Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The last thing Nancy could remember was Odette lunging for her.

And standing in the middle of the restaurant, among shattered glass and broken tables, she actually believed that it was the end. There was only one other time she had been convinced that her time was up, and that was on the cement floor in the basement of the old high school.

You don’t consider the idea of death when you’re in the spirit world. The Whisper Box had been something else entirely, but Nancy was aware that she could have died there, too. It appeared that she was meant to die here with too many regrets on her tongue.

In a split second, she looked over her shoulder, at everyone else. It was so quick, she barely registered the looks of horror on her friends’ faces. And in the back of her subconscious, she whispered, I’m sorry.

And as Odette flew towards her, she frantically threw her arms up in a last-minute attempt to defend herself, and braced for the impact. But the only thing that hit her then was a burst of sea water, and the force from the sudden burst of wind sent her stumbling.

Nancy steadied herself after a few steps, and looked around again. It was quiet now, with the quiet murmurs of her friends behind her. Shattered glass laid at her feet, and she could see that some of the shards had left cuts on her hands. It stung under her eye, and as she reached up and touched her cheekbone, her fingertips came away stained red.

It seemed to be a small price to pay for defeating the Aglaeca, but there had been too much blood spilled for that damned sea spirit. Owen. AJ Crane. Even Odette herself.
At least she and her friends were alive. They’d made it out.

Shuddering, Nancy wiped her now-wet hands on her pants. It wasn’t much use-she was soaked anyways. But as she looked down at herself, a gasp rose in her throat, and she started trembling even harder. From the shock or adrenaline, she couldn’t tell.

She barely had a chance to tell her friends about the decorative harpoon impaling her when there was a wailing noise outside. Everyone’s head snapped towards the door, the hairs on the back of their necks standing.

Nick reached over the counter to grab a knife from the rack. “I’ll check it out,” he muttered, eyes narrowed.

“I’ll come,” George volunteered, and with a last glance at everyone else, followed him out of the restaurant.

Bess took that chance to throw herself at Ace, arms wrapping around his neck. Ace returned the embrace, a small smile curving his lips. “Thank goodness that’s over,” she sighed, her shoulder sinking with relief.

Then they noticed that Nancy wasn’t moving. “Nancy?” Bess asked, breaking away from Ace. “Are you alright?”

Nancy slowly turned around, still staring down at the harpoon. She heard them gasp, and it was at that, she looked up. She made eye contact with Ace, who took a step towards her.

“I-'' she tried to get out, but every breath pulled at the wound. The pain finally broke through the shock, and she groaned. “I need help.”

And then she collapsed, knees buckling under her.

“Nancy!” Bess shrieked, lunging forward. Ace was the one to reach her first, having already started running towards her when she’d turned around. “Oh, dear God-”

Nancy reached for Ace as she fell, a hand outstretched and a cry on her lips. Strong arms caught her before she hit the floor, and she let out a gasp when the contact pulled at the harpoon again. Ace slowly slid to the floor with Nancy in his arms, her hands clutching his forearm tightly.

Then Bess was there, helping Nancy lie on the floor. Her hand hovered over the sharp object embedded in her stomach, and she whimpered. “What happened?”

Nancy just groaned, leaning her head back into Ace’s chest, who had pulled her into his lap. “Odette,” she tried to say, but Ace put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t talk,” he told her, his voice tight. “You’ll tire yourself out.”

Nancy had no idea if that was true, but she clenched her jaw. Mainly to avoid crying out from the pain.

“Don’t freak out,” Ace ordered Bess, but it seemed like that was what he was telling himself. “And whatever you do, don’t pull the harpoon out. You hear me, Nancy? That goes for you, too.”

Nancy just groaned again, and arched her back, trying to push Bess away from inspecting the wound. “Don’t touch,” she whimpered. “It hurts too much.”

“Nancy, we have to-”

Then the door burst open. “What happened?” George called, and footsteps ran over. “We heard Bess scream-” She skidded to a halt when she saw Nancy on the floor, and her face went white.

Nick nearly slammed into her from behind, and as he took in the scene before him, the knife he was holding clattered to the floor. “What...what-”

“Odette-” Nancy wheezed, “-the harpoon-”

“Don’t talk,” Ace told her again, gripping her shoulder again. He looked up. “When Odette exploded, she shattered everything. The harpoon must have flown off the wall, and it hit Nancy.”

“We need to call 9-1-1!” Bess whimpered.

“And say what? ‘Hey, our friend just got stabbed with a wall decoration when a sea spirit exploded?’” Nick burst out.

“Well, if you omit the sea spirit part, it doesn’t seem that insane!” she snapped back.

“Can you all just shut up?” Ace growled. The pair fell silent, looking over at him. “Nancy needs our help, and arguing isn’t going to do anything. Bess, go get some towels.”

Relieved to have something useful to do, Bess scurried away into the kitchen. Ace turned to George and Nick. “We can’t pull the harpoon out. She’ll bleed out and die.”

“Real subtle, Ace,” George breathed, falling to her knees next to him and Nancy.

“I’m serious,” Ace pressed. “We can’t touch it. All we can do is try and stop the bleeding.” He looked at Nick. “Go call 9-1-1.”

At that, Nancy fell out of Ace’s lap trying to sit up. “No!” she protested, trying to move away from them, as if it would change their minds.

“Nancy!” Ace yelped, reaching to grab her, but she had moved just out of reach.

“No...no hospital.” She let out a cry at how intense the pain was, doubled now that she had moved so fast. Nick and George tried to catch her, but Ace was quicker. He lunged for her just as she fell onto her side in a ball.

“Don’t move!” he snapped, eyes wide. With gentle hands, he carefully rolled Nancy back onto her back. “What were you thinking?”

Nancy grabbed his hand, looking at him with teary eyes. “No hospital,” she whispered, her breathing hitching. “Please.”

Pain flashed across Ace’s eyes, but Nancy had no time to notice it. Wheezing, her head lolled back, hand flying to her stomach. “Shit!” she heard Ace cry. “She just made it worse!”

Thick, hot blood spilled over Nancy’s fingers as the bleeding worsened, and George was the one to cover her hands with her own. As she pressed down, she yelled out, “Bess, where the hell are you?”

The only response was a large basket filled with cloth napkins being slammed down next to them. “I got them all,” Bess said, out of breath. Wordlessly, George grabbed a handful of the napkins, and shoved Nancy’s hands aside.

“This is going to hurt,” she warned, and before Nancy could react, she’d pressed down hard on the wound. The scream that escaped between Nancy’s teeth was unlike any sound she’d heard, and she felt someone pin her legs down. Someone else yelled out something about distracting her.

Then Ace was there, a knee gently pressing against her side to keep her still. One arm was over her body with his hand planted firmly on the ground next to her. Before he could pin her down with the other, Nancy grabbed onto it again.

“Make them stop,” she begged, and Ace swallowed hard.

“They have to, Nancy,” he said. “I’m not-” He caught himself. “We’re not gonna let you bleed out and die here. We can’t.”

“Please!” she whimpered, clutching Ace’s hand tighter. “It hurts so much.” Her breathing hitched. “Just...make them stop.” The last few words trailed off into a sob, and hot tears streamed down her face.

“I can’t let them,” Ace finally choked out, his emotions getting the best of him. “I’m not gonna let them risk your life just because you want them to.”

“It hurts,” Nancy repeated, lips parting into another cry. She took in a huge breath, one that shook her chest and pulled at her wound again. The chain of her necklace slipped across her collarbone, tangling with her hair.

“I know,” Ace whispered. He reached up with his other hand and rested his palm on her cheek. “I know it does. But you’re strong. You can do this.”

“I don’t think I can,” she groaned, a hand of her own going up to cover his. “This is worse than...than...the Whisper Box.”

“But you got out of there. Even when we thought you wouldn’t. Nancy, you’ve been through hell and back, and you’re still here. Just push through this. I-” He swallowed hard. “I know it’s hard. But I know you. You can do this.”

Nancy let out a whimper, biting her lip. The only response she could give was another cry, back arching as George and Bess pressed down especially hard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick digging out more napkins for them. She turned her focus back to Ace.

“Ace, please,” she begged. “Don’t make Nick call 9-1-1. Don’t take me to a hospital. I don’t want-”

“Nancy, we have no choice,” Ace ground out, his voice straining. “If we don’t get you to a doctor, you will bleed out. Eagle Scouts and three other people can only do so much.” His gaze fell on their hands on top of each other for just a moment. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Why can’t you go to a hospital?”

“Because,” she groaned, “Carson. He’s my...my emergency contact.”

If Ace’s face wasn’t already drained of color by then, it certainly was now. “Oh.”

“See? And I can’t...I can’t let him see me...like this. He’ll ask too many questions, and then...everyone will find out.” Feeling weary, Nancy’s head fell back to the ground. Her eyes began to flutter, and Ace shook her.

“Nancy, stay awake!” he snapped. “Don’t you dare close your eyes!”

“But I’m tired,” she whispered. She blamed it on the gradual blood loss.

“That’s not good,” George said, abandoning her position to scoot further up to Nancy. “Drew, we have to get you to a hospital.”

Nancy shook her head, as one last attempt to convince them to change their minds. “No.”

“Well, too bad. We’re going.” She turned to Ace. “The bleeding slowed down, but it hasn’t stopped. We have to move fast if we don’t want her to lose too much blood.”

“Then she won’t make it in time for the paramedics to get to her. Someone’s driving.”

“I’ll drive,” Nick volunteered, jumping at the opportunity to do something helpful. He ran out of the door, fishing his keys out of his jacket pocket. Bess hurried out after him.

“Nancy, I'm going to carry you to the car,” Ace explained, and she moaned. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice, anyways. With George’s help, Ace managed to lift Nancy up bridal style. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and she let out a whimper at the sudden bursts of pain the movement caused. George cleared the way for Ace, knocking aside chairs and tables.

The warm, humid air outside was welcoming to Nancy, and she let out a sigh at the soft breeze. “That feels nice,” she whispered. She didn’t notice the worried glance Ace and George shot each other.

George reached out to Nancy to take her hand. “She’s so cold,” she breathed, eyes growing wide. When Nick pulled up to the steps, she waved her hand to get his attention. “Put the heater on blast! She needs to stay warm!”

Bess threw open the back door for Ace, and helped pull Nancy in. But Ace refused to let Nancy go, and the redhead was relieved. She didn’t want to leave his arms.

So as Nancy practically clung to Ace, Nick peeled out of the parking lot.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked, to no one. “The hospital is going to ask questions. Police are going to investigate, and no doubt Tamura’s gonna think something’s up. It’s not every day the local sleuth gets stabbed in the stomach with a harpoon.”

“You’re a real help, Nick,” George said dryly from the passenger seat.

“Hey, I’m the one driving us there, aren’t I?” he shot back. George just rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder into the backseat.

“How's she doing, Ace?” she asked.

Ace just gritted his teeth and looked down at the woman in his arms. “She’s trying to stay awake, but I’m not sure how much longer she can keep going.”

Through half-closed eyes, streetlights were being mirrored in her blue irises. But as small drops of rain began to fall, and they began to create patterns on the windowpane, you couldn’t see any of them in Nancy’s eyes.

Her breathing was hitched, and Ace tried to ignore the occasional blood drop dotting the seats around him. Small whimpers would escape her when there was an especially rough patch of road.

“Go back to what Nick said,” Bess said pointedly, “we need to call ahead to the emergency center. We can’t just walk in with Nancy. They’ll be unprepared.”

“I’ll call. Then we’ll figure out a plan.” George fished out her phone. “In the meantime, keep Nancy awake.”

Bess glanced over to Ace, who was murmuring quietly to Nancy. If you strained to listen, you’d hear a weak reply. “Ace?” she asked, scooting closer. He looked at her.

“How long until we get to the hospital?” he asked, his words coming out in one breath.

Nick heard him, and grimaced. “Fifteen minutes. Can she hold on that long?”

Ace shook his head. “She’s getting colder. And she won’t be able to stay awake for much longer.” The only response was the car speeding up. “George, what’s going on?”

George had just hung up. “They’ll be ready for her. But there’s a problem.”

There was a collective groan, one that made Nancy whimper again and shift uncomfortably in Ace’s lap. George waved her hand. “Just listen. Nancy has an emergency contact form filled out, and the nurse said they had no choice but to obviously contact him.”

“Well, who’s the contact?” Bess asked.

“Carson,” Ace said. Both George and Bess looked surprised that he knew. “Nancy told me,” he explained.

“So they’ve called him,” she continued. “But he’s all the way over on the other side of town. He won’t arrive at the hospital for another good hour.”

Nancy let out a groan. “No. I don’t want him...to see me like this.”

“I know you don’t,” Ace said. “But he has to come. We can’t make any decisions for you at the hospital.”

“I’d trust you,” Nancy muttered, and it was almost enough to bring the smallest of smiles to Ace’s face.

“Well, again, he’s your emergency contact,” George pointed out. “So he’s coming whether you like it or not.”

“Besides, you’ll be too drugged up to even realize he’s there,” Nick offered. It earned him a slap in the arm from George. “Ow!”

Nancy shifted again in Ace’s arms, trying to sit up again. But Ace pulled her back tighter against his chest. “What are you doing?” he said, aghast. “Don’t move.”

“Trying,” she wheezed, “to sit... Lying down is...just going to make me-” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Her head had fallen back again, eyes closed.

“Shit!” Ace cursed. “She just passed out!”

“We’re almost there!” Nick called. “Has the bleeding stopped?”

“No,” Bess whimpered. “But it’s no worse, either.”

George opened the glove compartment and threw a bundle of napkins at her. “Do what you can to stop some of the bleeding.”

There was an especially sharp turn, and everyone yelped as they were pulled to the side. “Nick!” Bess yelled.

“Look, we’re here! Happy?” Nick retorted, stopping just outside the double doors to the emergency room. Immediately, the doors opened, and a horde of nurses spilled out into the rain. Car doors opened, and Nick shut off the engine.

“Who called ahead? George Fan?” one of the nurses asked loudly. The woman in question hopped out of the car.

“She’s back here,” she said. Before she could open the door, Ace had pushed on it hard, sending it swinging wide open. And the nurses pounced on Nancy, immediately crawling into the car and around to prep her for transfer.

“She passed out about two minutes ago,” Ace explained as they worked, forcing himself to transfer Nancy to someone else’s arms. “And she’s still bleeding.”

“Let’s get her out of this rain! And I want her stats as soon as we get inside,” one of the nurses called, helping to lift Nancy out of the car. “And get the gauze! We need to get this bleeding stabilized before she goes to the OR.”

The moment Nancy was laid on the gurney and Ace’s hand left hers, she let out a murmur. Her legs moved slowly, and her eyes cracked open. “Ace?” she asked, her voice thick.

“Ms. Drew, can you hear me?” A nurse bent over her, brow furrowed in concern.

Nancy made another noise, more of like a grunt, and she strained to open her eyes further. From where they stood under the alcove of the building, her friends could see that her eyes were still dull. “She’s awake!” someone called.

Scissors cut Nancy’s clothes away from the harpoon, and the fabric came away sticky with fresh blood. Immediately, gauze was pressed around the wound, and Nancy cried out.

Another nurse came over to her friends, a bundle of stained gauze in her hand. “You’re Ms. Drew’s friends?”

They all nodded. “Well, your friend is going to be very lucky, granted we get into the OR on time. You did well to not pull the object out, and to try and stop the bleeding. Luckily, we’re able to get more of the bleeding stabilized, but she will need to undergo surgery. I assume that-”

“Y-you said if you get her into the OR on time,” Nick interrupted, stammering. “What does that mean? Can’t you take her back there now?”

The nurse grimaced. “She’s losing a lot of blood, and fast. But we have some of the finest hands working on her, and once we get her stable, we’ll wheel her down right away. We just need to pray that she hangs on long enough.”

Faces grew even paler at the nurse’s words, and even the woman looked like she regretted saying them. She cleared her throat. “We haven’t heard back from her emergency contact in a while. Are any of you able to contact him?”

Ace pulled out his phone almost immediately. “I can.”

The nurse nodded. “Alright. Tell him that we’re taking her down to the OR once she’s stable enough.” She glanced back over her shoulder at the gurney, where Nancy was still conscious, but her hand was hanging limply off the edge of the railing. With shaking fingers, Ace found Carson’s contact and clicked on it.

The man picked up on the first ring. “Ace?” he breathed. “I’m almost there, what’s going on? Is Nancy-”

“We’re outside the emergency center right now. Once Nancy’s stable, they’re going to take her down to the OR for surgery.”

“Let me know when she’s in surgery. I won’t be long.”

“Okay,” Ace breathed, and gestured to the nurse with a nod. The nurse hurried off, and Ace tried to listen to Carson through the receiver, but he had made eye contact with Nancy. She reached out her hand to him, her eyes shining now with desperation. And as if he was moving underwater, he walked over to her, taking her hand in his.

Carson was still talking, but Ace didn’t listen. He should have, but he was more focused on Nancy. “Look, Carson, I’ll call you back, okay?”

“What?” Carson shook himself after a moment. “Yes, fine. I’ll see you soon. Call me if anything changes, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.” Ace hung up and stuffed the phone in his pocket. “Hey, how are you doing?”

Nancy just groaned. “It feels a little better. They gave me something, but I don’t know what.” Her voice was still weak, and her face almost snow-white. It was traced in what was either raindrops or tears. Ace squeezed her hand gently.

“Listen, once you’re stable, they’re going to take you back to surgery. Carson will be here soon.” He didn’t miss the grimace that sprung to her face, and it wasn’t from the pain. “I’ll see you when you come out, okay?”

“Can’t you walk with me there?” she asked quietly, her grip tightening on his hand. “Please. I don’t want to go in there alone.”

Ace looked up at the nurses, and after a quick exchange, they nodded. A different nurse called out, “She’s stable, let’s move her!” and Ace gave the group one last glance. The three of them just nodded and stood back to make room for them to wheel Nancy into the hospital.

“We’ll be in the waiting room,” one of them called after him. It might have been George.

Trotting after the gurney, Ace’s hand found Nancy’s, and with all the strength she had left, clung to it like a lifeline. “Hang on, alright?” Ace told her. “They’ll take care of you.”
Nancy just nodded, wincing when one nurse adjusted the gauze around her wound. Ace avoided the stares from the staff and other patients, keeping his gaze focused on her. And it wasn’t like they could stare for long; they had to move fast to get out of their way.

A nurse turned to him. “You can’t go past the double doors with us. I’ll escort you back, but this is where you have to leave her with us.”

Ace just nodded, his throat tightening. “Take care of her,” he whispered.

She gave him a small smile. “We will. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”

He nodded again, and squeezed back when Nancy’s grip on his hand tightened. Something cold was exchanged in between their hands, and Ace could feel the imprints of a chain in his palm. He looked at Nancy, who just looked at him and squeezed his hand again.

“Hold onto it for me,” she told him, her voice weak. Ace just nodded.

Then he had to stop and let her go. She craned her neck to look at him one last time, and it took all of his willpower to not break down right there in the hallway. So with a clenched jaw, Ace watched Nancy wheel away, and felt his fingernails digging into his palms. He’d see her come out of there when the surgery was over.

He had to.

Chapter Text

The nurse stood next to him as he watched her travel down the long hall, and had to shake him out of his stupor to get him moving.

On the way back to the waiting room, it felt like he was walking underwater, feeling impossible to walk. He didn’t register that the nurse had started talking until she’d stopped in front of him.

“Someone will come out periodically and give you updates. This won’t be an easy surgery, so it’ll be awhile before there’s any news. While you’re waiting, someone will most likely pull her father, you, and your friends aside to get some information.”

Ace frowned. “Information?” he repeated.

The nurse grimaced. “An incident report needs to be filed, and they need to make sure this was just an accident and nothing more. But don’t worry,” she said quickly, seeing Ace’s face go white for perhaps the sixth time that night. “You did nothing wrong.”

Yeah, except I was partly why Nancy got stabbed, Ace thought. He regretted bringing that dybbuk box, and while that had been the key to defeating the Aglaeca, it landed Nancy in the hospital. And they most definitely couldn’t mention that part to the authorities.

Ace moved to speak, but then his name was called. He spun around to see Carson storming into the waiting room. By the looks of his wrinkled shirt and no coat, he had gone straight from the office to here. George, Nick, and Bess stood from their chairs in the back and ran to intercept him.

“Look, I can hold off the authorities questioning you all for now. You guys need a shower and a change of clothes.” The nurse finally took in his bloodied state for the first time. “Maybe a nap, too.”

That was the understatement of the night. The nurse gave him a gentle smile. “Why don’t you go sit down for a few minutes. Catch your breath. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay.” Finally, Ace was able to move away from the nurse. He felt the chain in his hand shift, and remembered that Nancy had handed it off to him. Opening his palm, he saw Nancy’s necklace curled up with the small pendant buried under the chain.

I’d trust you, rang in his head, and he swallowed hard. Carefully placing the necklace into his pocket, he walked over to the group. Carson saw him first, and Ace didn’t think it was possible to see his face get any paler. As the man took in his bloodstained clothes and hands, he almost swayed on his feet.

“Is that blood...all Nancy’s?” he asked, a hand gesturing up and down.

All he could do was nod. Carson drew in a breath, running a hand through his hair. “How is she?” He waved his other hand at the others. “These three filled me in...sort of. But you were the one who saw her last-”

“Not great,” Ace sighed. “But...she’s in good hands. The nurse said that there’s not gonna be any new information for a while, but they’ll take care of Nancy.”

The distraught man put his hands on his hips. “What the hell happened?” That wasn’t just meant for Ace. He glared at all four of them.

They winced. “Ah,” Bess started, “well…”

“Not here,” George hissed. “There’s too many people around.”

Carson let out a sigh and spun on his heel. “Follow me,” he ordered, and they all knew better than to argue with an upset lawyer. Ace groaned internally before following. He could feel the adrenaline begin to wear off, weighing him down, and thought as he joined the group, that the nurse was right. He could really use a nap.

“Start from the beginning,” Carson said, crossing his arms.

“Well, you know the Aglaeca?” Nick asked. The response was a curt nod. “Well, we all met at the Claw earlier tonight to try and...y’know, stop her from killing us.”

“We had some of Odette’s old letters,” George added. “It was Nancy’s idea. We’d read them out loud to Odette, try to get through to her.”

“And it worked!” Bess said. “After a while, though. But then Odette targeted Nancy, and went after her.”

Carson steeled himself to not flinch, but Ace knew better, and part of him wished that he hadn’t come here. The man was having enough trouble standing as it was. Everyone looked at him to continue, and Ace bit back a sigh. “And then Odette just… exploded,” he said slowly, “once she couldn’t take it anymore. The explosion broke almost everything in the restaurant. Including our wall harpoon. It flew off the wall and hit Nancy.“

“And that’s the gist of it.” Nick scratched the back of his neck. Carson dragged a hand down his face as he took in what he had just been told. “And it’s not like we can tell the police all that. They’ll think we’re crazy.”

“I think you all already are,” Carson muttered, and straightened himself. “I suppose I should thank you for telling me what happened.” No one answered. “I’ll talk to the nurses about holding off on investigating Nancy and what happened. Go take a shower, take a nap, whatever. I’ll be in the waiting room if you need me.”

“What if something happens and we’re not there?” Ace asked quietly.

“Then I’ll come get you. Just go rest. You deserve it. You guys have done more for Nancy tonight than I have for the past nineteen years.”

That earned a chorus of protests. “That’s not true.” Bess glowered at Carson. “You’re her father, for crying out loud. Don’t compare that with what we did.”

Carson opened his mouth to reply, but when he saw Ace give him a slight shake of his head, closed it.

“I don’t know about you all, but I need that shower.” George began to walk away from the group. When Nick trotted after her, the others were just close enough to see George give him a look and say, “Don’t think about joining me, Nickerson.”

Then Bess said a quick goodbye to Carson and hurried off as well. The lawyer turned to Ace, looking him up and down again.

“You need a shower, too,” he told him. Ace looked down at himself, too, at the back of his hands, the streaks of blood running up his arms, and the stained clothes. He debated taking a nap first, but decided against it. Sleeping in dirty clothes wouldn’t do him much good.

“Yeah,” he said numbly, and turned to leave. But then Carson caught him by the arm.

“You alright?” he asked, eyebrows raised in concern.

Ace’s immediate thought was, Of course not. But it wouldn’t help ease Carson’s anxiety. So he decided to spare himself the pity, and forced a nod.

“Yeah,” he repeated. “I’ll be fine.” With that, Ace stepped away from the man, thankful that he wasn’t going to be forced to stay. “You’ll let me know if anything happens?” Carson nodded. Ace gestured to the door. “Are you coming inside?”

This time, he shook his head. “I just need a minute,” the man muttered. Ace left without a word. Inside, he was taken aside by a nurse, and led down a side hallway. “There’s a fresh change of clothes for you all,” she told him. “Take your time, and let us know if you need anything.”

Ace just stepped into the room, and saw Nick on a cot in the corner of the room. Looking around, he assumed that this must be the nurse’s break room. Looking down at himself, and seeing all the red, he felt his breath hitch. His heart began to beat faster, and he tore off his jacket, making a beeline for the showers.

“Ace, you good?” he heard Nick call after him, but he didn’t answer. He just had to get all the blood off of him. Wash away what had happened tonight.

Under the stream of hot water, Ace forced himself to block out all the noise. All the little things kept repeating like a broken record. Like the way Nancy had turned around, the harpoon buried deep in her abdomen. The way she had fallen, reaching out for him. How she’d trembled in his arms in the car, fingernails digging into his jacket.

Ace was sure that if he went and checked, the jacket would have crescents imprinted in the fabric. He moved frantically now, scrubbing so hard at the stains on his hands that his skin was raw and red.

When he was certain every bit of blood had been washed away, and down the drain to never be seen again, he turned off the shower. For the third time that night, he felt like he was moving underwater. He grabbed the sweatshirt and sweatpants left for him on a small shelf, and pulled them on. He bundled up his dirty clothes and tossed them into the corner of the bathroom.

There was a faint clink when the clothes hit the ground, and Ace almost doubted he heard anything. But curiosity got the better of him, and he investigated. Rummaging through the pockets of his pants, he pulled out a necklace.

Nancy’s necklace. The small pendant glinted in the white hospital light, and for a split second, Ace forgot how he had gotten it into his hands. Literally.

Then he remembered watching Nancy being wheeled down the hall, and tilted his head back to stop tears from surfacing.

Please. I don’t want to go in there alone.

Nancy’s hand was warm, intertwined with his. Under any ordinary circumstances, Ace would be smiling to himself. But unfortunately, this wasn’t an ordinary situation. Walking down the hallway under the fluorescent light, the only expression on his face was one of grim determination. He had to make sure Nancy would be alright. That she’d make it past those doors. And letting go of her hand was probably one of the hardest things he had to do.

I’d trust you.

Under the streetlights, Nancy’s eyes glowed green. No trace of blue lay in the golden light anymore, and her face had been partially buried in Ace’s chest. But through the cracks in her eyelids, Ace could see specks of gold in her iris. Through the chaos and panic, he thought they were the most beautiful he’d ever seen.

Just because I’m mad at you doesn’t mean I want to lose you.

When Ace had stormed out of the restaurant that night a few weeks ago, leaving Nancy in the locker room, a part of him wanted to go back. Apologize to her. Maybe even say something he’d later regret. But his anger kept him away, and the worst part was that another part of him believed that she’d deserved it.

But really, he’d been scared. Watching Nancy dive from case to case, putting herself in danger, and taking too many risks was terrifying. It was also hurting everyone around them.

Hell, they’d all prepared to die tonight, and Ace had stood in the walk-in freezer with his breath misting in the cold. So had he been angry at Nancy for being the reason he almost got everything taken away from him tonight?

Yeah, he admitted. But at least you’re still alive.

Then a horrible, terrible thought creeped into his head. If Nancy dies tonight, then you will have lost almost everything.

Ace didn’t realize he’d been crying until he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw Nick standing in the doorway to the bathroom. His brow furrowed when he saw Ace sitting in the corner against the wall.

“Ace? What’s going on?” In a few long strides, Nick had crossed the room. When Ace only looked up at him, he decided to resort to sliding down the wall to sit next to him. “Ace?”

Ace didn’t answer for a moment. Then, he gave a teary shrug. “I just got scared,” he whispered. “I think it all just hit me.”

“Scared of what, exactly?” Nick tilted his head. “We got Nancy to the hospital. She’s being taken care of. The rest of us aren’t hurt-”

“But what if we didn’t get here in time?” Ace interrupted. “What if Nancy bled out in the restaurant, and we couldn’t save her?”

“But we did get here on time,” Nick said softly. “She didn’t bleed out, and she didn’t die.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “Stop worrying about the ‘what-if’s’ and getting yourself all worked up.” Ace opened his mouth to respond, but Nick kept talking. “You have every right to be scared, to process what hell we just went through tonight. I get it. But what matters is that we got her here. We all did. And she’s in good hands. God willing, she’s going to be okay.”

Ace nodded, leaning his head back against the wall. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Sorry. For freaking out.”

Nick shrugged. “You don’t have to apologize. I get it. I’m surprised that I haven’t flipped out yet.” Then he tilted his head to the side. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

Ace’s head came off the wall so fast, he thought he’d get whiplash. But any retort he had died on his lips as he took in Nick’s raised eyebrow. “I don’t think you can deny it, Ace. Seeing you with her tonight showed just how much you do.” His voice was gentle, non-accusatory.

Ace tried to find the words, any words, to respond. But finally, he just sagged back against the wall and said, “Yeah. I do.”

Nick smiled softly. “I’m glad.” When Ace looked at him, surprised, he lifted one shoulder and dropped it. “She deserves to be with someone who understands her.”

He truly didn’t know how to react to Nick’s words. This was Nancy’s ex, for crying out loud. So wordlessly, he just ran a hand through his damp hair, and didn’t respond. Nick finally reached out and squeezed Ace’s shoulder. “Look, you need to get some sleep. You’ll feel better once you get your feet up.”

Ace just grunted his assent, and pushed himself to his feet. With one last look at Nick, he left the bathroom, grabbing a blanket off the small shelf. The last thing he remembered before passing out on the cot was the sound of rushing water and his own heartbeat.

He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep for. He barely had any time to check when he was shaken awake quite roughly. Groaning, Ace opened his eyes to see George standing over him.

“Don’t make me shake you awake a fourth time,” she told him. “I’m not your snooze button.”

Ace tried to connect the dots, and then remembered why exactly he was here. Ignoring her remark, he shot up on the cot. “Nancy?” he breathed. “Is-was there-”

George looked sympathetic for once. “There’s nothing new to report. She’s still in surgery. A nurse came out and told us that it’d probably be a while until they’re done.”

“Well, how long was I out?”

“Mm. About an hour.”

“Then why’d you wake me?” Ace groaned, falling back against the cot.

“The police are here. They want to take our statements now.”

His response was to grab the blanket and pull it over his head. The police were absolutely the last thing he wanted to deal with now.

“Oh, come on, Ace.” George yanked on the blanket, snatching it off of Ace. “What are you, seven?”

“Seven year old me wouldn’t give a police statement after witnessing their friend getting stabbed,” Ace retorted. His voice fluctuated on ‘friend,’ and hoped George didn’t notice.

“Fine. Then one of the officers can come and drag you to the waiting room. What a shame, I was actually feeling generous for once and decided to come get you myself.”

“Generous, she says,” Ace muttered, but relented and slowly swung his legs off the side of the cot. “I’m coming.”

“Good.” George turned on her heel and began to walk out of the room. Ace slowly followed her out, rubbing sleep from his eyes. A small quiet fell between them, one filled with him trying to shake off the bleariness of sleep, and a sort of tension from George.

“You alright?” Ace asked her. She nodded.

“I think we’ll all feel better once we get more information,” she answered, and didn’t elaborate. Ace didn’t ask her to. She was right, everyone was on edge because of Nancy.

The minute they stepped into the waiting room, Ace was grabbed by his sleeve and pulled to the side roughly, making him yelp. He nearly crashed into Bess, who hit the wall with a thud. Apologizing, Ace took a step back, glancing over to the rest of the group.

“Real subtle, Carson,” Nick commented, helping Bess straighten herself.

“What’s going on?” George asked.

“Look, I’m not one to lie to the authorities. But this situation is one that needs to stay between all of us.” Carson glanced at everyone one by one. “And I’m not about to let you all get arrested tonight. So we need to make sure we get our story straight before we talk to the police. We can’t have Nick make something up while Bess spits out the truth.”

“Hey,” Bess protested.

“He’s got a point,” Nick said. “What were you thinking, Carson?”

“Hear me out. I know Bess has a habit of redecorating the Claw. Moving things around, and such. Right?”

George rolled her eyes while Bess made a face. “How could anyone not know about Bess’ maniacal decorating?”

“Nancy mentioned it to me a couple months back, and I was thinking that you guys were trying to help Bess move some wall decorations around. One of them was your harpoon. Nancy tried carrying it into the main dining area, tripped, and landed on it.” Carson raised an eyebrow, bracing himself for criticism.

Bess looked curious. “How long did it take you to come up with this?”

He grimaced. “I had a lot of time sitting in that waiting room. And I may or may not have used one of my previous cases for inspiration.”

“It sounds crazy enough that it could work. Nancy can be pretty clumsy sometimes.”

“We have lost a lot of eggs to Nancy climbing the steps,” Nick mused.

“And plates,” Ace added.

“So? Are we in agreement?”

George shrugged. “I guess. And it isn’t the craziest thing the police around here have heard.”

“So unless anyone else has any other ideas, I saw we go with Carson’s.” Nick gestured to the man. “What do we have to lose?”

“Credibility,” Bess moaned. “And our reputations.”

“How about we keep our reputations out of the police station?” George raised an eyebrow. “I’m not fixing to sit in an interrogation room as a witness to a stabbing.”

“Well…you technically are a witness now,” Ace said casually. She threw up her hands.

“You know what I mean.”

No one had time to argue when a police officer came up to them, a small notepad in his hands. “You all are Ms. Drew’s friends?” he checked.

“Who else?” George muttered, before getting elbowed in the side by Bess. “Ow!”

Carson raised his hand. “I’m her father.” His jaw clenched at that. “And her emergency contact. I arrived just after them.”

“Okay, my name is Officer Peterson. I’m going to question the four of you as a group, seeing as you were all there when the stabbing happened. No sense in pulling each of you aside to get the same story. Mr. Drew, you just need to go with the nurses to fill out some paperwork. An officer will escort you.”

Carson just nodded, turned to the group with a look, and was taken aside. Peterson turned back to them. “Now, who wants to go first?”

One by one, the group did their best to keep Carson’s story straight. Ace was nervous that the officer wasn’t going to believe them, but he took no change in his face as a good sign. Either Peterson wasn’t listening to half the story, or they were very persuasive. It could also be the fact that it was three in the morning, too. Either way, he wasn’t pulling out handcuffs.

Finally, he closed his notepad. “Alright, thank you. We’ll contact you if we have any more questions. For future reference, tell your friend to not be so clumsy.” With a tip of his hat, he left the group.

Bess sagged once Peterson was out of earshot. “Thank goodness he believed that,” she sighed. George patted her on the back comfortingly.

“Gotta give Carson credit for that story. The next time he comes to the Claw, he’s getting a free meal.” Then her eyes widened, and she grabbed Nick’s sleeve. “The Claw.”

“What...about the Claw?” Nick asked.

“Well, we can’t have our customers come in and see a huge blood pool! We’ll be arrested for sure!” George looked frantic. “We have to go, now.”

“O-oh, right. Yeah, we gotta go.” Nick dug out his car keys.

“I’ll come,” Bess volunteered. “You’ll need all the help you can get.”

When everyone looked at Ace, he shook his head. “I’ll stay here, in case there’s any change. You guys got this.”

With a collective nod, the group was out the door. Carson looked up from the nurse’s counter. “What was that all about?” he asked when Ace joined him.

“They, uh, forgot to close up from last night,” he said, eyeing the nurses right next to them. Carson just nodded, signing something on the papers in front of him. Ace sank into one of the waiting room chairs, leaning his head back.

“Are you hungry?” Carson asked. “I could get you something from the cafeteria.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think I could eat if I tried.”

Carson quickly finished handing the papers over, and took a seat next to him. “I understand,” he said. “It’s always a waiting game in these places.”

“You sound as if you’ve been here a lot.”
The man winced. “That’s an understatement.” He looked down at his hands. “When my wife had cancer, I was in here almost every week until she could be taken care of from home.”

Ace had forgotten about Nancy’s mom, and fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. Carson waved his hand.

“It’s alright.” His knee was now bouncing, his fingers picking at his nails. “It’s just a bad memory to taint hospitals with.”

Ace picked his next words carefully. “I’m sure Nancy being here doesn’t make it any easier.” The minute he said that, he realized it wasn’t the right thing to say.

Carson gave a harsh laugh. “No, it doesn’t. It’s funny...Nancy came to my place before this whole thing happened at the Claw, and she told me she loved me. Called me dad. Hell, she even brought over pizza, saying she wanted to pretend it was like she was twelve all over again. Like everything was back to normal. We talked things out, and she even hugged me. And then this happened.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Things had just gotten good between us...and now…”

“There’s nothing funny about any of that.” Ace sat up. “But just because she isn’t your daughter doesn’t mean you need to stop loving her like one.”

The man nodded, and was quiet for a minute. Ace stared at the clock and counted a full minute before he spoke again. “I just don’t want to lose her,” Carson said. Ace’s head shot up. “Not after Katherine.”

“You’re not going to lose her,” he said forcefully. “If Nancy’s anything like you, she’s strong. She’ll get through this.” It almost sounded like he was telling himself that. “You have to believe that.”

Carson just dragged a hand down his face and didn’t answer. That’s when Ace noticed the dark circles under his eyes. “Mr. D, when’s the last time you got any sleep?”

“That’s a great question,” the man muttered.

“I can ask one of the nurses to take you to our room down the hall,” he volunteered, but Carson shook his head.

“No, I don’t think I can leave. Not yet. I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Then at least get some rest,” Ace told him. “You won’t be doing yourself or Nancy any good if you collapse from exhaustion.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Carson said, yawning and leaning his head back against the wall. “But I suppose you’re right.”

Within minutes, he was snoring softly. Ace felt his pocket vibrate, and pulled out his phone. A text notification popped up on the screen.

Bess: just got to the Claw. It’ll be a while before we’re back at the hospital. Text if there’s any updates.

Ace texted back a reply, and then put the phone away. He spent the next few minutes counting the lines in the waiting room carpet, listening to the clock tick away on the wall. Then the memories came back to him, like a small trickle into a stream.

Nancy looked around the kitchen, then to the dining table. “I'm not proposing anything formal. I just think that it's an opportunity for observation and conjecture.”

Ace agreed from where he was standing. “I concur. It's not every day that we get the opportunity to look at a haunted corpse."

Nancy smiled at him. “Precisely. Take your opportunities when they come.”

Ace rubbed his head. He didn’t get enough sleep, clearly.

Ace stood on the steps to the freezer, hands shaking so hard he had to clench them into fists. “What I'm mad at is the idea that I might die very soon. Right when I finally figure out how to be a part of something I really care about. I never had a crew like us.”

Nancy shifted from one foot to another. “I'm not gonna let us die.

“I never doubted that.” Ace walked over to his locker, avoiding her gaze.

“So you're still mad?”

Ace swallowed, and finally turned to face her. “I'm scared. Sometimes you just have to let fear be. The next time you feel like sacrificing yourself to prove you're not a Hudson...please don't. Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I wanna lose you.”

Ace felt his chest tighten when he remembered the look on Nancy's face when he'd stormed out. If he could, he'd go back and make sure that she never wore that expression again.

He was back in the walk-in freezer, wrapping the meat hook with a dishrag. Nick glanced at him, hearing him talk.

“It's not like you to have doubts about Nancy. You were ready to drink poison for her.”

Nick’s words from that day rang in his head, echoing the words, “You were ready to drink poison for her.”

Ace stood under the small ivy vines in Owen’s apartment, in front of Nancy. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug the heartbroken woman. But instead, he offered a shoulder to lean on. “I know lately you've been pummeled by life. Everything you've learned about your parents, and now...if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here.

Nancy gave him a tearful smile. “I really appreciate that. If I find the words, I will share them with you.”

Then a nurse came in, scanning the room. When her eyes landed on Ace, she hurried over. “Family of Nancy Drew?” she asked quietly, and Ace shot out of his chair.

“Is she alright?” The question came out in one big breath. The nurse smiled.

“She pulled through the surgery. It was a considerably deep wound, and she lost a lot of blood. She needed a transfusion mid-surgery, but the surgeon says she will be just fine once she recovers.”

Ace nearly staggered from the relief. “That’s...great news,” he said. “How is she doing?”

“Resting. She’ll come out from the anesthesia in about an hour or so. She just needs to sleep right now. But she is allowed one visitor in her room at the moment.”

Ace looked back at Carson. The man looked so peaceful sleeping that he didn’t have the heart to wake him. And a selfish part of him wanted to be the first to see Nancy. He turned to the nurse. “I’ll go,” he said. “But when her dad wakes up, you can take him to the room.”

The nurse smiled and nodded. “Follow me.”

The trip to Nancy’s room was a series of twists and turns, almost making Ace doubt that he’d be able to find his way back to his own room. Finally, the nurse opened the door to a room. “Go on in. Just don’t move her, don’t turn on the lights. And please don’t wake her up.”

Ace nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

“And let us know when she’s woken up. She’ll be under the influence of the drugs, and will be pretty out of it. Nothing to be concerned about, but we have to check and see how she’s doing after such an extensive surgery.”

He nodded again, and then stepped into the room.

He nearly went weak again when he saw Nancy. She was so pale, lying against the bed- sheets. An IV ran from her arm and up to her drip, and as he stepped closer, he saw the faint outline of bandages against the blanket.

Quietly pulling up a chair to sit next to the bed, Ace glanced at all the machines then back to Nancy. Her red hair was spread out on the pillow, falling down her face and over her shoulders. One of her hands rested on her chest, rising and falling with her breathing. It was steady, and deep, and it only reminded Ace again that she was alive. She had made it through the night.

It was almost enough to send another wave of exhaustion over Ace, and he leaned back against the chair. He tried to say something, but didn’t want to break the silence out of fear of disturbing Nancy. So he just crossed his arms over his chest and rested his head against the back of the chair.

His gaze lazily traced the outline of her hair, her jaw. And as he watched Nancy’s hand rise and fall, his breathing matched with hers, and he found himself slipping back into sleep.

Chapter Text

One of the last last things Nancy remembered before going under was the look on Ace’s face. He looked so pale under the fluorescent lights, and she hated the fact that he was so worried because of her.

So she had given him her necklace. It was small, simple, but she hoped it’d at least keep him standing. Give him something to focus on while he waited.

Nancy also remembered thinking that she probably wouldn’t have done that for anyone else. She’d also hoped that she hadn’t gotten blood on the necklace. Then her vision had gone dark.

And now, as she slowly cracked her eyes open, soft light greeted her. It took her a moment to blink some of the sleep from her eyes, and she reached up to rub them. When her vision cleared, she saw a small lamp on a table in the corner, illuminating the room. Machines besides her beeped softly, and her gaze lazily followed the tubing on the wall.

Subconsciously, Nancy felt her hand go up to inspect the bandages around her middle, and for whatever reason couldn’t bring herself to remember why they were there. Her head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls, and every thought she had was incoherent. And she felt numb almost everywhere. When she tried to move her mouth, it felt like it wasn’t attached to her face, and her body felt heavy.

So she tried to tune into her sleuthing abilities, and tried to figure out why she was here, and why she felt this way. The drugs she was under made her feel like she wasn’t in control.

How freeing.

She felt pressure on her stomach, and frowned, picking at her clothes and trying to figure out why. With hands made of lead, she slowly pushed the blanket off of her, and she tried to pull her gown away from her body. Tugging and twisting, Nancy was confused at why it wasn’t giving away. She just wanted to look, see what was causing her all this discomfort.

Then hands were on hers, slowly pushing them away from the fabric. Brow furrowing, Nancy looked up to stare into Ace’s eyes. He held his breath as he stood over her, with her hands in his.

“Hey,” he said, his voice soft. Nancy cocked her head to the side, trying to place why he was here, and where he had come from.

“What-” she tried to say, “What are you...?” Under the influence of whatever drugs she’d been put on, her words slurred and proved nearly impossible to get a complete sentence out.

Ace sat on the edge of the bed next to her. “I came to stay with you,” he told her. “How are you feeling?”

Nancy looked down at their hands, then back at him again. “Why...I feel funny?” she managed to ask.

“You’re on some pretty heavy painkillers right now,” he explained. “They make everyone a little loopy.”

She then found her IV, in the back of her hand. Ace’s fingers had taken great care to not touch it, but she tried to pull her hand away to inspect it. She got one hand free, and poked it, frowning.

“It’s biting me,” she mumbled, and her lips drew back in a grimace. “Why is it….biting me?” She looked up at him in confusion.

Ace had to hold back a small chuckle. “It’s not biting you, don’t worry. But don’t-“ He pulled her hand away to stop her from touching it. “-mess with it.”

“But I don’t like it,” she pouted.

“I know. But it has to stay there. The nurses will come take care of it.” He started to stand up. “Here, I’ll go let them know you’re awake.”

“No,” Nancy protested, grabbing onto his hands. Through the haze, she had decided she wanted him to stay with her. “Don’t go.”

Ace looked torn. “Nancy, I have to go let them know you’re awake.”

“Not now,” Nancy managed to say. “Just stay.”

Ace took in a breath.

“Please?” she whispered.

That was enough to make him sit back down. “Fine. But just for a few minutes,” he told her. Nancy leaned back into the pillows, still holding onto Ace’s hand.

“What...happened?” she asked. She looked down at herself, at the IV, at the lump in the hospital gown.

“I’ll explain once you sleep off the drugs,” Ace promised. “Right now you just need to rest.”

Nancy could only nod. The drugs were heavy, pulling down her eyelids and weighing her body down. “If I sleep...you stay,” she told him. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m not leaving you, Nancy.”

She fell asleep holding onto Ace’s hands.

Ace had been curled up in the chair, sleeping, when he heard sheets rustling. When he opened his eyes, he saw Nancy fidgeting on the bed, pulling on her clothes. With how confused she looked, Ace was afraid she was going to hurt herself trying to figure out where she was.

So he’d jumped from the chair, and trying not to startle her, grabbed onto her hands to stop her from damaging anything. Her blue eyes were cloudy when she looked up at him, her fingers curling around his.

The nurse was right; she was out of it. Her eyes were unfocused, and her words slurred whenever she talked. Ace figured it was best to not tell her anything yet, while she was so affected by the drugs. And he didn’t think he was ready to relive the previous night just yet.

So when she managed to fall back asleep, he breathed a small sigh of relief, and remained sitting on the edge of the bed. He was afraid that any movement would disturb her, and she desperately needed the rest.

A nurse then chose that moment to come into the room, creaking the door open quietly. She saw Ace sitting with Nancy, and gave a small smile.

“How’s she doing?”

He looked back at the redhead. “She woke up a few minutes ago, and just fell back asleep. I meant to come tell you, but she didn’t want me to leave.” He gave her an apologetic shrug.

She just waved him off. “It’s alright, don’t worry.” Walking over, she checked Nancy’s vitals and her IV drip. “How was she when she woke up?”

“Pretty loopy. She was just very confused and disoriented.”

“So the usual,” the nurse joked. “Did she seem in pain or anything?”

“No, I think she’s alright. The drugs must be working pretty well.”

“Let’s hope she won’t be in too much pain when she wakes up. The surgery was pretty rough on her.”

Ace’s brow creased in concern. “How rough?”

The nurse lifted a hand. “The good thing was that it wasn’t major. A liver wound should heal pretty cleanly. The problem was that she was losing blood pretty quickly, and was getting weak. If you and your friends had brought her in just a few minutes later, then we probably wouldn’t have taken her into surgery. She would have crashed on the table.”

Ace could feel blood drain from his face, and the nurse quickly held up her hands. “Don’t worry, we got her through the night. I suppose it‘s really Nancy we ought to thank for that; she’s the one who fought to stay.”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “She’s one of the strongest people I know.”

She gave another small smile. “She’s very lucky to have people like you taking care of her.” She double-checked Nancy’s IV then turned to leave. “Let us know if anything changes, or you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Ace called after her, and watched the door close shut. The room fell silent, with the exception of the machines beeping and Nancy’s breathing. Her hands had loosened around his, and he took that as a sign she’d slipped back into sleep.

So carefully, he helped rearrange Nancy’s blankets, and turned off the lamp in the corner. There was just enough moonlight for Ace to find his way back to the chair, and once there, leaned forward to rest his forearms on the bed. The darkened room and quiet atmosphere made him start to feel sleepy, too, and the last coherent thought he had before falling asleep again was thinking that it was strange Carson hadn’t come to find them yet.

Chapter Text

The next time Nancy woke up, her head felt clear. Her vision was more focused now, and she was able to fully hear the soft beeping of the machines. Shifting ever so slightly on the bed, she allowed more of her surroundings to appear. There was a window on the wall, the blinds cracked to allow the muted hue of the sunrise to slip through. Lines of gold striped every surface it could reach, and Nancy’s gaze followed them.

That was when, through the haze of the drugs, she realized she wasn’t alone. Ace was sitting in a chair next to her bed, arms crossed on the sheets. His cheek rested on his forearms, and his hair was falling into his face. And as Nancy took him in, she also realized that he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful doing so, and she was relieved. It was a good change from the pale, worried-stricken face he wore standing in the hallway next to the nurse.

She was sorely tempted to brush the hair back from his face, but she didn't think she could move if she tried. Exhaustion and the lasting effects of the drugs weighed her down still, and she sank further into the pillows. It was strange that despite the weariness, with Ace next to her, she felt weightless.

Her subconscious blamed that on her current state, but she knew better. A small smile crept onto her face, and she let out a tired sigh. It must have been louder than she intended, because Ace shifted, his face twitching. Nancy froze, and almost tried to feign sleep, but she made eye contact with him as he cracked his eyes open.
Once he came to fully, his head shot up, and his hand slid across the bed towards her.

“Hey. You’re awake. How’re you feeling?” he asked, his voice husky from sleep. One side of his hair was sticking up, from where he slept on it. “Do you need anything?”

Nancy just shook her head, thankful she could finally speak in complete, coherent sentences. “No. I’m not in pain right now. Just sleepy.” At that, she yawned. Ace gave her a small smile.

“You’ve been out for a while,” he told her, and yawned, too.

“So have you, by the looks of it,” she managed to tease.

“Mm. I suppose. Wasn’t like there was much else to do.”

“You could have gone home.”

Ace fell silent for a moment. “I don’t think I could have left.”

Nancy frowned. “Why not?”

He shrugged, a little sheepish. “I told you I would be here when you woke up. And I didn’t want to leave.”

She found herself unable to challenge that, and stared down at her hands. “How long have you been here?”

“Well, what time is it?” Ace looked for the clock on the wall, and Nancy followed his gaze. 5:34am. He counted on his fingers. “You went in for surgery, I think around midnight. The nurse came and got me at 3? 3: 30?” He frowned, and Nancy was thankful he wasn’t looking at her. The focused look on his face, combined with his cowlick, was enough to make her smile. “So I’ve been here for almost six hours. Roughly. I think.”

“Ace,” she began, but he shook his head.

“There was nothing you or anyone could have done to stop me from staying, Nancy.”

Nancy picked at her fingernail. “Even after I almost got you killed? All of us, even?”

Ace reached out and took her hand in his. “Nancy, all I care about right now is that you’re alive. We almost lost you last night, and after all that’s happened over the last year, that was the most terrified I have been.”

Just because I’m mad at you doesn’t mean I wanna lose you.

“I’m sorry,” Nancy whispered. “About everything.”

“I know. And I’m not angry at you. Not anymore.”

She lifted one shoulder and dropped it. “But look where it got us.”

“The only reason why you’re here is because you had an accident. No one could have known, or prepared for you to get-” He swallowed hard. “-for you to get hurt. That wasn’t your fault.” Nancy opened her mouth to keep protesting, but Ace stood from the chair, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “Don’t try to find a way to blame yourself for what happened last night. It was an accident. An unfortunate accident. But that’s all it was.”

Nancy leaned her head back into the pillows and didn’t speak for a moment. Ace held his breath, hoping he hadn’t overstepped.

Then she spoke. “Thank you.” She gave him a teary smile. “For being such a good friend to me. You could have left a long time ago. And you didn’t. None of you did.”

Ace returned the smile. “I told you before. I’m not leaving you.” He tilted his head to the side. “You...and the rest of the group...gave me something special. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Not even the occasional hospital visit or arrest warrants.”

Nancy squeezed his hand, and could only offer a small smile. Then Ace was being pulled into a hug, Nancy’s arms coming up around his back. It was unexpected, and he was almost afraid to return it in the worries of hurting her further. “Careful,” he managed to say, feeling her stomach press against his ribs.

Her voice was small. “Thank you,” she whispered, clearly not caring about her injuries.

Ace slowly returned the hug, one of his hands getting tangled in her hair. “You don’t have to thank me for being a friend,” he murmured.

“But I have to,” she replied, her embrace tightening. “After everything you have done for me.” She finally broke away, looking up at him. Her hands were cupping Ace’s elbow, as if she didn’t want to let go just yet. “You could have left,” she repeated. “And you didn’t.”

He gave her a gentle smile. “You’re gonna have to try harder to get rid of me, it seems.”

“Why would I ever want to get rid of you?” she asked, sounding genuine. It made Ace’s heart skip a beat.

“Good question,” he said. “Just promise me one thing.”

Nancy’s eyes grew wide, and she tilted her head to the side. “What?”

“Please don’t get stabbed again.”

That made her laugh, her hand coming up to her bandages. “I’ll do my best, but I have no intention of doing so ever again,” she snickered. Apart from her fingertips pressing against her stomach, she showed no sign of pain, but Ace still had to check.

“Are the pain meds wearing off at all?”

She shrugged. “A little. But it’s nothing I can’t handle yet.”

“Promise me you’ll tell me if you need anything, okay?”

“I will,” she said. “Promise.” Then she took in a breath. “Where’s everyone else?”

Ace had completely forgotten about the rest of the group. “Uh. I’m not sure. I haven’t seen them since they all went off to clean up the Claw. Carson fell asleep in the waiting room, so I would assume he’d find us at some point.” He wasn’t able to continue, because at that point, a nurse had walked in. The same one from a few hours ago.

“Good morning,” she started, then saw Nancy sitting up in bed. “Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Alright,” Nancy replied. “A lot better than when I first woke up.”

“Good.” The nurse walked over to check her vitals. “Any pain or discomfort?”

She shrugged. “A little. But it’s not that bad.”

“Okay. Just let us know if you need more pain medicine. We’ll try to wean you off of that later today, so we can see how your injuries are doing.” She pulled on some gloves. “Do you think you’re okay to have some visitors? I know your friends are waiting to see you.”

Nancy nodded. “I think so, yeah. I’ll probably fall asleep on them at some point, but I’m ready to see them.” She paused for a moment. “I want to see my dad, too.”

“Alright.” She turned to Ace. “I think they’re all back in your room. You go on and get them, and I’ll check Nancy’s stitches.” Shooing him away, the nurse took over his side of the bed. Nancy gave Ace a small smile, which he returned as he left the room.

It took Ace longer than he thought it would take finding the room again, but once he did, he found the door cracked open. Soft voice floated through the small crack, and he carefully pushed it open further.

The first thing he saw was George shaking her wet hair out from a towel, and Nick sitting against the wall. Bess sat next to him, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Carson, bless his heart, was curled up on a cot snoring.

Nick was the first to notice him, and quickly stood up. “Hey, Ace. How’s Nancy?"

“Uh, she’s doing alright. She woke up about twenty minutes ago, I think. The first time was about two hours ago.”

“Have you been in her room all this time?” George asked.

Ace nodded. “Yeah, I went back when you were all at the Claw. I also fell asleep a couple times. And had to keep Nancy in bed. Turns out she gets really loopy when she wakes up after surgery.” That earned a couple of soft chuckles. He tilted his head. “Where have you all been?”

Nick looked sheepish. “We may or may not have fallen asleep at the Claw, after we cleaned up. We only just got back an hour ago. A nurse told us Nancy wasn’t awake yet, and couldn’t accept more visitors until she was ready. So we just came back here and kept Carson company.”

“How is he?” Ace looked back to the cot.

“Out cold. The nurse said he’s been in here since three thirty.”

“He hasn’t woken up since?” Everyone shook their heads. “Okay, well, Nancy’s ready for visitors. Not too many though, I think this is all she can handle right now.”

Ace walked over to the cot, and gently shook Carson’s shoulder. The man stirred after the third or fourth shake, and it took a minute for him to gather his surroundings. “Ace? What are you doing here?” he asked, voice thick from sleep. Then his eyes widened, and he sat up, hand flying up to grab Ace’s forearm. “Nancy. Is she alright?”

“She’s fine. She’s awake. And ready for visitors.” Ace took a step back to allow Carson to swing his legs over the cot. “And I figured you’d want to see her.”

“Yeah, I do.” Shaking his head, he ran his hand through his unkempt hair. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A while, I think. Maybe three hours?”

He groaned. “Did I miss anything important?”

Ace shook his head. “No, you’re good. But Nancy wants to see you all, and the nurse sent me to come get you.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Bess clapped her hands together and trotted out of the room. Footsteps echoed down the hall, paused, then returned. Bess blushed. “I don’t know where Nancy’s room is.”

Ace led the way down the hallways, back to the room, where the nurse was just coming out. “Ah, visitors?” she checked, and everyone nodded. “Okay, just a reminder: Nancy’s gotten another dose of pain medication, since they wore off a little bit. So she might be spaced out a little. Nothing to be worried about, but don’t be surprised if she falls asleep on you guys. Call me or another nurse if you need anything.”

There was a chorus of thank you’s, and Bess pushed open the door. When she saw Nancy, she let out a little squeal, and bounded across the room. “You’re awake!” she cheered.

Nancy barely had a chance to lift her arms before she was being hugged tightly. Thankfully, she was so numb that she hardly felt any pain, but she still let out a little grunt from the impact.

“Careful!” George nearly pulled Bess off of her. “She’ll fall apart if you keep that up.”

“Good to see you, too, George.” Nancy smiled, and held out her arms. George groaned.

“You know I don’t do hugs.” But she relented, embracing her. “But I suppose it won’t hurt this time. How are you doing, Drew?”

“Better. That’s partially due to the pain meds, but at least I don’t have a harpoon embedded in my liver anymore.”

“You must be feeling better if you’re joking around like that,” Nick said, and stepped around to hug her, too.

“Where have you all been?” she asked when Nick stepped back.

George rubbed her eyes. “We fell asleep at the Claw, when we went back to clean up. Turns out those booths aren’t comfortable at all.”

Carson stood at the foot of the bed with Ace, watching Nancy with her friends, and looking uncertain as to what to do. Ace turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You can go say hi, you know.”

He shook his head. “I’ll let her talk with everyone else first. I’m probably the last person she would want to say hi to, right now.”

“That’s not true. She told the nurse she wanted to see you.”

A glimmer of hope crossed Carson’s face. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really.” With the hand on his shoulder, Ace pushed him forwards. “Go on.”

Nancy’s face lit up when she saw him, and everyone else scooted out of the way. When Carson stood awkwardly at the edge of the bed, a hand stretching out to her, he barely had the chance to ask her if she was okay before Nancy was grabbing his hand and pulling him into a hug.

Bess ‘aw’ed, and put a hand over her chest. “How precious,” she whispered, and Nick nudged her.

“Don’t ruin it for them,” he whispered, a smile on his face.

“How would I ruin it?” She looked mildly offended.

“Oh, hush. Just let them have a moment,” George interjected. A comfortable silence fell over everyone as they watched Nancy and Carson talk quietly.

Then Bess’ stomach growled, and she turned beet-red. “I think I’m hungry.”

“You think?” George said, and Ace elbowed her in the ribs.

“We can go get breakfast,” he offered. “And let Carson and Nancy talk by themselves.”

“Good idea.” Nick fished out his car keys. “I’m driving.”

Chapter Text

Ace had barely talked to his father after staying in the hospital for three days straight. The Captain came to check on him, after he had talked with him that day. He’d let his son stay with Nancy, knowing that he wouldn’t come home so easily.

But that third night, he showed up in Nancy’s doorway, and watched his son sit around the bed with his friends. A plate of appetizers from the Claw sat on the bed, and Nick was wiping a stain off of his shirt. Thom had arrived just as Nancy had lobbed a piece of calamari at him, and had to stifle a laugh at Nick’s shocked face.

While he didn’t have the heart to interrupt whatever was going on, Thom still flicked the light switch, on and off, to get their attention. Bess jumped, nearly falling out of her chair. Ace looked over his shoulder, and saw him.

What are you doing here? he signed.

I came to check on you, Thom replied. Hadn’t heard from you in a while.

Do I need to come home?

Only when you want to. I had to talk to Carson, and knew he’d probably be here too.

A nurse can take you to him. Thom cracked a smile. Ace really didn’t want to leave. Everything alright?

J ust working on a case, Thom replied. He waved to Nancy. How are you?

Nancy blushed as she signed back, albeit a little rusty. Fine. Feeling a lot better. Thank you.

Good. When do you go home?

I think next week. Nancy made a face when she messed up, and Ace smiled fondly. Depends on how well I’m healing.

Take care of yourself for me, okay?

Nancy smiled. I will.

Thom returned the smile, and waved goodbye. Ace, text me when you head home.

Ace nodded, and everyone waved to him as he left the room.

True to Nancy’s word, she was discharged the following week with strict instructions to lay low and not overwork herself. George had told her that she wasn’t allowed to come back to work until she fully healed, but Ace knew better, and wasn’t surprised that she showed up to the Claw a few days later.

“Drew!” George nearly dropped the glasses she was carrying. “What are you doing here? I explicitly told you that-”

“I’m not here to work,” Nancy interrupted. “I just got bored and thought I’d come see if I could help with anything.”

“House arrest got you going stir-crazy?” Nick called from the manager’s office.

“Hah-ah,” Nancy said sarcastically, but had a smile on her face. She turned back to George. “I’ve taken my pain meds, nothing hurts right now. As long as I only do light work, I’ll be fine.”

George groaned. “Fine. I clearly won’t be able to get you to leave.” Nancy’s smile grew at that. “Whatever work you do, you’re doing it sitting down, alright?” When she nodded, George looked into the kitchen. “Think you can handle shelling shrimp?”

Soon, Nancy was sitting on a stool at the island, with a large bowl of the seafood in front of her. Ace was standing next to her at the sink, washing dishes. Bess was off somewhere receiving a shipment, and to Nancy, it felt like a normal day.

Without supernatural beings destroying everything around them, that is.

Nancy did her best to avoid the main dining area, where it was painfully obvious that a few tables and chairs were missing, and there was a fresh coat of paint on one of the walls. The glass shelves at the bar were missing, with glasses stacked on a makeshift shelf made out of boxes.

So she focused on discarding shells, humming a small tune as she worked. It was a comfortable silence, when Ace broke it.

“How are you doing?”

Nancy smiled wryly. “If I had a dollar for every time Carson asked me that, I’d be able to pay off the hospital bill.”

Ace let out a short chuckle, but still looked at her expectantly. She gave a relaxed shrug.

“I’m doing better. It’s a little uncomfortable to sleep, but at least I’m not being poked and prodded by nurses twenty four-seven. And it hurts sometimes.” A hand absentmindedly reached up to her stomach, where under her sweatshirt, fresh bandages wrapped around her. “But it’s not too bad.”

“That’s good.” Ace stacked another plate, then turned around to face her. “But how are you really doing? And I don’t mean physically.”

Nancy was quiet for a moment, hands running up and down her thighs. “I think I’m doing better than I expected. I made Carson take down all the clocks in the house. But there’s always that debate I have with myself, where I ask myself, ‘Why me?’ and ‘It’s your fault you got into this situation.’ And I’m not mad that I was the one hurt. I just blame myself for it.”

“I understand that.” Ace didn’t get a chance to continue, when Nancy’s eyes grew wide, and her breathing labored. “Nancy?”

Then she was jumping out of her chair and bolting out of the kitchen and into the locker room. Ace quickly peeled off his gloves, and followed her.

Shit, he thought. He didn’t think he had crossed a line then, but judging from Nancy’s reaction, it hadn’t been a good question to ask. Not so soon after her hospital release.

He slowly walked down the three steps, one by one. Nancy was facing the walk-in freezer, hands on the wooden railing leading up to it. Her shoulders were trembling, and Ace felt another pang of guilt.

“Nancy?” he whispered. She didn’t give any sign she’d heard him. Quietly stepping up next to her, hand hovering over the back of her shoulder, he stood there with bated breath. After a few moments, he spoke softly. “Do you want me to go?”

It was quiet, quiet enough that Nancy could probably hear Ace’s racing heart. Then she shook her head, once, then twice. “No,” she whispered. Ace let his hand rest on her shoulder, and that made her move. Spinning around, Nancy crashed into Ace, her arms coming up around him tightly.

Ace returned the gesture, praying he hadn’t hurt her. They stood there for a few minutes, Nancy in his arms and her shoulders shaking. A spot on his shirt grew damp with her tears, but he didn’t care. Her breathing was ragged, and he brought up a hand to rub her back.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I shouldn’t have asked. Not so soon after-”

Nancy shook her head against his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault,” she croaked. Her breath shuddered. “You couldn’t have known…..I didn’t know-I’d react that way.”

Ace opened his mouth to respond, but then Nancy’s knees buckled with a tearful sob, and in an effort to not drop her, took her with him to the floor. “Nance,” he breathed once they’d sat down. “Do you need me to call Carson?”

“No,” she whimpered. “No. Just let me stay here. I don’t want to move.”

To make her more comfortable, Ace carefully scooped her up to seat her between his legs. Almost naturally, she leaned into his chest, hands coming up to cover her mouth. Stifling quiet sobs, she stared at the lockers with tears in her eyes.

“Can I do anything?” Ace asked.

“Just-stay with me,” she got out. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Then it felt like Ace had been taken back to that night, with Nancy on the floor in his arms. He felt his grip around her grow tighter as he fought to push the memories out of his head.

“This is all my fault,” Nancy sniffled. “I’m the reason you almost got killed-I scared everyone-I got myself hurt-”

“Stop,” Ace ground out. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“But it’s true! I got us all into this mess, and now-”

He interrupted her again. “I told you, it was an accident. It was not your fault...Nancy, I might still be in a coma if it weren’t for you. And I still would have done everything all over again, if I had the chance. What happened that night a few weeks ago was unfortunate, but it was an accident. No one blames you for any of it.” He carefully used his hand to tilt her chin up to look at him, and wiped a trailing tear away with the pad of his thumb. “So please stop blaming yourself. It won’t do you any good. Okay?”

Nancy sniffled. And then she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered, and used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe her nose. “I’m sorry. For freaking out.”

Ace remembered saying the same thing to Nick in the hospital bathroom. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. I should be the one apologizing- I made you panic.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t know. You were just checking on me.”

“I didn’t hurt you, right?”

“You could never hurt me.”

Then a small silence fell over them, with Nancy’s head resting against Ace’s shoulder. His chin rested on the top of her head, with his thumb absentmindedly rubbing her shoulder and listening to her breathing start to even out again. She slowly curled her legs up, the toes of her shoes pressing under Ace’s leg. His other hand had been resting on her knee, and he hadn’t even realized he’d put it there. The oversized sleeves of her sweatshirt swamped her hands as she folded them against her chest. They sat there quietly, and it was so quiet, Ace almost thought she’d fallen asleep.

Then Bess came clattering in, carrying a large box of supplies for the kitchen shelves, making them look up. She came to a halt, letting the back door swing shut as she took in Nancy curled in Ace’s arms on the floor.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, adjusting the box.

They both nodded, and didn’t say anything. Bess raised an eyebrow at Ace, giving him her infamous ‘we’ll talk later’ look, and continued on her way through the locker rooms into the kitchen. Nancy glanced over at Ace, who just shrugged and didn’t move.