"What?" Frank replied and looked back at the now closed hospital room door. Ned and Nancy weren't together…?
"Ned and Nancy broke up six months ago. They decided it was for the best. The distance was becoming too much, and Ned just couldn't keep up with Nancy's pace. Ned tried to tame her, and he couldn't. It was a mutual split. I can't believe she never told you…" Bess trailed off. Frank sat down in the chair outside the hospital room. He placed his head in his free hand.
"Well I just told her Ned was her boyfriend. What am I supposed to do now? She trusts me," Frank asked, his eyes still lingering on the closed door.
"Frank…! Well, I guess I could come down there and try to unwind things. I'm sure you need a nap. I know you've been up all night, Hardy."
"I, guess I could take a nap on a couch out here…"
"Oh no, mister. You are going back to Nancy's house, laying down, and sleeping for at least two whole hours," Bess sternly told him.
"But Nancy…"
"Will be perfectly okay. I'm on my way over as we speak. George is at home, trying to make the cake from Shadow Ranch. You know how much of a disaster she can be sometimes." Frank gave a chuckle.
"What am I supposed to tell Nancy? I just got here," Frank asked. "I can't just bail out on her now."
"When I get down there, I'll just ask for some private time with her. There's a lot that you don't know that she needs to be reminded of."
"Like what?"
"Oh, like boy trouble. Things she won't normally tell her cru- you," Bess said as she corrected herself. There were a lot of things about Frank Nancy needed to know. Especially Egypt… "I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't tell her I'm coming. It'll make things more awkward if you do."
"Okay. I'll see you then." Frank hung up his phone and stepped back into Nancy's room. She looked up at him with a warm smile.
"Is this you?" she asked and pointed to a photo in her case scrapbook. Frank walked over and perched himself on the edge of her bed, placing one hand on the other side of her head and leaning into her. He gave out a warm chuckle.
"Yeah, that's Joe and I. The two of us were invited on a train trip with actress Lori Gerard. Her dad and my dad are best friends. We of course invited you along with us. We had to figure what happened to Jake Hurley, the man who originally owned the train."
"We stayed in a room together one night," Nancy said as she looked up at him. Frank's cheeks turned crimson red.
"You, um, fell asleep in my bed while looking over case nights. When I went to sleep on the floor- Joe was already on the couch- you denied me, asking me to stay next to you, despite the fact that you were with Ned at the time and I was with my ex-girlfriend, Callie. I was going to go back to your room, but it was locked, and your sleepy self refused me the key.
"When I woke up, you were fast asleep on my chest, and my arm was wrapped around you. It was past eight, so I nudged you lightly and you didn't wake. I slipped out of your tight grip and walked down the hall into the dining car to do some reading." That hadn't been the entire story. Frank had in fact kissed her goodnight the night before and good morning the next day- both cheek kisses, both went unnoticed by the exhausted Nancy.
"I remember that. I woke up alone, with the exception of Joe's snoring," she said with a laugh.
"You remembered something from your casework? That's great, Nan! You're already on the right track," he encouraged her. She smiled brightly.
"I'm really glad you came to see me," Nancy told him. She felt like Frank was going to be her rock through all of this.
"Of course, Nan. Even though you might not remember it, you're my best friend. I'd do anything for you." A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Bess cracked the door open with a smile.
"Hey, Nancy. Frank! It's so good to see you finally," Bess said as she gave Frank a warm bear hug. He laughed and returned the tight hug.
"It's good to see you too, Bess. It's been too long."
"So Nancy, how're you feeling? I'm sure Frank has been exhausting you with his stories," Bess joked.
"Not at all. The more slightly familiar faces, the better," Nancy replied. Bess sat in the chair across from Nancy's bed.
"I'm sure Frank is exhausted. He's been up for almost thirty hours now!" Nancy looked up in concern.
"Is that true?" she questioned, with a worried look on her face. Frank rubbed the back of his neck.
"I had to catch the overnight flight into Chicago to make it to you today, so it might be," Frank said with a chuckle.
"Oh, Frank, you need your sleep," Nancy replied. "Where are you staying?"
"Your place. Your dad let me have the spare key," Frank answered. Nancy nodded.
"Well my bed is pretty comfy. Go take a nap," Nancy said with a chuckle. Frank blushed lightly.
"I think I'll be sleeping in my own bed for now, thanks," Frank replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay Nance? I promise I'll bring you a new book tomorrow. I'm sure you'll get through this one fast."
"Only if you promise to bring me a few new pictures, too," she replied and smiled at him. He nodded and slid off her bed. He picked up his now empty backpack and headed towards the door. "Bye, Nan."
"Bye, Frank." With hesitation, Frank opened the door, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
"Gosh, he's cuter than I remembered," Bess said after Frank left. Nancy looked back at Bess.
"He is cute. Tell me about him. Frank and I, what were we like before the accident?"
"Unstoppable- in a number of ways," Bess replied. "We need to talk love life, Nancy Drew."
"We do?" Nancy replied with a confused face.
"Yep. Specifically about yours," Bess said as she stood and sat crisscross on the edge of Nancy's bed.
"So Ned?" Nancy asked and pointed to the photo. "Frank sort of mentioned him-"
"Yeah, Ned isn't your boyfriend. Hasn't been for six months now," Bess interrupted. "Frank didn't know you guys weren't an item anymore. You didn't want to tell him."
"What happened to Ned? And I didn't tell Frank? Frank seems like he was- is, my best friend. Why wouldn't I want to tell him?" Bess hesitated and sighed. She thought long and hard before unraveling the tale that was about to be told.
"See that ring on your finger? The one with the amethyst in it?" Nancy looked down and nodded. Bess pulled out her keys and showed them to Nancy. There was a similar ring on her car keychain, but it had an emerald in it instead. "These are wedding bands. Once upon a time, before the accident, Frank would call you every few months to ask for your help on a case. And if he didn't call you, you would run right into him during a case, which happened more than you can imagine. A lot of times, I went with you on those cases, and sometimes, when I couldn't, George went with you.
"For this case in particular, Frank called asking you to come to Egypt with him- as his wife. You, Nancy Drew, had to become Frank's wife for a case, while I was to be his brother, Joe's, wife. These are the wedding rings that came from the case. You haven't taken yours off since Egypt.
"During that magical time in Egypt, you and Frank- who cares for you very deeply, acted as the perfect married couple. You held hands everywhere, you cuddled, and you just looked like you were in love, mostly because you were. Nancy, you've been in love with that man for over a decade now. And I know you have because you told me you were, but Ned held you back. When you broke up with Ned, you didn't want Frank to be a rebound. You weren't ready to tell him yet, because if you told him, you knew exactly where things were going to go.
"On our last night in Egypt, you and Frank stepped out onto a patio to enjoy the cool air. He wrapped his arm around you, and you told him you didn't want to leave Egypt. You didn't want your 'marriage' to end. That's when he turned to you and-"
"He kissed me. Frank Hardy kissed me. I remember," Nancy replied as she put her head into her hands. "Bess, why is my love life so complicated? It's giving me a migraine," she moaned. Bess placed a hand on her best friend's back.
"Hey, it's all gonna be okay. You don't need to make any decisions about it or anything like that right now. You just need to focus on being you, Nancy Drew, the greatest detective ever," Bess giggled. Nancy perked up and smiled.
"Thanks Bess. It's just so much to take in in one day. Maybe that's why Frank stuck so much in my memory, and my heart beats faster when he's here- ugh, listen to me. Relationships are terrible."
"There's the Nancy Drew I know and love," Bess replied.
"Will you… tell me more about Frank and I? In small doses, please. It's making me feel a little more like me, but giving me a headache at the same time."
"Well how about this: Let's get you some of those pain killers that the doctor prescribed and they'll make you drowsy. I'll just talk about everything I know about you and Frank until you fall asleep, okay?"
"Sure," Nancy replied with a nod.
Frank stepped right past the guest room and into Nancy's room. He needed to feel her surrounding him again. Everything had hit him like a ton of bricks.
Nancy was single. Frank was single. He finally had a shot at her. But she needed him now- friendship Frank, not romantic Frank, more than ever.
He collapsed back onto her bed and sighed. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to remember how many times he'd thought about him and Nancy being tucked into this bed together- sometimes just cuddling, sometimes a lot more. After twenty, he lost count.
As he tried to count the number of marks on the ceiling from the years of wear and tear, Frank found himself falling into a peaceful sleep.
"…so then, I of course called you, because George and I couldn't decide which Hardy brother would be better to date, and we knew our question was way more important than any mystery on a train." Nancy nodded sleepily. Her eyes were closed and Cleopatra was tucked under her arm, cozy under all of the blankets. "And we asked you, would you pick Frank or Joe? Without hesitation, you replied, 'I'd pick Frank'. Even though you were with Ned!"
That story was the last that Nancy could hear Bess tell before she fell into sleep.