Chapter Two

"Thank you, Walt," Carson replied, crossing the room. He shook hands with his old friend while Frank looked on in silence.

"Anytime, Carson," Johnson smirked, heading towards the door. "You'll just owe me dinner next time you're in town."

"Sounds good to me," he nodded. Carson waited until Mr. Johnson left the office before turning to Frank with a smile. "I've known Walt Johnson for years. We were in the same law firm for a few years before I met Kate. You look good though, Frank. How have you been?"

The young man was still in shock, unable to utter a word right away. It was a few seconds before Frank finally said something. "What…what are you doing here, Mr. Drew?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the lawyer chuckled. He took the seat just vacated by Johnson and rested his hands on the desk. "I'm here because of you."

"I'm confused."

"Ah, yes, confusion is understandable at the moment," the lawyer said thoughtfully. "You are probably wondering how I knew you were here, too."

"The thought did cross my mind, sir."

Carson sighed. "Well, a friend of mine from college told me about one of his students. He said that this student was smart and intelligent yet he had a hard time seeing what his potential could be. He came to visit not long ago and saw an old picture of you, Nancy, and Joe and pointed you out as that student. I had to come to see for myself."

"But I'm not…" Frank started, glancing up at him.

"The top of your class?" he completed his sentence. "I don't care if you're at the top or the bottom, Frank. I've known you for years and I know what you are capable of. You're smart, observant, and analytical. That's why I'm here."

"I don't want charity, sir," the young man replied. "I want to earn my way into a job."

"And you will," Carson pointed out. "I have one opening in the firm but two candidates: you and a young man from Detroit. You have the potential of becoming a great lawyer…that is, if you really want it. But from what I just heard, you're not so sure about yourself. Why is that?"

Frank stared at his hands, unsure of what to say. He pushed away everyone he cared about when his mother died. There was really nothing he could do or say to change the past. The only thing that mattered was his future. But did he really want to be a lawyer?

Sighing, Frank looked back up at Carson who patiently waited for an answer. "I blew it, Mr. Drew," he finally replied. "I let my mom walk away from me and she died. I blamed myself, my girlfriend, and pushed everyone else away in the process including your daughter. Ever since, I have been trying to figure out how to change it all but I can't. I went to college and law school because of Mom but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get far in my classes. I don't deserve the chance to work for one of the most prestigious law firms in the country."

"Horse shit," Carson growled. "You deserve the same chance as anyone else. You came this far, Frank. Why not go further? I'm not going to just hand you this job though. You have to work hard to earn it and I believe that you will. Your mother would be incredibly proud of where you are right now as would your father and brother, no matter what you may think. And any of your classmates would kill to work in my firm yet here you are, feeling sorry for yourself. I'm surprised at you. You may look intimidating but you are more like a lost puppy than a menacing animal. Do you really blame yourself for what happened to Laura?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…I left her behind."

"Nancy told me that Laura told you to go."

"That's true."

"Then there's no one to blame but the person who drove the car, Frank."

"I shouldn't have left her though, sir."

Carson sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Excuse me?" Frank said, looking startled.

"You're being ridiculous, Frank!" he cried. "Why blame yourself for what happened? You had nothing to do with it!"

"Dad and Joe made it pretty clear that they blamed me for what happened! What else am I supposed to think?"

"How do you know that they haven't had a change of heart?" Carson asked, cocking his head slightly. He leaned forward, studying Frank for a few moments before continuing. "They have no idea where you are and neither does Nancy but don't you think that they might have something to say to you? You can't keep this balled up inside because you're afraid of what they might tell you." He paused again and took a deep breath. "If you truly want to be a lawyer, Frank, then look at the facts placed before you. Who cares what other people think? You didn't kill Laura any more than I did. How would you have known that something like that was going to happen?"

Frank was silent taking in everything that Carson was saying. The man was right. He did need to look at the facts.

"Pushing away the ones you love wasn't exactly the brightest thing you've done, Frank," Carson replied, interrupting his thoughts, "but I understand why."

"You do?"

"Of course. I did the same thing when Kate died. She didn't die in such a cruel manner but her death still hit hard." The lawyer sighed, reminiscing the past. "But I had a three-year-old who kept asking when Mommy would come home. Nancy was the only one who kept me sane. If she wasn't there, I don't know what I would have done. You chose to move away from your support, Frank. That was the one flaw behind your logic. I get that you wanted to get away, especially after what happened with Fenton and Joe but I think it's time to make a change."

"I know," Frank stated, bowing his head. "It's just that...the person who hit Mom hasn't been found as far as I know. There needs to be justice. He or she needs to be found."

"And do you think you'd be able to administer that justice when they are found?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I thought that if I found them, I'd be able to put everything behind me. Maybe help the prosecution."

"Is that what you really want? To be a prosecutor?"

"I'm not sure anymore, Mr. Drew. I don't know where I'm going in life or if I even want to be a lawyer. I did all of this for Mom but I'm not sure my heart is in it. I know what I do want though and that is justice for those who don't have a voice."

"You're talking like a lawyer," Carson replied. "As a prosecutor, you'd have the chance to go after those who hurt others. But the path of a defense lawyer is a different path though there might be a defendant who truly is innocent who needs justice as well. I'm not trying to convince you to do anything you don't want to do. What I am here to do is to offer you the chance to make a difference."

"After everything I just said," Frank replied stunned, "you still want to hire me? Why?"

The lawyer chuckled. "I already told you why, Frank. The question is, are you willing to try? You may not think that you will be a good lawyer but I see a potential in you that I saw the moment I met you years ago. And Nancy always raved about you. Why wouldn't I want to offer you a job? You know what needs to be done and how to get it done." Carson took a deep breath. "Look, Frank. I want you to be comfortable about this. I know that this decision is not something to take lightly so I am going to give you some time to decide. I am returning to Chicago tomorrow but I will wait in the lobby of the Billings Hotel until noon. If you decide to come that's wonderful and I will make sure that you have what you need while you're in Chicago. If you decide not to come, then that is on you and I will leave you alone." Carson rose from the chair and walked around the desk. "The opening is there for you to take, Frank. You just have to deal with what is in your heart."

"Are you going to tell my father where I'm at if I don't accept?"

"No. It's not my place to tell him. That's for you to reach out to Fenton and talk. I just hope you understand how much they really miss you, Frank."

"What about Nancy?"

"What about her?"

"I…I mean...how is she doing?"

"She's fine. She doesn't know the real reason as to why I came out here," Carson admitted. "But if you do decide to come to Chicago, just know that she may not stay quiet about it. She and Joe have become quite close in the past three years."

"Joe and Nancy are…"

"Oh, no," he laughed. "Just really good friends, more like brother and sister. But that is something that Nancy should tell you about, not me." Frank rose from the chair to face him as Carson placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what I said, Frank. You've got this and I believe that you know what you need to do."

"Thank you, Mr. Drew," the young man mumbled. "I…I'll see you tomorrow."

"I really hope so, Frank," Carson smiled as he left the office.

As Frank watched him go, his mind raced at the prospect of what was about to happen. He already made his decision to go but he still felt a little apprehensive about it. Frank knew the moment Nancy found out he was there, she would be calling Joe, especially if what Carson said was true about her relationship with his brother. He wondered how she was, if she and Ned were married or if she had any children yet. His heart sank a little at the thought of her being married to someone else but then he thought of Callie. He still loved her even though he ended it years ago. What was Callie doing? Did she move on? Or Joe? What was he doing? Did he go into the military like he said he would? The thoughts continued to run through his head as he made his way down the street.

A half hour later, Frank stepped into his apartment and sighed. There wasn't much for him to pack up as he didn't really accumulate a lot over the years and the furniture was hand-me-down at best. But was the decision to leave the right one? He could have easily said no and gone to work for Mr. Johnson instead. But then he wouldn't have the opportunity to work for Carson Drew ever again. Or to see Nancy.

Between her and Callie, Nancy was the one person who knew him more than he knew himself. Every time he worked with her in the past, their thoughts were in sync. And she was the real reason why Frank had qualms about marrying Callie in the past. But the one thing holding him back with Nancy was always Ned. She loved him very much and expressed it. Frank always wondered though what would have happened had he just asked Nancy what her true feelings of him actually were. It may help him understand why he kept thinking about her. Frank just hoped that his feelings for her didn't interfere with what he wanted to accomplish in the end.

That night, after packing his bags with everything he could, Frank flopped onto his bed, exhausted. He closed his eyes and thought about what he was about to do. He was leaving behind nothing but he was also moving in a different direction that he never thought he would go. If there was one thing Frank didn't expect it was the offer that Carson Drew gave him. It was an opportunity of a lifetime but it also meant that he would go back to the world he left behind. Was he ready? Chicago may be several states away from New York but it wouldn't be long before either his father or Joe showed up. Would they be happy to see him? Or were they still angry? His mind kept going, running through everything, as Frank tumbled into a restless sleep.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate every word that is said in the reviews and the continued following from all! I know this is another short one but I'm sure one of the future chapters will be longer. I hope that this chapter explained a few things, especially where Carson came in. I'd like to get out another chapter later this week so keep an eye out for it. I hope that you enjoyed the latest addition and, if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a great day and God Bless!