"What's that?" Laura asked with a puzzled expression.
"It's a mental disorder that normally affects females but about ten percent of the victims are male," Dr. Bates explained.
"A mental disorder?" repeated Frank, looking as befuddled as his mother. "Is it caused by a chemical imbalance of something?"
"Possibly," Dr Bates stated. "The disease is still under investigation," he continued. "The cause isn't certain but it's been hypothesized that the disease afflicts those who feel they have no control over their own lives so they take charge of the only thing they can control absolutely: their own bodies."
"But Joe has control over things," Laura insisted. "He makes his own decisions."
"Don't take this the wrong way," Dr. Bates begged. "But in Joe's case, maybe his sense of loss of control has to do with his chosen vocation. I mean, he has been through a lot and he is only seventeen years old. Perhaps he feels he has no control over events that are going on around him."
Fenton wanted to argue, but he couldn't. Dr. Bates had made a valid point. While no one can control life's everyday ups and downs, Joe did have many more downs than most.
"How do we make him better?" Laura asked.
"We can't," Dr. Bates replied gently. "We can watch him and make sure he takes his vitamins, eats, and rests but these are only temporary measures. Since it is a mental disease," he continued, "he will need to start therapy. And I want to see him at least once a week."
"What can we do?" asked Frank.
"Make sure he swallows his vitamins. Have him eat something for breakfast and lunch even if it's only lettuce. For dinner, see that he has something from each of the basic food groups and don't leave him alone. If he vomits up what he eats then it not only isn't helping him but it might even complicate matters. Also, limit his physical activities. No more sports until his weight comes up and no workout. Just light jogging and normal, everyday activities."
"What if he starts to get worse?" Fenton asked.
"There is a place that deals exclusively with anorexic patients," Dr. Bates informed them. "It's located in Bridgeport but if it reaches that stage, Joe would have to be admitted as a resident and visitation is limited."
***
"That took long enough," Joe complained as they exited the office building.
"Well, we will all go home and have a good dinner," Laura said, trying to pretend everything was normal. "You'll feel better after you've eaten."
"I feel fine," Joe declared, scowling. "And I've got a date."
"Not tonight," Laura disagreed with him. "Until you start gaining weight you will have all your meals, except for lunch, at home."
"That's not fair!" Joe objected, turning to glare at her.
"Fair or not, that is how it's going to be," Laura stated firmly, her blue eyes clashing with his.
"Invite Vanessa over," Frank suggested. "She won't mind."
"But I do," Joe argued. "Why am I being punished?" he demanded, turning on his father.
"You aren't being punished," Fenton denied in a voice that was forced calm. "We're doing this for your own good."
"Puhlezz," scoffed Joe.
"Believe what you will," Fenton told him. "But you will do as you are told."
At home, Joe called Vanessa to cancel their date then went upstairs to his room and closed the door only to have it opened before he had even crossed the room to his bed.
"You need to take your vitamin now," Fenton said as Joe spun around to face him.
"I took one this morning," Joe reminded him.
"Twice a day," Fenton countered, holding out the offering.
With eyes flashing and lips set into a thin line, Joe gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. "Can I put something on first?" he asked. "I'm cold."
The wrinkles between Fenton's eyes deepened as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He gave a slow nod and then went into the bathroom and got a small cup of water for Joe to take with his pill. When he came back out Joe was sitting on his bed wearing a green sweater over the sweatshirt he had already been wearing.
"Swallow this," Fenton said, handing Joe the vitamin.
Joe took it and glared at his father. "You don't have to watch me like I'm some sort of criminal, you know," he said.
"I wish that were true," Fenton said softly in a breaking voice.
Joe almost broke down and confessed but he was so close now he knew he had to be strong. He put the pill in his mouth, sticking his tongue out to show his dad it was on his tongue, then took the water and emptied the cup.
"Open up," ordered Fenton.
"Why?" Joe demanded.
"Open," Fenton repeated more sternly. Joe opened his mouth. "Move your tongue." Doing as ordered, the vitamin popped into view. "Swallow it," Fenton ordered.
Not having a choice, Joe swallowed the vitamin and once again opened his mouth for inspection.
"Hi," Frank said, coming into the room.
"Why aren't you getting ready for your date?" asked Joe bitterly. "You're not under house arrest."
"Joe..." Fenton began but quit speaking when Joe turned away from him.
Frank came over and put a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. He knew how hard this was for him and could only imagine how his parents felt. His father, especially, since it had been suggested that solving mysteries may be at the root of Joe's problem. "I didn't have one," Frank fibbed to Joe. "I forgot to ask Callie before today and she had already made plans to do something with her parents."
Joe seemed to have developed an avid interest in a lint ball on his bedspread and was ignoring Frank now as well as his father. Frank looked at his dad and indicated he should leave the room. Fenton did so knowing Frank would not let Joe have a chance to throw-up the vitamin he had just taken. Joe heard the door close and stood up, He froze when he saw Frank was still there.
"Want to play some Monopoly?" asked Frank.
"Sure, whatever," agreed Joe without any enthusiasm. "But I need to go to the bathroom first."
"Okay," agreed Frank although he started to follow Joe into the restroom.
"Do you mind?" demanded Joe, rounding on Frank with his eyes blazing. "A little privacy, huh?"
"Sorry," Frank replied with a shake of his head. "No can do."
"What? Why?" erupted Joe. "Have you turned into some kind of perv or something?"
"You aren't going to make yourself sick," Frank stated firmly.
"I just need to pee," Joe said. Frank looked down at his feet but did not move away. "Frank?" Joe asked, his voice almost a whisper. "Don't you trust me?"
Frank looked back up and into Joe's eyes. "I'm sorry, Baby Brother," Frank said softly, his soulful brown eyes reflecting his own hurt and disillusionment.
"It's a mental disorder that normally affects females but about ten percent of the victims are male," Dr. Bates explained.
"A mental disorder?" repeated Frank, looking as befuddled as his mother. "Is it caused by a chemical imbalance of something?"
"Possibly," Dr Bates stated. "The disease is still under investigation," he continued. "The cause isn't certain but it's been hypothesized that the disease afflicts those who feel they have no control over their own lives so they take charge of the only thing they can control absolutely: their own bodies."
"But Joe has control over things," Laura insisted. "He makes his own decisions."
"Don't take this the wrong way," Dr. Bates begged. "But in Joe's case, maybe his sense of loss of control has to do with his chosen vocation. I mean, he has been through a lot and he is only seventeen years old. Perhaps he feels he has no control over events that are going on around him."
Fenton wanted to argue, but he couldn't. Dr. Bates had made a valid point. While no one can control life's everyday ups and downs, Joe did have many more downs than most.
"How do we make him better?" Laura asked.
"We can't," Dr. Bates replied gently. "We can watch him and make sure he takes his vitamins, eats, and rests but these are only temporary measures. Since it is a mental disease," he continued, "he will need to start therapy. And I want to see him at least once a week."
"What can we do?" asked Frank.
"Make sure he swallows his vitamins. Have him eat something for breakfast and lunch even if it's only lettuce. For dinner, see that he has something from each of the basic food groups and don't leave him alone. If he vomits up what he eats then it not only isn't helping him but it might even complicate matters. Also, limit his physical activities. No more sports until his weight comes up and no workout. Just light jogging and normal, everyday activities."
"What if he starts to get worse?" Fenton asked.
"There is a place that deals exclusively with anorexic patients," Dr. Bates informed them. "It's located in Bridgeport but if it reaches that stage, Joe would have to be admitted as a resident and visitation is limited."
***
"That took long enough," Joe complained as they exited the office building.
"Well, we will all go home and have a good dinner," Laura said, trying to pretend everything was normal. "You'll feel better after you've eaten."
"I feel fine," Joe declared, scowling. "And I've got a date."
"Not tonight," Laura disagreed with him. "Until you start gaining weight you will have all your meals, except for lunch, at home."
"That's not fair!" Joe objected, turning to glare at her.
"Fair or not, that is how it's going to be," Laura stated firmly, her blue eyes clashing with his.
"Invite Vanessa over," Frank suggested. "She won't mind."
"But I do," Joe argued. "Why am I being punished?" he demanded, turning on his father.
"You aren't being punished," Fenton denied in a voice that was forced calm. "We're doing this for your own good."
"Puhlezz," scoffed Joe.
"Believe what you will," Fenton told him. "But you will do as you are told."
At home, Joe called Vanessa to cancel their date then went upstairs to his room and closed the door only to have it opened before he had even crossed the room to his bed.
"You need to take your vitamin now," Fenton said as Joe spun around to face him.
"I took one this morning," Joe reminded him.
"Twice a day," Fenton countered, holding out the offering.
With eyes flashing and lips set into a thin line, Joe gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. "Can I put something on first?" he asked. "I'm cold."
The wrinkles between Fenton's eyes deepened as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He gave a slow nod and then went into the bathroom and got a small cup of water for Joe to take with his pill. When he came back out Joe was sitting on his bed wearing a green sweater over the sweatshirt he had already been wearing.
"Swallow this," Fenton said, handing Joe the vitamin.
Joe took it and glared at his father. "You don't have to watch me like I'm some sort of criminal, you know," he said.
"I wish that were true," Fenton said softly in a breaking voice.
Joe almost broke down and confessed but he was so close now he knew he had to be strong. He put the pill in his mouth, sticking his tongue out to show his dad it was on his tongue, then took the water and emptied the cup.
"Open up," ordered Fenton.
"Why?" Joe demanded.
"Open," Fenton repeated more sternly. Joe opened his mouth. "Move your tongue." Doing as ordered, the vitamin popped into view. "Swallow it," Fenton ordered.
Not having a choice, Joe swallowed the vitamin and once again opened his mouth for inspection.
"Hi," Frank said, coming into the room.
"Why aren't you getting ready for your date?" asked Joe bitterly. "You're not under house arrest."
"Joe..." Fenton began but quit speaking when Joe turned away from him.
Frank came over and put a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. He knew how hard this was for him and could only imagine how his parents felt. His father, especially, since it had been suggested that solving mysteries may be at the root of Joe's problem. "I didn't have one," Frank fibbed to Joe. "I forgot to ask Callie before today and she had already made plans to do something with her parents."
Joe seemed to have developed an avid interest in a lint ball on his bedspread and was ignoring Frank now as well as his father. Frank looked at his dad and indicated he should leave the room. Fenton did so knowing Frank would not let Joe have a chance to throw-up the vitamin he had just taken. Joe heard the door close and stood up, He froze when he saw Frank was still there.
"Want to play some Monopoly?" asked Frank.
"Sure, whatever," agreed Joe without any enthusiasm. "But I need to go to the bathroom first."
"Okay," agreed Frank although he started to follow Joe into the restroom.
"Do you mind?" demanded Joe, rounding on Frank with his eyes blazing. "A little privacy, huh?"
"Sorry," Frank replied with a shake of his head. "No can do."
"What? Why?" erupted Joe. "Have you turned into some kind of perv or something?"
"You aren't going to make yourself sick," Frank stated firmly.
"I just need to pee," Joe said. Frank looked down at his feet but did not move away. "Frank?" Joe asked, his voice almost a whisper. "Don't you trust me?"
Frank looked back up and into Joe's eyes. "I'm sorry, Baby Brother," Frank said softly, his soulful brown eyes reflecting his own hurt and disillusionment.