Author's Note: Okay guys, I know it's been a little slow going, but I
promise that I'm working up to the good stuff. Bear with the overload of
dialogue for a few more chapters and you'll see where I'm going with this.
Enjoy and review! I want to know what you guys think!! :)
Chapter Six
After visiting with Bess for about an hour, Nancy and Frank decided it was time to head back into the city.
"Almost forgot what we came here for," Nancy said as the two stood up to leave. "My cell phone."
"That's right," Bess replied, as she retrieved Nancy's cell phone from her desk. "Here you go, Nan."
"Thanks, Bess," Nancy said, hugging her friend good-bye. "For everything," she added in a whisper.
Bess grinned conspiratorially, "That's what friends are for." Turning to Frank she said, wagging a finger in his direction, "And you - don't be a stranger."
"I won't," Frank promised giving Bess a hug. "I'll be back in September for your wedding." Stealing a quick glance at Nancy, he added, "and if you're lucky, maybe I'll be back in town before then."
"I hope so," Bess smiled. "Take care you two."
"Bye, Bess," Frank and Nancy chorused as they walked out the front door. As they stepped out into the chilly spring air, Nancy shivered slightly. It was mid- day, but the temperature had yet to reach the 50 degree mark. Late March could be just as cold as January in Chicago.
"Cold?" Frank asked, slipping an arm around Nancy's shoulders as they headed to the car.
"Well, I was," Nancy admitted. "But that's helping."
"You know me," Frank said with a teasing note in his voice, "never could resist helping a damsel in distress."
"My hero," Nancy laughed in amusement.
Climbing into the car, Nancy immediately turned the heater on. The faint sunshine hadn't managed to warm the car up that much, and without Frank's arm around her shoulder, the chill was back.
"So, Drew," Frank asked. "What do you feel up to doing tonight?"
Shrugging her shoulders Nancy responded, "I don't know. But staying inside somewhere nice and warm sounds good to me!" For emphasis, she rubbed her hands together furiously and blew warm air on them.
Laughing at her antics, Frank suggested. "Well then, what do you say to renting a movie and curling up on the couch?"
"Sounds like a plan," Nancy agreed. Putting the car in gear and backing out of Bess's driveway, she said, "Blockbuster, it is then."
"Nan," Frank said exasperatedly, "For the tenth time, I don't care what movie we get. Whatever you want to watch is fine with me. I picked one, now it's your turn."
"Well I haven't had time to rent movies lately. There's so many I want to see," Nancy said, defending herself against her sudden attack of indecisiveness.
"Just pick one, please," Frank requested. To soften her up, he put his arms around her, and said, "As long as you're with me, I don't care what you pick."
Nancy's impatience with him subsided quickly. Before she could respond, she heard her cell phone begin to ring. "Hold these," she said, shoving five different movie boxes into Frank's hands. "Let me see if I need to take this."
Nancy quickly dug through her purse to locate the ringing cell phone. Glancing at the caller id display, she didn't recognize the number. Deciding the maybe it was someone calling about work, she answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Ms. Drew?" a male voice that she didn't recognize came over the line.
"This is she," she responded. "Who's this?"
"Ms. Drew, this is John Carlisle, your apartment building manager. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What's wrong?" Nancy asked immediately aware that something just didn't feel right.
"Well, I don't know how to tell you this," Mr. Carlisle began.
"Just tell me," Nancy snapped. She was now extremely worried about what he had to tell her.
"Ms. Drew, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there was a break in at your apartment. Apparently whoever broke in, caught Mr. Nickerson in the process. He was, well he was shot."
"Oh my god," Nancy gasped. Her face paled noticeably and Frank looked on concerned.
"What's wrong?" Frank mouthed silently.
She held up her hand to Frank to wait until she finished her conversation. "Is he...?" Nancy asked, unable to finish her sentence.
"Mr. Nickerson's still alive, but he's been taken to the hospital," John responded reassuringly.
"Which one?" Nancy demanded.
"St. Jospeh's on 63rd. The ambulance left about fifteen minutes ago," he answered.
"Thank you for calling," Nancy responded almost inaudibly.
"Ms. Drew, if there is anything we can do, just let us know," the apartment manager offered kindly.
"Thank you," Nancy repeated and hung up the phone. Her hands were shaking as she put the phone back into her purse.
"What's wrong?" Frank asked immediately.
"That was my apartment manager," she replied, eyes still wide with shock. "Someone, uh, broke in and, uh, shot Ned." Tears welled up in her eyes as she relayed the news to Frank.
"Oh, God," Frank uttered. He sat the movies on the display rack and pulled Nancy into an embrace. He smoothed her hair and told her reassuringly, "He'll be fine, Nan." As much as Frank and Ned didn't like each other, Frank still didn't want anything bad to come to the man.
"The hospital," Nancy cried. "We have to get to the hospital."
It broke Frank's heart to see Nancy in tears. "I know," he said soothingly as he led her out of the video store. "I'm driving," he instructed. "But, you've got to tell me where we're going."
"St. Joe's on 63rd. It's about ten minutes from here. Oh, God, Frank. What if he dies thinking that I hate him?" Nancy said in a quiet voice.
Opening the passenger door, he helped her into the vehicle. He crouched down next to her and said, "Nancy, Ned would never think that. Just because you two broke up doesn't mean that you hate each other. And besides," he reminded her, "he's going to be fine."
Wiping the tears away, Nancy apologized. "I'm sorry for being such a basket case."
Frank smiled slightly and said, "Nancy, it's okay. You loved Ned, you have a right to be worried about him. Frankly, I'd be worried about you if you weren't acting like a basket case right now." He kissed her forehead lovingly and stood up. With that he shut the door to her side of the car and quickly ran around and jumped in the front seat. Flipping on the emergency lights, Frank peeled out of the parking lot and into the busy Chicago traffic.
Chapter Six
After visiting with Bess for about an hour, Nancy and Frank decided it was time to head back into the city.
"Almost forgot what we came here for," Nancy said as the two stood up to leave. "My cell phone."
"That's right," Bess replied, as she retrieved Nancy's cell phone from her desk. "Here you go, Nan."
"Thanks, Bess," Nancy said, hugging her friend good-bye. "For everything," she added in a whisper.
Bess grinned conspiratorially, "That's what friends are for." Turning to Frank she said, wagging a finger in his direction, "And you - don't be a stranger."
"I won't," Frank promised giving Bess a hug. "I'll be back in September for your wedding." Stealing a quick glance at Nancy, he added, "and if you're lucky, maybe I'll be back in town before then."
"I hope so," Bess smiled. "Take care you two."
"Bye, Bess," Frank and Nancy chorused as they walked out the front door. As they stepped out into the chilly spring air, Nancy shivered slightly. It was mid- day, but the temperature had yet to reach the 50 degree mark. Late March could be just as cold as January in Chicago.
"Cold?" Frank asked, slipping an arm around Nancy's shoulders as they headed to the car.
"Well, I was," Nancy admitted. "But that's helping."
"You know me," Frank said with a teasing note in his voice, "never could resist helping a damsel in distress."
"My hero," Nancy laughed in amusement.
Climbing into the car, Nancy immediately turned the heater on. The faint sunshine hadn't managed to warm the car up that much, and without Frank's arm around her shoulder, the chill was back.
"So, Drew," Frank asked. "What do you feel up to doing tonight?"
Shrugging her shoulders Nancy responded, "I don't know. But staying inside somewhere nice and warm sounds good to me!" For emphasis, she rubbed her hands together furiously and blew warm air on them.
Laughing at her antics, Frank suggested. "Well then, what do you say to renting a movie and curling up on the couch?"
"Sounds like a plan," Nancy agreed. Putting the car in gear and backing out of Bess's driveway, she said, "Blockbuster, it is then."
"Nan," Frank said exasperatedly, "For the tenth time, I don't care what movie we get. Whatever you want to watch is fine with me. I picked one, now it's your turn."
"Well I haven't had time to rent movies lately. There's so many I want to see," Nancy said, defending herself against her sudden attack of indecisiveness.
"Just pick one, please," Frank requested. To soften her up, he put his arms around her, and said, "As long as you're with me, I don't care what you pick."
Nancy's impatience with him subsided quickly. Before she could respond, she heard her cell phone begin to ring. "Hold these," she said, shoving five different movie boxes into Frank's hands. "Let me see if I need to take this."
Nancy quickly dug through her purse to locate the ringing cell phone. Glancing at the caller id display, she didn't recognize the number. Deciding the maybe it was someone calling about work, she answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Ms. Drew?" a male voice that she didn't recognize came over the line.
"This is she," she responded. "Who's this?"
"Ms. Drew, this is John Carlisle, your apartment building manager. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What's wrong?" Nancy asked immediately aware that something just didn't feel right.
"Well, I don't know how to tell you this," Mr. Carlisle began.
"Just tell me," Nancy snapped. She was now extremely worried about what he had to tell her.
"Ms. Drew, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there was a break in at your apartment. Apparently whoever broke in, caught Mr. Nickerson in the process. He was, well he was shot."
"Oh my god," Nancy gasped. Her face paled noticeably and Frank looked on concerned.
"What's wrong?" Frank mouthed silently.
She held up her hand to Frank to wait until she finished her conversation. "Is he...?" Nancy asked, unable to finish her sentence.
"Mr. Nickerson's still alive, but he's been taken to the hospital," John responded reassuringly.
"Which one?" Nancy demanded.
"St. Jospeh's on 63rd. The ambulance left about fifteen minutes ago," he answered.
"Thank you for calling," Nancy responded almost inaudibly.
"Ms. Drew, if there is anything we can do, just let us know," the apartment manager offered kindly.
"Thank you," Nancy repeated and hung up the phone. Her hands were shaking as she put the phone back into her purse.
"What's wrong?" Frank asked immediately.
"That was my apartment manager," she replied, eyes still wide with shock. "Someone, uh, broke in and, uh, shot Ned." Tears welled up in her eyes as she relayed the news to Frank.
"Oh, God," Frank uttered. He sat the movies on the display rack and pulled Nancy into an embrace. He smoothed her hair and told her reassuringly, "He'll be fine, Nan." As much as Frank and Ned didn't like each other, Frank still didn't want anything bad to come to the man.
"The hospital," Nancy cried. "We have to get to the hospital."
It broke Frank's heart to see Nancy in tears. "I know," he said soothingly as he led her out of the video store. "I'm driving," he instructed. "But, you've got to tell me where we're going."
"St. Joe's on 63rd. It's about ten minutes from here. Oh, God, Frank. What if he dies thinking that I hate him?" Nancy said in a quiet voice.
Opening the passenger door, he helped her into the vehicle. He crouched down next to her and said, "Nancy, Ned would never think that. Just because you two broke up doesn't mean that you hate each other. And besides," he reminded her, "he's going to be fine."
Wiping the tears away, Nancy apologized. "I'm sorry for being such a basket case."
Frank smiled slightly and said, "Nancy, it's okay. You loved Ned, you have a right to be worried about him. Frankly, I'd be worried about you if you weren't acting like a basket case right now." He kissed her forehead lovingly and stood up. With that he shut the door to her side of the car and quickly ran around and jumped in the front seat. Flipping on the emergency lights, Frank peeled out of the parking lot and into the busy Chicago traffic.