Neal drowsily opened his eyes to unfortunately find himself still in the small sterile hospital room. His groggy blue eyes slowly made their way around the room. He spotted two IV bags on a rack beside his bed and came to the realization that that was the reason he felt so strange. He saw a small vase of flowers on the bedside table along with a plastic cup and a women's magazine. He raised his right eye brow in question but the drugs in his system kept him from contemplating the reason as to why there was a women's magazine beside his bed. He rolled his head to see what was on the other side of him and was reminded of the oxygen tube under his nose that wrapped back behind his ears. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the tired haze that fogged his vision, then he saw a sight that made a loopy smile appear on his face.

Peter and Elizabeth Burke sat beside his bed in non-comfortable looking chairs, looking at him with questioning eyes. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a goofy grin and smiled even bigger when the Burkes smiled back at him.

"Thas` why th`res...women's...on the ta-ble." Neal slurred as his medically drugged brain remembered seeing the magazine on the table. He blinked heavily as he stared at his two favorite people.

Peter tried to stifle his laughter that was caused by a loopy Neal, but he wasn't successful until he felt his wife's elbow in his ribs. "Stop it." Elizabeth whispered with a smile on her face. Both of them thought that Neal was just talking out of his head since neither one of them knew what the younger man was talking about or trying to. She stood up and placed a hand in Neal's slightly curly hair.

"Neal? How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked slowly and slightly louder than usual, so Neal's drugged brain could comprehend. Tired, blue eyes locked onto hers as he opened his mouth to respond but a painful cough ripped through the conman's chest. His coughing fit lasted roughly two minutes before he relaxed into the bed with his eyes closed.

Elizabeth thought Neal had fallen asleep or passed out. She watched two teardrops roll down the side of the younger man's face and gently wiped them away but was surprised with Neal's eyes opened partially holding a painful and worn expression.

"Maybe we should call the nurse?" Peter suggested, now standing beside his wife looking down at his consultant. Elizabeth moved her hand over to the button, but stopped when a barely audible slurred came from Neal. " `m fine."

Elizabeth moved her hand away from the call button and placed it on Neal's forehead. Peter, however, was unconvinced, and pushed the button without Neal knowing it.

"Neal?" Elizabeth asked softly since the conman was just staring at her.

"Wh-whas wrong with..me?" Neal asked as he looked from Elizabeth to Peter and back. The couple exchanged a worrying glance, but was relieved when Neal's nurse walked in.

"Is everything alright in here?" The middle aged woman asked as she checked Neal's vitals. It was Peter who answered.

"We were just concerned with how groggy he is and he had a coughing fit a few minutes ago that looked pretty painful for him, but he won't ever admit to that."

The nurse nodded knowingly. "Yes, we have a lot of patients like that." She said with a small smile. "As far as his grogginess, he is on a high dosage of antibiotics and pain medication, until we get the test results back. Then we will see what treatment he gets from there. The results should back within the next hour or so. His vitals seem to be normal, considering. Heartbeat is still slightly irregular, but isn't anything to worry about just yet. The doctor will come see you as soon as he gets the results." With that, the nurse left.

Even drugged, Neal hated when people talked to one another like he wasn't there, especially when they were talking about him. He also hated the fact he still had no idea what was wrong with him and what the nurse had said scared him a little bit more than he'd like to admit. He hated feeling so tired and he hated the pain in his chest when he breathed. He was so sick and uncomfortable, he just wanted to die, but little did he know, that that fate might be waiting right around the corner.

AN: I guess the only thing I could ask for is that you not kill me even though it had been forever and a day since I've updated. I know it isn't much but I'll have the next chapter posted in the next few days. I stopped so short because I want to try to update The Only That Can Save Him by tonight as well.