It was a week later and Neal walked through the hospital doors. He smiled as the people as he walked to the elevator, getting in when it appeared and pressing the button for Peter – well, dad's – floor. He had been coming by as often as he could after everyone was done interviewing him. He kept the straight face when they got Nate's US Marshall identity on the phone, who explained more on how Gray was a bastard. Neal was very happy that the man who had been the source of nightmares ever since he was fourteen was finally in a dark hole. He knew that he would have to testify and he would when the time was called for it. He looked up as he heard the ping and saw it was floor. "Excuse me," he said with a charming smile to the nurse he brushed past. He walked down to Peter's room, knocking on the door before he came in. "They still haven't gotten around to discharging you?" He asked as he sat down in the empty chair.

"Considering I'm still here, that would be a no," Peter replied as he turned from the window. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"It's no problem with me – they dropped me off here and said that either you or I would be the one driving back," Neal said as he looked at the bag on the bed. "How long have you been packed?"

"Since I woke up," Peter replied. "I know that there was an emergency, but I don't know if he had to be called in for surgery or what is wrong."

"Want me to go see what's wrong?" Neal asked as one of the nurses came in with the paperwork. "Or not," he said with a smile to her. "Hello."

"Don't," Peter said and took the paperwork from the nurse when she handed it to him. He skimmed it over before putting it down and signing with his left hand.

Neal got up and stood behind Peter to look, noticing that the signature with the left hand was identical to if Peter was using his right hand. "Special skill or you could just always do that?"

"Bit of both," Peter replied. "Besides, it's helpful when I needed to go undercover."

"Hrm," Neal said, thinking on that. "How long did that take you to learn?"

"A while," Peter replied with a chuckle. "I'm not teaching you."

"Now that's no fun," Neal replied and shrugged. "Not that I'm really surprised about that. You've been super strict with the staying on the straight and narrow since you woke back up."

"Considering a new detail in our interactions with each other, I would think that you would understand," Peter said as he tried to put on his jacket.

"True," Neal said as he moved to help Peter get it over the arm in the sling. "How long are you going to have that on for?"

"Until the doctor says to take it off," Peter said and smiled. "Six weeks at least. Even though it didn't hit bone, they still want to be careful. So we're going to be on desk duty for a while."

"We?" Neal asked raising an eyebrow. "You can do desk duty. I'll go play with Cruz and see if real work can't be done."

"Or you could just take time off and be with Kate," Peter pointed out with a smile that quickly turned into a frown as a wheelchair was wheeled by the nurse who took away the paperwork that he signed. "What is that?"

"A wheelchair," the nurse replied. "Standard operation procedure is to wheel the patient out."

"I think you have to use it then," Neal said with a grin as he picked up Peter's bag.

Peter sighed and sat down in the wheelchair without another word. "He can wheel me out," he said and motioned at Neal.

"Fine with me," Neal said as he slung the bag over his shoulder and started to wheel Peter out of the room and towards the elevator.

Peter waited until he was outside of the nurse's ear shot before he started. "I really don't see why I have to. My legs are fine. My arm on the other hand – what, would they wheel that part out of the hospital for me?"

"If you're so against it, why did you just sit down?" Neal asked.

"I want to get out of here as fast as possible and El would kill me if I didn't," Peter replied.

"Good point," Neal said with a chuckle. "Mostly because I'd tell her." He pushed the button for down and sighed. "She told me to say again that she was sorry she couldn't come."

"She didn't have to worry about coming. She has to work – we all do," Peter replied.

"Yeah, but she feels bad about it, like any normal wife would," Neal said as he looked around. He looked towards the elevator and then Peter, starting to say something when the elevator opened. People moved back to make room as Neal backed in with Peter. He made sure that the elevator doors closed and fell into a bit of silence.

"What?" Peter asked as he looked up at Neal.

"I'll tell you in the car," Neal replied quietly as he reached inside his pocked and fingered the small slim box that was there. He wanted to tell Peter first, even stopping himself from telling Elizabeth on the phone earlier. He kept his smile on as he wheeled Peter out of the elevator when it got to the ground floor and outside the doors.

"Okay," Peter said as Neal stopped the wheel chair and he stood up. "Much better," he said as he took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Neal. "And you drive this once."

Neal grinned as he took the keys and let Peter lead the way to the car. "So," he said and chuckled. "I'm going to ask Kate to marry me."

"You haven't already?" Peter asked.

"Yes, I did but then you made her disappear," Neal replied. "You could have told me."

"And put her in danger which would have gotten you angrier at me if something happened?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow as they got to the car and Neal unlocked it.

"Fair point," Neal said as he made sure that Peter got in easily and was comfortable. He closed the car door and got in, moving the seat back without a second thought. He gunned the car for a moment before Peter gave him a look. "Fine," he said as he pulled his foot off the gas a bit and drove out of the parking lot, taking a left.

"Neal, it's a right," Peter said.

"No, it's a left," Neal replied. "And then on the highway until that exit that has a color in it."

"We're supposed to go to the office," Peter replied calmly. All Neal had to do was give him a look about that. "El called me off for the rest of the day."

"And tomorrow," Neal answered.

"Christ," Peter said as he sighed and relaxed into the seat a bit. "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."

"Let her take care of you and soak in all the nice things that come with being a hero," Neal quipped.

"Good point," Peter said with a sigh as they got onto the highway. He let the silence hang between then before he noticed something with the car. "Is it me or is the car riding differently?"

"I'm not sure?" Neal offered. "I've only rode in the car, not really driven until right now."

"There's something off," Peter replied. "Pull over and we'll take a look." It was that moment that Peter's cell phone rang. He pulled it out and opened it with a simple "Burke here."

"Put me on speaker phone," Gray said in an icy voice. "I'd be quick about it, Peter. This is a time sensitive matter."

Peter did put the phone on speaker phone. "What do you want Gray?"

Neal looked at the phone, then Peter, before putting his eyes back on the road and dodging a car that he was about to rear end. "Shit," he cursed.

"Ah, Nealan, it is most refreshing to hear you curse again," Gray said with a chuckle. "What I want, I cannot have, so we're going to go a different route that will have the blood on your hands. Considering this is Peter's car, he must have noticed something was running wrong with it."

Neal looked at Peter, not noticing the road before Peter pulled the steering wheel hard to the right. "Eyes on the road or you're going to kill us before the psychopath does."

"Now Peter, if you're going to call names, I'm just going to have to press the button in front of me. It's a nice big red button that really shouldn't be pressed, save for when it does need to be pressed. Now, what you have under your car is a very special present of mine to Nealan. It's just icing on the cake that you're in the car because you don't know if you're going to die because of me or because Nealan can't keep his eyes on the road." There was a slight chuckle at the end of that as Neal kept his eyes firmly on the road. "If you try to leave the car, the bomb will go off. If you hit another car, the bomb will go off. If you try to just drive and run out of gas, the bomb will go off. If you piss me off for the wrong reason, the bomb will go off. The only way to make the bomb not go off is for you to bring young Nealan to me. It is time to complete his training."

"No fucking way," Neal replied as he did a sharp U-turn into oncoming traffic. He had seen the perfect opportunity to end this once and for all. He looked at Peter. "I'm sorry. Jump when you want to."

"You are not doing this," Peter said as he tried to take control of the wheel again.

Neal let him do so for a moment before hitting Peter in the lower part of his injured shoulder. It made Peter give up the wheel as he took it back. "I'm sorry," he said to Peter. "I'm so sorry. But you need to jump now."

Peter looked at Neal and then at the wall that was coming up quickly. He tried the door, unlocking it before realizing it wouldn't open. "It's stuck," he said quietly. "Neal, it's stuck! Go another way!"

All Neal could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears, a drumbeat, as he drove the car directly into the wall.