Joe spent most of the day in his room looking at a magazine he had picked up in the common room. If this case was going to last very long he intended to have his mom bring him a horror book to read. He grimaced when he realized she would probably be bringing his schoolwork instead so he did not lag behind.
Joe put the magazine down and looked around his room. How was Crystal supposed to have killed herself? He could see nothing that would lend itself to any form of suicide. They weren't even allowed forks or knives when they ate. No, he was positive, as was Charity, that Crystal's demise had not been self-inflicted. But why would someone want her dead?
Maybe he would find out when Rimes came to take him to dinner. Dinner. Now there was another problem. He had given in far too easily at breakfast and at lunch he had still been thinking about what he had discussed with Dr. Turner and eaten without thinking. He remembered Dr. Holden's threat of being force-fed if he refused to eat but how bad could it be? His mind made up; he waited as patiently as he could for dinnertime to arrive.
***************************************************
"Good morning," Fenton greeted Frank as he entered the kitchen Sunday morning.
"What's good about it?" retorted Frank grumpily. He sat down in the chair beside his mother and picked up his fork.
"Honey, I know you're worried about your brother," Laura said. "We all are, but there isn't anything we can do about it today."
"And Joe will be all right until tomorrow," Fenton said, praying feverently that he wasn't lying. "Joe will probably be kept locked in his room for the first few days so he won't be able to get into trouble."
"I hope you're right," Frank said, stabbing a piece of sausage.
"What are you going to do today?" Laura inquired, attempting to be as normal as possible.
Frank shrugged. "Homework?"
"How much do you have?" asked Fenton with a slight frown.
"None, actually," admitted Frank. "But I thought since I wouldn't be at school for awhile, I would read ahead."
"You won't be able to concentrate," Fenton vetoed the idea. Frank gave a small shrug. He knew his dad was right but he had to do something to keep from stressing about Joe. The doorbell rang and Fenton excused himself to answer it. When he returned, he brought with him a surprise for Frank.
"Callie!" Frank gasped, his dejected look disappearing to be replaced with a big smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you, too," she replied, pretending to be cross. "It's great to see you too."
Frank blushed. "Sorry. It is good to see you but we didn't have plans. Did we?" he asked as an afterthought.
"We never made any plans, no," Callie answered, taking pity on him.
"But we did," Fenton put in. Frank looked at his father quizzically.
"You need a break before tomorrow," Fenton told him. "Joe's going to need a lot of support to get back to normal even after this case is over," he explained. "So today you are to forget about everyone, except Callie of course, and everything."
Frank shook his head. "Dad, I can't..." he began.
"That's an order," Fenton interrupted him in a firm tone. "I know you are concerned about Joe and there is no way you could forget about him even for a minute but if you really want to help him you are going to have to do this."
"I'll keep him so busy he won't have time to think about anything," Callie promised.
****************************************************
True to her word, Callie kept Frank occupied until the moment they returned to the Hardy house to pick up her car. Frank smiled contentedly as he watched her drive away. Although Joe had never been far from his thoughts, Callie's steady stream of conversation during a day filled with surfing at the beach with their friends in the morning and an afternoon at Zippy Zane's Waterworld had kept him from worrying as much as he otherwise would have. As Callie's blue Nova turned the corner out of sight, Frank went inside, his stomach rumbling as his nostrils were assaulted by the smell of a freshly made apple pie.
******************************************************
"I'm not hungry," Joe said as he sat picking at his dinner.
"You have to eat," Joe was informed by Dan Tennenbaum, the orderly who had taken over for Rimes when he had left for the day. "It's in the rules."
"I ate breakfast and lunch," objected Joe. "I'm full."
"Lunch was six hours ago and you only had a small salad and half of a croissant," Tennenbaum countered. "Eat."
"How do you know what I had?" demanded Joe. "You weren't here."
"It's on your chart," Tennenbaum replied. "Now, this is your last chance. Eat."
"No," refused Joe stubbornly pushing his plate away.
"Your choice," Tennenbaum declared, standing up. "Let's go."
"Where?" Joe asked hesitantly. Had he been too hasty?
"Back to your room," was the answer. Joe smiled and stood up. Maybe Dr. Holden had been bluffing he thought happily as he was led back to his room.
Left alone, Joe started to relax. He picked up the magazine he had been going through earlier and began reading. He had just set it back down when his door opened and Tennenbaum, Dr. Holden and another orderly entered.
"What?" Joe asked, warily eyeing the doctor.
"You were informed of the consequences of not eating," Dr., Holden answered, holding an apparatus that made Joe pale as his stomach began churning.
"Uh..uh.. I'm sorry," apologized Joe. "I'll eat," he promised.
"Too late," Dr. Holden replied as the orderlies moved in on either side of Joe.
Joe was easily subdued and before too long, Dr. Holden had finished his task. The three men left he room after checking Joe's statistics and locked the door behind them.
Joe sat up, shakily holding one hand over his mouth and the over his stomach as he did so. 'No more!' he vowed silently. 'No mystery is worth this!' No matter how it looked, he would not refuse to eat again.
*******************************************************
Monday morning Frank brought his mother's car to a stop in front of the foundation and got out. The weather was hot and humid and his shirt had begun to cling to him, revealing the perfect physical form beneath. He had the resume his father had prepared tucked under one arm as he entered the building and asked to speak with the chief administrator.
"He will be out in a bit," the nurse informed Frank. "If you will just be patient?'
Frank nodded and smiled then moved away from the desk to look at the bulletins tacked to the board across the hall.
"No!" a voice screamed in abject terror. "Please? No!"
Joe! Frank recognized the voice as he once again screamed out. "Please, please! NO!"
Joe put the magazine down and looked around his room. How was Crystal supposed to have killed herself? He could see nothing that would lend itself to any form of suicide. They weren't even allowed forks or knives when they ate. No, he was positive, as was Charity, that Crystal's demise had not been self-inflicted. But why would someone want her dead?
Maybe he would find out when Rimes came to take him to dinner. Dinner. Now there was another problem. He had given in far too easily at breakfast and at lunch he had still been thinking about what he had discussed with Dr. Turner and eaten without thinking. He remembered Dr. Holden's threat of being force-fed if he refused to eat but how bad could it be? His mind made up; he waited as patiently as he could for dinnertime to arrive.
***************************************************
"Good morning," Fenton greeted Frank as he entered the kitchen Sunday morning.
"What's good about it?" retorted Frank grumpily. He sat down in the chair beside his mother and picked up his fork.
"Honey, I know you're worried about your brother," Laura said. "We all are, but there isn't anything we can do about it today."
"And Joe will be all right until tomorrow," Fenton said, praying feverently that he wasn't lying. "Joe will probably be kept locked in his room for the first few days so he won't be able to get into trouble."
"I hope you're right," Frank said, stabbing a piece of sausage.
"What are you going to do today?" Laura inquired, attempting to be as normal as possible.
Frank shrugged. "Homework?"
"How much do you have?" asked Fenton with a slight frown.
"None, actually," admitted Frank. "But I thought since I wouldn't be at school for awhile, I would read ahead."
"You won't be able to concentrate," Fenton vetoed the idea. Frank gave a small shrug. He knew his dad was right but he had to do something to keep from stressing about Joe. The doorbell rang and Fenton excused himself to answer it. When he returned, he brought with him a surprise for Frank.
"Callie!" Frank gasped, his dejected look disappearing to be replaced with a big smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you, too," she replied, pretending to be cross. "It's great to see you too."
Frank blushed. "Sorry. It is good to see you but we didn't have plans. Did we?" he asked as an afterthought.
"We never made any plans, no," Callie answered, taking pity on him.
"But we did," Fenton put in. Frank looked at his father quizzically.
"You need a break before tomorrow," Fenton told him. "Joe's going to need a lot of support to get back to normal even after this case is over," he explained. "So today you are to forget about everyone, except Callie of course, and everything."
Frank shook his head. "Dad, I can't..." he began.
"That's an order," Fenton interrupted him in a firm tone. "I know you are concerned about Joe and there is no way you could forget about him even for a minute but if you really want to help him you are going to have to do this."
"I'll keep him so busy he won't have time to think about anything," Callie promised.
****************************************************
True to her word, Callie kept Frank occupied until the moment they returned to the Hardy house to pick up her car. Frank smiled contentedly as he watched her drive away. Although Joe had never been far from his thoughts, Callie's steady stream of conversation during a day filled with surfing at the beach with their friends in the morning and an afternoon at Zippy Zane's Waterworld had kept him from worrying as much as he otherwise would have. As Callie's blue Nova turned the corner out of sight, Frank went inside, his stomach rumbling as his nostrils were assaulted by the smell of a freshly made apple pie.
******************************************************
"I'm not hungry," Joe said as he sat picking at his dinner.
"You have to eat," Joe was informed by Dan Tennenbaum, the orderly who had taken over for Rimes when he had left for the day. "It's in the rules."
"I ate breakfast and lunch," objected Joe. "I'm full."
"Lunch was six hours ago and you only had a small salad and half of a croissant," Tennenbaum countered. "Eat."
"How do you know what I had?" demanded Joe. "You weren't here."
"It's on your chart," Tennenbaum replied. "Now, this is your last chance. Eat."
"No," refused Joe stubbornly pushing his plate away.
"Your choice," Tennenbaum declared, standing up. "Let's go."
"Where?" Joe asked hesitantly. Had he been too hasty?
"Back to your room," was the answer. Joe smiled and stood up. Maybe Dr. Holden had been bluffing he thought happily as he was led back to his room.
Left alone, Joe started to relax. He picked up the magazine he had been going through earlier and began reading. He had just set it back down when his door opened and Tennenbaum, Dr. Holden and another orderly entered.
"What?" Joe asked, warily eyeing the doctor.
"You were informed of the consequences of not eating," Dr., Holden answered, holding an apparatus that made Joe pale as his stomach began churning.
"Uh..uh.. I'm sorry," apologized Joe. "I'll eat," he promised.
"Too late," Dr. Holden replied as the orderlies moved in on either side of Joe.
Joe was easily subdued and before too long, Dr. Holden had finished his task. The three men left he room after checking Joe's statistics and locked the door behind them.
Joe sat up, shakily holding one hand over his mouth and the over his stomach as he did so. 'No more!' he vowed silently. 'No mystery is worth this!' No matter how it looked, he would not refuse to eat again.
*******************************************************
Monday morning Frank brought his mother's car to a stop in front of the foundation and got out. The weather was hot and humid and his shirt had begun to cling to him, revealing the perfect physical form beneath. He had the resume his father had prepared tucked under one arm as he entered the building and asked to speak with the chief administrator.
"He will be out in a bit," the nurse informed Frank. "If you will just be patient?'
Frank nodded and smiled then moved away from the desk to look at the bulletins tacked to the board across the hall.
"No!" a voice screamed in abject terror. "Please? No!"
Joe! Frank recognized the voice as he once again screamed out. "Please, please! NO!"