"Joe!" Frank gasped in surprise. Of all the places he had imagined finding his brother, in front of a sleazy apartment building in downtown Grand Rapids was not one of them.
Joe was too shaken to respond. He thought he had let the past go. He thought his family could no longer hurt him. But he now knew he was wrong. Just seeing them opened all the old wounds. He turned and retreated the way he had come.
"No!" Fenton cried out, rushing forward with Frank at his side. "Joseph, please?" he begged. "Don't go. We need to talk."
"There is nothing to say," Joe replied stonily, continuing on his way until Frank and Fenton managed to get in front of him and bar his path.
"We're sorry," said Frank. "God, Joe. Why did you have to leave? We've been looking for you everywhere."
"Why?" demanded Joe, fighting to hold back the tears that were threatening. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing how much he was hurting. "You made your point. You didn't want me around, so I left. Why would you try to find me?"
"It was a terrible misunderstanding," Frank began. "I..."
"A misunderstanding?" Joe repeated cutting him off.
"Joe..." Fenton rasped but Joe wasn't listening.
"You not only locked me out...you changed the locks! You didn't have to be that mean," he continued. "Why didn't you just tell me to leave?"
"Joe.." Frank and Fenton began at the same time but Joe didn't wait around. He turned quickly and sprinted through the oncoming traffic and down the next street, not stopping until he crashed into a hard, warm body.
"Easy, Joe," Rick said, grasping Joe's arms to steady him. "What's the..." he broke off when he saw the tears streaming down Joe's face. "Come on," Rick said, putting an arm around Joe's shoulders and leading him to the limo at the curb where Sheldon stood waiting to open the door.
"Want to talk about it?" asked Rick once they were underway.
Joe shook his head. "No," he said. "Thanks anyway."
"How about some dinner then?" asked Rick. "I was just on my way to get something."
"No," Joe said again. "I've already eaten." He gave Rick a wan smile. "You can drop me off anywhere," he said.
"Back at your apartment," Rick said and turned to Sheldon.
"No!" Joe shouted before he could issue the command. "I...I don't want to go home right now."
"You don't want to go home and you're upset," Rick stated the obvious. "Sheldon, take us home."
"But..." Joe started to object but Rick put a finger to Joe's lips to silence him.
"No buts," Rick said sternly. "I am not going to leave you alone in this condition."
"I appreciate it but..."
"I said no buts," Rick repeated. "Joe, I really want us to be together and I know I promised to move slowly but I can't stand back and watch you suffer alone. At least let me suffer with you?"
Joe gave a small laugh. "I'm not suffering," he lied.
"Of course not," Rick said mockingly. "I can tell you are hurting. Please, tell me about it?"
Joe started t o refuse but one look in Rick's concerned eyes and he felt himself confiding to Rick about Callie's birthday party and the following days. He ended his tale with bumping into Frank and his dad minutes before. "I...I just can't go back," he said. "I don't want to see them."
"Maybe they are here to apologize," Rick suggested.
Joe snorted. "They are here because of a mystery," he said. "They had no idea I was around. And the only reason they are even pretending, I'm sure, is because of what my leaving must have looked like to everyone."
"You need to explain that one," Rick said.
"My dad is Fenton Hardy," said Joe. "He's..."
"I know what he does," Rick said, a look of shock on his face. "I can't believe he would do that to his own son."
"Neither did I," Joe concurred. "But he did. They did. I left. It hurt. It still does." Joe kept throwing out broken sentences, his voice heavy with the pent-up feelings he thought he had gotten rid of.
"Why don't you stay with me tonight?" suggested Rick. "You can sleep in the guestroom. Unless they know which apartment you are in or saw you go into the building then they probably won't be there tomorrow."
"You're right about that," Joe agreed bitterly. "They wouldn't care enough."
Joe was too shaken to respond. He thought he had let the past go. He thought his family could no longer hurt him. But he now knew he was wrong. Just seeing them opened all the old wounds. He turned and retreated the way he had come.
"No!" Fenton cried out, rushing forward with Frank at his side. "Joseph, please?" he begged. "Don't go. We need to talk."
"There is nothing to say," Joe replied stonily, continuing on his way until Frank and Fenton managed to get in front of him and bar his path.
"We're sorry," said Frank. "God, Joe. Why did you have to leave? We've been looking for you everywhere."
"Why?" demanded Joe, fighting to hold back the tears that were threatening. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing how much he was hurting. "You made your point. You didn't want me around, so I left. Why would you try to find me?"
"It was a terrible misunderstanding," Frank began. "I..."
"A misunderstanding?" Joe repeated cutting him off.
"Joe..." Fenton rasped but Joe wasn't listening.
"You not only locked me out...you changed the locks! You didn't have to be that mean," he continued. "Why didn't you just tell me to leave?"
"Joe.." Frank and Fenton began at the same time but Joe didn't wait around. He turned quickly and sprinted through the oncoming traffic and down the next street, not stopping until he crashed into a hard, warm body.
"Easy, Joe," Rick said, grasping Joe's arms to steady him. "What's the..." he broke off when he saw the tears streaming down Joe's face. "Come on," Rick said, putting an arm around Joe's shoulders and leading him to the limo at the curb where Sheldon stood waiting to open the door.
"Want to talk about it?" asked Rick once they were underway.
Joe shook his head. "No," he said. "Thanks anyway."
"How about some dinner then?" asked Rick. "I was just on my way to get something."
"No," Joe said again. "I've already eaten." He gave Rick a wan smile. "You can drop me off anywhere," he said.
"Back at your apartment," Rick said and turned to Sheldon.
"No!" Joe shouted before he could issue the command. "I...I don't want to go home right now."
"You don't want to go home and you're upset," Rick stated the obvious. "Sheldon, take us home."
"But..." Joe started to object but Rick put a finger to Joe's lips to silence him.
"No buts," Rick said sternly. "I am not going to leave you alone in this condition."
"I appreciate it but..."
"I said no buts," Rick repeated. "Joe, I really want us to be together and I know I promised to move slowly but I can't stand back and watch you suffer alone. At least let me suffer with you?"
Joe gave a small laugh. "I'm not suffering," he lied.
"Of course not," Rick said mockingly. "I can tell you are hurting. Please, tell me about it?"
Joe started t o refuse but one look in Rick's concerned eyes and he felt himself confiding to Rick about Callie's birthday party and the following days. He ended his tale with bumping into Frank and his dad minutes before. "I...I just can't go back," he said. "I don't want to see them."
"Maybe they are here to apologize," Rick suggested.
Joe snorted. "They are here because of a mystery," he said. "They had no idea I was around. And the only reason they are even pretending, I'm sure, is because of what my leaving must have looked like to everyone."
"You need to explain that one," Rick said.
"My dad is Fenton Hardy," said Joe. "He's..."
"I know what he does," Rick said, a look of shock on his face. "I can't believe he would do that to his own son."
"Neither did I," Joe concurred. "But he did. They did. I left. It hurt. It still does." Joe kept throwing out broken sentences, his voice heavy with the pent-up feelings he thought he had gotten rid of.
"Why don't you stay with me tonight?" suggested Rick. "You can sleep in the guestroom. Unless they know which apartment you are in or saw you go into the building then they probably won't be there tomorrow."
"You're right about that," Joe agreed bitterly. "They wouldn't care enough."