"Joe," Laura whispered as her eyes rolled back. She fell only to be caught by Fenton who was acting reflexively.
"Call everyone," Fenton ground out. How could he have been so stupid? How could he not have suspected Joe might take off?
"Why did he leave all of his keys?" asked Frank in a small voice.
Fenton lifted Laura into his arms and started back toward the house. "Call everyone," he repeated. "Have them start looking for Joe," he ordered without answering. "But call the police first. And take care of your mother."
"What are you going to do?" asked Frank, his pace fast to keep up with his father as he carried Laura inside and lay her down on the couch
"I'm going to find my son," Fenton stated with determination as he turned and left. Joe had only been gone thirty minutes and he was on foot. How far could he have gone, Fenton thought optimistically?
He went to the garage and got on Joe's motorcycle. Like Frank, Joe left his key in the bike's ignition when it was safely locked in the garage. Fenton turned the key, lifted the kickstand and took off.
Joe turned away from the door, hurt and betrayal overriding the initial shock. They hadn't worried about him because he had been late. They hadn't even wanted an explanation. Changing the lock would have taken time. Obviously, they had done it right after dinner.
With the horrifying realization that no one wanted him around, Joe stopped at the mailbox and opened the lid. He placed his keys inside with one swift movement, afraid he would change his mind and beg his family to love him if he delayed. Without looking back, he started down the street running as fast as he could to try and kill the intense pain he was feeling inside.
He reached the sign for the town of Bayport bidding goodbye in record time. Once there, he stopped. Breathing heavily he wiped the perspiration from his eyes and looked at the sign as if seeing it for the first time instead of the last.
His brother had openly admitted he wanted to be an only child; his parents didn't want him; his friends ignored him and even his girlfriend had thought he was "needy." No. There was nothing left for him in Bayport. No reason for him to stay and no need for him ever to return.
"Goodbye," Joe whispered, not shedding any tears. He didn't doubt they would come but at the present he didn't have the energy to think about the horror his life had become. He would survive and right now, that was his top priority.
He continued down the road at a somewhat slower pace. Traffic buzzed back and forth but he kept to the overgrown weeds along the side of the road, wondering if he should be grateful it was evening and the slithering reptiles which had been out in abundance during the day were all settled in their warmer resting places in the cool of the evening.
Joe stopped and looked up when a big rig pulled to a stop a few feet in front of him.
"Need a ride?" the driver shouted through the open passenger window.
"That would be great," Joe replied giving the burly driver the biggest smile he was capable of mustering, although it was barely more than a slight curve to the right side of his lips.
Frank called the police station just as soon as his father left. "Frank?" Sergeant Mike Peters answered the phone and recognized Frank's voice at once. "Calm down."
"I can't calm down," retorted Frank. "Joe's missing."
"Missing?" Peters repeated. "Are you sure? Maybe he stopped off somewhere on his way home from here."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Frank, his eyes narrowing.
Laura's eyes flickered open and she looked at Frank fearfully as he listened to Peters' account of Joe's part in the attempted mugging.
Feeling sick, Frank closed his eyes and gripped the receiver until his knuckles turned white. "He...he came home after that," said Frank when the officer had finished. "His keys were lying in the mailbox but he's nowhere around. Please? I know it hasn't been twenty-four hours but please put an APB out on him?"
"I'll have to clear it with the chief," Peters said apologetically. "But I don't think there will be a problem. Let us know if you hear from him."
"We will," promised Frank, hanging up as his mother sat up.
"What?" demanded Laura as Frank began punching in Biff's cell number. Frank told her why Joe had been late getting home.
Tears sprang to her eyes and began trickling down her cheeks. "I knew we shouldn't have changed the locks," she said, feeling like the worst parent ever. "Poor Joe. What have we done?"
Not answering her because he was wondering the same thing himself, he waited silently for Biff to answer. "Biff, Joe ran away from home," Frank said in a rush. "Call Chet and Tony and let them know. We've got to go look for him."
"What? Why would he run away?" Biff demanded in shocked surprise.
"Because I'm an idiot," answered Frank. "We have to find him."
"I'll leave now and call the guys as I go," promised Biff before disconnecting.
Next Frank called Phil and Vanessa. Finally, he dialed Callie's number.
"Frank! Thank God!" Callie said when she heard his voice. "I was just starting over there because I couldn't get through. Frank," she continued in a rush without giving Frank a chance to say a word. "Joe did come to my party. Mom found the present he brought wedged behind the stove while she was cleaning up the flour."
"What? That doesn't make any sense," Frank said completely confused. "If he showed up then why didn't he join us in the..." he broke off , remembering with a vengeance his words that day: But sometimes I wish I were an only child.
"Oh no," gasped Frank, dropping the phone and falling heavily onto the coffee table. He buried his face in his hands as he began to weep uncontrollably.
"Call everyone," Fenton ground out. How could he have been so stupid? How could he not have suspected Joe might take off?
"Why did he leave all of his keys?" asked Frank in a small voice.
Fenton lifted Laura into his arms and started back toward the house. "Call everyone," he repeated. "Have them start looking for Joe," he ordered without answering. "But call the police first. And take care of your mother."
"What are you going to do?" asked Frank, his pace fast to keep up with his father as he carried Laura inside and lay her down on the couch
"I'm going to find my son," Fenton stated with determination as he turned and left. Joe had only been gone thirty minutes and he was on foot. How far could he have gone, Fenton thought optimistically?
He went to the garage and got on Joe's motorcycle. Like Frank, Joe left his key in the bike's ignition when it was safely locked in the garage. Fenton turned the key, lifted the kickstand and took off.
Joe turned away from the door, hurt and betrayal overriding the initial shock. They hadn't worried about him because he had been late. They hadn't even wanted an explanation. Changing the lock would have taken time. Obviously, they had done it right after dinner.
With the horrifying realization that no one wanted him around, Joe stopped at the mailbox and opened the lid. He placed his keys inside with one swift movement, afraid he would change his mind and beg his family to love him if he delayed. Without looking back, he started down the street running as fast as he could to try and kill the intense pain he was feeling inside.
He reached the sign for the town of Bayport bidding goodbye in record time. Once there, he stopped. Breathing heavily he wiped the perspiration from his eyes and looked at the sign as if seeing it for the first time instead of the last.
His brother had openly admitted he wanted to be an only child; his parents didn't want him; his friends ignored him and even his girlfriend had thought he was "needy." No. There was nothing left for him in Bayport. No reason for him to stay and no need for him ever to return.
"Goodbye," Joe whispered, not shedding any tears. He didn't doubt they would come but at the present he didn't have the energy to think about the horror his life had become. He would survive and right now, that was his top priority.
He continued down the road at a somewhat slower pace. Traffic buzzed back and forth but he kept to the overgrown weeds along the side of the road, wondering if he should be grateful it was evening and the slithering reptiles which had been out in abundance during the day were all settled in their warmer resting places in the cool of the evening.
Joe stopped and looked up when a big rig pulled to a stop a few feet in front of him.
"Need a ride?" the driver shouted through the open passenger window.
"That would be great," Joe replied giving the burly driver the biggest smile he was capable of mustering, although it was barely more than a slight curve to the right side of his lips.
Frank called the police station just as soon as his father left. "Frank?" Sergeant Mike Peters answered the phone and recognized Frank's voice at once. "Calm down."
"I can't calm down," retorted Frank. "Joe's missing."
"Missing?" Peters repeated. "Are you sure? Maybe he stopped off somewhere on his way home from here."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Frank, his eyes narrowing.
Laura's eyes flickered open and she looked at Frank fearfully as he listened to Peters' account of Joe's part in the attempted mugging.
Feeling sick, Frank closed his eyes and gripped the receiver until his knuckles turned white. "He...he came home after that," said Frank when the officer had finished. "His keys were lying in the mailbox but he's nowhere around. Please? I know it hasn't been twenty-four hours but please put an APB out on him?"
"I'll have to clear it with the chief," Peters said apologetically. "But I don't think there will be a problem. Let us know if you hear from him."
"We will," promised Frank, hanging up as his mother sat up.
"What?" demanded Laura as Frank began punching in Biff's cell number. Frank told her why Joe had been late getting home.
Tears sprang to her eyes and began trickling down her cheeks. "I knew we shouldn't have changed the locks," she said, feeling like the worst parent ever. "Poor Joe. What have we done?"
Not answering her because he was wondering the same thing himself, he waited silently for Biff to answer. "Biff, Joe ran away from home," Frank said in a rush. "Call Chet and Tony and let them know. We've got to go look for him."
"What? Why would he run away?" Biff demanded in shocked surprise.
"Because I'm an idiot," answered Frank. "We have to find him."
"I'll leave now and call the guys as I go," promised Biff before disconnecting.
Next Frank called Phil and Vanessa. Finally, he dialed Callie's number.
"Frank! Thank God!" Callie said when she heard his voice. "I was just starting over there because I couldn't get through. Frank," she continued in a rush without giving Frank a chance to say a word. "Joe did come to my party. Mom found the present he brought wedged behind the stove while she was cleaning up the flour."
"What? That doesn't make any sense," Frank said completely confused. "If he showed up then why didn't he join us in the..." he broke off , remembering with a vengeance his words that day: But sometimes I wish I were an only child.
"Oh no," gasped Frank, dropping the phone and falling heavily onto the coffee table. He buried his face in his hands as he began to weep uncontrollably.