Realizing he had just let out everything he had kept bottled up for the past eight years, Joe ran out of the kitchen, past the living room and upstairs to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Frank followed close on Joe's heels but Pierce and Roxy emerged from the room at the end of the hall before Frank could turn the knob. "Stop right there!" Pierce commanded, his expression grim. "What have you done to him now?"
"I..." Frank couldn't answer. He could barely even speak. Joe's words had left him, like his parents, stricken with guilt and something more; grief. Had they really made Joe feel imperfect? Unloved? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Frank loved Joe more than he had ever loved anyone, his own wife included. And as for Joe not being good enough? Where had he ever gotten such a ridiculous notion? Frank had always envied him. He couldn't remember the times he had wished he was as popular, carefree, and giving as Joe.
Frank swallowed and closed his eyes. How was he going to tell Joe that the past eight years had been a mistake? They didn't hate him. They never had.
"Stop stalling," snarled Pierce, flexing his muscles as Frank opened his sad brown eyes. "What did you do to him this time?'
Roxy laid a hand on Pierce's arm and looked at Frank. "Go back downstairs," she instructed him. "You can talk to him later."
"But I need..." Frank began to tell her he needed to tell Joe he was wrong but Pierce cut him off.
"Do you honestly think we care what you need?" Pierce sneered. "Our only concern is Joe. Now do as Roxy asked or I'll take you down personally."
"I'm not afraid of you," Frank told him, looking him in the eyes. "But I'll go because Roxy is right. Seeing me now won't do Joe any good. He's been hurting for too long. It's time for some healing. And right now, he needs both of you more than he needs me," with these words, Frank turned around and headed back downstairs.
Confused, Pierce just shook his head and reached for the knob. "Wait," Roxy stopped him. "I think, right now, it would be best..."
Pierce scowled as she spoke but nodded his head and finished her words. "If I were somewhere else. I'll go play with the kids," he said. "Yell if he does need me?"
Roxy nodded then watched as he went downstairs before entering the bedrooms he shared with her husband and quietly closed the door behind her.
Joe was lying face down on the bed, his body quaking with the sobs caused by his deep sorrow. Roxy lay down on the bed beside him and pushed a lock of his hair away from his ear, alerting him to her presence. Joe scooted over and she took him into her arms. Joe continued to cry well into the evening, not stopping until he had fallen asleep.
"Want mommy!" demanded Justin, banging his fists on the tray of his high chair and causing his plate to rattle and his drink to turn over.
"Want daddy!" demanded Jeremy, repeating the movement of his brother.
The two boys had been with the Hardys all day. They had skipped their customary naps and were now getting cranky as they refused to eat supper until they got what they wanted, which, in this case, was their parents. The girls had been changed and fed recently and had drifted off to sleep a little over an hour earlier.
"Your mommy and daddy are resting," Laura explained for the fiftieth time. "They will be down later," she promised, knowing at least Roxy would. She wasn't sure Joe would put in an appearance before they left. Not that she wanted to leave, but she had already caused Joe so much pain she would do whatever was necessary if only it would make him feel better.
"Want Daddy!" Jeremy shouted again, stubborn as usual. It was clear to see which was the dominant twin.
"I'll take you to see your mommy and daddy," Pierce said, rising from his seat at the table.
"You shouldn't..." Fenton began but Pierce cut him off.
"It will make him feel better to see his family," Pierce told him.
"Daddy still sick?" Justin asked, a frown on his little face.
"Yes, dear," Roxy answered, entering the dinging room. "And he's sleeping now so we're going to leave him alone for awhile," she added, looking through narrowed eyes at Jeremy who had picked up his spoon filled with mashed potatoes and was eyeing the wall speculatively. Jeremy glanced at his mother, his lips twitching, then put the spoon in his mouth.
"How is he?" Frank asked. All the adults turned to look at her as they awaited her answer.
"What happened?" she countered. Joe had done nothing but cry. He hadn't uttered a single word and she was too wise to try and get him to talk but she had to know what had happened to bring out all the sadness and anger he had been holding onto.
Pierce leaned back and crossed his arms, grinning like a Cheshire cat. No one would tell him anything when he had come down but he dared them to defy Roxy in her own home.
"Joe told us why he quit being a part of our family," Fenton said, his words portraying all the anguish he felt. He had instigated the showdown. He had forced Joe to be honest and that honesty had cut a wound so deep, he knew he would never heal. Joe's pain hadn't been because of their ineptitude as detectives as he had believed, but his lack of emotion through the years. Somehow, he had convinced Joe he wasn't loved.
"And?" Roxy pushed.
"He's wrong," Fenton rasped. "He is so very wrong."
"I'm glad," Roxy replied, giving him a little smile. "He needs you."
"You're crazy!" Pierce snapped at her. Justin started to cry. "He doesn't need them. They have done nothing but hurt him."
"You can't be hurt by someone if you don't care about them," Roxy explained, picking Justin up and letting him snuggle his nose in her neck. "And Joe is still hurting."
Pierce obviously wanted to argue the point. His face kept changing into different expressions until he finally admitted defeat. He looked at Laura. He knew how Joe felt. Joe hadn't come right out and told him in prison, but Pierce had paid enough attention to know what had really driven Joe from his family. "If you hurt him again," he said, his voice calm but threatening. "Any of you. I will kill you."
"She hurted daddy?" Jeremy asked, giving Laura a look that was filled with undisguised hatred.
"She didn't mean to," Roxy told him, not seeing Justin turn his head and glaring at Laura too.
"None of us meant to," Fenton said. "But we did and we have a lot of making up to do. If he'll let us," he amended sadly.
"Don't leave until you give him a chance," Roxy begged.
"We won't go unless he makes us," Frank replied. "We don't want to hurt him anymore and if our going away will help stop the pain, then we will." Only Callie knew how much it cost Frank to say that. Frank woke up, frequently, drenched in sweat because of nightmares he had about Joe. He would cry until the early morning hours before falling, exhausted, back to sleep.
"No," Roxy said. "Don't give him that option. He's been hurting for as long as I have known him and it isn't the kind of hurt that will ever go away on its own. He needs you even if he won't admit it. You have to make him see that you need him too."
Frank followed close on Joe's heels but Pierce and Roxy emerged from the room at the end of the hall before Frank could turn the knob. "Stop right there!" Pierce commanded, his expression grim. "What have you done to him now?"
"I..." Frank couldn't answer. He could barely even speak. Joe's words had left him, like his parents, stricken with guilt and something more; grief. Had they really made Joe feel imperfect? Unloved? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Frank loved Joe more than he had ever loved anyone, his own wife included. And as for Joe not being good enough? Where had he ever gotten such a ridiculous notion? Frank had always envied him. He couldn't remember the times he had wished he was as popular, carefree, and giving as Joe.
Frank swallowed and closed his eyes. How was he going to tell Joe that the past eight years had been a mistake? They didn't hate him. They never had.
"Stop stalling," snarled Pierce, flexing his muscles as Frank opened his sad brown eyes. "What did you do to him this time?'
Roxy laid a hand on Pierce's arm and looked at Frank. "Go back downstairs," she instructed him. "You can talk to him later."
"But I need..." Frank began to tell her he needed to tell Joe he was wrong but Pierce cut him off.
"Do you honestly think we care what you need?" Pierce sneered. "Our only concern is Joe. Now do as Roxy asked or I'll take you down personally."
"I'm not afraid of you," Frank told him, looking him in the eyes. "But I'll go because Roxy is right. Seeing me now won't do Joe any good. He's been hurting for too long. It's time for some healing. And right now, he needs both of you more than he needs me," with these words, Frank turned around and headed back downstairs.
Confused, Pierce just shook his head and reached for the knob. "Wait," Roxy stopped him. "I think, right now, it would be best..."
Pierce scowled as she spoke but nodded his head and finished her words. "If I were somewhere else. I'll go play with the kids," he said. "Yell if he does need me?"
Roxy nodded then watched as he went downstairs before entering the bedrooms he shared with her husband and quietly closed the door behind her.
Joe was lying face down on the bed, his body quaking with the sobs caused by his deep sorrow. Roxy lay down on the bed beside him and pushed a lock of his hair away from his ear, alerting him to her presence. Joe scooted over and she took him into her arms. Joe continued to cry well into the evening, not stopping until he had fallen asleep.
"Want mommy!" demanded Justin, banging his fists on the tray of his high chair and causing his plate to rattle and his drink to turn over.
"Want daddy!" demanded Jeremy, repeating the movement of his brother.
The two boys had been with the Hardys all day. They had skipped their customary naps and were now getting cranky as they refused to eat supper until they got what they wanted, which, in this case, was their parents. The girls had been changed and fed recently and had drifted off to sleep a little over an hour earlier.
"Your mommy and daddy are resting," Laura explained for the fiftieth time. "They will be down later," she promised, knowing at least Roxy would. She wasn't sure Joe would put in an appearance before they left. Not that she wanted to leave, but she had already caused Joe so much pain she would do whatever was necessary if only it would make him feel better.
"Want Daddy!" Jeremy shouted again, stubborn as usual. It was clear to see which was the dominant twin.
"I'll take you to see your mommy and daddy," Pierce said, rising from his seat at the table.
"You shouldn't..." Fenton began but Pierce cut him off.
"It will make him feel better to see his family," Pierce told him.
"Daddy still sick?" Justin asked, a frown on his little face.
"Yes, dear," Roxy answered, entering the dinging room. "And he's sleeping now so we're going to leave him alone for awhile," she added, looking through narrowed eyes at Jeremy who had picked up his spoon filled with mashed potatoes and was eyeing the wall speculatively. Jeremy glanced at his mother, his lips twitching, then put the spoon in his mouth.
"How is he?" Frank asked. All the adults turned to look at her as they awaited her answer.
"What happened?" she countered. Joe had done nothing but cry. He hadn't uttered a single word and she was too wise to try and get him to talk but she had to know what had happened to bring out all the sadness and anger he had been holding onto.
Pierce leaned back and crossed his arms, grinning like a Cheshire cat. No one would tell him anything when he had come down but he dared them to defy Roxy in her own home.
"Joe told us why he quit being a part of our family," Fenton said, his words portraying all the anguish he felt. He had instigated the showdown. He had forced Joe to be honest and that honesty had cut a wound so deep, he knew he would never heal. Joe's pain hadn't been because of their ineptitude as detectives as he had believed, but his lack of emotion through the years. Somehow, he had convinced Joe he wasn't loved.
"And?" Roxy pushed.
"He's wrong," Fenton rasped. "He is so very wrong."
"I'm glad," Roxy replied, giving him a little smile. "He needs you."
"You're crazy!" Pierce snapped at her. Justin started to cry. "He doesn't need them. They have done nothing but hurt him."
"You can't be hurt by someone if you don't care about them," Roxy explained, picking Justin up and letting him snuggle his nose in her neck. "And Joe is still hurting."
Pierce obviously wanted to argue the point. His face kept changing into different expressions until he finally admitted defeat. He looked at Laura. He knew how Joe felt. Joe hadn't come right out and told him in prison, but Pierce had paid enough attention to know what had really driven Joe from his family. "If you hurt him again," he said, his voice calm but threatening. "Any of you. I will kill you."
"She hurted daddy?" Jeremy asked, giving Laura a look that was filled with undisguised hatred.
"She didn't mean to," Roxy told him, not seeing Justin turn his head and glaring at Laura too.
"None of us meant to," Fenton said. "But we did and we have a lot of making up to do. If he'll let us," he amended sadly.
"Don't leave until you give him a chance," Roxy begged.
"We won't go unless he makes us," Frank replied. "We don't want to hurt him anymore and if our going away will help stop the pain, then we will." Only Callie knew how much it cost Frank to say that. Frank woke up, frequently, drenched in sweat because of nightmares he had about Joe. He would cry until the early morning hours before falling, exhausted, back to sleep.
"No," Roxy said. "Don't give him that option. He's been hurting for as long as I have known him and it isn't the kind of hurt that will ever go away on its own. He needs you even if he won't admit it. You have to make him see that you need him too."