Chapter Five

"You didn't tell me Nancy was in that car!" yelled Ned, throwing his keys onto the table.

"Oh, quit your bitching," replied the man he was with. The two walked into the hotel suite where Brenda waited for them, her arms folded in front of her. "It's too bad I couldn't see the look on that lawyer's face when the truck hit."

"You were supposed to wait, Dixon!" Brenda yelled. "I actually can't believe I'm saying this but Ned's right. Nancy wasn't supposed to be hurt in any way. Now Mr. Preston has to change what he originally had planned!"

"Hey, you hired me to do a job!" Dixon yelled back, pointing his finger at her. "And I did it gladly for what that lawyer did to me! How was I supposed to know she was in the car?"

"If you followed them the whole time," Ned growled, "we would have seen them go to the airport!"

"I didn't see you objecting to us leaving, Lover boy!"

"Enough!" yelled Brenda. "What's done is done. The mission was accomplished, just not the way it was planned. Unfortunately Ned, you might have to lay low a little longer to make sure you weren't seen."

"You gonna join me this time?" smirked Ned.

"As if, pencil dick," she grimaced. Dixon snickered as Ned gave him a dirty look. Brenda turned her gaze to him. "Dixon, Mr. Preston wants to speak with you personally."

"Oh, okay." Dixon suddenly looked afraid as he left the room, taking the keys with him.

"When do I get to meet this Mr. Preston anyway?" Ned asked.

"When the time is right," Brenda replied vaguely. "Just be glad you're not Dixon right now."

"Well then, now what?"

"You heard me," Brenda stated. "Mr. Preston wants you here until the complaint against you is taken care of and you're not implicated in that accident. Now, I have a more pressing matter to attend to."

"What's that?"

"I get to be the welcoming party." Brenda smiled as she strolled out the door leaving Ned to his own entertainment.

After no delays, the Hardys were able to take off earlier than Fenton expected. Joe and Vanessa sat in the back of the plane, talking quietly while Frank stared out the window, brooding. Fenton took the seat next to his oldest son who barely realized anyone was there.

"You know, if you stare outside long enough, the scenery might actually change."

"Huh?" Frank asked, blinking several times before finally focusing on his dad.

"Son," Fenton quietly replied, "I have always felt that you were one of the most compassionate young men I have ever met. The amount of emotion you show makes you strong. Just don't let certain things get in the way of that. Everything will be okay when we get there."

"I hope you're right, Dad," Frank said softly. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you or Mom or Joe. Nancy, I…I…"

"I know," Fenton replied.

"What if I never get the chance to apologize?"

"You will and it'll work out in the end," Fenton smiled. "Try and get some rest. We'll be landing soon and I don't think we'll have much time for sleep when we get there."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, son. I love both you and Joe so much. Don't ever forget that."

As Fenton got up to go sit by his wife, Frank went back to the window though this time he closed his eyes. He thought about Nancy and how he treated in Arizona. He wanted to know if she was okay but he kept thinking the worst. She was hurt and there was nothing he could do but wait. Frank soon fell into a light slumber, thinking about what they could possibly encounter when they arrived in River Heights.

It was going on ten o'clock when the Hardys finally arrived at the hospital, having landed in a private airstrip outside River Heights. Although they had no problem finding a parking space since most of the visitors left for the day, they noticed a small contingent of reporters standing outside the main entrance. Word had spread that there was an accident involving some of River Heights' most prominent residents including the chief of police and Fenton didn't really want to be bothered by the press while going into the hospital. He got out his phone and dialed Hannah's cell phone. Five minutes later, the group waited outside a side door for someone to meet them. Someone did but not who they expected.

"Frank? Joe?" replied a voice behind them. The two brothers turned around to see Brenda Carlton standing before them, a notebook in her hand. "What are you doing here? And why are you waiting outside a locked side door?"

"Brenda," Frank smiled as cheerfully as he could. He really didn't like the reporter but he wanted to be courteous at least. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," Brenda smiled back though he could tell it was forced. "You didn't answer my question, Frank. Are you trying to sneak in without the press finding out? Tsk tsk."

"Get lost, Brenda," Joe finally said.

"Who is this?" Fenton asked just as the door opened up revealing a man who looked like a cop.

"Brenda, you know better," he replied, pointing his finger at her. "I suggest you take your sorry ass back to the front door. No press allowed."

"BD, you know I have every right to be inside! The people want to know!" Brenda screeched. "Besides, I'm concerned. Nancy and I…"

"Were never friends," Joe finished the sentence. Brenda glared at him through narrow eyes.

"Fine." Brenda put on her best fake smile. "Then I guess I'll crucify you in the paper."

"Good luck with that," BD said to her retreating form. "I'm sure Daddy will make sure it's there…somewhere."

"Again, who was that?" Fenton asked, looking at his sons.

"A fly," answered Joe.

"A has been," answered BD.

"Nobody, Dad," answered Frank.

"Sorry about that," BD replied, shaking his head and turning his attention to the Hardys. "Detective BD Hawkins, at your service. Come on in. Hannah, Bess, and George are waiting. What'd you do to your hand, Joe?"

"It's nothing. Just a broken wrist," Joe answered. BD acknowledged the remark by nodding his head then held the door open for the group to enter. They followed the detective into the hospital, soon coming out into a darkened hallway where an orderly waited.

"You know I could get fired for this, BD," the orderly grumbled.

"I'll make sure the Chief vouches for you," BD smiled. He slapped the orderly's arm before walking away. "You'll be fine, Dexter."

"Is the Chief okay then?" asked Joe.

"The Chief is going to be fine," BD said. He guided them to the elevator bank and hit the "up" button. "The doctor came to visit Mrs. McGinnis about an hour ago to tell her the news. Most of the guys waiting left to go home after the news but were under strict orders not to say anything to the press on their way out. Once we have all the information we need, the mayor wants a press conference."

"What's his prognosis?" Fenton asked.

"The Chief?" BD said, getting onto the elevator. "He has a broken leg and possibly a slight concussion otherwise, he has some minor injuries. Those were the worst. The Doc said he doesn't know when the Chief will wake up but you know him. He doesn't let anything get him down for long. I suspect by morning he'll be up and barking orders from bed."

"What of the Drews?" Laura asked.

"Ah, yes," BD sighed. The elevator doors opened before he could say anything more and he led them down the hall. "I stayed behind to wait for news of them but as of right now, there is nothing to tell. Hannah's upset, as expected but staying strong."

"Fenton!" cried a voice as they rounded the corner. Hannah Gruen rushed up to the group and gave the elder Hardy a hug. "I'm so glad you're finally here!"

"We got here as quickly as we could," Fenton sighed. The Drew's housekeeper gave each Hardy a hug, including Vanessa whom she never met.

"'Quickly as we could' meaning fly faster than a speeding bullet and drive like a bat out of hell," Joe joked.

"Ha ha, Joe," Fenton smiled. He turned back to Hannah before noticing Bess and George standing nearby. "Thanks for calling us, George."

"Thank you for coming," she answered with a small smile. Her and Bess gave each Hardy a hug a welcomed them even though it was under dire circumstances.

"I take it that there's still no word just yet?" Fenton asked, looking at the three women.

"No," Hannah shook her head. Her eyes started to well up. "I've been trying my best not to sob uncontrollably but now that you're here, I just can't stop myself."

"Oh, Hannah," Laura said, gently wrapping her arm around the older woman and guiding her to the couch.

"What if..." Hannah sobbed. "I don't know what I'll do if I get that kind of news. I just lost one of my good friends yesterday and now this?"

"What happened to Mrs. Nickerson anyway?" Frank gently pressed.

"She hadn't been doing well for weeks," Hannah sniffed. "I knew she was sick before but she was on the mend. This time it seemed…different. Then yesterday, her nurse found her in her bed. I've been baking ever since to get her off my mind."

"Well, at least we won't go hungry," Joe joked to lighten the mood. They all groaned in response.

"When Mr. Drew told us Nancy was coming home," Bess chimed in, ignoring Joe, "we went over to help out. That's when BD came by with the news. It was the worst moment of my life, that's for sure."

"Carson took a phone call this morning right after he got off the phone with Nancy," Hannah continued. "He left the house and that was the last time I saw him. He said he would be back later."

"Who was it who called?" Fenton asked.

"Chief McGinnis," Hannah replied. "I don't know what it was about but I think it had something to do with Edith. Carson wasn't very happy when he left either."

Before anyone could say anything else, a woman walked into the room, a small smile on her face.

"Sherry," Hannah said, rushing over to the woman and hugging her. "How's the Chief? Oh, sorry. Sherry, these are the Hardys. They're good friends of the Drews. This is Sherry McGinnis, the Chief's wife."

"Nice to meet you," Sherry smiled, shaking their hands. "Rob's going to want to know you're here. He asked me to come get BD."

"You mean, he's awake?" BD asked, excitedly.

"Yes," Sherry said, her smile getting bigger. "He's rather mad too. He wanted to speak with BD but I'm sure he'd want to see the Hardys as well. Rob's told me all about you."

Fenton ordered Laura and Vanessa to stay with Hannah, Bess, and George while he, Frank, and Joe went with BD to see Chief McGinnis. As they approached the room, they could hear McGinnis grumbling to the nurse about being fine.

"I'm sure you're fine, Chief," BD smiled as he walked into the room. "They just don't know it yet."

"BD!" McGinnis cried. "And you brought me some gifts! Just the people I was hoping to see!"

Although he sounded chipper, Chief McGinnis looked worse for wear. His broken leg was propped on pillows and he was still connected to several machines that the nurse was currently checking. His face was worse than anything, with a small bandage covering just above the eyebrow and several scratches that were bond to leave a few scars. Fenton, Frank, and Joe filed in and waited for the nurse to leave before speaking.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay, sir," BD said, shaking the Chief's hand. "I was just telling the Hardys that it takes a lot to knock you down."

"That it does, that it does," replied McGinnis. He looked to Fenton and shook his hand. "I'm sure BD told you what he knew."

"Actually, we were just hearing from Hannah," Fenton answered. "We really haven't had the chance to talk to BD about the accident."

"Well, then you're in luck," growled McGinnis, "because I was about to tell him what happened. You got a pen and paper, BD?"

BD whipped out a small notebook and pen before settling down into a nearby chair. Fenton took the only other chair leaving Joe to lean against the wall while Frank stood stiffly behind his father.

"First of all, Fenton," McGinnis began, "that was no accident."

"What?!" the four men cried in unison.

"Don't yell so loud!" cried McGinnis, his hands to his head. "My head's still hurting! Anyway, we were almost to River Heights when a something rammed the car."

"You remember that?" Joe asked, incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sure as I'm sitting here! Now don't interrupt me again, Joe!" Frank hid a smile before Fenton gave him a look. "Again, we were on our way back from Chicago. I heard Nancy make a noise behind me and then it hit us. I didn't see what it was. I just know it was big."

"There was an abandoned dump truck near the scene," BD replied. "Could that have been it?"

"I'm not sure," the Chief shook his head. "The only one who saw it was Nancy and maybe Carson. I'm sure one of them could tell you what it was."

"Um, sir," BD hesitated. "We haven't heard anything about the Drews just yet."

"What do you mean?"

"The doctor hasn't come back to tell us what's going on."

The Chief thought for a moment, looking at his hands. The reality of losing his good friend was not something he wanted to wake up to, least of all losing Nancy. He said a silent prayer before looking up at Fenton. Then he noticed Frank. The young man looked like he was taking the news of the Drews pretty hard as his eyes were downcast and a sadness emanated from him. McGinnis wondered why Frank would be taking it so hard and meant to ask him in the future when he got the chance.

"Find out who did this, Fenton," Chief McGinnis ordered. "I want them found and strung out for good measure. No one does this to me and gets away with it."

"Yes, Chief," Fenton nodded. "We're prepared for anything."

Chief McGinnis continued his story, giving them all the details of the reason why they went to Chicago and also about the van that was following them or seemed to be following them. He was just about done with the story when a doctor came in to check on him.

"What's going on in here?" the doctor asked rather annoyed. "Visiting hours are over, Chief! You know that! Only your wife is allowed in here until visiting hours begin in the morning."

"Doc…"

"Don't you 'Doc' me!" the doctor yelled. "You know the rules. Now, I have to ask you gentlemen to leave. Chief McGinnis needs his rest and giving a statement isn't going to help."

"Remember what I said, BD," the Chief called out as the four men left the room. "Get everyone in on this! And let the Hardys help!"

He was still yelling as they walked down the hall, determined to get everything out. Fenton's mind was reeling as he thought about the accident and how Carson and Nancy might be. As the four continued down the hallway toward the waiting area, they could hear loud sobbing. With Fenton leading the way, the four of them ran the rest of the way down the hall. Hannah was sobbing in the hallway with Laura and Sherry both comforting her. Bess and George stood behind them, comforting each other and crying.

"What's happened?" Fenton asked breathlessly as he came to a stop beside them. The doctor sadly greeted them before looking back to Hannah.

"If you have any other questions or need counseling, please let one of the nurses know," she said gently. "We'll be able to help you in any way we can."

The doctor took her leave and grimly walked away, hands in the pockets of her white coat. Hannah was beside herself, sobbing uncontrollably into Laura's shoulder.

"Laura?" Fenton looked at his wife. She was in tears too but it was Sherry who answered him.

"Mr. Hardy," she began before hesitating. "Nancy's going to be okay. She just got out of surgery to stop any internal bleeding and they had to…remove her spleen. They think she might also have a massive concussion but they really won't know until she wakes up. Unfortunately, that could be hours, days, possibly weeks. Depends on how bad it is. She's in recovery now and will be moved to this floor in a few minutes."

Frank felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Bess sadly smiling at him. It was as if she knew he was devastated over the news. Nancy may be alive but she wasn't out of the woods yet. He leaned down and gave her a hug before moving toward a couch to sit down in.

"What about Carson?" Fenton asked urgently. "Please tell me he's going to be okay too."

Sherry hung her head, tears flowing. She couldn't say it. If she didn't say it, maybe it wouldn't be true but George beat her to it.

"Mr. Drew died during surgery, Mr. Hardy," George said quietly. She looked down. "They did everything they could but…but he's gone."

Author's Note:

Phew! That took a lot out of me! I'm surprised I was even able to get this chapter out. For one thing, it was very hard to write, especially the end (understandable). It also didn't really help that my oldest had not one but two snow days due to the extreme cold so my writing was rather restricted to the evenings, if I could even get to it. By the end of the day yesterday, I wanted to pull my hair out! LOL! Love my kid but when you have a one-year-old around that the older one wants to constantly be on (literally), it gets tiresome. Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter and to those who continue to read to find out what's going on! I appreciate the support! That being said, enjoy the rest of your day and stay warm out there! Later!