Chapter 3
Thursday morning
9: 00 am
When Frank came to, he wasn't shackled to the wall as he'd expected but still sprawled in the middle of the room. He looked around for Nancy, he didn't see her. Then he heard people arguring in the hallway. Frank recongized Nancy's pleading voice. He strained to hear what they were saying "….let Frank go! Take me instead". Frank's brown eyes widened. Nancy was willing to sacrifice herself, for him?
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"Joe! The police picked up a lead, we know where Frank and Nancy are!" "Coming, Dad!" the eighteen year old, rushed to his father's side as they ran towards the car and jumped in. "Where are they , Dad?" "Their kidnappers are holding them in an abandonned shack on the side of the 520. Both Carson and Con, will meet us there. Hopefully Frank and Nancy aren't too badly hurt".
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Meanwhile, Jerry walked back into the room pulling Nancy into the room. He smiled evilly as he noticed that Frank was awake. "Well, Frankie- boy, it seems that the 'Girl Detective', here has had an idea. I'll leave you two alone to discuss it". With that he gave Nancy a shove and she tumbled into the room and fell, landing on Frank's chest. "Oomph!" Frank gasped as he got the wind knocked out of him. Reaching up with his good hand, Frank gently stroked Nancy's tangled reddish-blond hair. "Don't even bother telling me what we need to 'discuss'. I heard you talking to them. And no I'm not letting you do that". "Frank, if you won't let me do it for you, think about Joe. He can't live without you" Nancy said. "You know they want to kill you for revenge against your father".
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Half an hour later Fenton and Joe met up outside the shack with Carson and Con. With Con in the lead, his police badge held in his hand, the group knocked on the door. They weren't surprised when nobody came to answer it. Putting his badge back in his shirt pocket, Con leaned on the door and pushing it with his shoulder, was able to force it open when the group found it locked.
The group silently moved throughout the shack. They stopped, seeing Frank and Nancy in one of the rooms. Nancy looked relatively unharmed. Carson gave a quiet sigh of relief. Frank, however was another matter entirely. He had bruises on his arms and face. His left arm looked broken; his shoulder also appeared to have a bullet in it. Fenton, Con, Carson and Joe stood frozen hearing an alarm go off. The kidnappers rushed into the room, pushing past the onlookers and over to their captives, pressing guns to Frank and Nancy's temples, waiting for their leader to give them their next order. Fenton drew in his breath sharply as he recongized Samuel. Jerry a.k.a. Samuel DeShannon however adressed Con. "Put your gun on the floor and back away slowly". Con immediately obeyed to the unamazement of the fathers and Joe.
Frank, whose eyes were slightly unfocused, suddenly focused on Joe. "Hey kiddo" Frank muttered quietly looking at his younger brother, trying to muster a smile. His captor however heard him and pressed his gun harder into Frank's head as Frank grimaced. Samuel turned around to face his captives all the while keeping his gun on the group of would-be rescuers. "Alright that was the last straw. One of you will die tonight. I was planning on it but Frankie-boy, here just made it happen sooner. So you get to decide Frankie, who goes you or Ms Drew?" The group of would-be rescuers collectively sucked in their breath. They almost certainly knew what Frank's decision would be, but wished the outcome would be positive. Frank glanced uneasily first at Nancy, who was glaring at him, then sadly at Joe, before answering Samuel. "I will. I'm sorry Joe". "NO! NO FRANK! It doesn't have to end like this!" Joe ran over to his brother before anyone could stop him and got down on his knees in front of him, clasping Frank's once strong hands in his own. "Please Frank!" Wincing Frank pulled his left hand out of Joe's grasp. "No Joe. I've made my decision". He pulled Joe to his feet and embraced him. "Take care of Callie. I love you. Remember: you'll always be my little bro." Letting Joe go Frank looked at Nancy. "I love you Nancy Drew". Nodding to Samuel, Frank backed up against the wall, never taking his eyes off Joe.
BANG! The gun went off shooting Frank in the stomach rather his head. Joe screamed as he felt a tremendous pain in his stomach, the equivalent to Frank's pain. The older Hardy boy sunk to the floor, clutching his stomach while Joe weakly ran over to his brother, almost doubled over in pain while Fenton Hardy, Con Riley and Carson Drew engaged the criminals in combat. Joe collasped next to his older brother in the corner, away from all the fighting. "Frank" Joe gasped, "are you okay?" The brothers were joined right then by Nancy, who seemed to be in shock. "Don't bother with me Joe, you're the one I'm concerned about. How bad are you feeling it?" Nancy seemed to snap out of her shock at Frank's words, looking between the brothers not understanding what they were talking about; Joe was completely unhurt, and yet he was in pain. "I missed something didn't I?" Joe nodded, answering Nancy, then paused turning his head to look at Frank. "Do you want to explain it or should I?" "No you go ahead Joe. That would require energy that I don't have".
Joe nodded at his brother, then looked over at Nancy. "Basically our… bond or whatever you want to call it, allows us to know what the other is feeling or when the other is hurt or in pain". Pausing Joe winced as Frank tried to move, causing his arm and shoulder to brush against the floor and in turn caused it to burn. The younger Hardy boy was slightly out of breath when he next picked up his tale. "For example, Frank right now is hurt and in a great amount of pain. While I am unhurt, I am feeling the same pain, amount and all". Saying this, Joe groped around on the floor beside him, looking for Frank's uninjured right hand. Finding it, Joe squeezed it lightly, letting his older brother know that he understood. " But why?" Nancy asked. "When did all this start?"
"Sometime when we were kids, I'd guess. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. Do you know Frank?" "You were just…a year old when you… got hurt falling down the stairs. I wasn't in time to help you or call for help before you landed at the bottom, hitting your head earning your first ever concussion" Frank teased, attempting to lighten the mood. "After that I vowed to…myself that you would never get…hurt again if I could help it". Frank was breathless, as though it hurt to let every word fall from his lips.
Suddenly the teenagers heard their names being called. " Frank, Joe, Nancy!" The teens, or rather Nancy looked up, as the boys were already looking up, due to their position on the floor. "Dad!" Joe and Nancy cried out to their respective fathers who were already hurrying towards the group of teenagers, one-third of which was hurt, while another third was in pain but uninjured, and finally one third who was neither hurt except for a couple of bruises, nor in pain. Nancy quickly got up and ran to her father, letting herself be gathered into a hug as her father reassured himself that she was alright, that she was not injured except for a couple of bruises.
After letting go of her father, Nancy turned so her back was resting against Carson's strong chest. "Frank, can I ask you something?" Fenton, who was kneeling next to his eldest assessing his injuries, rocked back onto his heels allowing Frank to answer Nancy. Frank slowly nodded his head. "S-sure". Nancy took a deep breath. "Why?" Seeing that Frank was confused, she clarified. "Why would you throw your life away for me? You'd been hurt enough. Why would you want to add one more injury, a permament injury, to yourself?" Frank hesitated, hoping to God he would not sound stupid. "Because that is what friends do. At the same time I was thinking of you, I was giving myself some thought too. I would feel too guilty had I let you take the bullet. I would not be able to look at your father straight anymore if I had because then I would have been tearing you away from him, to say nothing of Ned. There is nothing more precious to a father than his little girl".
Con Riley walked into the room, pushing the group of kidnappers ahead of him. "I'm going to drive these pieces of vermin to the police station. An ambulance is on the way and should be here in a couple minutes. I'll meet you at the hospital to take Frank and Nancy 's statements". Fenton Hardy nooded and stood up from his position on the floor. "Thank you Con. For everything". The police smiled his understanding at the overwhelmed father. "No thanks are required Fenton. I'm just doing my job". With that the police nodded to the group, and adjusting his hold on the group of prisonners, turned and walked away.
