Frank blinked. He couldn't believe what Callie had just said to him. I don't deserve to get Joe back? No, that isn't what she said. She said if I didn't do something then I didn't deserve to get him back. Frank shook his head. He took a deep breath and smiled at his wife. "You're right," he agreed. "And I can start by making sure his family is taken care of."
"That's the spirit," Callie said, grinning. Frank took her hand and they left the kitchen and hurried upstairs. They heard Laura murmuring to Roxy and Joe, ignoring Pierce who was trying to bring Joe's fever down by moistening his face with a wet cloth. Frank watched the administrations through the open door and took another deep breath. He had the feeling his blood pressure was going to go through the roof before Christmas ever arrived.
Callie pulled Frank toward the first open door. They went inside and saw two cribs, each holding a little baby dressed in pale pink sleepers. Frank's mouth fell open. "But Joe said they were two and six months," he whispered, not wanting to awaken the sleeping babies. "Why..." he broke off and left the room as another thought hit him. Joe had told him their ages but he hadn't mentioned having a set twins....Two sets of twins, he amended, stopping in the doorway of the second room on the right. He leaned against the doorframe, jumping when his father arrived and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Dad, Joe has four kids," Frank whispered, his voice filled with awe. "Two boys and two girls."
Fenton looked into the bedroom and saw the little blond headed boys sound asleep on their beds. They looked so sweet and innocent and exactly like their father at that age. Fenton began crying and moved away. He returned downstairs to the bedroom he had been given and closed the door behind him.
Callie came out of the girl's room and moved to Frank's side. Tucking her hand through his arm, she laid her head on his shoulder. "They really are adorable," she whispered.
"I can't believe it," he whispered back. "I always thought I...we..." Frank tried to talk but just didn't know how to put it into words.
"You thought we would give your parents grandkids first," she guessed, lifting her head and quirking an eyebrow.
"To begin with," Frank said with a sad sigh, remembering the day Joe had faked his death. "And then, I just wanted to have a son like Joe."
Callie leaned up and kissed her husband. "Why don't you go check on your dad?" she suggested. "I'll keep an eye on the kids."
"Joe," Frank said, turning his head to look at the room across the hall. "I need to see about Joe."
"Your mom is with Joe," Callie told him. "Go see your dad."
"But that...that..." Frank's anger was building again.
"Shh," Callie said, laying a finger on Frank's lips. "Pierce isn't going to do anything now. Joe's sick and your mom is with them," she told him. "Go downstairs and check on your dad and then get some rest," she ordered.
Frank kissed her forehead. "Scream if you need me," he instructed.
"Promise," she said. She watched Frank head downstairs, knowing he, like his father, had a lot of issues to work through. She took one last look at the boys, then straightened her shoulders and went into Joe's and Roxy's bedroom.
"How are they doing?" Callie asked in a low voice of Pierce. Laura had gone into the bathroom to clean out the small waste can which Joe had just finished using.
"What's it to you?" Pierce snapped, not looking away from Joe.
"Don't," Joe whispered, his throat dry and his head pounding. "Not now," he begged.
Pierce growled. "They're sick," he informed Callie. "But Roxy," he quirked an eyebrow at Callie to make sure he had gotten her name right. Callie nodded. "Roxy has stopped throwing up and her fever's coming down."
"Maybe it's just a little virus," Callie said.
"Hope so," Pierce commented. "But I have a bad feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better." He pushed a lock of blond hair away from Joe's forehead in the same tender fashion she had seen Frank use in times past.
"You really care about Joe, don't you?" Callie asked, her voice soft so as not to awaken Joe who had fallen asleep.
"Someone needed too," Pierce declared, not noticing Laura's return from the bathroom. "He was all alone."
"His choice," Callie said. "I know his family tried to see him."
"Sure, after they refused to believe him. Hell, even we thought he was innocent until he pled guilty," Pierce continued. "Joe never once said he hadn't done it. Even after he got burned..."
"Burned?" Callie gasped.
"Yeah, he got burned pretty bad. Didn't even flinch. That was when I realized there was something wrong with him. I thought he hadn't wanted to go and see his family because seeing him with Fenton Hardy would just make us Blues want to hurt him more. But I was wrong. That Sunday after Frankie boy attacked me in the Shadowbox, I made Joe talk to me. Even then he didn't say he was innocent. But when he admitted he didn't want to see them because they didn't try, I knew." Pierce looked up into Callie's brown eyes, his own filled with pain. "You know why he pled guilty?"
Callie shook her head slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer. Was it really because Frank and Fenton hadn't tried to find who really had messed with the brakes, concentrating instead on proving it couldn't have been Joe. Even though they thought he had, the thought came unbidden. Surely Joe could have forgiven them for making a mistake? Joe's made plenty in his lifetime. After all, he admitted to a crime he didn't commit. Wasn't that the biggest mistake he could have made?
"He pled guilty because he thought once he hit population, we would kill him," Pierce said. "It wasn't guilty he was pleading. It was his suicide he was planning."
"That's the spirit," Callie said, grinning. Frank took her hand and they left the kitchen and hurried upstairs. They heard Laura murmuring to Roxy and Joe, ignoring Pierce who was trying to bring Joe's fever down by moistening his face with a wet cloth. Frank watched the administrations through the open door and took another deep breath. He had the feeling his blood pressure was going to go through the roof before Christmas ever arrived.
Callie pulled Frank toward the first open door. They went inside and saw two cribs, each holding a little baby dressed in pale pink sleepers. Frank's mouth fell open. "But Joe said they were two and six months," he whispered, not wanting to awaken the sleeping babies. "Why..." he broke off and left the room as another thought hit him. Joe had told him their ages but he hadn't mentioned having a set twins....Two sets of twins, he amended, stopping in the doorway of the second room on the right. He leaned against the doorframe, jumping when his father arrived and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Dad, Joe has four kids," Frank whispered, his voice filled with awe. "Two boys and two girls."
Fenton looked into the bedroom and saw the little blond headed boys sound asleep on their beds. They looked so sweet and innocent and exactly like their father at that age. Fenton began crying and moved away. He returned downstairs to the bedroom he had been given and closed the door behind him.
Callie came out of the girl's room and moved to Frank's side. Tucking her hand through his arm, she laid her head on his shoulder. "They really are adorable," she whispered.
"I can't believe it," he whispered back. "I always thought I...we..." Frank tried to talk but just didn't know how to put it into words.
"You thought we would give your parents grandkids first," she guessed, lifting her head and quirking an eyebrow.
"To begin with," Frank said with a sad sigh, remembering the day Joe had faked his death. "And then, I just wanted to have a son like Joe."
Callie leaned up and kissed her husband. "Why don't you go check on your dad?" she suggested. "I'll keep an eye on the kids."
"Joe," Frank said, turning his head to look at the room across the hall. "I need to see about Joe."
"Your mom is with Joe," Callie told him. "Go see your dad."
"But that...that..." Frank's anger was building again.
"Shh," Callie said, laying a finger on Frank's lips. "Pierce isn't going to do anything now. Joe's sick and your mom is with them," she told him. "Go downstairs and check on your dad and then get some rest," she ordered.
Frank kissed her forehead. "Scream if you need me," he instructed.
"Promise," she said. She watched Frank head downstairs, knowing he, like his father, had a lot of issues to work through. She took one last look at the boys, then straightened her shoulders and went into Joe's and Roxy's bedroom.
"How are they doing?" Callie asked in a low voice of Pierce. Laura had gone into the bathroom to clean out the small waste can which Joe had just finished using.
"What's it to you?" Pierce snapped, not looking away from Joe.
"Don't," Joe whispered, his throat dry and his head pounding. "Not now," he begged.
Pierce growled. "They're sick," he informed Callie. "But Roxy," he quirked an eyebrow at Callie to make sure he had gotten her name right. Callie nodded. "Roxy has stopped throwing up and her fever's coming down."
"Maybe it's just a little virus," Callie said.
"Hope so," Pierce commented. "But I have a bad feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better." He pushed a lock of blond hair away from Joe's forehead in the same tender fashion she had seen Frank use in times past.
"You really care about Joe, don't you?" Callie asked, her voice soft so as not to awaken Joe who had fallen asleep.
"Someone needed too," Pierce declared, not noticing Laura's return from the bathroom. "He was all alone."
"His choice," Callie said. "I know his family tried to see him."
"Sure, after they refused to believe him. Hell, even we thought he was innocent until he pled guilty," Pierce continued. "Joe never once said he hadn't done it. Even after he got burned..."
"Burned?" Callie gasped.
"Yeah, he got burned pretty bad. Didn't even flinch. That was when I realized there was something wrong with him. I thought he hadn't wanted to go and see his family because seeing him with Fenton Hardy would just make us Blues want to hurt him more. But I was wrong. That Sunday after Frankie boy attacked me in the Shadowbox, I made Joe talk to me. Even then he didn't say he was innocent. But when he admitted he didn't want to see them because they didn't try, I knew." Pierce looked up into Callie's brown eyes, his own filled with pain. "You know why he pled guilty?"
Callie shook her head slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer. Was it really because Frank and Fenton hadn't tried to find who really had messed with the brakes, concentrating instead on proving it couldn't have been Joe. Even though they thought he had, the thought came unbidden. Surely Joe could have forgiven them for making a mistake? Joe's made plenty in his lifetime. After all, he admitted to a crime he didn't commit. Wasn't that the biggest mistake he could have made?
"He pled guilty because he thought once he hit population, we would kill him," Pierce said. "It wasn't guilty he was pleading. It was his suicide he was planning."