Nobody would have guessed
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Reference to Neal/Rebecca
Characters: Neal, Peter, June, Mozzie, Rebecca
Warning: Staged suicide attempt, attempted murder
Spoilers: none
Rating: G
Genre: hurt/comfort, non-con drug use, friendship
Author's Notes: This story fills my ´drugged´ square on my h/c bingo card, the story is situated after Episode 12 of season 5.
Remember, I am not a doctor, the terms I used are those I hear on hospital shows. If you are a medical professional, please let me know what errors I made and I will change them.
Word Count: ~ 3800
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Neal is found by Peter in what looks like an attempted suicide. But is everything what it seems?
Story can also be found on AO3.
Peter was waiting impatiently in the car. What the hell, Neal? Neal knew Peter would pick him up, so why wasn´t he waiting downstairs? He knew Peter could not park here.
Peter fiddled with the BMW´s car kit and the call connected. After a couple of rings, it went to voicemail.
He thought for a moment what he was going to do and then decided to tell Neal his mind. So he threw the FBI plaque on the dashboard, hit the emergency lights button, exited his car and walked up to June´s mansion. He was let in by the maid and quickly made his way up to Neal´s apartment. When he came to the top floor, he noticed that the door was ajar. That was strange. So Peter unholstered his gun and quietly opened the door with his foot. He listened but he could only hear water running.
Come on Neal, really? You are not ready yet? He holstered his gun again and walked inside.
“Neal?”
When he didn´t get an answer, he walked towards the bathroom and called out again in front of the door. Again, no reaction. That was odd. Neal must be able to hear him when he was this close. Peter opened the bathroom door. The room was filled with steam from the hot water. It took a moment for the steam to dissipate. Peter´s heart stopped at the sight in front of him.
Blood!
There was blood everywhere!
“Neal!”
Neal lay crumpled on the shower floor, his clothes and hair soaked through. The blood was everywhere… on the tiles, on the shower floor. Neal´s head was hanging on his chest and his eyes were closed. He skin was so pale, Peter feared for the worst. He took out his phone and called 911, hit the speaker function while he knelt next to Neal and felt for a pulse.
* * *
When they arrived at the hospital, it had been a flurry of activity. Peter had insisted that he needed to stay with Neal and it spoke to the gravity of the situation that the paramedics had let him.
They pushed Neal gurney towards one of the trauma rooms while one of the paramedics pumped oxygen in his longs. Doctors and nurses filled the room.
“Tell me what you got.” A doctor called out.
“Attempted suicide. Slit left wrist and a suspected heroin overdose. Weak, thready pulse, Resps 6 and shallow…”
Peter stood to the side and closed his eyes. This couldn´t be happening. Neal tried to take his life, why didn´t he see this coming. He had called Jones and Diana to go with ERT to Neal´s apartment while they were en route to the hospital. While Peter had been pinching the wound in Neal´s wrist, he had seen the heroin paraphernalia on the counter of the sink. They needed to go into evidence. Neal wouldn´t do drugs, would he?
“OK, on my count.” The doctor said. “One… two… THREE.”
Neal was quickly moved from the gurney to the table.
“CBC, BUN, liver panel, Tox screen, cross typ. Does he have a history of drug use?”
“No! Sorry, No, he doesn´t.” Peter said indignant.
“OK, get an IV going and push Naloxone and hyperventilate him.”
A nurse cut open Neal´s expensive shirt and attached a heart monitor to Neal´s chest. The doctor watched the lines and numbers, while a nurse took blood samples.
“We need to intubate.” The doctor called out.
A nurse held out a sealed tube to the doctor, who started the intubation procedure.
“And who are you?” the doctor glanced over to Peter.
“I´m special agent Peter Burke.”
“What are you doing in my ER?”
“I need to stay with this man. He is working for the FBI.”
“OK, but stay out of our way, OK? We do our best to save your agent.”
Peter just nodded. He didn´t have the energy to correct the doctor about Neal´s status.
“Doctor Bellino, look!” one of the nurses called out pointing at his mid section.
The doctor looked down and could see the blood on his scrubs, he studied the patient´s head and saw a deep gash and a huge bump. The wound hadn´t closed yet, that explained the blood on his scrubs. He had been leaning against the patient´s head when he was intubating him.
“That is going to need stitches as well. Please clean up the operating field. Page doctor Bullard and prep an OR.”
When the nurse wanted to start the IV in Neal´s arm, she gasped.
“What is the matter, Susan?” the doctor asked while glancing over, looking shocked. “Are those rope burns?”
The doctor turned to Peter.
“Agent Burk, I guess you have yourself a case, suicide victims rarely hit themselves over the head first and tie themselves up. This was not a suicide attempt, I guess somebody tried to kill your agent and make it look like a suicide.”
Peter looked shocked at the doctor. “Can you please make pictures?”
“Of course, we will document the wounds.”
* * *
Neal felt like he was fighting his way through molasses. He could hear people talking around him and there was also a beeping in the background.
After some time, Neal realized he wasn´t sitting down or lying on a hard shower floor. He was laying on something soft, and he was warm and dry, not what he last remembered.
He wanted to sigh and then he realized he couldn´t breathe. There was something in his throat. He could hear the beeping picking up and he wanted to bring his hand to his mouth to pull out whatever was in his mouth. But he couldn´t. He was cuffed to whatever he was lying on. His panic ten folded and he started jerking on the restraints. He heard someone walking towards him and it only added to his fear. He started to jerk in earnest.
“Neal!”
Peter… Peter was here.
“You are on a ventilator; it is breathing for you, relax.”
Neal could feel Peter place his hand on his chest and his hand being lifted. Neal squeezed it and it was squeezed back.
“You are safe, Neal. I know how you hate to be restrained, but they feared that you would pull out the breathing tube in your withdrawal.”
Neal jerked against the restraints again. He wanted the tube out, he needed the tube out. He needed to tell Peter that he hadn´t done this to himself. That he was in danger, that…
A doctor had entered the room and walked up to the bed. Neal could see him pull something into a syringe. Neal froze, he flashed back to the moment where the unknown man had injected him with whatever. He began to trash, to get away from the man.
Neal imagined he could feel the syringe pierce his skin again and he tried to pull away by pulling on the restraints. Neal could feel the drug make his way through his body in quick tempo. He looked with pleading eyes up to Peter and he could feel a single tear roll over his cheek. Peter gentle whipped it away.
“You are going to be OK, Neal. You are safe.”
Neal felt his conscious drain away. The last thing he heard was “Who did this to you, Neal?”
* * *
The ERT guys had bagged all the evidence and took it with them. Diana went downstairs to talk to June. She explained that they were done and that she could have the bathroom cleaned if she wanted to.
When all the agents left June´s house, Diana suggested driving June to the hospital Neal had been admitted to.
Marie, June´s maid and her driver Travis suggested that they would clean Neal´s bathroom. June expressed her gratitude towards them. She had such wonderful staff; they were family to her and Neal. She promised them she would give their Best wishes to Neal.
When they arrived at the hospital, they were sent to the surgical ward where Neal had been admitted. Visiting hours had started, so they were told they could proceed to room 342. The room wasn´t hard to find, as it was at the end of the corridor and there were two agents sitting in front of it.
June slowly pushed open that door and found Peter sitting next to Neal. When she glanced over to Neal, her heart ached. Neal was placed in restraints and on a ventilator.
“Peter?”
“Hi June”
When June didn´t say anything and only stared at Neal, he continued. “I know it looks bad, but he is doing well.”
Peter got up and gestured to June to sit down next to Neal´s bed.
“Why would he…?” she couldn´t even say it.
“He didn´t. Neal didn´t try to commit suicide. The doctors found physical evidence that he was restrained and probably hit over the head. As far as I can tell, someone attacked him, knocked him unconscious, tied him up, drugged him and tried to make it look like a suicide.”
“That would make sense.” Diana chipped in. “I´m going back to the office, to convey this info. Did you say the doctors had physical evidence?”
“Yes, I asked the doctors to make pictures, ask for a doctor Bellino, Tom Bellino, he is Neal´s physician.”
“Will do, if he wakes up, tell him we are on the case.”
“I will, thanks Diana.”
* * *
Neal flipped off the light in the bathroom and walked back to his bed. He had drunk too much with Mozzie last night and he woke because in his dream he had relieved himself in the toilet, suddenly realizing he was still in his bed.
When he walked back in the dark, he was suddenly confronted with a man clad in dark clothes and a balaclava. Neal engaged the man in a fight, but was knocked out when something hard connected with his head.
Waking up was a sudden thing. Neal opened his eyes and groaned. God, he hurt. There wasn´t a part of his body that didn´t hurt. What had happened? Where was he? He couldn´t move. Why couldn´t he move? What had happened? Why was it so hard to focus?
He needed to concentrate. He scanned the room and realized he was in his apartment. Peter… Peter was picking him up. He was getting ready to go to work. Peter would be waiting downstairs in his car. Neal could only hope that Peter would get impatient and come upstairs.
Suddenly Neal noticed he was not alone in the room. He kept his body still and tried to focus to determine where they were. But a hand grabbed his chin and pulled his head up roughly.
“I know you are awake.” A rough voice said.
Neal opened his eyes and started to jerk on his bindings only now realizing he was tied to one of his dining room chairs. He was immobilized, whatever they used to restrain him with; it did the job. They had placed tape across his mouth.
Neal´s eyes widened when he realized that the man was holding a full syringe. His eyes flicked over the table and he could see the lighter, spoon and bag. Heroine!
“Do it.” A female voice said.
When Neal turned his head to look at the person, he noticed the kitchen knife she had in her hand. Neal started pulling on his bindings again.
Neal thought of screaming, but it would be off no use, with the tape. And he didn´t want to jeopardize June´s safety. It was bad enough that they were able to get to him.
“No!” it came out muffled but Neal couldn´t just sit there. He didn´t want to go like this, not this way.
Neal felt the sting of the syringe and warmth spread through his body.
Suddenly he was free. He needed to run, to get away from the guy with the knife. But his body wasn´t cooperating with his brain. He felt himself being picked up and carried away. It wasn´t until he felt water on his head that he realized he had been lowered in his shower and they turned on the water.
“Just relax, Neal, it will all be over soon.” The female voice sounded strangely soothing, almost apologetic, filled with love.
Neal wanted to scream when he felt the knife, slit through his wrist, but he couldn´t muster enough energy, so he just watched with morbid fascination the blood pour from his wrist.
Neal noticed that his mind was clouding over; the drugs must be working their magic. He had never imagined this was the way he would leave this world.
* * *
June sat with Neal for a while, and Peter used that time to get something to eat, drink and contact El, Mozzie and the office. El was in San Francisco. She was due to fly back tomorrow anyway, so Peter convinced her that Neal would be OK and that there was no need to fly back early.
With his inner human strengthened with junk food, El wasn´t here, and what she didn´t know… he walked back to the hospital. When he entered Neal´s room, June was softly singing to him and Neal looked relaxed. June smiled when she heard Peter enter.
“The nurse told me I should talk to Neal, that he would be able to hear me.” She explained.
“That is what she told me too. Go home June, I will stay with him.”
“Thanks Peter. I will be back tomorrow. ” June got up, kissed Neal, picked up her belongings and left the room.
* * *
Neal woke because someone was looming over him. He thought it was Peter, but when he focused, he could tell it was a man.
Something was not right, he tried to move and found himself restrained, the fear came back with a vengeance and he found himself not being able to breathe and he started struggling.
“Let it breathe for you.” A male voice said.
Neal tried to open his eyes and eventually the blurry form changed into a man in scrubs.
“Welcome back, my name is Tom Bellino, I´m your doctor. You are safe, but you need to calm down and relax. Let the ventilator breathe for you.”
Neal looked up at the doctor and nodded.
“Good, I hope you don´t mind me calling you Neal, agent Burke told me it would be OK.”
Neal nodded again.
“You are in restraints because we didn´t want you to harm yourself by pulling something, like the vent of IV. We gave you Naxolone, it is s a drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.”
The doctor must have seen his fear, because he quickly continued.
“We know you didn´t do this to yourself. But you are safe now. Agent Burke needed to take a call, so he stepped out, he will be back soon. Nurse Sarah here will take care of you. I will be back for evening rounds, push the nurse call button if you need anything.”
The doctor placed the button near Neal´s hand, so he could reach it, even with the restraints.
Neal nodded and watched the doctor leave the room. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
Suddenly he felt a breath on his neck, and someone whispered in his ear.
“I will take good care of you.” Rebecca whispered in his ear.
Neal´s eyes shot open and he reached for the emergency button, but she had already placed it outside his reach.
“This would have been so much easier if you had just died when I wanted it, but no, agent Burke needed to play the knight in shining armor and save you. Why couldn´t you just let go when I asked you to?”
Neal started struggling against the restraints. He needed to get away from her.
“I like a man in restraints. You look hot with those restraints, but then again, you always looked hot.”
Where was Peter? Where was everybody, the hospital must be full of staff, why did they leave him alone?
“Hmm, what will I do with you? Give you some more heroine? Hmm? Did you like it?”
Neal was now really terrified. She was going to kill him in a hospital filled with staff and patients, with Peter close by. He needed to do something.
“Now calm down Neal, it will be all over real soon. The heroine is too much work, but I guess a nice epi overdose should do it. Let´s see what happens, shall we?”
She pushed a syringe in the IV port and slowly pushed down on the plunger while watching Neal with an intensity he had never seen before.
“I love you Neal, but if I can´t have you, nobody can, especially not Peter.”
Neal felt a burning sensation when the epi reached his body. It felt like his body was overheating. He jerked on the restraints, but they were simply too sturdy.
“We will…”
Neal saw her tense up and drop to the floor. He never hurt the gun report.
“I need help, NOW!” Peter shouted while he stood in the door with his gun in his hands.
Neal could hear the heart monitor started to give an irregular beat. Worse even, he could feel his heart starting skipping a beat.
“Neal, look at me.” Peter said while he bent over Neal and pulled out the IV.
Neal tried to focus on Peter´s face, but it grew unfocused.
Someone was snapping his fingers in front of his face, but he couldn´t care. He felt his body starting to trash and everything went black.
* * *
“What is happening, what did she inject in his IV?” Peter shouted at the medical staff. Then he realized something and ran over to the trashcan and rummaged through it. He picked up the vial that was in it and handed it to a nurse.
The alarms started wailing around Neal and the doctor Bellino studied Neal, he snapped his fingers in front of his face, trying to get Neal to focus on him. Neal´s blood pressure was increasing towards a dangerous level.
“I got PVC´s” the nurse told the doctor.
Peter could see that Neal´s eyes met the doctor just before rolling into his head and closing. His body started trashing.
“Get me CBC, Chem7, Coag Panel, Lytes and a serum glucose, oh, and another tox screen. Check what was in the syringe.”
“It was Epinephrine.” The nurse said to the doctor, studying the vial. She hit the emergency button and other medical staff poured into the room.
“Tom, what is happening?” Peter asked.
“He is stroking out” The doctor said. “Push Succinylcholine.”
The nurse held on to Neal´s head, careful that he wouldn´t pull out the vent while he was seizing.
Doctor Bellino suddenly noticed something, because he deflated the vent and pulled the tube out in one go. Almost immediately Neal started vomiting. The nurse and doctor placed Neal on his side, making sure he didn´t fall of the bed.
Once the Succinylcholine was dosed, Neal´s body immediately relaxed. The heart monitor got a more normal rhythm. The doctor kept pushing medication and checking Neal´s vitals. When the doctor checked Neal´s pupils, Peter could see that there was almost no blue left in Neal´s eyes. It was more than disturbing to see.
“We will keep monitoring him, Peter. We will do our best. Did anyone check the woman?”
“Yes, there is no pulse, can you pronounce her?” one of the nurses said.
The doctor crouched down next to Rebecca , listened with his stethoscope and sighed.
“Time of Death: 20.34. Can you please contact the morgue?”
* * *
Peter called Reese to tell him what had happened. There would be a formal investigation, and someone needed to take his gun into custody. He didn´t want to leave Neal alone, not after having a stroke. He needed to make sure Neal was OK when he woke up. One of the agents outside took his weapon and placed it in a sealed evidence bag. Peter promised to write down his statement.
* * *
When Neal did wake up, he was confused. He didn´t know where he was and his monitors started blearing the moment he woke. Peter immediately got up, the book he was reading falling from his lap.
“Neal? You´re OK. You´re safe.”
Peter pushed the call button and a nurse came in almost immediately.
“I will page the respiratory specialist to see if we can remove the vent.”
An hour later, Neal was freed from the vent which was replaced with a nasal canulla.
“Where am I? Who are you?” Neal whispered.
Peter heart sank. The stroke. The doctor had warned him that the stroke could have an impact on Neal´s brain, affecting any part, but Peter was positive. He needed to hope for the best; to be confronted with the opposite was hard.
“Neal? It´s Peter.” He squeezed Neal´s hand and raked the other one through Neal´s lank hair.
“Peter?”
“Yes, Peter.”
A nurse came in and when she saw Neal was awake, she paged a doctor.
“Hi, sleepy head, good to see you awake? How are you feeling?” While she was talking she checked
Neal´s vitals, adjusted his blankets and checked his IV´s. She jotted some things down in Neal´s medical record.
“He doesn´t seem to remember me.” Peter said cautiously.
“That is to be expected, the drugs mister Caffrey is on, will do that to a person. No need to be concerned. Let´s just wait what the doctor said.” She smiled reassuringly.
“What happened?” Neal slurred;
“I will tell you later Neal, just rest, relax. You´re safe. I will be here.” Peter assured.
“OK.” Neal let his eyes fall shut again.
Peter was dreading that conversation. How was he going to explain that Rachel, Rebecca, whatever her name was, had planned to stage his suicide? He would cross that bridge when he came to it.
First he needed Neal to recuperate from this ordeal, even better, Neal and himself needed to recuperate from this ordeal.
Peter got in full alert when he heard commotion in front of Neal´s hospital room, he grabbed for his gun, suddenly remembering it had been taken into custody. He stood quiet and listened and then started smiling. Someone was discussing with the guards and by the sound of the voice, it was Mozzie. Peter walked up to the door and told the two agents it was OK, that the orderly they were holding was cleared and allowed into the room.
“Very subtle, Mozzie. You do realize, I shot the last fake nurse, do you?”
“Very funny, suit. How is Neal doing?”
“Sit down Mozzie, I will tell you all about it. Did you bring coffee?”
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
“Voltaire? Really?”
Mozzie merely pointed at the nurse trolley. He opened one of the trays and in it where a thermos, cups and Danish.
“Courtesy of June. Now spill it, suit.”
Peter started telling everything that happened the last forty eight hours.
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Reference to Neal/Rebecca
Characters: Neal, Peter, June, Mozzie, Rebecca
Warning: Staged suicide attempt, attempted murder
Spoilers: none
Rating: G
Genre: hurt/comfort, non-con drug use, friendship
Author's Notes: This story fills my ´drugged´ square on my h/c bingo card, the story is situated after Episode 12 of season 5.
Remember, I am not a doctor, the terms I used are those I hear on hospital shows. If you are a medical professional, please let me know what errors I made and I will change them.
Word Count: ~ 3800
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Neal is found by Peter in what looks like an attempted suicide. But is everything what it seems?
Story can also be found on AO3.
Peter was waiting impatiently in the car. What the hell, Neal? Neal knew Peter would pick him up, so why wasn´t he waiting downstairs? He knew Peter could not park here.
Peter fiddled with the BMW´s car kit and the call connected. After a couple of rings, it went to voicemail.
He thought for a moment what he was going to do and then decided to tell Neal his mind. So he threw the FBI plaque on the dashboard, hit the emergency lights button, exited his car and walked up to June´s mansion. He was let in by the maid and quickly made his way up to Neal´s apartment. When he came to the top floor, he noticed that the door was ajar. That was strange. So Peter unholstered his gun and quietly opened the door with his foot. He listened but he could only hear water running.
Come on Neal, really? You are not ready yet? He holstered his gun again and walked inside.
“Neal?”
When he didn´t get an answer, he walked towards the bathroom and called out again in front of the door. Again, no reaction. That was odd. Neal must be able to hear him when he was this close. Peter opened the bathroom door. The room was filled with steam from the hot water. It took a moment for the steam to dissipate. Peter´s heart stopped at the sight in front of him.
Blood!
There was blood everywhere!
“Neal!”
Neal lay crumpled on the shower floor, his clothes and hair soaked through. The blood was everywhere… on the tiles, on the shower floor. Neal´s head was hanging on his chest and his eyes were closed. He skin was so pale, Peter feared for the worst. He took out his phone and called 911, hit the speaker function while he knelt next to Neal and felt for a pulse.
* * *
When they arrived at the hospital, it had been a flurry of activity. Peter had insisted that he needed to stay with Neal and it spoke to the gravity of the situation that the paramedics had let him.
They pushed Neal gurney towards one of the trauma rooms while one of the paramedics pumped oxygen in his longs. Doctors and nurses filled the room.
“Tell me what you got.” A doctor called out.
“Attempted suicide. Slit left wrist and a suspected heroin overdose. Weak, thready pulse, Resps 6 and shallow…”
Peter stood to the side and closed his eyes. This couldn´t be happening. Neal tried to take his life, why didn´t he see this coming. He had called Jones and Diana to go with ERT to Neal´s apartment while they were en route to the hospital. While Peter had been pinching the wound in Neal´s wrist, he had seen the heroin paraphernalia on the counter of the sink. They needed to go into evidence. Neal wouldn´t do drugs, would he?
“OK, on my count.” The doctor said. “One… two… THREE.”
Neal was quickly moved from the gurney to the table.
“CBC, BUN, liver panel, Tox screen, cross typ. Does he have a history of drug use?”
“No! Sorry, No, he doesn´t.” Peter said indignant.
“OK, get an IV going and push Naloxone and hyperventilate him.”
A nurse cut open Neal´s expensive shirt and attached a heart monitor to Neal´s chest. The doctor watched the lines and numbers, while a nurse took blood samples.
“We need to intubate.” The doctor called out.
A nurse held out a sealed tube to the doctor, who started the intubation procedure.
“And who are you?” the doctor glanced over to Peter.
“I´m special agent Peter Burke.”
“What are you doing in my ER?”
“I need to stay with this man. He is working for the FBI.”
“OK, but stay out of our way, OK? We do our best to save your agent.”
Peter just nodded. He didn´t have the energy to correct the doctor about Neal´s status.
“Doctor Bellino, look!” one of the nurses called out pointing at his mid section.
The doctor looked down and could see the blood on his scrubs, he studied the patient´s head and saw a deep gash and a huge bump. The wound hadn´t closed yet, that explained the blood on his scrubs. He had been leaning against the patient´s head when he was intubating him.
“That is going to need stitches as well. Please clean up the operating field. Page doctor Bullard and prep an OR.”
When the nurse wanted to start the IV in Neal´s arm, she gasped.
“What is the matter, Susan?” the doctor asked while glancing over, looking shocked. “Are those rope burns?”
The doctor turned to Peter.
“Agent Burk, I guess you have yourself a case, suicide victims rarely hit themselves over the head first and tie themselves up. This was not a suicide attempt, I guess somebody tried to kill your agent and make it look like a suicide.”
Peter looked shocked at the doctor. “Can you please make pictures?”
“Of course, we will document the wounds.”
* * *
Neal felt like he was fighting his way through molasses. He could hear people talking around him and there was also a beeping in the background.
After some time, Neal realized he wasn´t sitting down or lying on a hard shower floor. He was laying on something soft, and he was warm and dry, not what he last remembered.
He wanted to sigh and then he realized he couldn´t breathe. There was something in his throat. He could hear the beeping picking up and he wanted to bring his hand to his mouth to pull out whatever was in his mouth. But he couldn´t. He was cuffed to whatever he was lying on. His panic ten folded and he started jerking on the restraints. He heard someone walking towards him and it only added to his fear. He started to jerk in earnest.
“Neal!”
Peter… Peter was here.
“You are on a ventilator; it is breathing for you, relax.”
Neal could feel Peter place his hand on his chest and his hand being lifted. Neal squeezed it and it was squeezed back.
“You are safe, Neal. I know how you hate to be restrained, but they feared that you would pull out the breathing tube in your withdrawal.”
Neal jerked against the restraints again. He wanted the tube out, he needed the tube out. He needed to tell Peter that he hadn´t done this to himself. That he was in danger, that…
A doctor had entered the room and walked up to the bed. Neal could see him pull something into a syringe. Neal froze, he flashed back to the moment where the unknown man had injected him with whatever. He began to trash, to get away from the man.
Neal imagined he could feel the syringe pierce his skin again and he tried to pull away by pulling on the restraints. Neal could feel the drug make his way through his body in quick tempo. He looked with pleading eyes up to Peter and he could feel a single tear roll over his cheek. Peter gentle whipped it away.
“You are going to be OK, Neal. You are safe.”
Neal felt his conscious drain away. The last thing he heard was “Who did this to you, Neal?”
* * *
The ERT guys had bagged all the evidence and took it with them. Diana went downstairs to talk to June. She explained that they were done and that she could have the bathroom cleaned if she wanted to.
When all the agents left June´s house, Diana suggested driving June to the hospital Neal had been admitted to.
Marie, June´s maid and her driver Travis suggested that they would clean Neal´s bathroom. June expressed her gratitude towards them. She had such wonderful staff; they were family to her and Neal. She promised them she would give their Best wishes to Neal.
When they arrived at the hospital, they were sent to the surgical ward where Neal had been admitted. Visiting hours had started, so they were told they could proceed to room 342. The room wasn´t hard to find, as it was at the end of the corridor and there were two agents sitting in front of it.
June slowly pushed open that door and found Peter sitting next to Neal. When she glanced over to Neal, her heart ached. Neal was placed in restraints and on a ventilator.
“Peter?”
“Hi June”
When June didn´t say anything and only stared at Neal, he continued. “I know it looks bad, but he is doing well.”
Peter got up and gestured to June to sit down next to Neal´s bed.
“Why would he…?” she couldn´t even say it.
“He didn´t. Neal didn´t try to commit suicide. The doctors found physical evidence that he was restrained and probably hit over the head. As far as I can tell, someone attacked him, knocked him unconscious, tied him up, drugged him and tried to make it look like a suicide.”
“That would make sense.” Diana chipped in. “I´m going back to the office, to convey this info. Did you say the doctors had physical evidence?”
“Yes, I asked the doctors to make pictures, ask for a doctor Bellino, Tom Bellino, he is Neal´s physician.”
“Will do, if he wakes up, tell him we are on the case.”
“I will, thanks Diana.”
* * *
Neal flipped off the light in the bathroom and walked back to his bed. He had drunk too much with Mozzie last night and he woke because in his dream he had relieved himself in the toilet, suddenly realizing he was still in his bed.
When he walked back in the dark, he was suddenly confronted with a man clad in dark clothes and a balaclava. Neal engaged the man in a fight, but was knocked out when something hard connected with his head.
Waking up was a sudden thing. Neal opened his eyes and groaned. God, he hurt. There wasn´t a part of his body that didn´t hurt. What had happened? Where was he? He couldn´t move. Why couldn´t he move? What had happened? Why was it so hard to focus?
He needed to concentrate. He scanned the room and realized he was in his apartment. Peter… Peter was picking him up. He was getting ready to go to work. Peter would be waiting downstairs in his car. Neal could only hope that Peter would get impatient and come upstairs.
Suddenly Neal noticed he was not alone in the room. He kept his body still and tried to focus to determine where they were. But a hand grabbed his chin and pulled his head up roughly.
“I know you are awake.” A rough voice said.
Neal opened his eyes and started to jerk on his bindings only now realizing he was tied to one of his dining room chairs. He was immobilized, whatever they used to restrain him with; it did the job. They had placed tape across his mouth.
Neal´s eyes widened when he realized that the man was holding a full syringe. His eyes flicked over the table and he could see the lighter, spoon and bag. Heroine!
“Do it.” A female voice said.
When Neal turned his head to look at the person, he noticed the kitchen knife she had in her hand. Neal started pulling on his bindings again.
Neal thought of screaming, but it would be off no use, with the tape. And he didn´t want to jeopardize June´s safety. It was bad enough that they were able to get to him.
“No!” it came out muffled but Neal couldn´t just sit there. He didn´t want to go like this, not this way.
Neal felt the sting of the syringe and warmth spread through his body.
Suddenly he was free. He needed to run, to get away from the guy with the knife. But his body wasn´t cooperating with his brain. He felt himself being picked up and carried away. It wasn´t until he felt water on his head that he realized he had been lowered in his shower and they turned on the water.
“Just relax, Neal, it will all be over soon.” The female voice sounded strangely soothing, almost apologetic, filled with love.
Neal wanted to scream when he felt the knife, slit through his wrist, but he couldn´t muster enough energy, so he just watched with morbid fascination the blood pour from his wrist.
Neal noticed that his mind was clouding over; the drugs must be working their magic. He had never imagined this was the way he would leave this world.
* * *
June sat with Neal for a while, and Peter used that time to get something to eat, drink and contact El, Mozzie and the office. El was in San Francisco. She was due to fly back tomorrow anyway, so Peter convinced her that Neal would be OK and that there was no need to fly back early.
With his inner human strengthened with junk food, El wasn´t here, and what she didn´t know… he walked back to the hospital. When he entered Neal´s room, June was softly singing to him and Neal looked relaxed. June smiled when she heard Peter enter.
“The nurse told me I should talk to Neal, that he would be able to hear me.” She explained.
“That is what she told me too. Go home June, I will stay with him.”
“Thanks Peter. I will be back tomorrow. ” June got up, kissed Neal, picked up her belongings and left the room.
* * *
Neal woke because someone was looming over him. He thought it was Peter, but when he focused, he could tell it was a man.
Something was not right, he tried to move and found himself restrained, the fear came back with a vengeance and he found himself not being able to breathe and he started struggling.
“Let it breathe for you.” A male voice said.
Neal tried to open his eyes and eventually the blurry form changed into a man in scrubs.
“Welcome back, my name is Tom Bellino, I´m your doctor. You are safe, but you need to calm down and relax. Let the ventilator breathe for you.”
Neal looked up at the doctor and nodded.
“Good, I hope you don´t mind me calling you Neal, agent Burke told me it would be OK.”
Neal nodded again.
“You are in restraints because we didn´t want you to harm yourself by pulling something, like the vent of IV. We gave you Naxolone, it is s a drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.”
The doctor must have seen his fear, because he quickly continued.
“We know you didn´t do this to yourself. But you are safe now. Agent Burke needed to take a call, so he stepped out, he will be back soon. Nurse Sarah here will take care of you. I will be back for evening rounds, push the nurse call button if you need anything.”
The doctor placed the button near Neal´s hand, so he could reach it, even with the restraints.
Neal nodded and watched the doctor leave the room. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
Suddenly he felt a breath on his neck, and someone whispered in his ear.
“I will take good care of you.” Rebecca whispered in his ear.
Neal´s eyes shot open and he reached for the emergency button, but she had already placed it outside his reach.
“This would have been so much easier if you had just died when I wanted it, but no, agent Burke needed to play the knight in shining armor and save you. Why couldn´t you just let go when I asked you to?”
Neal started struggling against the restraints. He needed to get away from her.
“I like a man in restraints. You look hot with those restraints, but then again, you always looked hot.”
Where was Peter? Where was everybody, the hospital must be full of staff, why did they leave him alone?
“Hmm, what will I do with you? Give you some more heroine? Hmm? Did you like it?”
Neal was now really terrified. She was going to kill him in a hospital filled with staff and patients, with Peter close by. He needed to do something.
“Now calm down Neal, it will be all over real soon. The heroine is too much work, but I guess a nice epi overdose should do it. Let´s see what happens, shall we?”
She pushed a syringe in the IV port and slowly pushed down on the plunger while watching Neal with an intensity he had never seen before.
“I love you Neal, but if I can´t have you, nobody can, especially not Peter.”
Neal felt a burning sensation when the epi reached his body. It felt like his body was overheating. He jerked on the restraints, but they were simply too sturdy.
“We will…”
Neal saw her tense up and drop to the floor. He never hurt the gun report.
“I need help, NOW!” Peter shouted while he stood in the door with his gun in his hands.
Neal could hear the heart monitor started to give an irregular beat. Worse even, he could feel his heart starting skipping a beat.
“Neal, look at me.” Peter said while he bent over Neal and pulled out the IV.
Neal tried to focus on Peter´s face, but it grew unfocused.
Someone was snapping his fingers in front of his face, but he couldn´t care. He felt his body starting to trash and everything went black.
* * *
“What is happening, what did she inject in his IV?” Peter shouted at the medical staff. Then he realized something and ran over to the trashcan and rummaged through it. He picked up the vial that was in it and handed it to a nurse.
The alarms started wailing around Neal and the doctor Bellino studied Neal, he snapped his fingers in front of his face, trying to get Neal to focus on him. Neal´s blood pressure was increasing towards a dangerous level.
“I got PVC´s” the nurse told the doctor.
Peter could see that Neal´s eyes met the doctor just before rolling into his head and closing. His body started trashing.
“Get me CBC, Chem7, Coag Panel, Lytes and a serum glucose, oh, and another tox screen. Check what was in the syringe.”
“It was Epinephrine.” The nurse said to the doctor, studying the vial. She hit the emergency button and other medical staff poured into the room.
“Tom, what is happening?” Peter asked.
“He is stroking out” The doctor said. “Push Succinylcholine.”
The nurse held on to Neal´s head, careful that he wouldn´t pull out the vent while he was seizing.
Doctor Bellino suddenly noticed something, because he deflated the vent and pulled the tube out in one go. Almost immediately Neal started vomiting. The nurse and doctor placed Neal on his side, making sure he didn´t fall of the bed.
Once the Succinylcholine was dosed, Neal´s body immediately relaxed. The heart monitor got a more normal rhythm. The doctor kept pushing medication and checking Neal´s vitals. When the doctor checked Neal´s pupils, Peter could see that there was almost no blue left in Neal´s eyes. It was more than disturbing to see.
“We will keep monitoring him, Peter. We will do our best. Did anyone check the woman?”
“Yes, there is no pulse, can you pronounce her?” one of the nurses said.
The doctor crouched down next to Rebecca , listened with his stethoscope and sighed.
“Time of Death: 20.34. Can you please contact the morgue?”
* * *
Peter called Reese to tell him what had happened. There would be a formal investigation, and someone needed to take his gun into custody. He didn´t want to leave Neal alone, not after having a stroke. He needed to make sure Neal was OK when he woke up. One of the agents outside took his weapon and placed it in a sealed evidence bag. Peter promised to write down his statement.
* * *
When Neal did wake up, he was confused. He didn´t know where he was and his monitors started blearing the moment he woke. Peter immediately got up, the book he was reading falling from his lap.
“Neal? You´re OK. You´re safe.”
Peter pushed the call button and a nurse came in almost immediately.
“I will page the respiratory specialist to see if we can remove the vent.”
An hour later, Neal was freed from the vent which was replaced with a nasal canulla.
“Where am I? Who are you?” Neal whispered.
Peter heart sank. The stroke. The doctor had warned him that the stroke could have an impact on Neal´s brain, affecting any part, but Peter was positive. He needed to hope for the best; to be confronted with the opposite was hard.
“Neal? It´s Peter.” He squeezed Neal´s hand and raked the other one through Neal´s lank hair.
“Peter?”
“Yes, Peter.”
A nurse came in and when she saw Neal was awake, she paged a doctor.
“Hi, sleepy head, good to see you awake? How are you feeling?” While she was talking she checked
Neal´s vitals, adjusted his blankets and checked his IV´s. She jotted some things down in Neal´s medical record.
“He doesn´t seem to remember me.” Peter said cautiously.
“That is to be expected, the drugs mister Caffrey is on, will do that to a person. No need to be concerned. Let´s just wait what the doctor said.” She smiled reassuringly.
“What happened?” Neal slurred;
“I will tell you later Neal, just rest, relax. You´re safe. I will be here.” Peter assured.
“OK.” Neal let his eyes fall shut again.
Peter was dreading that conversation. How was he going to explain that Rachel, Rebecca, whatever her name was, had planned to stage his suicide? He would cross that bridge when he came to it.
First he needed Neal to recuperate from this ordeal, even better, Neal and himself needed to recuperate from this ordeal.
Peter got in full alert when he heard commotion in front of Neal´s hospital room, he grabbed for his gun, suddenly remembering it had been taken into custody. He stood quiet and listened and then started smiling. Someone was discussing with the guards and by the sound of the voice, it was Mozzie. Peter walked up to the door and told the two agents it was OK, that the orderly they were holding was cleared and allowed into the room.
“Very subtle, Mozzie. You do realize, I shot the last fake nurse, do you?”
“Very funny, suit. How is Neal doing?”
“Sit down Mozzie, I will tell you all about it. Did you bring coffee?”
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
“Voltaire? Really?”
Mozzie merely pointed at the nurse trolley. He opened one of the trays and in it where a thermos, cups and Danish.
“Courtesy of June. Now spill it, suit.”
Peter started telling everything that happened the last forty eight hours.