"Frank!" Fenton shouted. "Go after him," he ordered when Frank came hurrying out of his office.
Frank took off, snatching his backpack from the floor by the door on his way out. "Wait up!" shouted Frank, seeing Joe halfway down the street. "It's a long way to school!" he added as Joe kept running.
Joe ignored Frank's first shout but when he was reminded how far away school was he slowed down. Even though he hadn't done anything today he was tired. Realizing he probably wouldn't be able to make it to school on foot he turned around and headed back home.
Frank climbed behind the wheel of the van relieved he wasn't going to have to chase Joe down. He waited until Joe had climbed in before starting the motor. "What happened?" asked Frank, glancing at Joe out of the corner of his eye.
"Nothing," answered Joe, looking out the window with a scowl.
"We're just worried about you," Frank said after a few minutes of silence.
"I'm fine," Joe said. "You're worrying for nothing."
"Then why have you lost so much weight?" reasoned Frank. "Why are you wearing sweatshirts when it's in the eighties?" he demanded, looking at Joe's attire after stopping at a stop sign.
"Leave me alone," Joe replied, not having an answer for him.
"Not going to happen," Frank warned him with a shake of his head. "Until we know what's wrong with you and you're on your way to getting better, I am going to be with you all the time."
Joe smirked. "Won't your teachers miss you in your classes?"
"Oh, ha-ha," Frank retorted, too worried to get mad.
When they arrived at school, Joe jumped out of the van and was on his way inside before Frank had time to kill the ignition.
"Joe!" Vanessa shouted, seeing him enter the school. She hadn't been home when Frank called but Biff had told her as soon as she arrived on campus. "How are you feeling?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Joe demanded huffily. He saw Vanessa's hurt expression and was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "And I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me. Honest," he assured her.
"Oh. yeah?" asked Vanessa, tossing her long blond hair over one shoulder. "Then why haven't you called me or asked me out since I got home?"
Joe's eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry, Babe," he apologized. "I meant to call you last night but I fell asleep."
"That's okay," she said softly, aware he was sick even though he wouldn't admit it. "You're forgiven as long as you take me out tonight."
"It's a date," promised Joe. "But we will probably have to double with Frank and Callie," he added. "Frank's being a real pain."
"He just worries about you," Vanessa defended him.
"I know," Joe quickly agreed, pleased she and his brother got along so well. "But I am okay."
***
"Where's Joe?" asked Frank, sitting down at the lunch table between Callie and Phil.
"I don't now," Chet said, frowning. "He was right in front of me as we were leaving geography and then he was gone."
"Did you look for him?" demanded Frank.
Chet nodded. "I looked at his locker, in some of the classrooms, and I even checked the bathrooms."
"If Joe doesn't want to be found, he won't be," Phil said reasonably. "He'll be in his next class though."
"Yeah, without lunch," grumbled Frank.
"Forcing him to eat isn't going to work," Tony said. "He'll just make himself puke again."
"Not if we don't give him the opportunity," Frank pointed out.
"You can't watch him twenty-four seven," Callie told him.
"I know," Frank admitted, running a hand through his brown locks. "If we could only figure out why he is doing this to himself then maybe we could get him to stop."
"What did the doctor say?" Chet asked.
"Just to keep an eye on him and monitor his weight and blood pressure. He has another appointment after school. Maybe we will learn something then," Frank said hopefully.
***
Joe did show up for his last two classes but never said where he had disappeared to at lunch. When the final bell rang, Frank was waiting outside Joe's Spanish class. "That was fast," Joe commented.
"Mr. Thompson let me leave a couple of minutes early," explained Frank as they made their way out to the parking lot.
When they arrived at Dr. Bates office they found their parents already waiting. After a few minutes, Joe was sent to one of the examination rooms. After a brief exam, Dr. Bates left Joe to get dressed and told him he would be back. Dr. Bates closed the door as he exited and went to the door separating the waiting room from the actual office and asked the Hardys to accompany him.
"What's wrong with him?" inquired Laura once they were all seated.
Dr. Bates leaned back in his chair, his usual cheery countenance absent as he surveyed the worried faces before him. "First," he began, "let me tell you that all of the tests I ran on Joe came back negative except for two. Those two reveal that Joe is anemic and malnourished, which was obvious to begin with.
"His blood pressure is lower than normal and his weight loss, as you have noticed, is becoming critical," the doctor continued. "It's his weight loss that has caused the low blood pressure and anemia. If he continues as he is going, he will show added signs of malnourishment including scurvy and rickets."
"But what's causing the weight loss?" Fenton asked, still perplexed because Joe had made himself ill last night.
"Have you ever heard of a disease called anorexia nervosa?" Dr. Bates inquired.
Frank took off, snatching his backpack from the floor by the door on his way out. "Wait up!" shouted Frank, seeing Joe halfway down the street. "It's a long way to school!" he added as Joe kept running.
Joe ignored Frank's first shout but when he was reminded how far away school was he slowed down. Even though he hadn't done anything today he was tired. Realizing he probably wouldn't be able to make it to school on foot he turned around and headed back home.
Frank climbed behind the wheel of the van relieved he wasn't going to have to chase Joe down. He waited until Joe had climbed in before starting the motor. "What happened?" asked Frank, glancing at Joe out of the corner of his eye.
"Nothing," answered Joe, looking out the window with a scowl.
"We're just worried about you," Frank said after a few minutes of silence.
"I'm fine," Joe said. "You're worrying for nothing."
"Then why have you lost so much weight?" reasoned Frank. "Why are you wearing sweatshirts when it's in the eighties?" he demanded, looking at Joe's attire after stopping at a stop sign.
"Leave me alone," Joe replied, not having an answer for him.
"Not going to happen," Frank warned him with a shake of his head. "Until we know what's wrong with you and you're on your way to getting better, I am going to be with you all the time."
Joe smirked. "Won't your teachers miss you in your classes?"
"Oh, ha-ha," Frank retorted, too worried to get mad.
When they arrived at school, Joe jumped out of the van and was on his way inside before Frank had time to kill the ignition.
"Joe!" Vanessa shouted, seeing him enter the school. She hadn't been home when Frank called but Biff had told her as soon as she arrived on campus. "How are you feeling?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Joe demanded huffily. He saw Vanessa's hurt expression and was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "And I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me. Honest," he assured her.
"Oh. yeah?" asked Vanessa, tossing her long blond hair over one shoulder. "Then why haven't you called me or asked me out since I got home?"
Joe's eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry, Babe," he apologized. "I meant to call you last night but I fell asleep."
"That's okay," she said softly, aware he was sick even though he wouldn't admit it. "You're forgiven as long as you take me out tonight."
"It's a date," promised Joe. "But we will probably have to double with Frank and Callie," he added. "Frank's being a real pain."
"He just worries about you," Vanessa defended him.
"I know," Joe quickly agreed, pleased she and his brother got along so well. "But I am okay."
***
"Where's Joe?" asked Frank, sitting down at the lunch table between Callie and Phil.
"I don't now," Chet said, frowning. "He was right in front of me as we were leaving geography and then he was gone."
"Did you look for him?" demanded Frank.
Chet nodded. "I looked at his locker, in some of the classrooms, and I even checked the bathrooms."
"If Joe doesn't want to be found, he won't be," Phil said reasonably. "He'll be in his next class though."
"Yeah, without lunch," grumbled Frank.
"Forcing him to eat isn't going to work," Tony said. "He'll just make himself puke again."
"Not if we don't give him the opportunity," Frank pointed out.
"You can't watch him twenty-four seven," Callie told him.
"I know," Frank admitted, running a hand through his brown locks. "If we could only figure out why he is doing this to himself then maybe we could get him to stop."
"What did the doctor say?" Chet asked.
"Just to keep an eye on him and monitor his weight and blood pressure. He has another appointment after school. Maybe we will learn something then," Frank said hopefully.
***
Joe did show up for his last two classes but never said where he had disappeared to at lunch. When the final bell rang, Frank was waiting outside Joe's Spanish class. "That was fast," Joe commented.
"Mr. Thompson let me leave a couple of minutes early," explained Frank as they made their way out to the parking lot.
When they arrived at Dr. Bates office they found their parents already waiting. After a few minutes, Joe was sent to one of the examination rooms. After a brief exam, Dr. Bates left Joe to get dressed and told him he would be back. Dr. Bates closed the door as he exited and went to the door separating the waiting room from the actual office and asked the Hardys to accompany him.
"What's wrong with him?" inquired Laura once they were all seated.
Dr. Bates leaned back in his chair, his usual cheery countenance absent as he surveyed the worried faces before him. "First," he began, "let me tell you that all of the tests I ran on Joe came back negative except for two. Those two reveal that Joe is anemic and malnourished, which was obvious to begin with.
"His blood pressure is lower than normal and his weight loss, as you have noticed, is becoming critical," the doctor continued. "It's his weight loss that has caused the low blood pressure and anemia. If he continues as he is going, he will show added signs of malnourishment including scurvy and rickets."
"But what's causing the weight loss?" Fenton asked, still perplexed because Joe had made himself ill last night.
"Have you ever heard of a disease called anorexia nervosa?" Dr. Bates inquired.