Frank crawled out of bed and made his way into the bathroom to shave, shower, change and brush his teeth. He stared at his reflection groggily when he had finished. He couldn't remember the last time he had been up all night but he was positive it hadn't been as boring as the last four hours of his shift had been.
'Oh well,' he thought with a shrug as he turned away from the mirror. 'Maybe some coffee will bring me back to life.' He went downstairs, aware the quiet wasn't natural, and into the kitchen where he stopped in front of the small bulletin board that hung near the phone.
'Ah!' he thought, smiling. 'Mom left a note. I knew she wasn't here.' His smile vanished as he read what she had written. He scowled, wondering what they had done to Joe to make his Dad want him brought home immediately. Frank wasn't sure what had happened to Charity's niece but the senior staff had some major answering to do in regard to his little brother.
Frank looked at his watch and back to the time his mother had put on the note. She wouldn't have had time to pick him up and return home yet. He entered the kitchen and started a pot of coffee then set about fixing himself a sandwich. Not exactly breakfast food, he knew, but then it wasn't exactly the time of day for breakfast either.
After finishing his meal he cleared his dishes and went into the living room where he checked his watch once again before picking up the phone. He dialed Callie's cell knowing she left it in her car while she was in school.
"Hello?" Callie answered on the second ring.
"Hey, Babe," Frank said in his silky voice. "How was school?"
"Uneventful," returned Callie. "How's Joe?"
"He's coming home," answered Frank. "Mom left to get him before I got up."
"The case is solved?" she asked, pleased.
"No," denied Frank. "But they have been doing something to Joe to make him worse," he added. "Dad called and told mom to get him out of there now."
"Um, Frank," Callie said hesitantly. "Are you sure Joe isn't really sick?" she asked. "I mean, maybe it started out with him wanting to go in undercover but what if he can't stop now? What if he pretended to be sick so long that he actually developed anorexia?" she repeated the question that Vanessa had been fretting over for days.
"It's possible, I guess," admitted Frank with a frown. "But even if he is, they aren't helping him there."
"They haven't had time," Callie said softly.
"No, you don't understand," Frank said, shaking his head even though she wasn't around to see. "When I saw Joe last night he was a basket case because the psychiatrist was filling his head with lies."
"Like what?" Callie asked, still unsure if Joe were really sick or not. Maybe the doctor was just dragging Joe's real feelings to the surface.
"Like I didn't want Joe around," Frank stated, his anger coming across loud and clear. "That creep made Joe think I didn't want to be around him. He had Joe thinking I would rather spend time with Phil than with him. He had convinced Joe that Phil was my best friend."
"I thought Phil was your best friend," Callie said in confusion.
"No, Callie," Frank told her. "Joe's my best friend. He always has been and he always will be."
"Well, yeah, but he doesn't count," Callie pointed out. "He's your brother."
"That's just it," Frank told her. "He does count. Turner was trying to convince him that he had no place in my life"
"Oh," Callie gasped, finally understanding what Frank was saying. "Poor Joe! He wasn't buying into that, did he?"
"He was," acknowledged Frank. "But I convinced him he was wrong." 'Or at least I think I did,' he added silently.
"When will he be home?" Callie asked.
"He should be back within an hour," answered Frank. "Why?"
"I thought I would get Vanessa and the guys and come over," she said. "It sounds like Joe needs to know people care about him."
"That's a great idea!" enthused Frank. "Especially with me having to leave for work so soon. Thanks!"
"No thanks necessary," Callie assured him. "You know I love Joe like a brother. Although," she amended, "not one as close as you."
"I'll see you later," Frank said. "I love you."
"Love you too," she told him before hanging up.
********************************************************
"What have you done to him?" Laura demanded, shock mingling with anger when she saw how zoned out Joe was.
"He was a little upset earlier so Dr. Holden gave him a light sedative," Lyman informed her. "You shouldn't have any problem getting him home."
"Home nothing," snarled Laura. "He's going to see his doctor."
"An excellent suggestion," agreed Fenton although Lyman looked at Fenton smugly. Fenton could tell Lyman thought he was agreeing with Laura fastidiously.
Laura led Joe outside and into the passenger side of her car. She buckled him in while he sat quietly then got in behind the wheel and started the car. She kept glancing at him nervously as she pulled out of the lot and onto the road.
"Joe, honey?" Laura tried to get some kind of response but he just kept staring out the window.
Trying to keep her fear under control, she headed back to Bayport. Almost an hour later she pulled to a stop in front of Dr. Bates' office. "Okay, baby," she said, undoing her belt buckle. "I am going to get you out of the car and let Dr. Bates look you over. Then we will go home," she promised. "You will feel much better once you are back in your own room."
Laura opened her door and got out. She hurried around to Joe's door and pulled it open. As she started to lean in and unfasten Joe's belt, a hand clamped over her mouth and she was yanked back. She felt something pierce her arm and seconds later her eyes closed as she was lowered to the ground.
'Oh well,' he thought with a shrug as he turned away from the mirror. 'Maybe some coffee will bring me back to life.' He went downstairs, aware the quiet wasn't natural, and into the kitchen where he stopped in front of the small bulletin board that hung near the phone.
'Ah!' he thought, smiling. 'Mom left a note. I knew she wasn't here.' His smile vanished as he read what she had written. He scowled, wondering what they had done to Joe to make his Dad want him brought home immediately. Frank wasn't sure what had happened to Charity's niece but the senior staff had some major answering to do in regard to his little brother.
Frank looked at his watch and back to the time his mother had put on the note. She wouldn't have had time to pick him up and return home yet. He entered the kitchen and started a pot of coffee then set about fixing himself a sandwich. Not exactly breakfast food, he knew, but then it wasn't exactly the time of day for breakfast either.
After finishing his meal he cleared his dishes and went into the living room where he checked his watch once again before picking up the phone. He dialed Callie's cell knowing she left it in her car while she was in school.
"Hello?" Callie answered on the second ring.
"Hey, Babe," Frank said in his silky voice. "How was school?"
"Uneventful," returned Callie. "How's Joe?"
"He's coming home," answered Frank. "Mom left to get him before I got up."
"The case is solved?" she asked, pleased.
"No," denied Frank. "But they have been doing something to Joe to make him worse," he added. "Dad called and told mom to get him out of there now."
"Um, Frank," Callie said hesitantly. "Are you sure Joe isn't really sick?" she asked. "I mean, maybe it started out with him wanting to go in undercover but what if he can't stop now? What if he pretended to be sick so long that he actually developed anorexia?" she repeated the question that Vanessa had been fretting over for days.
"It's possible, I guess," admitted Frank with a frown. "But even if he is, they aren't helping him there."
"They haven't had time," Callie said softly.
"No, you don't understand," Frank said, shaking his head even though she wasn't around to see. "When I saw Joe last night he was a basket case because the psychiatrist was filling his head with lies."
"Like what?" Callie asked, still unsure if Joe were really sick or not. Maybe the doctor was just dragging Joe's real feelings to the surface.
"Like I didn't want Joe around," Frank stated, his anger coming across loud and clear. "That creep made Joe think I didn't want to be around him. He had Joe thinking I would rather spend time with Phil than with him. He had convinced Joe that Phil was my best friend."
"I thought Phil was your best friend," Callie said in confusion.
"No, Callie," Frank told her. "Joe's my best friend. He always has been and he always will be."
"Well, yeah, but he doesn't count," Callie pointed out. "He's your brother."
"That's just it," Frank told her. "He does count. Turner was trying to convince him that he had no place in my life"
"Oh," Callie gasped, finally understanding what Frank was saying. "Poor Joe! He wasn't buying into that, did he?"
"He was," acknowledged Frank. "But I convinced him he was wrong." 'Or at least I think I did,' he added silently.
"When will he be home?" Callie asked.
"He should be back within an hour," answered Frank. "Why?"
"I thought I would get Vanessa and the guys and come over," she said. "It sounds like Joe needs to know people care about him."
"That's a great idea!" enthused Frank. "Especially with me having to leave for work so soon. Thanks!"
"No thanks necessary," Callie assured him. "You know I love Joe like a brother. Although," she amended, "not one as close as you."
"I'll see you later," Frank said. "I love you."
"Love you too," she told him before hanging up.
********************************************************
"What have you done to him?" Laura demanded, shock mingling with anger when she saw how zoned out Joe was.
"He was a little upset earlier so Dr. Holden gave him a light sedative," Lyman informed her. "You shouldn't have any problem getting him home."
"Home nothing," snarled Laura. "He's going to see his doctor."
"An excellent suggestion," agreed Fenton although Lyman looked at Fenton smugly. Fenton could tell Lyman thought he was agreeing with Laura fastidiously.
Laura led Joe outside and into the passenger side of her car. She buckled him in while he sat quietly then got in behind the wheel and started the car. She kept glancing at him nervously as she pulled out of the lot and onto the road.
"Joe, honey?" Laura tried to get some kind of response but he just kept staring out the window.
Trying to keep her fear under control, she headed back to Bayport. Almost an hour later she pulled to a stop in front of Dr. Bates' office. "Okay, baby," she said, undoing her belt buckle. "I am going to get you out of the car and let Dr. Bates look you over. Then we will go home," she promised. "You will feel much better once you are back in your own room."
Laura opened her door and got out. She hurried around to Joe's door and pulled it open. As she started to lean in and unfasten Joe's belt, a hand clamped over her mouth and she was yanked back. She felt something pierce her arm and seconds later her eyes closed as she was lowered to the ground.