CHAPTER 3
Nancy paced along the corridor, occasionally glancing at either her watch or the room where Chris was given treatment. Rachel, I'm so sorry…
"Nancy, you alright?" asked a voice coming from behind. She spun around and saw Frank. She nodded grimly.
"Coffee?" he asked, handing out a styrofoam cup with steaming hot coffee in it. She eagerly accepted it muttering her thanks to Frank. She gulped it down slowly and sat on a bench beside Frank.
Suddenly, the door burst open and a little man in a doctor's coat appeared. He strode towards them, the heels his black shoes clicking loudly on the white marble floor. Nancy rushed to the doctor with Frank behind her.
"How's he, doctor?" she asked, worried.
The doctor put his hand on Nancy's arm. "He's fine. Don't worry," he said reassuringly.
Nancy exhaled loudly and thanked the doctor profusely. She turned around to face Frank who held her tightly to his chest. "Thank God he's alright."
He bought a copy of the Daily Messenger and sat down at a booth at a little eatery with a hot cup of coffee. He flipped the front page open. Reading the headlines, he almost spat out his drink. What!
ACE DETECTIVE NANCY DREW RIGHTFUL GUARDIAN TO 4-YEAR-OLD CHRISTENSEN HANDEL
No, it cannot be. It's not possible. His whole body trembled as he continued to read the article. "…Drew became the legal guardian of Handel when the latter's mother-Rachel Drew died after being shot. Apparently, the shot was meant for her criminal husband, Warrick Handel…" He slammed the paper onto the tabletop. When he looked up, he realized that half the diners were looking at him. He grabbed the papers and strode out.
"Hey, buddy, you alright?" Nancy asked Chris gently. His head was bandaged up and his face was slightly pale.
"Yeah," he said, "Where's Joe?"
"Joe's outside," she answered, "Do you want me to call him for you?"
"Nah, he's probably tired after chasing that crook," said Chris waving his hand.
"Crook? What crook?" she asked.
"Some man with black hair and huge sunglasses," he answered nonchalantly. The little boy let out a yawn.
"Get some sleep, okay? I'll be right outside," she said as she bent down to give him a quick kiss on the forehead.
Nancy flipped the light off and quietly shuffled out of the ward. She closed the door and saw Frank and Joe sitting on the bench. She walked to the brothers and realized that Joe was asleep. She grinned at the sight of Joe's head on Frank's shoulder. Frank got up hastily at the sight of Nancy, forgetting that Joe was resting on him.
"How's Chris?" he asked.
"Umm…Frank, I think that you should worry more about little brother back there," said Nancy, stifling a laugh. Joe had been roughly jolted out of his sleep when Frank got up and fell flat on the bench.
"Hey, Frank, I know it's Nancy, but don't forget about me," said Joe, pretending to look hurt while rubbing his shoulder.
"I had to do something, you were drooling on my shoulder for the past 10 minutes," teased Frank.
"I did not," said Joe, indignantly.
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Okay, okay," Nancy interrupted their argument, "It's getting late."
She led the two brothers to her convertible and stepped in. She dropped them off at the Villager's Welcome and headed home for a good night's rest.
Just before she fell asleep, she remembered something important. I must ask Joe about the 'crook'…
A/N : Okay, this chapter isn't that well done, but at least I'm getting somewhere…