Chapter 3 – A Puzzle

The night had come and gone and still there was no sign of Nancy's doctor. They had been told of course that she had come in with multiple injuries, and they hadn't expected it to be quick, but twelve hours? What could that man have possibly done to her that would require 12 hours of surgery?

After much discussion and arguing, Joe managed to convince Anne to go home if only to relieve his mother of the full burden of taking care of the children. Mr. Hardy had accompanied her as he wasn't young enough to sleep on the plastic hospital chairs like his sons and was in dire need of rest. They'd tried to get Mr. Drew to go with the oldest Hardy, but the lawyer had flat out refused, as was to be expected.

There were others in the waiting room now, a young woman with long brown hair accompanied by an elderly woman and an infant, a tired looking boy who looked to be in his late teens dressed in ratty jeans and a dirty t-shirt, a middle aged woman and a teenaged girl, and an elderly man. The whole room was silent, the only sound the soft hum of the electricity and the low murmurs of the unwatched television. Everyone was scared, imagining the worst, praying for the best.

The silence was broken for a moment as Frank's work cell came to life. The taller Hardy brother quickly excused himself into the hallway when he recognized the number.

"Bess," he said into the phone when he was out of hearing distance.

"Frank Hardy!" Nancy's childhood friend screamed into his ear. He winced at her tone, knowing she was going to let him have it. "Why? Why didn't you call me! That was a terrible thing to do!"

"I'm sorry Bess, the boss didn't want me to tell you," he apologized, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"Oh my word, when I'm through with him… UGH!" the blonde screeched. Frank let out a low chuckle, not for the first time wondering just how Bess of all people had been picked to be his partner. He'd always known she was smart, despite the fact that she acted somewhat dumb, but it had still amazed him when they'd been assigned together.

"You know he just wanted what was best for you. How are the plans by the way?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Frank Hardy, my best friend is laying in some hospital bed… cold and alone… and you want to talk about the blueprints?"

"I was hoping to save Josh from your wrath," he replied good naturedly.

"I finished them. I'm actually headed for Bayport, I should arrive in a few days."

"Bess," he warned, "you are taking the proper channels to get here, aren't you?"

"Of course! I don't have a death wish for goodness sakes."

"Just making sure."

"Call me the minute anything changes, don't worry about Josh, I'll take care of him."

"I'm sure you will," he said with a smile, wondering were the old cowardly girl had gone.

"Alright, I'll see you in a few days. See you then."

Click.

With a sigh Frank closed his phone, stuffing it back in his pocket as he headed back for the waiting room.

"You ok?" Joe asked when he got back, taking his seat next to his brother.

"Yeah, Bess, she's flying out in a few days."

"Bess, your business partner?" Joe asked, trying to find a face to match the name.

"Yes."

"How long does it take to fly in from Europe?" Joe asked in confusion, knowing Bess was Nancy's friend and wondering why shouldn't fly right out.

'Long when you're flying in from a Middle Eastern war zone.' Frank thought. "She has a few things she needs to wrap up with our boss before she leaves," Frank lied.

Joe was just about to comment when his cell phone rang.

Anne Hardy

"Hey baby," Joe whispered as he left the waiting room.

"Joe, I called Logan with the news and he asked me something about Nancy's Springing Power of Attorney?"

"Oh, that's kind of like a living will, only it grants family members to make medical decisions should she become incapacitated; also to give instruction on placement of children should there be any. I'll talk to Mr. Drew about it."

"Logan said since Nancy was his client she left him a letter to give to her father, who is her Springing Power of Attorney I guess, with all her wishes on the matter."

"Ok, I'll talk to Mr. Drew," Joe stopped when he noticed a nurse headed his way, "Listen babe, I got to go, a nurse is approaching."

Everyone in the waiting room froze when they heard the distinct click of a nurse's heel. Slowly heads rose, greeting her with blank, sleepless expressions filled with worry and fear. She scanned the room for a moment before announcing the name on her chart.

"Nancy Drew?"

Sighs of frustration and relief coursed through the room as the other occupants bowed their heads once again.

"I'm her father," Carson Drew told the nurse quietly, like he was afraid of what she'd say.

"Mr. Drew, if you would please step into the hallway, the doctor will be here to see you shortly. Until then I would like to stress that your daughter is alive," the nurse stated, putting her hand on his arm to offer reassurance.

"Hey, how's Nancy?" Joe asked as he jogged over to the small group.

"Alive," Mr. Drew breathed.

"Here's Dr. Holden now!"

Everyone followed the nurse's gaze till they spotted an attractive middle aged man with dark brown hair and mint green eyes in green scrubs.

"Thank you Karen, I'll take it from here," Dr. Holden dismissed. The nurse gave a quick nod before leaving them alone in the empty hallway. "Mr. Drew, your daughter sustained multiple injuries, including two broken ribs that punctured her lungs; one of Nancy's arteries was nicked and she lost a lot of blood, it also seems that her kidneys were severely damaged. She is stable, but she sustained major head trauma, and we won't be able to tell how extensive the damage was to her cerebrum, which I'm afraid to say controls her memory. I'm not trying to scare you Mr. Drew, but I do want to prepare you. There is a big chance that if Nancy wakes up, she will have severe memory loss."

"If?" Frank asked.