"Joe?" Frank asked curiously when he reached the van a few minutes later. "What did Dad say?"
Joe shook his head and climbed behind the wheel as Fenton came over. "Drive your brother to the hospital," he ordered Joe. "I'll meet you there in a little bit."
"It's just a sprain," insisted Frank, his brown eyes filled with concern at the stiff way Joe was sitting and his neglect in acknowledging his father's order.
"We'll let the doctor make that decision," Fenton returned. "Boys," he added, turning to his sons' friends. "I'll drop you off at the house."
"Thank you," acknowledged Phil as Mr. Hardy moved away. "Want us to wait?" he asked Frank, not following Mr. Hardy.
"Nah," denied Frank with a shake of his head. "But thanks."
"Joe?" Biff asked, going around to stand by his window. "What did your dad say to you?"
Joe, still in shock, just shook his head and gripped the steering wheel. Biff's eyes met Frank's when he turned to look at him. Worried, Frank gave him a wan smile. "We'll call you later," he promised.
"Take care of that ankle," Chet told Frank as he glanced warily at Joe.
Frank nodded as the guys backed away from the van. Joe started the motor and headed for the hospital.
"What did Dad say?" asked Frank when they had almost reached their destination. He had wanted Joe to tell him in his own time but after fifteen minutes of stoic silence he couldn't wait any longer.
"Boarding school," Joe answered, his grip tightening on the wheel.
"Boarding school?" a confused Frank repeated. "What about it?"
"He's sending me to one," Joe growled, batting his eyes to keep from crying as he made the sharp left that led to the hospital's emergency room.
"No way!" denied Frank. "You must have misunderstood."
"I didn't misunderstand," Joe stated firmly as he brought the van to a stop. "He doesn't want me anymore." Before Frank could respond Joe had climbed out of the van and headed inside for a wheel chair.
Frank fumed silently as he sat through the x-rays and had his ankle bandaged. Joe hadn't got near him again since leaving the van and it was driving Frank crazy that he couldn't talk to Joe. He had to make Joe believe their Dad loved him and that he hadn't heard him correctly. There was no way their Dad would send Joe to a boarding school!
Frank heaved a weary sigh as he was finally told he could go home. He looked around anxiously for Joe as he was wheeled into the waiting room. His frown deepened when he saw only his father there. "Where's Joe?" demanded Frank before his father could speak.
"He went home," replied Fenton. He followed the orderly as he rolled Frank outside to the car. "Thank you," Fenton said to the orderly after Frank was helped into the passenger seat.
"Joe said you were sending him to a boarding school," Frank stated without preamble as his father got into the car and reached for his seatbelt.
"That's correct," Fenton affirmed calmly as he clicked his seat belt and started the car.
"Why?" screamed Frank, his brown eyes glaring angrily at his father.
"Because he nearly got himself, you, Tony, Phil and Biff killed," Fenton defended his actions. "And there are several men dead because of what he did."
"He didn't kill anyone," Frank pointed out. "And he was rescuing me."
"We were on our way," Fenton informed him. "If he had waited then Morrison, Leland and the others would be in custody now, not in the morgue."
"He thought he was doing the right thing," agreed Frank. "You know Joe would never hurt anyone."
"Not intentionally, no," agreed Fenton. "But that is your brother's problem. He doesn't consider the consequences of his actions. Frank, Joe has to learn discipline and obviously he isn't getting it from us."
"He thinks you don't want him anymore," Frank said a hushed voice.
"He....?" Fenton swallowed hard. "That's not true," he said. "You know it's not."
"What I think doesn't matter," Frank told him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him. "It's what Joe believes." Fenton sighed heavily but did not speak.
"Mom won't let you send him away," Frank stated after a few minutes of silence.
"Your mother and I have been discussing this for sometime," Fenton replied, startling Frank. "We both agreed that if Joe did something even remotely close to what he did today that he would have to go to boarding school. I'm sorry, Frank," Fenton added with a glance at his eldest son as they neared home. "Joe will be leaving first thing in the morning."
Joe shook his head and climbed behind the wheel as Fenton came over. "Drive your brother to the hospital," he ordered Joe. "I'll meet you there in a little bit."
"It's just a sprain," insisted Frank, his brown eyes filled with concern at the stiff way Joe was sitting and his neglect in acknowledging his father's order.
"We'll let the doctor make that decision," Fenton returned. "Boys," he added, turning to his sons' friends. "I'll drop you off at the house."
"Thank you," acknowledged Phil as Mr. Hardy moved away. "Want us to wait?" he asked Frank, not following Mr. Hardy.
"Nah," denied Frank with a shake of his head. "But thanks."
"Joe?" Biff asked, going around to stand by his window. "What did your dad say to you?"
Joe, still in shock, just shook his head and gripped the steering wheel. Biff's eyes met Frank's when he turned to look at him. Worried, Frank gave him a wan smile. "We'll call you later," he promised.
"Take care of that ankle," Chet told Frank as he glanced warily at Joe.
Frank nodded as the guys backed away from the van. Joe started the motor and headed for the hospital.
"What did Dad say?" asked Frank when they had almost reached their destination. He had wanted Joe to tell him in his own time but after fifteen minutes of stoic silence he couldn't wait any longer.
"Boarding school," Joe answered, his grip tightening on the wheel.
"Boarding school?" a confused Frank repeated. "What about it?"
"He's sending me to one," Joe growled, batting his eyes to keep from crying as he made the sharp left that led to the hospital's emergency room.
"No way!" denied Frank. "You must have misunderstood."
"I didn't misunderstand," Joe stated firmly as he brought the van to a stop. "He doesn't want me anymore." Before Frank could respond Joe had climbed out of the van and headed inside for a wheel chair.
Frank fumed silently as he sat through the x-rays and had his ankle bandaged. Joe hadn't got near him again since leaving the van and it was driving Frank crazy that he couldn't talk to Joe. He had to make Joe believe their Dad loved him and that he hadn't heard him correctly. There was no way their Dad would send Joe to a boarding school!
Frank heaved a weary sigh as he was finally told he could go home. He looked around anxiously for Joe as he was wheeled into the waiting room. His frown deepened when he saw only his father there. "Where's Joe?" demanded Frank before his father could speak.
"He went home," replied Fenton. He followed the orderly as he rolled Frank outside to the car. "Thank you," Fenton said to the orderly after Frank was helped into the passenger seat.
"Joe said you were sending him to a boarding school," Frank stated without preamble as his father got into the car and reached for his seatbelt.
"That's correct," Fenton affirmed calmly as he clicked his seat belt and started the car.
"Why?" screamed Frank, his brown eyes glaring angrily at his father.
"Because he nearly got himself, you, Tony, Phil and Biff killed," Fenton defended his actions. "And there are several men dead because of what he did."
"He didn't kill anyone," Frank pointed out. "And he was rescuing me."
"We were on our way," Fenton informed him. "If he had waited then Morrison, Leland and the others would be in custody now, not in the morgue."
"He thought he was doing the right thing," agreed Frank. "You know Joe would never hurt anyone."
"Not intentionally, no," agreed Fenton. "But that is your brother's problem. He doesn't consider the consequences of his actions. Frank, Joe has to learn discipline and obviously he isn't getting it from us."
"He thinks you don't want him anymore," Frank said a hushed voice.
"He....?" Fenton swallowed hard. "That's not true," he said. "You know it's not."
"What I think doesn't matter," Frank told him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him. "It's what Joe believes." Fenton sighed heavily but did not speak.
"Mom won't let you send him away," Frank stated after a few minutes of silence.
"Your mother and I have been discussing this for sometime," Fenton replied, startling Frank. "We both agreed that if Joe did something even remotely close to what he did today that he would have to go to boarding school. I'm sorry, Frank," Fenton added with a glance at his eldest son as they neared home. "Joe will be leaving first thing in the morning."