Work Text:
Special Agent Rice swept onto the scene. Two younger agents were huddled by the monitor, watching as they waited for the kidnapper's representative to show. Something about this case hadn't been sitting right with her, and when she had requested an update she had gotten only a cursory response.
She leaned over their shoulders. She frowned. She didn't recognize the negotiator from the back, "who did you send in?"
The junior agent on the left looked up at her, "well, we couldn't guarantee the negotiator's safety, so we borrowed that fast talker CI from White Collar. That way we don't have to be too sad if it goes sideways."
Rice's gut dropped. She had made a similar call once and it still hung heavy on her shoulders. But she hadn't made it with such cold disregard for his life.
"Shut it down. Call him back."
They looked up at her in confusion.
"Shut it down, now!"
They scrambled to do so, getting on the radio. She saw Caffrey turn and put his hand to his ear. He started walking back towards the entrance.
Suddenly someone else appeared on camera, coming out of a side door. They slammed Caffrey with a pipe across the back, and he hit the floor.
Rice grabbed the two junior agents and started shoving them forward at a run to the meeting place. Rice broke down the door and held her gun up. The man who had taken an investment banker hostage had his foot on Caffrey, he was holding the pipe raised, for another whack.
"Pipe down, or I put five in your chest."
The man dropped the pipe, on Caffrey.
"Take him in," said Rice to the junior agents.
She knelt on the concrete beside Caffrey. He turned his head to look up at her, whimpering as he moved.
"Stay still. I'm gonna call an ambulance."
"Why are…you here? This isn't…your case…" he mumbled into the floor, struggling to keep speaking.
"It isn't. Or this wouldn't have gone down like this. I'm sorry."
He nodded slightly, and then gasped in pain.
Rice called dispatch for medics. Neal tried to get up, she put her hands on his shoulders, "stay still, Neal."
He shook his head, and struggled onto his hands and knees, "there's still a hostage…"
Rice shook her head, "that's not your problem."
He attempted to get to his feet, but collapsed back onto the floor, groaning and clutching his ribs. Rice took her coat off and bundled it up, putting it under his head. She put her hand on him, physically keeping him from trying to sit up, "Stop it, Caffrey."
He looked up at her, panting, "look, if they only value me as a tool in their belt…I have to be a useful one. Otherwise I'm done…"
She winced, when he used her own words to make his point.
"I was wrong, Caffrey. I was wrong, and these agents were even worse. I don't know if we will get this guy back. But I know for damn sure we won't do it by sacrificing you. Your life is worth just as much as his."
Caffrey relaxed a little bit. He slowly rolled onto his back. Rice patted his chest.
"Okay? Now just stay still until the ambulance gets here. Do you want me to call Burke?"
He nodded. He closed his eyes, setting his jaw against the pain he was in. Rice took out her phone and called Burke. She explained what had happened, and where they were.
She promised to stay with Caffrey until Burke got there. When she got off the phone she looked at Caffrey, "he's on his way."
Caffrey nodded, relief on his face. Rice couldn't help a small, crooked smile. Caffrey and Burke had a better relationship than she had ever had. They actually trusted each other, and had each other's backs.
Neal turned his head and looked at her, pushing words out with an effort, "thanks for…looking out."
She nodded, "well, maybe now I can stop feeling like crap about what happened last time."
He laughed a little, then whimpered, and fought to turn onto his side. He curled up with his arms around his middle, panting shallowly
Rice kept the coat under his head. Awkwardly, jerkily, she rubbed his arm.
"Hang in there, Caffrey. The medics should be here soon."
He nodded a little, but he seemed to be close to passing out.
"Caffrey, stay with me. Tell me about…what you and Peter are working on."
It didn't work. Caffrey had closed his eyes and he didn't seem to have heard her. Rice shook him, gently. He whined in pained protest, but that was it.
"Caffrey, you gotta stay awake, okay? At least until the medics can check you out. Come on, Neal, stay with me."
He opened his eyes again, with an effort, and murmured, “being awake hurts.”
“I know,” said Rice, gently, “you gotta do it anyway.”
Rice looked up, as the curtain was pulled open. Burke was there, panting. His eyes fixed on Neal in the bed, asleep, injured and hooked to an IV and monitor.
“He’s going to be alright,” said Rice, “the pain meds knocked him out for now, he’s a lot more comfortable.”
Peter nodded, going straight to the bedside. He leaned down, kissed Neal’s bruised cheek. He looked at Rice, anger in his eyes.
She held up her hands, “I know. Believe me. Do you want to cosign the complaint I’m working on?”
She held out the laptop she had been typing on as she waited for Burke. Burke took it, and read the text she had entered so far. He nodded, handing it back to her, “yes.”
Burke went back to the bedside, and stood there over Neal, gently stroking the young man’s forehead with his thumb.
Rice picked up her things, and closed the laptop. She put it in her bag, and headed out.
“Hey, Rice.”
She stopped, and looked back at Burke.
Burke stood facing her, his hand still on the hospital bed, “thank you for saving him.”
She shrugged, “you would have done the same, if it were a member of my team.”
She left Burke with Caffrey, sat in the lobby to finish writing the complaint. She sent it to Burke for his signature, and then packed everything up and headed home.