Frank shut the door then moved to the one that led into what must have at one time been an operating room. "Joe?" Frank whispered as he crossed the room and knelt by his brother's side.
Joe opened his eyes. "Who.....Frank?" he gasped in disbelief recognizing his brother's eyes. "You're really here?"
"I'm really here, Baby Brother," Frank assured him, swallowing the lump in his throat at the pitiful sight his younger sibling made. "Let's get you out of these things," he said pulling out his pocketknife.
"Ow!!" Joe yelled unintentionally as Frank brushed against his thumb.
"Sorry," Frank apologized looking at the bandage on Joe's hand. "What happened?"
"Later," promised Joe. "Just get me loose and let's get out of here."
Frank folded the knife up and put it back in his pocket. It was useless. He looked around for something he could use to release Joe, gasping in surprise when his eyes fell on a set of keys lying on one of the tables. Soon, Joe was free. Frank helped him to a standing position. "Can you make it?" he asked.
Joe nodded as Frank released him. Joe wobbled and would have fallen had not Frank caught him. Frank wrapped an arm around Joe's waist and helped to steady him. "Sorry," apologized Joe. "I've been sitting in that chair for ages."
"Don't worry," Frank told him with a gentle squeeze. "I've got you and I'm not leaving here without you. After we get out of this place you can rest before we head to town."
"Good," Joe murmured.
Luckily they made it out of the old hospital after having to take refuge only once as two guards checked the area. Joe had to rest after they reached the safety of the trees but Frank only allowed him a few minutes because he was sure Joe would be discovered missing soon.
No cars passed as they made their way slowly back to town. At the first public phone they came to Frank let Joe rest against a pole as he called his father.
"Are you okay?" Fenton demanded when he heard Frank's voice.
"I'm fine," Frank quickly assured him. "And I've got Joe. He's okay but he still needs to see a doctor."
"Where are you?" asked Fenton. Frank gave him the name of the road they had just passed and the name of the small grocery store they were across the street from. "Can you wait inside?" queried Fenton, worried they might be spotted.
"Negative," answered Frank. "It's closed."
"Try to hide," Fenton ordered him. "I'll be there as quick as I can," he added before hanging up.
"Okay, Little Brother," Frank said, bending down and helping Joe to his feet. "We need to get out of sight until Dad gets here."
"Dad's here too?" asked Joe in surprise as they started across the street.
"Of course Dad is here," Frank told him, frowning. "Joe, he didn't send you to the boarding..."
"I know," Joe interrupted him. "I found out what kind of place it was and put two and two together," he explained. "But why couldn't he just have told me?"
"He wasn't allowed to do so," answered Frank. "Look, when we get home we will make him tell us everything."
"Do I get to go home?" Joe asked bitterly as Frank helped ease him to a sitting position then joined him.
"Of course you do," Frank assured him, his eyes sad as he thought about all Joe had been through. "We're going to wrap this case up and then we're all going home and yes, you do get to stay," he added before Joe could interrupt him. "That whole boarding school thing had to do with what's going on here but I'm pretty sure we can wrap this thing up tomorrow...er, today," he corrected himself, looking down at his watch.
"Whatever," Joe said softly, leaving his head back and closing his eyes. He was too tired to care.
"Joe, Dad's here," Frank woke him up a little later. Frank stood and helped Joe to his feet. As they came out of hiding, Fenton rushed to Joe's side.
"Son, are you all right?" demanded Fenton, taking Joe's free arm and wrapping it around his shoulders to help him to the car.
"I am now," Joe said with a wan smile. "Are we going home?"
"Not yet," Fenton replied opening the rear door of the car and helping Joe inside as Frank relinquished his hold on Joe and climbed in first. "You are going to the hospital," Fenton continued once he was back behind the wheel. "Frank, I need you to tell me everything you've learned," he instructed his eldest son. "I've got a meeting set up for later this afternoon. If you have found out where their base is then we can wrap this up and be home by tomorrow afternoon."
Frank told his dad about the warehouse, the ship and the old hospital where he had found Joe. "Ouch," Joe said when Frank had finished. "That's some heavy duty pirating."
"It's worse than that," Frank said then told him everything he had learned about the case from Fenton.
"You did good," Fenton complimented Frank. "The Mandritsara authorities will be able to shut down the hospital and the warehouse."
"What about your meeting?" asked Joe.
"With what Frank found, it's moot," Fenton answered. "It will be a matter of rounding everyone up and the authorities can handle that."
"I don't understand one thing," Joe said.
"Son, I'm sorry about the boarding school," Fenton said. "I didn't want your brother working alone and you weren't going to be allowed to participate without going."
"Not that," Joe said with a shake of his head as his father brought the vehicle to a stop in the parking lot of the emergency entrance to the hospital. "I don't understand why they were making a duplicate of me."
Joe opened his eyes. "Who.....Frank?" he gasped in disbelief recognizing his brother's eyes. "You're really here?"
"I'm really here, Baby Brother," Frank assured him, swallowing the lump in his throat at the pitiful sight his younger sibling made. "Let's get you out of these things," he said pulling out his pocketknife.
"Ow!!" Joe yelled unintentionally as Frank brushed against his thumb.
"Sorry," Frank apologized looking at the bandage on Joe's hand. "What happened?"
"Later," promised Joe. "Just get me loose and let's get out of here."
Frank folded the knife up and put it back in his pocket. It was useless. He looked around for something he could use to release Joe, gasping in surprise when his eyes fell on a set of keys lying on one of the tables. Soon, Joe was free. Frank helped him to a standing position. "Can you make it?" he asked.
Joe nodded as Frank released him. Joe wobbled and would have fallen had not Frank caught him. Frank wrapped an arm around Joe's waist and helped to steady him. "Sorry," apologized Joe. "I've been sitting in that chair for ages."
"Don't worry," Frank told him with a gentle squeeze. "I've got you and I'm not leaving here without you. After we get out of this place you can rest before we head to town."
"Good," Joe murmured.
Luckily they made it out of the old hospital after having to take refuge only once as two guards checked the area. Joe had to rest after they reached the safety of the trees but Frank only allowed him a few minutes because he was sure Joe would be discovered missing soon.
No cars passed as they made their way slowly back to town. At the first public phone they came to Frank let Joe rest against a pole as he called his father.
"Are you okay?" Fenton demanded when he heard Frank's voice.
"I'm fine," Frank quickly assured him. "And I've got Joe. He's okay but he still needs to see a doctor."
"Where are you?" asked Fenton. Frank gave him the name of the road they had just passed and the name of the small grocery store they were across the street from. "Can you wait inside?" queried Fenton, worried they might be spotted.
"Negative," answered Frank. "It's closed."
"Try to hide," Fenton ordered him. "I'll be there as quick as I can," he added before hanging up.
"Okay, Little Brother," Frank said, bending down and helping Joe to his feet. "We need to get out of sight until Dad gets here."
"Dad's here too?" asked Joe in surprise as they started across the street.
"Of course Dad is here," Frank told him, frowning. "Joe, he didn't send you to the boarding..."
"I know," Joe interrupted him. "I found out what kind of place it was and put two and two together," he explained. "But why couldn't he just have told me?"
"He wasn't allowed to do so," answered Frank. "Look, when we get home we will make him tell us everything."
"Do I get to go home?" Joe asked bitterly as Frank helped ease him to a sitting position then joined him.
"Of course you do," Frank assured him, his eyes sad as he thought about all Joe had been through. "We're going to wrap this case up and then we're all going home and yes, you do get to stay," he added before Joe could interrupt him. "That whole boarding school thing had to do with what's going on here but I'm pretty sure we can wrap this thing up tomorrow...er, today," he corrected himself, looking down at his watch.
"Whatever," Joe said softly, leaving his head back and closing his eyes. He was too tired to care.
"Joe, Dad's here," Frank woke him up a little later. Frank stood and helped Joe to his feet. As they came out of hiding, Fenton rushed to Joe's side.
"Son, are you all right?" demanded Fenton, taking Joe's free arm and wrapping it around his shoulders to help him to the car.
"I am now," Joe said with a wan smile. "Are we going home?"
"Not yet," Fenton replied opening the rear door of the car and helping Joe inside as Frank relinquished his hold on Joe and climbed in first. "You are going to the hospital," Fenton continued once he was back behind the wheel. "Frank, I need you to tell me everything you've learned," he instructed his eldest son. "I've got a meeting set up for later this afternoon. If you have found out where their base is then we can wrap this up and be home by tomorrow afternoon."
Frank told his dad about the warehouse, the ship and the old hospital where he had found Joe. "Ouch," Joe said when Frank had finished. "That's some heavy duty pirating."
"It's worse than that," Frank said then told him everything he had learned about the case from Fenton.
"You did good," Fenton complimented Frank. "The Mandritsara authorities will be able to shut down the hospital and the warehouse."
"What about your meeting?" asked Joe.
"With what Frank found, it's moot," Fenton answered. "It will be a matter of rounding everyone up and the authorities can handle that."
"I don't understand one thing," Joe said.
"Son, I'm sorry about the boarding school," Fenton said. "I didn't want your brother working alone and you weren't going to be allowed to participate without going."
"Not that," Joe said with a shake of his head as his father brought the vehicle to a stop in the parking lot of the emergency entrance to the hospital. "I don't understand why they were making a duplicate of me."