Two guards hurried over and pulled Frank off of Pierce. "Visitation is over for you," one of the guards told Pierce. "Go back to your block now."
Pierce smirked at Frank who was still struggling to break free of the guards and turned to Fenton. "Looks like you sent the wrong kid to prison," he said. "But thanks," he added with a wink as he walked away.
Fenton closed his eyes, a wave of self-loathing washing over himself. It was his fault this had happened to his little boy. He hadn't done all he could for his son when he had the chance and now it was too late.
Frank was released after Pierce left the room and although his face remained a fiery red, he stood still and said nothing. The guard who had ordered Pierce to leave looked at Mr. and Mrs. Hardy. "Will she be alright?" he asked, looking at Mrs. Hardy who looked like she was about to faint.
She nodded, trying hard to be strong. She wasn't going to faint and miss seeing her baby.
"You can leave now, too," the guard said, looking relieved.
"That's not fair!" objected Frank. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did and I'll wait outside but they should be allowed to see Joe."
"You're right," agreed the guard. "But if it had been my brother, I would have tore into him too."
"You know what he has done to my brother?" Frank demanded, his brown eyes turning almost black. The guilty look on the guard's face was a dead giveaway. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"What are we supposed to do?" the guard demanded in his own defense. "Sure, we could toss Joe in the hole but he would have to come out sometime and then it would only be that much worse for him."
Frank opened his mouth to argue but Fenton placed a hand on his arm and began speaking to the guard. "Why can't we see Joe?" he asked.
"Joe has refused to come," the guard replied.
"Can't you make him come?" begged Laura, desperate for a glimpse of her baby. She needed to see him if only to reassure herself that he was still alive.
"I'm sorry," the guard replied with a small shake of his head.
The Hardys left and got back into their car. "You don't...you don't think he was telling the truth, do you?" Laura whispered, her blue eyes too big for her face.
Fenton never answered, afraid to tell her it was possibly even worse. Frank sat quietly in the back seat, looking down at his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks for his brother's lost innocence.
Pierce entered his cell whistling and saw Joe lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling. Joe had learned last Sunday night that the cells remained open on Sundays and prisoners were allowed to remain in them as long as they chose. But, unlike most of the prisoners, Joe was one of the few who actually chose to remain there.
"I just went to the Shadowbox," Pierce told him, using the inmates term for the visitation room. "Guess who I saw?"
Joe remained silent, not caring. After a moment's silence, Pierce tried once again to get a rise out of Joe. "Your brother wasn't too happy with me." Again, Joe did not speak.
"Sit up!" snapped Pierce, his voice rough as he scowled at the youth. "Now, tell me why you're here instead of on your way to see your family?" he demanded. Joe did not answer. He just sat quietly, looking at Pierce who blocked his field of vision.
"Answer me, damn it!" Pierce ordered, grabbing Joe by the scruff of the neck and touching his nose with his own.
"I don't want to," Joe replied, his eyes looking into Pierce's.
"Why?" Pierce demanded. "Why wouldn't you want to see your family?"
"They aren't my family," replied Joe, his tone not revealing any emotion.
"Because they couldn't get you off after you nearly killed somebody?" Pierce asked, his nose twitching in disgust. He had thought the kid had some ethics.
"Because they didn't try," Joe replied, his voice so soft Pierce had to strain to hear it even though he was as close as he could get.
Pierce released Joe and he fell back on the bed. "You didn't do it, did you?" he asked, looking at Joe quizzically. Joe remained silent. He saw no reason in arguing the point now. "Why did you plead guilty?"
Joe shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter," he said.
"That's not an answer," Pierce said, scowling. "Didn't you know what would happen to you in here?"
"I thought..." Joe began but stopped abruptly.
"You thought what?" pushed Pierce, his eyes narrow as he watched Joe's face.
"I thought someone would kill me once I hit population," Joe whispered, obviously wishing that had been what had happened.
Pierce sat down on his cot and watched Joe who remained sitting but not saying or even really looking at anything. Pierce had thought Fenton Hardy had screwed him over but it was nothing to what he had obviously done to his own son.
"Take a nap," Pierce ordered Joe, getting up and leaving the cell. He had to think.
Pierce smirked at Frank who was still struggling to break free of the guards and turned to Fenton. "Looks like you sent the wrong kid to prison," he said. "But thanks," he added with a wink as he walked away.
Fenton closed his eyes, a wave of self-loathing washing over himself. It was his fault this had happened to his little boy. He hadn't done all he could for his son when he had the chance and now it was too late.
Frank was released after Pierce left the room and although his face remained a fiery red, he stood still and said nothing. The guard who had ordered Pierce to leave looked at Mr. and Mrs. Hardy. "Will she be alright?" he asked, looking at Mrs. Hardy who looked like she was about to faint.
She nodded, trying hard to be strong. She wasn't going to faint and miss seeing her baby.
"You can leave now, too," the guard said, looking relieved.
"That's not fair!" objected Frank. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did and I'll wait outside but they should be allowed to see Joe."
"You're right," agreed the guard. "But if it had been my brother, I would have tore into him too."
"You know what he has done to my brother?" Frank demanded, his brown eyes turning almost black. The guilty look on the guard's face was a dead giveaway. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"What are we supposed to do?" the guard demanded in his own defense. "Sure, we could toss Joe in the hole but he would have to come out sometime and then it would only be that much worse for him."
Frank opened his mouth to argue but Fenton placed a hand on his arm and began speaking to the guard. "Why can't we see Joe?" he asked.
"Joe has refused to come," the guard replied.
"Can't you make him come?" begged Laura, desperate for a glimpse of her baby. She needed to see him if only to reassure herself that he was still alive.
"I'm sorry," the guard replied with a small shake of his head.
The Hardys left and got back into their car. "You don't...you don't think he was telling the truth, do you?" Laura whispered, her blue eyes too big for her face.
Fenton never answered, afraid to tell her it was possibly even worse. Frank sat quietly in the back seat, looking down at his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks for his brother's lost innocence.
Pierce entered his cell whistling and saw Joe lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling. Joe had learned last Sunday night that the cells remained open on Sundays and prisoners were allowed to remain in them as long as they chose. But, unlike most of the prisoners, Joe was one of the few who actually chose to remain there.
"I just went to the Shadowbox," Pierce told him, using the inmates term for the visitation room. "Guess who I saw?"
Joe remained silent, not caring. After a moment's silence, Pierce tried once again to get a rise out of Joe. "Your brother wasn't too happy with me." Again, Joe did not speak.
"Sit up!" snapped Pierce, his voice rough as he scowled at the youth. "Now, tell me why you're here instead of on your way to see your family?" he demanded. Joe did not answer. He just sat quietly, looking at Pierce who blocked his field of vision.
"Answer me, damn it!" Pierce ordered, grabbing Joe by the scruff of the neck and touching his nose with his own.
"I don't want to," Joe replied, his eyes looking into Pierce's.
"Why?" Pierce demanded. "Why wouldn't you want to see your family?"
"They aren't my family," replied Joe, his tone not revealing any emotion.
"Because they couldn't get you off after you nearly killed somebody?" Pierce asked, his nose twitching in disgust. He had thought the kid had some ethics.
"Because they didn't try," Joe replied, his voice so soft Pierce had to strain to hear it even though he was as close as he could get.
Pierce released Joe and he fell back on the bed. "You didn't do it, did you?" he asked, looking at Joe quizzically. Joe remained silent. He saw no reason in arguing the point now. "Why did you plead guilty?"
Joe shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter," he said.
"That's not an answer," Pierce said, scowling. "Didn't you know what would happen to you in here?"
"I thought..." Joe began but stopped abruptly.
"You thought what?" pushed Pierce, his eyes narrow as he watched Joe's face.
"I thought someone would kill me once I hit population," Joe whispered, obviously wishing that had been what had happened.
Pierce sat down on his cot and watched Joe who remained sitting but not saying or even really looking at anything. Pierce had thought Fenton Hardy had screwed him over but it was nothing to what he had obviously done to his own son.
"Take a nap," Pierce ordered Joe, getting up and leaving the cell. He had to think.