With a sigh the young detective threw back the cover, rose from his bed and headed to his brother's room.
Frank Hardy was asleep. He looked so peaceful Joe hated to disturb him... almost.
Sitting on the bed Joe reached out and shook his brother slightly. "Frank...Hey, Frank."
Frank stirred.
"Frank." Joe gave another shake.
"Huh? Joe?"
"Are you awake?" Joe asked innocently.
"I am now," Frank told him. "What's the matter?"
Joe went silent, now feeling guilty having woken him.
Frank clicked on the bedside light and propped himself on one elbow. "Come on, little brother. What's bothering you?"
"Something about this last case," Joe admitted.
Frank chuckled. "You're kidding, right? Joe, this last case went great. No loose ends or anything."
"No one got hurt." Joe said almost inaudibly.
"Darn right." Frank had a sense of relief as he agreed with him. Neither brother had been shot, stabbed, kidnapped, beaten, poisoned, blinded, or infected with some mystery virus with no known antidote. "And I for one am very grateful," he added.
Joe just looked away.
"You having emergency room withdrawl?" Frank quipped. When Joe didn't respond he said, "You can't possibly miss the trauma unit."
"Mumble. Mumble."
Frank sat. "Joe, I didn't quite make that out."
Joe faced his older brother. "We haven't said, 'I love you.' Okay, there."
"I don't understand."
Joe inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Usually, we say it. One of us is lying in a hospital bed but it gets said and.... Guess, I've gotten used to hearing it."
Frank moved closer. "Is that true? We only seem to say it to each other when one of us is..." He finished the sentence with a gesture of the hand.
Joe nodded.
Frank grew pensive. He must've told Joe he loved him some time when tragedy wasn't striking. His last birthday? Yes, he'd said it but Joe was in the hospital with pneumonia. Christmas? No. Frank had been shoved by a phony Santa causing a fall and a concussion. The more he thought about it the more he realized Joe was right. "I'm sorry, bro," was all he could offer.
Joe shook his head. "I'm guilty too."
Frank leaned forward draping an arm across Joe's shoulders. "I was just so thankful that nothing happened to you on this last case... "
"Same here. To you, I mean."
Frank squeezed the shoulder under his hand. "I love you, Joe. I shouldn't forget to say it."
Joe smiled. "I love you, too. And we won't wait for death bed scenes anymore."
Then Frank pressed a kiss to Joe's temple.
Joe looked puzzled. "You kissed me," he said surprised, with the slightest hint of accusation.
Frank's mind flashed. Why was the kid so shocked? He'd kissed him before. No, wait. Here we go again. He had been in a coma or just unconscious. "Um." Frank grew sheepish. "Must've lost my head..." he started to explain.
Joe's eyes twinkled as he placed a soft kiss on his brother's cheek. He bobbed his eyebrows, then rose from the bed. "Goodnight."
Frank watched his brother leave the room. Settling back he sent up a small prayer... for more cases just like the last one.
the End.