"I just want to take a hot shower and go to sleep," Frank moaned to
Nancy as he inserted the key into his hotel room lock.
"I second that," Nancy agreed. Three hours after returning to the hospital, Frank had been checked over and released. The doctor that treated him informed him that he had a mid-grade concussion. He had wanted Frank to be admitted overnight as a precaution, but Frank refused. So the doctor prescribed some strong ibuprofen to quell the pain, and instructed Nancy that Frank would need to be wakened every 3 hours during the night. "But unfortunately, because of your hard head," Nancy teased, "neither one of us will be getting much sleep tonight. I hope you can figure out how to work the hotel's alarm clock."
"Don't remind me," Frank groaned. After leaving the hospital, they had returned once more to Nancy's apartment. Nancy didn't have the energy to deal with mess that was her home, so they agreed they would spend the night at the hotel where Frank was staying.
Nancy grinned at Frank as they walked into the room. "Nice room on the NYPD tab," she commented as she sat her overnight bag down on the small loveseat.
"Surprised me, too," Frank replied. "But, since the meetings are all in the convention center downstairs, it was the logical place to stay." He rubbed a hand over his tired face as he too sat his belongings down.
Nancy stepped closer to Frank and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go jump in the shower?" she suggested. "While you're in there I'll order us some room service. Any preferences?"
Frank shook his head no. "Whatever you're having is fine. I could eat cardboard at this point and not know the difference."
"Shower. Now," she pointed towards the bathroom. "You'll feel much better when you're out."
"Yes ma'am," Frank grinned.
Once Nancy heard the shower running she found the room service menu and called downstairs and placed their order. She crawled up on the large king size bed and leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes. She felt utterly drained, as the days events replayed themselves in her mind. 'Please let this whole fiasco be resolved quickly,' she thought to herself.
She opened her eyes and eyed the laptop case sitting on the small sofa. If she had known where or how Frank saved the information he had copied, she would've instantly jumped up to investigate. But knowing Frank she knew that the information was so deeply embedded in code, that he would be the only one able to unlock the file. Sighing, she closed her eyes once again and attempted to push all the ragged emotions from her mind.
A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and steam rushed out into the bedroom. Nancy sat up and saw Frank emerge, wearing only towel wrapped around his waist. 'If we didn't have information to go over, and if we weren't both so exhausted...' Nancy let the thought trail off.
Frank took a seat on the edge of the bed and studied Nancy's face. She looked as worn out as he felt. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded wearily. "Just trying to process it all."
"We'll figure it all out, Nan. We always do." he promised. He pulled her towards him and brushed his lips slightly against hers.
Resting her head on his shoulder, Nancy felt herself relax into Frank's comforting embrace. He was always so positive, even when things looked their absolute bleakest. That was one of the things she admired about him. He never failed to be a source of endless optimism. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?" he asked as he gently rubbed circles on her back.
"For just being you," she responded simply, as she pulled back to look him the eye.
He pressed another soft kiss to her lips, before standing up. He walked over to the dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of boxers and a t- shirt. "Be right back," he said, retreating back into the bathroom. When Frank emerged from the bathroom once more, he found Nancy setting up the laptop computer on the desk.
Nancy looked over her shoulder at Frank, "Are you sure you copied everything off of the cd?" she questioned.
"Ye of little faith," Frank laughed. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" He walked over to the desk and stood behind Nancy.
"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly. She inhaled his clean and comforting fragrance as he placed both of his arms on either side of Nancy and began typing on the keyboard.
A few seconds later, text began scrolling down the screen. "Voila," he announced.
"What is it?" Nancy asked, confused at the images streaming across the monitor.
"I encrypted it," Frank replied. "Give it another minute and we'll have the information."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Room service," a voice called from out in the hallway. Frank stepped away from the desk and headed towards the door. Ever careful, he peered through the peephole and saw a uniformed hotel worker behind a rolling cart. Satisfied at what he saw, Frank unchained and unlocked the door. "Just set it over here," he motioned towards the desk, as he walked back towards Nancy.
The attendant wheeled the cart into the room and sat the items next to the computer. "Just set the dishes outside your door when you are finished," he instructed.
"Will do," Frank nodded absently as he waited for the information to appear on the screen.
"Have a good evening, sir, ma'am," the young man said pleasantly as he retreated back into the hallway.
"Grab that other chair," Nancy told Frank as she reached for the sandwiches she had ordered them. She placed the club sandwich in front of Frank and then picked up her own.
Seconds later a report popped up on the screen. "Bingo!" Frank said as he took a bite of one of his sandwich.
"It looks like a bank statement," Nancy commented as she glanced over the images on the screen.
"That's exactly what it is," Frank replied. "Credits and Deposits, and rather large ones at that," he said pointing to the columns of numbers.
"But who does it belong too?" Nancy questioned.
Frank scrolled up and back down the pages in front of them. "There is no personal information on here. Nothing identifying who these entries belong to." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Nan - is there anyway this could be Ned's account?"
Nancy sucked in a quiet breath at the thought. "No!" she exclaimed. "I mean," she said more quietly, "Frank, I would know if Ned was spending that kind of money."
"Are you sure about that?"
"C'mon, Frank," Nancy said, beginning to get annoyed. "I promise you, I would know if this kind of money was going in and out of our house each month."
Frank sat his half eaten sandwich back on the plate. "Forgive me for saying this," he started, "but you didn't exactly know about his girlfriend on the side, either," he reminded her gently.
Nancy abruptly pushed the plate away from her. "Suddenly, I'm not very hungry anymore," she announced standing up. She walked over to the loveseat and grabbed her overnight bag and headed towards the bathroom.
"Nancy, I'm sorry," Frank pleaded to her retreating form. Her only reply was the slamming of the bathroom door.
Nancy let her emotions overtake her as she stepped into the scalding hot shower. This had been the day from hell and she couldn't seem to get a firm grip on her emotions. As the tears fell down her face, she let go of all the pent up anger, frustration, and hurt that had been swirling like a tornado inside her. She knew that Frank wasn't trying to hurt her with that last comment he had made. He was simply being the objective one, and stating something that could be a very real possibility. And with Ned still laying unconscious in a hospital bed, they wouldn't know anything for sure until he awoke.
Frank sighed. 'Dammit, Hardy,' he cursed himself. 'Why did you have to go and upset her like that?' He knew that she was having trouble battling her emotions all day long, and his last comment had driven the proverbial final nail in the coffin. But he also knew that Nancy was a reasonably rational person and as soon as she had time to clear her head, she would realize that he wasn't trying to hurt her.
He looked at the computer monitor and muttered, "Screw it. We'll deal with it in the morning." He powered off the laptop and turned off the desk lamp. Walking over to bed, he paused at the night stand to set the alarm to go off in three hours. He then pulled the covers down and crawled inside. He just wanted this day to be over with and the sooner he fell asleep, the better. He would apologize in the morning, when they were both rested and calm enough to be objective.
Before he could fall asleep, Frank heard the bathroom door open. He didn't say anything as he felt Nancy crawl into bed beside him.
Frank was laying on his side, his back to her. Nancy placed a gentle hand on Frank's shoulder and said his name softly. "Frank?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry," she answered.
Frank shifted and flipped over to face her. "So am I," he apologized. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, Nan."
"I know that," she sighed.
"Come here," Frank said softly. He opened up his arms and Nancy snuggled close against him with her head on his chest. He placed his cheek against her head and gently stroked her hair. "It will all look better in the morning," he whispered soothingly.
"Goodnight, Frank," she mumbled sleepily.
"Night, Nan" he replied.
Nancy's eyes closed and she felt Frank's ministrations lull her into a relaxed state. Within minutes she was asleep.
"I second that," Nancy agreed. Three hours after returning to the hospital, Frank had been checked over and released. The doctor that treated him informed him that he had a mid-grade concussion. He had wanted Frank to be admitted overnight as a precaution, but Frank refused. So the doctor prescribed some strong ibuprofen to quell the pain, and instructed Nancy that Frank would need to be wakened every 3 hours during the night. "But unfortunately, because of your hard head," Nancy teased, "neither one of us will be getting much sleep tonight. I hope you can figure out how to work the hotel's alarm clock."
"Don't remind me," Frank groaned. After leaving the hospital, they had returned once more to Nancy's apartment. Nancy didn't have the energy to deal with mess that was her home, so they agreed they would spend the night at the hotel where Frank was staying.
Nancy grinned at Frank as they walked into the room. "Nice room on the NYPD tab," she commented as she sat her overnight bag down on the small loveseat.
"Surprised me, too," Frank replied. "But, since the meetings are all in the convention center downstairs, it was the logical place to stay." He rubbed a hand over his tired face as he too sat his belongings down.
Nancy stepped closer to Frank and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go jump in the shower?" she suggested. "While you're in there I'll order us some room service. Any preferences?"
Frank shook his head no. "Whatever you're having is fine. I could eat cardboard at this point and not know the difference."
"Shower. Now," she pointed towards the bathroom. "You'll feel much better when you're out."
"Yes ma'am," Frank grinned.
Once Nancy heard the shower running she found the room service menu and called downstairs and placed their order. She crawled up on the large king size bed and leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes. She felt utterly drained, as the days events replayed themselves in her mind. 'Please let this whole fiasco be resolved quickly,' she thought to herself.
She opened her eyes and eyed the laptop case sitting on the small sofa. If she had known where or how Frank saved the information he had copied, she would've instantly jumped up to investigate. But knowing Frank she knew that the information was so deeply embedded in code, that he would be the only one able to unlock the file. Sighing, she closed her eyes once again and attempted to push all the ragged emotions from her mind.
A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and steam rushed out into the bedroom. Nancy sat up and saw Frank emerge, wearing only towel wrapped around his waist. 'If we didn't have information to go over, and if we weren't both so exhausted...' Nancy let the thought trail off.
Frank took a seat on the edge of the bed and studied Nancy's face. She looked as worn out as he felt. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded wearily. "Just trying to process it all."
"We'll figure it all out, Nan. We always do." he promised. He pulled her towards him and brushed his lips slightly against hers.
Resting her head on his shoulder, Nancy felt herself relax into Frank's comforting embrace. He was always so positive, even when things looked their absolute bleakest. That was one of the things she admired about him. He never failed to be a source of endless optimism. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?" he asked as he gently rubbed circles on her back.
"For just being you," she responded simply, as she pulled back to look him the eye.
He pressed another soft kiss to her lips, before standing up. He walked over to the dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of boxers and a t- shirt. "Be right back," he said, retreating back into the bathroom. When Frank emerged from the bathroom once more, he found Nancy setting up the laptop computer on the desk.
Nancy looked over her shoulder at Frank, "Are you sure you copied everything off of the cd?" she questioned.
"Ye of little faith," Frank laughed. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" He walked over to the desk and stood behind Nancy.
"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly. She inhaled his clean and comforting fragrance as he placed both of his arms on either side of Nancy and began typing on the keyboard.
A few seconds later, text began scrolling down the screen. "Voila," he announced.
"What is it?" Nancy asked, confused at the images streaming across the monitor.
"I encrypted it," Frank replied. "Give it another minute and we'll have the information."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Room service," a voice called from out in the hallway. Frank stepped away from the desk and headed towards the door. Ever careful, he peered through the peephole and saw a uniformed hotel worker behind a rolling cart. Satisfied at what he saw, Frank unchained and unlocked the door. "Just set it over here," he motioned towards the desk, as he walked back towards Nancy.
The attendant wheeled the cart into the room and sat the items next to the computer. "Just set the dishes outside your door when you are finished," he instructed.
"Will do," Frank nodded absently as he waited for the information to appear on the screen.
"Have a good evening, sir, ma'am," the young man said pleasantly as he retreated back into the hallway.
"Grab that other chair," Nancy told Frank as she reached for the sandwiches she had ordered them. She placed the club sandwich in front of Frank and then picked up her own.
Seconds later a report popped up on the screen. "Bingo!" Frank said as he took a bite of one of his sandwich.
"It looks like a bank statement," Nancy commented as she glanced over the images on the screen.
"That's exactly what it is," Frank replied. "Credits and Deposits, and rather large ones at that," he said pointing to the columns of numbers.
"But who does it belong too?" Nancy questioned.
Frank scrolled up and back down the pages in front of them. "There is no personal information on here. Nothing identifying who these entries belong to." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Nan - is there anyway this could be Ned's account?"
Nancy sucked in a quiet breath at the thought. "No!" she exclaimed. "I mean," she said more quietly, "Frank, I would know if Ned was spending that kind of money."
"Are you sure about that?"
"C'mon, Frank," Nancy said, beginning to get annoyed. "I promise you, I would know if this kind of money was going in and out of our house each month."
Frank sat his half eaten sandwich back on the plate. "Forgive me for saying this," he started, "but you didn't exactly know about his girlfriend on the side, either," he reminded her gently.
Nancy abruptly pushed the plate away from her. "Suddenly, I'm not very hungry anymore," she announced standing up. She walked over to the loveseat and grabbed her overnight bag and headed towards the bathroom.
"Nancy, I'm sorry," Frank pleaded to her retreating form. Her only reply was the slamming of the bathroom door.
Nancy let her emotions overtake her as she stepped into the scalding hot shower. This had been the day from hell and she couldn't seem to get a firm grip on her emotions. As the tears fell down her face, she let go of all the pent up anger, frustration, and hurt that had been swirling like a tornado inside her. She knew that Frank wasn't trying to hurt her with that last comment he had made. He was simply being the objective one, and stating something that could be a very real possibility. And with Ned still laying unconscious in a hospital bed, they wouldn't know anything for sure until he awoke.
Frank sighed. 'Dammit, Hardy,' he cursed himself. 'Why did you have to go and upset her like that?' He knew that she was having trouble battling her emotions all day long, and his last comment had driven the proverbial final nail in the coffin. But he also knew that Nancy was a reasonably rational person and as soon as she had time to clear her head, she would realize that he wasn't trying to hurt her.
He looked at the computer monitor and muttered, "Screw it. We'll deal with it in the morning." He powered off the laptop and turned off the desk lamp. Walking over to bed, he paused at the night stand to set the alarm to go off in three hours. He then pulled the covers down and crawled inside. He just wanted this day to be over with and the sooner he fell asleep, the better. He would apologize in the morning, when they were both rested and calm enough to be objective.
Before he could fall asleep, Frank heard the bathroom door open. He didn't say anything as he felt Nancy crawl into bed beside him.
Frank was laying on his side, his back to her. Nancy placed a gentle hand on Frank's shoulder and said his name softly. "Frank?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry," she answered.
Frank shifted and flipped over to face her. "So am I," he apologized. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, Nan."
"I know that," she sighed.
"Come here," Frank said softly. He opened up his arms and Nancy snuggled close against him with her head on his chest. He placed his cheek against her head and gently stroked her hair. "It will all look better in the morning," he whispered soothingly.
"Goodnight, Frank," she mumbled sleepily.
"Night, Nan" he replied.
Nancy's eyes closed and she felt Frank's ministrations lull her into a relaxed state. Within minutes she was asleep.