Chapter 7

For the first few weeks after his encounters with El's wooden spoon Neal followed El's directions with in regarding the taking of his iron supplements and the eating of the iron-rich meals El fixed him. Part of the reason was the fact that it took about a week for him to be able to sit without any discomfort and the other being that he didn't want to go through it again but about a month into his enforced stay with the Burke's a temper tantrum was brewing and it made its appearance the Saturday morning following the closing their latest case.

It started innocently enough with El's going downstairs to fix breakfast and finding that all of her iron enriched foods and vegetables gone. She was still searching when Peter came down stairs for a cup of coffee whose aroma had wakened him…It was Italian Roast.

"What are you looking for Honey?" he asked innocently enough as he poured himself a cup.

"The oatmeal…I just bought a box yesterday and now I can't find it. I know I put it in the pantry…and now that I'm looking I see all of the other packaged food I bought for Neal is missing, too," complained El as she sat down suddenly as the pieces clicked. "Neal took them and threw them out I bet…and he's the one who made that pot of coffee. How much do you want to bet that he's staging an uprising?"

"No bet; he's tried of the foods he's been forced to eat to bring up his iron levels and he's retaliated by throwing them out," surmised Peter as he looked upstairs.

"Well, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind to the seat of his britches," declared El angrily as she grabbed her wooden spoon.

"Don't bother, he's not there. I looked in on him before I came downstairs. He must have known what your reaction would be and took off until you have cooled down…but he's in for a surprise when he returns and finds that the spanking will be waiting for him," Peter added with a smile.

"But Peter if he's in this type of mood he's liable to eat or drink anything and screw up his iron levels again. He's only going to prolong the 'torture'," El said wisely.

"I don't think he cares at the moment; he's just tired of eating the same thing day in and day out…we have got to think of other ways to enrich his meals without forcing him to eat the same foods. Can't you dazzle him with something new for his taste buds to enjoy? He only as a couple of weeks to go…surely you can make them more pleasing to his palate?"

"I'll do my best, but that doesn't excuse what he did today," declared El is a huff. "My spoon is going to see action tonight once he returns…but I will feed him something good beforehand," she promised with a smirk leaving her husband the chore of locating their wayward child.

It was nearly seven p.m. and still Peter and Neal haven't arrived home and El was starting to get worried.

Peter had kept up a steady conversation with El during the day as he tried to locate Neal. He didn't want to involve the Marshalls; he would check in off and on with the bureau and every time he had been given a location his target but by the time he had arrived Neal had vanished and finally he had decided to wait for him at June's because he knew sooner or later he would end up there.

Neal had already burned his bridges with Mozzie and he wouldn't go back to the Burke's for fear of what Elizabeth would do to him…June's was the only place he had left and around six Neal walked cautiously in.

"Well, it took you long enough," boomed Peter's voice from out on the terrace causing Neal to jump with surprise.

"Peter, you nearly scared me to death," muttered Neal as he put his hand over his heart. "Where did you park; I didn't see your car outside?"

"I figured that if you saw my car you would bolt so I parked a few blocks over and walked over. I've been here waiting since five. Did you have a good time today?

Eat or drink anything you shouldn't?" grilled Peter seriously.

The fact that he didn't answer told Peter plenty. "Come home, we'll leaving," ordered Peter as he grabbed his coat and started towards his surrogate son.

Neal nodded and felt Peter's hand on his arm as they left. As soon as they were seated and belted up Peter started the car and headed not for home but in a totally different direction. It didn't take Neal long to recognize where they were leading. "Not to Dr. Madison again; Peter, she's going to be pissed," whined Neal as he started to plead his case.

"Save your breath; you wouldn't answer my questions so she will run a blood test to see if today's activity hurt your iron levels any and give you an injection if it did," Peter said sternly.

"But her shots hurt…and she makes sure that they hurt, too," pleaded Neal as he watched Peter continue on to the doctor's office. "It's late, she's probably closed."

"Nope I called her while waiting for you and she said she would wait for us and while we talked she said something about you needing another prostate exam. She's just raring to do it again," he added as he watched Neal's face turn a bright red.

"Peter!"

"Quit your whining; whatever she decides to do will only be your fault; you are the one that started it all when you threw away all of the iron enriched foods that El bought and then went on a free for all…and any how we are here," Peter said smiling.

Kathy met them at the front door, opening it for them to enter and locking it afterwards. "We can't have you leaving before the exam is done Mr. Caffrey," and then turning to Peter to ask, "You did tell him about the prostate exam, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah," replied Peter as he enjoyed Neal's discomfort and grabbed him by the arm led him back to one of the examination rooms. They weren't there long before Kathy entered with a hospital type gown which she handed to Neal with the orders, "Strip and this time take everything off and then put this gown on and hop on the table; I'll only be a moment!"

Neal turned to Peter in horror and cried, "Okay I'll tell you what I did today…just not anther prostate exam...please!"

Peter turned to Kathy who only grinned, "I just will have to wait until next time…Okay Mr. Caffrey, I want to know everything from the moment you got up this morning and until Peter brought you to see me and if I even suspect you are holding something back then I will be doing a full physical on you tonight…do you understand?" she asked seriously.

A blushing Neal nodded his head and said, "I promise," and proceeded to tell her everything much to the disapproval of his handler/surrogate father and Dr. Kathy Madison, afterwards he was ordered to bend over the exam table and drop his pants for the iron injection Kathy gave him in his backside.