"Is something wrong?" queried Lyman when he noticed Fenton had come to a stop.
"It was my understanding that this boy was to of had his physical yesterday afternoon," Fenton stated, watching Holden shine a light in Joe's eyes.
"We take very good care of our patients," Lyman informed Fenton proudly. "Now, if you will follow me?" he requested again as he turned around and continued on his way.
Fenton hesitated. He wanted to rush into Joe's room, grab his shoulders and give him a good shake just to see if he could get a response from him. Joe's eyes looked almost glassy. 'Of course!' thought Fenton, following Lyman at last. 'They have drugged him.' As soon as he was alone he would check Joe's chart and see what he had been given. Too, after finding out about the male patients, he would call Laura and have her check Joe out of this place. There was no way they were going to turn his son into some kind of zombie.
**************************************************************
It was almost ten a.m. when Fenton was finally able to call home. "Fenton?" Laura asked when she answered the phone and heard the clipped way he said her name. "What's wrong?" she demanded. She knew he would never call while he was undercover unless something was terribly wrong.
"They have started giving Joe depressants," Fenton informed her.
"But why?" Laura snapped angrily. "Frank said he was already depressed."
"His record says it is to increase his appetite but I don't like how they are affecting him," Fenton said. "I want you to come and check him out of here. Frank and I can finish this case."
"What aren't you telling me?" Laura demanded suspiciously. She detected something in his voice that was more potent than the anger she, herself, felt at the latest news.
"There were male patients before Joe," Fenton said. He didn't want to tell her but he knew she would not let the matter drop. That was one of the many things he loved about his wife. She wasn't demanding or pushy but when it came to her family not even a Saber tooth would have stood a chance. "They died in here," Fenton said and waited for her response. "Laura?" he asked when she remained silent.
"I'm on my way," L:aura stated in a deceptively calm voice. She hung up and wrote a message for Frank before leaving. She climbed into her car and headed for the foundation. To any who saw her she looked like she was going for a leisurely drive but if one gave a closer inspection they would be able to tell by the arch of her back and the hard gleam in her eyes that she was prepared for a war that she had no intention of losing.
Fenton hung up the phone and left the office he was in and headed down the hall. It was almost time for Joe's session with Dr. Turner to end and he intended to make sure Joe wasn't being pushed too far even if it meant blowing his own cover.
Fenton arrived at his destination in time to see Joe exit Turner's office. His heart broke at the miserable look on Joe's face and he almost preferred Joe's earlier glassy-eyed look to the heart-wrenching sadness he saw in his son's eyes now. Fenton followed Joe and Rimes down the hall and back to Joe's room.
"Wait," ordered Fenton as Rimes started to lock Joe inside.
"Oh, hello, Inspector," Rimes greeted Fenton.
"Hello," acknowledged Fenton. "I would lie to ask Mr. Hardy a few questions."
"You can try," Rimes said. "But he isn't nearly as talkative as he was when he first got here."
"Oh? You think his condition has worsened since his arrival?" queried Fenton.
"I'm not a doctor," Rimes responded diplomatically. "So I couldn't say."
"What about your opinion?" pushed Fenton. "Off the record."
"Off the record?" Rimes repeated. Fenton nodded. "Then, yeah, I would say he has definitely gotten worse. I mean, he does eat his meals but before he either enjoyed them or he didn't but today it seemed like he simply didn't care," Rimes explained.
"Do any of the other patients act that way?" Fenton asked.
"A few," Rimes admitted and named a couple of patients, all of whom Fenton remembered had the same letter and number classification as Joe's chart had.
"I see. Thank you for your time," Fenton said. "I will be sure to lock the door when I leave," he added, dismissing Rimes.
"Thank you, Sir," Rimes said and left as Fenton opened the door and went inside.
Fenton closed the door and walked up to the bed where Joe was sitting with his back to the door and his head bowed. "Joseph?" Fenton asked in a soft voice.
Joe remained in the same position, not acknowledging he had heard his father's voice. "Son?" Fenton asked, a bit louder as he went to the other side of the bed and sat down beside Joe.
Joe shivered but did not look up. Fenton reached out and grasped Joe's chin in his hand and forced Joe to look at him. Tears streaked Joe's face as his blood-shot eyes looked down, refusing to meet his father's.
"Baby," whispered Fenton as he pulled Joe into his arms and held him tightly. Joe stiffened and Fenton felt a strong urge to find the psychiatrist and put him six feet under. "It's going to be all right," he whispered against Joe's hair. "Your mother is on her way to take you home."
"Son?" Fenton pulled away from Joe and once again cupped his chin, forcing his head up. "Look at me," he ordered.
Joe looked up and saw the concern in his father's eyes. His lips trembled and then he began quietly sobbing. "What's wrong?" Fenton demanded in a tone of forced gentleness. He was terrified. What had they done to his son?
Joe shook his head as his dad released his chin. "No...nothing," Joe stuttered, looking down at his hands that were lying clasped in his lap.
"Joseph," Fenton stated firmly.
"I...I'm sorry," apologized Joe softly.
"For what?" Fenton asked, confused.
"For being nothing but trouble," answered Joe sadly.
"What?" Fenton demanded. "That isn't true. Why would you think that?"
"Yes it is," Joe insisted sadly. "I'm always getting in over my head and Frank's always baling me out. I know he has to wish I weren't his brother," he added, missing the look of uber shock taking control of Fenton's features. "I wouldn't even have me for a brother. Or a...son," he ended so softly Fenton had to strain to hear him.
"It was my understanding that this boy was to of had his physical yesterday afternoon," Fenton stated, watching Holden shine a light in Joe's eyes.
"We take very good care of our patients," Lyman informed Fenton proudly. "Now, if you will follow me?" he requested again as he turned around and continued on his way.
Fenton hesitated. He wanted to rush into Joe's room, grab his shoulders and give him a good shake just to see if he could get a response from him. Joe's eyes looked almost glassy. 'Of course!' thought Fenton, following Lyman at last. 'They have drugged him.' As soon as he was alone he would check Joe's chart and see what he had been given. Too, after finding out about the male patients, he would call Laura and have her check Joe out of this place. There was no way they were going to turn his son into some kind of zombie.
**************************************************************
It was almost ten a.m. when Fenton was finally able to call home. "Fenton?" Laura asked when she answered the phone and heard the clipped way he said her name. "What's wrong?" she demanded. She knew he would never call while he was undercover unless something was terribly wrong.
"They have started giving Joe depressants," Fenton informed her.
"But why?" Laura snapped angrily. "Frank said he was already depressed."
"His record says it is to increase his appetite but I don't like how they are affecting him," Fenton said. "I want you to come and check him out of here. Frank and I can finish this case."
"What aren't you telling me?" Laura demanded suspiciously. She detected something in his voice that was more potent than the anger she, herself, felt at the latest news.
"There were male patients before Joe," Fenton said. He didn't want to tell her but he knew she would not let the matter drop. That was one of the many things he loved about his wife. She wasn't demanding or pushy but when it came to her family not even a Saber tooth would have stood a chance. "They died in here," Fenton said and waited for her response. "Laura?" he asked when she remained silent.
"I'm on my way," L:aura stated in a deceptively calm voice. She hung up and wrote a message for Frank before leaving. She climbed into her car and headed for the foundation. To any who saw her she looked like she was going for a leisurely drive but if one gave a closer inspection they would be able to tell by the arch of her back and the hard gleam in her eyes that she was prepared for a war that she had no intention of losing.
Fenton hung up the phone and left the office he was in and headed down the hall. It was almost time for Joe's session with Dr. Turner to end and he intended to make sure Joe wasn't being pushed too far even if it meant blowing his own cover.
Fenton arrived at his destination in time to see Joe exit Turner's office. His heart broke at the miserable look on Joe's face and he almost preferred Joe's earlier glassy-eyed look to the heart-wrenching sadness he saw in his son's eyes now. Fenton followed Joe and Rimes down the hall and back to Joe's room.
"Wait," ordered Fenton as Rimes started to lock Joe inside.
"Oh, hello, Inspector," Rimes greeted Fenton.
"Hello," acknowledged Fenton. "I would lie to ask Mr. Hardy a few questions."
"You can try," Rimes said. "But he isn't nearly as talkative as he was when he first got here."
"Oh? You think his condition has worsened since his arrival?" queried Fenton.
"I'm not a doctor," Rimes responded diplomatically. "So I couldn't say."
"What about your opinion?" pushed Fenton. "Off the record."
"Off the record?" Rimes repeated. Fenton nodded. "Then, yeah, I would say he has definitely gotten worse. I mean, he does eat his meals but before he either enjoyed them or he didn't but today it seemed like he simply didn't care," Rimes explained.
"Do any of the other patients act that way?" Fenton asked.
"A few," Rimes admitted and named a couple of patients, all of whom Fenton remembered had the same letter and number classification as Joe's chart had.
"I see. Thank you for your time," Fenton said. "I will be sure to lock the door when I leave," he added, dismissing Rimes.
"Thank you, Sir," Rimes said and left as Fenton opened the door and went inside.
Fenton closed the door and walked up to the bed where Joe was sitting with his back to the door and his head bowed. "Joseph?" Fenton asked in a soft voice.
Joe remained in the same position, not acknowledging he had heard his father's voice. "Son?" Fenton asked, a bit louder as he went to the other side of the bed and sat down beside Joe.
Joe shivered but did not look up. Fenton reached out and grasped Joe's chin in his hand and forced Joe to look at him. Tears streaked Joe's face as his blood-shot eyes looked down, refusing to meet his father's.
"Baby," whispered Fenton as he pulled Joe into his arms and held him tightly. Joe stiffened and Fenton felt a strong urge to find the psychiatrist and put him six feet under. "It's going to be all right," he whispered against Joe's hair. "Your mother is on her way to take you home."
"Son?" Fenton pulled away from Joe and once again cupped his chin, forcing his head up. "Look at me," he ordered.
Joe looked up and saw the concern in his father's eyes. His lips trembled and then he began quietly sobbing. "What's wrong?" Fenton demanded in a tone of forced gentleness. He was terrified. What had they done to his son?
Joe shook his head as his dad released his chin. "No...nothing," Joe stuttered, looking down at his hands that were lying clasped in his lap.
"Joseph," Fenton stated firmly.
"I...I'm sorry," apologized Joe softly.
"For what?" Fenton asked, confused.
"For being nothing but trouble," answered Joe sadly.
"What?" Fenton demanded. "That isn't true. Why would you think that?"
"Yes it is," Joe insisted sadly. "I'm always getting in over my head and Frank's always baling me out. I know he has to wish I weren't his brother," he added, missing the look of uber shock taking control of Fenton's features. "I wouldn't even have me for a brother. Or a...son," he ended so softly Fenton had to strain to hear him.