(Hello everyone! I hope this finds you all safe and well, to see rl if you are reading his I'm not dead, I am very mush alive! I know it's been awhile since my last update... you can blame that on writer's block it stinks! :9 So I took a break and now I'm finding time to work on it. As I've said before I will not abandon the story it may take a thousand years...well, maybe not that long :P But I will see it through to the end. I hope you all will still stick with me... Anyway, I would like to say thank you to MargaretA66, Bkworm4life4, Drumboy100, Candylou, t4swp for leaving me wonderful reviews, Also to those who are following, favorites, or just reading. You are awesome! And a big thank you to Bkworm4life4 for helping me with this chapter you are awesome! Here's my new chapter hope you like it.) ( Oh, one more thing, please be kind to one another and be safe and well :)
A Brother's Revenge Chapter 12
It was two in the afternoon as Fenton sought refuge in his office after his confrontation with Joe. His temper had cooled down a bit to a more somber feeling. A single tear escaped from his eye and ran down his cheek. He stood at the window looking up the beautiful blue summer sky.
"Fenton, are you alright?"
Hearing his wife's voice, Fenton wiped the tear away from his face before turning around. Sure enough, she was standing in the doorway with her arms folded to her chest giving him a serious look.
He let out a heavy sigh, saying, "What was I thinking Laura? How can I lose control of my temper like that? I mean, I almost hit our son. Thankfully, Frank stepped in when he did, but he should've never have had to."
That whole situation had scared the hell out of her, things could've turned ugly real fast and there would have been nothing she could have done to prevent it. As Laura came up beside him, she could see that his eyes were filled with sadness. She could tell he was feeling guilty of his actions with Joe. She unfolded her arms and gave him a hug.
Fenton accepted her hug and held her in his arms, it felt so good. He needed that. He released her from the hug and she stepped back, both of them silent.
Laura spoke first, "I think you're stressed out and feeling helpless, we all are, especially with everything going on with the boys. It's almost as bad as when Iola died."
Fenton took a step back and walked over to sit on the edge of his desk, he ran a hand across his face, as he worked hard to calm himself down. "I hate the thought of them in danger. All I want to do is protect them. What if it is Ryan, who is behind that threatening message? I'm sure he knows about his brother's murder by now."
He continued worriedly. "Joe isn't making things any easier. He wants so badly to clear Frank's name, as much as I do, and it is so frustrating. My biggest concern is that he'll have a lapse in judgement and do something that would hinder the murder investigation."
Laura tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I don't know if you've noticed, Fenton, but Joe hasn't been the same since Phil died and the hospital fire. And there's another thing, Joe has always been very athletic and lately he hasn't been able to work out as he normally does, I mean those football workouts were a great way for him to release his tension, he hasn't been able to do that because of his leg."
"I've noticed that too." Fenton replied.
Laura sat down in the chair beside the desk. She brought up a concern that had been weighing on her mind. "Watching you go through your battle with depression over the years has been hard. And now watching the boys go through it, it's even harder. With Frank, he's still hurting and grieving for the loss of his friend. But I think he's starting to learn how to deal with the highs and lows of his depression just like you do." She added with a sigh, "He understands that mental illness is not something to take lightly, something that can't be swept under the rug, it's a serious matter that needs attention. He's got a lot of good, positive things going for him, he's got us to help him through this. Then there's Callie who has been an amazingly supportive of him, his going to Princeton... plus they're getting married, so Frank I think is going to be okay."
Laura continued, "However, I think we need to focus on our youngest at the moment." She shook her head, and wiped a tear from her eye, "We know he already has anxiety issues with PTSD from the ordeals he has gone through in the past. I mean who could blame him? He's had a lot of bad things happen to him, more than what any kid his age should ever have to go through."
Fenton scratched his chin and nodded. "Joe was pretty upset when we had to leave Frank at the police station yesterday. It's like the only way he can express his feelings is by lashing out."
Laura's blue eyes widened at the thought, "He's scared Fenton, scared of losing his brother. It goes back to that special bond that they share."
That had to be it. She began to tear up, "Frank is the glue that's holding him together...I don't want to lose either of them... Fenton, what if something happens...what if this threat is carried out, what if..."
Fenton reached out with his hand and wiped her tears from her cheek with his thumb. "Honey, stop. It won't come to that I promise you. I don't care how many sessions with Dr. Reese it takes, to get the boys back to one hundred percent we'll do it."
"That's easier said than done," Laura remarked sniffing back a sob. "They're more concerned with helping people with their problems then they are with their own."
"I may have an idea." Gertrude announced coming into the office. She had just put an apple pie in the oven for dessert after supper, and she decided to take a minute and see how Fenton was doing. She knew he must be troubled by that incident with Joe. "I'm so sorry for intruding; I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."
"I'm fine," Fenton answered quickly, "Laura and I were just talking about what to do with the boys." He asked his sister, 'What is your idea?"
"Simple, it starts with you."
Fenton cocked his head and looked at Gertrude strangely. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Brother dear, the boys get their stubborn pride from you." Gertrude lifted the corner of her rose printed apron and began wiping her hands with it. She stopped and stood next to Laura's chair. "How do you expect them to deal with their issues, when you've never dealt with yours."
"Gert, I..." Fenton started to argue.
"She's right Fenton," Laura agreed with her sister-in-law. This was a sticky subject but needed to be addressed, if this was a way to get her family to stop the fighting and start to heal then that's what was going to happen. "You've never talked about your battle with depression and your father's suicide until recently, and you were around the boys age went it happened."
Fenton stood up and walked around his desk and sat down in his chair in heavy silence. Laura could see the hesitation in his eyes. She leaned over and cupped her hand in his giving it a light squeeze.
"Sweetheart, the boys may disagree with you on things, but deep down in their heart of hearts, they still love you and look up to you. I think that if you agree to go to counseling the boys would follow suit." She said giving him a pleading look, "Please Fenton, I love you, and I want to see our family happy and healthy again."
Gertrude could see the wheels turning in her brother's head. "I know you'd do anything for those boys."
Fenton took a moment to think about this. Laura and Gertrude did have a point. After all, it would be hypocritical of him in telling the boys to seek counseling to help them deal with their issues, when he needed to do that himself. Maybe it was time to put the past behind him.
Moments later, after saying her piece and satisfied that her brother would make the right decision. Gertrude left the room to attend to her pie, and began to prepare the evening meal and let the parents talk with the boys.
FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ
"Dad, can we come in and talk?" Frank asked after knocking on the door.
"Yes, boys please come in."
Fenton closed a file he'd been looking over, and laid it on top of his desk beside him. He leaned back in his chair as his sons walked into his office.
Laura sat in a chair across from him with her legs crossed trying to act casual, but she could feel the tension in the room. She wanted to make sure that everything went peacefully, and prayed to God that World War III didn't break out.
She noticed that Joe's hair was damp and that he had on fresh clothes. "Joe, do you feel better?"
"Yes, Mom, well kind of." Joe murmured, making minimal eye contact with his father. "The good news is the mess is all cleaned up, Frank helped me with some of it." Frank just nodded.
"Thank you, Joe, for doing what I asked." Fenton said managing to keep his voice calm. Both boys heard a bit of an edge in their father's voice and could tell that he was still a little angry. He continued, "Just so you know Joe, the cost of repairs and the new window will be coming out of your savings account."
"That's fair." Joe took a deep breath and looked at Fenton. He said with regret in his voice, "I'm sorry for breaking the window and for the horrible things I said to you, I didn't mean it any of it. When Frank told me about the threatening message and Callie's car being vandalized... I was just… I was just angry. I have so many questions." Joe began to theorize his point of view, "What if the mystery dark haired kid from the lobby, is the same guy on the security footage from the shooting range."
Joe took a deep breath to calm himself and continued, "He could be connected to Hayden's murder or the murderer himself. I just want to find the person who really killed him, so we can focus on going after Ryan and... Henry, because it's his fault Phil and Seth are dead, and he almost took Frank's life."
Anger rose in Joe's voice while he was thinking of Henry, he couldn't help himself. "This whole thing with Frank being accused of murdering Hayden is bullshit. If only the trial had gone the way it should have Hayden's sorry ass would be in prison." he ranted on, "we wouldn't be dealing with this shit."
Frank cringed at his brother's crude language; it wasn't exactly the best way to start an apology.
"Joe watch your mouth." Laura interrupted, reprimanding him.
"Sorry Mom." Joe said, his temper cooling a bit.
"I agree with you Joe." Fenton said. "I'm just as angry at how Hayden's trial turned out. There were many mistakes made, some of which were beyond our control. That being said, I still believe in our justice system, or I wouldn't be doing the job that I do. That is something you need to understand if you boys plan a career in this business. Granted, it's not perfect and sometimes a case goes bad and the bad guys win. The best thing, the only thing, that we can do, is not give up. We learn from those mistakes and when the next case comes along, we will be better prepared."
"I guess that does make sense." Joe simply said.
As the boys stepped in front of the desk. Joe froze right where he stood. He saw the disc on top of a file. Oh shit, he knows. His anxiety started to bubble up again. His palms were sweaty and his stomach was in knots. It was best to get it over with. He looked up at the family portrait where the wall safe then at his father. "And about the safe."
"The safe?" Fenton looked at him curiously. "You mean the wall safe?" He pointed to the family portrait.
"Yes."
"What about it?"
Joe cocked his head at his father's question. "Wait, I thought...we, I mean… I assumed you...knew."
Fenton shook his head, no. Joe stole at a glance at his brother, as he began shifting his legs with his crutches, he'd been standing on his leg for too long and it was starting to hurt.
Frank didn't say a word just scratched a hand over his chin as he realized Joe had just outed himself. He noticed Joe was acting nervous, likely on the verge of a panic attack. Then he thought cautiously. "Why do you have it on your desk?" He blurted out.
"I have my reasons." Fenton answered. He then asked more forcefully then he intended as anger rose in his voice. "Now what about the safe? And what do you mean by, we?" He shifted his eyes from Frank then to Joe.
Great, I'm batting a thousand today, aren't I? Joe sighed heavily. "I broke into it."
"Joe." Laura gasped; her eyes widened in shock.
"You did what?" Fenton growled. Laura saw a flash of anger ignite in his eyes directing them at Joe. She knew he was about to explode. "Fenton please take a minute to calm down before you say anything."
Fenton took a deep breath, then counted to ten to cool his temper. "It's okay Laura. I'm calm." He cleared his throat before addressing his youngest son. "You have some explaining to do."
"Great here we go again," Frank mumbled under his breath. He stepped in defense in front of his brother, "Dad, wait I can explain..."
"Frank, don't, you can't protect me this time. I did this." Joe cut in and stepped beside Frank.
He looked Fenton straight in the eye, and confessed to breaking into the safe. "I was going take the disc so I could find someone to help me enhance the footage to see the dark-haired figure more clearly."
"While you were in the kitchen talking to Mom and Aunt Gertrude. Frank came in and caught me. He talked me out of my stupid idea and into putting the disc back. And I did. It was wrong and I'm sorry, I'll never do it again. I swear." Joe fought back a wince as a slight pain went through his leg.
After he'd finished there was an intense silence that filled the room, as the boys waited for Fenton to speak. They could see anger smoldering in his eyes.
Laura caught the pain on Joe's face. "Why don't we all sit down and talk about this calmly?" She turned to her husband. "Fenton."
Even though he was angry, Fenton had also caught the wince on his son's face and knew that Joe needed to get off his leg. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Yes, boys, please have a seat." He gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk.
"Joe, I appreciate you being honest with me." He leaned forward resting his arms on the desk before folding his hands together, giving Joe his full attention. "However, we now have a much bigger problem." Laura kept her hand on his arm just to keep him calm.
The boys exchanged looks with each other as they took their seats. "What problem is that?" Joe asked, gingerly rubbing his leg.
It hurt Fenton's heart to even say this to his own son, but it had to be said. He sighed wearily and said, "I don't know, if I can trust you."
Joe's mouth dropped, in shock. He turned the words over in his head. He stuttered out, "Dad, y-you can trust me."
"We'll see." Fenton replied firmly. "The thing about trust, is once it's broken it's hard to get it back. You want to come work with me, but what good will it do if I can't trust you?"
Joe shamefully cast his eyes down at the floor. He wasn't going to lie, that hurt.
"Dad, that was harsh." Frank saw the hurt in his brother's eyes. "Joe made a few mistakes. He's owning up to them." He was angry at his father for hurting Joe like this. He couldn't help himself. He felt the need to defend his brother.
"It's bad enough that you almost hit him." He said heatedly, "Why are you being so hurtful like this?"
"Frank, don't…" Joe said softly.
"You think I'm being harsh?" Fenton shot back, drowning out what Joe had said.
"Yes, I do." Frank said evenly.
"How serious are you two about working with me?"
"Very serious." Frank replied. "It's our dream."
"I want you boys to have your dream, however I'm not just going hand it to you. You're going to have to earn it. Show me how serious you really are about becoming private detectives. And please I need you to understand something. The hardest part for me is going to be figuring out how to find the balance between being your boss and your father."
Fenton took a deep breath and continued, "As a result there's going to be some changes around here. I've cut you both a lot of slack in the last couple of days because of what you're going through. But not anymore. It doesn't matter to me whether you're a high school senior or a college man...there's one thing I will not tolerate from either of you, and that is a lack of respect."
Joe looked back up at his father blinking back tears, He bit his bottom lip, his voice riddled with emotion, "Dad, you're right not to trust me... and you should've hit me, because I deserve it... I'm not good! You know it's true. We all do. It proves...it proves I'm not cut out to be a detective. Frank's better at it than... than I am anyway. He'd never disgrace the Hardy name. He's the good son. I am not. I hate myself!"
"Joe, honey, don't say that." Laura paled at her son's words; she didn't like the way that sounded.
Frank's heart broke hearing his brother talk like that. 'Joe, you are good. You made a mistake." He reached out to calm him down. Joe's behavior and attitude had him worried too.
"It's best I don't go out with Vanessa on Friday...I'd probably screw that up too!" Joe felt his anxiety kick up again. "I-I can't do this. I'm-I'm sorry." He said teary-eyed and breathing heavily. He grabbed his crutches and quickly stood.
"Joe, wait!" Frank cried, rising to his feet. he reached out to grab his shoulder, but Joe just shrugged him off as he ignored the pain in his leg and headed out the door.
"Joe!" Fenton and Laura cried in unison. They were on their feet instantly. Joe paid no attention to them, negative thoughts swirling through his mind drowning everything else out, as he headed slowly down the hall.
Laura turned to ask Frank, "What was that about?"
Frank sighed, took a deep breath and began to explain, "Okay here's the thing, you guys have every right to ground Joe for breaking the window." He had promised his little brother that he'd get to go in his date. He always kept his word. "Before the window, before the safe, Joe made a date with Vanessa Bender. He really likes her…he even may be in love with her. Which is why this is a huge step for him, this date with Vanessa is very important to him, but he's terrified that something bad will happen to her like what happened with Iola..." Frank's voice trailed off.
"When and where is he planning on going for this date?" Fenton asked.
"The 4th of July celebration at the pier."
"Is that even safe, with the threat and all?" Laura asked worriedly.
"Of course, it will be. The whole community practically comes out for picnics and fireworks, we can have friends and family from all over there. It's usually heavily secured with Chief Collig and his officers patrolling the area." Fenton reassured her.
"I can get Callie and the guys and their dates to join us."
"Like a group date." Fenton said.
"Yes, that way Joe's not alone, plus there would be eyes everywhere, in case Ryan...or whoever decides to show up. Joe needs this, Dad. He needs something good and fun to look forward to. "
"That's not a bad idea. We all use a little fun and something good for a change." Laura exchanged looks with Fenton. "What do you think?"
As Frank went to bat for him with his parents, Joe stood out in the hallway leaning against the wall in tears. He hadn't made it very far before he had become overwhelmed. He felt tired and exhausted…defeated and disgusted with himself... he contemplated the dreaded phone call telling Vanessa that their date was off. She was better off without him anyway… He could send her a text... but that would be lame... he could... he could...
"Joe, could you come back into the office." His father called to him.
Oh great. Here it comes. He took several deep breaths while quickly wiping the tears off of his face. Once he had gotten himself together, he made his way back his father's office.
He stepped in the doorway and saw Frank and his parents had moved to the sitting area in the corner of the room. Frank sat on the edge of the leather sofa, as Fenton and Laura took the two recliners.
Fenton quickly rose to his feet and over to him. Joe's bottom lip started quivering as a tear ran down his cheek. "Dad... I'm...sorry." He couldn't hold it in.
Fenton then did something that Joe was not expecting, he felt his father's strong arms wrap around him pulling him into a deep hug, followed by tears of his own, "I'm sorry too, son. I promised myself I'd never become my father...and I did with you. I regret losing control of my temper and almost hitting you."
He pulled himself back keeping Joe at arm's length. "Joe, listen to me." Fenton said, gently sweeping Joe's tears away with his thumbs. "You are not a disgrace to the Hardy name. There is no comparison between you and Frank, because you are two different people. You are good."
Frank couldn't speak; his throat was too tight, his chest full of emotion. He held himself back; this was making him feel uncomfortable. This was too much. He stood up and started to leave...
"That goes for you too." Fenton reached out with his arm pulling Frank into the huddle as he was trying to escape and he said, "I love the both of you."
Frank decided not to run and he welcomed his father's embrace and just cried. After giving them a moment Laura then rose to her feet taking her turn giving all three of her men hugs and kisses.
After a few minutes everyone had settled down and were all cried out. All four Hardy's sat back down this time calmer and with less tension.
"We are sorry for being disrespectful to you." Frank sat on the edge of the sofa. He was still feeling guilty for his bad attitude with his father lately. "I guess with everything going on we didn't realize we were doing it. Joe and I are going to try and do better."
"Okay, so what do we have to do to make things right?" Joe asked. He relaxed back with his back against the sofa. He was ready to prove to his father that he could trust him.
Fenton leaned back in his chair running a hand across his face. "Your mother and I have been talking about this and we think it's the right thing. As you both know, you are still on restriction from detective work, until you are medically and psychologically cleared."
"However, next Wednesday you two each have an appointment with Dr. Reese. If she gives me a good report, I will consider letting you work on cases again."
"We'll call this a probationary period. In fact, I'm going to implement counseling sessions as part of your training in order for you to become private detectives. This is going to go for everyone who's employed at Hardy and Sons Detective Agency to make sure your head is in the game and in the correct space before taking on a case."
Frank and Joe exchanged surprised looks with each other, Frank asked him, "So, when you say everyone, does that include you and Sam?"
"That's right." Fenton replied. It was time to put the past behind him and move forward.
"Your father has agreed to seek counseling with Dr. Reese as well." Laura said. "We feel that everyone is under lot of stress, especially with everything that is going on. We can't run away from our issues, we need to work through them, so we can be a happy and healthy family again."
Frank couldn't believe it. Their father, the famous detective Fenton Hardy, was going to counseling. This was a huge bombshell... and he smiled. He had to admit he was proud of his father for taking the step.
Dr. Reese wasn't so bad, she was really good at her job. The few times Frank had gone to see her she had given him the courage to be more open with his feelings. These last few days were taking a toll on him, and getting back to his sessions with Dr. Reese was the best thing to help him get his life back in order. He stole a glance at Joe sitting next to him, and his heart sank. Joe was staring down at the floor lost in his thoughts; however, he was rubbing is hands intermittently across his jeans, a sure sign that something was definitely wrong.
Joe had been going to see Dr. Reese as well. At first it was a slow process, and when you asked him how things had gone, his answer would always be a vague, "It went fine." When truthfully, that was not exactly the case.
"Joe, are you alright?"
"Huh," Joe snapped out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes. He looked around the room at his family looking at him with concern evident on their faces.
"Are you alright?" Frank asked again.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
All three Hardy's exchanged glances at each other, knowing full well that the youngest member of the family was lying. "Joe, how do you feel about going to see Dr. Reese?" Fenton asked him.
"I'm fine with that." Joe said trying to sound nonchalant, plastering a fake smile on his face.
Truthfully, He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea...he could feel his anxiety starting to rise just thinking about it... the truth would eventually come out.
Fenton, gave Joe a look, knowing that there was more, but deciding to let it go for now, he went over to his desk and picked up the file that he had been looking at when they came into the office and handed it to Frank. "What is this?" his son asked curiously.
"Open it and find out." Fenton said, as he and Laura sat back down in their recliners, both of them hoping that this would give the boys the initiative that they needed to agree to go to counseling.
Frank opened the file to what appeared to be a blueprint of a building with several offices and a reception area. "Blueprints?" He tore his eyes away from the blueprints and looked at his father.
Fenton nodded. "It's actually the McKinley accounting office building."
"The one that's across from the coffee shop about two blocks from the police station?"
"It was up for sale and I bought it."
"You bought it?"
"That's right. I figured you two are going to want your own office space when you officially join the firm, so once the renovations are complete it will be the new home of, 'Hardy and Sons Detective Agency', Consider this as an early birthday present for you, Frank."
"Did you say, Hardy and Sons Detective Agency?" Joe repeated Fenton's words just to be sure he had heard him correctly.
"I did."
"I don't know what to say." Frank was just in awe. He felt happy tears in the corner of his eyes, this was amazing.
Frank turned and handed the file to Joe. He gasped in shock; there it was, his and Frank's dream, in black and white...it was happening!
"What do you think Joe?"
Fenton and Laura saw Joe's eyes studying every inch of the blueprint. They swore they saw a little spark in his blue eyes, "So, you really want me to be a part of this?" He said teary-eyed, his voice catching.
"Yes."
"Even when I mess up."
"Yes, Joe I-we want you to be a part of this."
"If I agree to see Dr. Reese?"
"Yes, and there's one other thing." Laura put in. "It's about your date with Vanessa on Friday."
Joe's hearts sank. He knew it, his date with Vanessa wasn't going to happen. He frowned and mouthed the words, 'I told you so' to Frank. "
"Frank explained everything to us," Fenton continued, "With that being said, if you agree to go and see Dr. Reese, as well as a few other conditions, your mother and I will make an exception and allow you go on your date."
This was not what Joe was expecting. After a long pause he finally agreed and said, "Okay." A smile spread across Frank's face.
It had been a long and emotional day for everyone in the Hardy household, as a result everyone was tired. With a nice relaxed family meal, it felt almost like it had been before all the drama had started with Hayden, Bartend, and Henry, everyone had been relaxed, talking with each other and laughing, it felt to all of the members of the house hold that they were almost back to being the family that they had been before the drama had all began. After dinner everyone was showing signs of their exhaustion and they all decided to turn in early for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, a new hope and a fresh start.