Pawns & Enemies: A Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Mystery

17. Nancy

  Beep! Beep! Beep! My eyes flutter open. I am lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a monitor. I can't feel my right hand or left leg. My shoulders and headache. My eyes can barely crack open enough to see the room. Blue walls, white curtains, white sheets, brown socks on my feet, and a blue-green hospital gown. And that infernal beeping that makes my head pound. I want to rip the monitor's strips off my chest and back and wrist just so there can be quiet.

 I hear breathing beside me. I turn my head a little and it feels like fireworks are popping in my skull. Frank sits to my left with Joe in the far corner beyond him. Both are sleeping while sitting up and are covered in dirt stains and little scrapes crusted with blood. I reach out my hand as far as I can to try to reach my bedside clock. I have to know how much time has passed since we were at Kyan's house since I fell out a window since I almost died. We had gone to Kyan's in the late afternoon and I could tell from the happy rays of blinding sunlight streaming from the window that it was now early morning. I hit the digital box off the table onto Frank's lap. He begins to stir. 

    "MMM," he groans. He looks down, surprised, at the clock in his lap. He rubs sleep-deprived, worried eyes not quite registering what he was looking at. 

    "Morning," my voice is oddly hoarse like this is the first time I am testing it out. "Would you mind telling me the time?" I ask. His eyes dart in my direction. 

    "Nancy!" He cries and jumps up like I am a miracle laying here and he has never seen something so amazing in his whole life. He reaches over quickly to hug me. He squeezes me hard like he's afraid I might disappear. He sits back with a grimace of pain. "Nance, you gave us such a scare." Joe stirs in the corner and wiggles so much that he wakes up to find himself almost out of his seat. He bolts to a stand. 

   "Nancy?!" He looks amazed and excitedly runs over to hug me. When he doesn't let go I croak, 

  "Hey, I like the hugs but it kinda hurts." 

   "Oh, right," Joe pulls away sheepishly. He drags his chair from the corner and sits at my bedside as Frank straightens in his seat. 

    "Um, I don't exactly remember how I got here. Last I knew it was about 5 o'clock in the evening and now it's..."

   "5:09 in the morning." Frank filled in.

   "5:09" I repeat.

   "Well, now it's 5:10," Joe says. 

   "Thank you for keeping us up-to-date with that very important new, Mr. Hardy," Frank says sarcastically.

   "You are welcome, Mr. Hardy," Joe responds with a tip of his imaginary hat.

   "What did I miss?" I break in.

   "Are you sure you are okay?" Frank completely changes the subject. The concern shows in his face, eyes, and voice. 

    "Other than not being able to feel my right hand, my leg feels paralyzed, my shoulders ache and I have a mammoth sized headache. Not to mention cuts, bruises, and aches everywhere. Other than that I'm perfect."

    "I'm sorry, that was an unfair question. Of course, you are not okay." Frank frowns. "Are you breathing okay?" 

     "Better than ever on these machines," I say cranky, shaking the cords angrily. "Why do you ask?" 

    "Um," Frank stampers. He turns red and rests his face in his hands and his elbows on his knees. He breathes deeply and still stares at me like he can't believe I am here. 

   "I'll explain, Nancy," Joe hops in, solemnly. "You were barely breathing last night. Frank kept having to give you CPR every five to ten minutes because you just quit breathing. You lost so much blood you slipped into a coma. We thought we lost you at one point. I had to go help the cops and Frank rode with you to the hospital where they started treating you. I arrived later via a squad car. Your officers are very nice, by the way. I stated my name and then yours for good measure and suddenly they were all ears. Amazing. The Bayport police never give me an ear." Frank elbowed him and he stopped blabbering.

    "So what happened?" Frank asked. "Starting at the time we left you with Kyan."

 So I explained everything. (If you don't remember yourself, you should probably go reread the last few chapters. You missed quite a lot.) I told them all about Kyan's plan and what he did. When I finish my version of the story, the Hardys filled me in on theirs. 

    "Oh, Nancy," Joe remembered. "Ned and Fiona helped Kyan with some things. They may have charges pressed too."

    "I still can't believe Ned cheated on me, much less was assisting in criminal activity." I think aloud. 

    "He was your boyfriend?" Joe spurt. When Frank and I give him a look, he shrugs. "I didn't put two and two together. Wow, that explains some things." 

    "Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore." I sigh. We are silent for a few moments.

   "I am sorry," Frank says. 

   "So am I," Joe echoes. 

 I am stunned. "Sorry for what? That I lost my boyfriend and it turns out he was a no-good-doer anyhow?" I laugh. "I am the one who fell off a roof and lost her boyfriend all in one day. And look where it got me." I gesture at the pristine white room that stinks of bleach. "I have a lot of things to feel sorry for, but not you two. Today, you were the heroes." 

    "I let you fall," Joe whispers looking down at his hands. Frank stares at him in awe and I swallow hard, saliva hot and stuck on my tongue. The lump in my throat makes me purse my lips. I can't believe Joe is blaming himself for this.

   "I watched him shove you off that roof and I didn't move. I stood there and watch him leave you to fall to your death." He was crying now and he still wouldn't look at me. "I could have stopped him. I could have saved you. But I didn't. Instead, I went after him. I let my temper get it the way instead of rescuing you. I was hitting Kyan while you were falling from a roof. Hannah's right. I need to control my temper." He is shaking with sobs now. "I don't you dare say it is not my fault and I shouldn't be sorry. It is all my fault. I could have done something and I did nothing." I grab his hand, surprising him into looking at me.

   "Hey, It's not like I'm dead. You caught the bad guy. I should have been strong enough to stop Kyan but I didn't. Look at me. I am fine. It's no one's fault." 

 He sighs and wipes his face with the back of his hand. "Poor 'no one'. Everyone blames him."

I laugh. "That's better." I get serious. "How long did the doctor say I have to stay here?"

    "About a week, then bed rest at home."

    "Stinkin' nobody," I grumble. "I'll probably be gone in two days if I have any say in it." I chew my lower lip. "So mystery's over?"

   "I guess so," Frank replies. "And it didn't end very well."  

  "But justice was served."

   "To who? Your body or the bad guy?" Joe spat. 

    "I'll heal. I was talking about Kyan."

     "He'll have justice served. Your father is making sure of that." Frank says. 

    "Perfect! Now, do you know where the nurse stashed the painkillers? My head is killing me." The Hardy Boys laughed and Joe tossed me a bottle.

    "Hope the nurse doesn't realize we stole it." he laughed. I smile. I hope so too or we'll be in trouble. Again.