Chapter 14

Talking to his wife on the phone had taken everything out of him and Neal could feel himself slipping away, his voice faltering and his head pounding from the considerable efforts he'd made to try to reassure her. He could tell from her reaction that he was having limited success; Sara was relentless when she wanted to get to the bottom of something and in his present state, he was no match for her dogged perseverance.

He watched as the nurse came back into his room and he let his head drop back on the pillow, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

'Sara…' he murmured drowsily, his eyes drifting shut despite his valiant efforts to stay awake. '…nurse is here… try not to worry…'

'Neal? Neal?' Sara called out, anxiety rising in her chest in response to the silence that ensued.

To her dismay, it wasn't Neal's voice but the soft female voice from before which next came on the line.

'Mrs. Caffrey' the young woman said. 'Your husband is exhausted. He needs some rest.'

Sara wiped her eyes, a mix of fever and tears. 'But… what can you tell me about his injuries?'

She could hear the woman moving around and she imagined her stepping out of her patient's room and making her way back to the nurses' station. Sara heard papers shuffling, as the nurse ostensibly looked over Neal's file.

'Your husband suffered a concussion which caused some confusion at first but that seems to be resolved. He's still complaining about headaches though and he has a gash over his eye which was stitched up when he first came in. As far as his broken nose is concerned, the doctor made a note on file that it should be treated in a couple of weeks, once the swelling's gone down. The bruised ribs seem to be what's causing him the most pain at the moment and we're keeping him on pain meds so he can get some rest.'

Sara listened to the laundry list of injuries, mouth agape. 'How long… how long is he going to have to stay in hospital?'

'That depends. The doctor is scheduled to come by again this evening' the nurse replied. 'You can call back then if you like, maybe there'll be more news.'

'Thanks' Sara said, meekly.

She hung up the phone and held it against her chest for what seemed like minutes. This was all wrong. Calling later for more news just wasn't good enough; she needed to see her husband in the flesh.

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Sara lay in bed for a long time, evaluating her options. Was it a batshit crazy idea to be thinking about hopping on a plane to join Neal in Lansing? Of course it was. But for every argument she came up with against such folly, her clouded mind came up with two good reasons to go.

Her throat was raw and sore and she was still shivering from the fever she was fighting so hard to keep under control but her mind was sharp and, despite her ambivalence, she was already mapping out an intricate plan to leave the house without any interference from Elizabeth.

From what she could see, Hope was already on the mend, the antibiotics kicking in after a mere twenty-four hours; she, herself, had been taking them since earlier in the day and she worked hard to convince herself that she'd be feeling much better by morning.

She rolled over and checked the screen on her tablet, open to a listing of available flights to Michigan over the next few hours. Regardless of the litany of reasons she had managed to conjure up for going, she knew for a fact she would never be able to convince Elizabeth that this was a good idea. If she did go, it would have to be without El's knowledge.

Neal had been cryptic about the surveillance detail Peter had arranged and she slipped out of bed and tiptoed across the hall into Neal's studio to look out the front window. She immediately spotted the not so discreetly parked van right in front of Myrtle and Charlie Stevens' place next door. Not only would she have to give Elizabeth the slip, she would have to find a way to avoid Peter's men as well - an easy enough task for someone as resourceful as Sara Ellis, even if she wasn't firing on all pistons at the moment.

She returned to her room and settled on the bed, grabbing for her credit card. Flights out of Westchester Airport all had stops, increasing her travel time considerably, but she could get a direct flight out of JFK shortly after one in the morning if she wanted to put up with a 45 minute cab ride. If she could make that flight, she reasoned, she would be by Neal's side before morning.

She wavered for a brief instant and then, banishing all nagging doubts, she foolishly typed in her credit card number, sealing her fate.

WCWCWC

By the time Peter made it back to McLaren Orthopedic Hospital, Neal was sitting up in bed, staring out the window - and looking a lot more alert than he'd been that morning.

'Beeter!' Neal called out, eliciting a small chuckle from his best friend.

'Hey buddy! You're looking a lot better than when I left this morning' Peter remarked.

'I've been sleeping most of the day' Neal responded, wincing in pain as he moved on the bed.

'Ooooh, I can see the bruising has really come in, huh? Painful?' Peter asked, grimacing in empathy as he pointed to Neal's bruised face.

Neal shrugged. 'Tell me what happened' he said, changing the subject.

'First, why don't we give Sara a call' Peter suggested. 'She's been worried sick about you.'

'I already talked to her' Neal admitted, to Peter's surprise.

'You already talked to her? When?' Peter repeated.

'She tracked me down earlier and she called here' Neal said with a crooked smile. 'I think I managed to convince her I was okay… but it's hard to tell with Sara.'

Peter nodded in agreement; leave it to Sara Ellis to track her husband down with limited information and a raging fever.

'So?' Neal repeated. 'What happened in court?'

Peter perched himself on the edge of the bed as Neal attempted to lean forward, grimacing as the relentless ache in his chest flared once again.

'Well, I testified' Peter began. 'And I stared at Wilkes the whole time… the son of a bitch.'

Neal nodded; he knew Ryan Wilkes and his machinations only too well. Just the thought of his scheming smile was enough to turn his stomach.

'The DA's office struck a deal with one of the two thugs who attacked you and he came clean and implicated Wilkes in the kidnapping.'

A smile, albeit a painful one, erupted on Neal's battered face. 'That's great!'

'It is… but the DA's office still wants you to testify' Peter added, reluctantly.

'Yeah, sure. Let's go' Neal said as he attempted, without much success, to swing his legs off the edge of the bed.

'Whoa, whoa there cowboy. Not so fast. First of all, court's adjourned for today and secondly, they'll wait for you, however long it takes.'

'Peter, I'm fine' Neal lied; he was anxious to get this over with so he could get home to his wife and daughter.

Peter frowned and shook his head. 'Look, I know you're deluded and you think you have some sort of superpowers…' he began as Neal shot him a look of exasperation. 'But until the doctor gives you the all clear, you're staying right here.'

Neal let himself fall back onto the pillow, suddenly exhausted. 'He's supposed to come by tonight' he said. 'But I'm feeling a lot better…'

'Let's let the doctor weigh in on that, okay?' Peter said as he glanced at the tray of food that had been left untouched by the side of the bed.

'I see you didn't touch your… dinner' he concluded as he surveyed the less than appetizing gray mush on the tray. 'How about I get you some real food?'

Neal scoffed; food didn't have much appeal at the moment but even he knew he needed to build up his strength if he was going to walk out of the hospital.

'Yeah' he moaned in agreement. 'Anything but chips.'

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As Sara had hoped, by 10:00, Elizabeth Burke was exhausted and shortly thereafter, she settled into Hope's room, bidding her patients good night. Between caring for Hope and Sara, trying to monitor goings-on in Lansing and keeping in touch with her office, she was more than ready for an early night and Sara was thankful for that fact, considering the covert operation she was about to carry out.

She lay in bed, fighting sleep and running her hand through her daughter's dark curls as the child slept peacefully for the first time in days. The antibiotics seemed to be having the desired effect and Hope had even eaten some of El's mac and cheese at dinner - a sure sign she was on the mend. Sara brought her lips to her daughter's forehead, noting it was cool against her fevered lips.

'Mommy's going away for a couple of days, sweetheart' she murmured lovingly. 'I'm going to go take care of Daddy and I'll bring him home, okay? Auntie Elizabeth will take good care of you.'

She heard the good angel on her shoulder whispering in her ear: 'What the hell do you think you're doing, woman? You're in no fit state to board a plane. How are you going to take care of your husband when you can't even take care of yourself!'

Another voice immediately answered: 'You'll be fine. It's an hour and a half flight and you can be with Neal in just a few hours.'

Voice number one returned, without missing a beat. 'You're going to infect everyone on the plane, you idiot!'

'No, I'm not. Dr. Google says you're not contagious after you start on the antibiotics.'

'That's not exactly right; it said after 24 hours on antibiotics.'

'Close enough!'

'Shut up!'

'No, you shut up!'

She shook her head resolutely, shushing both voices. With one last quick kiss to Hope's forehead, she slipped out of bed and changed into the clothes she'd prepared earlier, pulling out the overnight bag she'd hidden under the bed and placing the note she'd written for Elizabeth on the pillow, next to her daughter. El would be pissed, there was no doubt about it but Sara was prepared to make it up to her with plenty of grovelling and a full day at El's favorite spa. She tiptoed out of her room and glanced into her daughter's room, finding her best friend sound asleep on the bed, snoring softly, dead to the world.

She made her way downstairs, careful to sidestep that creaky third step she'd been nagging Neal to fix for ages and praying she would be able to make her escape before being found out. It was just past 10:30 and she'd pre-ordered a cab to pick her up a few doors down at Donna and Jeff Mason's place at 11:00. She took a quick gander out the front door, noticing the van still parked there, watching the house. Even though she was throwing caution to the wind, Sara Ellis was anything but stupid and she grabbed her trusty baton from the front hall closet and slipped it into her purse just in case those (probably) idle threats should come to pass. She was reasonably sure that Wilkes was bluffing and she was confident no one was going to attack her in public - she'd learned a long time ago that there was safety in numbers. All she had to do was avoid secluded, dark corners until she safely made her way to Lansing.

There was only one more thing she needed to do before she slipped out the back door and across the neighbors' back yard.

She picked up the phone and dialled the Mason home.

'Donna?' Sara croaked as her friend and neighbor answered the phone.

'Sara! My god, you sound even worse than you did yesterday!' the woman responded.

'Thanks!' Sara said, her sense of humor intact. 'Nice talking to you, too. Look, I'm sorry to be calling so late but I need your help.'

'Sure, what's up? Do you need me to take Hope tomorrow?'

'Not exactly' Sara whispered, hesitating. 'Donna, Neal's in the hospital…'

'What? Wasn't he in Michigan with his ex-boss?'

'He was… I mean he is. They were there to testify against this guy they once arrested but… anyway, long story short, Neal got mugged and he's in the hospital.'

That was the sanitized version of what had happened; the important thing was for Donna to know that Sara was leaving town for a couple of days and that El might need help in caring for Hope.

'Oh, Sara, I'm so sorry. How can I help?'

'You remember our friend Elizabeth? You met her last summer?'

'Yeah, sure I remember Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Peter Burke, right?'

'Right. El is staying here and she's giving me a hand with Hope but I'm… well, I'm flying out to be with Neal tonight and I wondered if you could act as backup if she has to go in to work. I don't want to leave her without a backup.'

'Of course. Anything you need, you know that. I love having Hope here. But Sara, are you sure you're well enough to travel?' Donna asked, feeling like it was her job to play devil's advocate.

'I'm already feeling a lot better' Sara lied. 'Donna, I just can't stand the thought of Neal lying in that hospital bed.'

'I don't know Sara…' Donna said, suddenly worried.

Sara cut her off; this was not the time to waver. 'And there's one more thing. I've called a cab to pick me up at your place at 11:00.'

'At our place? But, why…'

'Donna, I really need you not to ask any questions right now. Please!' Sara said, her voice weak but resolute.

'Alright…' the woman agreed reluctantly.

'I'll be right over' Sara said as she grabbed her bag and slipped out the back door.

WCWCWC

The hospital was dark and quiet and Neal let the latest dose of pain medication wash over him, lulling him to sleep. He'd managed to convince Peter to go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep; after all, he was in no immediate danger and there was no need for Peter to spend the night sitting on a chair when he could curl up in a comfy bed back at their hotel. He glanced out into the hallway, noticing his shadow sitting by the door as he'd been doing all day. Although Peter's testimony was now a matter of record, he'd insisted the DA's office continue to provide security for Neal at least until he was released from hospital.

He could feel his body start to relax under the effect of the drugs and he let his mind roam, thinking of Sara and Hope back home, so far away. No doubt, Hope would be wondering why he wasn't checking in, reading the promised bedtime story. He had a fleeting urge to call home and he glanced at his watch, noting it was past ten o'clock, alas, too late to indulge his yearning to hear his wife and daughter's voices. He shifted on the narrow bed, trying to find a comfortable position to settle in, cursing the flaring pain on his left side, by far, worse than his right side.

Maybe a text… he thought as he suddenly remembered his phone was still back at the hotel. He'd have to remind Peter to bring him his phone in the morning; he felt so out of touch without it.

After a few random, half-formed thoughts, he began to drift away as he imagined curling up against Sara, warm woolen cap and all.

WCWCWC

Sara sat in the back seat of the cab as she valiantly fought sleep. She had managed to skulk through the backyards of the three houses separating the Caffrey home from the Mason house, arriving with a shiver after having trudged through the cold and snow. Donna had done her best to dissuade her from her mission, without success.

Now that she was warm and toasty in the back seat of the limo, she'd begun to relax, working hard to stay focussed on the task ahead. Her legs were shaky and her mind was hazy but she reminded herself she needed to fight the fatigue if she wanted to get to her destination. She popped another couple of Tylenol and played out the next few hours in her mind, imagining herself boarding the plane, arriving in Lansing and hopping in a cab to the hospital where Neal would no doubt be relieved to see her.

Despite her best efforts, her eyes began to flutter shut and before they'd even left the Westchester County limits, she had drifted off to sleep.

TBC