LITTLE BOY LOST
by
Phoenix
Chapter 19
The Chapters
Joe was exhausted. He rubbed his eyes and stared out the window as the car wound into the suburbs of Bayport. Nothing looked familiar and with each passing moment, he just felt more anxious.
He thought about the woman he’d known as his mother for the past two years and felt his eyes burn. He was so confused – he had two mothers and he wanted them both.
“So what’d’ja think?” Frank’s voice startled Joe and he jerked towards his brother, hastily scrubbing at his eyes so the other boy wouldn’t see he was upset. But Frank wasn’t looking at him now, he was staring and pointing out the front window towards a large, two story house as the car turned into the driveway.
Joe felt a jolt of fear –
‘This is your home now,’ Daddy growled as he towered over the sick boy, ‘if you even think about that other place, I’ll burn it to the ground – do you hear me, boy? To the ground!’
The car had barely stopped and the blond boy out the back door before he was on his knees, retching in the grass.
Laura’s hand on his back and Frank’s concerned voice echoed around him. Joe scrunched his eyes closed and jerked away. His mother persisted and pulled him back towards her, wrapping her arms around his body and rocking him gently. It took him a moment to realize she was humming something – something familiar…
Hush little baby, don’t say a word, Mommy’s gonna buy you a mocking bird…
For the second time in so few hours, the eight year old turned around and buried himself in this mother.
“Laura?” Fenton’s voice made him stiffen. “Let me take him—”
“No!” Joe shoved away from his mother and stood up. He felt the familiar rush of panic, the desperate need to get away. He shouldn’t be here!
‘I’ll kill’em all!’
But Frank grabbed his arm and pulled eagerly. Joe fought briefly but then deflated – he liked Frank. So reluctantly the child followed but he glanced warily at Fenton as he passed. If his brother noticed, he didn’t say anything. “C’mon, Joey, I’m hungry.”
The blond boy started. His mouth dropped in surprise. “But – but you just had ice cream!”
“Yeah,” Frank challenged, almost towing him up the front steps now, “what’s your point?”
Joe just shook his head mutely. The rules had all changed again.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Fenton watched the children head towards the front door. He glanced at his wife, “What was all that about?”
Laura chewed her lip thoughtfully and then shook her head. She reached back in the car for her purse and then hurried to catch up as the boys were now waiting outside the locked door.
The detective followed more slowly after making sure all the car doors were locked. Joe’s reaction to him was unsettling and he wondered if he should take it personally. Was his son actually recoiling from him, or from the way he was treated by his male abductor?
He sighed and not for the first time, wished to God he had never let Joe walk out that door.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Two apples later, Frank took Joe on a ‘tour’ of the house, ending with their bedrooms.
Joe walked into his room and looked around. It was bigger than his other room and he slowly walked around, checking out the closet, running his finger along the comforter, peeking in the bureau drawers. He frowned and looked at Frank, “I don’t have any clothes.” He spoke softly and now it was the dark-haired boy’s turn to frown. He wasn’t used to a reticent little brother.
Frank came over and looked. He frowned for a moment and then grinned. “Guess you get to go naked then!”
The younger boy was mortified and just stared at the bigger boy. He can’t be serious?
“I’m just fooling ya,” his brother grinned and Joe could finally breathe again. “I got some stuff you can wear until Mom and Dad take you shopping.”
“Shopping?” Joe actually squeaked. Now he was truly horrified. “I c-can’t go shopping!” The few trips he’d been on out of sheer necessity always began with his Daddy taking him to the side and thoroughly threatening what would happen if Joe tried to get away. By the time they’d get to the store, the kid would almost be hyperventilating. “I can’t, Frank, I just can’t!” He was shaking his head and backed away from the open drawer.
“Hey, take it easy,” Frank held up his hands to placate as Joe suddenly found it hard to breathe. “It ain’t so bad!” His brown eyes tracked Joe as he continued to back away until the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and he sat down. “Mom always takes us to McDonalds’s™ afterwards.”
“McDonald’s™?” That piqued Joe’s interest. His other Mom had taken him there once. His Daddy, in a rare moment of something, had even let him keep the toy. “Really?” His blue eyes lit up. “Could I get a toy?”
Frank laughed. “Well duh. Every Happy Meal comes with one.”
Joe sighed wearily and let himself fall back on the bed. He felt the bed dip and knew his brother had sat down beside him.
“Can I ask you something?” The cautious note in Frank’s voice set off a warning bell. “Without you freaking out?” That didn’t help.
The blond boy turned onto his side and slowly pulled his legs up towards his body. He hugged himself and then shrugged. “’Kay.” It came out as a whisper.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Joe blinked – okay, he hadn’t been expecting that. He twisted his head to look at his brother. “What?”
Dark brown eyes held his gaze steadily. “You weren’t like this before.”
The younger boy frowned but before he could answer, a soft voice from the doorway interrupted. “Frank, why don’t you let your brother lie down for a bit – it’s been a pretty exciting day for him.” Her eyes softened as she looked at Joe and the little boy felt something tighten in his chest, “for us all.” She came into the room and stood by the bed. “We’ll be right downstairs if you need us, okay?”
Joe nodded and closed his eyes, grateful for the alone time, but conflicted at the same time as he heard them leave and had to stop himself from chasing after them.
He just hoped this wasn’t all a dream and that when he woke up, he was somewhere else…
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
“Frank, honey, your dad and I need to talk to you,” Laura said quietly as they moved down the stairs. The little boy frowned and she quickly added, “Don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble, we just need to talk to you about Joey.”
The nine year old scowled as he followed his mother into the kitchen and saw his father was already sitting at the table drinking a coffee. His mother poured him a glass of chocolate milk and then sat down next to Frank; her hand brushed his hair gently before she picked up her own steaming mug and took a sip. Tea, Frank figured.
“Frank,” his father started with a sigh as he ran a hand absently through his own dark hair, “we’re going to need your help with your brother.” Instantly, the man had his full attention, chocolate milk forgotten. “The people who had Joe mixed him up a lot. They made him think terrible things would happen to me, you and your mom if we ever found him—”
“Is that why he keeps freaking out?” Frank interrupted as he leaned towards his father, anxious to find out what was going on. His father nodded his head,
“We think so. It’s pretty confusing for him now so he’s going to need our support while he’s figuring all this out.” Frank was already nodding. Of course he’d help his brother, duh! His father smiled and kept talking, “before you roll your eyes, you also need to realize that while that little boy upstairs is your brother – he’s our Joey – he isn’t ever going to be the Joey we remember. He’s changed, Frank. He’s had two years of growing without us, and it’s changed him. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Frank felt his mother rubbing his arm gently and he frowned, not liking what he was hearing anymore. He didn’t want Joe changed. He wanted everything to be like it was before Joe disappeared. “But,” he started, his eyes burning as he felt like they were taking his brother away from him again, “I don’t want him changed.”
“Oh sweetie,” his mother’s voice made him look at her. Her blue eyes searched his face, “that’s not possible. Everyone changes but that doesn’t mean he’s any less your brother. He’s just not your six-year-old brother anymore, that’s all.”
The boy dropped his gaze and fingered the condensation on his glass. He chewed his lip and thought about what they were trying to say. Frank wasn’t stupid, he’d already noticed that Joe was different – definitely more emotional, that was for sure – but he just hated hearing that that was the way things had to be. He had been so hoping that once they’d found Joe, their old lives would continue again. His father continued quietly,
“Frank, we’re not saying that with enough time, support and understanding, we won’t start to see some of our Joey, but we can’t pressure him… We have to let him be different and get to know him all over again.” Fenton paused and reached out to tip Frank’s chin so the nine year old was looking at him again. “Can you do that? Can you let Joey be different?”
Frank slowly nodded his head. Of course he could. This was his little brother they were talking about! His father grinned and ruffled his hair as his mother planted a warm kiss on his cheek, which Frank hastily scrubbed off even as it made him feel very loved –
And then Joe screamed.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.