Frank remained on the highway, maintaining a speed in the sixties until he reached the city limits. There, he slowed down and navigated the streets coming to a stop in front of the police station.
"Joe," Frank said, turning to look at his brother. "Joe," he said again, reaching out and touching his shoulder. Joe opened his eyes although only one was wide enough to see through. "I have to go inside," Frank told Joe. "Lock yourself in and don't open up until I get back. Got it?"
Joe nodded.
Two hours later, Joe was ensconced in a hospital bed and Frank was by his side talking on the phone to his father.
"Is he well enough to travel?" Fenton asked Frank.
"Yes," acknowledged Frank, looking at the still form of his brother. "The doctor gave him a sedative and he's on an IV now with some antibiotics. He will need to see Dr. Bates when he gets home but the doctor here said he would be up to the journey tomorrow."
"Okay. Good," said Fenton. "I'll make the arrangements. Just be careful. Until the imposter is caught your brother could still be in danger."
"Don't worry," Frank replied. "I'm not leaving Joe's side."
"I'll call you in a bit to let you know what plane you will be on," Fenton informed him.
"We'll be here," Frank said. "Night."
"Goodnight, Son," returned Fenton with a smile as he looked out the window of his home office into the early morning sun.
"Well?" demanded Laura after Fenton had hung up.
"Joe's fine," he informed her. Laura breathed a sigh of relief and sank back against her chair. "He has a mild infection and is a bit bruised but Frank assured me he is fine. They will be home just as soon as I can make the arrangements."
"And it's over this time?" she demanded.
"Except for the round up," acknowledged Fenton. "For us anyway. The Madagascar authorities will be handling the rest. And after the boys get back and settled, I can go back to the case I was working on before this one cropped up."
"Which case?" Laura asked, cocking her head sideways.
"It's classified," Fenton answered regretfully. "But the repercussions will only affect those directly involved; not hundreds of innocent people the way this case has."
"Not to mention the people who would have been affected if the stolen cargoes had reached their destinations," Laura added. Although this case had also been classified, Fenton had obtained a certain amount of clearance for Laura in order to get her to agree to sending Joe to the boarding school. "Do you think Joe will really forgive us for sending him away without telling him the truth?"
"I hope so, babe," Fenton said a bit fervently because the thought had been bothering him immensely. "We can only hope that he will understand why he had to go. At least he will realize something of what was at stake from his time as a prisoner."
"If you hadn't listened to that man then Joe wouldn't have been kidnapped," Laura said bitterly. "And there would be no chance of him hating us."
"Laura, you know why Priest insisted Joe attend the academy," Fenton reminded her. "And even though it didn't turn out well, it was a good idea," he ended.
"Hmph!" Laura snorted, her blue eyes flashing. "So much hullabaloo about how difficult it would be and you and Frank were gone less than three days when you went over there. It doesn't seem to me like the case was nearly as difficult as it was portrayed to be."
"We got lucky," Fenton said, although a little nagging doubt entered his sub-consciousness at her words. "Let's just be grateful it's all over and both our boys will be home soon."
"Frank!" Frank heard the whispered urgency and opened his eyes to see Joe standing beside him. Not Joe! Frank knocked the intruder's hand off of his arm and jumped to his feet. How could he have fallen asleep?!
"Shh!" Joe whispered again, holding a finger to his lips. "You don't want to wake him until we get the police here."
"You want to go to jail?" Frank demanded in disbelief.
"Let's not start that again," begged Joe. "Surely you can tell I'm your brother?"
"Right," agreed Frank, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's why you're in great shape and he's lying there being fed antibiotics through an IV."
"I don't know why they did that to him unless it was to make you think he is me," Joe declared defensively. "Obviously, they didn't think you would rescue me so soon but when you did they had to do this hoping you would fall for it and take him back with you." Joe looked at the anger in Frank's eyes. "And it's working too," he added. "You're the smart one. Think of a way for me to prove I am me."
"Fr...Frank," moaned the Joe on the bed although his eyes remained closed.
"Not necessary," Frank snarled. "Only my brother would call out to me when he isn't even conscious."
"A little convenient timing, don't you think?" Joe demanded. "Would you please just stop thinking with your emotions and think with your brain?"
"Proof positive you aren't Joe," said Frank. "I never think with my emotions."
"Except where Callie and I are concerned," Joe corrected him.
Frank's eyes narrowed thoughtfully on him as the door burst open and two uniformed men entered the room. "The staff was informed to alert us if anyone looking like the patient showed up," one of the officers told Frank. "Good thing he was spotted."
Frank nodded. "Frank please?" begged Joe as he was pushed against the wall and frisked.
A low moan came from the bed and Joe's eyes fluttered open. "Frank. What's going on?" he asked, looking at the officers in surprise. "Oh," he added dully, seeing Joe standing there being handcuffed. "It's over now?" he asked Frank.
"Yes," acknowledged Frank, wiping a strand of hair from Joe's forehead affectionately. "It's over now. That creep is going to jail. He'll never see daylight again except through bars."
"Joe," Frank said, turning to look at his brother. "Joe," he said again, reaching out and touching his shoulder. Joe opened his eyes although only one was wide enough to see through. "I have to go inside," Frank told Joe. "Lock yourself in and don't open up until I get back. Got it?"
Joe nodded.
Two hours later, Joe was ensconced in a hospital bed and Frank was by his side talking on the phone to his father.
"Is he well enough to travel?" Fenton asked Frank.
"Yes," acknowledged Frank, looking at the still form of his brother. "The doctor gave him a sedative and he's on an IV now with some antibiotics. He will need to see Dr. Bates when he gets home but the doctor here said he would be up to the journey tomorrow."
"Okay. Good," said Fenton. "I'll make the arrangements. Just be careful. Until the imposter is caught your brother could still be in danger."
"Don't worry," Frank replied. "I'm not leaving Joe's side."
"I'll call you in a bit to let you know what plane you will be on," Fenton informed him.
"We'll be here," Frank said. "Night."
"Goodnight, Son," returned Fenton with a smile as he looked out the window of his home office into the early morning sun.
"Well?" demanded Laura after Fenton had hung up.
"Joe's fine," he informed her. Laura breathed a sigh of relief and sank back against her chair. "He has a mild infection and is a bit bruised but Frank assured me he is fine. They will be home just as soon as I can make the arrangements."
"And it's over this time?" she demanded.
"Except for the round up," acknowledged Fenton. "For us anyway. The Madagascar authorities will be handling the rest. And after the boys get back and settled, I can go back to the case I was working on before this one cropped up."
"Which case?" Laura asked, cocking her head sideways.
"It's classified," Fenton answered regretfully. "But the repercussions will only affect those directly involved; not hundreds of innocent people the way this case has."
"Not to mention the people who would have been affected if the stolen cargoes had reached their destinations," Laura added. Although this case had also been classified, Fenton had obtained a certain amount of clearance for Laura in order to get her to agree to sending Joe to the boarding school. "Do you think Joe will really forgive us for sending him away without telling him the truth?"
"I hope so, babe," Fenton said a bit fervently because the thought had been bothering him immensely. "We can only hope that he will understand why he had to go. At least he will realize something of what was at stake from his time as a prisoner."
"If you hadn't listened to that man then Joe wouldn't have been kidnapped," Laura said bitterly. "And there would be no chance of him hating us."
"Laura, you know why Priest insisted Joe attend the academy," Fenton reminded her. "And even though it didn't turn out well, it was a good idea," he ended.
"Hmph!" Laura snorted, her blue eyes flashing. "So much hullabaloo about how difficult it would be and you and Frank were gone less than three days when you went over there. It doesn't seem to me like the case was nearly as difficult as it was portrayed to be."
"We got lucky," Fenton said, although a little nagging doubt entered his sub-consciousness at her words. "Let's just be grateful it's all over and both our boys will be home soon."
"Frank!" Frank heard the whispered urgency and opened his eyes to see Joe standing beside him. Not Joe! Frank knocked the intruder's hand off of his arm and jumped to his feet. How could he have fallen asleep?!
"Shh!" Joe whispered again, holding a finger to his lips. "You don't want to wake him until we get the police here."
"You want to go to jail?" Frank demanded in disbelief.
"Let's not start that again," begged Joe. "Surely you can tell I'm your brother?"
"Right," agreed Frank, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's why you're in great shape and he's lying there being fed antibiotics through an IV."
"I don't know why they did that to him unless it was to make you think he is me," Joe declared defensively. "Obviously, they didn't think you would rescue me so soon but when you did they had to do this hoping you would fall for it and take him back with you." Joe looked at the anger in Frank's eyes. "And it's working too," he added. "You're the smart one. Think of a way for me to prove I am me."
"Fr...Frank," moaned the Joe on the bed although his eyes remained closed.
"Not necessary," Frank snarled. "Only my brother would call out to me when he isn't even conscious."
"A little convenient timing, don't you think?" Joe demanded. "Would you please just stop thinking with your emotions and think with your brain?"
"Proof positive you aren't Joe," said Frank. "I never think with my emotions."
"Except where Callie and I are concerned," Joe corrected him.
Frank's eyes narrowed thoughtfully on him as the door burst open and two uniformed men entered the room. "The staff was informed to alert us if anyone looking like the patient showed up," one of the officers told Frank. "Good thing he was spotted."
Frank nodded. "Frank please?" begged Joe as he was pushed against the wall and frisked.
A low moan came from the bed and Joe's eyes fluttered open. "Frank. What's going on?" he asked, looking at the officers in surprise. "Oh," he added dully, seeing Joe standing there being handcuffed. "It's over now?" he asked Frank.
"Yes," acknowledged Frank, wiping a strand of hair from Joe's forehead affectionately. "It's over now. That creep is going to jail. He'll never see daylight again except through bars."