I don't own White Collar, or the characters...blah...blah...blah... Please be kind...re[view]...

Chapter Twenty One

Peter surveyed Neal with a wary eye. He was trying to figure his chances of getting through what he needed to tell, and wanted to ask, without Neal having another episode.

"I can handle it, Peter." Neal tried to ignore the acrid flavor of the bottled oxygen as he pulled in a wheezing breath.

"Mmm." Peter wasn't entirely sure that was true. He'd just have to play it by ear. "Diana was able to get Mrs. Thompson into interview yesterday afternoon. The lawyer called for a timeout, so Diana is going to try again today."

"Why aren't you handling that?" Neal searched his partner's face.

"Hughes has Diana heading the investigation… I'm not officially working." Neal's confused expression still lingered. "I was in the hospital a few days ago."

"Right. Sorry, my mind isn't…"

"It's ok." Peter waved it off. "The long and short of it is, she knew what was going on, but didn't do anything about it. The only thing she's directly involved in is the insurance fraud. Diana's is hoping to get her to agree to plea down to conspiracy on the rest of the charges and roll on her husband. The body found in the fire, was a girl that worked for them in the stables. Her name was Jenny Lingstrom. Ring any bells?"

Neal shook his head. "No."

"From what Diana was able to get out of Mrs. Thompson, it looks like Ms. Lingstrom found out about the insurance fraud and was blackmailing the Senator."

"What does the Senator have to say?" Neal absently fingered the sling across his chest.

"We can't get to him yet. His lawyer is out of the country, and the legal team was able to convince the judge to put a hold on the interviews until his return."

"So the Senator's just sitting in a cell?"

"No, the judge ordered him released. He's at home with an electronic monitor." That was a hard pill to swallow. God only knew what kind of evidence he could be potentially destroying. But that was the game you played when you went after Senator.

"And, Mrs. Thompson?"

"Still sitting behind bars." The thought got a smirk out of Peter.

"I bet that burns her ass." Neal gave the slightest smile.

"Mmm." He needed to ask Neal exactly what had happened while he was being held, but Peter knew he would have to proceed with caution. "There are still a lot of questions we can't answer."

"Like what happened." The little bit of clarity that had come in Neal's eyes faded.

"Yes." Peter knew Neal understood which answers he was after.

"I don't really know, Peter. I just have bits and pieces." Neal drew in as deep a breath as he could manage, and let it out slowly. "I was tied to a chair, in a small room. They kept it completely dark when they weren't there."

"They?" Peter saw Neal's free hand clench, unclench, and re-clench on the bed sheets.

"The Senator, and another man." Neal pulled in another strained breath. "They…they beat me…and another time they came in and…I think they drugged me."

"It's alright, now, Neal. You're safe now." Peter didn't like darkness that was coming in to Neal's eyes or the way his hand was starting to tremble.

"I could feel everything. It was like… I couldn't escape. The light was so bright, and the noise… the pain…" Peter saw a tear start down Neal's face, as the beeping on the heart monitor increased. "A woman was screaming."

"That would have been Ms. Bennett." Peter felt a little relieved when Neal seemed to come back a little at the sound of his voice. "Neal, I have to know. Do you have any idea how she ended up with your ID?"

"No. I must have had it on me, when they grabbed me. I don't know how she got it… she wasn't in the same room…" Peter heard the hitch in Neal's voice, and saw he whole body start trembling.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I… didn't… I couldn't…" The monitor let out a loud screeching noise, and Peter winced.

A nurse Peter had yet to meet burst through the door. She sent Peter a disapproving glance as she crossed over and silenced the alarm.

"If you're going to agitate him, you're going to have leave." Her voice was razor sharp as she turned on Peter.

"It's alright, Hilary. Go back to your station, I'll handle this." Dr. Matthews' calm and steady voice came from the doorway behind them.

"Yes, doctor." She spared Peter one last icy glare before she left.

Dr. Matthew's checked over his shoulder, and then smiled down at Peter as he handed him a cup of coffee, and sat in the chair beside him. "She's not very friendly, but she is a really good nurse."

"I…"

"Relax, Peter." The doctor kept his eyes on the monitor. Neal's heart rate hadn't returned to normal yet.

"She…was covered in blood…" Neal's voice was nearly a whisper, and his eyes looked empty. The sight shook Peter down to the bone. "She was in the corner…my hands were covered in blood…her blood… I don't know how it got there… and then it… she was gone…"

"Neal?" Peter and the doctor called his name at the same time. Neal's whole body trembled violently, and the heart monitor was going off again.

"Neal? Come on back now. You're OK." The doctor's voice was soothing as he reached over and silenced the alarm again, before doing a quick check on Neal. He walked to the med cart, pulled out a syringe, and added it into Neal's IV. When he was satisfied that Neal was calming down, he turned to Peter. "What's going on, here? Peter…you're going to have to trust me. I can't help him if I don't know."

"I'm not sure." Peter was troubled. "That woman he's talking about. She was found with his ID on her, beaten, bloody… raped."

"You don't think…" The doctor just stared at him, and shook his head. "No way."

"No, I don't think. But I think they had to have been in the same room together at some point."

"you…no…" Neal's speech was slurred and his eyes were starting to droop as he bounced an unsteady finger at Peter. "no…couuuddnnn…vvvv…"

"Gave him a sedative." Dr. Matthews shot an easy grin over at Peter. "Neal Caffrey cut off switch."

Now Peter smiled. "Nice."

.*~*~*~*~*.

Peter could feel Elizabeth watching him as he picked at the dinner she had brought him. They had escaped to the noisy crowded cafeteria to eat; knowing Neal was still out, and not wanting to torment him with the smell of food in the room. Normally he would have eaten the beef tips without hesitation – she had cooked them just how he liked them – but his appetite still wasn't back. He pushed at it with his fork, selecting the smaller pieces so that she wouldn't nag at him. He caught sight of Dr. Matthews walking across the room towards them, and looked up as he approached their table.

"Is Neal ok?" Peter heard the worry in Elizabeth's voice.

"He's fine. He'll probably be out a little while longer yet." He gave a humorous smile. "Peter, there are two people trying to access the ICU, they are insisting on seeing you."

Peter could see the concern on the doctor's face. "Do you know who they are?"

"Ashley Bennett and Theodore Russell."

"Ashley Bennett? You're sure?"

"What's wrong, honey?" Elizabeth reached a hand for her husband's.

"That's the woman that was with Neal. Mr. Russell is her lawyer." He pushed himself back in his chair, and kept his focus on the doctor. "Damn it. Did they say what they want?"

"Just that they needed to see you, and that it couldn't wait until morning. I put them in a private waiting room. I'll take you over if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that." Peter stood, leaning down to press his lips to Elizabeth's forehead. "I'll meet you back at Neal's room."

Dr. Matthews waited until they were alone walking down the quiet corridor. "The woman wants to see Neal. She was pretty insistent."

"Why does she want to see Neal?" Peter could feel all the hair on the back of his neck stand up in defense.

"She wouldn't say. Once he's awake, if you want to let her see him… that's fine. But I want to be there."

Peter nodded. "I'll let you know."