Author's Note:

Wow. Amazing. Another chapter from me! Well, this has been the longest few weeks of trying to figure out time to write plus the fact that my laptop decided to go on the fritz with the first part of this chapter saved on it. I had to rewrite the whole thing! Anyway, I don't know if you noticed it but, I did change the story's title just a little bit. Yes, this story is going to be part of a trilogy. I thought about it for a while and, with several ideas swirling through my head, I finally found the right one to continue the story. Hopefully it won't take as long to get it out as this story is! Lol! I am not sure if there will be one or two chapters left for this one because there's still a few things to clear up before the end. Plus there will probably be an epilogue to get the next story started! Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review. Until then, tootles!

Chapter Nine

Frank walked slowly up to Ned who tried his best to look tough. Stopping just feet from him, Frank seethed with anger but remained silent and still. Ned stared him down with narrow eyes then laughed and rolled his eyes.

"I guess the truth was eventually going to come out," he said. "I knew Callie wouldn't keep her mouth shut about us. Did you like what she had to say?"

"Why'd you do it?" Frank asked, his anger abated for the moment. As much as he wanted to beat Ned up, he knew it would never change the past. "Callie is a good woman. So is Nancy. Why would you hurt both of them?"

"Why?" Ned laughed. "Nancy and I are supposed to be together. That is the way it's been between us for years on end. It wasn't supposed to just end. Besides, I had plans for my future with her. As for Callie, she was just something that I had to do. She would have been an easy notch had it not been for the fact that she was still stuck on you."

"You're one sick son-of-a-bitch," Frank growled. His hands clenched again though he never made a move. He looked at Ned's face, noticing a growing bruise on his cheek. Frank laughed as he continued, his hands opening. "I see that Nancy has already given you her answer. I guess she finally saw what a worthless person you really are."

"Nancy may have said no to me now," Ned growled, touching his face tenderly, "but I guarantee I'll have what I want in the end."

"I highly doubt that, Ned," Frank laughed. "Nancy is not someone who takes cheating lightly."

"Oh and you think that you're the one for her, Hardy?" Ned laughed, throwing back his head. "I'm sure you're thinking that you're going to be her knight in shining armor, right? That's a laugh! You can't even keep your own girlfriend from cheating on you!"

"Callie said she never did anything with you," Frank replied as calmly as he could though Ned could tell the man was doubting the story.

"Oh, is that what she told you?" Ned laughed even louder. "She told me all about you, Frank. How you ignored her when she moved to Boston and how you loved your job more than you loved her. She was lonely and I fulfilled what she wanted which was a real man! Do you honestly think that she would tell you the truth about our relationship. She hated you for not coming to Boston with her!"

"That's enough, Mr. Nickerson!" cried a voice nearby. The two men turned toward the voice to see an older man walking up to them, his grey eyes blazing. Even in a nice shirt and jeans, Carson Drew was still a formidable person, causing both Ned and Frank to take a step back.

"Carson, I…" Ned stammered.

"Save it," Carson snarled. He stopped inches from Ned and though he was shorter than the younger man, Carson made him cower slightly. "Did you honestly think that coming here would do anything more than get yourself a good ass whooping? I see from the nice shiner on your face, that someone already beat Frank to the punch although I really wouldn't blame him for knocking the shit out of you after what I just heard. Why the hell are you here anyway?"

"I came back for Nancy," Ned said, his confidence rising though he still slightly cowered.

"And she told you to get lost, I take it?"

"We just had a…misunderstanding," Ned said.

"A misunderstanding, my ass," Carson replied. He looked at the two security guards who stood by the doors, listening to the entire conversation. "Was he kicked out of the hospital?"

"Yes, sir," one of the guards replied, stepping forward. "The nurses called us about a disturbance outside one of the rooms after visiting hours. We were told to escort him to the exit and he is not allowed to reenter."

"That being said, I suggest you get your ass back to wherever the hole you came out of and never come back, Mr. Nickerson." Carson folded his arms in front of him and glared at Ned who stood his ground.

"But, Carson…"

"Oh, we're no longer like that, Mr. Nickerson," Carson stated. "I also wouldn't count on having a very good conversation with your boss when you return home. We've already discussed a few things including the fact that you no longer will be working with my firm on cases regarding insurance issues. You also might be seeing the inside of a courtroom yourself in the near future as some of your exploits across the country have been looked at by a few people who wondered why their charge account was over the limit. Your mother asked me to help her on that."

Ned fumed, his face twisted into a grimace, as he stepped slowly away from Carson. Frank was speechless, watching the whole altercation between the two men. As Ned turned toward the parking lot, he stopped and leaned over to say something to Frank.

"Don't forget what I said, Hardy," he growled in a low voice. "You are nothing to her. This isn't over between us either."

With that, Ned bumped his shoulder hard into Frank and walked quickly away towards his rental.

"I sincerely hope you're not gullible enough to believe that man," Carson said softly, putting his hand on Frank's shoulder. Before Frank could answer, the sound of squealing tires drew their attention back to the parking lot where Ned peeled out of the exit, almost running down an incoming car. A siren was soon heard and the flash of a police vehicle zoomed by, chasing Ned's car down the road. Carson laughed slightly. "Good. Maybe a night in jail is what that man needs."

"Maybe," Frank mumbled, shaking his head. Although he didn't say it, he was thankful that Carson arrived when he did. Frank didn't know for sure if he would have been able to keep his anger down any longer nor did he trust himself to not beat Ned to death.

"Hey," Carson interrupted Frank's thoughts. The younger man looked over at him to listen. "It's over. Ned is not worth thinking about anymore. There is such a thing as karma and Ned's time will come soon. He won't be very happy about his mother turning him in either. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, Mr. Drew," Frank said softly. "I just don't understand how a man could have been so cruel to do treat both Nancy and Callie the way he did. He owes Callie and her parents a lot of money for the hotel room he skipped out on as well."

"He'll get what's coming to him," Carson smiled. "Believe me, there are other things that Ned has done that has just come to light but I can't talk about them at the moment. That will come at a later date once I get the right information."

Frank looked at Carson confused but the older man didn't elaborate any further. It wasn't just the way Ned treated women that was bugging Frank. As Ned's car left the parking lot, Frank could have sworn that Ned was speaking very animatedly as if he were on the phone with someone. As to who it was, Frank had no clue.

"Come on," Carson nodded his head toward the hospital. The two security officers had already left, returning to their duties. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee. You look like you need it."

"I think the cafeteria is closed, sir," Frank replied, stoic.

"You may be right," Carson laughed, looking around the darkened hallways. "Then it'll be a cheap cup of coffee, my boy. Lead the way."

Frank shrugged and walked slowly down the hall towards a bank of vending machines. The hospital was quiet as most of the visitors had gone home and patients were nestled in their beds. An occasional nurse or orderly would pass by, none taking any notice of the two men as they settled into the waiting room couches just down the hall from Joe's and Nancy's rooms. Two cups of hot coffee sat on the table in between them, steam rising from the slightly open lids. Frank nervously shifted, avoiding Carson's gaze and not knowing what to say.

"You know, Frank," Carson finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "You can talk to me. I won't bite."

"I know, sir," Frank mumbled. He looked up at Carson and saw real concern in the man's eyes. "If you don't mind my asking, sir, how are you here already? I thought you weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning."

"Ah, yes," Carson sighed with a smile. "You can thank your father for that. I was going to take a red eye out of O'Hare tomorrow morning but Fenton called me. He's sorry that he couldn't make it but something came up at the last minute that he needed to take care of. Besides, he said that as long as Joe was walking and talking, he felt he wasn't really needed anyway. He offered to send Jack and the plane so, here I am. I preferred to come early anyway since Nancy told me Ned was here. I don't trust him."

"What's going on?"

"I already told you that I can't say anything as of right now, Frank," Carson said mysteriously. "I need to make sure of a few things before anything comes to light. I also don't want Nancy to know about what I said to him. It's bad enough as it is that she has to deal with him cheating on her. I don't really want her to know what that man was really up to just yet. Especially since I, myself, don't know the whole story."

"Oh, okay," Frank replied, still confused. He fell silent, wringing his hands in his lap. Carson watched him and took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the taste.

"Oh, that's awful," he said, licking his lips. "I don't think I'll be able to get that taste out of my mouth for a while."

Frank laughed and Carson joined in, the soft laughter lightening the mood. Once it died down, an eerie silence rose between the men.

"Frank, who is Callie?"

"She's…" Frank began though he stopped, looking down at his hands. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in check even though the thought of Ned made his blood boil again. He really didn't want to relive the whole story again but he knew from experience with Carson Drew that the older man would not let it go until he found out the whole story. Frank swallowed hard and finally spoke, relieving some of the pressure of his feelings. "She was my girlfriend up until about three or four weeks ago."

"I see," Carson sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees. He thought for a few moments before continuing. "Although I prefer to hear the story from the person who experienced it, I have a feeling that she was completely honest with you when she told you. Do you agree?"

"Yes, sir," Frank replied. He pursed his lips and waited.

"Then, by all means, Frank," Carson replied with a soft smile. He leaned back in the couch, folding his hands in front of him. "Tell me exactly what she told you."

Frank sighed and closed his eyes again. He knew eventually he was going to have to come to terms himself with what happened. Slowly, Frank began to tell the story, beginning with his relationship with Callie, leaving out the most intimate details but keeping the important information in. As he told how Callie met Ned, his anger began to rise once more, causing him to stop to take a break.

"Did Callie know who Ned's fiancée was at the time she was with him?" Carson asked as if he were addressing someone the stand in a courtroom.

"No, she said she never knew it was Nancy until I told her not long ago. I know that if she did, Callie would have cut off ties with Ned."

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's Callie," Frank replied, honestly. "She would never want to be the 'other woman' and become a reason for a relationship to end. It's just not in her nature. Besides, she was really upset with herself for what happened. She remembered seeing Nancy in the lobby of the hotel she was at in New York but couldn't quite place her at the time."

"And you trust her to be telling the truth?" Carson asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely."

"Okay." Carson nodded. He got quiet and sat there as if deep in thought. Frank watched him nervously, still twiddling with his hands. After awhile, Carson nodded again and spoke, breaking the silence. "Knowing what I know about Ned, I believe you. I also feel that Nancy needs to know what happened but you are not the one who should tell her. She needs to hear it from Callie at some point but for now, my daughter needs some space. And time to heal. She'll reach out to Callie herself when she's ready."

Frank nodded, his eyes gazing toward the floor. Although he was glad to hear that Carson believed him, Frank still felt that he was at fault just a little bit for the whole situation. If he had ended their relationship when he should have, maybe the outcome would have been different. He wanted to talk to Nancy more than anything and apologize for his attitude earlier though he didn't say anything.

"Give her time," Carson said softly. Frank's head shot up, his eyes focusing on the gentle grey eyes in front of him. It was as if Carson knew what Frank was thinking without even saying it. "Give yourself time. Quit blaming yourself for something that you had no control over whatsoever."

Frank sighed. He didn't know what to say. He had such a high respect for Carson Drew but the man was still intimidating even though he was gentle at the moment.

"I know how it is, Frank," Carson continued, his eyes searching Frank's. "I've seen the way you've looked at her over the years. You'd be blind not to see it even though I think both of you are a little pig-headed at times. Right now, you both are hurting emotionally. Don't rush yourself or your heart. Trust me."

Frank was silent. He never realized how obvious he was in regards to his feelings for Nancy. He just wondered why it took himself so long to realize those feelings.

"Dad?" came a voice nearby, jolting Frank back to reality. He looked over Carson's shoulder to see Nancy standing by the nurses' station, her face etched in confusion. Even though she wore a hospital gown and pajama bottoms, her hair disheveled, Frank still thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He averted his eyes quickly, ashamed still. Carson turned around, his face lighting up.

"Hey, sweetheart." He rose and quickly wrapped her in a hug.

"I thought you weren't going to be here until tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, I hitched a ride, as it were," smiled Carson, looking back at Frank and winking. He kissed her forehead and hugged her again. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I couldn't sleep," she stated. Nancy glanced at Frank and smiled but he avoided her by looking at the floor as if it held a secret for him to unlock. Although she smiled back at her father, Nancy was hurt by Frank's reaction. She cleared her throat and continued. "I asked the nurse if I could go for a walk to clear my head. I went the other direction and then came back here after hearing your voice. What's going on?"

"Nothing to concern you right now, sweetie," Carson smiled again. He took her by the arm and guided her out of the waiting room. She turned slightly to steal one more glance at Frank but he continued to ignore her. "You go back to your room. I'll meet you there."

"Oh, okay, Dad," Nancy replied, sadly. "Good night, Frank."

As she disappeared into her room, Carson turned back to Frank who was now looking intently to where Nancy was just standing.

"Don't forget what I said, Frank," Carson said sternly but gently.

"I won't, sir," Frank answered softly. "And thank you."

Carson smiled as he went into Nancy's room and closed the door. Frank knew he just alienated Nancy once again by ignoring her completely but he didn't have the heart to say anything to her let alone look at her. All he wanted to do was erase the events of the past few days, especially his attitude toward her and apologize once again to both Joe and her. He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, cursing himself for not saying anything. He finally dozed off, his troubled thoughts fading away as the darkness of sleep engulfed him.

"Dad, is Frank mad at me for some reason?" Nancy asked as she got into her bed.

"No, I don't think so," Carson said, gently.

"Well, why didn't he say anything? He didn't even look at me!"

"I don't know, sweetheart."

"Did you say something to him?"

"That's between me and him, Nancy," Carson replied. Although she didn't pursue it, he knew that Nancy was eager to find out what they were talking about. He spread the covers over her and kissed her on the forehead. "How he feels is up to him. Now, get some rest."

"But, Dad, I…"

"No, buts, Nancy," Carson said sternly. "You need your rest. We'll be leaving in the morning."

"Okay," she mumbled, closing her eyes. She knew her father was right about getting rest but she wanted to know why Frank treated her like that. It was almost as if he were ashamed to be around her. Yes, Nancy was upset about the whole ordeal and the way he treated her but she wanted to talk to him, to tell him something. She heard a portion of the conversation and knew her dad talked to him about giving her space. She wasn't mad at her dad for saying it because he was right. She did need space. After the way Frank just treated her too, Nancy was sure she didn't want to speak to him or anyone else for a while. All she wanted was to be left alone. She wanted time to think about what she wanted to do in the near future especially since her life was about to start all over again. She wanted space away from Ned, away from home, and most especially, now, away from Frank Hardy.