Unfinished Business

Chapter 14:

Peter sat upright and sideways on his hospital bed with his legs slung over touching the floor. He distantly stared at his hands that rest on his kneecaps. Both were covered in fresh gauze and lightly wrapped in bandages.

He had required several stitches between six knuckles. The doctor claimed she would be back after radiology had time to process his x-rays but she was certain she would be fitting him with a cast as she believed the right wrist was fractured.

Peter didn't want any pain mediation during the stitching but El was already by his side and her and the doctor both insisted on it. He was in no mood to put up an argument. He was physically and emotionally drained.

Truth was, he wanted to feel the pain as the needle ran through his ripped flesh. It wouldn't be anything in comparison to what Neal had gone through but at least he could get a small sample. He deserved to feel some physical pain. He wanted so badly to switch places with Neal.

He had lost Neal three times already. That he knew of, anyway. Once in the abandoned building, once in the ambulance and a third time as he was being wheeled through the emergency room doors. That one was the hardest for him. He was told, more like forced, to stay back as he watched his friend rolled further and further from his grasp.

El was in tears when the doctor told them it was a miracle none of his fingers looked broken. He had snorted and said very curtly something along the lines of, "There better be a ******* miracle tonight and it has nothing to do with my ****** fingers!"

The doctor had excused herself shortly after his outburst and El wasn't far behind her. She had told Peter she would find out what was going on with Neal if she could and be right back.

'Right back' felt like a century. He had time to ponder the events over the past... how many hours? What day was it? How long had Neal been tortured? The longer he thought about the ordeal Neal had gone through, and what he would be going through if he was still alive, the more anger he felt brewing inside towards Polanski. He should have killed the bastard! He had him in the position and he froze! WHY?

"Hun?" El called to her husband. When there was no response she tried again. "Peter?"

Peter didn't realize he was tearing up until he looked directly at her. She was blurry through the fluids gathering in his eyes but he recognized that voice and right now, it sounded like an angel to him.

"Hey," he whispered in a choked voice. "When did," he cleared his throat, "when did you get back?"

She just stood there a moment taking in her husband's vulnerable form. Never had she seen him looking this upset. Not even at his own father's funeral. This was the first time she seen him reduced to tears and it broke her heart.

"El... I'm..."

"I'm so sorry I ever let you out of my sight," she responded in her equally upset voice. She moved in on him fast and in an instant she had wiggled her body between his legs. As his injured hands slowly fell to his sides, her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. His head fell into the soft of her neck and he began to openly sob into her hair. "I'm so sorry El... I'm..."

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh," she cooed, giving his neck a gentle squeeze she began to release her tight hold on him only to have Peter move forward, demanding more. She squeezed her spouse harder. "Diana filled me in. None of this is your fault. You can't blame yourself for any of this."

"Don't lie to me El! It's all MY fault! Do you realize if you weren't away... what they would have done to you? What they did to NEAL! Because of ME?"

"Peter..."

"In OUR HOUSE EL! And I couldn't do a DAMN THING!"

"Peter please DON'T do this! I wasn't HOME! It doesn't matter about me! Diana says you saved Neal," she massaged his back, feeling one giant tension knot.

"Did you SEE what they DID TO HIM!"

"PETER!" She could feel him getting worked up more underneath her and pulled herself away. "LOOK AT ME!"

Peter wiped away his tears with his forearm in one quick swipe.

"I have NEVER lied to you baby and I'm NOT about to start now! You need to calm yourself down!"

"EL THEY..."

"EXACTLY!" She had to keep her own tears at bay as she continued. "THEY PETER- NOT YOU!" She paced around the length of his small hospital room. "THEY did this and I will not sit by and watch my man blame himself!"

Peter was silent as he watched her pace back and forth.

"You did what you could, you know that! We all know that! Blaming yourself isn't going to help the situation! Those sick, no EVIL men, did this! One is in the morgue and the other is going away for a very very long time! I wish we lived in a different state right now because the death penalty is in order in my book!"

Peter knew his lady had fury but never seen her bring it with this much passion. "Is?" Peter asked with hesitation in his voice. He didn't really want to know. Yet he had to know and she was the best person to tell him.

She stopped pacing and looked directly at him. "Is what Peter?"

"Is he... Neal?"

"Oh God... NO... I'm sorry. He's in surgery. As soon as he's out someone will be here. Diana assured me."

Peter sighed. "Diana is here? I thought she'd see to the prisoner..."

"No. She's here. Along with Clinton and Reese. They are all worried about you and Neal." El smiled gently at Peter.

Peter sighed again. "Remind me again why you get to call my boss by his first name and not me?"

El could see some of the tension leaving Peter. "Because he respects me more?"

Peter huffed.

"I think it's really personal with Diana. She almost gave Mozzie another broken bone."

Peter straightened up."Wait, what? Mozzie is here? How did he?"

"I stopped by the house before the hospital. He was in our bushes. He jumped out and I maced him. And kicked him in the nose. Kind of sorta breaking it." El looked almost guilty. "What? He scared me!"

"Maybe you should have been home. You could have protected the both of us."

"I felt bad until he caused a big stink in the waiting room. Diana had to cuff him."

Peter almost smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too. Neal will make it through this. He is strong."

TBC...