"I'm here, Baby," Pierce said, having woken up when he heard Joe moaning. He snatched the wet cloth from Frank's hand and began dabbing at Joe's forehead. "Ah, hell," Pierce said, dropping the rag and starting to pick Joe up.
"Leave him alone," Frank hissed, consumed with hatred at the man who had replaced him in his brother's life.
"He's burning up," Pierce told him, picking Joe up. "Just because you don't care about him doesn't mean no one else does," he continued. "And I'm not about to let him die. I spent way too much time bringing him back to life."
Frank swallowed the bile which rose in his throat and followed Pierce into the bathroom. He turned on the water and put the stopper in the tub as Pierce began unbuttoning Joe's shirt.
"I'll get him undressed," Frank insisted reaching over and taking one of Joe's buttons in his hand. Pierce grabbed Frank's hand and squeezed it hard.
"Touch him again, and I'll kill you," Pierce snarled.
"He's my brother," Frank said, his brown eyes defiant as he glared into Pierce's.
Joe moaned again. "Pierce," the name came softly from Joe's dry lips.
"It's okay, Joe. I'm here," Pierce told him, his voice tender as he released Frank and began unbuttoning Joe's night shirt.. "I'm going to get you cooled down," he promised.
"Roxy," Joe rasped, his throat sore.
"She's sleeping," Frank told him, reaching out to undo the last button on Joe's night shirt.
"I warned you," growled Pierce.
"Stop it at once!" snapped Callie from the doorway. She had come in to check on Joe and Roxy and had heard them arguing. "You two can tear each other up later. Right now, Joe is sick and needs some attention."
"She's right," Frank admitted grudgingly, letting Pierce take Joe's shirt off. Pierce pulled Joe up a bit and, as Callie left them alone, Frank pulled off the rest of Joe's clothing and together they lifted Joe into the tub.
Fenton awoke at seven a.m. and hurried upstairs as Frank had done. He peeked in on the two little girls and saw them just beginning to stir. He stepped next door to the boys' room and found Laura lying on one of the beds with one little blond head cuddled on each arm. Lastly, he entered Joe's and Roxy's room and found Roxy sitting up and sipping some 7-Up and munching a saltine cracker.
"Where are Joe and Frank?" Fenton asked Callie who was sitting at the foot of the bed.
"Joe's fever went up," she informed him. "Frank and Pierce have had him in the tub trying to get it down for hours."
Fenton started for the bathroom but stopped when the door opened and Frank exited with Pierce following close behind, Joe in his arms and conscious.
"WAHHH!" erupted the girls in unison. Roxy started to get up but Callie leapt to her feet first.
"You're not well enough," Callie scolded her. "We'll take care of them," she said, taking Fenton's hand and pulling him from the room.
Fenton picked up one of the little girls and tried rocking her. "They're scabbing over," he said, looking a little relieved.
"Is that good?" Callie asked, pulling out two diapers and offering one to Fenton.
"It is," Fenton acknowledged, lying the baby on the changing table. "It means the worst part is over."
"That's great," enthused Callie, grinning as she changed the baby's diaper.
"Mm...shouldn't we ask Roxy or Joe how to tell them apart before we change them?" Fenton asked, not picking up the sleeper Callie had tossed his way.
"Done," Callie said. "Their clothes have their names on them," she explained.
Fenton looked at the name on the front of the sleeper the baby wore and then looked at the tag in the little outfit Callie had given him. Rhonda
"Hello, Rhonda," Fenton cooed to the baby, tickling her feet. "You are just the sweetest."
"Don't you listen to him, Robyn," Callie told the little girl who was still crying in her own arms. "You're just as sweet."
"And just as hungry," Laura observed from the doorway, having been awakened by the babies cries. "The boys are still asleep," she continued. "I'll go down and fix the girls their bottles."
Frank entered the room a few minutes later. "Can I?" he asked Callie who was rocking Robyn to try and get her quieted down until her bottle was ready. Fenton had managed to get Rhonda giggling by blowing bubbles on her tummy.
"How's Joe?" Callie asked, not relinquishing the baby.
"His fever is almost gone," he said. "And he asked for some soda and crackers."
"Why aren't you getting them for him?" Fenton asked, frowning.
"He asked Pierce for them," Frank replied with a scowl. "Then he and Roxy wanted a few minutes alone so I came in here," he finished, reaching for Robyn.
"No," Callie told him, tapping his hand lightly. "You were too close to Joe while he was running his fever. You don't want to take a chance on giving the babies that virus or whatever it is, do you?"
"No," Frank answered, dropping his arms and moving back in frustration. He hadn't thought of that. "I guess I'll go and start breakfast," he said, leaving the room.
Joe and Roxy were feeling much better by dinnertime and came downstairs. The girls were asleep and the boys sat in their high chairs enjoying all the attention the adults had been lavishing on them.
Laura gave the boys their dinner first then served Joe and Roxy homemade chicken soup. Callie helped her bring in the rest of the meal and they all ate their dinner in silence save for the interaction with the twins which caused Frank to lose his appetite when Jeremy and Justin kept referring to Pierce as their uncle.
After dinner, the dishwasher was loaded and everyone moved into the living room to await the weather report. Joe excused himself to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. He was still a little dehydrated.
Frank followed Joe into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "Why?" Frank asked Joe, his voice calm and his expression one of complete puzzlement.
"Why what?" Joe asked after consuming half of his water.
"Why do you treat him better than us?" Frank demanded, his eyes large as they begged for an explanation. "After what he did to you, how could you?"
"He never hurt me nearly as much as you did," Joe replied honestly. "Sure, he did some really terrible things to me to start with but he became my protector...someone who cared about me knowing I was the son of the man who had put him away for life."
"Joe, we cared about you. We still do," Frank said, moving over to stand beside him.
"Then why?" demanded Joe. "Why didn't you try to find someone else?"
"We did," Frank answered.
"When? Before my arraignment?" Joe asked. "After I told you what you had been doing wrong?"
"No," admitted Frank, looking down. "After. We looked but we couldn't find anyone."
"You started looking for who framed me as soon as my arraignment was over?" Joe asked, a glimmer of hope breaking through the wall around his heart.
"No," Frank replied, still looking down in shame and not seeing the hope be born...and die. "We were sent to California to stop a terrorist threat," he explained. He looked up, his eyes begging for understanding. "There were thousands of lives at stake."
Just one more time I was a problem, thought Joe, strengthening his resolve. "Doesn't matter," Joe said, shrugging and moving away. "After my twenty-four hours in the hole was over, it was too late to help me anyway."
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded, looking at Joe with a breaking heart. He looked so vulnerable as he spoke of the past.
"I got jumped as soon as I hit population," Joe recalled. "They were going to rape me, all of them at once, but Pierce stepped in and told everyone I belonged to him. He saved me."
"But he sold you!" objected Frank.
Joe shrugged again. "He hated Fenton," Joe said, causing Frank to wince. "And me by association. But at least he kept it one on one."
"How did you survive?" Frank asked, his eyes bright with unshed tears. He needed to know because he was positive had it been him, he wouldn't have.
Joe looked Frank in the eyes. "I stopped feeling," he answered.
"Leave him alone," Frank hissed, consumed with hatred at the man who had replaced him in his brother's life.
"He's burning up," Pierce told him, picking Joe up. "Just because you don't care about him doesn't mean no one else does," he continued. "And I'm not about to let him die. I spent way too much time bringing him back to life."
Frank swallowed the bile which rose in his throat and followed Pierce into the bathroom. He turned on the water and put the stopper in the tub as Pierce began unbuttoning Joe's shirt.
"I'll get him undressed," Frank insisted reaching over and taking one of Joe's buttons in his hand. Pierce grabbed Frank's hand and squeezed it hard.
"Touch him again, and I'll kill you," Pierce snarled.
"He's my brother," Frank said, his brown eyes defiant as he glared into Pierce's.
Joe moaned again. "Pierce," the name came softly from Joe's dry lips.
"It's okay, Joe. I'm here," Pierce told him, his voice tender as he released Frank and began unbuttoning Joe's night shirt.. "I'm going to get you cooled down," he promised.
"Roxy," Joe rasped, his throat sore.
"She's sleeping," Frank told him, reaching out to undo the last button on Joe's night shirt.
"I warned you," growled Pierce.
"Stop it at once!" snapped Callie from the doorway. She had come in to check on Joe and Roxy and had heard them arguing. "You two can tear each other up later. Right now, Joe is sick and needs some attention."
"She's right," Frank admitted grudgingly, letting Pierce take Joe's shirt off. Pierce pulled Joe up a bit and, as Callie left them alone, Frank pulled off the rest of Joe's clothing and together they lifted Joe into the tub.
Fenton awoke at seven a.m. and hurried upstairs as Frank had done. He peeked in on the two little girls and saw them just beginning to stir. He stepped next door to the boys' room and found Laura lying on one of the beds with one little blond head cuddled on each arm. Lastly, he entered Joe's and Roxy's room and found Roxy sitting up and sipping some 7-Up and munching a saltine cracker.
"Where are Joe and Frank?" Fenton asked Callie who was sitting at the foot of the bed.
"Joe's fever went up," she informed him. "Frank and Pierce have had him in the tub trying to get it down for hours."
Fenton started for the bathroom but stopped when the door opened and Frank exited with Pierce following close behind, Joe in his arms and conscious.
"WAHHH!" erupted the girls in unison. Roxy started to get up but Callie leapt to her feet first.
"You're not well enough," Callie scolded her. "We'll take care of them," she said, taking Fenton's hand and pulling him from the room.
Fenton picked up one of the little girls and tried rocking her. "They're scabbing over," he said, looking a little relieved.
"Is that good?" Callie asked, pulling out two diapers and offering one to Fenton.
"It is," Fenton acknowledged, lying the baby on the changing table. "It means the worst part is over."
"That's great," enthused Callie, grinning as she changed the baby's diaper.
"Mm...shouldn't we ask Roxy or Joe how to tell them apart before we change them?" Fenton asked, not picking up the sleeper Callie had tossed his way.
"Done," Callie said. "Their clothes have their names on them," she explained.
Fenton looked at the name on the front of the sleeper the baby wore and then looked at the tag in the little outfit Callie had given him. Rhonda
"Hello, Rhonda," Fenton cooed to the baby, tickling her feet. "You are just the sweetest."
"Don't you listen to him, Robyn," Callie told the little girl who was still crying in her own arms. "You're just as sweet."
"And just as hungry," Laura observed from the doorway, having been awakened by the babies cries. "The boys are still asleep," she continued. "I'll go down and fix the girls their bottles."
Frank entered the room a few minutes later. "Can I?" he asked Callie who was rocking Robyn to try and get her quieted down until her bottle was ready. Fenton had managed to get Rhonda giggling by blowing bubbles on her tummy.
"How's Joe?" Callie asked, not relinquishing the baby.
"His fever is almost gone," he said. "And he asked for some soda and crackers."
"Why aren't you getting them for him?" Fenton asked, frowning.
"He asked Pierce for them," Frank replied with a scowl. "Then he and Roxy wanted a few minutes alone so I came in here," he finished, reaching for Robyn.
"No," Callie told him, tapping his hand lightly. "You were too close to Joe while he was running his fever. You don't want to take a chance on giving the babies that virus or whatever it is, do you?"
"No," Frank answered, dropping his arms and moving back in frustration. He hadn't thought of that. "I guess I'll go and start breakfast," he said, leaving the room.
Joe and Roxy were feeling much better by dinnertime and came downstairs. The girls were asleep and the boys sat in their high chairs enjoying all the attention the adults had been lavishing on them.
Laura gave the boys their dinner first then served Joe and Roxy homemade chicken soup. Callie helped her bring in the rest of the meal and they all ate their dinner in silence save for the interaction with the twins which caused Frank to lose his appetite when Jeremy and Justin kept referring to Pierce as their uncle.
After dinner, the dishwasher was loaded and everyone moved into the living room to await the weather report. Joe excused himself to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. He was still a little dehydrated.
Frank followed Joe into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "Why?" Frank asked Joe, his voice calm and his expression one of complete puzzlement.
"Why what?" Joe asked after consuming half of his water.
"Why do you treat him better than us?" Frank demanded, his eyes large as they begged for an explanation. "After what he did to you, how could you?"
"He never hurt me nearly as much as you did," Joe replied honestly. "Sure, he did some really terrible things to me to start with but he became my protector...someone who cared about me knowing I was the son of the man who had put him away for life."
"Joe, we cared about you. We still do," Frank said, moving over to stand beside him.
"Then why?" demanded Joe. "Why didn't you try to find someone else?"
"We did," Frank answered.
"When? Before my arraignment?" Joe asked. "After I told you what you had been doing wrong?"
"No," admitted Frank, looking down. "After. We looked but we couldn't find anyone."
"You started looking for who framed me as soon as my arraignment was over?" Joe asked, a glimmer of hope breaking through the wall around his heart.
"No," Frank replied, still looking down in shame and not seeing the hope be born...and die. "We were sent to California to stop a terrorist threat," he explained. He looked up, his eyes begging for understanding. "There were thousands of lives at stake."
Just one more time I was a problem, thought Joe, strengthening his resolve. "Doesn't matter," Joe said, shrugging and moving away. "After my twenty-four hours in the hole was over, it was too late to help me anyway."
"What do you mean?" Frank demanded, looking at Joe with a breaking heart. He looked so vulnerable as he spoke of the past.
"I got jumped as soon as I hit population," Joe recalled. "They were going to rape me, all of them at once, but Pierce stepped in and told everyone I belonged to him. He saved me."
"But he sold you!" objected Frank.
Joe shrugged again. "He hated Fenton," Joe said, causing Frank to wince. "And me by association. But at least he kept it one on one."
"How did you survive?" Frank asked, his eyes bright with unshed tears. He needed to know because he was positive had it been him, he wouldn't have.
Joe looked Frank in the eyes. "I stopped feeling," he answered.