"Now, what do we do?" Frank asked after his dad had hung up. "Apart from getting arrested that is."
"I don't know," admitted Fenton, wearily rubbing the back of his neck. "But I do know we can't just give up."
Frank stood up and started pacing, his eyes taking on a far away look as he started thinking over the problem. After a couple of minutes he came to a stop in front of his father. "I'm going to see if Callie will help," he said.
"What can she do?" inquired Fenton. "She's in school."
"But it lets out the middle of next month," Frank reminded him. "If she could get a job in the same department as Joe then maybe she could convince him to at least talk to us."
"Okay," Fenton approved the idea. "And I will have Sam go in too. Maybe he can do something to nix those restraining orders when they come up for renewal."
Rick entered Joe's office and sat down. The light over the darkroom had been out so Joe wasn't in there. Rick smiled as he thought about the blond-headed young man he had fallen so hard for. Knowing Joe, he had run the pictures down to the mailroom himself considering how late it was.
Rick's eyes landed on the giant rabbit he had give Joe for his eighteenth birthday. He had brought it back to the office and given it a chair to the right of his desk. The one time he had joined Joe, Lani and Pat for a department meeting, Pat had started to move the rabbit and sit down but Joe had ran to her side and escorted her to his chair. Joe had remained standing throughout the entire meeting. Since then, he had learned, no one attempted to bother it again.
Rick leapt to his feet as he heard the door in the other office open. "Hi," Joe greeted him as he entered his private office. "Looks like you beat me for a change."
"Not by much," Rick assured Joe. "About ready?"
"I am," Joe replied. "Let me grab my jacket."
"You need a heavier coat," Rick said, eyeing the thin jacket Joe was wearing.
"I know," acknowledged Joe. "And I'm going to get one next week."
"Why wait?" Rick demanded.
"I was going to go shopping on Friday but we'll be gone," Joe reminded him. "So I thought I would go this afternoon but I no longer feel like going by myself. And you said we would be leaving after work tomorrow so it has to be next week."
"You need your coat," Rick told him sternly. "And you don't have to go shopping by yourself. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."
Joe quirked an eyebrow. "No arguments?" he asked. "None?" Rick shook his head in agreement. "Okay, then," Joe gave in. "Let's go to the mall."
"The mall?" Rick erupted. "How about..."
"No arguments," Joe reminded him. "I have my budget set out and it doesn't include blowing an entire paycheck on one item of clothing."
"I could..."
"No," objected Joe. "Don't even go there. You're giving me room and board. That's even more than I should be taking from you."
"You aren't taking anything," Rick denied, frowning. "I want you with me. I love you."
"I know," Joe acknowledged softly. "But I..."
"Don't love me," Rick finished for him sadly. "I know. But that doesn't mean you can't accept a gift from me."
"For starters," Joe began. "I do accept gifts. I accepted Mr. Hoppit," he stated the name he had given his rabbit. "And a place to live. There's no point in giving me something I cannot only afford but was also planning on getting for myself."
"You're right," agreed Rick. "I'm sorry."
"And second, it isn't that I don't love you," Joe continued. "It's just that I don't know if what I feel for you is gratitude or love," he ended causing Rick's eyes to light up.
"I don't know," admitted Fenton, wearily rubbing the back of his neck. "But I do know we can't just give up."
Frank stood up and started pacing, his eyes taking on a far away look as he started thinking over the problem. After a couple of minutes he came to a stop in front of his father. "I'm going to see if Callie will help," he said.
"What can she do?" inquired Fenton. "She's in school."
"But it lets out the middle of next month," Frank reminded him. "If she could get a job in the same department as Joe then maybe she could convince him to at least talk to us."
"Okay," Fenton approved the idea. "And I will have Sam go in too. Maybe he can do something to nix those restraining orders when they come up for renewal."
Rick entered Joe's office and sat down. The light over the darkroom had been out so Joe wasn't in there. Rick smiled as he thought about the blond-headed young man he had fallen so hard for. Knowing Joe, he had run the pictures down to the mailroom himself considering how late it was.
Rick's eyes landed on the giant rabbit he had give Joe for his eighteenth birthday. He had brought it back to the office and given it a chair to the right of his desk. The one time he had joined Joe, Lani and Pat for a department meeting, Pat had started to move the rabbit and sit down but Joe had ran to her side and escorted her to his chair. Joe had remained standing throughout the entire meeting. Since then, he had learned, no one attempted to bother it again.
Rick leapt to his feet as he heard the door in the other office open. "Hi," Joe greeted him as he entered his private office. "Looks like you beat me for a change."
"Not by much," Rick assured Joe. "About ready?"
"I am," Joe replied. "Let me grab my jacket."
"You need a heavier coat," Rick said, eyeing the thin jacket Joe was wearing.
"I know," acknowledged Joe. "And I'm going to get one next week."
"Why wait?" Rick demanded.
"I was going to go shopping on Friday but we'll be gone," Joe reminded him. "So I thought I would go this afternoon but I no longer feel like going by myself. And you said we would be leaving after work tomorrow so it has to be next week."
"You need your coat," Rick told him sternly. "And you don't have to go shopping by yourself. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."
Joe quirked an eyebrow. "No arguments?" he asked. "None?" Rick shook his head in agreement. "Okay, then," Joe gave in. "Let's go to the mall."
"The mall?" Rick erupted. "How about..."
"No arguments," Joe reminded him. "I have my budget set out and it doesn't include blowing an entire paycheck on one item of clothing."
"I could..."
"No," objected Joe. "Don't even go there. You're giving me room and board. That's even more than I should be taking from you."
"You aren't taking anything," Rick denied, frowning. "I want you with me. I love you."
"I know," Joe acknowledged softly. "But I..."
"Don't love me," Rick finished for him sadly. "I know. But that doesn't mean you can't accept a gift from me."
"For starters," Joe began. "I do accept gifts. I accepted Mr. Hoppit," he stated the name he had given his rabbit. "And a place to live. There's no point in giving me something I cannot only afford but was also planning on getting for myself."
"You're right," agreed Rick. "I'm sorry."
"And second, it isn't that I don't love you," Joe continued. "It's just that I don't know if what I feel for you is gratitude or love," he ended causing Rick's eyes to light up.