Chapter 3

'So he grabs the damn thing from my hand and proceeds to wipe it down and actually put it around his neck' Elizabeth was saying

Sara looked on in horror as she listened to her friend's account of the events from earlier in the day. Neal was still a clothes whore and was particularly big on having just the right tie for every occasion. She thought of him sitting across Peter staring at that ugly thing all day and how he must have had to refrain from jumping up and pulling the damn thing off him. That's if he hadn't actually given in and done just that...

'I'm sure he walked around smelling like salad all day 'cause the damn thing was right in the middle of the salad fixings from last night' El added, laughing.

Suddenly, they heard a shout from the near-by family room as the Rangers scored again.

The phone in Elizabeth's purse began to ring and she absent-mindedly reached for it figuring Peter might be looking for her.

But it wasn't Peter.

'Hi Clinton, is something wrong?' she said into her phone as Sara looked on with a questioning look in her eyes

'What kind of an accident?' she asked

Sara's mind was now in overdrive as she heard the one side of the conversation which was giving her no information at all.

'Yes, she's with me. We'll be right there' said Elizabeth as she hung up and looked up into Sara's eyes

'The guys have had an accident. We have to go'

They sat in Elizabeth's car with the rain pounding the windshield as they made their way back into Manhattan. Jones had been rather cryptic, saying that when Peter and Neal hadn't made it to the restaurant, he and Diana had doubled back and learned that there had been a parking garage collapse and that they feared Neal and Peter might be trapped inside.

Sara was frantically calling both Neal and Peter's phones hoping there had been some kind of mix-up and that the men were safely somewhere but there was no answer despite repeated tries at both their numbers.

The women drove, mostly in silence, as they computed the possibilities. There were few details – only that the parking garage where Peter might have parked his car had collapsed and that there was cement and twisted metal in a heap where the garage had been. No one knew for sure that the men were actually inside but they had not shown up at the restaurant as planned and there appeared to be no other explanation – at least for the moment.

As they got closer, it was obvious that some sort of major police operation was under way. There were several police cars, ambulances and fire trucks and the whole area had been cordoned off. Despite the chaos, there appeared to be some semblance of order and the women parked and ran towards Jones whom they had spotted as they drove up. The rain was still coming down in sheets and the police had set up a temporary command post under a large tarp nearby. Jones walked them over in order to introduce the two women to the officer in charge, Lieutenant Mendez from the 21st precinct.

'What do we know?' asked Sara as she turned to Jones and Diana

'Not much. The police are still trying to ascertain who might be inside. Four people have been identified by loved ones as missing and possibly in the garage but...' he stopped, letting the women catch their breath

'What are they doing to get them out?' asked Elizabeth, her hands shaking

'They're waiting on some structural engineers from the city to ascertain if the structure is stable enough for them to start digging. The top two floors gave way and it's impossible to know where Peter and Neal are in the rubble unless we can talk to them'

'I've been trying both their numbers all the way here...' admitted Sara, her voice breaking

'Was it an explosion?' Elizabeth asked, afraid of the answer

'Not as far as they can tell' answered Jones 'just a random collapse. Apparently, with wear and tear and the amount of rain we got today, water can seep in and cause a weak structure to give way and collapse.'

'I promised Mozzie I'd call as soon as I knew anything' said Sara as she walked away from the small group to make the call. He had stayed behind with Liam but would be anxious to hear any news Sara could provide.

'Mrs. Burke' the young lieutenant said as he approached her 'Did your husband use this garage regularly?'

'He does use it from time to time and he just got a new car a few weeks ago – he's pretty anal about keeping it clean and he'd just gotten it washed yesterday. It would make sense that he would have used it today' she answered hoping she was wrong but somehow knowing that Peter was most certainly under the pile of rubble.

'Ma'am, we'll keep you posted. The engineers have arrived and are having a look at the structure to see if we can begin digging. We have machinery ready to go and emergency crews standing by' he said, trying to reassure her

Sara had rejoined the group, hearing the tail end of what was being said and instinctively reached out to grab Elizabeth's hand in a sign of solidarity. It was damp and cold on this April evening and the daylight was beginning to leave the sky.

WCWCWC

What was that annoying noise, Neal wondered. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't get his eyes to open. His head was pounding and he felt paralyzed, unable to move any part of his body. The ringing continued incessantly and he began to come to as the fog in his head started to clear. There had been a loud noise, maybe an explosion or an earthquake and that's all he could remember. He could feel wetness running down his face and he remembered it had been raining, pouring in fact.

He took a couple of deep breaths which set off his gag reflex and he began to cough, breathing in whatever it was that had made him cough in the first place. The ringing which had stopped momentarily began again and he realized it was his cell phone somewhere nearby but he wasn't quite sure where. A sliver of light was coming in from his left and as he glanced in that direction, he caught a glimpse of his partner lying halfway in the car next to him.

'Peter' he said coughing roughly as he passed out once again.

WCWCWC

'Mrs. Burke, Mrs. Caffrey, we've set up a command post in the deli right next door. Why don't we go in there and I'll brief you' said Lieutenant Mendez as he took Sara's elbow to show them the way.

The women followed the police officer into the small restaurant, a welcome relief from the cold dampness of the night air. Although it was early spring, the nights were still cold and the rain had begun to fall in the form of ice pellets. The deli was alive with city personnel who were studying plans, police officers chatting and sipping coffee, paramedics who were on standby and firefighters ready to go in at a moment's notice. They were all waiting for the green light from the structural engineers who had been called in to examine the site and make the all important decision as to when the rescuers could begin their work.

'I know it's difficult to wait but it would be irresponsible of us to begin to move any of the rubble around. We could cause more harm than good to anyone who is trapped underneath and it could put rescuers at risk' explained the man

Sara and Elizabeth nodded knowingly.

'Could I get the phone numbers for your husbands' cell phones? We're going to continue to try to establish contact with one of them. They could actually help us find them if they can tell us exactly where their car was parked and what they see around them if...'

The women wondered what the officer wasn't saying – if... they are still alive.

If Peter and Neal hadn't come out of the rubble on their own, it was most certainly because they were unable to. If they'd been standing in the garage and debris had rained down on them, their chances of survival were slim but if they had already been sitting in the car, depending on what had fallen on the vehicle, the car might have given them some shelter, albeit minimal. Of course, if they had been on a higher level, their chances of survival would be better although one area of the garage which had been the weakest appeared to have collapsed all the way to the basement level.

Diana and Jones made their way over to where Elizabeth and Sara were sitting and set down a couple of cups of coffee in front of them. They had been liaising with the office where many of the White Collar crew sat waiting for news regarding the status of their co-workers.

Diana put an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and the mere touch of her hand was enough to cause Elizabeth to dissolve into tears.

'How could this happen' she said, between sobs 'they were just on this dangerous case and they came out of it fine and now this random... thing...'

Jones just looked at her sadly, not knowing quite what to say.

'Elizabeth, we can't give up on them' said Sara fighting tears as she grabbed her friend's hand 'We have to believe they'll come out of this'

Elizabeth looked up at Sara, mustering the strength to smile through her tears 'You're right, this is Caffrey and Burke, they're indestructible'

WCWCWC

Peter began to come to although he had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. All he knew was that he was having a hell of a time breathing and he was afraid that if he coughed, the pain would be even worse. He could feel his right leg but his left leg seemed to be trapped under something and as he tried to pull it loose, he let out a loud shriek at the pain the sudden movement triggered. He glanced over to his right seeing Neal's form in the seat beside him.

'Neal' he said, his voice raspy

'Yeah' came the answer barely audible

'What the hell happened?' continued Peter

Neal just continued to breathe shallowly not wanting to start coughing again.

'We're in the car. I think there was some sort of explosion' he answered, haltingly

Peter began to take stock of the situation – as much as his jumbled mind and ravaged body would allow. They were indeed sitting in his car. He was halfway out the door, his left leg hanging out and some large object keeping him from moving it. He was having difficulty breathing, each breath causing excruciating pain in his chest.

'Where are you hurt?' he asked his partner

'Not sure. The door seems to be bashed in and I can't move my right side at all and my head hurts like crazy' Neal answered, barely a whisper

Peter reached up and felt for what was left of the roof of the car. His side of the car appeared intact whereas the passenger side, where Neal was sitting was smashed in. With his right hand, he felt the visor and finally the inside dome light and prayed that it was still functional and that they could get some light. Except for a very faint glimmer of light coming from his side of the car, they were almost in total darkness.

Suddenly, light flooded the car and he turned to look at his partner. Neal's face was almost unrecognizable as blood ran down a huge gash on his forehead.

'Hey buddy' Peter said as he turned towards Neal

Neal smiled weakly and promptly lost consciousness once more.

TBC