Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).
This story was originally written in the early 2000s. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen.
September Reprise
By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA
Chapter 7
Megan was awakened early, by the raucous sounds of blue jays screeching outside her windows. For long moments she lay absolutely still, listening to the racket. A flashing thought of Oh, I've got to get up for school! was followed by Oh…no, it's Saturday. And then recollection hit. The car accident!
If she didn't move, nothing hurt. But just one single attempt…. Very cautiously, Megan turned her head, wincing at the resultant pain in her neck, and found that her face seemed to be surrounded by plastic bags of cold water. Vanessa must have been in and out of here a lot last night, she thought, for otherwise the water would have been tepid, not cold. She shoved them away, and hauled herself to a sitting position, feeling twinges of pain all over her body.
Slowly, she struggled to her feet, and waited for the medication-induced fuzziness to dissipate. Avoiding looking in the mirror over her dresser, Megan moved towards the door, and went into the hallway.
The door to her mother's bedroom was closed, and she assumed that Vanessa was sleeping there. Megan stumbled into the bathroom next to her room, and shut the door, then turned on the light. For a moment she stood braced against the door, her eyes closed – and then, resolutely, she opened them and faced the mirror.
Oh my God…oh no….Oh no. She shuddered and closed her eyes again; took a deep breath, and cracked the lids open. She still looked the same. This time, however, she just shivered momentarily, then began to take stock.
First, let's get rid of this….She unwound the gauze bandage from her head, revealing the square patch held on with medical tape which covered her stitches. Better – not great, but better. And if I can put a Band-aid over it instead, even better yet. Gingerly, she touched the adhesive tape crossing her nose. Ouch! – nope, that stays. Her wide azure eyes were already shadowing with bruises from the nose injury, she noticed. Her mouth looked both better and worse: the swelling had receded, but that made her fractured tooth more noticeable, and the cuts showed up prominently. Got to call Dr. Sheldon's office this morning – he doesn't work on Saturdays, but maybe his associate does. I've got to get this tooth fixed, ASAP! Even so, the thought of having dental work done with her mouth in its present condition gave her the shivers.
She ran a hand through her matted auburn hair, and turned away from the mirror. Aching muscles and bruises were crying out for a hot bath. Maybe I'll feel better after that…. She started the water, then went back to her room for some clean clothes to wear.
###
Forty-five minutes later, Megan emerged from the bathroom. She had hated to get out of the tub, and kept postponing the inevitable, adding more and more hot water as it cooled. At last, however, she was out, dry and fully dressed in loose sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and her clean, damp hair was combed into an approximation of her usual style. The shorter, straightened haircut was a blessing, she realized. Putting on makeup had been an impossibility, but after all, who was going to see her? Vanessa wouldn't care! And Dr. Sheldon's partner had no doubt seen worse.
As if her thoughts had summoned the other girl, Vanessa opened Mrs. Wright's bedroom door and popped her head out. "Megan! You're up! I couldn't believe it when I heard the water running…how are you feeling?"
"Stiff and sore and generally rotten," Megan groused, trying her best to force a smile. "But I don't want to take anymore of that stuff the doctor gave me now; it'll knock me loopy again." She reached to give Vanessa a small hug. "Thanks for staying, Van, and taking care of me. How late did you stay up, messing with those ice packs?"
"Oh, maybe one or so," Vanessa admitted, "but I was studying too, so don't make me sound like a martyr. Maybe you could try taking some regular aspirin, or ibuprofen, if you don't want to take the prescription painkillers?" she suggested.
"Good idea." Megan nodded, and turned back to the bathroom. "I'll do that right now – and then, I think I might lie down again for awhile…."
"Good idea," Vanessa echoed in her turn. "You rest while I take a shower – and then I'll see what I can whip up for breakfast that you're able to eat!"
###
It was nearly an hour and a half later by the time breakfast was served in the Wright household. Megan had fallen asleep almost immediately upon going back to bed, and Vanessa waited until she reawakened, to make anything to eat. Breakfasts were easier than dinners, as far as finding things to cook, and with Megan there to advise and tell her where to locate things, Vanessa had had no trouble.
"Don't try orange juice, it would sting like crazy with all those cuts!" the blonde recommended, as she set a bowl on the table in front of Megan. "There's apple juice here."
"What is this?" Megan surveyed the bowl gloomily. "Oatmeal? But I don't like oatmeal…."
"You can't chew, darling, remember? " Vanessa reminded her. "Oatmeal will slide right on through, and it's filling. You didn't have any dinner last night." She bit into a toasted bagel.
Megan eyed her enviously, then poured milk on her oatmeal, added a couple spoonfuls of brown sugar, and reluctantly began to eat. "For oatmeal, it's pretty good," she admitted, after a few tentative mouthfuls. "You make it better than my mom does, Van."
Vanessa blushed. "Thank you!" she chuckled. "Coming from you, that's high praise! But remember, you're probably starving, which is why it tastes so good." She sipped her coffee, watching Megan's careful consumption of her breakfast, and thought about things. If it wasn't for Frank and Joe, she mused, Megan and I would never have met – never encountered each other. But because of the Hardys, I now have someone who's closer to me than a sister – my big sister, who's littler than me! I have other friends, sure – but there's nobody like Megan! She's the best friend I've ever had.
###
Although Frank had insisted he was going to call Megan first thing in the morning, it was nearly eleven before he finally made that call. He had wanted to phone much earlier, but Laura had strongly advised against it, and Joe and Fenton backed her up.
"Frank, for heaven's sake, let the poor girl sleep!" Laura had protested, when Frank had announced his intention at the breakfast table. "You waking her up at eight a.m. isn't going to make her feel any better!"
"Better listen to your mother, son," Fenton advised, glancing over the top of the newspaper page he was reading. He had felt very badly upon hearing the news of Megan's accident, for the longer he knew her, the fonder he was of Frank's girlfriend. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, Fenton had called a florist early that morning, and ordered flowers delivered to her. A very large amount of flowers.
"Yeah, bro – you want her to rest as much as possible, don't you?" Joe added his two cents' worth to the discussion as he was leaving for Wayne's World.
Overwhelmed by numbers, Frank glumly put off phoning his girlfriend, but by eleven o'clock, he could wait no longer. The phone rang several times, then Vanessa's clear voice came over the wires.
"Wright residence."
"Vanessa? It's Frank. How's Megan?"
"She's feeling better, Frank. She's been up, off and on, and she ate some breakfast. And she's made an appointment with someone to have her front tooth fixed, this afternoon."
"Can I talk to her?" Frank implored. "Please?"
"Hold on—" Vanessa set the receiver down, and Frank heard muffled voices in the background. He waited, impatiently.
"Frank?"
"Baby!" The elder Hardy emitted a sharp sigh of relief. "Baby, how are you?"
A small chuckle reached his ear. "Truth or pleasant fiction?"
"Truth, please."
"Horribly stiff and sore, and I'm tempted to wear a paper bag over my head," Megan replied, "but maybe it won't be so bad after I see the dentist."
"Can I come over? Take you there?" Frank pressed.
"No, no – Vanessa's mom is coming over, to bring Van her jeep. And then we'll take Andrea back home, and then Van will take me to the dentist. We'd have just used Mom's car, but it's parked at the airport."
"When can I see you, Baby? Do I have to wait until it's dark again? You know I don't care what you look like!" Frank waited for her answer, holding his breath in anticipation.
"I'll let you know later," she hedged. "Really, I'm not ready for public display, Frank. Or at least, I'm not ready for you to see me. I look incredibly awful. Maybe we can just talk on the phone, or something." A distant chiming sound came through the receiver. "Oh, there's the doorbell—" A few seconds later, after more indistinct background noises and indistinguishable voices, he heard a shriek. "Oh! Oh! Oh, they're beautiful!"
"What is it?" he demanded. Megan sounded excited, and pleased, and anything that could please and excite her at this point had to be good. "Megan, what is it?"
There was more background babble between Megan and Vanessa, before she finally replied to his question. "F-flowers…a huge bouquet of flowers…I mean, it's enormous – oh, Frank, your dad sent me flowers! Get-well flowers! Oh, is he there? Tell him thank you – oh, they're so beautiful!" She sniffled, apparently near tears.
Frank felt his mouth drop open, both in surprise at his father's action, and in chagrin that he hadn't thought of this gesture himself. "I – I'll tell him, Baby. He'll be glad you like them," he said lamely.
Another sniffle. "Tell him I love them."
"I will," he promised. "And speaking of loving things – Megan, I love you. Have I mentioned that lately?"
"Not since yesterday," she murmured – and sniffled again. "I love you, too," she added. "I've got to go now. Andrea's here with the car."
"Call me when you get home, okay? Promise?" he demanded worriedly. "And take it easy, huh? Stay lying down the rest of the time!"
"I will – I promise. Bye, Frank." The receiver clicked back into place, leaving Frank feeling bereft, but somewhat relieved, all the same. He located Fenton in his den, and relayed Megan's message.
"That was really nice of you, Dad, to do that. Wish I'd thought of it," Frank said regretfully.
"When you're my age, you'll think of things like that," Fenton assured Frank, smiling, and winked. "However, it's not too late. She'd probably appreciate some from you too, you know."
"Hey, you're right!" Frank grinned at this sudden idea, and his father's encouragement. "I think I'll ask Joe if he wants to go with me to the florist's, when he gets home."
