THank you everyone who has reviewed on my story. You guys don't know how much it means to me. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
It was past midnight when Fenton came home. He was walking past Frank's door when he noticed it was slightly ajar. He peaked in to see Frank's head laying on the desk and on the floor, amid a bunch of paper, was Joe. Fenton chuckled at the picture they made. He quietly walked into the room and draped a blanket from Frank's bed over his shoulder's and put an extra blanket over Frank. Fenton then quietly left the room.
The next morning Frank woke up with a horrible crick in his neck. He then realized that he had a blanket.
Who did this? He wondered. He got up and stretched when he saw Joe on the floor. Frank chuckled as he bent down and shook Joe's shoulders.
"Joe. It's time to wake up."
"No." Joe groaned. Frank continued to shake him. Joe opened one eye and looked at Frank. "What do you want?"
"You off my floor."
"But it's so comfy."
"Yeah right." Frank laughed as Joe sat up and winced.
"Ok. You're right." Joe rubbed his neck. "Not comfy." Joe smiled as he heard Frank laugh again.
"Let's figure out what to do now." Frank said as he sat in his chair.
"What if you called Nancy?" Joe asked.
"No." Frank turned to his computer. "Not till I have the proof I need to clear my name."
"But…"
"No." Frank quickly typed on his computer.
"Whatever." Joe muttered.
"I'm gonna go get a shower." Joe said as he got off the floor. "I'll be back in a bit."
"Ok. Let me know when you're out so I can get in."
"10-4 bro." Joe said as he left the room.
Bahahaha
Nancy heard her phone ring for what seemed like the hundredth time since she left Frank at the hospital. When it stopped ringing she looked at the caller id. Her phone jingled to let her know that they had left a message. She hit the play button.
Hi, Nancy. It's Frank. I guess you're really busy right now, so I'll try again and if I don't get ahold of you, I'll try again if I have to. Please know that I am investigating and I plan to get to the bottom of this scandal. I promise you that you are the only girl in my life. Well, talk to you later.
Nancy wiped at the tears that were coursing down her cheek. Frank had been leaving the same message for the past four days. She couldn't understand what was going on. She started to hit the redial then stopped.
"You can't do this to yourself." Nancy said to herself. She hit the erase button to erase his message. Again.
Bahahaha
Thirty minutes, Joe came back to the room to find Frank lying on his back on the floor.
"Are you ok?" He asked. Frank grunted "Is that a 'yes' grunt or a 'no' grunt?"
"That was a 'my little brother is annoying' grunt.." Frank said as he sat up.
"Funny." Joe shot back. He sat on Frank's bed. "What now?"
"We need Nancy." Frank said as he rubbed his neck. "I can't seem to…"
"Frank." Fenton called up the stairs. "Come here please." Frank quickly got too his feet and headed down the stairs, Joe following closes behind.
"Yes, sir?" Frank said as he walked into his dad's office.
"Have a seat." Fenton motioned toward a chair. Frank and Joe sat.
"Is something wrong?" Joe asked. Fenton shook his head as he leaned against the desk.
"The hospital just called."
"And?" Frank pressed.
"They want us to come get Gwinn."
"What!" Joe exclaimed. He looked at Frank. While his facial expression stayed calm Joe could see the anger in Frank's eyes.
"Why us?" Frank asked tensely.
"Because according to Gwinn she has nowhere else to go" Fenton and Joe looked at Frank. Frank stared at the floor.
"She can stay in the guest room, I guess." Frank said as he got up to leave the room.
"Are you sure?" Fenton pressed.
"The only thing I'm sure of right now is that I need to get my life back." Frank opened the office door. "If it means taking in Gwinn till we can get to the bottom of this, then, so be it." He then left the room. Fenton and Joe heard the back door open then slam shut.
"Maybe your mother will go with me to pick her up." Fenton commented. Joe looked at his father and smiled.
"Yeah. While you do that I'll see if I can calm down Frank."
"Good luck." Fenton said as he went to find his wife. "Laura?" he called up the stairs. Laura was slowly making her down the stairs, carrying a box. Joe quickly ran up the stairs and took the box from his mother.
"What's in here?" He asked as he sat the box in the living room.
"Well, I figures if we were having a baby around…" Laura shrugged at Fenton and Joe's shocked stares. "I listened in on the other phone." She then turned to Joe. "Go get the baby seat that is sitting in the hall upstairs." Joe took off while Fenton talked to Laura.
"So, will you come with me to get her then?"
"I would love to." Laura smiled as Joe came down stairs. "Go put that in the back seat of the car."
"Yes, ma'am." Joe put the seat in the car as his parents climbed into the front seat.
"We'll be back in a little bit." Fenton said.
"It may take us a little longer coming home as we may need to stop and get some baby supplies." Laura added while Fenton groaned.
"Ok. Have fun." Joe said. He waved as his parents left. "Now to find Frank." He walked to the back door and looked out. He saw Frank hanging, with his knees hooked over the main beam, upside-down from their old swing set. He went and sat by the swing set and watched his brother. Many minutes had passed before either of them said anything.
"Are you alright?" Joe asked. Frank grunted as he pulled his arm up and flipped off the swing set.
"I guess so." Frank said as he sat beside his brother. "I don't understand what's going on. This girl has taken literally everything from me."
"Not everything."
"Yes. Everything." Frank looked at Joe. "She took my girlfriend, my family, my friends, my life…"
"You still have me." Joe said as he laid a hand on Frank's arm. Frank looked his brother in the eyes.
"Do I really?" He asked point blank. "Or do you still think that this child is mine." Joe sat silently while Frank watched the emotion flicker through his eyes. Finally Joe answered, never breaking eye contact with his brother.
"I believe you." Joe said with conviction. "And I should have never… never sided with the Gwinn." Joe paused and took a deep breath. "I was a jerk and I am really sorry."
"It's all good." Frank said as he hugged his brother. They stood up and headed for the house
"One question." Joe asked.
"Shoot."
"When did you get so good at gymnastics and since when did you just hang when your angry?" Joe asked befuddled. Frank laughed.
"Well I've always been good at gymnastics, I just never was on a team." Frank looked back at the swing set. "As for the hanging…" He shrugged. "I do a lot of things you don't know about to work through problems."
"Like?" Joe pressed with a grin.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Frank laughed.
"Ok." Joe playfully punched Frank in the arm. "I'll figure them out."
"Not a chance." Frank said as they ran up to his room. They started working on the case again. About ten minutes later Frank's phone rang. Joe grabbed it off his brother's bed and answered it.
"Hello… yes, he's here." Joe looked at Frank and handed the phone to him. Frank took the phone then Joe left the room.
"Hi, Nancy." Frank said as Joe closed the door.
"Frank…" Nancy took a deep breath. "I'm…I…"
"Look. I know you're hurt and I'm very sorry for that."
"I'm sorry for the way I acted." Nancy said.
"All's forgiven." Frank said. "I could really use your help on this case. I've been bouncing ideas off Joe, but they don't bounce back to often." Nancy laughed.
"That's Joe for you."
"Nancy, I promise you that if it ever comes out that this child is somehow mine." Frank paused and took a deep breath. "I will never… I will let you go with no hard feelings." He rushed on.
"Frank."
"I don't want you to have to live with the thought that I was unfaithful to you and for you to resent me in some way."
"Thank you, Frank." Nancy whispered. "So, should I come over and go over what notes you have."
"If you want, but mom and dad are bringing Gwinn here since she claims she has nowhere else to go."
"Ok. Thanks for the warning." Nancy replied. "I'll be there in an hour."
"Thanks, Nance." Frank said, relief coloring his voice.
"Welcome." She said then they hung up.
Bahahaha
Three hours later, Joe, Nancy, and Frank were sitting on the living room when they heard the car pull into the garage. The three looked at each other.
"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Frank asked Nancy.
"I'll be fine." She replied. Fenton, Laura and Gwinn came walking into the house.
"Hi, kids." Fenton said as he sat his load of bags on the floor and looked at the three in the living room.
"hi." The three said in unison.
"I'll show Gwinn the guest room and then I'll start supper."
"Umm…" Joe looked at Nancy and Frank. "I kinda ordered pizza."
"Why?" Laura asked.
"Because I didn't think that you would be home before suppertime."
"How many?" Laura leveled a look at Joe. Joe gave a little gulp when their doorbell rang. Their mother opened the door to see Tony, one of the boys' friends, standing with a pile of pizzas.
"Hi, Tony." Joe said as he took the stack of pizzas. He handed Tony the money. "Keep the extra for tip."
"Thanks, Joe." Tony said as he turned and left.
"You ordered ten pizzas!" Their mother exclaimed.
"It's suppose to last us all night." Joe reasoned. He then gave his mother his most pitiful face.
"Oh, alright." Laura said as she threw her hands in the air. "Gwinn, follow me" They headed upstairs. The three began going over files again. Hours later Nancy stretched to loosen the muscles in her back. She glanced at the clock.
"It's almost two!" She exclaimed as she rose from the floor. Joe yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"No wonder I'm so tired." Joe complained.
"You could sleep here." Frank said as he stretched.
"The guest room is taken." Joe pointed out.
"I know." Frank replied. He then looked at Nancy. "I'll sleep down here and you can sleep in my room."
"I can't do that." She gasped.
"Why not?"
"Well… I… um…" Nancy stuttered.
"Please." Frank pleaded. "This way when you wake up you don't have to drive back over here to help investigate."
"I'm too tired to fight with you." Nancy said with a small smile.
"Good." Frank said. "I'll see you guys when you wake up."
"Night." Joe mumbled as he headed up the stairs. Frank watched Nancy as he stopped in the doorway.
"Frank." She looked at him as he laid on the couch.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry about the way I reacted, but I still don't know what to believe."
"That's understandable." Frank mumbled, half asleep. "I already said you were forgiven."
"Thanks." Nancy then went upstairs and crawled in bed.