Calm after the storm
Title: Calm after the storm
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: None
Characters: Peter, Neal, Diana, Jones, El
Warning: None
Spoilers: none
Rating: G
Genre: hurt/comfort, explosions, aftermath
Author's Notes: This story is written for the ´loss of hearing´ square on my h/c bingo card.
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Word Count: ~5700
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Neal and Peter are caught in an explosion. The explosion is just a moment, what happens next and how are Peter and Neal dealing with the aftermath?
Story can also be found on AO3.
The explosion had been deafening.
Peter and Neal had started running the moment Neal shouted “Explosives”. Later, Peter couldn´t remember what happened next, but he remembered opening his eyes and staring at the debris around him. It took some time to realize, he was lying on his stomach and that he was staring at some caved in wall. The moment he wanted to get up, pain shot through his arm and head. Not good, the pain in his arm was agonizing, it made his stomach roll and he gagged. Peter realized that he was probably also concussed, which didn´t help his nausea.
What had happened?
Slowly, memories came back. They were running towards the exit. Well, it was fair to assume that they hadn´t made it. His head hurt so much; he just needed a moment to rest, to close his eyes. Yes, that was a good idea, just for a second. Peter let his eyes drift shut.
Neal was a couple of yards in front of him when he suddenly yelled “explosives”. He could see Neal turning around and starting to run, so Peter did the same. He could hear Neal behind him when he was lifted and smashed into something.
Wait? Neal was behind him. Where was he?
Peter woke to a pounding in his head. He felt nauseas and weak and he had been dreaming. And such a weird dream. In his dream Neal and he had been caught in an explosion. He coughed and with it came the pain.
Wait… pain. Peter now realized that he was lying on his stomach, that everything hurt and that it was dead silent. Peter knew he was forgetting something, but he couldn´t remember what.
He closed his eyes again because he was dizzy and getting nauseated again, when suddenly… Neal!
The explosion! It wasn´t a dream, it had happened. Neal had been with him, behind him to be exactly. Peter turned his head, but the world started spinning and he kept his head still.
“Neal?” Peter stopped why didn´t he hear anything? He tried again “Neal!”. Slowly realization set in that he didn´t hear anything. He could feel in his throat that he was shouting, but he didn´t hear it.
He needed to get up and search for Neal.
* * *
When he realized what he was looking at, Neal turned and to his relief Peter was already running. He really thought he was going to make it when the blast of the explosion hit him. He was lifted and he felt a gulf of heat flash over him. And then there was nothing…
He woke because of the pain in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked around confused. He was sitting slumped against a wall. Oh God, the pain ripped through his chest. The dust was still settling so he couldn´t have been unconscious for long. He coughed and stared at the red specks in front of him on his lap. That was not good.
Where was Peter? He needed help. Peter would make sure everything was going to be OK.
He lifted his head but the ringing in his ears wouldn´t stop. He felt something wet dripping from his ears and gingerly lifted a hand to his right ear. When he brought his hand in front of his eyes, he startled from the blood on his fingers.
OK, he needed to focus; Peter was in front of him when he was hit by the explosion. Neal lifted his head again and glanced over the destruction around him. He didn´t see Peter.
“Peter?”
Neal cursed inwardly; the ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing anything. He tried to get up, but he couldn´t pull enough air in his lungs. He started coughing again and pain ripped through his chest.
He must have drifted off, because he woke again when he felt something vibrating in his pocket.
With herculean effort, he got the phone out of his pocked and swiped the green button.
“Hello?”
“Neal?” When Neal didn´t hear anything, he figured, he should say something.
“Hello?” Neal´s vision was swimming. With the use of his voice, the coughing started again. When he caught his breath after a couple of minutes, he remembered the phone again. He saw that however had called him had disconnected the call, but a text had arrived.
HELP IS ON THE WAY, WE ARE TRACKING YOUR ANKLET. DI. Neal had trouble reading the text, but was glad help was on the way.
K he typed back. He felt so tired, he just needed a rest.
He jumped when someone touched his shoulder. Pain shot through and a coughing fit hit him. Someone was rubbing his arm. When he looked up, he saw Peter. His mouth was moving, but he couldn´t hear anything and he couldn´t focus enough to read Peter´s lips. Painstakingly slow, he took his cell and typed.
NO HEAR
Peter nodded upon reading the message and took the phone.
ME NEITHER. R U HURT?
Neal pointed to his chest, Peter would see the blood and would know that he was hurt. He was glad that Peter was here, now he could relax, so he let his eyes close.
But Peter was shaking him again, so he slowly opened his eyes again. But it cost so much energy and he was so tired.
NO SLEEP
Neal nodded slowly, but he was so tired and he hurt so much, if he could only rest, just for a couple of minutes. Afterwards he would help Peter find a way out of here. Just a minute…
* * *
Peter shook Neal, he didn´t want him to fall asleep. You weren´t supposed to let someone with a concussion sleep, were you?
Peter could see that blood had seeped out of Neal´s ears, it was only when he saw the evidence, that he touched his own ears. When he looked at his fingers he noticed blood on them as well. He realized Neal was in no shape to get out of here by himself. He needed to get help. But the crawl to Neal had made Peter aware that something was wrong with his right leg. He had probably sprained it. And his arm hurt so much, it was probably broken, but there was no blood, so that was good, it wasn´t an open fracture.
As Neal didn´t open his eyes, Peter assumed he had fallen asleep or worse, unconscious again.
He pulled all of his strength together and managed to get up, only to have the room spinning around him. It was so bad, he couldn´t figure out which way was up and fell down next to Neal. His stomach lurched unhappily, but he managed to swallow everything down.
If he could just rest, it would be OK. Now that he had his eyes closed and was lying done, he realized how thirsty he was.
* * *
When news of the explosion reached the 21st floor of the FBI-building, Diana had her phone out immediately. She called out to Jones to check Neal´s anklet. When she heard a curse, she knew her hunch was correct and that Peter and Neal were at the explosion site. When Peter didn´t answer his phone, she called Neal. She let out a breath when someone answered the call.
“Hello?” someone croaked.
“Neal?” Diana didn´t like the way Neal slurred his words. Probably a concussion.
“Hello?” Neal didn´t seemed to have heard her. OK, that was understandable as they were in an explosion. When she heard Neal´s wet cough, she knew she needed to hang up the phone. She didn´t want to do it but she had to make sure Neal knew help was in the way.
HELP IS ON THE WAY, WE ARE TRACKING YOUR ANKLET. DI. She pushed the send button.
A couple of minutes later, she received a message back
‘K’ her worry only intensified. Neal always paid attention to correct spelling. If he was using such short cuts, he must be hurt.
When she looked up, Jones was standing next to her, dangling his car keys. She grabbed some essentials and followed Jones to the elevators.
By the time they arrived at the address, Jones and Diana were shocked by the destruction. The building hadn´t been high, but still, the windows of the building and the adjacent ones were blown out.
Search and Rescue were preparing a robot to enter the building to assess the structural damage and to locate any survivors.
“FBI, special agents Jones and Berrigan.” Diana introduced themselves to the officer in charge.
“Frank Palinos, we were informed that you have two missing men and you think they are inside?”
“Yes, they are, we had one of them on the telephone, but he sounded injured, he wasn´t completely tracking.”
“OK, I will send water and some basic medical supplies with the robot.”
Diana could see the robot was equipped with a camera and microphone. However, she never imagined it to move so slow. It made its way through the ground floor, checking every room and space. After what seemed like an eternity, the camera picked up two human shapes. The operator had also seen it and steered the robot towards them.
“Agent Burke, agent Caffrey?” the operator said in the microphone.
Nothing stirred.
“May I?” Diana looked with a glare that wasn´t going to take no for an answer. The operator handed the microphone to her.
“PETER! NEAL!”
When nothing stirred, she asked the operator to drive to Peter in an attempt to nudge him. He was laying between the robot and Neal, who was slumped against a pile of rubble or a wall, so he was easier to reach. When the robot came closer, they could see the blood on both men´s faces.
“I don´t think they can hear us.” Diana explained her observation.
The operator maneuvered the robot until it´s tracks touched Peter in the side and pushed a bit forward. They heard Peter groan.
“Do it again!” Diana commanded.
The second time Peter blinked in confusion at the robot.
The operator let it move again so Peter could see the robot represented help. Diana again called out to Peter, but he didn´t respond to her call. So she took her phone again and called Neal. They could see Peter noticing something in surprise, probably the vibrating phone, and uncovering it. Good, he had the phone, so Diana started typing.
They could see Peter staring at the phone while texts arrived.
WE CAN HEAR YOU. DIANA.
THERE IS H2O IN ROBOT + 1STAID
“Thanks” Peter responded. They could see Peter fumble with the robot and eventually drink from the bottle he had found.
“Neal is not doing so good. He was closer to the blast than I was” Peter said slowly.
The paramedic, who had joined them, asked Diana to text Peter and ask him to try to wake Neal.
TRY TO WAKE NC
Peter shook Neal. When he didn´t get a reaction. Peter rubbed his knuckles over Neal´s sternum and a low moan could be heard.
PETER, IF HE AWAKES, GIVE HIM H2O, the paramedic texted. CAN YOU SEE BLOOD ANYWHERE?
“No, but his chest is black and …” Peters topped abruptly and they could see him pale.
PETER, TALK TO US. HOW ARE YOU?
Peter tried to get up, but wavered and his coordination was off. He started gagging, but nothing came up.
Peter curled up on his side, clutching his arm close to his chest and closed his eyes, moaning and sighing.
“What just happened?” Diana asked the paramedic.
“As far as I can see, he is suffering from a concussion, but there is also something wrong with his right leg and arm. He isn´t moving the leg and he is cradling his arm, so probably fractures. He also doesn´t seem to hear us, so probably they are suffering from damage to their ear drums and resulting problems with their equilibrium. I don´t see any blood, so that is positive.”
While they were talking, engineers were studying the footage and came to the conclusion that with some strutting they would be able to extract both men.
While Diana stayed in the command center, Fire fighters and the Search and Rescue team geared up and started stabilizing the building.
* * *
At some point, Peter woke again and crawled closer towards Neal. Once he was next to Neal, he needed to rest, even if it only had been less than a yard. Again he scraped his knuckles over Neal´s sternum. He could see Neal´s eyes flutter. He gently tapped Neal´s face and then suddenly his eyes opened.
“Welcome back, Neal.” Peter said in a too loud voice, hoping Neal could hear him.
Neal groaned against the pain and closed his eyes again. Peter shook him and he opened them again. Peter could see that were barely focusing on him. He held his thumb up and then pointed at his ears. Neal blinked and then slowly shook his head. The movement made him cough again and he gave Peter a pathetic gaze when he saw the blood droplets in his lap. Peter could see that Neal slowly realized he was injured more severely than he had thought. Peter was just about to give Neal a drink when he felt the cell buzz. He looked at the text reading.
DON’T GIVE NC H2O. JUST WET HIS LIPS. HE HAS INTERNAL INJURIES.
Peter stared between the phone and then nodded at the camera. He fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a clean handkerchief. Thank you, El! He moistened it and dabbed Neal´s lips with it. Neal startled a bit and Peter could see how much effort it took Neal to open them. Neal didn´t say anything but his eyes expressed gratitude.
Peter put his hand on Neal´s shoulder and squeezed before taking the handkerchief away and wetting it again. Neal tried to grab the bottle of water but it was only a weak attempt. Peter locked gaze with Neal and shook his head. Peter saw Neal´s lips form “Please”. His heart cringed, but they told him that Neal could not drink, so he sticking with that. He shook his head again and placed the wet handkerchief against his lips and dabbed. Neal sucked on the handkerchief but soon his eyes started drooping and Neal slumped to his left side before Peter could grab him. Peter also felt tired and lay next to him while falling asleep.
* * *
The Search and Rescue people moved slower than they had anticipating, as the stability of the building was worse than they had expected from the camera shots.
Micha, one of the rescue dogs was placed through a small opening and he made his way to the victims. He started to bark happily when he found the two men. He nuzzled Peter, who started when he felt a wet nose and an even wetter tongue on his face.
“Not now, Satchmo.” Peter said tiredly. It took some time for Peter to recognize that the dog was not Satchmo, but the team could see Peter smile. They could also see he was getting clearer now that he was interacting with the dog.
Micha also licked Neal but he didn´t react at all, which worried the team, normally a wet dog tongue would wake most victims. But they didn´t want to stress Peter about Neal´s condition. They already assessed it as worrisome, medical teams were on standby directly outside the building. They would extract Neal first as his injuries were reason for concern and they didn´t know how long he would be able to hold on.
Diana saw that Peter was fading again and that he was slowly slumping to the side.
Micha had taken the space in between both men.
“Good boy, Micha” the operator praised the dog. The command center was informed that the rescue party was closing in, they could also see it on the monitor when Micha´s head perked up and he started barking at his handler.
Within minutes Diana could see that one of the men called Micha and praised him. The other rescue workers started tending to Peter and Neal. Peter woke during the poking and prodding, Neal didn´t. IV´s were started and both men were strapped to back boards and carried out.
* * *
Peter woke to silence. He blinked a couple of times but the room was dimly lit. he thought it was funny that he didn´t hear anything, no soles of shoes on linoleum, no people talking or carts being pushed, any of the typical hospital sounds.
Something must have alerted the medical staff; because a nurse came in his line of sight, startling Peter. He hadn´t heard her come in.
She held out a sort of white board that stated that he couldn´t hear because of the damage to his ears and that they needed to evaluate, now that he was awake.
Peter squeezed his eyes shut as his head started hurting when he tried to focus on the reading.
He opened them again when someone touched his hand. El. She was smiling but with a sad look in her eyes. He smiled back at her, trying to convey as much confidence as he could muster under the circumstances.
She held up the sign saying LOVE YOU, EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.
“Love you too.”
El bent down and kissed him.
REST, I WILL BE HERE.
“I will.” Peter let his eyes fall shut.
* * *
Neal woke less peaceful. The minute he was brought into the ER, and doctors and nurse started to check him over, he woke with a start. Pain ripped through him when they checked over his ribcage. He tried to breathe through the pain but he couldn´t get enough air and started coughing. In his panic, Neal locked eyes with a nurse. Because he had the feeling that he was choking, he tried to get up in a futile attempt to get air in his longs. Neal was convinced he was dying so he tried to resist the hands that tried to restrain him. But then he felt a warmth spread through him and he was out immediately.
* * *
Peter woke up again lying on his side. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at El. She was smiling at him.
“Hey” Peter was under the impression that he had vaguely heard something.
“Hey Hon.” Yes, he definitely heard something.
El pushed the of nurse call button and after a couple of minutes a nurse came in and smiled.
“Hello agent Burke. I will inform the doctor that you are awake.” She smiled and placed the white board next to Peter´s bed.
Fifteen minutes later, a doctor entered, introducing himself and placed a tablet in Peter´s hands. He started explaining to Peter and El, what examinations would be done, now that Peter was awake and more lucid. He also explained that Peter´s right ankle and knee were sprained and were placed in a brace and that is right arm was broken, hence the cast.
Everything he said showed on his tablet, so Peter could follow the doctor´s explanation. When he was ready, the doctor told Peter to rest and that they would start examinations and testing tomorrow morning.
“How is Neal?”
“Mister Caffrey?”
“Yes, he was behind me in the explosion.”
“He has some internal injuries, which we were able to repair. Some second degree burnings, although nothing permanent. Now rest, tomorrow will be a long day.”
“Can I see him?”
“He is still in the ICU.” When the doctor saw the anxious look in Peter´s eyes, he thought it best to alleviate some of the stress.
“Five minutes, but not more, you both need your rest. And remember, he had broken ribs and a collapsed lung. We placed him on a ventilator to make him more comfortable. He is not in any pain. Remember that, please.”
The doctor had two orderlies come in and push Peter´s bed to the ICU. The doctor didn´t want Peter up yet with the concussion and his compromised equilibrium. The trip over was the worst Peter had ever had the displeasure of having and it took all his will power not to be sick. By the time they arrived at the ICU, Peter was five shades paler. But they had made it and he was slowly wheeled into the room. Peter held his breath when he saw Neal´s still form lying in the bed with all sorts of wires and tubes going in and out of him. A nurse stood on the other side of Neal´s bed and explained Neal´s condition. Peter still had the doctor´s tablet, so he could follow her explanation.
“Has he woken up yet?” he asked.
“Mister Caffrey briefly woke up in the ER on arriving there, but hasn´t woken since the surgery. This is expected and nothing to worry about. He will wake when he is ready.”
“Will he be OK?”
“His lung is healing well and once he is awake, we can take out the ventilator if his breathing is good. The burns will heal and are expected to leave no permanent scarring. And the rest are bumps and bruises which will also heal nicely. His hearing can only be assessed when he is awake, so we will have to wait for that. But we expect him to have some degree of hearing loss.”
“Can I stay with him?”
“I am sorry, you can´t, you need to rest yourself. But I can give you an alert when we see that he is waking up. It is always better to see a familiar face.”
“Thank you, I would like that.”
That said, the two nurses pushed his bed back and this time the dizziness was so bad, Peter just closed his eyes and curled up in a ball in the bed. Once they were back in his room, the nurse pushed some medication against the nausea and a mild sedative and Peter was out like a light.
* * *
The doctor had not exaggerated when he said that the next day would be tiring and stressful.
Peter had x-rays, scans and an MRI taken, he had seen a throat, ear and nose specialist who had performed the standard audio tests, which showed promise, as he heard some of the wavelengths.
He was then placed in a chair and turned out to be able to slowly rotate. It didn´t help his nausea. He was told to count back from three hundred in steps of three. He had to be helped on four different occasions as he lost count. Whoever had invented this contraption, according to Peter they should belong in Guantanamo.
When they finished the test, he was pale, sweating and feeling overall bad. So the doctor suggested they would reschedule the other test to the next day, for which Peter was forever grateful.
He never woke up when El visited him and he slept through everything until someone gently shook him around eight o´clock at night.
He woke up confused and stared at the nurse that was shaking him.
“Agent Burke, you asked to be informed when Mister Caffrey was giving signs of waking up. We think it is time, shall we take you to him?”
“Yes, please… I…”
“It´s OK.” The nurse smiled and called an orderly to assist Peter in a wheelchair.
“I didn´t realize it is this late. Can I have something to eat?”
“No problem, let me see what I can get you.”
Within minutes she entered the room again with yoghurt and two protein shakes. Not exactly what Peter had in mind, but better than nothing.
* * *
Neal woke slowly, he was aware that he had to wake up, because something was wrong, he felt wrong. His surroundings were woozy, but he was warm and lying on something soft. So everything must be fine. There was no annoying beeping, just peaceful bliss. So he let himself fall asleep again.
The next time Neal opened his eyes, his head felt clearer, less woozy, his vision also had improved. Now that he thought about it, he had woken up before. What had happened? He could see he was in a hospital and had been there for some time. His back and buttocks felt numb, like he had been lying on them for too long. And he was thirsty. When he wanted to swallow, he felt there was something stuck in his throat. He opened his eyes in surprise when someone gently shook his hands. Blinking disoriented, he locked eyes with a nurse. She was holding up a white board. Neal did his best to focus so he would be able to read what was on the board.
Finally he could read ‘YOU ARE ON A VENTILATOR. LET IT BREATH FOR YOU.’
He looked around the room trying to relax enough, he could feel the oxygen rushing though the ventilator so he wasn´t going to suffocate any time soon. He felt another hand on his arm, it was bigger and the turned to look at the person attached. Peter. He tried to smile around the tube. Peter said something and Neal tried to lip read, but Peter pointed at the nurse. Neal looked back at her.
YOUR EARS WERE DAMAGED IN AN EXPLOSION. GET SOME REST.
How could he rest? Apparently he was deaf and on a ventilator, he couldn´t even breathe on his own. It must have shown, because Neal saw there was a new message on the board.
PLEASE CALM DOWN. WE WILL ASSESS THE DAMAGE NOW THAT YOU ARE AWAKE.
The nurse smiled and patted his arm reassuringly. She must have pushed something in his IV, because Neal was getting tired and his eyes closed on their own violation.
* * *
Peter looked at the nurse when he saw Neal´s eyes dropping closed. She mouthed “sedative” to him and smiled. He squeezed Neal´s hand asked the nurse when she expected Neal to wake up again.
WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS. I WILL ALERT THE DOCTOR. R U OK?
“I´m fine.”
The orderly was called in and Peter was brought back to his room. Everything was dark and when they passed the nursing station, Peter could see it was almost eleven p.m..
Once the orderly had rearranged Peter in the bed and asked if he needed something to sleep, Peter shook his head and tried to get comfortable. But the dizzy spells that happened whenever he closed his eyes made him rethink his answer. He had a feeling that the room spun around him every once and a while. Sometimes when he had his eyes closed, he needed to hold on to the mattress to assure himself that he wasn´t going to fall off the bed.
Now that he was in his bed, he felt that the mattress was too warm underneath him and it was making him uncomfortable. He started turning, but his sprained ankle and knee weren´t cooperative and he started hurting, so in the end, Peter pushed the call button and waited for the nurse to arrive.
* * *
The next morning, Peter woke when the staff started their rounds and one of the interns came to check his injuries. His hearing had improved a bit more and he heard some of the noises that came with the waking up of the hospital.
When the intern was done, Peter asked if he could see Neal as he was probably also awake. They couldn´t see a problem as long as he used the wheelchair. Once they managed to get him inside without him losing his balance, he was allowed to go alone as long as he promised to stay in it. He never saw or heard that a candy striper was send with him to see if he was OK. Peter wheeled himself to the ICU and found Neal awake in the bed, looking at a doctor who was standing next to his bed. Neal looked miserable. Peter could only imagine not being able to hear or talk.
When he came closer, the doctor looked familiar. Then Peter started laughing, “Hi Mozzie, isn´t it time you leave, they are starting morning rounds, we don´t want anyone misinterpreting your status.”
Mozzie turned around and signed to Peter. Peter looked confused at Mozzie.
“I don´t know ASL.” Peter said.
“I signed, Hi suit.” Mozzie articulated so Peter would be able to understand.
Peter looked at Neal who was attempting to snicker around the tube in his mouth.
“Wait, don´t tell me you know ASL?” Peter could see that Neal was intently looking at his lips.
Neal nodded slowly and with his hand showed that it was so-so.
Unbelievable, he should have known Neal and Mozzie, would know ASL. He felt relieved, when the doctor had left his tablet with him, so he could follow the conversation. OK, the program didn´t work perfectly, especially not when there were a lot of people around, but it was better than nothing. But here were these two conmen who could communicate with each other anyway.
“When is the doctor coming to check if they can remove the tube?”
“Any minute now” Mozzie said.
“Good, I will keep you company.”
Peter could see Mozzie sign, but to his feeling, it was longer than what he had said. His suspicion was correct when he saw Mozzie address him, so he looked at the tablet.
“Take care of him, suit. I will see you later today.”
Mozzie left the room and Peter was at a lost how to communicate to Neal, but then it hit him. He would give the tablet to Neal. Neal wouldn´t be able to communicate anyway with the ventilator in place.
Neal pointed at his cast so Peter assumed he wanted to know about Peter´s injuries, so he started explaining what his injuries were and what they had been testing. When the doctor walked in with a nurse, he stopped. The doctor explained to Neal that he was there to determine whether Neal would be able to breathe on his own. Peter was asked to leave the room. He did so after telling the doctor about the tablet. The doctor assured him he could come back after the examination was done.
Peter wheeled himself to the large window and looked out to the city.
Half an hour later, the nurse came out of the room and caught his attention and explained he could go back in.
Neal was sitting a bit up in bed with his eyes closed and he was pale. Very pale. But the ventilator was gone and there was only a small nasal cannula left. Neal didn´t open his eyes when he came in.
“How is he?”
The doctor handed Peter the tablet and started explaining.
“He is a bit dizzy which didn´t help the nausea he is experiencing from his damaged ear drums. We gave him some medication, so he should be feeling a bit better soon.”
The doctor left and Peter wheeled himself closer to the bed and took Neal´s hand. Neal slowly opened his eyes and stared at Peter. Peter could see when Neal realized who was holding his hand, a small smile showed. He was clearly not feeling well, but hanging in there.
“Hey” Peter waved his hand.
Neal acknowledged his present but kept quiet. A nurse came in and checked Neal´s vitals, feeding him some ice chips and by the time she left the room, Neal was so exhausted, he had fallen asleep again.
Peter dozed some in his wheelchair himself until he woke again because Neal was wriggling in his bed, trying to find a comfortable spot.
A nurse entered and checked Neal´s vitals again and showed a sign that said that he should try to eat something. Two trays were brought in, one with some sandwiches and tea for Peter, one with applesauce and tea for Neal. When Neal looked between his tray and Peter´s, Peter started laughing.
“You will get something more sustainable tomorrow, I guess. I got yoghurt the first time.”
Neal looked at the tablet and nodded, smiling weakly.
“I hope so.” He croaked.
The nurse came back in to clear the trays and warned Peter that he was expected with the specialist for some testing. Peter said goodbye to Neal and promised to come back tonight and wheeled himself to his room.
* * *
Peter´s hearing was improving although very slowly, he had been discharged from the hospital with a wheelchair, walking with crutches when you have a broken arm wasn´t an ideal situation. June had sent him one of Byron´s walking canes. That way he could move about inside the house.
A couple of days later, Neal was also discharged and recuperated at June´s.
Neal´s hearing had been tested several times, but it was too soon to say anything definite, the doctor had warned him that his hearing would stay impaired. He wasn´t completely deaf, but he wouldn´t get his full range back. It was the same warning they had given Peter, as he was already advanced in age and his hearing was already deteriorating, he too would never have his full hearing back, he could hear people talk when it was one or two people, if there was a lot of background noise of several people talking all at once, he couldn´t keep up.
Peter didn´t get cleared for field duty anymore, so decided to accept the SAC position that would keep him in the office. As Neal had sustained his injuries in an active FBI case, it was decided that Neal could stay as Peter´s CI.
Peter was still not accepting his loss of hearing and kept looking for treatments, but did follow up on the offer from the FBI to attend an ASL class together with Neal. Together with Mozzie, the three of them practiced a lot and soon, they could just communicate in silence with each other if they wanted or needed to. They were still able to make a contribution to the closure rate of the department, as partners.
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: None
Characters: Peter, Neal, Diana, Jones, El
Warning: None
Spoilers: none
Rating: G
Genre: hurt/comfort, explosions, aftermath
Author's Notes: This story is written for the ´loss of hearing´ square on my h/c bingo card.
.
Word Count: ~5700
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Neal and Peter are caught in an explosion. The explosion is just a moment, what happens next and how are Peter and Neal dealing with the aftermath?
Story can also be found on AO3.
The explosion had been deafening.
Peter and Neal had started running the moment Neal shouted “Explosives”. Later, Peter couldn´t remember what happened next, but he remembered opening his eyes and staring at the debris around him. It took some time to realize, he was lying on his stomach and that he was staring at some caved in wall. The moment he wanted to get up, pain shot through his arm and head. Not good, the pain in his arm was agonizing, it made his stomach roll and he gagged. Peter realized that he was probably also concussed, which didn´t help his nausea.
What had happened?
Slowly, memories came back. They were running towards the exit. Well, it was fair to assume that they hadn´t made it. His head hurt so much; he just needed a moment to rest, to close his eyes. Yes, that was a good idea, just for a second. Peter let his eyes drift shut.
Neal was a couple of yards in front of him when he suddenly yelled “explosives”. He could see Neal turning around and starting to run, so Peter did the same. He could hear Neal behind him when he was lifted and smashed into something.
Wait? Neal was behind him. Where was he?
Peter woke to a pounding in his head. He felt nauseas and weak and he had been dreaming. And such a weird dream. In his dream Neal and he had been caught in an explosion. He coughed and with it came the pain.
Wait… pain. Peter now realized that he was lying on his stomach, that everything hurt and that it was dead silent. Peter knew he was forgetting something, but he couldn´t remember what.
He closed his eyes again because he was dizzy and getting nauseated again, when suddenly… Neal!
The explosion! It wasn´t a dream, it had happened. Neal had been with him, behind him to be exactly. Peter turned his head, but the world started spinning and he kept his head still.
“Neal?” Peter stopped why didn´t he hear anything? He tried again “Neal!”. Slowly realization set in that he didn´t hear anything. He could feel in his throat that he was shouting, but he didn´t hear it.
He needed to get up and search for Neal.
* * *
When he realized what he was looking at, Neal turned and to his relief Peter was already running. He really thought he was going to make it when the blast of the explosion hit him. He was lifted and he felt a gulf of heat flash over him. And then there was nothing…
He woke because of the pain in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked around confused. He was sitting slumped against a wall. Oh God, the pain ripped through his chest. The dust was still settling so he couldn´t have been unconscious for long. He coughed and stared at the red specks in front of him on his lap. That was not good.
Where was Peter? He needed help. Peter would make sure everything was going to be OK.
He lifted his head but the ringing in his ears wouldn´t stop. He felt something wet dripping from his ears and gingerly lifted a hand to his right ear. When he brought his hand in front of his eyes, he startled from the blood on his fingers.
OK, he needed to focus; Peter was in front of him when he was hit by the explosion. Neal lifted his head again and glanced over the destruction around him. He didn´t see Peter.
“Peter?”
Neal cursed inwardly; the ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing anything. He tried to get up, but he couldn´t pull enough air in his lungs. He started coughing again and pain ripped through his chest.
He must have drifted off, because he woke again when he felt something vibrating in his pocket.
With herculean effort, he got the phone out of his pocked and swiped the green button.
“Hello?”
“Neal?” When Neal didn´t hear anything, he figured, he should say something.
“Hello?” Neal´s vision was swimming. With the use of his voice, the coughing started again. When he caught his breath after a couple of minutes, he remembered the phone again. He saw that however had called him had disconnected the call, but a text had arrived.
HELP IS ON THE WAY, WE ARE TRACKING YOUR ANKLET. DI. Neal had trouble reading the text, but was glad help was on the way.
K he typed back. He felt so tired, he just needed a rest.
He jumped when someone touched his shoulder. Pain shot through and a coughing fit hit him. Someone was rubbing his arm. When he looked up, he saw Peter. His mouth was moving, but he couldn´t hear anything and he couldn´t focus enough to read Peter´s lips. Painstakingly slow, he took his cell and typed.
NO HEAR
Peter nodded upon reading the message and took the phone.
ME NEITHER. R U HURT?
Neal pointed to his chest, Peter would see the blood and would know that he was hurt. He was glad that Peter was here, now he could relax, so he let his eyes close.
But Peter was shaking him again, so he slowly opened his eyes again. But it cost so much energy and he was so tired.
NO SLEEP
Neal nodded slowly, but he was so tired and he hurt so much, if he could only rest, just for a couple of minutes. Afterwards he would help Peter find a way out of here. Just a minute…
* * *
Peter shook Neal, he didn´t want him to fall asleep. You weren´t supposed to let someone with a concussion sleep, were you?
Peter could see that blood had seeped out of Neal´s ears, it was only when he saw the evidence, that he touched his own ears. When he looked at his fingers he noticed blood on them as well. He realized Neal was in no shape to get out of here by himself. He needed to get help. But the crawl to Neal had made Peter aware that something was wrong with his right leg. He had probably sprained it. And his arm hurt so much, it was probably broken, but there was no blood, so that was good, it wasn´t an open fracture.
As Neal didn´t open his eyes, Peter assumed he had fallen asleep or worse, unconscious again.
He pulled all of his strength together and managed to get up, only to have the room spinning around him. It was so bad, he couldn´t figure out which way was up and fell down next to Neal. His stomach lurched unhappily, but he managed to swallow everything down.
If he could just rest, it would be OK. Now that he had his eyes closed and was lying done, he realized how thirsty he was.
* * *
When news of the explosion reached the 21st floor of the FBI-building, Diana had her phone out immediately. She called out to Jones to check Neal´s anklet. When she heard a curse, she knew her hunch was correct and that Peter and Neal were at the explosion site. When Peter didn´t answer his phone, she called Neal. She let out a breath when someone answered the call.
“Hello?” someone croaked.
“Neal?” Diana didn´t like the way Neal slurred his words. Probably a concussion.
“Hello?” Neal didn´t seemed to have heard her. OK, that was understandable as they were in an explosion. When she heard Neal´s wet cough, she knew she needed to hang up the phone. She didn´t want to do it but she had to make sure Neal knew help was in the way.
HELP IS ON THE WAY, WE ARE TRACKING YOUR ANKLET. DI. She pushed the send button.
A couple of minutes later, she received a message back
‘K’ her worry only intensified. Neal always paid attention to correct spelling. If he was using such short cuts, he must be hurt.
When she looked up, Jones was standing next to her, dangling his car keys. She grabbed some essentials and followed Jones to the elevators.
By the time they arrived at the address, Jones and Diana were shocked by the destruction. The building hadn´t been high, but still, the windows of the building and the adjacent ones were blown out.
Search and Rescue were preparing a robot to enter the building to assess the structural damage and to locate any survivors.
“FBI, special agents Jones and Berrigan.” Diana introduced themselves to the officer in charge.
“Frank Palinos, we were informed that you have two missing men and you think they are inside?”
“Yes, they are, we had one of them on the telephone, but he sounded injured, he wasn´t completely tracking.”
“OK, I will send water and some basic medical supplies with the robot.”
Diana could see the robot was equipped with a camera and microphone. However, she never imagined it to move so slow. It made its way through the ground floor, checking every room and space. After what seemed like an eternity, the camera picked up two human shapes. The operator had also seen it and steered the robot towards them.
“Agent Burke, agent Caffrey?” the operator said in the microphone.
Nothing stirred.
“May I?” Diana looked with a glare that wasn´t going to take no for an answer. The operator handed the microphone to her.
“PETER! NEAL!”
When nothing stirred, she asked the operator to drive to Peter in an attempt to nudge him. He was laying between the robot and Neal, who was slumped against a pile of rubble or a wall, so he was easier to reach. When the robot came closer, they could see the blood on both men´s faces.
“I don´t think they can hear us.” Diana explained her observation.
The operator maneuvered the robot until it´s tracks touched Peter in the side and pushed a bit forward. They heard Peter groan.
“Do it again!” Diana commanded.
The second time Peter blinked in confusion at the robot.
The operator let it move again so Peter could see the robot represented help. Diana again called out to Peter, but he didn´t respond to her call. So she took her phone again and called Neal. They could see Peter noticing something in surprise, probably the vibrating phone, and uncovering it. Good, he had the phone, so Diana started typing.
They could see Peter staring at the phone while texts arrived.
WE CAN HEAR YOU. DIANA.
THERE IS H2O IN ROBOT + 1STAID
“Thanks” Peter responded. They could see Peter fumble with the robot and eventually drink from the bottle he had found.
“Neal is not doing so good. He was closer to the blast than I was” Peter said slowly.
The paramedic, who had joined them, asked Diana to text Peter and ask him to try to wake Neal.
TRY TO WAKE NC
Peter shook Neal. When he didn´t get a reaction. Peter rubbed his knuckles over Neal´s sternum and a low moan could be heard.
PETER, IF HE AWAKES, GIVE HIM H2O, the paramedic texted. CAN YOU SEE BLOOD ANYWHERE?
“No, but his chest is black and …” Peters topped abruptly and they could see him pale.
PETER, TALK TO US. HOW ARE YOU?
Peter tried to get up, but wavered and his coordination was off. He started gagging, but nothing came up.
Peter curled up on his side, clutching his arm close to his chest and closed his eyes, moaning and sighing.
“What just happened?” Diana asked the paramedic.
“As far as I can see, he is suffering from a concussion, but there is also something wrong with his right leg and arm. He isn´t moving the leg and he is cradling his arm, so probably fractures. He also doesn´t seem to hear us, so probably they are suffering from damage to their ear drums and resulting problems with their equilibrium. I don´t see any blood, so that is positive.”
While they were talking, engineers were studying the footage and came to the conclusion that with some strutting they would be able to extract both men.
While Diana stayed in the command center, Fire fighters and the Search and Rescue team geared up and started stabilizing the building.
* * *
At some point, Peter woke again and crawled closer towards Neal. Once he was next to Neal, he needed to rest, even if it only had been less than a yard. Again he scraped his knuckles over Neal´s sternum. He could see Neal´s eyes flutter. He gently tapped Neal´s face and then suddenly his eyes opened.
“Welcome back, Neal.” Peter said in a too loud voice, hoping Neal could hear him.
Neal groaned against the pain and closed his eyes again. Peter shook him and he opened them again. Peter could see that were barely focusing on him. He held his thumb up and then pointed at his ears. Neal blinked and then slowly shook his head. The movement made him cough again and he gave Peter a pathetic gaze when he saw the blood droplets in his lap. Peter could see that Neal slowly realized he was injured more severely than he had thought. Peter was just about to give Neal a drink when he felt the cell buzz. He looked at the text reading.
DON’T GIVE NC H2O. JUST WET HIS LIPS. HE HAS INTERNAL INJURIES.
Peter stared between the phone and then nodded at the camera. He fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a clean handkerchief. Thank you, El! He moistened it and dabbed Neal´s lips with it. Neal startled a bit and Peter could see how much effort it took Neal to open them. Neal didn´t say anything but his eyes expressed gratitude.
Peter put his hand on Neal´s shoulder and squeezed before taking the handkerchief away and wetting it again. Neal tried to grab the bottle of water but it was only a weak attempt. Peter locked gaze with Neal and shook his head. Peter saw Neal´s lips form “Please”. His heart cringed, but they told him that Neal could not drink, so he sticking with that. He shook his head again and placed the wet handkerchief against his lips and dabbed. Neal sucked on the handkerchief but soon his eyes started drooping and Neal slumped to his left side before Peter could grab him. Peter also felt tired and lay next to him while falling asleep.
* * *
The Search and Rescue people moved slower than they had anticipating, as the stability of the building was worse than they had expected from the camera shots.
Micha, one of the rescue dogs was placed through a small opening and he made his way to the victims. He started to bark happily when he found the two men. He nuzzled Peter, who started when he felt a wet nose and an even wetter tongue on his face.
“Not now, Satchmo.” Peter said tiredly. It took some time for Peter to recognize that the dog was not Satchmo, but the team could see Peter smile. They could also see he was getting clearer now that he was interacting with the dog.
Micha also licked Neal but he didn´t react at all, which worried the team, normally a wet dog tongue would wake most victims. But they didn´t want to stress Peter about Neal´s condition. They already assessed it as worrisome, medical teams were on standby directly outside the building. They would extract Neal first as his injuries were reason for concern and they didn´t know how long he would be able to hold on.
Diana saw that Peter was fading again and that he was slowly slumping to the side.
Micha had taken the space in between both men.
“Good boy, Micha” the operator praised the dog. The command center was informed that the rescue party was closing in, they could also see it on the monitor when Micha´s head perked up and he started barking at his handler.
Within minutes Diana could see that one of the men called Micha and praised him. The other rescue workers started tending to Peter and Neal. Peter woke during the poking and prodding, Neal didn´t. IV´s were started and both men were strapped to back boards and carried out.
* * *
Peter woke to silence. He blinked a couple of times but the room was dimly lit. he thought it was funny that he didn´t hear anything, no soles of shoes on linoleum, no people talking or carts being pushed, any of the typical hospital sounds.
Something must have alerted the medical staff; because a nurse came in his line of sight, startling Peter. He hadn´t heard her come in.
She held out a sort of white board that stated that he couldn´t hear because of the damage to his ears and that they needed to evaluate, now that he was awake.
Peter squeezed his eyes shut as his head started hurting when he tried to focus on the reading.
He opened them again when someone touched his hand. El. She was smiling but with a sad look in her eyes. He smiled back at her, trying to convey as much confidence as he could muster under the circumstances.
She held up the sign saying LOVE YOU, EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.
“Love you too.”
El bent down and kissed him.
REST, I WILL BE HERE.
“I will.” Peter let his eyes fall shut.
* * *
Neal woke less peaceful. The minute he was brought into the ER, and doctors and nurse started to check him over, he woke with a start. Pain ripped through him when they checked over his ribcage. He tried to breathe through the pain but he couldn´t get enough air and started coughing. In his panic, Neal locked eyes with a nurse. Because he had the feeling that he was choking, he tried to get up in a futile attempt to get air in his longs. Neal was convinced he was dying so he tried to resist the hands that tried to restrain him. But then he felt a warmth spread through him and he was out immediately.
* * *
Peter woke up again lying on his side. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at El. She was smiling at him.
“Hey” Peter was under the impression that he had vaguely heard something.
“Hey Hon.” Yes, he definitely heard something.
El pushed the of nurse call button and after a couple of minutes a nurse came in and smiled.
“Hello agent Burke. I will inform the doctor that you are awake.” She smiled and placed the white board next to Peter´s bed.
Fifteen minutes later, a doctor entered, introducing himself and placed a tablet in Peter´s hands. He started explaining to Peter and El, what examinations would be done, now that Peter was awake and more lucid. He also explained that Peter´s right ankle and knee were sprained and were placed in a brace and that is right arm was broken, hence the cast.
Everything he said showed on his tablet, so Peter could follow the doctor´s explanation. When he was ready, the doctor told Peter to rest and that they would start examinations and testing tomorrow morning.
“How is Neal?”
“Mister Caffrey?”
“Yes, he was behind me in the explosion.”
“He has some internal injuries, which we were able to repair. Some second degree burnings, although nothing permanent. Now rest, tomorrow will be a long day.”
“Can I see him?”
“He is still in the ICU.” When the doctor saw the anxious look in Peter´s eyes, he thought it best to alleviate some of the stress.
“Five minutes, but not more, you both need your rest. And remember, he had broken ribs and a collapsed lung. We placed him on a ventilator to make him more comfortable. He is not in any pain. Remember that, please.”
The doctor had two orderlies come in and push Peter´s bed to the ICU. The doctor didn´t want Peter up yet with the concussion and his compromised equilibrium. The trip over was the worst Peter had ever had the displeasure of having and it took all his will power not to be sick. By the time they arrived at the ICU, Peter was five shades paler. But they had made it and he was slowly wheeled into the room. Peter held his breath when he saw Neal´s still form lying in the bed with all sorts of wires and tubes going in and out of him. A nurse stood on the other side of Neal´s bed and explained Neal´s condition. Peter still had the doctor´s tablet, so he could follow her explanation.
“Has he woken up yet?” he asked.
“Mister Caffrey briefly woke up in the ER on arriving there, but hasn´t woken since the surgery. This is expected and nothing to worry about. He will wake when he is ready.”
“Will he be OK?”
“His lung is healing well and once he is awake, we can take out the ventilator if his breathing is good. The burns will heal and are expected to leave no permanent scarring. And the rest are bumps and bruises which will also heal nicely. His hearing can only be assessed when he is awake, so we will have to wait for that. But we expect him to have some degree of hearing loss.”
“Can I stay with him?”
“I am sorry, you can´t, you need to rest yourself. But I can give you an alert when we see that he is waking up. It is always better to see a familiar face.”
“Thank you, I would like that.”
That said, the two nurses pushed his bed back and this time the dizziness was so bad, Peter just closed his eyes and curled up in a ball in the bed. Once they were back in his room, the nurse pushed some medication against the nausea and a mild sedative and Peter was out like a light.
* * *
The doctor had not exaggerated when he said that the next day would be tiring and stressful.
Peter had x-rays, scans and an MRI taken, he had seen a throat, ear and nose specialist who had performed the standard audio tests, which showed promise, as he heard some of the wavelengths.
He was then placed in a chair and turned out to be able to slowly rotate. It didn´t help his nausea. He was told to count back from three hundred in steps of three. He had to be helped on four different occasions as he lost count. Whoever had invented this contraption, according to Peter they should belong in Guantanamo.
When they finished the test, he was pale, sweating and feeling overall bad. So the doctor suggested they would reschedule the other test to the next day, for which Peter was forever grateful.
He never woke up when El visited him and he slept through everything until someone gently shook him around eight o´clock at night.
He woke up confused and stared at the nurse that was shaking him.
“Agent Burke, you asked to be informed when Mister Caffrey was giving signs of waking up. We think it is time, shall we take you to him?”
“Yes, please… I…”
“It´s OK.” The nurse smiled and called an orderly to assist Peter in a wheelchair.
“I didn´t realize it is this late. Can I have something to eat?”
“No problem, let me see what I can get you.”
Within minutes she entered the room again with yoghurt and two protein shakes. Not exactly what Peter had in mind, but better than nothing.
* * *
Neal woke slowly, he was aware that he had to wake up, because something was wrong, he felt wrong. His surroundings were woozy, but he was warm and lying on something soft. So everything must be fine. There was no annoying beeping, just peaceful bliss. So he let himself fall asleep again.
The next time Neal opened his eyes, his head felt clearer, less woozy, his vision also had improved. Now that he thought about it, he had woken up before. What had happened? He could see he was in a hospital and had been there for some time. His back and buttocks felt numb, like he had been lying on them for too long. And he was thirsty. When he wanted to swallow, he felt there was something stuck in his throat. He opened his eyes in surprise when someone gently shook his hands. Blinking disoriented, he locked eyes with a nurse. She was holding up a white board. Neal did his best to focus so he would be able to read what was on the board.
Finally he could read ‘YOU ARE ON A VENTILATOR. LET IT BREATH FOR YOU.’
He looked around the room trying to relax enough, he could feel the oxygen rushing though the ventilator so he wasn´t going to suffocate any time soon. He felt another hand on his arm, it was bigger and the turned to look at the person attached. Peter. He tried to smile around the tube. Peter said something and Neal tried to lip read, but Peter pointed at the nurse. Neal looked back at her.
YOUR EARS WERE DAMAGED IN AN EXPLOSION. GET SOME REST.
How could he rest? Apparently he was deaf and on a ventilator, he couldn´t even breathe on his own. It must have shown, because Neal saw there was a new message on the board.
PLEASE CALM DOWN. WE WILL ASSESS THE DAMAGE NOW THAT YOU ARE AWAKE.
The nurse smiled and patted his arm reassuringly. She must have pushed something in his IV, because Neal was getting tired and his eyes closed on their own violation.
* * *
Peter looked at the nurse when he saw Neal´s eyes dropping closed. She mouthed “sedative” to him and smiled. He squeezed Neal´s hand asked the nurse when she expected Neal to wake up again.
WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS. I WILL ALERT THE DOCTOR. R U OK?
“I´m fine.”
The orderly was called in and Peter was brought back to his room. Everything was dark and when they passed the nursing station, Peter could see it was almost eleven p.m..
Once the orderly had rearranged Peter in the bed and asked if he needed something to sleep, Peter shook his head and tried to get comfortable. But the dizzy spells that happened whenever he closed his eyes made him rethink his answer. He had a feeling that the room spun around him every once and a while. Sometimes when he had his eyes closed, he needed to hold on to the mattress to assure himself that he wasn´t going to fall off the bed.
Now that he was in his bed, he felt that the mattress was too warm underneath him and it was making him uncomfortable. He started turning, but his sprained ankle and knee weren´t cooperative and he started hurting, so in the end, Peter pushed the call button and waited for the nurse to arrive.
* * *
The next morning, Peter woke when the staff started their rounds and one of the interns came to check his injuries. His hearing had improved a bit more and he heard some of the noises that came with the waking up of the hospital.
When the intern was done, Peter asked if he could see Neal as he was probably also awake. They couldn´t see a problem as long as he used the wheelchair. Once they managed to get him inside without him losing his balance, he was allowed to go alone as long as he promised to stay in it. He never saw or heard that a candy striper was send with him to see if he was OK. Peter wheeled himself to the ICU and found Neal awake in the bed, looking at a doctor who was standing next to his bed. Neal looked miserable. Peter could only imagine not being able to hear or talk.
When he came closer, the doctor looked familiar. Then Peter started laughing, “Hi Mozzie, isn´t it time you leave, they are starting morning rounds, we don´t want anyone misinterpreting your status.”
Mozzie turned around and signed to Peter. Peter looked confused at Mozzie.
“I don´t know ASL.” Peter said.
“I signed, Hi suit.” Mozzie articulated so Peter would be able to understand.
Peter looked at Neal who was attempting to snicker around the tube in his mouth.
“Wait, don´t tell me you know ASL?” Peter could see that Neal was intently looking at his lips.
Neal nodded slowly and with his hand showed that it was so-so.
Unbelievable, he should have known Neal and Mozzie, would know ASL. He felt relieved, when the doctor had left his tablet with him, so he could follow the conversation. OK, the program didn´t work perfectly, especially not when there were a lot of people around, but it was better than nothing. But here were these two conmen who could communicate with each other anyway.
“When is the doctor coming to check if they can remove the tube?”
“Any minute now” Mozzie said.
“Good, I will keep you company.”
Peter could see Mozzie sign, but to his feeling, it was longer than what he had said. His suspicion was correct when he saw Mozzie address him, so he looked at the tablet.
“Take care of him, suit. I will see you later today.”
Mozzie left the room and Peter was at a lost how to communicate to Neal, but then it hit him. He would give the tablet to Neal. Neal wouldn´t be able to communicate anyway with the ventilator in place.
Neal pointed at his cast so Peter assumed he wanted to know about Peter´s injuries, so he started explaining what his injuries were and what they had been testing. When the doctor walked in with a nurse, he stopped. The doctor explained to Neal that he was there to determine whether Neal would be able to breathe on his own. Peter was asked to leave the room. He did so after telling the doctor about the tablet. The doctor assured him he could come back after the examination was done.
Peter wheeled himself to the large window and looked out to the city.
Half an hour later, the nurse came out of the room and caught his attention and explained he could go back in.
Neal was sitting a bit up in bed with his eyes closed and he was pale. Very pale. But the ventilator was gone and there was only a small nasal cannula left. Neal didn´t open his eyes when he came in.
“How is he?”
The doctor handed Peter the tablet and started explaining.
“He is a bit dizzy which didn´t help the nausea he is experiencing from his damaged ear drums. We gave him some medication, so he should be feeling a bit better soon.”
The doctor left and Peter wheeled himself closer to the bed and took Neal´s hand. Neal slowly opened his eyes and stared at Peter. Peter could see when Neal realized who was holding his hand, a small smile showed. He was clearly not feeling well, but hanging in there.
“Hey” Peter waved his hand.
Neal acknowledged his present but kept quiet. A nurse came in and checked Neal´s vitals, feeding him some ice chips and by the time she left the room, Neal was so exhausted, he had fallen asleep again.
Peter dozed some in his wheelchair himself until he woke again because Neal was wriggling in his bed, trying to find a comfortable spot.
A nurse entered and checked Neal´s vitals again and showed a sign that said that he should try to eat something. Two trays were brought in, one with some sandwiches and tea for Peter, one with applesauce and tea for Neal. When Neal looked between his tray and Peter´s, Peter started laughing.
“You will get something more sustainable tomorrow, I guess. I got yoghurt the first time.”
Neal looked at the tablet and nodded, smiling weakly.
“I hope so.” He croaked.
The nurse came back in to clear the trays and warned Peter that he was expected with the specialist for some testing. Peter said goodbye to Neal and promised to come back tonight and wheeled himself to his room.
* * *
Peter´s hearing was improving although very slowly, he had been discharged from the hospital with a wheelchair, walking with crutches when you have a broken arm wasn´t an ideal situation. June had sent him one of Byron´s walking canes. That way he could move about inside the house.
A couple of days later, Neal was also discharged and recuperated at June´s.
Neal´s hearing had been tested several times, but it was too soon to say anything definite, the doctor had warned him that his hearing would stay impaired. He wasn´t completely deaf, but he wouldn´t get his full range back. It was the same warning they had given Peter, as he was already advanced in age and his hearing was already deteriorating, he too would never have his full hearing back, he could hear people talk when it was one or two people, if there was a lot of background noise of several people talking all at once, he couldn´t keep up.
Peter didn´t get cleared for field duty anymore, so decided to accept the SAC position that would keep him in the office. As Neal had sustained his injuries in an active FBI case, it was decided that Neal could stay as Peter´s CI.
Peter was still not accepting his loss of hearing and kept looking for treatments, but did follow up on the offer from the FBI to attend an ASL class together with Neal. Together with Mozzie, the three of them practiced a lot and soon, they could just communicate in silence with each other if they wanted or needed to. They were still able to make a contribution to the closure rate of the department, as partners.