Whatever It Takes

Chapter 37

You could have heard a pin drop in the seconds after Elizabeth's comment and for some reason, Neal found it hard to look at Peter. He wasn't sure why he felt embarrassed to have her refer to Peter as his father, but he was. Maybe it was because he was in so much trouble at the moment and Peter had been discussing his punishment. Maybe it was because he wasn't sure how Peter would react to it, even though he and Elizabeth both tried to make it abundantly clear, again and again, that they really did love him.

Peter cleared his throat and smiled at Elizabeth. This was the first time it had been truly acknowledged that he was Neal's father and the thought actually took his breath away. "Well, you know what they say, right? Father knows best."

Neal gave a nervous laugh, before pouring on the charm. "I don't think anyone really says that, anymore, Peter, but if it makes you feel better….."

"Ha Ha, kid. You're too young to be so cynical. Just remember… I hold the power of deciding how much corner time you get. Maybe a little sucking up would be appropriate about now, huh?"

Neal looked at Elizabeth as if to say "Can you believe this guy?" before answering Peter. "Sucking up isn't my thing, Peter. I'm much more subtle than that."

"Okay, you two," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "This could go on all day, so how about we find something else to talk about?"

Neal looked relieved to have a change of subject, but Peter wasn't quite ready. "We can definitely talk about other things, El, as soon as we finish talking about Neal's punishment."

"What more is there to talk about, Peter? I'm going to apologize to everyone, like I said, and then I think I'll watch some TV until my physical therapy session."

"I don't think so, little man. If we were at home, you'd be grounded, which means no television. I think that should apply here, as well."

"Peter, that's not fair! There's nothing else to do here!" Neal hated the way his voice whined, but Peter was really being unfair. He would be bored to death if he couldn't watch television. Plus, he was looking forward to watching a movie he had seen advertised about a nineteen year old kid who conned millions of dollars when posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. That was definitely his kind of movie, and now he was going to have to miss it.

"You can use all your free time to think about everything that's happened and how you could have done things differently."

"We've already talked about all of that, Peter! I know I shouldn't have snuck into Mara's room. I know I shouldn't have hit that stupid code button. I know, okay?" Neal wondered how everything had suddenly gone so wrong and why he was feeling so frustrated.

Peter was wondering the same thing. He hadn't really meant to bring everything up, but he had suddenly realized that there were things they hadn't talked about….. Neal sneaking out of the house, Neal stealing his car and driving away, in Brooklyn traffic, when he had never driven anything before, Neal walking over to Mara, after Peter told him to stop. The boy had absolutely no impulse control and no sense of self-preservation.

"Neal, so much of what happened that day could have been prevented if you had made better choices. If you would have told me the minute you found the painting in your room, the FBI could have handled everything, which means you wouldn't have been shot. If you would have stayed where you were like I told you to, Mara would have never had the chance to grab you and you wouldn't have been shot! Diana and I could have gotten everything under control if you had listened to me. And you stole my car, Neal! You climbed out of a second story window and you stole my car. Either one of those actions could have resulted in you being seriously injured or worse, so this isn't just about what you did yesterday. A little bit of corner time and being grounded from the television isn't nearly enough punishment for what you've done. Do you understand?"

"I do, Peter, but I still don't think it's fair. I feel like I'm going stir crazy in here. Can't it all just wait until we go home? Please?"

Peter shared a quick look with Elizabeth. "Alright, kid. You can watch TV, but the whole corner time still stands. But, believe me, Neal, when I say that we'll revisit all of your transgressions when we get home."

Neal didn't like the sound of that, at all, but he was relieved to put it off for a little while. "Thanks, Peter, for listening to me. Thank you, too, Beth."

After a few minutes of talking, Peter and Neal came to an agreement that Neal would make his apologies that afternoon, after all of his therapy sessions were over. Neal was glad for the short reprieve, wanting more time to think of a way to get out of having to sit in the corner like a five year old. He couldn't believe that Peter was actually going to make him do that. And he couldn't believe that Elizabeth didn't give in to his patented puppy dog eyes. Maybe he needed to work on that a little.

The therapy sessions went by too fast for him, unfortunately. He still hadn't come up with a surefire way to get out of his punishment and it was looking more and more likely that he would soon find his nose buried in the corner of his hospital room. Once he was back in his room, he tried to bargain with Peter and Elizabeth.

"Peter, I really don't think sitting in the corner is going to be effective. I'll most likely be so bored that my mind will just wander everywhere and I won't really be thinking about why I'm being punished. Wouldn't it be better if I just wrote an essay or something, like I did before?"

"That's a great idea, Neal."

Neal felt relief shoot through him, but it was short-lived when Peter continued.

"You can write an essay on what you did wrong and how you could have done things differently while you're sitting in the corner. You should probably also write about how you can keep from being inconsiderate and selfish in the future, and how trust and communication could have prevented all of this."

"Peter, that's not fair!" Neal whined.

"Actually, I think it's more than fair. This way, you'll definitely be thinking about why you're being punished, right?" Peter couldn't help but smile at the sight of Neal pouting. "Eat your lunch, bud. You have a busy afternoon ahead of you."

Once lunch was over, Peter wheeled Neal out to the nurse's station. He really didn't need the wheelchair, but he thought that maybe it might help him garner a little sympathy from everyone. Thankfully, Peter fell for it when Neal told him that his legs were feeling shaky after his physical therapy session.

He didn't think that apologizing to the staff would be that hard, but they were pretty upset with him for pushing the code button. He sat through another lecture on how inconsiderate and disrespectful his actions were, embarrassed to have Peter there to witness his dressing down, but by the time they were all done, the staff had forgiven him.

Next, Neal had one of the nurses ask the patient in the room next to Mara's if he could talk to her. Entering the room, Neal found the older lady, Mrs. Carson, sitting up in her bed, looking at him rather angrily. "Ma'am, my name is Neal and I wanted to apologize for coming into your room yesterday without permission. It was extremely rude and inconsiderate of me to do that and I'm really very sorry."

"Young man, I do hope you're not just saying that to get out of trouble. You scared the living daylights out of me yesterday. I thought that maybe you were a psychiatric patient that escaped the loony bin and I was prepared to hit you over the head with my call light, if I had to."

Neal couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him, nor did he miss the glare Peter sent his way. He quickly straightened up, trying to look as remorseful as he could, which was made harder by the fact that he kept seeing the look on Peter's face that morning when his call light hit him on the head.

Mrs. Carson turned to Peter, addressing him directly. "Is this your son?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is. My name is Peter Burke and I'd like to apologize for what happened yesterday."

The lady now turned back to Neal. "You have no reason to apologize, Mr. Burke, as I'm sure this miscreant was acting on his own volition. Now, you listen here, Neal Burke, if you were my child, I would have taken you over my knee and warmed your backside for being so disobedient and disrespectful. That's what's wrong with you kids nowadays…..no one believes in a good sound spanking anymore. I guarantee you, Peter Burke; your boy would behave better if he thought you might punish him in such a way. Mark my word, it's a strong deterrent."

By this time, Neal was blushing in embarrassment. He was also hoping that Peter wasn't actually considering what the old woman was saying. It was bad enough to be made to sit in the corner, but to think about what Mrs. Carson was suggesting…..well, he didn't even want to think about it. A few minutes later, the old woman had finally stopped talking about what was wrong with the younger generation and Neal took the opportunity to apologize one more time, wanting nothing more than to get out of her room.

"Ma'am, I really am sorry and I hope you can forgive me." Wheeling himself forward a bit, Neal handed her a sketch he had done of the vase of flowers on her bedside table. Somehow, he had remembered seeing them in the short time he was in her room, thinking how they must have been beautiful at one time. The flowers were all wilted now, but in the drawing they were all vibrantly alive, as Neal had imagined them and as they had probably looked the day someone gave them to her.

Taking the drawing from him, she looked at it, tears filling her eyes. "My daughter gave me these flowers over a week ago, right before she had to fly back to California. She's the only family I have left and I hated to see her flowers die. The nurse wanted to throw them out a few days ago, but I wouldn't let her."

When she looked back at Neal, Peter was surprised to see that she no longer looked angry. In fact, she had that look on her face that most women got whenever Neal turned on his charm. Peter rolled his eyes, wondering for the hundredth time why the kid had that effect on almost everyone he met.

"This drawing is beautiful, Neal. Thank you, so much."

"So, does that mean you forgive me?" Neal asked, as he gave her his most angelic smile.

"Of course, I forgive you, Neal. We all make mistakes, child. And Peter Burke, don't you dare even think about spanking this precious child, do you hear me?"

Peter couldn't keep from rolling his eyes again.

Once Neal and Peter returned to the room, Neal launched Plan A of his "I'm not sitting in the corner" plan. Getting out of the wheelchair, he went into the bathroom and frantically began pinching his cheeks. Looking in the mirror, he was pleased to see that his cheeks were a rosy red, making him look like his fever was back. Walking out of the bathroom, he made sure to walk over to Elizabeth, who was looking at a magazine.

"Beth, I don't feel very good." He gave her the most pitiful look he could, hoping that she would fall for it.

"Oh, sweetie, you do look a little flushed." Putting her hand up to his cheek and then his forehead, Elizabeth frowned. "You don't feel warm, though. Maybe you should take a nap, hon."

Neal started over to his bed, but was stopped by Peter's deep chuckle. "Nice try, Neal. Now, get over here and have a seat."

"Peter!" Elizabeth scolded. "I think he needs to get some rest."

Peter laughed again. "El, he's playing the sympathy card, trying to get out of his punishment. He feels fine, trust me. Now, let's go, Neal, unless you'd rather go with what Mrs. Carson initially suggested."

"No! I'll sit in the corner, Peter." Neal walked as quickly as he could to where Peter was standing. Looking up at Peter with his big blue eyes, Neal tried one more time. "Do I really have to do this? I learned my lesson, I promise."

"Sit down, Neal."

Neal sat down in the chair, inches away from the corner. He hoped that no one would come in while he was sitting there. "How long do I have to stay here, Peter?"

"Until I tell you you're done. Make yourself comfortable, kid."

An hour and a half later, Neal was starting to think that Peter had forgotten him. Elizabeth had gone home to shower and to check on Satchmo, who had been staying with their neighbor, and Peter was going over some case files that Jones had brought to him. Neal had written the essay he had stupidly suggested and had spent the last 20 minutes counting the tiles in the ceiling. At least the ones he could see from the corner, because every time he started to turn around, Peter would clear his throat and tell him to turn back to the corner.

From the moment he sat in the chair, Neal was hoping and praying that no one would come into his room. He didn't want anyone to witness him sitting in the corner like a baby. Unfortunately, God must have felt that he needed a lesson in humility, because Neal received several visitors while he was in his time-out.

First, Ben and Catherine dropped by, and Neal listened in embarrassment as Peter filled them in on the events of the last twenty-four hours. Ben and Catherine both found it necessary to lecture him on the merits of obedience before leaving for the night. Neal could hardly look them in the eye, but he reveled in the warm hug and kiss on the forehead he received from Nana Cat.

His next visitor was Mozzie, who acted affronted on Neal's behalf, to his delight.

"Sitting in the corner? Seems like such a plebian concept, Suit. I expected better from you."

"Well, it was either that or string him up by his toes, Mozzie. Maybe you think that would be more appropriate?"

"Although I agree that it was a rather impetuous thing to do, Suit, I think Neal had the right to talk with his mother, if he wanted to. Why should he be punished for that?"

Peter couldn't believe the gall of this man. "If I remember right, Mozzie, you told him it was a stupid idea when he told you about it. And he's not being punished for wanting to talk to his mother. He's being punished for the way he went about it. In case you've forgotten, she tried to kill him. It was too dangerous for him to just walk right into her room, without any protection."

Mozzie looked at his young friend, who was straining his neck to see and hear what was going on. "I tried, mon frère, but the Suit might have a point. Next time, you need to use that genius mind of yours and make better decisions."

Neal felt like he might scream if he heard one more person tell him he needed to make better decisions.

Mozzie left after twenty minutes, worried that he might be exposed to some deadly flesh-eating bacteria if he stayed longer. Neal was really hoping that Peter would call him out of the corner, but looking around, he noticed that Peter had gone back to reading the case file, ignoring him again. Neal picked at his fingernails, rubbed at a scuff on the wall with his foot, thought about how Sophie would react when she found out he had been shot, and went through the periodic table of elements in his head, trying to keep his mind occupied. He fidgeted non-stop in the chair and repeatedly sighed, until Peter finally called him on it, telling him that all he was doing was adding more time onto his sentence. Neal was about to argue when the door opened again.

This time, it was Dr. Benson and Neal's favorite nurse, Jessie, who entered. Neal didn't think he had ever been more embarrassed than he was at that moment.

"Neal, what in the world are you doing sitting in the corner like that?" Dr. Benson obviously hadn't been informed of yesterday's fiasco.

"Um, nothing, Dr. Benson. I, uh…..I'm just sitting here, admiring the craftsmanship of this corner. Whoever your contractor was did an excellent job."

"Neal….." Peter's low voice stopped Neal from continuing. "I think Dr. Benson deserves the truth. After all, she did save your life."

Neal's face had turned a brilliant shade of red, a sight that only made him more endearing to the two women in the room. "Fine!" he said. "I got into a little trouble, Dr. Benson, and Peter is punishing me by making me sit in this stupid, boring, monochromatic, scuffed up corner."

Dr. Benson couldn't keep from smiling at her patient's obvious displeasure. "Well, Neal, in my experience as a parent, any punishment that can elicit such passionate dislike is probably an appropriate punishment. After all, you're not supposed to enjoy being punished, right?"

Neal didn't answer, instead choosing to turn around and face the corner again. "Maybe I can make you feel a little better, Neal. If you continue to do as well as you have been, I plan on moving you out of the ICU tomorrow. And, then, maybe in a few days you can actually go home. How does that sound?"

Neal had turned around to face Dr. Benson, a huge smile replacing the adorable pout. "Really? I can go home in a few days? Promise?"

"I can't promise you, Neal, but if you continue to improve, then it's a very good possibility."

Peter was excited to hear this news, too. He was beyond tired of living in the hospital and was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. "That's great news, Dr. Benson. I'm sure Neal will do everything he needs to do to make that happen. Right, Neal?"

"Absolutely! I'll be the model patient, I promise. I'll do whatever you tell me to, Dr. Benson. I'll even start to eat the nasty vegetables Jessie keeps bringing me."

"What do you mean "start to eat," Neal? You haven't been eating them?" Jessie gave Neal a funny look.

"Sorry, Jessie…..I've been hiding them in my napkin and then flushing them down the toilet." Neal gave her his most charming grin.

"You little devil! Just for that, I'm bringing you a double serving tonight and I'm not leaving until I see you eat every single bite."

Neal groaned at that, causing Peter, Jessie and Dr. Benson to laugh. "I think I need to learn to keep my mouth shut."

Author's note: It looks like Neal's getting back to his old shenanigans, as Peter would say. There's never a dull moment with that kid! What did you all think of the chapter? Is Peter being too strict with Neal? Or too lenient? The kid really did make some poor choices recently, something that seems to be a recurring issue. Something or somebody has to get through to the kid eventually.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. You are all amazing and wonderful.