A/n: So here we are at the end. I thought about dragging it out a few more chapters, but eventually decided it wasn't necessary and I could wrap things up pretty neatly as is. Hope you enjoyed the ride...
Chapter Eighteen
In the weeks that followed, the Boys found themselves at several crossroads. Fenton enthusiastically embraced the idea of hiring fresh faces and threw himself into the task with glee. Telling them to leave everything to him, he took control over all aspects of hiring a new intern (and secretary) . Before long, he was interviewing two or three candidates a day, many referred to him by Chief Con Riley or nearby NYC's Chief of Police. He eventually narrowed it down to three solid prospects, and had group interviews with Frank and Joe sitting in as well. Those three got narrowed down to two, mainly because Joe thought the third was a little too gung ho("I'm the reckless one, and I don't want any competition!" he half joked). Those two were sent out on some milk runs with Sam and one overnight stakeout with Joe. The older of the two, a man by the name of Jason was unable to handle the stakeout, and complained the entire time about how dull and boring it was. He was not too happy with the comment that most PI work was exactly that.. dull and boring. Joe was quick to point out that most police work was the same, and Jason responded by saying that's why he wanted out of police work. So Joe suggested he seek out military service, he was still young enough and the Marines or Army was probably more to his liking.
The second stakeout went a lot better than the first. At first Joe was extremely skeptical; with one notable exception, he had found that female Private Investigators tended to fall into two distinct categories. The first was the 'ball buster', the ones with chips on their shoulders and an overbearing need to prove themselves to be as hard nosed as any male in the biz. The other extreme was the 'drama queen', the type who used their sexuality to seduce everything with three legs but was the first one to squeal in fear when things got tough. Joanna was neither. She was a little older than Frank, and a veteran of the Homicide division in one of NY's larger precincts. But her husband had gotten a new job in Bayport and she was looking to relocate. Con Riley had sent her their way as he was unable to offer her a job at the moment. Joe liked her immediately, she had a lovely dry sense of humor and was not shy about returning any sarcasm sent her way. Frank was impressed with her technical skills; she could pick a lock in under 45 seconds. Fenton knew her by reputation and was eager to have her aboard. Sam joked that it would be nice to have intelligent conversations during stakeouts for a change. He got a dirty look from Joe at that comment.
The secretary was easy, even factoring in Frank's half serious requirement that she be at least as old as Aunt Gertrude and twice as ugly. Martha Collins was about Fenton's age and had over 30 years' experience working in the Records Department of City Hall. Mandatory retirement age meant she had to leave, but she was not ready to "pull up a rocker and wither away just yet" as she pertly put it. Privately Joe was worried that she lacked the necessary 'ugly mole' but he was soon won over by her homemade apple turnovers. Years of experience taught her well how to screen visitors and which ones would respond better to Frank or Joe's style. She settled in quickly and suddenly the Boys had a lot more free time to work on cases, as she took over typing up the reports by her third day.
Halloran continued to avoid the boxes, although she did ask Joe to bring them in from the garage and had him store them in a closet in the spare bedroom. She did, however, throw herself into the wedding planning with renewed fervor. She and Gloria started hanging out together a lot, considering the brothers were often found together in and out of the office. She shyly asked Gloria to stand up for her a couple of months before the big day, and after consulting privately with Frank, who asked Joe for his input, Gloria accepted.
Frank's recovery didn't go quite as fast or as well as he had hoped. About a month after the graft, he got an infection and the skin began to die. This time Joe supplied the skin, and there were no more issues, although when all was said and done, Frank had to concede he lost a little bit of mobility. He was no longer the reigning marksman of the company. That honor went to Joanna, although Joe was right behind her and many impromptu friendly competitions ended in draws. But being Frank Hardy, he simply worked harder until he accomplished his goal.
Joe was very happy to turn the day to day reins back over to his brother, and even happier to turn the boring paperwork over to Martha. He was always more at home in the field anyway, and with someone to share the load he was able to devote more time to his pet project, that of finding the man behind Danny Frisk's kidnapping. He took many 'business trips' to Washington DC and the FBI headquarters, where he and Special Agent Reeves had commandeered an entire conference room and a few assorted peons to devote to their (not quite an) obsession.
Fenton, once he had finished hiring Joanna and Martha, was told in no uncertain terms he owed his wife a nice vacation, so he packed their bags and headed to Hawai'i, a place Laura had fallen in love with a few years before.
Gloria spent every moment she wasn't in class, at the Hospital or studying with Frank. She discovered that Pediatric Oncology was a field that was sorely in need of caring and compassionate caregivers; few people with hearts could face a dying child and the desperate parents with smiles every day. She was so good with patient and parent that she was offered a permanent, full time job just as soon as she passed her NCLEX and became board certified. She was seriously considering it; although she loved Calverton, it had no hospital, let alone an Oncology department. And there was that tall, dark and oh, so handsome guy who loved snickerdoodles to consider as well.
Bruce groveled so much it became embarrassing for everyone. He sent a huge bouquet of Calla Lilies to Halloran at home and a potted ivy for her office at work. It wasn't until she called him up and forgave him in exact terms did he let himself off the hook.
Special Agent Connely called one day to inform them that Maines was dead, shot as he tried to cross state lines. The other two sang like canaries and not only gave up details on Maines, but a half dozen other mid to high level dealers over three states. Connely was positively chortling with glee as he told the Hardy Brothers that he was bound to get a commendation or three and he couldn't have done it without them.
All in all, Frank and Joe were at a good point in their lives, professionally and personally. One eventing, they were contentedly relaxing on the back deck at Joe's, drinking beer and enjoying the slight breeze of the late summer evening. "Life, is Good!" Joe sighed as he clinked his bottle to his brother's.
"You got that right, Bro." Frank agreed before taking a swig. "Which means we are due for some Karmic payback any minute now."
"Quit being such a damn pessimist, would ya?!" Joe reproved. "Or tempting Fate!"
"I'm just saying, Joe. Seems like every time our lives start to settle down into a nice, normal pace, the Powers that Be decide to toss us a live grenade. Without the pin."
"Okay, what's got you spooked?" Joe queried. "You aren't normally this gloom and doomy."
"Truthfully?" he asked. "I am a little scared about things."
"What things? Joe scoffed. "You have a great reputation, too much business, a great girl and, of course, the bestest Little Brother in the whole wide world." Joe smirked. "What is there to be worried about?!"
"That's just it. Everything is going so great I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. It always does."
"Okay, quit that right now." Joe scolded. "For once in your life, quit fussing about worse case scenarios and just enjoy the moment."
"Easier said than done." Frank replied almost morosely. "You know me, it's part if my psyche. I worry. It's what I do."
"And sometimes that's a good thing." Joe conceded, "Just not all the time. I'm not saying you need to all 'Hakuna Matata' or anything, but can't you at least stop expecting the fecal matter to hit the air cooling unit every other minute?!"
Frank couldn't help it, he burst into incredulous laughter at Joe's roundabout way of speaking. "Okay, okay, I get the point. Self Fulfilling Prophecies and all that, right?"
"Exactly. If it happens, we'll deal with it. If it happens. No going out and looking for it."
"No going out and looking for what?" Halloran and Gloria had just returned from their shopping and overheard the last bit of the conversation. Halloran easily slipped into Joe's waiting arms and returned his welcome with enthusiasm, while Gloria opted to perch on the arm of the chair Frank was sitting on and lean in for her own kiss.
"Trouble, Dear." Joe smiled into her emerald green eyes. "We have vowed to let it come to us instead of seeking it out with alacrity."
"Ooh, such big words." Gloria teased. "Never knew you had it in you, Joe!"
"All part of my masterful disguise, Glo." he retorted with a laugh. "Fool 'em all into thinking I am just a Blond Bimbo so they underestimate me."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Kiddo." Frank chuckled. Joe responded by sticking his tongue out and making raspberry noises. The rest of the evening was spent with Joe firmly squashing any attempt by Frank to be pessimistic in any way, shape or form, with the girls ganging up on him as well. By the time the party broke up, Frank had allowed himself the luxury of not dwelling on the what ifs and began enjoying the moment for what it was...
There was always tomorrow to start worrying again, right?
A/n: Like others, I will be writing another at some point but not right away. I hope to not make you wait until August, but since I have several ideas competing for attention at the moment, I am not sure when I can indulge myself while doing everything justice. I also have not decided how, if at all, I will be doing the wedding. I do have 2 broad plots for the next couple 'serious' stories and one extremely broad plot for my next 'humorous' story.