Chapter Text
Neal was dozing off on his chair with an unfinished origami in his hands. The soft snores from the CI caused Jones and Diana to look at the man with confusion and amusement before letting it slide and continued with their work. Peter noticed the shift of attention of his team to their Criminal Informant and decided to look at his partner worriedly. The division of the bullpen didn’t give Peter a clear view of Neal as Neal started to slip out of the way of his chair. As soon as Neal’s knees touch the floor, he stands up vigilantly and looked around; dropping the unfinished origami to the floor.
“Tired, Caffrey?” Diana joked as she walked past by the Criminal Informant with stacks of folders in her arms, “didn’t get to have the beauty sleep you often mentioned?”
Neal looked at Diana confusingly for a second before giving his trademark smile. “You could say, I was busy up all night.”
“Something or was it someone kept you up all night?” Jones chips in, behind Diana with a folder in his hand.
“Something like that.” Neal cheekily said with his infamous smirk before the three continue on their work throughout the day. Peter decided to brush off the slacking of his partner for now.
A few days later, Neal was dozing off in the break room with a hot cup of coffee in his hands. His back was leaning on the wall and his head was slightly nodding off. Peter was about to get some cheap coffee in the break room since he can’t find Neal at his desk to get some good coffee nearby when he saw the man he was looking for standing near the coffee machine with a hot cup of coffee in his hands and nodding off. Peter was about to call out Neal when Neal snapped up his head and almost dropped his coffee in the process.
“Are you getting enough sleep, Caffrey?” Peter asked as he grabs himself a hot cup of coffee beside his associate.
“Yup,” Neal collected himself and rubbed his eyes, “just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
Neal rolled his shoulders for a bit and walked out of the room. Peter eyed his colleague out of the room worriedly before sipping the coffee in his hands and immediately spitting the scalding liquid to the cup.
A day later, Neal was seen sleeping on top of a photocopy machine with his hands serving as a pillow. The plain color of his sleeves and a side of his face was being photocopied a few times to shades of black and white already. The agents nearby the photocopy machine immediately called the attention of Peter of the dozing CI. Peter immediately went to his partner's side and shook him awake. However, the CI continued to sleep peacefully on top of the photocopy machine. Peter decided to call Diana and Jones to help him get the CI awake after a few more attempts to wake Neal up. Diana was about to shake the shoulder Neal when the CI open his eyes slowly and let out a huge yawn.
“Oh, you guys are here, what’s going on?” Neal asked the three agents in front of him.
“You were sleeping in the photocopy machine, Neal,” Peter said.
“You also took yourself a side photo with it,” Jones jokingly said as he show Neal the photocopy of Neal’s side profile and arms, “this could replace your other mug shots.”
Neal chuckled and grabbed the photo to his hands. “Don’t I look awesome here? It could replace some of my mug shots.”
“Just get back to work, Neal.” Peter exasperated said as he pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Aye, aye, Captain”
The next day, Neal was seen sleeping in one of the conference rooms. Peter just finished his debriefing on the recent case they will try to investigate with Neal going undercover to a nearby restaurant of the presumed location of their target. However, the designated undercover was dozing off for more than half of the debriefing with his head supported by his hand that was prompt on the table. Peter exhaled loudly before clearing his throat purposely. At the sound of the action, Neal was jolted awake with bleary eyes staring at Peter.
“Wah?” Neal tried to make out of the image of a tired and disgruntled Peter in front of him.
“You are dozing off again, Neal,” Peter sounded a bit fed up with how frequent Neal is sleeping, “this is unbecoming of you. What are you doing at night?”
“Just painting around and talking to Mozzie,” Neal dismissed the underlying accusation of the FBI agent, “There is nothing to worry about.”
“This is getting frequent, Neal,” Peter said, “I don’t mind you talking to Mozzie or anything that you are doing in your place, just fix your sleep schedule and try not to doze off in the office.”
“No promises!” Neal flashed a cheeky smile at Peter.
“Neal!”
Later that day, Neal was seen sleeping once again on his desk with a pen in his hand; that was supposed to write something on the paper but it turned to scribbles at the end of the sentence. Diana saw the dozing CI and tried to wake him up. After a few shakes and some loud calling, Neal woke up from his sleep with some slurring words coming out of his mouth.
“Neal,” Diana called out once again, “You are sleeping while working again.”
“Wah?” Neal snapped up his head to Diana and looked around.
“Collect yourself,” Diana said, “you will get in trouble by sleeping in the office again.”
“Yes, Ma’am”
Days passed, Neal would often sleep at his desk and sometimes in the breakroom. There are instances that the CI would scare some of the agents or working people in the elevator by sleeping by the corner standing straight up like some ghost. The frequent slumbering of the CI caused Peter, Jones, and Diana to be worried for the man. In one of the sleeping episodes of Neal in the office, Peter decided to call a doctor for the man and requested an appointment. Neal was adamant to go the doctor and requested to go to one of the doctors he knew. A few talks and sleeping episodes happened before Peter decided to give the doctor Neal knows a chance. Neal immediately contacted the doctor he know and booked an appointment the next day; which Peter sighed in relief. Upon entering the small medical facility outside Neal’s radius, a woman with a sharp look glared at Neal.
“You, young man, must know that your narcolepsy medication is wearing out yet you still refuse to seek the medical help you need?” The woman reprimanded Neal, “You, your adoptive father, and your siblings must know by now to get the medical attention you all need as soon as possible.”
Neal stayed silent and obediently sat down on a plastic chair across the woman behind the desk and gave an orange bottle to the woman. Peter stayed closed to Neal with a surprised look as he watch the two converse and talk about narcolepsy and has to suffer at least a week without his medication due to the side effects that may happen without proper observation.
“Excuse my manners, you must be?” The woman asked Peter.
“Peter Burke, ma’am,” Peter formally said, “I am Neal’s handler.”
The woman eyed briefly at Neal before shifting her attention back to Peter. “Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Neal’s personal and family doctor.”
Peter extended his hand out to the woman and they both briefly shake hands and before Dr. Leslie offer a seat beside Neal. “Jason, you should well know by now that you must come to me once the medication is wearing off.”
“But I-”
“No,” Dr. Leslie interjected, “you are now under observation, without at least one week of your medication, and be monitored of the frequency and duration of your episodes, as well as preventing you from any unwanted accidents during your episodes. I believe I can trust you Mr. Burke on this?”
“I will be monitoring and observing Neal’s episodes for the time being,” Peter said.
“Good,” Dr. Leslie smiled at Peter before scowling at Neal once again, “I will call your father and sibling to take a few shifts and watch over you with Mr. Burke here as we observe the proper dosage of your new narcoleptic medications.”