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The Cracked Badge

Chapter 25

For all of Nancy's talk about being fine, as soon as they got home that day she had climbed up to Joe's bedroom and fallen back into bed. Frank had checked on her within minutes and she was already asleep. He had told himself not to worry – in the days after his recent hospital stay he had barely been conscious, too.

Over the course of the next few days Nancy spent progressively more time up and about. The agents that had stepped in to help at that Clarke house rescue came by to debrief her on her experience. Then the police had to get a statement so that Con could officially be exonerated.

Carson Drew, Nancy's father, had been informed of what happened, and while he was willing to cancel every appointment in his book to fly to New York that day, Nancy convinced him that she was doing fine. She had already decided that her next long trip would be to River Heights. She was still debating over whether or not to ask Frank to accompany her.

Three days after coming back from the hospital, Frank knocked lightly on Nancy's door at his parents' house. Even though he felt ready to move back to his own place, he wanted Nancy to recover fully before having to change things around.

"Come in," she called.

Frank opened the door to see Nancy sitting up in bed, pushing her red hair out of her face.

"Just wake up?" He asked, sitting down to face her.

"Of course not," she said, though her sheepish smile betrayed her.

"Hey, it's okay," Frank said, trying to be reassuring. "The doctor said it would be normal for you to sleep a lot for the next week."

"I know," Nancy sighed. "I just hate being cooped up here, even though I really don't feel like doing anything else. I can only imagine how Con has been feeling in jail."

"The good news is that he's scheduled to be released today, assuming all of the evidence comes through okay."

"That's great. We should go say hi in a few days. For now I don't think I'm up to the company."

"Tell you what," Frank said, resting his hand on her leg. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll take you to a late breakfast? Just you and me, for once."

Nancy smiled. "That sounds great. I probably should shower, though."

Frank leaned in and sniffed, jokingly. "Nah, you're fine. Just get dressed."

She laughed and pushed him away. "Thanks for that." Nancy paused and looked down.

He noticed the change in her demeanor immediately. "What is it?"

"Um, It's just, it's really hard to get dressed and change my bandages on my own. Your Mom's been helping me, but…"

Suddenly Frank understood why his mother had spent so much time with Nancy over the last few days. It honestly hadn't occurred to him that she would need help with something like getting dressed. Big rescues he was used to, but Nancy always seemed too strong for something as seemingly small as changing clothes to cause her problems.

"Mom went out shopping, I think."

"Oh," Nancy said quietly. "Do you think…"

"Yeah, I can help you. Not a problem."

There was no reason for either of them to be awkward about this. It's not like Frank had never seen Nancy naked. It was weirder for him to see her so helpless. But he had so adamantly declared that they would not be getting intimate in the near future that both of them were a little gun-shy.

"So, clothes or bandages first?" Frank asked, trying to stay businesslike.

"Bandages," Nancy said. "There are some extra rolls of gauze in that bag." Carefully she began peeling back the old layer of gauze on one of her arms. Examining herself closely, she was happy to find that while not completely closed, the long cut seemed to healing well with no sign of infection.

If she noticed Frank's hesitation after seeing her wounds for himself, she didn't let on.

Frank found the roll easily, trying to treat Nancy like a patient and not the person he was in love with. If he was unable to maintain a level of detachment he might just have to go find that Marco guy and beat his face in, since the police hadn't found him yet. He didn't think she would approve.

After carefully applying ointment, Frank rewrapped her arms. He knew that it still hurt her to move them, but unless she was completely immobile it was impossible to avoid. He hated that she was constantly in pain. At least with him he only had to deal with one arm. He almost laughed, thinking about the two of them.

Nancy noticed the twinkle in his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how the two of us are a matched set – a pair of invalids."

She chuckled. "That's true. But hopefully not for much longer, for either of us."

After both arms were wrapped, Frank put the roll away and faced Nancy. "Okay, now what?"

"Um, I can handle the lower half just fine, but I have trouble lifting things over my head. Or, um, reaching around to my back," Nancy looked up at him, hoping he understood.

To his credit, he only barely turned pink. After Frank pulled out a shirt for her, he also grabbed a bra that was inside her suitcase.

"Will this one do?"

Nancy couldn't help laughing. "Sure."

"So what would be the best way to do this?" Frank asked, suddenly feeling anxious. He'd be lying if he denied that some part of him was excited at the prospect of seeing Nancy naked, but he didn't want her to feel like he was taking advantage of the situation.

Nancy scooted around until her back was facing Frank. She only wore a tank top on her upper half. "Why don't you pull up from the bottom hem while I lift my arms? Then you can slide the bra over my arms and clasp it."

It shouldn't have been such a production, Frank knew. He wasn't Joe, but he wasn't exactly inexperienced in undressing a girl. But it was important to him that Nancy be completely comfortable in her vulnerability.

Barely touching her skin, he took the hem in his fingers and slowly drew the fabric up her back. Nancy lifted her arms when he reached her shoulders so he was able to gently pull the garment all the way off of her. Frank was already testing the limits of his self-control, but when Nancy shook her head to straighten her red hair from the tank top, he thought he might die. It was perhaps the sexiest thing he had ever seen, combined with the completely bare skin of her back less than a foot in front of him.

"Frank?"

Nancy's voice broke him out of his thoughts. He realized that he had been staring at that spot on her back where her shoulder blades almost meet her spine. He had been debating over whether or not he could get away with touching it.

"Yeah, sorry. Here." He slid the straps of the bra onto her arms until the clasp was in his hands, waiting to be hooked in place.

He tried to slip the hooks into the rings… and failed. Then tried again, and failed again.

"How do you do this?" He asked. He knew he could probably get the thing off easily enough, but on? He'd never had to do that before.

Nancy laughed at Frank's struggle. "Just keep trying. You'll get it."

Finally he did. With just that small barrier between Nancy's nakedness and himself, Frank found that he could breathe a little easier. That didn't mean he didn't still want to touch her, of course, but at least there wasn't an expanse of bare skin in front of him anymore.

Nancy, for all of her ease in front of Frank, was having a harder time than she let on. And it wasn't about sex. He was being so kind, so gentle. It was as if he had to treat her carefully so she wouldn't break. Normally, that would irritate her beyond belief. But after her latest experience she was willing to endure some pampering. Every motion he made was filled with a tangible love – she could feel it in his touch, his words.

Frank couldn't resist. He brushed her hair aside and pressed a light, lingering kiss onto the skin at the base of her neck. He held onto her shoulder carefully, touching her nowhere else.

Nancy closed her eyes at the contact. After one final peck, his lips were gone for good and she let out a sigh.

Frank just smiled, knowing that if they were still going to breakfast that they needed to leave soon. He slid a new thick-strapped tank top onto her arms and over her head, helping her settle it in place on her body.

"I can take it from here, Frank," Nancy said, turning to face him.

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes." Frank got up to leave, but Nancy grabbed his hand.

"Frank. Thank you."

"Of course. I know it was probably more awkward with me than with Mom, but I'll always help you if you need it."

"No, not for that. Well, yes, but I mean, thank you for coming for me. I knew that you would. I knew I just needed to hang on long enough for you to come."

Frank sat back down and cupped Nancy's cheek with his large hand. "I'll always come for you. I'd go halfway around the world for you."

"I know."

"Always," Frank said again.

Nancy leaned in and pressed her lips to Frank's. She knew it wouldn't turn into a huge will-they-won't-they situation or a confusing step back. It was a kiss between two people who deeply loved each other. It didn't have to be more or less. Maybe they were growing up.

After a moment, Frank pulled away. Without saying anything else, he disappeared downstairs to wait for her.

Once Nancy had pulled on a pair of shorts, she gingerly went down the stairs to meet Frank. She was surprised to find all of the Hardys in the living room, Fenton with paperwork spread out, Laura having just arrived home with some shopping bags, and Joe watching a baseball game on TV. Frank was at the base of the stairs waiting for her.

It didn't matter that she had just been with him up in her room. Seeing Frank caused a huge smile to bloom across Nancy's face and she was powerless to control it. She was comforted to see that he was having a similar problem.

After a few seconds, Frank tore his eyes away from her to address the room. "Hey guys?" The other Hardys looked up from what they were doing to stare at him. "I just thought you should know that Nancy and I are together. We have been, actually, since Europe."

No one said anything for a moment.

"All right, pay up," Fenton said to Joe, holding out his hand.

"You guys couldn't have waited one more day for this announcement?" Joe whined as he pulled out his wallet. "Thanks for nothing."

"You lose, fair and square," Fenton said, collecting a twenty dollar bill from his son.

"What a second," Frank said. "You knew? And were betting on us?"

"I didn't tell them," Joe said, holding his hands up in the air. "But really, did you think you were fooling anyone?"

"Mom?" Frank asked, turning to the one person who hadn't said anything.

She sighed, then said, "Yes, of course I knew. You were quite obvious about it, dear."

"Why didn't anyone say anything?" Nancy asked, trying to push away her blush.

Laura answered, "We figured it was none of our business."

"And we wanted to see how long it would take you to tell us yourselves," Fenton said.

Nancy and Frank surveyed the people in the room one more time, waiting for the shock to wear off.

Frank turned to Nancy, decisively. "Well, in that case," he said, taking her face in his hands and covering her mouth with his own.

Nancy was too surprised to do anything other than let him, soon forgetting that his family was staring at them intently. He was so warm, so soft…

"Ahem." Joe's voice brought them back to the present. "Just because we know about you two and are okay with it, doesn't mean we want to witness it."

"Oh, hush dear," Laura said, swatting her youngest boy with a towel. "I think it's sweet."

Nancy laughed. It was all she could do to keep herself from exploding with happiness.

"Shall we?" Frank asked, taking her hand.

"Always," she said, echoing Frank's earlier words. As he always had, he understood what she was really saying and pressed a kiss to her hand.

"Wait," Frank said, stopping when they got to the car outside.

"What is it?"

"We still haven't told one person."

"Who?"

"Your dad." Frank cringed. "I have a feeling he might kill me."

Nancy pressed herself against Frank in a loose hug. "I have an idea."

"Anything," Frank said, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head.

"How about we do it in person?"

Fin. For now. Again.

Finishing my second multi-chapter HB/ND story is just as bittersweet as the finishing the first. I have loved getting to know some of you on a deeper level, and I am so grateful for everybody's support and love. I have definitely felt it through the screen :)

As for the book drawing: I'll cap it at a week from today, at which point I will randomly select a couple of people and PM them. You can always decline and I'll select someone else. It's my (too limited) way of saying thank you to the wonderful people who take time to review - you have no idea how wonderful I think you all are, even those who have had criticism.

In other news, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo again this year. If you don't know what that is, google it! It's awesome! If anyone is willing to be my cheerleader (not even critique-r at this point, just someone to read it and tell me they love it and to keep writing...lol), let me know. I'd love for you to read it.

You are all beautiful, wonderful people and I'll be back with more soon!