Peter sat beside the hospital bed, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor as it counted Neal's beats.
He stared at Neal's face, as though he couldn't get enough of it. He was like a blind man seeing color for the first time, but there was something dark about Neal's face. It was almost...dead. There was no life behind it. He'd seen Neal unconscious in the hospital before, and there had always been the underlying snarkiness there, even in sleep. But now he was just...empty. There was no life, no vibrancy, in Neal's face, and Peter didn't know why. What had happened in the past year that would strip Neal of his very identity, his very being?
Peter mulled over Neal's last words before he passed out. Why had Neal called him "Master"? Yes, he'd always wanted Neal to treat him with a little more respect, but the way Neal had addressed him was like that of a slave to his slavemaster. In fact, it was exactly like that. And it was clear by Neal's words that he had let that bee sting him, knowing that it would lead to his imminent death, but he hadn't cared. In fact, he'd wanted it. After Neal had passed out, they had found inside Neal's deathgrip was a honey bee, the stinger gone and now crushed from Neal's hand. Neal had basically tried to commit suicide, and if Peter and his team hadn't gotten there when they did...
Peter shuddered to think about it.
Peter was brought out of his thoughts by the sudden rise in Neal's heartbeats. The monitor began beeping erratically, and Peter quickly took hold of Neal's hand. Neal tensed, seemingly subconsciously as he seemed to still be asleep.
"Neal, if you can hear me, calm down. It's Peter. You're free. You're safe."
After a moment, Neal's heartbeat slowed and went back to normal, and Neal's whole body seemed to relax, apparently going back into blissful sleep.
