Author's Note: It may seem like slow going right now but, I promise you the
ride is gonna be worth the wait. It may take a little longer than I had
anticipated, but the Nancy, Frank, and Joe (among others) are giving me
fits at the moment. I crave feedback - good and bad - so give me an honest
opinion on what you guys are thinking. To all of those that have reviewed
my little story - thanks so much! I hope you're enjoying it. Now, on with
the story...
While Nancy was talking to Ned, Frank was bored with sitting in the waiting room. He had spent far too much time in the hospital over the last couple of days. He walked over to the nurses station and let them know he was going to step outside. If he wasn't back by the time Nancy was done talking to Ned, they would tell her where to find him.
He was also a little worried about Ned trying to smooth things over with Nancy. Even though he doubted it, there was always the chance that Ned did have a good explanation for being with Amy. Frank just hoped that there wouldn't be one, so that he could explore this new facet of his relationship with Nancy.
Walking down the corridor, Frank sighed to himself and pulled out his cell phone. He waited until he was outside the hospital doors before turning it on. He'd call Joe back and see if he was able to get a ticket. He also knew that Joe wanted to know exactly what was going on between he and Nancy, and Frank figured while he was alone, he could fill him in.
"Hey, Frank - good news," Joe said by way of a greeting.
Frank laughed, "Vanessa decided it would be good if you got of her hair for a couple of days, huh?"
"Very funny," Joe replied sarcastically. "Actually, Van freaked
out on me at first, but once I explained what was going on, she agreed that I needed to come rescue you."
"Shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, Joe," Frank warned his brother teasingly. "I could always tell my future sister-in-law what you actually called me for in the first place."
Joe groaned in defeat. "Fine you win."
Frank laughed once more at his brother. "So bro, what time is your flight out in the morning?"
Joe perked up at Frank's comment. "Actually, that's the good news. I'm flying out this afternoon instead. I leave LaGuardia at 4:30 and get into O'Hare at 7:30 local time."
"That's great!" Frank said excitedly. "I'll let Nan know and we'll pick you up and then head to dinner so we can bounce ideas off each other and try to figure out this mess."
"Speaking of Nancy," Joe began. "Wanna fill me in on what's happening with the two of you?"
Frank sighed. "It's kind of complicated, Joe."
Joe snickered at his brother's predicament. "When has it ever not been complicated with the two of you?"
"Smartass," Frank replied.
"Just fill me in," Joe said, his laughter subsiding.
"Well, you know how I told you that Ned got shot, right?" Frank started. Joe mumbled an uh-huh over the phone and Frank continued. "Well, what I left out was, the night before he got shot, Nancy caught him cheating on her. She, Bess, and George spotted him out at some restaurant, and she called him on it. She kicked him out of the apartment and told him to come get everything the next day."
"Geez!" Joe exclaimed. "First Callie and then Ned." Joe paused as he realized what he had just said out loud. "Frank, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, really." his brother interrupted him. "So anyway, that was Friday night. I had left a message on Nancy's machine seeing if she wanted to meet up the next day. She never returned my call, so later on I tried her cell. Guess she left it in Bess's car after the whole dinner fiasco. Bess filled me in and suggested that I go over and see her that night."
Joe smiled at the thought of Bess, the biggest flirt he knew, besides himself. "How's Bess doing?" he asked.
"Getting married, too." Frank replied. Before Joe could say anything else, he continued with his story. "So, I go over to Nan's and we sat on the couch with a bottle of wine and talked for a while. She told me what happened with Ned, I filled her in on the Callie story. We reminisced about some of our old cases, and the next I thing I know..."
"Don't you dare stop there!" Joe cried. "You slept with her, didn't you?"
"I spent the night," Frank said evasively. He still wasn't comfortable telling his brother all of the details about any of his relationships. He had never been one to kiss and tell.
"Which means, yes," Joe countered. "Way to go, Frank."
"Joe," Frank warned.
"What?" he replied innocently. "I'm happy for you, bro. You and Nancy always had a thing, but you never would do anything about it because of Callie and Ned. Now you can. I hope it works out for you."
"Me, too," Frank admitted. Switching gears he asked, "What's your flight number?"
Frank could hear Joe fumbling through pieces of paper. "Um... oh here it is. It's United flight 456. Comes in at 7:30 your time. Don't forget me."
"We won't," he replied. "Well, I'm gonna go back in and wait for Nancy, she's talking to Ned."
"Okay. Guess I'll see you guys tonight, then," Joe replied.
"We'll be there," Frank said. "Bye."
"Bye," Joe answered.
While Nancy was talking to Ned, Frank was bored with sitting in the waiting room. He had spent far too much time in the hospital over the last couple of days. He walked over to the nurses station and let them know he was going to step outside. If he wasn't back by the time Nancy was done talking to Ned, they would tell her where to find him.
He was also a little worried about Ned trying to smooth things over with Nancy. Even though he doubted it, there was always the chance that Ned did have a good explanation for being with Amy. Frank just hoped that there wouldn't be one, so that he could explore this new facet of his relationship with Nancy.
Walking down the corridor, Frank sighed to himself and pulled out his cell phone. He waited until he was outside the hospital doors before turning it on. He'd call Joe back and see if he was able to get a ticket. He also knew that Joe wanted to know exactly what was going on between he and Nancy, and Frank figured while he was alone, he could fill him in.
"Hey, Frank - good news," Joe said by way of a greeting.
Frank laughed, "Vanessa decided it would be good if you got of her hair for a couple of days, huh?"
"Very funny," Joe replied sarcastically. "Actually, Van freaked
out on me at first, but once I explained what was going on, she agreed that I needed to come rescue you."
"Shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, Joe," Frank warned his brother teasingly. "I could always tell my future sister-in-law what you actually called me for in the first place."
Joe groaned in defeat. "Fine you win."
Frank laughed once more at his brother. "So bro, what time is your flight out in the morning?"
Joe perked up at Frank's comment. "Actually, that's the good news. I'm flying out this afternoon instead. I leave LaGuardia at 4:30 and get into O'Hare at 7:30 local time."
"That's great!" Frank said excitedly. "I'll let Nan know and we'll pick you up and then head to dinner so we can bounce ideas off each other and try to figure out this mess."
"Speaking of Nancy," Joe began. "Wanna fill me in on what's happening with the two of you?"
Frank sighed. "It's kind of complicated, Joe."
Joe snickered at his brother's predicament. "When has it ever not been complicated with the two of you?"
"Smartass," Frank replied.
"Just fill me in," Joe said, his laughter subsiding.
"Well, you know how I told you that Ned got shot, right?" Frank started. Joe mumbled an uh-huh over the phone and Frank continued. "Well, what I left out was, the night before he got shot, Nancy caught him cheating on her. She, Bess, and George spotted him out at some restaurant, and she called him on it. She kicked him out of the apartment and told him to come get everything the next day."
"Geez!" Joe exclaimed. "First Callie and then Ned." Joe paused as he realized what he had just said out loud. "Frank, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, really." his brother interrupted him. "So anyway, that was Friday night. I had left a message on Nancy's machine seeing if she wanted to meet up the next day. She never returned my call, so later on I tried her cell. Guess she left it in Bess's car after the whole dinner fiasco. Bess filled me in and suggested that I go over and see her that night."
Joe smiled at the thought of Bess, the biggest flirt he knew, besides himself. "How's Bess doing?" he asked.
"Getting married, too." Frank replied. Before Joe could say anything else, he continued with his story. "So, I go over to Nan's and we sat on the couch with a bottle of wine and talked for a while. She told me what happened with Ned, I filled her in on the Callie story. We reminisced about some of our old cases, and the next I thing I know..."
"Don't you dare stop there!" Joe cried. "You slept with her, didn't you?"
"I spent the night," Frank said evasively. He still wasn't comfortable telling his brother all of the details about any of his relationships. He had never been one to kiss and tell.
"Which means, yes," Joe countered. "Way to go, Frank."
"Joe," Frank warned.
"What?" he replied innocently. "I'm happy for you, bro. You and Nancy always had a thing, but you never would do anything about it because of Callie and Ned. Now you can. I hope it works out for you."
"Me, too," Frank admitted. Switching gears he asked, "What's your flight number?"
Frank could hear Joe fumbling through pieces of paper. "Um... oh here it is. It's United flight 456. Comes in at 7:30 your time. Don't forget me."
"We won't," he replied. "Well, I'm gonna go back in and wait for Nancy, she's talking to Ned."
"Okay. Guess I'll see you guys tonight, then," Joe replied.
"We'll be there," Frank said. "Bye."
"Bye," Joe answered.