Ned learns that Nancy has been poisoned.
This story follows the events of Nancy Drew Files: 30 Death by Design.
Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Nancy Drew Files and I do not make any money from my work. I'm just borrowing the characters for a story.
Ned stared at the phone on the bedside table, willing it to ring. Some news from the hospital. Something. Anything.
Poison. The word circulated in his brain, leaving in his mind its own path of destruction.
It felt so unreal. Like any second, he was going to wake up and it would all be an awful nightmare.
The dim moonlight filtering in through the drapes cast a pale shadow over her sleeping form. Eight hours. That's how long she had.
He clenched and unclenched his fist. Anger bubbled through him at the injustice of it all. It had never been meant for her. All she had wanted to do was help.
When he had punched Paul earlier in the morning, he hadn't regretted it. Not for a second. Not until he had been sure that Paul wasn't the one who had done this to her.
He would kill if something happened to Nancy.
But something was happening to her. Inside.
She had felt like a feather weight when he had carried her up to her room, although it was impossible that she had lost pounds in just a couple of days. Her red hair looked like it was on fire against her pallor, pale as the sheets.
He knew that she was trying to put up a tough front, trying to be strong for the sake of him and Bess, using the little strength she still had left. But even then he had never, ever seen her this physically weak. Seen her suffer so much.
His insides twisted in pain. He'd hoped the doctors had been wrong, that there had been some mistake, that she didn't have just hours left to live.
But who was he kidding? Nancy could barely stand. He had had to carry her to her bedroom. She had been out like a lamp the second she had hit the bed, still fully dressed.
It had been an unanimous decision between him and Bess. Someone had to keep an eye on her. His throat closed up at the words that had been left unsaid.
If something happened in the middle of the night. If there was no one around and Nancy was too weak to call for help.
"Please, please, ask her to come to the hospital. We will try and make her as comfortable as possible."
The doctor he had spoken to had said. There had been no talk of recovery, no assurance of finding the antidote.
All they had been able to guarantee was a comfortable death.
Bess had to come to relieve him an hour ago but he had sent her back. There was no way he was getting any sleep tonight and at least one of them needed the strength to deal with whatever the morning was going to bring.
Seven hours.
Nancy shivered in her sleep. Ned got up from his seat beside her bed and pulled the duvet tighter around her.
A hand reached out and lightly grasped his.
"I'm cold."
Wordlessly, he climbed in behind her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. She turned towards him and tucked her head in the nape of his neck. Her cheek was feverishly warm against his chest, even through his shirt.
It was a few minutes later when he realised that she wasn't shivering any more. She was crying.
"Nan." He whispered against her hair.
The tears she had been trying so hard to hide turned into gut-wrenching sobs. With each shudder of her body against his, his heart broke into a billion tiny pieces until he wasn't sure whether there was anything left.
"I don't want to die, Ned."
"You're not going to die."
"Everything hurts. So much." Her voice didn't hide how much.
The pain he felt was physical. A deep hollow pain right in his chest.
He couldn't do anything to take away her suffering. Couldn't do anything but rub her back and try to assure her with words he himself didn't quite believe.
He lifted her chin and wiped away the tears with the ball of his thumb.
"I know, baby."
When she kissed him, it was desperate. Hungry. Her body pressed tight against him. And for a second he wanted her too. So much. Just once, just one night, if that's all fate had for them.
Then his fingers brushed her ribs and he winced. Cursed himself for even thinking something like that now.
She was in pain. She was dying.
"Nancy, no." He gently pushed her away. "You need rest, baby."
For a moment she didn't say anything and then he saw a flicker of an unreadable expression flit across her face. She shook her head slowly.
"I have been trying to."
He brushed away a stray lock of hair from her forehead.
"Let's talk about the suspects, okay? You'll feel sleepy after a while. I think we can eliminate Paul..."
Nancy's eyes glistened in the dark.
"Don't you see it, Ned? I can't do anything. Can't think. Can't stand on my own two feet. I..I don't think I have a lot of time left." Her voice was barely a whisper.
It felt like a stab in the heart. To see the strongest person he knew so hopeless and broken.
"What are you going to tell Dad?" Her voice cracked.
He put his palms on her face and forced her to look into his eyes.
"Look at me, Nan. There would be nothing to tell." He refused to let his emotions come to the surface. She was counting on him to be her strength when she didn't have any of her own left and he was not going to let her down.
"Tomorrow, we're going to find the poisoner. And if you don't feel well in the morning, you're going to go the hospital. Bess and I will find him for you, I promise you."
"Okay." She gave a small nod.
He pressed his lips to hers.
"And if it takes us a while to find him, promise me you're not going to stop fighting. Promise me." He swallowed the sob rising in his throat.
"I promise."
He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, the corner of her mouth.
"Tomorrow evening, everything will be alright. And then back at home, we'll throw a huge party to celebrate. Call everyone."
"That does sound nice." She gave him a small smile. The first real one he'd seen since he had arrived.
"But it'll all be a little overwhelming. So you and I, we'll sneak away. Go on a long drive. Maybe to that spot over looking the river. Where we used to go back in school. Have a little midnight picnic."
"Just the two of us?"
"Just the two of us."
"I can't wait." She murmured, exhaustion clear in her voice.
He stroked her back until she slowly fell asleep. Then after making sure she was warm enough, he got up and went back to his chair, only one thought consuming his entire mind.
Six hours.
Bess watched Ned pace up and down the length of the hospital waiting room.
He hadn't sat down once since they had gotten here.
I think we're losing her. If the antidote's not ready within the hour, it's all over.
They had both overhead the doctor saying as Nancy was being wheeled away. It had been six hours since.
The first hour had been easier. They'd had to call the police, make their statements. By the time they'd gotten back, the hour had been over. They werr expecting Nancy to be awake and well, already ready to move on to her next case.
Instead, they had been told that her condition had deteriorated. Since then, there had been no other updates.
The last look she'd had of her best friend's face, deathly pale and unresponsive kept floating up in Bess's mind.
She shook her head to clear it.
"We should try and contact Mr Drew." She told Ned when he came back to her side and leaned against the wall.
He nodded distractedly but made no attempt to follow through.
She understood. She hadn't been able to do it herself.
What would they tell him? That his only daughter had been poisoned and the doctors weren't sure whether she was going to make it?
Bess glanced over at Ned. He looked awful. Like he could collapse any second. She was pretty sure he hadn't had a wink of sleep in almost two days. She'd barely had any herself.
But she was glad that he was here. She couldn't imagine going through this alone.
"She promised me that she wasn't going to stop fighting." He said quietly, after a while.
Bess didn't know what to reply. Didn't want to think what stopping meant.
It seemed like years later when the doctor came in.
"Mr Nickerson. Miss Marvin." She was smiling.
"How is she?" Ned was in front of her in a flash.
"Thing's looked really bad for a while and truth be told, we really weren't sure. But we've been monitoring her and it's been working. She's going to make a full recovery."
"Oh my God!" They cheered and threw their arms around each other.
"Can we see her?" She asked, unable to contain her excitement.
"In a while. We expect her to wake up soon."
Ned didn't wait.
"I'll be right back" He told her before rushing out of the room.
He was back within minutes, a huge bouquet of flowers in one hand.
It was barely minutes but it felt like hours before they were told they could go in.
"Nancy will be up in a few minutes. But mind you, she's still very weak and probably won't be able to speak much." The doctor warned. "She needs a good night's sleep so you have half an hour. Don't tire her out."
Outside her door, Bess stopped.
"Why don't you go in first?"
"What? Are you sure?" Ned asked, surprise clear on his face.
"Yeah. I'm going to call Hannah and find out if she's managed to contact Mr Drew. I'll be back in a few minutes."
The truth was she wanted him to be there when Nancy regained consciousness. That was the least he deserved.
Ned gave her a grateful smile and quickly went in.
When she finally went in a few minutes later, Nancy was awake, Ned holding her hand and stroking her hair.
"She just told me she feels wonderful. Ready for a new case." He said in mock anger. But his eyes were shining and Bess was pretty sure she hadn't seen him happier than this.
She felt tears stinging her own eyes. Moving quickly to her friend's side, she wrapped her in a long hug.
"You're crazy."
"Thank you. For taking care of me." Nancy whispered weakly to both of them, her eyes already drowsy with sleep.
Bess squeezed her hand.
She knew that this wasn't the last time that Nancy had a brush with death. Not in the least. But for now, she was grateful to God for keeping her best friend alive.
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