promising to stop by and check on Joe again as soon as she could.

"So many people care about you little brother…you can't give up…" Frank said softly before he fell asleep.

An hour later his eyes flew open as he heard the long tone seconds before he realized what was happening – Joe was crashing!

Dr. Sidhu and Dr. Cain, who was just on her way to check on them, came racing into the room with two other nurses and a crash cart.

Frank stepped back as he watched them slam the sidebars down on the bed and prepare to shock his little brother…

"Come on …come on…come on", Frank kept saying over and over again as they shocked him and then waited to see if his heart had responded.

"CLEAR!" Dr. Sidhu yelled as he prepared to shock him again.

"JOE! WAKE UP JOE…DON'T LEAVE ME!" Frank started shouting hysterically not caring if the whole hospital heard him. All he knew is that his baby brother was dying and there was nothing he could do.

"Frank", Joe cried as he watched the doctors battling to save his life while his brother watched, hysterically, "I don't want to hurt you anymore…I have to go…it's the only way you can have some peace…"

"JOE I NEED YOU…I NEED YOU…I Need you…" Frank's voice started to trail off as he saw the doctors shaking their heads, as Joe still had not responded.

"How can he need me?" Joe cried looking at Iola desperately…" I only cause him pain".

"Joseph Paul Hardy, " a new voice said from behind him and he turned and started to weep even more as Pharaoh came over and hugged him tightly, "That is your brother there and he needs you. How can you turn your back on him?"

"Pharaoh…it hurts so much", he cried and then he felt Iola joining Pharaoh in embracing him between them.

"Talk to him Joe…tell him…I can't promise you that it will fix things right away but give it time", Pharaoh tried to give Joe the strength to go back, "but know this… you are never alone. You have a wealth of angels who are looking after you.

You saved me, Joe. Before I met you I had stopped caring but then, even when I believed you were Remus, I knew there was something different about you. You had the kind of strength that great men dream of. You have the strength of heart.

Joe Hardy you walk with Angels…you sleep with Angels…you dream with Angels…you just have to let us back in".

"How do I do that!" An anguished Joe pleaded and this time Iola answered.

"By making room for us to come back in. Give away some of your pain, Joe – tell Frank about it…tell your parents about it…tell your friends…and tell Vanessa – every bit of pain you give away makes room for us…for you."

Joe glanced back over at his brother as Frank know sank to his knees as he watched the doctors preparing to try one more time.

"Iola…Pharaoh I love you both…but I have to go back now. My brother needs me".

Pharaoh gave him a hug and then thanked him.

"What are you thanking me for?" Joe asked confused and Pharaoh smiled as he stood behind Iola.

"For giving me my Angel that day on the beach", he said and Joe gasped…

"It was a dream…" he said.

"Men dream of angels", Pharaoh said and then Iola came over and grabbed Joe tightly.

"I love you Joe Hardy. Never forget that. I will always be watching you…and tell Vanessa to brush up on her horseback riding", Iola said smiling when she finally tore herself away from Joe.

"What?" Joe asked confused and Iola shook her head.

"Everything has a purpose – even what has happened to you – remember that and you will one day be surprised who you can give your strength to…And Joe?"

"Yes Iola", he was choking up as he knew he would never hold her again.

"Thank you for being such a good friend to Chet – I don't think he could have made it without you" and then she stood back with Pharaoh.

"What do I do?" Joe asked as he saw his body jerking as it was being shocked.

"Just want it", he heard both their voices fading away as he suddenly felt himself being pulled towards the bed.

"IOLA!" he screamed, "WHEN ANGELS SLEEP…WHAT DO THEY DREAM ABOUT?"

He wanted to know and just as he felt himself fading into darkness he heard Iola's voice as if carried by the wind.

"YOU".

phx

"JOE!" Frank screamed as he saw the doctors shake their heads – he was dead.

And then suddenly they head a sharp intake of breath as Joe Hardy started to breath again.

"Joe! Joe!" Frank cried running back to his side and then he saw something that he thought he was never going to see again – clear blue eyes looking back at him.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Sidhu asked shocked as the boy who he had just pronounced dead opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

Joe looked at Dr. Sidhu, Dr. Cain, the two nurses in the room and then finally at Frank. His face broke into a huge smile as he saw Frank, "I'm feeling better then I have in a long time."

And Frank believed him.

phx

"Are you going to tell me why you tried to kill yourself?" Frank asked the next day when Joe announced he was feeling a lot better and was sitting up in bed.

"I don't know if I can explain it really…" Joe started. But then he heard Iola and Pharaoh's voices in his mind and he knew he would try. When Joe awoke he wasn't sure if what happened was real or whether it had all happened in his comatose mind…but he didn't care – even if it was an hallucination, he felt some strength from it and then once he started talking to Frank he didn't stop.

Frank listened in growing horror as Joe told him the truth about what happened with Ben Mitchell's visit to his house and then about the nightmares he had been having. He wasn't ready to talk about the final assault but the angels had been right. He did feel a little better after he told even that much to Frank.

"Joe", Frank started wanting to make his brother believe him, "you should have told me. I love you but I can't help you if you are going to keep these things inside. When I saw you lying in the tub and knew what you did - all I could do was think what had I been doing that I didn't notice how much pain you were in."

Frank didn't cry this time because he knew it was important for Joe to see his strength and to know that he could handle whatever his brother needed to tell him, "What happened to you doesn't make you any less the wonderful person you were before all this. You're still my little brother and I love you no matter what".

"Even if I was raped?" Joe rasped surprising himself by asking the question that he had been tormenting him for weeks now and Frank looked at him stunned – was it possible that Joe didn't know?

"Joe", he said carefully, "You weren't physically raped. Officer Chan interrupted him before he could…Dr. Sidhu told us…. You didn't know?" He finished as he saw Joe's face grow pale – Joe didn't know. And now he finally understood what kind of barriers had driven his baby brother to try to commit suicide… Joe thought Paul had actually raped him!

"He didn't…" Joe's voice trailed off as he started to cry and Frank sat on the bed and held him as Joe cried himself to sleep. In that one revelation, Joe Hardy felt enough room to let in a quorum of angels and as he drifted off he felt a light kiss brush his cheek and thanked Iola for watching out for him.

phx

Two weeks later Frank was once again outside the bathroom door waiting for Joe to come out. He could hear his brother singing as he finished shaving and went to sit on his bed still marveling in the changes that come over Joe since leaving the hospital.

Joe had started to see a therapist to help deal with everything that happened to him and had his fourth visit later that day. Although he was still jumpy and prone to having nightmares, he was coming back to them one day at a time.

Frank was there with Joe all the way. Sometimes Joe would just want to talk and other times he would just want Frank to be there while he cried. It was still hard on them all and they had a long way yet to come… but Frank was feeling more confident then he had been in a long time that Joe would make a full psychological recovery as well.

"Hey Frank!" Joe sung out as he opened the door, "Did you know that Angels dream about me when they sleep!"

If Frank had been drinking anything at that moment he would have spit across the room, "What?" he asked wondering where that had come from, "Who told you that?"

Joe stuck his blond head out of the bathroom door and smiled, "Duh - an Angel, of course!"

"Kiddo, if I have said it a thousand times, I will say again…you are weird!" and Frank barely ducked the towel that thrown at him.

It was good to have his little brother back…even if he was still in pieces.

And as Frank picked up the towel and tossed it in the laundry he thought to himself… and I can put Humpty-Dumpty together again…

The End…

Phoenix 

Or is it?

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