June
Peter walked off his flight, exhausted, and ready to see the two people he loved most. He looked around in the crowd. He didn't see either El or Neal. He looked at his phone and turned airplane mode off. After a moment to connect, a few emails came through, and then several texts.
El had sent, "June called, something is wrong. We may be a little late."
Neal had sent a similar, "Emergency at June's. Heading there and then to the airport."
Followed by Elizabeth, "taking Samantha to the ER."
Peter frowned down at his phone.
Another text came through, from Neal, "sent a ride. Meet us at the hospital?"
Peter looked up, and scanned the crowd again. This time he saw a bearded man in a driver's uniform holding a sign that said Burke. He walked over, and got close enough to see that it was Mozzie. He sighed.
"What's with the beard?"
"Too many cameras. Ready to go, suit?"
"Is Samantha okay? June?"
"You know as much as I do, Neal left a message asking me to pick you up, said it was an emergency with Samantha. He sounded upset."
Peter nodded, and followed Mozzie to the exit. They got into a towncar, Mozzie insisting Peter sit in the back.
"So you three, together, huh?" Asked Mozzie, as they pulled away.
"Yeah." Answered Peter, a little defensively.
"You know, Neal has dated men before, a couple times. That I understand. He's never dated a suit before. Not for real."
Peter snorted.
"Is he happy?"
Peter blinked. The question sounded sincere.
"I think so. You haven't asked him yourself?"
"He picked a side."
Peter frowned, and looked out the window. Then he looked at the back of the driver's cap, "no, he didn't. Not from how much trouble he's been giving Diana."
"Really."
"Really. And I think you know that or you wouldn't have picked me up when he asked."
Mozzie was silent for a few blocks, and then he answered, "I picked you up for June. But...maybe I'll talk to Neal."
"Even if he had...you'd really throw away that friendship?"
"Have to. Isn't safe. Can't know if he'd turn me in."
"Neal would never."
The car was quiet for a bit. Then Mozzie finally admitted, "no, he wouldn't. But it feels like I lost him anyway."
"He might not be planning a huge heist and to run away to a fantasy life. But that's because he found a way to build something real, that makes him happy, right here. You can be part of that."
"Yeah…" sighed Mozzie.
Mozzie didn't reply again until they pulled up to the hospital. He turned around, pulling off the beard and hat, and looking at Peter, though not directly meeting his eyes, "I'll go in. But I'm making no promises."
"Didn't expect anything different."
They got out of the car, walked into the hospital. Peter gave the front desk June and Samantha's names, and followed a man in scrubs through double doors into the emergency department. It was crowded, on a Friday evening. They reached the right bed, and Peter slipped in through the curtain. Mozzie stood back, awkwardly, in the gap.
June was standing beside the bed, holding Samantha's hand. Neal sat on the edge of the bed, talking to Samantha and distracting her. El stood next to June.
Neal's eyes widened slightly when he saw Mozzie behind Peter.
Peter went straight to June, "what happened?"
"She woke up and said her belly hurt, she has a fever…"
Peter pulled June a little ways away from the bed, "do you think it's her kidney?"
June bit pressed her lips together slightly, and nodded. Peter patted her shoulder, and they returned to the bedside. El leaned into his shoulder, "welcome home."
Peter nodded. He looked at Neal, and then over at Mozzie, still standing on the edge of the space. A doctor came in past him, and put a clipboard down on the end of the bed on the side opposite Neal. He looked around at the six worried faces.
"So, the bad news is it does look like you're having some rejection symptoms," he said. "The good news is that you came right in, and it should respond to medication. I'm going to give you a dose of Prednisone, we'll keep you here for observation for a few hours, and you should follow up with your nephrologist immediately."
"Is it gonna make my stomach sick? The other meds do." Asked Samantha, shly.
"It can, but it will make you feel a lot better in other ways."
June pulled the doctor aside to ask more detailed questions. Neal patted Samantha's leg, "hey, guess what?"
She looked at him, "what?"
He used some slight of hand to produce a pill bottle, and handed it to her, "medication buddies."
She looked at the label, then at Neal, "is your kidney sick too?"
Neal shook his head, "no, but it helps with lots of things."
She smiled, and handed it back to him.
June finished talking with the doctor, and he handed Samantha a small paper cup with a pill in it, and a bigger cup of water. She took the pill and downed it, like the expert she was.
She handed the cups back to the doctor. He tossed them out.
"I'll be by to check in periodically, but you can also ask for me. Okay?"
Samantha nodded, authoritatively, "okay."
"Try and get some rest in the meantime."
He headed out.
Samantha yawned, and laid back in the bed.
"Should we stay, or let you two have some peace?" asked Elizabeth of Samantha and June.
June smiled at her, "I think we will be okay. Thank you so much for coming right away."
Elizabeth hugged June, and then gave Samantha a kiss on the forehead. Samantha smiled, tiredly.
Neal hopped down from the bed. His leg buckled, Peter grabbed him by the waist, then slowly let go as Neal regained his balance. He flashed a huge grin at the rest of them, "little stiff."
He hugged June, and he and El headed out, past Mozzie. Peter put his hand on June's arm, "if you need anything, just call. And please let us know how things go."
"I will."
"Me too," said Mozzie, suddenly, "anything you need."
June nodded at him, "thank you."
Peter and Mozzie left the room. Neal and Elizabeth were just outside, Neal's arm around Elizabeth's shoulders, her hand at the small of his back. It was obviously friendly, but Neal was also leaning on her substantially.
He flashed his 1000 watt smile at Peter and Mozzie, "ready to go?"
"Yeah," said Peter, hesitantly.
Mozzie stared at Neal. Neal looked at him, quizzically. Mozzie looked away. Neal sighed. Elizabeth looked between the two, "maybe we should let you talk?"
"Nothing to talk about," said Mozzie.
Neal looked hurt. Mozzie looked at the floor, then met Neal's eyes, "I don't approve of your choices, but…I can see that you're happy. I do want you to be happy. That's all I have to say."
"That's more than enough, Moz," said Neal, relief on his face.
They started to walk out, but it was immediately apparent that Neal was not up to it. He didn't have a cane with him, which wasn't helping, but his left leg also seemed unwilling to bear any weight, and his right wasn't particularly happy about it.
"Sorry," Neal said sheepishly. "We kind of ran to the car after June called. Maybe not the smartest move."
"Well, this is a hospital. I'll be right back," said Mozzie, and disappeared into the crowd.
The three watched him go, slightly bemused. He reappeared moments later with a wheelchair. Neal seemed torn between pride and stubbornness, and pain and the fact Mozzie was being helpful and supportive after months apart.
He finally sat down in it with a slight thump, steadied by Elizabeth. Mozzie started pushing, and Peter and Elizabeth followed.
They reached the exit, and Elizabeth went out into the parking lot to get the car. Peter stood back a little ways, as Mozzie said goodbye to Neal for the time being. Mozzie walked up to Peter, and looked him in the eye.
"What?" Asked Peter.
"Don't hurt him, suit."
"Don't plan to."
Mozzie nodded, and went off to get back in the mysteriously acquired towncar. Peter walked to Neal's side, at the curb. Neal turned in his seat to watch Mozzie go, and then looked up at Peter, "what did you say to him?"
"Nothing, really. I told him you hadn't picked a side, you were just trying to build a life."
Neal nodded, pensively, "thanks for that."
Peter put his hand on Neal's shoulder, "he cares about you. He's just…"
"He's just Mozzie" said Neal with a little laugh.
"Yeah," agreed Peter.
Elizabeth pulled up in her car, Peter offered Neal his arm, and Neal slowly levered himself up. Pain flashed across his face, before being hidden behind a smile. Peter shook his head, and sighed. To his surprise, Neal let the smile drop.
"Really did a number," Neal admitted.
Peter helped him the two steps to the car, and Elizabeth held the front passenger door open. Neal fell into it, and then pulled his legs in after. He did up the seatbelt, hands a tiny bit shaky. Elizabeth bent down to kiss his cheek, "you were amazing in there with Samantha, you know?"
Neal smiled for real, "kids are easy."
El got in the driver's seat, and Peter got in the back. He saw El reach across, gently stroking her hand through Neal's hair, as he adjusted himself in the seat with a slight sound of pain. Neal looked over at her, openly appreciative. Peter smiled a little to himself.
That night, Neal wasn't making it up the steps to his apartment, or to the Burkes' bedroom. Elizabeth made dinner while Neal sat on the couch, watching Peter fight the air mattress. Finally set, he looked up at the younger man. Neal was slouched, body exhausted. Satchmo was laying across his lap, a canine heating pad on aching muscles and joints. Neal read a book propped on the dog's side, his other hand giving Satchmo a gentle, continuous ear scritch. Satchmo's tail thumped on the sofa, extremely pleased with the situation.
Peter smiled. He got up, and sat next to Neal on the couch. Neal looked at him, happy, but not concealing his fatigue or pain. Neal kissed him softly, and leaned against his shoulder. Satchmo put his head on Peter's knee. Peter put his arm around Neal, turned on the game, and Neal turned his attention back to his book.
