Chapter Text
At the sound of the sirens drawing closer, Neal seemed to stir a bit. “You'll be alright, kid. Just hold on.” Peter mumbled reassuringly more to himself than his unconscious CI.
The ambulance stopped right next to them and everything happened in a quick haze to Peter. Neal was assessed and strapped to a gurney, slack as a rag-doll.
After climbing into the back, the young man seemed even paler to Peter. With his disheveled hair and blood and dirt covering his torn suit, he looked like a horror-movie character, his ordeal all too visible. This should never have happened.
The paramedics were cutting away Neal's suit, revealing the true extent of his injuries and shouting medical terms at each other, while they hooked him up on oxygen and fluids.
Peter hadn't noticed that he was lost in thought, when the ambulance stopped and he was shepherd through the emergency entrance, through a hall and to a separate cubicle in a row of curtains. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Neal's gurney being wheeled away around a corner.
“Mr Burke, I'm your doctor, can you sit down so I can take a look at your injuries?”
Out of nowhere, it seemed, a young doctor was standing in front of him. “Sure. I... Look, my friend Neal was with me. Can I get an update as soon as you have worked on him? I really need to know how he is.”
“Sure, don't worry. He's being treated right now, but as soon as I can get information on his status, I'll come find you. Now, shall we take a look?”
Peter had been dozing for what seemed like hours in his curtained cubicle.
El was sitting in a chair next to him, reading a magazine. He had called her as soon as they were done treating him.
After it was clear, he had obtained some bruised ribs and a mild concussion, they had put him on painkillers and he tried to relax, now pain-free, but his mind was going in circles. Evolving around Neal.
“Mr Burke?” His doctor stepped through the light-blue curtains, which had kept reminding him of Neal's eyes.
“I have news about your friend who came in with you.” Peter perked up, El practically threw her reading aside and looked at the man wide-eyed.
“He will make a full recovery and is now in another cubicle just a few rows down, you can go see him, if you like. Peter, we will discharge you today but we'd like to keep Mr Caffrey for at least two nights to monitor his condition. He has a broken collarbone which we set as best we could, he has two broken ribs, a concussion and a deep puncture wound in his shoulder, which we had to treat. He should wake up soon, so maybe you'd like to sit with him.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Relief washed through him and he could see El's chin quiver for a second, before she regained control and smiled at him. God, how glad he was he had her by his side through better, through worse.
The thought of leaving Neal here for the night didn't sit well with Peter as he looked at his sleeping friend. He had been cleaned and bandages were visible underneath his thin hospital gown. A nasal cannula was providing oxygen and he looked so god damn young.
El was holding Neal's limp hand and stroked his hair away from his forehead, her gaze lost and forlorn in the young man's features.
“He'll be okay, hun.”
“I hope so, Peter. Can we take him home once he is ready in two days? June's away for the week and I'd like to make sure that he's not alone and properly taken care of.”
“Of course, hun. He'll be insufferable.” Peter huffed a laugh and smiled to himself. “And I'm looking forward to it.” He grinned at her. Because it would mean that Neal was okay.
Suddenly, Neal gave a small squeak, his lips parted and his fingers curled around El's.
“Neal?”