When Joe awoke the next morning, he felt terrible. His eyes were red and puffy and his head felt like the Philharmonic orchestra was performing Beethoven's fifth symphony out of tune in his head.
His stomach growled and he sat up, swinging his feet off the bed. At some point in the night he had managed to get under the cover although if he had done this under his own steam or with help, he had no idea. All he knew was the snow had stopped and their road would be cleared today. Everyone would leave and he and his family would start getting back to normal.
He thought about not going downstairs until after the Hardy had left, but the smell of bacon was wafting into the room and its tantalizing aroma was stronger than Joe's fears at the moment.
He quickly dressed and went downstairs. Meeting up with Pierce in the living room, he gave him an apologetic grin. "Sorry I ditched you yesterday," he said.
"Don't worry about it," Pierce said. "Need to talk?"
"No," Joe said, shaking his head. "I'm okay."
"Right," Pierce agreed, giving him a sardonic smile. "And it's a balmy summer day outside."
Joe sighed. "I can't get away with anything around you, can I?" he asked.
"Nope," Pierce agreed in a cheerful tone. "Now, talk to me. You've kept this inside for way too long."
Joe looked at him quizzically. "You already know about yesterday," he observed.
"A bit," Pierce admitted. "But you were overwrought and they were the ones you were having problems with. Talk to me. I make a real good sounding board."
Joe gave him a sad smile. "You have never let me down," he said. "And I love you like a brother. Well, maybe not," he added on second thought, frowning.
"Joe, relax. I love you too. Now, this is hard for me to say, so listen up 'cause I'm not gonna say it again. You need to sit down with the Hardys and listen to them," Pierce told him, putting an arm around his shoulders.
"They hurt you and they have been hurt by what they did but I think that maybe, there is more to this whole mess than just your incarceration and their betrayal. Whatever happened between you and them started a long time before then and you need to work it out. It's gonna eat at you until it kills you if you don't and those kids of yours deserve a father for as long as they can."
"A father," Joe said in disgust, his expression sour. "What kind of father am I going to be?" he asked. "I made a lousy son and brother. Whatever made me think I could be a good husband and father?"
"I'll hear no more of that kind of talk," Pierce told him sternly. "I've seen you in action and I've talked to Roxy. We spent a few hours last night talking and getting to know each other better after the kids went to bed. She's an alright girl but YOU are still better than she deserves."
"Now just one minute!" Joe began angrily, his face going red. He couldn't believe Pierce was insulting his wife. She was perfection!
"Calm down!" Pierce said, laughing at Joe's immediate defense of Roxy. "See, you are her knight in shining armor. How could she want anything more than what she has? How could those kids of yours ask for a better father? They couldn't. I know you. You would die before you would ever let anything happen to them and if it ever came down to one of them going to prison, you would take him and move out of the country first."
Joe's guilty look confirmed that he had thought that himself. "Your dad has made some mistakes. A lot, I'll grant you. And so did your brother and mom. But I honestly think they do love you. Give them a chance to show it."
"You're taking their side now?" Joe demanded in disbelief, his blue eyes wide in his pale face.
"No. I'm on your side and I always will be no matter what. See, you gave me something in prison too. Someone to care about. And even though I still hate your old man, I know that he can give you something I will never be able to. Peace."
Fenton moved away from the kitchen door where he had been standing still and listening to the conversation in the next room.
"What is it?" Laura demanded, looking at her husband fearfully. "Was it Joe?"
Fenton nodded. "And Pierce."
"They are going to kick us out without a chance, aren't they?" Frank asked, his lips set in a grim line.
"No," Fenton denied, sitting down at the counter. "Pierce told Joe to give us a chance."
"But I thought he hated you," Callie said, confusion evident on her face.
"He does," Fenton acknowledged. "But he loves Joe more."
"You think Joe knows Roxy is upstairs working with the girls in their office?" Callie inquired thoughtfully.
"I doubt it," Frank said. "He wouldn't have come down here if he knew it was just us."
Callie stood up. "Where are you going?" Frank asked, his forehead wrinkling.
"I don't think I should be here either," Callie said. "This is between you and Joe."
"You're part of this family," Frank reminded her sternly.
"I know," she said, smiling down at him. "But I think it will be easier on everyone, especially Joe, if I'm not here this morning." Frank frowned. "You'll be fine," Callie assured him, leaning down and planting a kiss on his head before she left.
Frank gave a small sigh. She was right, he knew. But his stomach was in so many knots he needed all the support he could get. If Joe kicked them out, they would never get another chance to set things right.
"Who is going to tell him breakfast is ready?" Laura asked, looking from one brown head to the other.
Fenton rose and made for the connecting door, turning in mid-stride when a knock sounded at the kitchen door. He opened the door to reveal two uniformed officers standing there. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"We're looking for an escaped convict," one of the officers said. He gave a description that fit Pierce. "Have you seen him?"
His stomach growled and he sat up, swinging his feet off the bed. At some point in the night he had managed to get under the cover although if he had done this under his own steam or with help, he had no idea. All he knew was the snow had stopped and their road would be cleared today. Everyone would leave and he and his family would start getting back to normal.
He thought about not going downstairs until after the Hardy had left, but the smell of bacon was wafting into the room and its tantalizing aroma was stronger than Joe's fears at the moment.
He quickly dressed and went downstairs. Meeting up with Pierce in the living room, he gave him an apologetic grin. "Sorry I ditched you yesterday," he said.
"Don't worry about it," Pierce said. "Need to talk?"
"No," Joe said, shaking his head. "I'm okay."
"Right," Pierce agreed, giving him a sardonic smile. "And it's a balmy summer day outside."
Joe sighed. "I can't get away with anything around you, can I?" he asked.
"Nope," Pierce agreed in a cheerful tone. "Now, talk to me. You've kept this inside for way too long."
Joe looked at him quizzically. "You already know about yesterday," he observed.
"A bit," Pierce admitted. "But you were overwrought and they were the ones you were having problems with. Talk to me. I make a real good sounding board."
Joe gave him a sad smile. "You have never let me down," he said. "And I love you like a brother. Well, maybe not," he added on second thought, frowning.
"Joe, relax. I love you too. Now, this is hard for me to say, so listen up 'cause I'm not gonna say it again. You need to sit down with the Hardys and listen to them," Pierce told him, putting an arm around his shoulders.
"They hurt you and they have been hurt by what they did but I think that maybe, there is more to this whole mess than just your incarceration and their betrayal. Whatever happened between you and them started a long time before then and you need to work it out. It's gonna eat at you until it kills you if you don't and those kids of yours deserve a father for as long as they can."
"A father," Joe said in disgust, his expression sour. "What kind of father am I going to be?" he asked. "I made a lousy son and brother. Whatever made me think I could be a good husband and father?"
"I'll hear no more of that kind of talk," Pierce told him sternly. "I've seen you in action and I've talked to Roxy. We spent a few hours last night talking and getting to know each other better after the kids went to bed. She's an alright girl but YOU are still better than she deserves."
"Now just one minute!" Joe began angrily, his face going red. He couldn't believe Pierce was insulting his wife. She was perfection!
"Calm down!" Pierce said, laughing at Joe's immediate defense of Roxy. "See, you are her knight in shining armor. How could she want anything more than what she has? How could those kids of yours ask for a better father? They couldn't. I know you. You would die before you would ever let anything happen to them and if it ever came down to one of them going to prison, you would take him and move out of the country first."
Joe's guilty look confirmed that he had thought that himself. "Your dad has made some mistakes. A lot, I'll grant you. And so did your brother and mom. But I honestly think they do love you. Give them a chance to show it."
"You're taking their side now?" Joe demanded in disbelief, his blue eyes wide in his pale face.
"No. I'm on your side and I always will be no matter what. See, you gave me something in prison too. Someone to care about. And even though I still hate your old man, I know that he can give you something I will never be able to. Peace."
Fenton moved away from the kitchen door where he had been standing still and listening to the conversation in the next room.
"What is it?" Laura demanded, looking at her husband fearfully. "Was it Joe?"
Fenton nodded. "And Pierce."
"They are going to kick us out without a chance, aren't they?" Frank asked, his lips set in a grim line.
"No," Fenton denied, sitting down at the counter. "Pierce told Joe to give us a chance."
"But I thought he hated you," Callie said, confusion evident on her face.
"He does," Fenton acknowledged. "But he loves Joe more."
"You think Joe knows Roxy is upstairs working with the girls in their office?" Callie inquired thoughtfully.
"I doubt it," Frank said. "He wouldn't have come down here if he knew it was just us."
Callie stood up. "Where are you going?" Frank asked, his forehead wrinkling.
"I don't think I should be here either," Callie said. "This is between you and Joe."
"You're part of this family," Frank reminded her sternly.
"I know," she said, smiling down at him. "But I think it will be easier on everyone, especially Joe, if I'm not here this morning." Frank frowned. "You'll be fine," Callie assured him, leaning down and planting a kiss on his head before she left.
Frank gave a small sigh. She was right, he knew. But his stomach was in so many knots he needed all the support he could get. If Joe kicked them out, they would never get another chance to set things right.
"Who is going to tell him breakfast is ready?" Laura asked, looking from one brown head to the other.
Fenton rose and made for the connecting door, turning in mid-stride when a knock sounded at the kitchen door. He opened the door to reveal two uniformed officers standing there. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"We're looking for an escaped convict," one of the officers said. He gave a description that fit Pierce. "Have you seen him?"