"Dinner is ready," Laura told her husband a few minutes later.
"What's wrong?" Fenton demanded, seeing the stricken look in Laura's eyes. She told him about Joe's misunderstanding her in the kitchen.
"Nothing we say seems to come out right," she moaned, trying hard not to cry.
"Maybe we shouldn't try so hard," Fenton observed.
Laura slapped his face. "I want my son back," she snarled at him angrily.
"So do I," Fenton said, pulling her close, not at all mad because she had lashed out at him. "I just meant maybe we should act more natural around him instead of trying so hard not to step on his feelings, which, you must admit, he doesn't seem to show except for Roxy and his kids."
"I don't know," Laura said. "I just don't want to push him any farther away."
"Is that even possible?" Fenton asked, looking down into her eyes. Laura reached up and caressed his cheek. Fenton may not say much, but she knew he was hurting even more than she.
Frank may not even know it, but Fenton was hurting more than any of them. He felt he had let Joe down more than any of them and he knew there was no way to make things better. He prayed that they could at least start over but the chances for that, too, were slim to none and at the rate they were going, even those odds were fading fast.
"I'll get Frank and Callie," Laura said. "You run upstairs and get Roxy and Joe."
Fenton nodded and headed out of the room. He paused at the foot of the stairs to take a deep breath. He hadn't even been this nervous when he had proposed to Laura. He climbed the stairs, wondering which room Joe and Roxy were in.
Fenton heard muffled talking from behind one of the doors and rapped lightly. Seconds later, Joe opened the door. "Dinner is ready," he told Joe.
"We're not hungry. Thanks," Joe added as an afterthought and closed the door.
Fenton turned and began walking away but the thought of Joe being so stubborn that he wouldn't eat just because Laura had cooked the meal made him angry. Laura was trying hard to please Joe and he wasn't about to let him get away with hurting her this way. It had nothing to do with being family, either. He wouldn't treat a stranger this way!
He turned around and went back to the door and took hold of the knob turning it but stopping short of opening it when he heard what was being said inside.
"Easy," Joe was saying as he helped Roxy lean back against her pillow and handed her a cool wash cloth.
"I'm so sorry, Joe," Roxy moaned.
"Hon, you don't have to apologize for being sick," Joe told her, his voice soft and filled with love. "Now, lay back and try and get some rest," he urged her.
"I can't," she declared. "The kids have chicken pox. You can't handle it alone."
"I'm a survivor, remember?" he said. "We both are. We can handle anything."
"I wish my parents were here," Roxy said sadly.
"Me too," Joe admitted, causing Fenton to bite his tongue to keep from crying out they were there. "But they aren't and in this weather, they couldn't get here," Joe continued. "So, just lay back and relax. I'll open the kids doors and leave ours open so we can hear them."
"Why don't you go on down and have dinner?" she suggested. "Just because I'm too sick to eat doesn't mean...oh, no!" she broke off, sitting back up. "You're sick too."
"Just a little nauseous," he admitted. "Take it easy," he insisted, pushing her back one more time. "The sooner you give into this, the sooner you will start feeling better."
"I hope so," Roxy said. "What are going to do if we both get too sick to take care of the kids? We'll make them sicker to say the least."
"Then," Joe paused and took a deep breath. Fenton could tell it was taking a lot of effort to force the words from his mouth. "Then, we'll ask the Hardys for help."
"What's wrong?" Fenton demanded, seeing the stricken look in Laura's eyes. She told him about Joe's misunderstanding her in the kitchen.
"Nothing we say seems to come out right," she moaned, trying hard not to cry.
"Maybe we shouldn't try so hard," Fenton observed.
Laura slapped his face. "I want my son back," she snarled at him angrily.
"So do I," Fenton said, pulling her close, not at all mad because she had lashed out at him. "I just meant maybe we should act more natural around him instead of trying so hard not to step on his feelings, which, you must admit, he doesn't seem to show except for Roxy and his kids."
"I don't know," Laura said. "I just don't want to push him any farther away."
"Is that even possible?" Fenton asked, looking down into her eyes. Laura reached up and caressed his cheek. Fenton may not say much, but she knew he was hurting even more than she.
Frank may not even know it, but Fenton was hurting more than any of them. He felt he had let Joe down more than any of them and he knew there was no way to make things better. He prayed that they could at least start over but the chances for that, too, were slim to none and at the rate they were going, even those odds were fading fast.
"I'll get Frank and Callie," Laura said. "You run upstairs and get Roxy and Joe."
Fenton nodded and headed out of the room. He paused at the foot of the stairs to take a deep breath. He hadn't even been this nervous when he had proposed to Laura. He climbed the stairs, wondering which room Joe and Roxy were in.
Fenton heard muffled talking from behind one of the doors and rapped lightly. Seconds later, Joe opened the door. "Dinner is ready," he told Joe.
"We're not hungry. Thanks," Joe added as an afterthought and closed the door.
Fenton turned and began walking away but the thought of Joe being so stubborn that he wouldn't eat just because Laura had cooked the meal made him angry. Laura was trying hard to please Joe and he wasn't about to let him get away with hurting her this way. It had nothing to do with being family, either. He wouldn't treat a stranger this way!
He turned around and went back to the door and took hold of the knob turning it but stopping short of opening it when he heard what was being said inside.
"Easy," Joe was saying as he helped Roxy lean back against her pillow and handed her a cool wash cloth.
"I'm so sorry, Joe," Roxy moaned.
"Hon, you don't have to apologize for being sick," Joe told her, his voice soft and filled with love. "Now, lay back and try and get some rest," he urged her.
"I can't," she declared. "The kids have chicken pox. You can't handle it alone."
"I'm a survivor, remember?" he said. "We both are. We can handle anything."
"I wish my parents were here," Roxy said sadly.
"Me too," Joe admitted, causing Fenton to bite his tongue to keep from crying out they were there. "But they aren't and in this weather, they couldn't get here," Joe continued. "So, just lay back and relax. I'll open the kids doors and leave ours open so we can hear them."
"Why don't you go on down and have dinner?" she suggested. "Just because I'm too sick to eat doesn't mean...oh, no!" she broke off, sitting back up. "You're sick too."
"Just a little nauseous," he admitted. "Take it easy," he insisted, pushing her back one more time. "The sooner you give into this, the sooner you will start feeling better."
"I hope so," Roxy said. "What are going to do if we both get too sick to take care of the kids? We'll make them sicker to say the least."
"Then," Joe paused and took a deep breath. Fenton could tell it was taking a lot of effort to force the words from his mouth. "Then, we'll ask the Hardys for help."