(Chapter 10)
Peter stood off to the side, a painter's mask on his face as well as on Aaron Taggert's as they watched the crews jackhammer and heave at the heavy block of cement blocking the secret room. Neal and Elizabeth were trapped behind the door, the scent of car exhaust evident. Something was filling the room with a toxic odor, everyone who remained forced to wear masks.
It had been close to 30 minutes that they had been working on opening the door. Finally there was a loud cracking sound as the cement slab shattered into several large chunks, the crews quickly moving aside as the slab collapsed and then back again to remove what was left.
Peter and Aaron moved closer to the scene, hoping beyond hope that those inside were still alive. The firemen pried open the secret panel in the wall and a large plume of grayish haze oozed out of the room and into the basement, streaming like water bringing with it a scent like car exhaust. Soon it had cleared and the firemen entered the room and pulled out two limp figures, Peter running forward as both were placed on the floor and respirators covered their faces.
"Elizabeth!" Peter was at her side immediately, holding her hand. Her fingers felt cold and limp, her face gray and pale in the dim light. He nudged her and wanted to lift her into his arms but the paramedics refrained him from moving her as they checked her vitals. She had a steady yet weak pulse and heart beat, her breathing nearly non-existent. They attached a canister of oxygen to the respirator and waited for a gurney and wench to lift both her and Neal out of the basement. Peter turned as he heard the paramedics bringing in a defibrillator. Neal wasn't breathing and he had no discernible heartbeat. The young man lay on the floor still and slack-jawed, the EMTs performing CPR and doing their best to bring him back. They finally pushed the paddles to his bare chest and someone yelled:
"CLEAR"
The young man's body twitched and shuddered but nothing happened. They checked his vitals again and tried once more.
"CLEAR"
Peter watched in horror, his hand still holding his wife's as they tried to revive Neal. The young man was non-responsive.
Neal... wake up... Please...
Peter was thinking hard, praying, glad his wife was alive but Neal... he was his partner... his friend. He clung to his wife and felt his eyes grow warm with tears, holding her close and feeling her hand grasp his weakly.
"El? El can you hear me?" He squeezed her hand back and after a moment her eyes fluttered open. She looked dazed and maybe a bit confused, finally looking up and smiling at him. The paramedics checked her vitals again and continued to keep the respirator on her face.
"Don't talk, El. They're giving you oxygen. Just rest." She nodded at his words, turning her head and seeing Neal's lifeless form. Her face paled even more, blue eyes turning shiny with tears. She started to sob, reaching across to the young man but too weak to move closer as the paramedics kept her still. Peter hugged her, his wife trembling in his arms.
()()()
Neal ran into the surf, struggling against the waves that lashed at him and tried to force him back to shore. He was reaching for the other him as it began to slowly wash back into the depths. He dove into the water and grasped at the figure while he still could, the undertow yanking at them both. It took some effort but he managed to hug the person to him and push his way back to the surface, gasping for breath.
He looked at the figure in his arms and found Peter limp and lifeless in his arms. He nudged at the figure, turning to head back to shore and seeing nothing but mist for miles around. He couldn't remember which direction was the way back to land. Neal circled as he tread water and held the limp figure, panicking.
Peter, which way is land? Peter?
Neal continued to tread water unsure of which way to go when he saw it. It was faint but it was a light, a very dim glow just head and to his left. He started to make his way hoping it was land.
Hold on Peter, we're almost there.
Neal saw the light grow brighter as he neared the source, soon stopping to cover his eyes as it grew too bright for him to keep his eyes open.
()()()
"We have a pulse! Heartbeat is irregular but it's there. He's breathing. Put a respirator on him." The paramedics had finally gotten Neal's heart to start again, Peter feeling more relieved. He saw El looking at him with a vague smile. Her blue eyes looked a bit more gray. He kissed her on the forehead and she blinked up at him in reply.
"Neal's going to be ok, El." He stayed by her side as the crews managed to set up a wench to take both El and Neal back up to the surface. Peter followed, Aaron coming up beside him briefly.
"I'll meet you at the hospital in a few after I finish up here." Aaron mussed the agent's hair up, Peter blushing slightly but smiling as they separated, Peter going up after both El and Neal had been lifted.
()()()
El was talking about an hour after they had taken her off the respirator. They were still doing blood work and other tests to be sure the carbon monoxide had caused no long term effects on her nervous system or other organs. So far she seemed to be coherent and more than responsive but they would have to keep her over night to be certain. Peter was relieved when he heard the news from the doctor and nurses, staying by his wife's side as much as he could. He had the nurses monitoring Neal keep him up to date on his prognosis, the young man in ICU while they stabilized him. He had not waken up yet but he was breathing more or less on his own, the only problem at present an irregular heartbeat possibly from exposure to the carbon monoxide.
"Peter... go see him. You know you want to. I'm fine. Tell me how he is." El's voice was hoarse, a hacky cough escaping her lips. Peter poured her a glass of water, but she refused it.
"I'm ok... you heard the doctors. Go check on Neal before I make them drag you over there." She sat up weakly and slapped his cheek playfully, kissing him on the lips and pushing him towards the door. He nodded obediently and left the room after one last hug and kiss.
Peter stood outside the door to his wife's room and paused a moment. What would he have done if she had died? How would he have gone on? Peter tried not to think about it but it frightened him to think of Elizabeth leaving him in any manner, his feet finally moving him in the general direction of the ICU.
The doctors had conveniently kept Neal on the same floor as El which was handy since it was just down the corridor and around the corner. Peter found himself pausing at the end of the hall, unsure if he wanted to see his friend and partner surrounded by machines and tubing. Peter finally pushed himself forward and made his way to the glass room at the end of the hallway, identifying himself to the nurse on duty. She allowed him access and he entered the small enclosure.
Neal was alive, his body surrounded by various machines, several IVs stuck in both arms and a tube in his nose and mouth providing oxygen. He could breath on his own but they were initiating oxygen treatments, a small clear tent around him preventing Peter from actually reaching in and touching his friend unlike the one around El. The young man's chest moved softly up and down in rhythm with his breathing, eyes closed, face slack as he lay there sleeping peacefully. At least it would seem that way if not for the machines and tubes.
Peter sighed and sat down in the chair by the bed and tried not to cry. Peter made a silent prayer, thanking the young man for helping his wife. He thanked God and hoped that Neal would wake up soon and to his old mischievous self.
"Peter?" Neal's voice spoke plainly to him.
"Yes Neal, what is it?" Peter replied in his usual manner that wasn't always the nicest it could be. He sensed a hesitation on the part of his partner, something the young man didn't normally show to everyone.
"Thanks." Neal's voice was soft and unusually honest. Peter wondered if he was up to something when he looked up and saw those blue eyes staring back at him, sincere and upfront.
Peter started, looking up and hearing the machines beeping again. He looked over at Neal who was still lying unconscious in the oxygen tent, his blue eyes hidden behind dark lashes and closed eye lids. Peter sighed. It had seemed so real for a moment as if he was talking to the young man. He wiped at his face and gave a little yawn. He hadn't slept in hours and he should probably have had someone look at him after the bullets Mallory shot him with, the explosion he and Jones had been caught and all the excitement of the day. He needed a few hours of rest if not days but he had to be there for El and Neal.
"If anyone should be thanking anyone Neal... it should be me." He reached under the tent with a furtive look back at the nurse and held his partner's hand for a moment then he left the room.
()()()
After Peter left, the nurse walked in to check Neal's vitals. She blinked when she saw tears running down Neal's face, his eyes fluttering ever so slightly. She pushed the call button when she saw his hand, the one Peter had been holding twitching, the fingers making a motion as if grasping another hand.