Months passed, and the Hardys continued to visit the orphanage. It became more and more apparent that little Mikey would be the child that they would adopt. Cynthia ended up being adopted by another couple, which made the Hardys glad for her, and Samantha and Frank did not get along at all. Fenton and Laura had a long talk with the child, and were sure she understood. That was okay, she said. She didn't like Frank very much, and was optimistic enough that someone else would adopt her. And if not, she didn't particularly mind.
The visit where Mikey would go home with his new family was an exciting one for everyone, even Frank, who was still a little worried about the new addition. The Hardys walked into the orphanage and were greeted by a man who introduced himself as Dr. Friezman. A psychologist, it turned out, who always interviewed prospective parents. Although the adult Hardys had been screened far more intensively weeks ago, the doctor still wanted to have a chat with them.
Frank was somewhat intimidated by the psychologist, who reminded him a little bit of a mad scientist. There was no goatee, but the doctor did wear thick glasses, and a white coat like Frank's pediatrician wore. And while Frank was used to adults being far taller than he, this one seemed more so than normal. He was a whole head taller than his mom, and even had a few inches on Fenton. Tall and skinny, just like the evil doctors in books and movies. "I am glad to see you again, Mr. And Mrs. Hardy," Dr. Friezman said. He smiled warmly and shook hands with them both, then looked to Frank. "And it is good to meet you, Frank Hardy."
The doctor offered his hand, but Frank shook his head and backed off a step, his eyes wide. "Uh-uh," he said, refusing. "You're creepy."
Fenton blinked, and then stifled a laugh, and Laura looked at the boy, surprise on her face. "Frank!" she said, laughing with a sort of shocked amusement. "That wasn't nice!"
The doctor looked anything but offended. He chuckled and knelt, so that he wasn't looming over the boy. "That's okay," said the doctor in a conspiratorial whisper. "A lot of grown-ups think I'm creepy, too. It's kind of fun." He winked. Then stood up again, leaving Frank wondering if he should be worried, or relieved. After a moment, he seemed to think that the doctor was okay. Really weird, but okay.
Dr. Friezman asked the Hardys what had made them decide to adopt Mikey, and they gave him all their reasons, told him how they had developed a relationship over the months they visited, and how they had brought Frank to make sure the adoption would not cause a lot of grief for the children. In tones of slight amusement, they told him about Frank and Samantha's first meeting. Frank looked a little embarrassed, but said nothing.
And then Dr. Friezman turned to Frank. "What about you, young man? What do you think about all this?"
Frank looked at him a moment, clearly not having expected to be addressed about the situation. The boy shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. It'll be weird, though."
"Why weird?" the doctor asked curiously.
"Well, it's kinda like having a friend stay the night, but they're not just staying one night, but all the nights. It's not like if Mom had a baby, or something."
Dr. Friezman nodded. "You're right, it is a little more unusual, when an older child is adopted. Do you think you'll like having a brother?
Again, Frank shrugged. "I think so. It's better than a sister."
Fenton and Laura shrugged, but the doctor simply nodded. "I understand," he told the boy. "I used to think that about my sister, too. But, we grew out of fighting, eventually." He grinned, and Frank actually grinned back. No, this doctor was not so creepy after all.
"Well," said the doctor, finally standing. "I think that Mikey will have a fine home with your family." He looked at Frank and smiled. "And I think that you will be a fine big brother."
Frank found himself smiling, pleased, at this praise. "Thanks," he said.
"Well, if you'd like to wait here, I'll bring young Mikey in so you can tell him the news. The paperwork will take a week or two to get in order, but then you should be able to take your son home."
"Thank you," Laura said. To Frank's astonishment, she looked nervous! "We appreciate your time."
"It was my pleasure." Dr. Friezman left then, leaving the Hardys alone for the moment.
"How come we have to wait two weeks?" Frank asked.
"Well, there are a lot of things that you need when you adopt a child," said Fenton. "Their birth certificate, and the like, and there are a ton of forms that you have to sign. And it just all takes a long time to make sure it's in order, and there's no mistakes."
"Oh. That's kinda dumb," said Frank.
Fenton laughed aloud. As a detective, he knew how tedious paperwork was. "I agree, kiddo," he said. "But unfortunately, it's necessary."
Just then, the door opened again, and Mikey came in, looking curious. "Hi!" he greeted the Hardy's, his blue eyes looking questioningly up at them. He looked at Frank and said hi to him, also, before looking back to the adults.
"Mr. And Mrs. Hardy have some news for you, Mikey," said the doctor.
"Really?"
Laura nodded. "Yes." She knelt, and looked the little boy in the eye. "Fenton and I would like to adopt you, if you'd like to come and live with us." Mikey's eyes got very big, and his expression very serious.
Fenton spoke, his voice soft. "Of course, kiddo, if you don't think you'd be comfortable with us as your family, please say so. This is a decision that all of us must agree on."
For several moments, there was nothing, as Mikey only stood there, gaping, his eyes large and round. Finally he opened his mouth and spoke, in a shaky voice. "Y-you're really gonna adopt me?"
Laura smiled. "Yes. We're really going to adopt you. If you want us."
Mikey laughed, exhilaration in his voice, and he began jumping up and down excitedly. "Yes! Yes! I do, I wanna get adopted by you!" He flung himself forward and threw his arms around Laura's neck.
Laura's somewhat tentative smile widened, and the uncertainly left her expression as she hugged the child. "We're very glad," she said to him, laughing a bit; as even while he was hugging her, he was jumping up and down. For the sake of her neck, she gently separated him from it.
"Can we go now? You have a house, right? Do you have any other kids? Will I go to school here or a regular school?"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there a bit," said Fenton, in answer to the rapid-fire assault of queries. "Easy, kiddo. We can't take you home just yet," he told him. Mikey stopped jumping, and his wide grin faded a little. "There's a lot of paperwork to sign, and you have to get ready to move, too." He ruffled the boy's flaxen hair. "But it should only take one or two weeks. You'll see, it'll go very fast.
"Awww, but I wanna go today!"
Dr. Friezman stepped in then, laying a hand on the child's head. "Now, Mikey," he said to him. "Surely you want to tell the other kids goodbye, right? And you'll want to take your belongings home, right? You'll need time to prepare, as well."
"Wellll," said Mikey, scowling a bit. He hated when the grown-ups were right. That meant he had to admit it! "Okay...but could the papers get hurried up?"
With no trace of a chuckle, the doctor nodded seriously. "I'll see what I can do. Fair enough?"
"Yeah!" said Mikey, looking excited again. "Fair enough! Wow, I can't wait!"
The family-to-be spent a little more time together, talking about the change that would soon take place, and then Mikey was taken back to his classroom, where he'd been pulled from. Needless to say, the boy didn't concentrate well on the activities the kindergarten teacher was giving.
When the day came, Mikey looked both scared to death and almost painfully excited. Waiting for him in the front office was a trunk with his belongings in it, as well as a bookbag and a duffel. Bundled in mittens, a hat, and a heavy red coat, Mikey was led into the area by Dr. Friezman/
"Well, Mikey," said the doctor. "Looks like time went pretty fast, after all, no?"
The boy nodded, too excited to speak.
The doctor knelt by him and smiled. "Now you be good, got it, kiddo?" he said. He tapped the boy on the nose, making him giggle and cover his nose indignantly. Mikey nodded, and the doctor gave him a short hug. "You'll do great; the Hardys are good people. Good luck now." He stood, and gently nudged the boy towards the Hardys.
Laura held out her hand, which Mikey took, looking uncharacteristically shy. A couple of workers from the orphanage helped to carry Mikey's things to the car.
The ride home was one of the weirdest ones, Frank Hardy thought. He kept looking at the new boy as if he might be an alien, or something equally bizarre. Mikey seemed not to notice this scrutiny, as he gazed eagerly out the window, at his new parents, his new brother, the car...anything that happened to catch his eye.
When they got home, there was considerable activity. Fenton and Laura helped Mikey get his belongings out of the car, and even Frank helped, so that he was not left out. One of the guest rooms upstairs had been staked out as Mikey's, and his things were put there. There were white sheets on the bed, and a dresser in the corner. "We'll get you a desk, eventually," said Laura, as they brought in a trunk with Mikey's clothing in it.
"Okay!" Mikey gazed at the room as if it were a palace. "I get my own room?"
Fenton chuckled. "Yep, you get your own room. The orphanage had dorms, didn't they? Shared rooms?"
Mikey nodded. "Yeah, there's four kids in the rooms, with bunk beds. I got an under bunk though, I don't like being up high."
"Well, tell you what," said Fenton, looking down at Frank, who stood close to him. He put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Would you mind showing Mikey around, Frank? Show him all the house, and where everyone is? That would be a big help. Your mother's going to start supper soon, and I have a bit of work to do in my study."
The boy smiled a bit, and nodded. "Okay," he said, and looked at Mikey. "C'mon...we'll start in the attic."
"Okay!" Mikey grinned and left the room, following Frank towards the attic stairs. Fenton and Laura watched them for a few moments.
"You okay?" Fenton asked.
Laura sighed, and nodded, leaning against the wall in a mock display of exhaustion. "I'm fine," she said, laughing a bit. "Just...what a day!" The smile that appeared on her face showed that she in no way was regretting their decision.
"Indeed! Well, I'll be in the study if you need me."
Laura nodded, and the two went to their respective tasks.
The next couple of weeks were dedicated to getting Mikey settled into his new home. Frank was at school during the day, and Fenton was usually working on whatever case he had going at the time, as well. Laura was usually the one who ended up helping the child settle in. He learned the rules of the house (which were actually simple rules of courtesy and safety, very similar to the orphanage). He learned where everything was, and met Aunt Gertrude. The two seemed to take an immediate dislike to each other, and the visit had ended with a stubborn scowl on Joe's face, and a disapproving scold from Aunt Gertrude. Laura vowed not to let the two together often if she could possibly help it. Even Fenton, normally quite tolerant of his older sister's ways, was highly annoyed at her.
There were times when Mikey got homesick, as the orphanage had been his home all of his life. He missed his friends, and he missed the adults there, and his new home was strange and a little frightening. Laura and Fenton did what they could, and even Frank helped sometimes, distracting Mikey with a game. Sometimes, if he was feeling energetic or impish, he'd tickle the boy until he laughed, which always ended with Mikey getting indignant that he'd been made to laugh, then tackling Frank. The ensuing wrestling matches left the boys out of breath and usually giggling.
At the two-week mark, a representative from the orphanage, Dr. Friezman's assistant, stopped by to see how Mikey was doing. He talked with Fenton and Laura, and then with Mikey, and was apparently satisfied with the child's adaptation. It was obvious that he had been adopted into a good home.
Mikey had been in Kindergarten at the orphanage, but it was close enough to the end of the school year that Fenton and Laura decided to just keep him home for now, make sure he learned what he needed to, and have him attend the first grade in the fall.
The two adults also tried to pay a little more attention to Frank than they usually did, as it was clear that he was beginning to get jealous of the fuss that was being made over Mikey. The effort seemed to help, for now.
As the school year ended, Mikey was asked if he wanted to keep his name, or have a new one. The Hardys certainly were not going to make him change his name, save for his last name, if he didn't want to. A child's name was his, and they felt it wrong to make him change it.
Mikey actually surprised them by saying that he would like to have a new name. He seemed to make this decision mostly out of a sense of adventure, although he did say that it made sense to change his name, since he was living a new life. He didn't quite use those terms, but the gist was clearly enough. Fenton was amazed by the wisdom that most children possessed, that many adults never realized.
When asked what he would like his new name to be, Mikey wasn't sure. He did know he wanted to keep Michael as a middle name, and his new parents agreed. "Maybe two middle names!" the child said. That would be different!
"We'll talk it over," said Fenton. "We have three months to decide on a name. After that, whatever your name is at the time is what will be on the adoption papers and the adoption records."
"Okay," the little boy agreed. If anything, he seemed a very agreeable sort, unless he was being stubborn. And then he was as contrary, obstinate, and unyielding as a stone mule! The kid had a will of steel, when he wanted to. Fenton had thought many times that it was a good thing the child was mostly happy with being agreeable.
Once school was over, the boys were home together quite a lot. The two children that Frank usually played with were not around this summer; one had moved, and the other was on a two-month vacation with his parents, and that had Frank feeling a little blue.
Mikey had decided that he wanted his name to be Joseph, after a character in one of his favorite story series, a mystery series that they had been reading to the children in the orphanage before Mikey left it. He wanted his first name to be Joseph, and one of his middle names to be Michael. "What about your other middle name?" Fenton asked him curiously.
Mikey thought carefully about this. "I dunno!" he finally said. "What sounds good?"
Laura spoke up. "Perhaps we can give you a middle name that honors one of our family members," she said to him. "Like we did Frank. His middle name is Benjamin, after my father."
Mikey's expression grew thoughtful, and then he broke into a grin. That was the best idea, he thought. That could make him really a part of the family! "Okay!" he agreed eagerly. "Who's the person that I'd get the name from?"
"Well," said Laura, looking to her husband. "I'm not sure. Frank's name is from my side of the family, Fenton, perhaps Mikey's should be from yours?"
"That'd be fantastic," said Fenton. "And I know just the one. My older brother, Alexander. I always admired him most out of all my family, even if we did fight a lot." The detective looked at his younger son, and raised his eyebrows. "Well? What do you think? Joseph Michael Alexander Hardy. How's that sound?"
Mikey giggled. "I like it!"
"Okay, then! I'll contact the orphanage this afternoon and let them know of the change!"
"Cool! I'm gonna go tell Frank!" The newly named child ran up the stairs to find the older boy, who happened to be up in the attic, looking at a box of his father's old belongings. The kids were allowed in the attic to look at all the old stuff, so long as they were both careful, and put things back when they were done.
Frank looked up from a baseball card he was holding. "Hi," he said, trying not to sound too irritable. Mikey seemed to like to follow him around, and Frank didn't like it. It was enough that Mikey was taking up his parents' time, but did he have to act like some kind of lovesick puppy?
"Guess what? I got a new name!"
Frank blinked. "You did?"
"Yeah! They said that I could, since this name was from my old family, but I didn't have to get a new name, but I wanted to, so they let me!" He took a big breath, and continued. "It's gonna be Joseph Michael Alexander Hardy. They said since your middle name's from...from Mom's...family, that I could have a middle name from Dad's." It was still very strange to be calling someone Mom and Dad. His own parents had been dead since he was younger than a year.
"Oh...neat," said Frank, not sounding all that excited about the news. That didn't seem very fair; he didn't get to choose his own name! Frowning a little bit, he went back to examining the contents of the box. To his irritation, Mikey, sat down also.
"What's in there?"
"It's Dad's stuff," said Frank, frowning yet deeper, and turning so that his back was to him.
"Oh. Can I look too?"
"No."
Mikey blinked, frowning a little, and bit his lip. Frank had been acting like he didn't like him, and he wasn't sure what he had done wrong. After a little while, he got up and slunk back downstairs to his room.