Twenty minutes later, Frank and Nancy found themselves in front of
Ned's hospital room. The nurses at the station had informed them they had
only a half hour to visit with him. He was alert but still groggy from some
of the pain killers. She also mentioned to Nancy that he had been asking
for her repeatedly.
As Nancy went to open the door to the hospital room, Frank put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "Maybe it would be best if I waited out here for you," he offered.
Nancy bit her lip as she mulled over his words. On one hand, she wanted Frank to go in with her, to help decipher anything Ned could tell her about what was going on. On the other hand, she didn't want to upset Ned by seeing Frank arrive with her. "Do you mind?" she asked softly.
"Not at all," he replied, enveloping her in a warm hug. "I'll be right out here if you need me."
"Thanks." As Frank walked away, she took a deep breath to steel her before pushing open the door.
She had seen people in hospitals before, but she was still shocked at the sight of Ned lying in the bed. He looked extremely pale, despite the bruises on his face. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages, and there was an iv connected to his right arm. Monitors whirred all around him.
She stepped quietly into the room. His eyes were closed and she didn't want to startle him. "Ned?" she said softly as she walked towards the bed.
His eyes fluttered open and he choked out a single word, "Nancy."
She fought the tears that were attempting to surface and she plastered a smile across her face. She gingerly picked up his left hand and simply said, "Hey."
"Hey," Ned echoed.
"How are you feeling?" Nancy asked.
"Like shit," Ned answered.
Nancy laughed softly as she stared at his marred face. "You scared me," she whispered.
Ned's brown eyes gazed at Nancy, and he squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Nan. For everything."
"Me, too." Nancy removed her hand and walked away from the bed. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up alongside where Ned was laying.
Sitting in the chair she fixed a long gaze on Ned. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded gently.
Ned sighed, "It's a long story, Nancy."
"You're not going anywhere," Nancy pointed out. "I promise I won't get mad. Just tell me the truth."
"Okay," Ned agreed. "But, first I just want to tell you that I love you, Nan. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe that," he pleaded.
Nancy nodded, but didn't respond. She wanted to hear his version of the events before she could make a determination on whether or not he was being sincere.
"Let me start at the beginning," Ned began. "Do you remember me introducing you to my boss, Paul Wheeler at the company Christmas party?"
"Tall guy, blonde hair?" Nancy asked.
"That's the one. Anyway, Paul's family never had a lot of money growing up. He was a smart kid, but his parent's couldn't afford to send him to college. Paul worked two jobs and between student loans and the money he brought in from working, he managed to send himself to school. He racked up a lot of debt in loans in the process. I know for a fact, that he's still paying them off," Ned related to Nancy.
"What does this..." Nancy started to say.
Ned feebly raised a hand to stop her. "I'm getting there. So, right around the New Year, Paul starts to spend money like it's growing on trees. He buys a brand new sports car, a new wardrobe, and even bought an out of this world condo that overlooks Lake Michigan."
"But, he shouldn't have the money for these things," Nancy interrupts.
"Right. Like I said, I know he's still paying off student loans. I also know that even though he's my boss, he doesn't make much more than I do. A couple of thousand at most. Not near the amount of money he would need in order to afford all of these extravagant items." Ned paused and asked Nancy to hand him some water.
Nancy dutifully grabbed the glass off of the stand and raised the straw to his lips. "Easy," she said as she watched him gulp down the cool liquid.
"Thanks," Ned replied. "So everyone at the office starts joking with Paul about which old relative died, or how much did he win in the lottery. He laughed everyone off but never would say how he came into the money."
"Most people are pretty private about their finances, Ned," Nancy said.
"True, but most people have the bankroll to back up their spending. I'm telling you, Nan. Everyone in that office knew that there was no way he could afford all of those things. And what was really strange was that Gerry, Paul's brother who works in the accounting department, started to show the same type of extravagance."
Nancy's mind quickly flashed with an image of the bank account she and Frank had seen last night. She pushed the thought away to let Ned continue with his story. She would ask him about it, as soon as he provided her with more details.
Ned sighed and continued. "Well I guess that I've known you so long, you've started to rub off on me. I just couldn't let it go. I had to know what was going on, but I didn't want anyone to know that I was trying to find."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Nancy interrupted.
"Because I had a gut feeling that whatever it was, was pretty deep. And I didn't want you involved," he said firmly. "Looks like I was right. If you had known what was going on, this could be you lying here instead of me. I just couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt."
"But, Ned..."
"Just let me finish, okay?"
Nancy nodded and let him continue with his story.
"The girl you saw me with the other night is Amy Durham. She's," Ned said.
"Paul's secretary," Nancy finished for him.
"How do you know that?" Ned questioned.
"We had little chat in the emergency room yesterday when you were brought in. I'll tell you about it later. Continue, please," she answered.
Ned looked at her warily, "Amy's a nice girl, Nan. I could kick myself for getting her involved in all of this." He paused and motioned for more water. After taking another long sip, he continued.
"So, I decided the best way to figure out what was going on, would be to befriend Amy. She and Paul were more like friends than a boss and employee, so I thought that maybe she could shed some light on everything. I started asking her out to lunch and then that morphed into after dinner drinks and dinner. I swear Nancy, I... I was just seeing her to uncover what was going on," Ned promised.
Nancy swallowed the lump in her throat and questioned again, "Why couldn't you tell me?"
"Like I said, I didn't want you getting hurt. By the time we started seeing each other outside of work, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. That and you and I had such crazy schedules, we never saw each other anyway. I know I should've told you. I see that now. I didn't mean for you to get hurt." Anger flashed momentarily in Ned's eyes, "I sure never expected anything that's happened in the last two days to happen," he said, referring to Frank Hardy.
As Nancy went to open the door to the hospital room, Frank put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "Maybe it would be best if I waited out here for you," he offered.
Nancy bit her lip as she mulled over his words. On one hand, she wanted Frank to go in with her, to help decipher anything Ned could tell her about what was going on. On the other hand, she didn't want to upset Ned by seeing Frank arrive with her. "Do you mind?" she asked softly.
"Not at all," he replied, enveloping her in a warm hug. "I'll be right out here if you need me."
"Thanks." As Frank walked away, she took a deep breath to steel her before pushing open the door.
She had seen people in hospitals before, but she was still shocked at the sight of Ned lying in the bed. He looked extremely pale, despite the bruises on his face. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages, and there was an iv connected to his right arm. Monitors whirred all around him.
She stepped quietly into the room. His eyes were closed and she didn't want to startle him. "Ned?" she said softly as she walked towards the bed.
His eyes fluttered open and he choked out a single word, "Nancy."
She fought the tears that were attempting to surface and she plastered a smile across her face. She gingerly picked up his left hand and simply said, "Hey."
"Hey," Ned echoed.
"How are you feeling?" Nancy asked.
"Like shit," Ned answered.
Nancy laughed softly as she stared at his marred face. "You scared me," she whispered.
Ned's brown eyes gazed at Nancy, and he squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Nan. For everything."
"Me, too." Nancy removed her hand and walked away from the bed. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up alongside where Ned was laying.
Sitting in the chair she fixed a long gaze on Ned. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded gently.
Ned sighed, "It's a long story, Nancy."
"You're not going anywhere," Nancy pointed out. "I promise I won't get mad. Just tell me the truth."
"Okay," Ned agreed. "But, first I just want to tell you that I love you, Nan. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe that," he pleaded.
Nancy nodded, but didn't respond. She wanted to hear his version of the events before she could make a determination on whether or not he was being sincere.
"Let me start at the beginning," Ned began. "Do you remember me introducing you to my boss, Paul Wheeler at the company Christmas party?"
"Tall guy, blonde hair?" Nancy asked.
"That's the one. Anyway, Paul's family never had a lot of money growing up. He was a smart kid, but his parent's couldn't afford to send him to college. Paul worked two jobs and between student loans and the money he brought in from working, he managed to send himself to school. He racked up a lot of debt in loans in the process. I know for a fact, that he's still paying them off," Ned related to Nancy.
"What does this..." Nancy started to say.
Ned feebly raised a hand to stop her. "I'm getting there. So, right around the New Year, Paul starts to spend money like it's growing on trees. He buys a brand new sports car, a new wardrobe, and even bought an out of this world condo that overlooks Lake Michigan."
"But, he shouldn't have the money for these things," Nancy interrupts.
"Right. Like I said, I know he's still paying off student loans. I also know that even though he's my boss, he doesn't make much more than I do. A couple of thousand at most. Not near the amount of money he would need in order to afford all of these extravagant items." Ned paused and asked Nancy to hand him some water.
Nancy dutifully grabbed the glass off of the stand and raised the straw to his lips. "Easy," she said as she watched him gulp down the cool liquid.
"Thanks," Ned replied. "So everyone at the office starts joking with Paul about which old relative died, or how much did he win in the lottery. He laughed everyone off but never would say how he came into the money."
"Most people are pretty private about their finances, Ned," Nancy said.
"True, but most people have the bankroll to back up their spending. I'm telling you, Nan. Everyone in that office knew that there was no way he could afford all of those things. And what was really strange was that Gerry, Paul's brother who works in the accounting department, started to show the same type of extravagance."
Nancy's mind quickly flashed with an image of the bank account she and Frank had seen last night. She pushed the thought away to let Ned continue with his story. She would ask him about it, as soon as he provided her with more details.
Ned sighed and continued. "Well I guess that I've known you so long, you've started to rub off on me. I just couldn't let it go. I had to know what was going on, but I didn't want anyone to know that I was trying to find."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Nancy interrupted.
"Because I had a gut feeling that whatever it was, was pretty deep. And I didn't want you involved," he said firmly. "Looks like I was right. If you had known what was going on, this could be you lying here instead of me. I just couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt."
"But, Ned..."
"Just let me finish, okay?"
Nancy nodded and let him continue with his story.
"The girl you saw me with the other night is Amy Durham. She's," Ned said.
"Paul's secretary," Nancy finished for him.
"How do you know that?" Ned questioned.
"We had little chat in the emergency room yesterday when you were brought in. I'll tell you about it later. Continue, please," she answered.
Ned looked at her warily, "Amy's a nice girl, Nan. I could kick myself for getting her involved in all of this." He paused and motioned for more water. After taking another long sip, he continued.
"So, I decided the best way to figure out what was going on, would be to befriend Amy. She and Paul were more like friends than a boss and employee, so I thought that maybe she could shed some light on everything. I started asking her out to lunch and then that morphed into after dinner drinks and dinner. I swear Nancy, I... I was just seeing her to uncover what was going on," Ned promised.
Nancy swallowed the lump in her throat and questioned again, "Why couldn't you tell me?"
"Like I said, I didn't want you getting hurt. By the time we started seeing each other outside of work, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. That and you and I had such crazy schedules, we never saw each other anyway. I know I should've told you. I see that now. I didn't mean for you to get hurt." Anger flashed momentarily in Ned's eyes, "I sure never expected anything that's happened in the last two days to happen," he said, referring to Frank Hardy.