"Baby, I'm so sorry," Laura said, racing up to her youngest son in the airport and throwing her arms around him. "Don't hate us, please? Your father couldn't tell you before but he will now," she promised. "If we had known what was going to happen then we never would have let you gone to that horrid academy no matter what your father was ordered to do."
"You mean you didn't send me away because you hate me?" Joe asked, watching his mother's eyes for any sign of deceit.
"Of course not," Laura declared. "We could never hate you."
Joe gave her a tenuous smile. "I'm glad," he whispered, hugging her fiercely.
"You aren't mad?" Fenton asked from behind Laura.
"I was," Joe said. "And hurt. But I thought it over and realized you must have had a good reason to send me there although, I still am not sure what it could be."
"I'll tell you about it on the way home," Fenton promised, enveloping his youngest son in a hug. "I'm just so glad to have you home."
"He needs to see Dr. Bates before we go home," said Frank who had been watching the reunion with relief. He had been worried about Joe's reaction to his parent's treatment of him as well.
"And he shall.," agreed Laura, patting Joe's arm with one hand and taking hold of it with the other. She led Joe out of the building with Frank and Fenton bringing up the rear.
"Want to tell me what happened in the hospital?" asked Fenton as Laura and Joe moved out of earshot.
When Fenton had called to tell Frank which plane he and Joe were scheduled to be on Frank had told him about the visit from the imposter but hadn't gone into detail because he hadn't wanted to upset Joe who had been awake and listening. Now, however, with Joe out of earshot, Frank told his father what the imposter had said to him.
"Dad, I was really starting to believe him," confessed Frank after he had finished.
"No doubt he has been well trained," Fenton said. "But didn't you say you overheard them talking while they thought you were still unconscious?" Frank nodded. "I guess the visit was the plan they came up with. It's a good thing you didn't fall for it," Fenton concluded.
Frank gave a sigh of relief. He had been wondering if he had done the right thing by letting the authorities take the boy away. "You're right," Frank said, smiling. "But now, he's in jail and we won't have to worry about him anymore."
"I am so ready for a nap," Joe said after an exceptionally long yawn.
"An excellent suggestion," agreed Laura from the front seat of the car as Fenton pulled into the driveway. "You can go on to bed and I will bring up a tray with some soup. Dr. Bates said you shouldn't take your medicine on an empty stomach."
"Sounds good," Joe said, smiling at her suggestion.
"You can call Vanessa before you go to sleep," Frank said. "She's been worried sick."
"She has?" asked Joe, frowning slightly.
"She has," Laura asserted. "Honestly, did you think she would let you break up with her just because you were going to boarding school?"
"No," Joe said, smiling a little. "I guess not." He smiled at his mother and father. "And before you ask again, I am not mad at you. You did what you thought was best. I would have been really mad if Frank got to help and I didn't. Although," he added ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck. "He did help and I didn't."
Frank put an arm around Joe's shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. "You know the lyrics, Baby Bro," he said, reminding him of one of his favorite songs. "Nothing ever goes as planned."
"Too true," Joe agreed wholeheartedly. "Too true."
Inside, Frank carried his bag upstairs, stopping in front of Joe's door. "I don't think that creep messed up your room but if he did, let me know and I will take care of it for you," he offered. "You need to take it easy for a few days."
"Thanks," Joe said. Frank opened Joe's door and waited for Joe to go inside. "Looks okay," he said after scanning the perimeter with his eyes.
"Climb in bed," ordered Frank. "I'll dump my bag and bring you the phone so you can ring Vanessa."
"Okay," agreed Joe meekly.
Frank looked at him critically. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?" he asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Joe responded. "Really. Just tired."
"Okay," said Frank, his face still registering concern. "I'll be back in a flash."
Frank walked into Joe's room a few minutes later with the cordless phone in his hand. "I tried dialing her place for you but there's no answer," he said. "You can try again in a few minutes," he added, setting the phone down on the nightstand by Joe's bed.
"No need," said Laura cheerfully, entering the room. "Guess who I found sitting on the back porch waiting for us to get home?"
Vanessa entered the room behind Laura, her worried frown breaking into a huge smile when she saw Joe sitting up in bed. She rushed over and kissed his forehead. "You look great," she told him.
"And you need glasses," Joe returned, laughing at her reaction to seeing him.
"Silly," she said fondly, ruffling his hair. "You know what I mean. It's great to see you. Are you okay?" she asked, her blue-gray eyes saddening as she took in the discoloration on his face and the bandage on his thumb.
"I am now," Joe replied softly, smiling up into her eyes.
"I think that's our cue to give them some alone time," Laura said, setting the tray across Joe's lap. "Vanessa, make sure he eats," she instructed the girl. "He can't have his medication on an empty stomach."
"I will," promised Vanessa, picking up the bowl of soup and the spoon. Laura and Frank exited the room leaving the couple alone.
"Vanessa, about what I said about breaking up with you," Joe started.
"Shh," she ordered, filling the spoon and putting it to his lips. "It's over. I don't want to hear anything about it except I do have one thing to say to you," she continued seriously. Joe looked at her questioningly. "If you ever try to dump me for my own good again, I'll drop kick you."
Joe laughed. "As if you could," he said, reaching up and touching her nose with the tip of one finger. "We both know I would win in a wrestling match."
Vanessa stiffened a bit. "Because you're bigger than I am?" she asked, giving him another spoonful of soup with an incredibly steady hand.
"Of course," Joe agreed. "Ow!" he said as the spoon missed its mark and soup spilled down his shirt.
"OH!" Vanessa gasped. "I'm sorry. I'll get Frank. He can help you change." She hurriedly stood up and rushed out of the room and down the stairs to where Frank was talking with his dad. Laura was in the kitchen fixing dinner for the rest of the Hardy family.
"What's wrong?" demanded Fenton, seeing the distressed look on Vanessa's face.
"That's not Joe," she declared.
"You mean you didn't send me away because you hate me?" Joe asked, watching his mother's eyes for any sign of deceit.
"Of course not," Laura declared. "We could never hate you."
Joe gave her a tenuous smile. "I'm glad," he whispered, hugging her fiercely.
"You aren't mad?" Fenton asked from behind Laura.
"I was," Joe said. "And hurt. But I thought it over and realized you must have had a good reason to send me there although, I still am not sure what it could be."
"I'll tell you about it on the way home," Fenton promised, enveloping his youngest son in a hug. "I'm just so glad to have you home."
"He needs to see Dr. Bates before we go home," said Frank who had been watching the reunion with relief. He had been worried about Joe's reaction to his parent's treatment of him as well.
"And he shall.," agreed Laura, patting Joe's arm with one hand and taking hold of it with the other. She led Joe out of the building with Frank and Fenton bringing up the rear.
"Want to tell me what happened in the hospital?" asked Fenton as Laura and Joe moved out of earshot.
When Fenton had called to tell Frank which plane he and Joe were scheduled to be on Frank had told him about the visit from the imposter but hadn't gone into detail because he hadn't wanted to upset Joe who had been awake and listening. Now, however, with Joe out of earshot, Frank told his father what the imposter had said to him.
"Dad, I was really starting to believe him," confessed Frank after he had finished.
"No doubt he has been well trained," Fenton said. "But didn't you say you overheard them talking while they thought you were still unconscious?" Frank nodded. "I guess the visit was the plan they came up with. It's a good thing you didn't fall for it," Fenton concluded.
Frank gave a sigh of relief. He had been wondering if he had done the right thing by letting the authorities take the boy away. "You're right," Frank said, smiling. "But now, he's in jail and we won't have to worry about him anymore."
"I am so ready for a nap," Joe said after an exceptionally long yawn.
"An excellent suggestion," agreed Laura from the front seat of the car as Fenton pulled into the driveway. "You can go on to bed and I will bring up a tray with some soup. Dr. Bates said you shouldn't take your medicine on an empty stomach."
"Sounds good," Joe said, smiling at her suggestion.
"You can call Vanessa before you go to sleep," Frank said. "She's been worried sick."
"She has?" asked Joe, frowning slightly.
"She has," Laura asserted. "Honestly, did you think she would let you break up with her just because you were going to boarding school?"
"No," Joe said, smiling a little. "I guess not." He smiled at his mother and father. "And before you ask again, I am not mad at you. You did what you thought was best. I would have been really mad if Frank got to help and I didn't. Although," he added ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck. "He did help and I didn't."
Frank put an arm around Joe's shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. "You know the lyrics, Baby Bro," he said, reminding him of one of his favorite songs. "Nothing ever goes as planned."
"Too true," Joe agreed wholeheartedly. "Too true."
Inside, Frank carried his bag upstairs, stopping in front of Joe's door. "I don't think that creep messed up your room but if he did, let me know and I will take care of it for you," he offered. "You need to take it easy for a few days."
"Thanks," Joe said. Frank opened Joe's door and waited for Joe to go inside. "Looks okay," he said after scanning the perimeter with his eyes.
"Climb in bed," ordered Frank. "I'll dump my bag and bring you the phone so you can ring Vanessa."
"Okay," agreed Joe meekly.
Frank looked at him critically. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?" he asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Joe responded. "Really. Just tired."
"Okay," said Frank, his face still registering concern. "I'll be back in a flash."
Frank walked into Joe's room a few minutes later with the cordless phone in his hand. "I tried dialing her place for you but there's no answer," he said. "You can try again in a few minutes," he added, setting the phone down on the nightstand by Joe's bed.
"No need," said Laura cheerfully, entering the room. "Guess who I found sitting on the back porch waiting for us to get home?"
Vanessa entered the room behind Laura, her worried frown breaking into a huge smile when she saw Joe sitting up in bed. She rushed over and kissed his forehead. "You look great," she told him.
"And you need glasses," Joe returned, laughing at her reaction to seeing him.
"Silly," she said fondly, ruffling his hair. "You know what I mean. It's great to see you. Are you okay?" she asked, her blue-gray eyes saddening as she took in the discoloration on his face and the bandage on his thumb.
"I am now," Joe replied softly, smiling up into her eyes.
"I think that's our cue to give them some alone time," Laura said, setting the tray across Joe's lap. "Vanessa, make sure he eats," she instructed the girl. "He can't have his medication on an empty stomach."
"I will," promised Vanessa, picking up the bowl of soup and the spoon. Laura and Frank exited the room leaving the couple alone.
"Vanessa, about what I said about breaking up with you," Joe started.
"Shh," she ordered, filling the spoon and putting it to his lips. "It's over. I don't want to hear anything about it except I do have one thing to say to you," she continued seriously. Joe looked at her questioningly. "If you ever try to dump me for my own good again, I'll drop kick you."
Joe laughed. "As if you could," he said, reaching up and touching her nose with the tip of one finger. "We both know I would win in a wrestling match."
Vanessa stiffened a bit. "Because you're bigger than I am?" she asked, giving him another spoonful of soup with an incredibly steady hand.
"Of course," Joe agreed. "Ow!" he said as the spoon missed its mark and soup spilled down his shirt.
"OH!" Vanessa gasped. "I'm sorry. I'll get Frank. He can help you change." She hurriedly stood up and rushed out of the room and down the stairs to where Frank was talking with his dad. Laura was in the kitchen fixing dinner for the rest of the Hardy family.
"What's wrong?" demanded Fenton, seeing the distressed look on Vanessa's face.
"That's not Joe," she declared.