Chapter Five

Present

"I will never forget the day you three came home, with Joe a mess," Laura commented, smiling fondly at the memory. "I didn't know whether to congratulate you, ground you, or go after that boy myself."

Fenton chuckled. "I remember enrolling the boys in self-defense class. I figured that, if they're going to fight, then they should at least know what they were doing."

"Good thing, too," Tony replied. "I don't know how many times one of them had to pull the other one out of trouble."

A loud growling sound cut into the conversation. All eyes turned to Chet, who shrugged innocently.

"Sorry," Biff spoke up. "Me."

Vanessa giggled. "I guess it's dinnertime. I was so caught up in the stories I completely lost track of time."

"Yeah, I gotta call my folks and tell them where I am," Phil stated.

"You kids should go on home," Laura said. "We don't want you to miss your break."

"If it's all the same to you, we'd rather stay here," Chet told her. "At least here we can be together and wait for word on Joe."

"Tell you what," Tony said. "I'll go to Mr. Pizza and pick up a couple pies for us. That way I can also tell my dad what's going on."

"I'll go with you," Phil volunteered. "I'll call my parents on the way."

The rest of us can call while we wait," Vanessa said, pulling out her cell. "Let's go, guys. No cells in the hospital, remember?"

As a group, the teens moved out of the waiting room to the elevator. Fenton and Laura smiled at one another, wrapped their arms around each other's waists, and left to check on their sons.

Frank looked up from Joe's pale, still face when he heard his parents enter the room. He had been talking to Joe about school and their plans for break, hoping to rouse Hoe from the fever-induced slumber he'd slipped into.

"Any change?" Laura asked hopefully, laying a hand on Joe's brow.

Frank sighed. "None. Is everyone still out there?"

"They went to pick up some dinner and call their parents," Fenton told him, dropping a hand on his son's shoulder. "You should join them. You need to eat."

"But Joe . . ." Frank protested.

"Come on, Frank," Fenton insisted. "Your mom will sit with him for awhile."

Frank relented, and he and his father left the room.


" . . . so, after this water fight is over, I'm thinking we'll finally get the chance to question this college student. Well, as I'm trying, Joe and a couple other guys are runnin' down the hall and sliding on the wet floor."

Laughter erupted at Frank's story. Frank grinned and helped himself to another slice of pizza. Other patrons in the hospital cafeteria threw them annoyed glances, but none of the teens nor Fenton paid them any mind.

"It's hard enough to get people to look past your age and see your accomplishments," Frank continued. "Joe just acts normal, regardless, and dares anyone not to take him at his word."

"I still can't get over how you two met Nicky Chambers, the Sharks' owner," Chet chuckled. "That was priceless."

"Joe is such a clown sometimes," Vanessa remarked. "But he does know how to make people laugh and feel better."

"Tell me about it," Tony stated.

Biff rapped his knuckles on the table. "Uh-oh! Don I hear a Joe story coming?"

Everyone laughed.

"Seriously," Tony said. "It was about a month ago. I was feeling the pressure from school, and Mr. Pizza was getting busier. Not to mention half the workers called in sick. My life was a living nightmare! To make matters worse, I bit off the head of every single person who tried to cheer me up. Including Joe."

"Wait, just the one time?" Chet kidded.

Tony swatted him on the back of the head playfully.

"So what happened?" Callie asked, taking another bite of her pizza.