"Frank, you're going to wear a path in the floor if you don't stop pacing," Joe said wryly, his eyes closed and his head back against the wall.
Frank didn't slow down.
Three stories. She fell three stories into the ocean. Something could have broken. Internal injuries. We shouldn't have moved her.
Frank couldn't stop the agonizing thoughts running through his head.
They had brought Nancy into the small hospital only half an hour earlier and she still wasn't awake.
After reviving Nancy on the dingy, Frank had sat with her while Joe called in their location to their team. Once at port, the crate had been secured and was in the process of being transported back to the States.
A separate team was out at the site now, diving on the wreckage to try to find more but Joe didn't have much hope of them finding anything else after the explosions.
It still irritated Joe that Saffron had gotten away. Witnesses spotted him and the goon that had Nancy on shore a few miles away but no one had connected the pieces in time to catch him. He had disappeared.
After dropping off their "package" and Nancy to the hospital, they had managed to get out of their gear and into less suspicious clothing.
"She should be awake," Frank muttered, turning around again. He hadn't left her side since he pulled her out of the water and now he was barred from her room until the doctor said otherwise.
"Nancy's a fighter – she'll be fine. She was conscious on the dingy and you heard the doctor say she should wake up soon. You heard him say she was lucky," Joe reminded his brother.
"Lucky? She could have been killed!" Frank said, heat rising in his voice. Joe held up his hands in defense.
"She's alive Frank. She's going to be fine," Joe said again.
At the sound of footsteps, both brothers looked up.
A tall, lean handsome guy just shy of thirty years old was walking down the hallway towards the pair. He had piercing brown eyes and jet black hair that was covered by a black cowboy hat. He had on a black jacket on over a white collared shirt, wranglers and roughed up cowboy boots.
This guy looks like he belongs in Montana on horseback or singing a sappy country song. Joe thought as he stood up. The man stopped in front of Frank.
He pulled out a badge that read "DIA" with his ID. It read "Cody Brooks".
"Excuse me gentlemen, are you the Hardys?" The guy asked.
Frank threw a glance at Joe and caught Joe's almost imperceptible shrug.
"Yes, sir," Frank replied.
"My name is Agent Cody Brooks. I'm with the DIA. I need to ask you a few questions about your involvement in the events of tonight," The man said, putting his badge back in his jacket.
"I'm afraid that's classified information. My brother and I are with the CIA," Frank said, pulling out his own badge. Agent Brooks took it, studied it and handed it back then took Joe's and studied it as well.
"If you don't want to tell me what you were doing on Javan Saffron's yacht, that's fine. I will find out. One of our agents was almost killed and we would have been too far away to save her so I have to thank you for stepping in. However, blowing up that yacht blew up all the evidence and three years of hard work trying to bring Saffron down. Now he's escaped, the yacht is on the bottom of the Mediterranean in pieces and we have no evidence." Agent Brooks said, never breaking eye contact with Frank.
Frank felt Joe tense beside him and shifted so his brother was behind him. Joe could be a hot head.
"Listen, we didn't know she was on that yacht," Frank said, his voice cold. Cody's eyes narrowed slightly. "We were just following orders. She was caught and bound before we got there. We had our evidence and had orders to blow up the yacht if found. Agent Drew was tossed over the side and my brother jumped in after her."
Cody's eyes shifted to Joe and back to Frank.
"Her cover was blown. I am going to find out how. I swear, if either of you had anything to do with it, we will have words," Cody said. "Feel free to show yourselves out." He turned and headed towards Nancy's room.
"You have no right to go into her room right now, doctor's orders," Joe said, taking a step to grab Cody's arm.
"I have every right. I'm her partner."
~*~*~*~*~
Hi Drew. Welcome to the party.
She knew the voice but she couldn't believe it.
Nancy wanted to stay in the fog of unconsciousness but the annoying beeping was getting louder. As the fog began to clear, the pain came. It was a dull ache in her chest, scratchiness in her throat and a throb in her head.
Nancy opened her eyes. Blinking a few times, she noticed she was in a hospital room.
"Oh you are awake! Very good!"
Nancy turned her head towards the voice. The heavy Italian accent belonged to a short man that was standing next to her bed checking the monitors she was hooked up to. He had a clipboard in his hand, a stethoscope around his neck and was wearing a white coat.
"Buon giorno dottore," Nancy replied in Italian. The doctor smiled widely.
"Buon giorno Miss Drew. You speak Italian?" The doctor asked politely, while looking Nancy over.
Before Nancy could answer, another voice came from the doorway.
"Miss Drew speaks Italian very well."
"Cody!" Nancy said in surprised. Her partner, Cody Brooks, was standing just inside the doorway. His signature black cowboy hat was atop his head and his rugged good looks were twisted with tension and exhaustion. However, his grin was in place.
"Glad you're awake Drew," Cody said, walking towards her bedside, "we have to talk."
Nancy grimaced. She had failed in getting the information on Saffron and had gotten herself caught. She didn't remember much of what happened after Saffron had knocked her out except the sharp pain, darkness then Frank Hardy's worried face looking down at her. Then his smile.
She shook her head to clear it and immediately regretted it. The pounding was getting intense.
"What Miss Drew needs is rest and care," the little doctor said while taking Nancy's blood pressure.
"And she will get both, I assure you, Doctor," Cody said, smiling at the little man. The doctor nodded and looked back to Nancy.
"You must stay here the night for observation but I do not see any reason for you to stay longer than that. You may have a scratchy throat for a few days from the salt water and your ribs will hurt for awhile, but otherwise, you are…" the doctor stopped, seeming to search for the right words. "…as healthy as a horse."
"Thank you Doctor." Nancy said with a smile. The doctor beamed and with a little bow, left the room.
Nancy leaned back on her pillow with a sigh. She didn't like to admit she was exhausted and her body hurt everywhere. All she wanted to do was fall asleep. Then she remembered Cody.
"Can't we talk about this later Cody?" Nancy asked, turning her head towards her partner.
Cody didn't say anything. He sat down on the edge of her bed and took her chin in his hand, carefully turning her face to the side. There was a dark bruise on her jaw from where Saffron had hit her, her eyes were bloodshot and she sounded like she had sand stuffed down her throat.
"You scared me Drew," Cody said quietly, releasing her face. Nancy was surprised at the amount of emotion in her partner's eyes. "Getting away with only two broken ribs is a miracle."
Nancy placed a hand to her torso and felt the bandages wrapped around it. "I scared me too. If the Hardys' hadn't been there…" Nancy began. Cody abruptly stood up. Nancy looked up at him in surprise. "What's the matter?"
"I'm not sure about those two. What were they doing on Saffron's boat? I want to know what they were up to and who they work for." Cody said.
"Were you able to talk to them?" Nancy asked, curious about what happened to the brothers since she fainted on their boat.
"I just did. They are CIA," Cody said, rubbing his temple. "They wouldn't tell me what they were doing, but I'll find out."
Nancy decided to not mention the fact she knew the Hardys personally. At least, not yet.
"I'm sure they have a good explanation," She said, leaning back against her pillows. Her eyes had shut so she missed the narrowing of Cody's. Something wasn't right and Cody was going to find out what.
~*~*~*~*~