Rushing back inside the ER, Nancy ran up to the nurse at the
admissions desk. "I have another emergency and I have to go." She quickly
scribbled her cell phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to the
nurse. "If Mr. Nickerson's condition changes at all before I get back,
please call me at this number," she begged.
"I will," the nurse promised. She knew that something horrible had to have happened for this distraught young lady to leave her boyfriend's side.
"Thank you," Nancy said gratefully, and ran back out the front door of St. Joseph's to hail a cab.
'Hurry up!' Nancy wished impatiently. Rush hour had the traffic in downtown Chicago slowed to a crawl. She had to get to the apartment and check on Frank. She couldn't bear the thought of having both Ned and Frank facing life threatening injuries.
Twenty agonizing minutes later, the cab pulled in front of Nancy's apartment building. Nancy hurriedly threw some money at the driver before sprinting towards her building. She quickly ran through the lobby and to the elevator. Punching the button, Nancy waited in agony for the elevator to arrive. 'God, please let Frank be okay,' she thought to herself.
The elevator arrived and Nancy quickly stepped inside. She punched the button for the 10th floor, and then began pacing back in forth in the small compartment. When the elevator doors opened on her floor, Nancy ran down the hall as fast as her legs would take her. She paused in front of the front door to her apartment and suddenly realized that Frank had her keys.
Groaning in frustrating, Nancy dumped her purse unceremoniously on the floor in front of her door. She searched through the pile until she found the small black case that she was looking for. Unzipping the case, Nancy removed her trusty lock picking tools and knelt down to go to work on her front door. When Nancy felt the faint click of the mechanism give way, she let out a sigh of relief. Leaving her things scattered in the hallways, she flung open the front door.
"Frank? Frank?" Nancy called out as she entered the apartment. "Oh my, God," Nancy muttered as she surveyed the damage to her apartment. She jumped over several piles of personal belongings as she ran from room to room. "Frank?" she called out once again, with no answer.
Giving up her search, Nancy ran back through the apartment and locked the door behind her. She quickly gathered her items and stuffed them back in her purse. 'The garage!' Nancy thought as she ran back down the hall towards the elevator.
A few minutes later, Nancy found herself in the garage of her apartment building. She instantly spotted her car at the end of the level. She sprinted across the garage as fast as she could. When she reached her car, she was shocked at the discovery she made. Frank Hardy was sprawled on his back, unconscious.
"Frank!" Nancy cried as she dropped to her knees next to him. She first checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find one.
"Frank," she urgently said. "Frank, please wake up." She shook him gently in order to rouse him. After a moment, his eyelids began to flutter.
"Thank God!" Nancy whispered.
Opening his eyes, Frank found Nancy's worried face inches from his own. "Nancy," he mumbled faintly, "what happened?"
Nancy released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and smiled tearfully, "I was hoping you could tell me," she said, gently pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Masked guy. Baseball bat. Head hurts," Frank managed to say through the throbbing pain he was feeling.
"I'm sure it does," Nancy agreed. She carefully checked over Frank's scalp and noticed a very large goose egg beginning to form on the top of his head. "That's quite a bump you've got there, Hardy," she informed him. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine. I've had worse," Frank said as he squeezed his eyes in response to the indescribable pain he was feeling. As soon as his eyes closed, they flew open once again and he gasped. "The CD!"
"Where was it?" Nancy asked, afraid that they would find the hopefully valuable piece of information missing.
"Inside my jacket."
"Which pocket?" Nancy asked gingerly opening his leather jacket.
"Left," Frank responded.
Nancy's hand deftly maneuvered it's way inside the pocket, but she came up empty. "Nothing," she told him.
"Damn," he swore. "They obviously knew what they were looking for." Frank struggled to sit up.
"Take it easy," Nancy chastised, as she fought to keep him from getting up.
"I'm okay," he insisted. "Nothing a couple of aspirin and a lot of TLC won't cure."
Nancy smiled at his lame joke. "Fine, have it your way. But, I'm still taking you back to the hospital so we can make sure you're really okay."
"Okay," Frank acquiesed.
"Wait a minute," Nancy stopped as she helped him to his feet. "Didn't you say something in your voice mail about saving the information on your laptop?"
"I can't believe I forgot about that," Frank groaned as he leaned heavily against Nancy. "I hope whoever it was, didn't see me copying the information, otherwise we're back to square one."
"Let's hope not," Nancy answered. She opened the car door and helped Frank slide into the passenger seat. "Where's your laptop?"
Frank fished his car keys out of his jacket. "In the rental. It's that dark blue Taurus halfway down the aisle." He handed Nancy the car keys and said. "It was in the passenger seat."
Nancy bent down and softly brushed her lips against his in a comforting gesture. "I'll be right back."
"Be careful, Nan," Frank warned.
"I'm sure whoever it was that did this to you, is long gone by now. But, I'll be fine. Don't go anywhere," she joked half-heartedly.
Frank attempted a weak laugh. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Nancy shut the car door and swiftly headed across the garage towards the rental car that Frank had described. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the laptop still ensconced in it's case resting on the passenger seat. She retrieved the computer and walked briskly back to her own Mustang.
She climbed inside the car and tossed the laptop in the backseat. She stole a glance at Frank who was resting with his eyes closed.
"How did you find me?" he asked, when he heard her enter the vehicle.
"Whoever hit you, used your cell phone to leave me a nice little message, warning me to stop snooping around. He said 'One boyfriend down, one to go'."
"What?" Frank exclaimed.
"Yep," Nancy nodded. "Nice, huh? When I realized how long you had been gone, I got worried about you and went outside to check my messages and there was one from you and one from our friend. The call log on my cell said that both voice mails came from your phone," Nancy explained to him as she maneuvered the car through the parking lot and out into the city streets. "When I couldn't get a hold of you, I took a cab back here. I checked the apartment first, and when I didn't find you, something told me to check the garage. Luckily, I found you."
Frank reached over and took Nancy's right hand in his left. "Thank you."
"It's what we do," she smiled. "You get hurt or kidnapped, and I rescue you and vice versa."
"Cute, Nan, real cute," Frank groaned. "It's been ages since we've had to do that. I was kind of hoping things would calm down in our old age."
Nancy turned to look at Frank and laughed. "Yeah right," she guffawed. "When have we ever managed to spend anytime together without something like this happening?"
"There's a first time for everything," Frank reminded her. Remembering why they were in this mess in the first place, he asked Nancy, "Any word on Ned yet?"
Nancy nodded. "He took two bullets to the chest. They both barely missed his lungs and heart. He's in ICU right now. The doctor said he hoped he would make it, but he lost a lot of blood. The next few days are critical," Nancy said as her voice trailed off.
Frank squeezed Nancy's hand. "He'll be fine, Nan."
"I hope you're right."
"I will," the nurse promised. She knew that something horrible had to have happened for this distraught young lady to leave her boyfriend's side.
"Thank you," Nancy said gratefully, and ran back out the front door of St. Joseph's to hail a cab.
'Hurry up!' Nancy wished impatiently. Rush hour had the traffic in downtown Chicago slowed to a crawl. She had to get to the apartment and check on Frank. She couldn't bear the thought of having both Ned and Frank facing life threatening injuries.
Twenty agonizing minutes later, the cab pulled in front of Nancy's apartment building. Nancy hurriedly threw some money at the driver before sprinting towards her building. She quickly ran through the lobby and to the elevator. Punching the button, Nancy waited in agony for the elevator to arrive. 'God, please let Frank be okay,' she thought to herself.
The elevator arrived and Nancy quickly stepped inside. She punched the button for the 10th floor, and then began pacing back in forth in the small compartment. When the elevator doors opened on her floor, Nancy ran down the hall as fast as her legs would take her. She paused in front of the front door to her apartment and suddenly realized that Frank had her keys.
Groaning in frustrating, Nancy dumped her purse unceremoniously on the floor in front of her door. She searched through the pile until she found the small black case that she was looking for. Unzipping the case, Nancy removed her trusty lock picking tools and knelt down to go to work on her front door. When Nancy felt the faint click of the mechanism give way, she let out a sigh of relief. Leaving her things scattered in the hallways, she flung open the front door.
"Frank? Frank?" Nancy called out as she entered the apartment. "Oh my, God," Nancy muttered as she surveyed the damage to her apartment. She jumped over several piles of personal belongings as she ran from room to room. "Frank?" she called out once again, with no answer.
Giving up her search, Nancy ran back through the apartment and locked the door behind her. She quickly gathered her items and stuffed them back in her purse. 'The garage!' Nancy thought as she ran back down the hall towards the elevator.
A few minutes later, Nancy found herself in the garage of her apartment building. She instantly spotted her car at the end of the level. She sprinted across the garage as fast as she could. When she reached her car, she was shocked at the discovery she made. Frank Hardy was sprawled on his back, unconscious.
"Frank!" Nancy cried as she dropped to her knees next to him. She first checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find one.
"Frank," she urgently said. "Frank, please wake up." She shook him gently in order to rouse him. After a moment, his eyelids began to flutter.
"Thank God!" Nancy whispered.
Opening his eyes, Frank found Nancy's worried face inches from his own. "Nancy," he mumbled faintly, "what happened?"
Nancy released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and smiled tearfully, "I was hoping you could tell me," she said, gently pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Masked guy. Baseball bat. Head hurts," Frank managed to say through the throbbing pain he was feeling.
"I'm sure it does," Nancy agreed. She carefully checked over Frank's scalp and noticed a very large goose egg beginning to form on the top of his head. "That's quite a bump you've got there, Hardy," she informed him. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine. I've had worse," Frank said as he squeezed his eyes in response to the indescribable pain he was feeling. As soon as his eyes closed, they flew open once again and he gasped. "The CD!"
"Where was it?" Nancy asked, afraid that they would find the hopefully valuable piece of information missing.
"Inside my jacket."
"Which pocket?" Nancy asked gingerly opening his leather jacket.
"Left," Frank responded.
Nancy's hand deftly maneuvered it's way inside the pocket, but she came up empty. "Nothing," she told him.
"Damn," he swore. "They obviously knew what they were looking for." Frank struggled to sit up.
"Take it easy," Nancy chastised, as she fought to keep him from getting up.
"I'm okay," he insisted. "Nothing a couple of aspirin and a lot of TLC won't cure."
Nancy smiled at his lame joke. "Fine, have it your way. But, I'm still taking you back to the hospital so we can make sure you're really okay."
"Okay," Frank acquiesed.
"Wait a minute," Nancy stopped as she helped him to his feet. "Didn't you say something in your voice mail about saving the information on your laptop?"
"I can't believe I forgot about that," Frank groaned as he leaned heavily against Nancy. "I hope whoever it was, didn't see me copying the information, otherwise we're back to square one."
"Let's hope not," Nancy answered. She opened the car door and helped Frank slide into the passenger seat. "Where's your laptop?"
Frank fished his car keys out of his jacket. "In the rental. It's that dark blue Taurus halfway down the aisle." He handed Nancy the car keys and said. "It was in the passenger seat."
Nancy bent down and softly brushed her lips against his in a comforting gesture. "I'll be right back."
"Be careful, Nan," Frank warned.
"I'm sure whoever it was that did this to you, is long gone by now. But, I'll be fine. Don't go anywhere," she joked half-heartedly.
Frank attempted a weak laugh. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Nancy shut the car door and swiftly headed across the garage towards the rental car that Frank had described. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the laptop still ensconced in it's case resting on the passenger seat. She retrieved the computer and walked briskly back to her own Mustang.
She climbed inside the car and tossed the laptop in the backseat. She stole a glance at Frank who was resting with his eyes closed.
"How did you find me?" he asked, when he heard her enter the vehicle.
"Whoever hit you, used your cell phone to leave me a nice little message, warning me to stop snooping around. He said 'One boyfriend down, one to go'."
"What?" Frank exclaimed.
"Yep," Nancy nodded. "Nice, huh? When I realized how long you had been gone, I got worried about you and went outside to check my messages and there was one from you and one from our friend. The call log on my cell said that both voice mails came from your phone," Nancy explained to him as she maneuvered the car through the parking lot and out into the city streets. "When I couldn't get a hold of you, I took a cab back here. I checked the apartment first, and when I didn't find you, something told me to check the garage. Luckily, I found you."
Frank reached over and took Nancy's right hand in his left. "Thank you."
"It's what we do," she smiled. "You get hurt or kidnapped, and I rescue you and vice versa."
"Cute, Nan, real cute," Frank groaned. "It's been ages since we've had to do that. I was kind of hoping things would calm down in our old age."
Nancy turned to look at Frank and laughed. "Yeah right," she guffawed. "When have we ever managed to spend anytime together without something like this happening?"
"There's a first time for everything," Frank reminded her. Remembering why they were in this mess in the first place, he asked Nancy, "Any word on Ned yet?"
Nancy nodded. "He took two bullets to the chest. They both barely missed his lungs and heart. He's in ICU right now. The doctor said he hoped he would make it, but he lost a lot of blood. The next few days are critical," Nancy said as her voice trailed off.
Frank squeezed Nancy's hand. "He'll be fine, Nan."
"I hope you're right."