Chapter 2

"Okay, Joe this isn't funny," Frank said lowering his brother on the floor. Fenton was coming back from their lab when he had heard a 'thump' and hurried over to his sons. They lifted Joe up and onto the bed while Laura hurried to the bathroom wetting a cloth.

When she returned, she found Joe sitting up in bed with glazed eyes as Fenton and Frank had a hand on his back for support while they adjusted the pillows behind him. He looked like he had no idea where he was, well to her anyway she didn't know how he looked to Fenton and Frank. Walking over to her youngest son, she placed her hand on his hand and her hand shot back like she had been bitten by a snake. He was burning up!

"Frank, go get the thermometer, please," she asked in a soft but hurry up tone. He hurried off knowing that that tone meant he better hurry up.

When Frank came back, Joe didn't have the glaze look in his eyes anymore. It looked like that he was getting ready to throw up again, but he had a trashcan right next to him just in case. He instantly remembered the intruder but couldn't find him anywhere but that didn't matter right now… his brother was the only thing that mattered. He barely noticed that his father was gone; probably went back to the lab to anyalize the little of the stuff in that needle. He was probably wondering if that was it that was making Joe sick.

Handing the thermometer to his mother, she told him to open his mouth while she took his temperature.

The beep sounded about 30 seconds later when it had done what it was made for. Laura shook her head sadly, "102.2," she sighed loudly brushing some of Joe's golden locks away from his eyes. His baby blue eyes, usually bright and happy were now dull and loss of life that he usually had.

"Joe, you need to get some rest,"Frank said sitting down on the bed beside him. "Mom, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah. Joe, we're going to be gone for just a minute. Please try to go to sleep," she said reluctantly not wanting to leave her sick son for anything, but she knew if Frank wanted to talk to her when his brother was really ill than it was very important.

"Hmph," Joe mumbled telling both of them that he understood. Frank and Laura headed out the door, closing it very quietly.

Outside on Laura's face you could tell she was extremely worried even though she rarely ever showed how she felt, it was starting to show through. "Do you think that man is responsible for this?"

"No," he said matter-of-factly expecting the shocked look that Laura gave him. "He's been sick for almost a week now. You remember the last case we were on?" She nodded. "When we were undercover, Joe was poisoned when they captured him after finding out his real idenity." Laura looked like she was about to tackle him, but Frank spoke before she could, "He made me promise, mom. He made me promise that I wouldn't tell you because he didn't want you to know of how much pain he was in. I had to respect that and you know that. You understand, don't you?"

Laura thought for a while letting the news soak in. "Yes, I understand." It then hit her that when her boys had come home that Joe was coughing a lot and was deathly pale, but she paid no heed to it because he had told her that he was just extremely tired and the lack of sleep was catching up with him. She was kicking herself in the side knowing that that was HER boy and she should have noticed something was wrong, but knew that she was just happy to see both of them home safe and sound, well for the most part.

Flashback

Looking around in the cold, damp room (basement like thing), Joe looked for some place of escape. He knew Frank would find him just didn't know when and he didn't think he could survive much longer. They had made him terribly sick with something and he could hardly move. To add to that that had beaten him with a whip, but not bad. He was hoping Frank would get there soon, very soon at that.

Hearing a noise at the top of the stairs, he jerked his head up ready for the torture today, but all he saw was a dark shadow and no hysterical laughter and the on and on ramble of what was to come today. Hearing an intake of breath he knew it was Frank just by the reaction. Hurried steps were heard running down the stairs, turning on the light. He was so happy to see his brother to his rescue… again.

Frank ran over to him taking the tape off Joe's mouth, while hugging him at the same time. Hearing a moan, Frank eased off noticing the pained look in his baby brother's face.

"What have they done to you?" he asked not expecting an answer. He pulled out his pocket knife and cut the bonds that had held his brother for so long. Noticing how easily they were to come of he knew that Joe was extremely weak.

"A lot," was all of Joe's reply because he was so weak. Frank was shocked to hear that his baby brother could still talk with how dehydrated he looked.

"Can, you stand?" Frank asked. He knew he had to get Joe out of here and to a doctor because of the torture he knew he had gone through and of the infections running through his body from the open wounds that looked an angry red, a tell-tell sign of an infection.

"I don't know. Let me try." Joe moved to get up, but fell back to his butt with a loud moan when he had made it about two feet off the ground.

"I guess that's a no," Frank thought for while and realized that if he couldn't get Joe up the stairs, he would have to knock him unconscious because his pride would not let Frank carry him up the stairs. "Well I'll help you get up the stairs."

Taking Joe's arm and putting it around his shoulder and noticed that most of Joe's wieght was on him. The moving was slow going and they had made it half way up the stairs when Joe collapsed. But not just collapsed, he had passed out from the stress.

'Well that was better than knocking him out,' Frank thought. Getting Joe in a bridle carry he made it up the stairs and out the house to their car much quicker. Frank pushed Joe into the backseat for him to lie down. He moaned when Frank started up the car making his head turn around and look at the helpless form on the back seat. Joe's eyes fluttered open and stared right at Frank in an almost unseeing matter.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked Frank in a low voice.

"To the hospital, you need help." Joe shoock his head slowly saying that he didn't want to go there. He hated hospitals since he's been there almost all of his life. "Do you want mom to find out?" He shook his head faster saying he would go to the hospital more if his mother didn't find out. "Ok, it'll be just for a little bit."

"Please, don't let mom find out," Joe said.

"Okay, I'll tell her we're going to stay here so we can hang around here since we liked it so much. Is that ok?" Joe nodded and they headed towards the hospital.