A/N: Oh wow, I hate giving excuses…and I'd really like to just be able to say "I'm so sorry!" but I just CAN'T leave it at that. I owe you guys an explanation…SO…without going into too much detail these are my excuses for having not updated in a long time. 1. My sister just left to study abroad in England for 6 months and since she's been living with me…well, yeah…it's been hectic. 2. My mother recently moved in with me (yeah, no fun). 3. I've started Grad School 4. I started a new job. 5. I suck. (If you skip all of my excuses, at least land on excuse number 5, because boy is it true.)

So, there you have it. I am so sorry, for those of you who sent me messages; your words of encouragement are what kicked me in the butt to get this finished. :) For those of you who were feeling the absence of certain other characters in the last chapter…I will hopefully rectify that in this chapter. :) Enjoy!

Quintessential Bliss

Chapter 23

"Dad," Nancy answered her phone from outside the ER doors.

"Nancy," Carson's rich baritone came across the line. "Nancy, Bess just called me. How are you? How's Frank?"

It took Nancy a minute to respond and when she did her words were laced with tears, "I'm okay. Frank is…Frank is…I don't know Dad. I don't think he's going to make it."

Carson had never heard such despair in his daughter's voice before and it greatly concerned him. "I'm flying down there. I'm taking the next flight."

Nancy wanted to argue, wanted to tell him not to worry about it and that he shouldn't trouble himself but she couldn't. As much as the Hardy's were her family, she needed her father, now more than ever. "Okay," she whispered.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Carson assured his daughter.

"We should try and get Nancy and Joe to go home and rest," Laura Hardy whispered to her husband a few hours later. Fenton needed to sleep too but she knew that proposing the idea to him would do more harm than good.

Fenton lifted his head and looked at Nancy and Joe, who sat across the room surrounded by their friends. Nancy sat with her head resting on Maggie's shoulder, her eyes staring blankly ahead. Joe sat slumped with his head in his hands, with Vanessa's arms wrapped around him.

"How successful do you think we'd be?" Fenton asked.

Laura chewed her bottom lip, "Not very, but they need to sleep."

"We all do," Fenton replied and leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek. "We all do, but we all can't."

"I know," Laura squeezed her husband's hand that was clasped in hers. "When are we going to know anything? All of this waiting…we've never had to wait so long."

"The doctor said he'd have the lab results back in the morning…" Fenton checked his watch. "Which should be in the next hour or so."

The ER doors opened then and Carson Drew walked in, his trench coat flapping open behind him. "Nancy," he said and she looked up quickly. She all but ran to her father when she saw him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I'm here now honey, I'm here now."

"Dad," Nancy's body began to shake with the tears she had been holding back. "Dad," she repeated.

Joe had looked up at the man's entrance and he stood now to shake his hand, "Thank you for being here."

"Where else would I be?" Carson replied and turned to pull his old friend Fenton in for a hug. He turned and offered the same to Laura with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Any news?"

Fenton shook his head and watched as Carson put his arm around his daughter in silent support. "We're waiting for news now. Any minute."

Carson turned to his daughter and then looked at Joe, "Bess and Chet are stuck in New York at the airport. They're flight was cancelled due to the weather and because of the holiday, they don't know when they'll get another flight out."

"Holiday?" Joe asked.

"Christmas…" Carson answered.

"Christmas," Nancy whispered and thought of the Christmas tree she and Frank had bought two weeks ago that sat undecorated in their living room…it felt like so long ago. It was probably dead by now, the needles falling off with no one there to water it. The thought of her first Christmas tree with Frank sitting alone in their beautiful house dying caused fresh tears to well in her eyes.

She sat down heavily in a nearby chair; "It was going to be our first Christmas in our new house with our new life."

"It still will be," Carson sat down beside his daughter and laid a hand on her back. "It still will be," he repeated with conviction.

Joe couldn't believe he had forgotten about Christmas. With all that had been going on, with the case and the stress of living undercover and now…Frank: it just didn't feel like the holidays. If Frank didn't make it…it would never feel like the holidays again.

Two nurses stood out in the hallway and watched the group of grieving family and friends of Frank Hardy. "That guy is really loved," one of them commented.

"You can say that again," the other nurse responded. "They were all here when I left my shift yesterday and they're still here…only now there are more of them."

"It's so sad," the first girl shook her head. "He's so young."

"And cute," the second girl responded and the other nodded her wholehearted agreement.

"That's his fiancée in there," the first girl nodded.

"Oh wow, she's so pretty," the other nurse sighed. "Poor girl, she would have made a beautiful bride."

"Have the lab results come in yet?" the first girl asked.

"Yeah, I just handed them to Dr. Medsker. He's reviewing them before he talks to the family."

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged.

"So sad," the first girl said again before she and the other nurse turned to get back to their patients.

Frank could hear voices, muted mumblings that didn't make any sense. He felt the doctors poking at him, the nurses fussing around him as he fought to make sense of everything. When he was finally left alone for a while he found there was nothing to distract him from the darkness that was trying to creep its way into his head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hardy?" Dr. Medsker walked into the room and stood in front of the anxious family. He hated this part most about his job, the part where he had to let a family down.

"Yes?" Fenton asked. "Did you get the results?"

"Yes," the doctor sighed and jumped right in. "I'm afraid that I don't have anything concrete to tell you. Your son's lab results are inconclusive. The good news is that we have been able to determine that whatever it is he has been infected with it is not contagious, you'll be allowed to see him two at a time. As for the results, it's what we were afraid of…an unknown toxin is attacking his system. We're not sure where from, why or how to stop it. Simply put, our hospital is not equipped to deal with something of this scale. I'm recommending he be transferred to UCLA Medical Center immediately."

Fenton shook his head, "No, I want him transferred back to New York, back home."

The doctor nodded, "That is of course, up to you but I recommend that he is transferred immediately. The more time that is wasted the less chance of figuring out how to help your son."

"How do we start?" Fenton asked.

"Follow me," Dr Medsker motioned for Fenton and Laura to follow him.

"Nancy and I want to see him," Joe said before they left the room.

The doctor nodded, "You may go and see him, but don't expect much. We've kept him pretty sedated to help ease some of the side affects."

"Come on," Joe said and pulled Nancy from the room.

"You've looked better, bro." Joe whispered as he and Nancy sat beside Frank's bed. His brother was pale and drawn looking, his skin had a grayish pallor and there was sweat beading on his forehead.

"I hope he's not in any pain," Nancy said and gripped Frank's hand firmly in her own.

Joe nodded and stood up to walk to the window, unable to look at his unconscious brother any longer.

"Frank," Nancy said and squeezed his hand. "You're going to have to get better quick. Christmas is coming up," she smiled softly and brushed some of his hair off his forehead. "We have a Christmas tree to decorate and we still haven't decided what to get for your mother. There is no way I'll be able to find the perfect gift for her on my own. I need you to get better now Frank, I need you to keep fighting."

Nancy gasped when she felt the smallest of movements under her hand. "Frank?" she said in excitement. "Frank, are you awake?"

Joe turned away from the window quickly and rushed back to the bed. "Frank?"

Frank heard voices.

These were different from the voices of the doctors and nurses. They were familiar. He fought against the darkness that consumed him, wanting desperately to talk to someone, anyone. What was going on? Why was there this incredible fog in his brain?

Was that Nancy? He struggled to move and found that the more he fought against the fog the more he realized just how much pain he was in. There was a pressure, something laying on his hand that hurt so bad it felt like he was on fire. He tried to move his hand but found that it barely responded.

"Frank?" A voice cut through the haze. The voice certainly sounded like Nancy.

"Frank? A second voice came from far away and this time Frank was sure that it was Joe.

Frank tried to respond but found that the words were stuck in his throat. Using all the willpower her possessed he pushed through the dark and ignoring the pain and his dry throat he whispered. "Joe?"

"Hey bro," Joe replied and he sounded close. Frank struggled to open his eyes and saw the blurry outline of his brother's face floating above him. "Is Nancy here?"

"I'm here Frank," Nancy's smiling face swam into Frank's view and he blinked at her in confusion.

"Why?" he whispered. His strength was fading fast and the fog was pressing insistently on his mind with the alluring promise that it would take away the pain if he just gave in. Still he pushed himself further. "Are we in Chicago?"

"Chicago?" Joe asked in confusion. "Why would we be in Chicago?"

"Because," Frank whispered and his voice trailed off before he could finish his thought. He couldn't keep the fog out of his brain any longer, couldn't stand the excruciating pain radiating throughout his entire body. He gave in and allowed the darkness in.

Fenton watched, as his son was loaded into the small plane that would take him back to New York. "You have your tickets home?" Fenton asked Joe who was standing next to him on the tarmac.

"Yes, our flight is at 4:30." Joe replied.

"I know you wish you were going with us, but there just isn't room in this plane and your mother…" Fenton's voice trailed off.

"I understand," Joe replied quickly.

Fenton turned and laid his hand on Joe's shoulder, "Travel safely son. Try and sleep on the plane, sleep is going to be hard to come by in the next few weeks I'm guessing."

Joe nodded, "Same to you, dad."

"Watch Nancy," Fenton lowered his voice so that Nancy, who was standing a few feet away with her father couldn't hear him. "She looks like she could break apart at any time."

Joe nodded and glanced at Nancy, who had her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to keep herself in one piece instead of two.

Fenton hugged Joe fiercely; "I'll see you in a couple hours." He turned and walked over to Nancy and gave her a long hug and shook Carson's hand before turning to get into the airplane.

Joe walked over to stand beside Nancy as they watched the plane holding the person who meant most to them in the world take off.

The plane hit a pocket of turbulence just as they were leveling out at their traveling altitude. Laura looked down at her son, strapped into a gurney with medical equipment humming all around him. She looked over at the medical professional they had brought along for the plane ride, "Is he okay?"

The man checked all of Frank's vitals and nodded, "He's stable."

Laura nodded and unhooked her seatbelt, "I'm going to make some tea. Would you like some Fenton?"

"No, thank you," Fenton replied and watched his wife make her way to the small kitchen.

Frank stirred a little and Fenton leaned over to be closer to his son. "Is he in pain?"

"He shouldn't be," the man replied.

"Dad?" Frank whispered.

"Frank," Fenton smiled softly.

"Are we…" Frank tried to wet his lips and Fenton reached for his water bottle. "Are we flying?

"Yes son," Fenton held the water bottle to Frank's lips. "Drink some water."

Frank drank obediently, barely able to lift his head up off the stretcher. "Are we going back to New York?"

"Yes," Fenton replied.

"Why…" Frank's eyes closed and it was obvious how much he was trying to concentrate. "Why were we in Chicago?"

"Chicago?" Fenton was puzzled. "Son, you were in California."

"California?" Frank was confused. "Then why was Nancy there?"

Fenton's stomach did a horrible twisting thing in his gut, "What do you mean Frank? Why wouldn't Nancy be there?"

Frank struggled to open his eyes; "I haven't talked to her in…five years. I messed things up dad," Frank gave up and closed his eyes. "She was there and I kissed her and then we stopped talking. I messed things up really bad this time. Dad, I hurt all over. What happened to me?"

"You've been…poisoned. Your body has been injected by some sort of toxin, the doctors in New York are going to figure out just what it is." Fenton laid a hand on his sons shoulder in reassurance. Frank hissed at the contact and Fenton quickly removed his hand.

"It hurts…it hurts to breathe." Frank shuddered hard. "Dad, tell Nancy I'm sorry okay? Tell Nancy…tell Nancy…" but before he could finish he had fallen back under the heavy drugs.

Fenton groaned and closed his eyes. Could Frank really have lost all memory of his time with Nancy? Just how much of his son's memory was lost?

How on earth was he going to break the news to Nancy, who was already teetering on the edge of losing all control?

The plane rumbled closer to New York as Fenton sat in his seat, wrestling with indecision and worry.